Easter is on the horizon. How are we to go on preparing well for this greatest feast of the Church year?

But Easter celebration is only one goal, and a means to our final goal, that we need to pursue, helped along by the key virtue of prudence.

We can turn to St Josemaría (and AI): “ Prudence expresses itself as a habit which inclines us to act well, by shedding light on the end and by helping us to seek the most suitable means of achieving it. ”

Again, AI: “ According to St. Thomas Aquinas, foresight (or farsightedness) is the most important part of prudence…

Aquinas explicitly defines a prudent person as one who "sees as it were from afar", accurately anticipating the outcomes of uncertain situations based on past and present experience .”

Calling on Mother Mary, “Virgin most prudent”, can be decisive, for all the above to happen well.

Late Arrivals & Absences

If your child is absent from school please complete an Engage absence form as soon as possible in the morning.  Instructions on how to complete an absence form can be found further down in the newsletter.

If your child is absent or arrives late to school and no form is received you will receive a text message asking you to explain the absence or late arrival.  If your child is attending a morning appointment and you have already completed a late arrival form, you may still receive an absence text message. Please disregard this message as their presence at school will be amended once they arrive at school (and you have submitted the absence form).

Early Pickup for Appointments

If you need to pick up your child(ren) up for an appointment that can’t be arranged outside of school hours, we kindly request for that you do not come during recess (10:15-10:30 for Secondary & 10:55-11:25am for Primary) or lunch (12:45-1:30pm) as it is difficult to get messages to students on the playground.

An Engage Early Departure form must be completed beforehand. The parent or guardian is to come to the office and the student's teacher will be called and asked to come to the office. Due to limited space we can not have students sitting in the office waiting to be collected.

Afternoon Pickup for Kindergarten & Year 1

For families who ONLY have children in Kindergarten and Year 1 , to help ease traffic congestion in the afternoon, children in Kindergarten and Year 1 may be picked up at 2:45pm from their classrooms. Please enter and exit via the gate near Kindy Blue which will be opened by a staff member at 2:45pm and closed at 3:00pm.

Penrith Community Kitchen’s mission is to create a supportive service within our community, providing meals, resources, and compassion to those experiencing homelessness and financial hardship. We aim to foster a culture of generosity, where individuals come together to uplift and empower each other, building a more inclusive and caring society..

We help those people by donating non-perishable food. Each classroom has a Penrith Kitchen box or tub inside for the students to put donations in. Every so often Year 6 will come and collect your donations. We encourage all classes to participate in this project throughout this whole year. We are one of the most regular and biggest school donators to their charity.

Below are some of the foods and supplies that the kitchen needs regularly. For the safety of our students, we kindly ask that you don’t donate anything in a glass jar.

On Thursday 26th and Friday 27th February 2026, our Year 6 classes travelled to Canberra for an educational tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. During their time there, they visited Mt Ainslie, both Old and New Parliament Houses to explore the way our government is run, cast votes during their own preferential election at the Electoral Commission Office and went back in time to visit the ANZAC soldiers at the War Memorial. There was also a special night time outing that you can read about below in the students' reports.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributes funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Read on below to learn about what Year 6 thought of their excursion - it sounds like they had a fabulous time!

Our trip to Canberra was fun, very informative and interesting. We visited many important places. We started at the Australian War Memorial, where we learned about the soldiers who fought for Australia during war times and why we have to remember them. Next, we went to the Parliament House and learned how laws are made and where the country’s leaders work. We also visited Questacon, where we explored fun science exhibits and tried lots of hands-on activities.The highlight for Questacon was the Free Fall, an exciting drop that looked really cool, we even had to wear funny orange suits!

Another highlight was going to the Mount Ainslie Lookout, where we experienced  an amazing view of the whole city.  We visited the Australian Electoral Commission and learned about voting and how elections work in Australia.Then we went to St Christopher's Cathedral it was so pretty and the priests were really nice. Lastly, we went to the Senate Garden which was full of blooming roses. We had lunch in that beautiful garden and we had a very pleasant time. Overall, it was a great trip that helped us learn more about Australia’s history, government, and science in a fun and simple way.

Gabrielle C (6G)

Our Trip to Canberra

Year Six travelled to Canberra in Week Six, and it was so much more than just a trip.  It was an unforgettable experience and a highlight of our year.

We visited the Australian War Memorial, which was quiet, reverent, and even more beautiful than we could have imagined. It offered an abundance of information about Australia’s service in war, as well as insights into the lives of soldiers, nurses, and even animals who served on the battlefield. Beyond this, the memorial featured breathtaking stained glass and mosaics, each one remarkably intricate.

Later that day, we visited Parliament House, where we took part in a fun role-play activity, acting as members of the Senate. Of course, we also had the opportunity to see the House of Representatives and the Senate for ourselves.

And now for the most exciting part… Questacon! More specifically, the ginormous, towering slide that drops you straight down. It was exhilarating, a little scary, and definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

To finish our two-day journey on a calm and reflective note, we visited Mount Ainslie Lookout, where we took in the stunning view of the Parliamentary Triangle. A place where the air was fresh, the city was thriving, and we felt content. We visited several other places, each of which was educational, deepening our understanding of democracy and teaching us more about our beloved nation.

Sanushi and Grace (6B)

On Thursday 5th March, our Year 12 Geography class visited Barangaroo as part of our study of Rural and Urban Places. The excursion was facilitated by Observatory Hill Environmental Education Centre and we were accompanied by Year 12 Geography students from Redfield College, Tara Anglican School and Cranebrook High School.

We have been learning about the character and identity of Barangaroo and its sustainability initiatives. Barangaroo has transformed into a commercial and economic hub, with a 6-star energy rating and carbon neutral status. Our students completed fieldwork to analyse the effectiveness of Barangaroo’s sustainability, focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Sydney Plan.

Despite the heat and humidity, we had a wonderful day and our students gained valuable knowledge and skills in their study of Geography.

Rebecca Southern

Head of HSIE

In Week 5 a group of Japanese students from Oita Tomei High School visited Montgrove for a short 4 day stay. Throughout their stay students from Year 10 volunteered as buddies, sticking with them during recess and lunchtime. During this time, we learnt about Japanese culture and their school life. We also engaged in many different activities with them such as badminton, basketball and volleyball, through these activities we formed lasting friendships. On the last day of their stay, they presented a range of different aspects of Japanese culture through presentations and performances. We will dearly miss the Japanese students and we hope to someday meet them again.

Siona (Yr10)

Congratulations to our Primary and Secondary Representative Swimming teams for their outstanding efforts at the Hills Zone Swimming Carnival on Monday, 2 March. We had 20 students competing throughout the day. The level of competition was incredibly high, but our swimmers delivered some exceptional performances.

A special congratulations to the following students for their achievements:

Primary Carnival

Annabelle and Gerielle will now progress to the CIS Championships to represent HZSA.

Secondary Carnival

Relay Results

Clara, Amelia, Chloe, Lauren and Ava have qualified to progress to the AICES Championships for their individual events. Our 15–16 Years and Senior Relay teams have also qualified to represent Montgrove and HZSA at AICES on 30 March.

Overall, all of our students performed exceptionally well, and for the second year in a row Montgrove was awarded Best Performed School at the Secondary Carnival.

A huge well done to all the girls who participated. It is fantastic to see our Montgrove swimmers representing the school with such dedication and excellence. Best of luck to our students competing at the CIS and AICES Championships later this month.

The Montgrove College Uniform Shop will close for the school holidays on Monday 30th March at 12:00pm and resume normal trading hours for Term 2 on Monday 20th April 2026.

However, to assist parents it will be open for 2 special trading days during the school holidays as follows:

Term 2 Holiday Trading Hours

Additionally, the uniform shop will be CLOSED on Monday 27th April 2026, due to the ANZAC Day public holiday

2. Paperless & secure:

3. Customer Service: