Principal's message

A Warm Hello and Welcome Back

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

It is wonderful to be back at school and greeting our wonderful community once again! I hope you have all been having a fantastic start to Term 3.

For the past seven weeks, I have been away on Principal Enrichment Leave, followed by Long Service Leave (LSL). During this time, I had the incredible opportunity to travel through Europe and participate in a specialised professional development program focused on Artificial Intelligence for School Leadership. Exploring how emerging technologies will shape the future of education has left me inspired and ready for the term ahead.

Stepping away from a school is never easy, but I left with complete peace of mind knowing our community was in exceptional hands. 

I want to extend my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to Anthony Chalkley for stepping up as Acting Principal, Daniel Boulton for taking on the Acting Deputy Principal responsibilities, and our entire teaching and administrative team; your collective steady guidance, hard work, and daily dedication ensured our school continued to thrive without missing a beat during this busy seven-week transition.

Looking Ahead

As we dive into Week 3, our classrooms are already buzzing with purposeful learning and exciting activities for the term ahead. I am happy to be back on deck, catching up with our students, and collaborating with our staff and families.

Thank you all for the warm welcomes I’ve received over the last few days. Here is to a wonderful, productive, and innovative remainder of Term 3!

Matt

Welcoming the Ninth Bishop of Sandhurst

We were blessed to share in a historic and joyful moment for our local Catholic Diocese. On Thursday, 30 July 2026, Bishop-Designate René Ramirez RCJ was officially installed as the ninth Bishop of Sandhurst at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo.

On behalf of our entire school community, we extend our warmest congratulations and heartfelt prayers to Bishop René as he begins his ministry and leadership shepherding our diocese.

We look forward to walking together in faith, hope, and community under his guidance. Let us continue to keep him in our prayers!

Bishop Rene' 

Congratulations to Bishop Rene' after his installation mass yesterday at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Over 1000 people welcomed Bishop Rene' at the ceremony and gathered to celebrate this special occasion.  

Enrolments

We are currently planning for 2027. We have had exceptional interest in enrolments for Foundation 2027 and currently have a wait list for some families. 

At this point, we also have limited space within some of our other classrooms so I urge anyone who might know of someone interested in coming across to St Monica's in 2027 to contact our office ASAP, as not to miss out.  

Jared Cooney Horvath Parent Resources 

Families are reminded that we have only a few months remaining to access the excellent parent resources prepared by educational neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath for Sandhurst schools. 

These engaging sessions provide valuable insights into learning, wellbeing and how parents can best support their children. 

Session 1: Sleep, Tech and Stress (50 mins)

 https://vimeo.com/1102066450/6f1c9d2218 

Session 2: Surviving Study (50 mins)

https://vimeo.com/1102068293/eebb560b41 

Session 3: A Tour Through Your Child's Brain (30 mins)

 https://vimeo.com/1102069365/c7ab744186 

School Uniform 

We ask all families to ensure students are wearing the correct school uniform each day. 

Recently, a small number of non-uniform accessory items have begun appearing, and we are working with students to maintain consistent uniform standards. The Uniform requirements can be found on our school website.

Accessories

• Jewellery is not permitted as part of the school uniform (e.g. rings / bracelets / non-religious necklaces).
• Hair (longer than shoulder length) should be tied back with ties. Natural hair colouring is acceptable, providing a combination of two or more colours is not used. Non-natural hair colouring is not acceptable. e.g., green
• Nail polish is not to be worn to school
• Make up is not to be worn at school
• Earrings may be worn in the ear lobe/s only (studs or sleepers only).  Long dangling earrings are a safety concern and not permitted.

Wearing the school uniform correctly helps foster a sense of identity, pride and belonging within our community. 

Uniform items are available through Hip Pocket Golden Square. 

Lunchtime Clubs – Starting Next Week

Daily lunchtime clubs will begin next week during Second Break. Posters around the school advertise the various activities on offer. This is a wonderful initiative led by some of our Year 6 students.

• Monday: Mindfulness Monday in the Library (yoga, stretching, breathing, etc.)
• Tuesday: Chess Club in the Library
• Wednesday: Library open as usual
• Thursday: Craft Club in the Library
• Friday: Fitness Fridays on the Lower Oval

Book Club Orders

Book Club orders will close on Thursday, July 30. Please submit these to the office as soon as possible.

St. Monica’s Feast Day

An early reminder that we will celebrate St. Monica’s Feast Day with a whole‑school Mass on Thursday, 27 August at 9:30am. This will be held in St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Russell Street, Quarry Hill.