Welcome to 2024! I hope you all enjoyed a good break during the holidays and have settled in to the routine of school life after the first week. We warmly welcome our new students and their families. The school continues to grow and we are delighted that more new families can benefit from the different aspects of school life at Montgrove. We have added a class to Year 4 this year and we now have over 90 Kindergarten students. They have made a great start to the year, taking on the challenge of ‘big school’ and settling in very quickly.

We welcome our new teachers. In Primary and Infants, we welcome: Sonia Crestani, Penny Gabbin, Elsabe Prinsloo, Kristina Saoullis, Isabella Tutton, Emily Muscat. Mrs Oxley will be doing casual work for us this year, but not returning as a classroom teacher. We thank her for all the great work she has done with each of her classes. She would always inject her lessons with plenty of creativity and enthusiasm so that the girls could challenge themselves with their learning. We also have a number of new teachers in the Secondary, as we continue to add a class each year in High School. We welcome Joanna Gevero (HSIE), Lucy Limbers (English), Lisa Lynch (Science and Maths) and Catherine Lynch (Philosophy). We wish all our new teachers a great year ahead at Montgrove.

On the second day back from the holidays we celebrated i4give Day as a way to start the year afresh, putting any resentments behind us. i4give Day was started by the Abdullah’s who lost their of their own children and their cousin on the 1^st February 2020. I am sure many of us remember the tragic circumstances of that day and seeing Leila Abdullah tell the world that she forgave the driver. In their own words the Abdullah’s encourage us all to free our hearts through forgiveness:

“Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. The more you practice the better you become at it and it allows you to live peacefully and to heal. Forgiveness is more for the forgiver than the forgiven” Danny & Leila Abdallah.

I am sure this is a message that we can all relate to and one that can help us to experience God’s peace and joy in our hearts.

As you are aware, our first Key Parent Functions for this term will be held next week. The Primary KPF will be held on Monday 12 February, and the Secondary KPF on Tuesday 13 February. Both KPF’s will start at 7.15pm with a plenary session in the COLA. The plenary session is the same for both nights, so you only need to attend one of these sessions. I look forward to seeing you all in the coming days.

Congratulations to: 

• Leanne & Michael Noone on the birth of Edward Leo, brother to Lillian (3B) and Naomi (KB); 
• Jacqueline & Tony Saaib on the birth of Daniel, brother to Samuel (1S)
• Steffi & Parry Sequira on the birth of Michael Joshua, brother to Ruth (8B)
• Yasmine & Michael Tolentino on the birth of Layla, sister to Ysabelle  (2G)

Please pray for our sick and injured family and friends:

Victor Sciberras, father to Raelene Pirotta (Registrar); Benjamin Santiago, father to Agryna (11); & Emmanuel Hanna, brother to Cecilia (9B) & Lucia (6G).

Please also remember those who have passed away:

Victor Asdiollo Tuballa, father-in-law to Sarah Tuballa (Religion teacher), grandfather to Charlotte (9B) & Felicity (3G) Tuballa; Priscilla De Leon Yabut, grandmother to Samantha Magat (12); Aurea Ingco, great grandmother to Mila Kottatis (2G); Aiyana Cabanero (Yr10 2019) sister to Amara (9) Cabanero.

If you would like to add any intentions to the Prayer Board, please send them to melanie.merriman@montgrove.nsw.edu.au. Please also let Melanie know when your intentions can be removed. 

In his book, “Mere Christianity”, in the chapter on the Cardinal Virtues, C.S. Lewis reminds us: “It is, of course, quite true that God will not love you any the less, or have less use for you, if you happen to have been born with a very second-rate brain. He has room for people with very little sense, but He wants everyone to use what sense they have. The proper motto is not "Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever," but "Be good, sweet maid, and don't forget that this involves being as clever as you can." God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than of any other slackers. If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But, fortunately, it works the other way round. Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself.”

Blessed Alvaro reminds us that our first enemy is laziness. St Josemaría puts it this way, in his book, “The Way”: “If you are to serve God with your mind, to study is a grave obligation for you.”

And so, here we are, at the start of a new school year! And with Lent just around the corner, lots of little sacrifices are beckoning, especially those which make life more pleasant for people around us. Study, or schoolwork, for school children, involves some of the best little sacrifices, including those of not being “slackers”, paying attention in class, and so many others that it would take too long to mention.

Mass

Mass is held Monday to Friday at 12:15pm.  Parents are welcome to attend Mass in the Chapel.

Chapel Visits

Parents are welcome to visit the Chapel from 2:30pm for prayer. 

Confessions

Fr Anthony Khoudair is available for confessions on:

• Tuesdays from 2:45pm to 3:30pm
• Wednesdays from 2:45pm to 3:30pm 

• The office door will be locked from 9:00am
• Mrs Merriman will unlock it remotely when she sees you
• To enter please wait for the click before pulling the door towards you gently
• If reception is unattended please ring the door bell and a staff member will let you in

Absence forms are done through the Engage Parent Portal. The Engage Parent Portal allows you to access your children's reports, complete absence forms and see your account details for both Wollemi & Montgrove. You would have already received your username and password earlier in the year.

Kindergarten to Year 6

Start:            8:50am

Finish:           3:00pm

Kindergarten and Year 1 students may be picked up at 2:45pm from their classroom. Please note that this is only applicable for parents who ONLY have children in Kindergarten and Year 1.

Kindergarten to Year 6 students arriving after 8:50am will be required to sign in at the office.

Year 7 to Year 12

Start:            8:30am

Finish:           3:15pm

Year 7 to 12 students arriving after 8:30am will be required to sign in at the office.

• If you have children in both Kindergarten and/or Year 1 AND a primary student, please collect them after 3:00pm. 
• If you have children in both Primary and Secondary school please collect them between 3:15pm and 3.30pm. 

General

• Please do not park in the Medical Centre car park next door
• For the safety of our students, parents, staff and visitors please remember that the speed limit in all parts of the car park and driveways is 5 km/h at all times. 
• All children up to the age of 7 must be seated in an approved child booster seat.
• When you are dropping off your child/ren please do so in either the drop off zone, or park your car in a designated car space.
• If you are dropping your child/ren off before 8.15am, please remind them that they are to stay seated at the main gate

Car Park

• Children are NOT to be left unattended in cars in the car park.
• Please park your car in a parking spot - DO NOT use the car park as a “kiss and drop area”
• Please DO NOT stop or park your car on the pedestrian crossing to let children out of the car
• Please use the car park pedestrian crossing to take children to and from parked cars.
• The large fig tree and surrounding garden in the carpark is out of bounds at all times.  Could you please ensure that you do not allow your children to play around the base of the tree or climb in it.   Please also do not park here.  This is both for the safety of your children and the health of the tree.
• We have 2 disabled spots in the car park, these spots are on either side of the Fig tree. We request that you please only park in the marked disabled spots if you currently hold and display a valid disabled parking permit

Car Line

• Please do not park on Bringelly Road in the area leading to the entrance driveway. Even though there is no signage stopping parents from parking there, it does impact the flow of traffic being able to enter the driveway and also impacts the public being able to drive along Bringelly Road. 
• If you are waiting to turn right from Bringelly Road into the car line, please stay as close to the centre line as possible. This will allow people turning right out of the Montgrove exit gate to travel past those cars.
• If you are entering the car line from the Caddens Road side, please allow cars from the Northern Road side to merge to avoid traffic congestion on Bringelly Road.
• No parking at any time in the carline drive-through from the entrance to the exit, especially during peak times. This allows for the traffic to flow freely
• Students are not permitted to enter their car before the crossing. This is to ensure the safety of those entering the car and those crossing.
• Please do not get out of the car in the carline. A team of teachers will put the children in the car. This will allow the cars to move through at a quicker pace.
• Parents using the car line are asked to remain in their car. A staff member will supervise your child coming to the car.
• Please display your family surname in the windscreen. Each family should have received a copy of a “Family Surname” sign to display in the windscreen.
• The senior girls who do not have younger siblings will be able to go straight to their parents’ cars in the car park. All other children must be picked up in person or via the carline. The children’s safety is paramount.
• When leaving the School please keep to the marked left or right lane of the driveway depending which way you are turning onto Bringelly Road.

Extreme Weather Procedure for Afternoon Pick-Up

• In temperatures over 40 degrees, there will be no car line in operation. We ask that parents park their car and collect their child/ren from either the classroom or the Hall.  K-2 students may be picked up from their classroom from 2:30pm. At 2:45pm all K-6 students will be in the Hall.  If there are no available car spaces in the car park, the car line area may be used to park your car if you intend to only be a few minutes collecting your child/ren. Secondary students school finish time will be as usual – 3:15pm.
• During storms when there is lightning, there will be no teacher on Crossing Duty. We ask that you use care when driving through the car line. It is advisable for students to have a raincoat that they can wear in these conditions.

Our first Key Parent Function (KPF) will be held on the following dates:

Kindergarten - Year 6

• Monday 12th February 2023 at 7:00pm for a 7:15pm start

Year 7 - Year 12

• Tuesday 13th February 2023 at 7:00pm for a 7:15pm start

Parents are to meet in the COLA where Miss Lourdes Mejia will start the evening with all parents. After that, parents will go to their child/ren’s classroom to meet their teacher(s) and be informed of expectations and so forth. 

Where there is more than one class involved, parents may choose to split up for this part of the evening.  It is expected that parents will be in the classrooms until approximately 8:15pm. Following the class presentation, we invite everyone to the Hall for supper.

Just a reminder that the KPF is a requirement for both parents and babysitting will need to be organised. Please DO NOT park in the Medical Centre carpark.

Could the following classes please bring a plate to share for supper

• Monday 12th February: Year 1 and Year 2

• Tuesday 13th February: Year 7 and Year 9

Please take the plate to the Hall before going to the COLA.

The Term 1 Whole School Mass for students in Years 2 to 12 will be held on Ash Wednesday 14th February 2023 at 12:00pm in the COLA.  Students in Kindergarten and Year 1 will receive the ashes in class. 

Parents are most welcome to join us.

On Tuesday 6th February we took part in Safer Internet Day. Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of a safer and better internet for all, and especially for children and young people.

Some resources for parents can be found at https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

School Committee

Infants and Primary Teaching Staff

Diverse Learning & Teacher’s Aide

Formation 

Wellbeing Staff

Library

Secondary Teaching Staff

Administration

Chaplains

Montgrove College would appreciate donations of the following items of clothing to be kept as spares for when a student needs a change of clothes. The previous style of the summer dress is also suitable: 

• Size 6 summer dresses
• Size 8 summer dresses
• Size 4 boys shorts
• Size 6 boys shorts
• Sports shorts
• Size 6 & 8 winter dresses 
• Boys long sleeve shirts

We thank you for your donations. 

In an effort to teach our students to take personal responsibility and to be accountable for their own items, we do not have a Lost Property box at Montgrove.   

We ask that all personal items be labelled with your child's surname and first initial, so that any items that are misplaced can be returned to the owner immediately.

Under the NSW Adolescent Vaccination Program, vaccinations are made available to be received by students in Year 7 and Year 10 at school as follows:

• Year 7 students are eligible to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) at school 
• Year 10 students are eligible to be vaccinated against Meningococcal ACWY at school 

Vaccinations are provided at no cost to families as part of the NSW Health School Vaccination Program. 

The dates for the vaccinations at the School have been scheduled as follows: 

Tuesday 13th February:            

• Year 7  - dTpa and HPV (catch up available for Year 8 & 9 students who missed their vaccinations in 2022 or 2023
• Year 10 - Meningoccal ACWY (catch up available for Year 11 & 12 students who missed their vaccinations in 2022 or 2023
• Catchups are also available for students 

Wednesday 11th September (Catch ups): 

• Year 7  - dTpa and HPV
• Year 10 - Meningoccal ACWY 
• Year 8 & 9 - dTpa and HPV (students who returned their consents in 2022 or 2023)
• Year 11 & 12 - Meningoccal ACWY (students who returned their consents in 2022 or 2023)

Please note that students cannot be vaccinated without an online or paper-based consent.

ONLINE CONSENT FOR SCHOOL VACCINATION INFORMATION FROM NSW HEALTH

1. To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage
2. Follow the steps to log in to your existing Service NSW account. If you don’t have an account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
3. Update or confirm your personal details as required.
4. Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:

• Enter your child’s personal details
• Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
• Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and Privacy Statement. Translations available in 27 languages
• Provide consent

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form from your child’s school.

Please read all the information carefully and, if you wish for your child to be vaccinated, please complete the online consent before Tuesday 13th February 2024.

If you are unable to access the online consent system, please contact the Penrith Public Health on 02 4734 2022.

More information about the School Vaccinations Program is available at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx

On Wednesday 31st January, the Elective Music classes attended the famous musical, Wicked, at the Sydney Lyric Theatre! As a Year 9 student, it really excited me to start this new year in Elective Music by attending a musical production. We had the opportunity to watch this amazing performance because one of the Music classes had been studying the unit “Opera and Musical Theatre”.

We caught the train and the light rail to get to The Star and after having a quick food break, the musical started at 1pm. For some of the students, it was their first musical and it was very culturally-enriching. We had really good seats with a perfect view of the stage where the attention to detail put into the production was unmistakable. It was amazing to witness a live orchestra perform and feel the effect of the music, the acting and the stage set combined. 

A big thanks to Mrs Issa, our Music teacher, for organising and accompanying us on this trip! Also thanks to Mrs Concepcion and Miss Aguilar. All the students had a great time together and it was an amazing experience. 

Anna L (Year 9)

Montgrove College Trading Hours 2023

Mondays: 8:30am to 12:30pm

Ordering online couldn’t be simpler.

 Go to www.midford.com.au

1. Select Montgrove College from the online School Shops tab.
2. New users to click the ‘Register New Account’ button.
3. Start the registration process by selecting Montgrove College from the drop-down menu and add Montgrove unique school pass phrase: Montgrove2007
4. Add your personal information, create a username and password.
5. Order the items you need, select pick up from the uniform shop on Monday's or option of home delivery.

Please book appointments through our online appointment system by using the below link.  https://Midford.as.me/MontgroveCollege

For enquiries please email: montgrove@midford.com.au

Year 1 Blue are invited to a get together in the park! 

Date: Sunday 18th February 2024

Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm 

Place: Banks Drive Reserve, St Clair

Bring: Share Plate and chairs/rugs

RSVP: Clare - 0424 155 084

As announced at the end of Term 3, our school has partnered with Edstart to facilitate the payment of your school fees. 

The deadline for setting up an Edstart Plus account has already passed. If you have not already set up your account, please do so as soon as possible by visiting edstart.com.au/pared – it only takes a few minutes to create your account. The friendly Edstart customer success team will be able to assist you should you have any questions, you can contact them at 1300 139 445 or contact@edstart.com.au.

From 2023, all school fees must be paid via your Edstart account where you can opt for weekly, monthly, fortnightly, termly, or annual instalments. Pared will no longer accept direct payments.

As part of our commitment to parents, Montgrove will absorb the administrative fees for your Edstart Plus service, so that this service is free for families to use.

Edstart is a leading provider of payment and technology services for the education sector and currently works with thousands of parents at over 600 schools around Australia, with a key focus on providing personalised service for each family.

What are the benefits of partnering with Edstart?

1. Flexibility:

Edstart provides families with more options and greater flexibility when it comes to paying school fees, at no additional cost. For example, with an Edstart Plus account:

• Choose your preferred day for when payments are made

• Spread your payments over your preferred time frame during the school year

• Option to pay via direct debit, debit/credit card or BPay

• During difficult times, families can be offered flexible payment schedules

• Adjust your payments at any time

2. Paperless & secure:

●      Payment Information will be submitted and stored through Edstart’s secure online platform, so families can be assured of data security.

●      Direct debit forms no longer need to be printed. 

3. Customer Service:

●      Edstart provides Pared parents with a dedicated customer service team who can promptly respond to queries and questions over the phone, email or through their website’s live chat function.

If you haven't already, please set up your Edstart account online at edstart.com.au/pared.

1. PARED will issue the Invoice / Fee Account Statement once by week 2 of every Term 1, 2, 3 and 4.
2. This Invoice includes: Tuition Fees, Curriculum and Technology Levy (CTL) and Building Levy only.
3. The Pared Schools have partnered with Edstart to provide more flexibility and choice with your school fee payments. All school fees must be paid via your Edstart account where you can opt for weekly, monthly, fortnightly, termly, or annual instalments.
4. As it occurs, PARED will issue separate invoices for activities other than those in Item 2 above.  This will include major camps, major excursions, certain elective co-curricular expenses, band program, elective music software,  loss of or damage to laptop, PDHPE workbook, school diary, etc. 
5. These should also be paid via your Edstart account