I hope the first few weeks have gone well for everyone and that the students have settled into the school routine. A very special welcome to all our new families. It was great to see many of you during the New Parent Orientation and Key Parent Functions. We were also very happy to formally welcome our new students to Montgrove at our Foundation Day Ceremony on Wednesday. I hope they have truly felt welcomed here at the school.

During the Secondary School Assembly last week our current Year 12 students gave a presentation on the Philippines Service Project. The girls came back transformed from their experience, helping a school in one of the poorer areas in Cebu. They were able to finish painting some classrooms and interact with the students and their families. They were all impressed with how happy and generous the people were. The children were constantly smiling and the families would offer them food and small gifts, despite their poverty. Thank you to Dr Malabanan and to Maggie Concepcion (Class of 2019) for organising the trip and accompanying the girls. We hope to continue with this project so that other students can have the same opportunity in years to come.

For the Secondary Assembly we also invited back the Class of 2024 to congratulate them for their excellent HSC results and to celebrate their achievements. We decorated the stage with balloons saying “61” and enjoyed a lovely morning tea with them. It was lovely to hear about their future plans. The courses they will be studying ranged from dentistry, nursing and advanced science to education, design and drama. They were a talented class and it was good to see their hard work had paid off.

This coming Tuesday we will be having our first Open Day for the year and it is looking to be a very busy one. It is good to see a growing interest in the school and thank you to those who promote the school among their friends and relatives. Personal recommendations prove to be one the most effective ways of promoting the school to families who will understand our philosophy and ethos.

On Wednesday next week I will be going to the Building Bridges Conference in the Manila. This is an international conference organised by the Parents for Education Foundation in the Philippines. The conference will gather Leaders from schools around the world that share the same ethos as the PARED schools. It is the first of its kind for the English speaking schools, and I am sure it will be a very enriching experience.

Congratulations to the following Montgrove families who have recently welcomed a new baby to their family:

© Heather (4B 2024 Teacher) & Adam Bayliss (Wollemi Teacher) on the birth of their daughter Zoe Claire;

© Lauren (Music Teacher) & Jason Issa on the birth of their daughter Chloe

Pope St John Paul II, in a homily he pronounced on Mt Sinai, in the year 2000, declared: "The Ten Commandments are not an arbitrary imposition of a tyrannical Lord. They were written on stone; but they were first written on the heart of man as a universal moral law, valid at all times and in all places. Today, as always, the Ten Words of the Law provide the only authentic basis for the life of individuals, societies and nations. Today, as always, they are the only future of the human family. They save man from the destructive force of selfishness, hatred and lies. They point out all the false gods that enslave him: the love of self that excludes God, the desire for power and pleasure that upsets the order of justice and degrades our human dignity and that of our neighbor (...)  (...) To keep the commandments means to be faithful to God, but also to be faithful to ourselves, to our true nature and to our deepest aspirations.”

Way back in the 1960’s, a woman wrote a letter to St Josemaría, asking him to convince the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to take away the Ten Commandments, so that we could all be happy and at peace with one another. St Josemaría felt sorry for her and would doubtless have prayed for her.

The ethos of the Pared schools upholds and promotes this wonderful formula for human flourishing, the Ten Commandments, also known as the expression of the Law of Human Nature.  As Pope Francis has pointed to our being, during this Holy Year, “Pilgrims of Hope”, we can renew or hope and prayer that all men of good will may come to this understanding.

Now that we are well into the Jubilee Year of 2025, where Pope Francis assures us with St Paul, that our hope in God does not disappoint, we can foster our hope in the relationship between parents and children.

Here is a quotation, along these lines, from the biography of St Josemaría, entitled “At God’s Pace”:

“When St Josemaría had [reached] a greater perspective on his childhood and his adolescent years, he came to realise that the influence his parents had had on him stemmed from their availability - they had always had time for him - and from the trust they had always shown him: they had given him more and more of a free rein, as they saw him mature, teaching him (by giving him very little pocket-money for instance, so that every penny counted) to "admin­ister his freedom well".

Let’s go on asking the good Lord to help all involved in the formation of children, to keep encouraging them to “administer their freedom well”, that is to say, to keep teaching them how to act freely, and with responsibility.

Please pray for our sick and injured family and friends:

Regine Bernacer(11B) daughter to Anne Bernacer (Formation team); Unborn baby Roberts, sibling to Anna (12) & Azaliah (2G) Roberts; Joshua Gibbons (Yr5 Wollemi), brother to Catherine (8B) & Madeleine (7B) Gibbons; Easter Nasayao-Montenegro, aunt to Lael Nasayao (4B); Lucy Bates, sister to Sarah Tuballa (Librarian and Religion teacher), aunty to Charlotte (10B) & Felicity (4B) Tuballa; Walter Daniel Valenton, uncle to Elyssa (8G), Marcela (3B) and Daniela (3B) Valenton; Vengie Pangilinan (Former teacher); Helen Stanojevic (KG Teacher); & Emmanuel Hanna, brother to Cecilia (10B) & Lucia (7G) Hanna.

Please also remember those who have passed away:

Bruce Kilpatrick, father to Julie Blazevic (school secretary), grandfather to Lisa Blazevic (library assistant) & great grandfather to Thylane Djurdjevic (2B); Benjamin Santiago, father to Agryna (12); Craig Walsh Jr, Uncle to Paula Catt (6B); Craig Walsh Snr Grandfather to Paula Catt (6B); 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. 

Siblings of current students are given priority during the enrolment process.  If you would like to submit an application for your son/daughter in Kindergarten 2026 please register via this form and an application form will be emailed directly to you.  Students enrolling in Kindergarten must have turned 5 years by March 31 of the year that they are to start school.

Those who have already submitted Kindergarten 2026 applications previously, there is no action required from you at this stage. This is just a reminder email for any current families who intend to but have not yet applied.

If you have any questions please contact our Enrolments Team enrol@montgrove.nsw.edu.au or call (02) 4749 4714. We look forward to assisting you in your enrolment journey.

General

• NO RIGHT TURN between the hours of 8:15-9:15am and 2:45-3:45 pm when exiting Montgrove. 
• Please not park your car in the Medical Centre carpark next door or use this area as a pick up or drop off point.  If the Montgrove car park is full please use Oag Crescent and the surrounding streets to park your car. You are able to use the pedestrian crossing on Bringelly Road to safely pick up your children.   
• 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 extreme high temperatures, 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 can still be picked up from their classroom from 2:45pm. At 3:00pm 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.

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. 

The Term 1 Whole School Mass for students in Years 2 to 12 will be held on Ash Wednesday 5th March 2025 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.

RSVP: https://forms.gle/EzjkxG8uB8ZqvFV19

SAVE THE DATE!

The 2025 School Photos will be held on Thursday 10th April 2025.     

On Photo day, please ensure that:

• Students wear full summer uniform with shoes polished
• Hair which is shoulder length or longer must be tied back
• Top knots and multiple braids are not acceptable
• Ribbons and hair accessories must be in school colours
• Any jewellery worn to school must be in line with school policy
• Girls are NOT permitted to wear makeup
• This applies to class photos as well as individual portraits

HOW TO ORDER PHOTO PACKAGES AND SIBLING PHOTOS

To reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day, orders for packages and sibling photographs will need to be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit advanced order code. 

Step 1:  Go to www.advancedlife.com.au

Step 2:  Enter school code ZHR 8VP K65 in the “order and download box”.  This will take you to the school’s secure online ordering site. 

Step 3:  Click on “Order Photos” and complete your details.  During this process you can place orders for additional children and sibling photos.   

Step 4:  Pay for your photos using Visa, Mastercard, PayPal or Latitude Pay

PLEASE NOTE:

• Portrait and group package orders can be ordered online right up until photo day
• Sibling Photos must be pre-ordered online up to 24 hours before photo day.
  • Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.
  • Only students enrolled at Montgrove can be included in the sibling photo.
• A Late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately.

We do have a small number of envelopes available at reception for those families who are unable to order online.  Should you wish to purchase using an envelope, these can be collected from the office no later than Monday 31st March 2025.

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

School Committee

Infants and Primary Teaching Staff

Diverse Learning & Teacher’s Aide

Formation 

Wellbeing Staff

Library

Secondary Teaching Staff

Administration

Chaplains

• 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.

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.

• Lessons during class time for infants and primary students.  Before school lessons for secondary (or after school at a nearby private studio)
• Beginner to advanced levels taught
• Two optional student recitals held each year at the Joan Sutherland Centre
• AMEB piano and music theory examinations offered
• Teacher is accredited and a full member of the NSW Music Teacher’s Association

Montgrove College Trading Hours 2024

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.

NOTE: Choosing home delivery is the fastest way of receiving your orders and home delivery is free for all orders over $50.

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

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