For those of you who were able to attend Band Night last Saturday evening, I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did. I was so impressed with the level of performance of each of the band members, and their versatility with moving from one instrument to another. Our thanks goes to Miss Aiesha Oringo who dedicated many hours to seeing the project through from beginning to end. It was a fantastic opportunity for the girls to develop their musical talents and bring joy to others through their music.

I was also impressed with the band’s chosen name - Talitha Koum, which means ‘Young girl, Rise!’ - which many of you will recognise as a reference from the Bible. It is an encouragement for our girls to not be afraid to share their talents and to have the courage to take on new challenges, knowing that it takes patience and hard work to see a project through to completion. It takes courage and resilience to keep going forward when you feel the pressure of meeting deadlines and getting over your nerves before and during a performance. Well done to all our performers and to the MCs for a great evening!

This coming Friday 19 May will be our long-awaited Harmony Day. We haven’t been able to have Harmony Day since 2018 and we are looking forward to the day’s celebrations. Details on how to purchase tickets for the Harmony Day show and the day’s schedule can be found later in this newsletter. Please read this section as there is also important information on how the day will run.

This week we are saying farewell to Ms Jocytte Musa who will be leaving Montgrove to pursue further study. We thank her for her contribution to the school and for all her efforts in giving her students a positive and challenging learning experience. We wish her well with her future endeavours.

We enjoyed having so many join us for the Mother’s Day morning tea and blessing. Thank you to our Year 7B girls who prepared and served the morning tea. As we gathered around Our Lady’s Shrine for the blessing, we prayed for all of our mothers, those present and those who weren’t able to join us. I hope you all felt the strength of our prayers and enjoyed a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday.

Congratulations to:

© Ana & Brano Surkic on the birth of Nikoleta, sister to Sanja (7B) & Frano (1G)

© Charmaine & Dane Bonus on the birth of Aaliyah Rose, sister to Marian (4B) 

At our recent Infants Assembly the following student received the Principal's Award:

• The Infants Orchy was awarded to Lucas Spiteri (KG) for reporting that one of the toilets was out of order  

On Wednesday 10th May 2023, our School Captains attended the Penrith City Council Secondary School Leaders reception, where they were recognised for their leadership roles at the school. 

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 

 Fr Felix Navarro is available for confessions on:

• Thursdays from 3:00pm to 3:30pm
• Fridays from 3:00pm to 3:30pm 

Please pray for our sick and injured family and friends:

Raphael Burfitt, brother to Cecilia (KG); Ella Muema, mother to Josephine (8) and Nicole (11) Muema; Wilson Arce Filamor, father to Sonia Concepcion (Secondary Teacher), grandfather to Emilia Concepcion (12) and Francesca Filamor (9G); Amelia Acasio, mother to Anne Bernacer (Teacher's Aide) and grandmother to Renae (11) and Regine (9G) Bernacer; AntoineScoulou, grandfather to Mona-Maria Scoulou; Candido Valenton, grandfather to Elyssa (6G), Marcela (1W) & Daniela (KW) Valenton; Benjamin Santiago, father to Agryna (10B); Kathrin Triantoplous mother to Nektaria (12B) & Irene (9B); & Emmanuel Hanna, brother to Cecilia (8B) & Lucia (5B).

Please also remember those who have passed away:

Josip Blazevic, father-in-law to Julie Blazevic (School Secretary/PA), grandfather to Tatijana Blazevic (11) & Erika Trivarelli (9B) and great-grandfather to Thylane Djurdjevic (KS); Mariam Challita, grandmother to Jacinta (11), Maria (9) & Michaela (8) Challita; Adele Doko, mother-in-law to Christine Lay (Primary Teacher), grandmother to Amelia (12), Anna (8B) & Elyse (KG); John Russell, grandfather to Emily Di Natale (Secondary Teacher), great grandfather to Isabella Di Natale (KS); Joan Sattler, grandmother to Emilie-Kate Maslak (10); Mary Mallett, grandmother to Angelica (10), Clare (8) & Antonia (4); Rajko Ivanac, Great-Grandfather to Angelina (12B) Adriana (10B) and Natalia (8B) Badrov; Aiyana Cabanero (Yr10 2019), sister to Anthea (12B) & Amara (8B) 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. 

 When I was in Jerusalem several weeks ago, we visited the Church of St Anne, in Jerusalem. l would like to share with you the text of the prayer that is to be found close to the statue.

"SAINT ANNE, BLESS MY FAMILY"

My family, O Saint Anne, is very dear to me. It is my little church. Watch over it and keep it from all danger, physical and spiritual.

Joachim, your husband, and your daughter Mary, lived happily in your home. Later, you welcomed with love your son-in-law, Saint Joseph, and then you welcomed your grandson, Jesus, our Saviour.

May your family be an inspiration for us. May the values of welcome, dialogue and mutual support flourish in our families. May a deep love unite us all, parents and children. If my family has been broken by separation and divorce, be for us the Saint of tenderness and lead us to God in hope.

Saint Anne, wife, mother and grandmother, bless all the members of my family. Keep us faithful to the Lord. Make us attentive to the needs of other families and protect them. Amen

The feast of Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, and of her husband Saint Joachim, is celebrated each year, on July 26.

There have been quite a few cases of influenza and COVID over the recent weeks at Montgrove. In the interest of the health of our students and staff, we kindly ask that you keep your children at home if they are unwell or displaying any cold and flu symptoms.

Please encourage your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and water and not to share food and drink.

In an effort to teach our students to take personal responsibility and to be accountable for their own items, we have been trying not to have a lost property box at Montgrove for a few years now. 

We kindly 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.

In an effort to return items to their owner and minimise the amount of lost property accumulated the following will happen with lost property this term. 

1. There will be a box on the Year 1 Demountable balcony for students and parents to look through. 
2. Each Monday these items will be taken to the office and the items that have names on them will be returned to students via the office bags. 
3. Anything without names will be kept in the office and parents may come to the office to look through the box. 
4. A few times a term, a table with unclaimed item's will be on carline.   
5. Anything unclaimed at the end of the term will be thrown away or donated.

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.

Year 7 to Year 12

Start:            8:30am

Finish:           3:15pm

• 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. 

Late Arrivals

• Year 7 to 12 students arriving after 8:30am; and  
• Kindergarten to Year 6 students arriving after 8:50am

• Secondary students who arrive after 8:35am; and
• Primary students who arrive after 9:00am.

• 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

4 DAYS TO GO!!

*** TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ****

You are warmly invited to attend the Harmony Day Cultural Show to be held on Friday 19th May 2023 at 11:30am.  There will be a maximum of 3 tickets available per family at a cost of $5 per ticket.    

If you wish to attend the Cultural Show please complete the order form (pictured below) which was emailed to all parents on Tuesday and return to the office with the correct money.  Tickets will then be sent home with your eldest child.   A few copies of the order form are available from the office for those parents who are unable to print the order form.

The students are all very excited to show you their performances and how proud they are of the different cultures that they are part of.

Please feel free to come in your own national costume!

DRESS REHEARSAL 

Wednesday 17th May 

• Primary classes will be watching the dress rehearsal. There will be NO dress rehearsal for the parade, so students who are only joining the parade will come in their national costume on Friday 19th May.

HARMONY DAY PROGRAM

Friday 19th May 2023

• 8:45-9:15am - Mass (NOTE Special time for Mass)
• 9:30-11:00am - Classroom Exhibits – Classes will take turns visiting the classroom displays that the parents will be organizing.
• 11:00 – Whole school Recess
• 11:20 – Parade which will be followed by the Cultural Show. The Audience for the Cultural show will consist of:
• Students from Years 7-12
• Parents and Guests (maximum of 3 tickets to be issued per family @$5/guest)
• 1:00pm – International buffet
• Primary students will bring in a dish from their country to be shared with the class in the classroom.
• Secondary Students and parents are to bring in food to be shared by the secondary students, parents, and guests in the Secondary Undercroft

Costumes MUST be traditional.  Students may wear an orange shirt or the school uniform if they are not coming in a traditional costume. Jerseys are NOT allowed.

CLASSROOM EXHIBITS & INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

We are still in need of parent-organisers for the classroom exhibits and the international buffet. Please email Vengie Pangilinan at harmonyday@montgrove.nsw.edu.au if you can assist in this area.

• For the Exhibits, you will be in charge of receiving items from parents, and these will be displayed and be talked about when the students visit the different classrooms. It will be a fantastic opportunity for the students to learn more about your country and your culture.
• For the International Buffet, you might want your cultural community to bring individual dishes, or you might opt to contribute financially and one or two persons will order the food for your community. Secondary students will bring in food that will be shared by the high school students, parents, and guests.

Just a friendly reminder that food must NOT contain nuts. For those who cannot bring a dish from their country, you may bring in ‘generic’ food like sandwiches or sausage rolls.

*** HELP NEEDED *** 

We are looking for some dad volunteers who can help out with sausage sizzle on Harmony Day. Please email Vengie Pangilinan at harmonyday@montgrove.nsw.edu.au if you're able to assist.

NATIONAL PARADE OF COSTUMES

Below is the list of countries that will be participating in the National Parade of Costumes the day.  If your child is representing a country that is not listed here, would you kindly let me know by emailing harmonyday@montgrove.nsw.edu.au.

A million thanks to all of you for supporting us in making this day a meaningful cultural celebration.

Vengie Pangilinan

Harmony Day Organiser

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

2023 Challenge dates

Students can include any books read from the end of the 2022 challenge on their 2023 reading record. Key dates for the 2023 challenge are:

27 February 2023 - challenge opens for student entries

Friday 18 August 2023 - challenge closes for student entries

The PRC rules have been updated for the 2023 challenge. Students can now include up to 10 choice books on their reading records, and can count 5 books from an approved series as PRC books.

www.premiersreadingchallenge.nsw.edu.au

Any questions regarding the PRC should be directed to sarah.tuballa@montgrove.nsw.edu.au

On February 6, 2023, a big earthquake struck the countries of Turkey and Syria, affecting 14 million people, including 1.5 million who were left homeless. In response to this, the Montgrove Community worked together to fundraise throughout Term 1, for the people affected in Turkey and Syria. With the combined efforts of parents, teachers and students, a total of $6,624.75 was raised. This was donated to several charities, who used the money to provide clean water, blankets, food baskets, hot meals, shelter, mattresses and hygiene kits to people who have been affected by the earthquake. 

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the following fundraising events in Term 1:

• A collection throughout Lent from all students from Kindy to Year 12.

• A bake sale on St Patrick’s Day by Year 6 students.

• A Holiday Camp for girls run by Year 9G students.

On Thursday 11th May 2023, we held our second annual Mother's Day Blessing and Morning Tea at Montgrove .  It was lovely to see our mothers in attendance and we were blessed with wonderful weather for this special occasion. 

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. 

We also have another student from Japan coming from 9th August until 18th August. 

If you are interested in hosting this student please contact the office for more information. 

Pared families have the opportunity to participate in a Holy Land pilgrimage organised by Terra Dei Tours in 2024. You should have all received an email during the Easter holidays about this proposed pilgrimage. Demand already has been strong so don't miss out on registering your interest by clicking here. More details can be found by clicking the pdf flyer below.

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

A fabulous time was had by all the Year 12 parents who came to dinner at PoppiTino at Caddens Corner.

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