Welcome back to Term 3! I hope the slightly longer break helped everyone to wind down and come back refreshed for the new term.  A warm welcome to Miss Aiesha Oringo, who is coming back on staff. She will be mentoring and teaching Secondary Religion.

We are very grateful to have been allocated a School Crossing Supervisor for the pedestrian crossing at the front of the School. John will be supervising the crossing from 8am to 9am and 2:45pm to 3:45pm each day. Please make him feel welcome and please take note of the indications regarding the pedestrian crossing that are outlined in the Important Announcements and Reminders section of the newsletter. Your attentiveness will be greatly appreciated.

Part of the professional learning that our teachers participated in just before Term 3 included a session by Dr Jodie Lowinger, Founder of The Anxiety Clinic. With anxiety seemingly on the rise, particularly among adolescents, it was good to listen to advice from a leading expert in the field. Dr Lowinger developed the Mind Strength Methodology, which has helped many people of all ages to manage and prevent anxiety and build confidence. She spoke about increasing our understanding and ability to identify fear-driven thoughts and behaviours, letting go of our inner critic and excessive worry, building resilience and taking action. As teachers and parents, we can help our children to move away from worry towards action by listening to them with an open attitude and helping them to problem solve, without jumping in too quickly with our own solutions. Problem solving is a skill that helps children become more resilient, as they learn to let go of what they can’t control and bring into focus what actions they can take.

In keeping with our focus on wellbeing this year, we are excitied to have Dr Judith Locke come to Montgrove to speak at our Key Parent Function this term. Dr Locke is a clinical psychologist and former teacher. She focuses on building resilience in children and is the best selling author of The Bonsai Child and The Bonsai Student. Dr Locke will be presenting on two separate evenings so that she can better tailor her sessions to the different student age groups. The KPF for Primary parents will be held on Wednesday 27 August, and for Secondary parents on Thursday 28 August. Please make sure you add these dates in your diaries.

Welcome back to school for Term 3! I hope everyone enjoyed the break after Term 2 and you were able to reconnect with family and friends and have some memorable experiences with the extra time.

Our Montgrove Staff spent last week together preparing for the exciting term ahead and we are ready for a season that is packed with learning, creativity and opportunities to celebrate.

We started the term with our annual EnviroMentors incursions for Kindergarten to Year 6. This year’s  focus on Recycling ties in perfectly with many of the units being studied in Infants and Primary classes. The students have enjoyed the hands-on nature of the incursion and being able to share their knowledge of the topic with the presenter. 

Some interesting excursions are planned for this term. Year 1 will step back in time in Rouse Hill to experience “school in the olden days,” Year 3 will set sail for the Maritime Museum, and Year 4 will explore Hyde Park Barracks.

Next week, we are delighted to welcome a group of Japanese students who will be spending time in our Primary classrooms. This cultural exchange is always a highlight, as our students enjoy making new friends and learning about life in Japan.

Assemblies are back in full swing most Thursday afternoons, with performances from Kindergarten, Year 3, and 5B. KS will take the stage in Week 2, marking the beginning of Kindergarten performances, which always guarantee the “cute factor.” Families will be invited to attend if their child’s class is performing.

We can also look forward to two separate days for Book Character Dress-Up Day and Grandparents Day this year. For the Book Character Dress-Up Day, Kindergarten to Year 4 students are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book character for a parade on Monday, 18th August. The students in Years 2 - 4 are particularly excited, as these year groups have not participated in dressing up and the parade for Book Week in previous years. There will also be some fun activities for the students to participate in on the day and throughout Book Week.

Grandparents Day will be held in Term 4, and more information will be coming as the term progresses.

Last term, we launched our “Best Class Award” with a Secret Spy Teacher keeping an eye out for the class that displayed the best behaviour at assemblies, kept areas clean, lined up well, and demonstrated all-round excellence. Congratulations to 3B, who won the ‘Best Class’ trophy four times and were crowned the ‘Best Class Overall’ for Term 2. Their reward was a plant for the new garden tended by the Gardening Club. It will be the first plant to take root in this special space.

Later this term we will also host our Public Speaking Competition for Years 2–6, providing another opportunity for students to develop confidence and communication skills.

In the last week of the term we will be farewelling our Year 12 students. The Primary students traditionally make a gift for each of the Year 12 girls. The graduating students often express sincere gratitude and are visibly moved by these thoughtful gifts. 

We have a full term ahead of us. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and partnership in helping our Primary students grow and flourish in all the adventures of learning.

Let’s make Term 3 a memorable and joyful one for all!

Trish Warda

Head of Primary

Congratulations to

• Rebecca and John Locke on the birth of Zoe Charlotte and Isaac Jordan, sister and brother to Aaron (1B)
• Sejal and Dharmendrasinh Solanki on the birth of Devaditya, brother to Dwijaa (KG)

As Term Three begins, I would like to quote St Thomas More, a model family man,  when he declared: “One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled, but few are educated.”

He seems to be pointing towards the idea that “educating” goes beyond “schooling”. Blessed Alvaro expressed it well, when he called the family a “School of Love”. 

St Josemaría, for his part, spoke about the “bright and cheerful home”, for example, in The Forge, point 151, he wrote: “You should make sure that, wherever you are, there is that ‘good humour’, that cheerfulness, which is born of an interior life.”

This seems to highlight the need for generating an atmosphere of cheerfulness, whether for “schooling”, or for “educating”, especially through praying well and acting lovingly. St Thomas More would have called it “being merry”, and not just at Christmas.

Please pray for our sick and injured family and friends:

Irene Nimenzo, grandmother to Anastasia (5G) and Jacinta (KB) Campbell; Cecilia Obeid (5G), sister to Clare (4G) & Lucy (2G); Giorgio Murgolo, son to Michael Murgolo (Founding Class); Simon Elbayeh, father to Olivia (7G); Joshua Gibbons (Yr5 Wollemi), brother to Catherine (8B) & Madeleine (7B) Gibbons; Vengie Pangilinan (Former teacher); Helen Stanojevic (Teacher); & Emmanuel Hanna, brother to Cecilia (10B) & Lucia (7G) Hanna.

Please also remember those who have passed away:

Stephen Leitch, uncle to Marcus Dowsett (KG); VinceBellet, brother to Donna Murphy (English Teacher); Aden McFarlane, great grandfather to Charlotte McFarlane (4G); JamieDowsett, father to Marcus (KG); Argyna Santiago (Class of 2025) & Aiyana Cabanero (Yr10 2019) sister to Amara (10) 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. 

As we begin a new term, we are very pleased to let you know that Transport NSW has employed a School Crossing Supervisor for the pedestrian crossing on Bringelly Road. John is a local resident and is familiar with the school and the area.  Please make him feel welcome if you use the crossing. 

John started on Wednesday afternoon and will be on the crossing every school day from 8:00am-9:00am and 2:45pm-3:45pm.

As there is now a School Crossing Supervisor, all students and parents are kindly asked to follow the below rules:

• Wait on the footpath, at least one step back from the edge of the road
• John will enter the crossing with his STOP Children Crossing sign and stop the traffic
• He will then call/indicate to the students that it is safe to cross.
• Once all students have crossed, John will proceed back to the footpath and allow traffic to pass.

We would like to thank everyone for their assistance.  

Between the hours of 8:15 and 9:15am and 2:45-3:45 pm there is NO RIGHT TURN when exiting Montgrove. 

This is to help the flow of traffic in carline and for the safety of students, parents and our crossing supervisor on the pedestrian crossing. The traffic in our carline and along Bringelly Road seems to be flowing more steadily as a result. 

We also kindly asked that you not park your car in the Medical Centre carpark next door or use this area as a pickup or drop off point.  If the Montgrove car park is full please use Oag Crescent and the surrounding streets to park your car and use the pedestrian crossing on Bringelly Road to safely pick up your children.   

We would like to thank everyone for their assistance.  

The Term 3 Key Parent Function for Kindergaten to Year 6 parents will be held as follows: 

Date: Wednesday 27th August 2025

Time: 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start

Place: Montgrove College COLA

RSVP:  https://forms.gle/csvtj4P33o56FVNm6

The Term 3 Key Parent Function for Year 7 to Year 12 parents will be held as follows: 

Date: Thursday 28th August 2025

Time: 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start

Place: Montgrove College COLA

RSVP: https://forms.gle/wP152u7R1jnGbjRP6

Only 8 weeks to go for the 2025 Premier's Reading Challenge!!

Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 are challenged to read or experience 30 books. 20 of these books must be from the relevant Challenge booklists, and up to 10 books can be personal choice books. Books can be read with a parent, carer, teacher or another student. 

Students in Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 20 books independently. At least 10 of these books must be from the relevant Challenge booklists, and up to 10 books can be personal choice books.

If a book is from an approved PRC series, students can enter up to 5 books as Challenge books, and can read up to 10 other books from the same series as Personal Choice books. More information on the rules of the Challenge can be found on the PRC website.

Books must be added to a student’s online reading record by Friday 19 September 2025 in order for their reading record to be validated and receive a certificate.

How do students log their reading?

Students can access the PRC’s Student Experience site using their DoE username and password, or can log into the site via the Student Portal. A video guide explaining how to use the Student Experience site can be found here. All students have been given their login details. 

How can students find books on the NSW PRC challenge lists?

Montgrove College library has a wide variety of titles on the NSW PRC.  In addition to our selection, Penrith City Library also has an extensive selection of PRC titles.

Sarah Tuballa

PRC Coordinator at Montgrove College

At the start of last term we had a Billy G Cookie Dough Fundraiser for the Chapel. Thankyou to everyone who particpated in this exciting fundraiser.  

To reserve your seat please follow this link: https://events.humanitix.com/reclaiming-childhood-from-screens/tickets 

• 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 2025

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