School News
Canteen closure
Due to building works the Canteen will not be operational next Thursday, 3 November & Friday, 4 November.
Canteen will resume in week 5.
Staffing News
I am pleased to share that after a recruitment process Mrs Stephanie Brown has been appointed to the permanent REC position at St Michael’s. We look forward to working with Mrs Brown as she continues to lead our school in the spiritual and religious education life of the school.
Building Works
Before the end of term minor refurbishment work will take place in the K, Yr 1 and Yr 2 classrooms. They are been given a facelift to create a more contemporary learning space as well as create more room. All is being done to minimise the impact on the students. It is likely that classes will be moved to the Creative Arts room for a short period of time during the works. I look forward to sharing the new look spaces with our community on their completion.
In addition we were advised yesterday that the roof on the main building will be replaced. It is anticipated that this may begin next week. This will again cause minor disruption to classes and the administration building for a short period of time. Any changes to access to the administration building will be communicated via compass once the school knows the details. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Diocesan Public Speaking Awards
Congratulations to Hamish (Yr 6) and Audrey (Yr 5) who yesterday competed at the Diocesan Public Speaking Awards. They represented St Michael’s with pride.
TERM 4 Sport Days
|
Class |
Sport Days |
|
Kinder |
Wednesday & Friday |
|
Year 1 |
Tuesday & Friday |
|
Year 2 |
Wednesday & Friday |
|
Year 3 |
Tuesday & Thursday |
|
Year 4 |
Tuesday & Friday |
|
Year 5 |
Wednesday & Friday |
|
Year 6 |
Wednesday & Friday |
Illawarra Hawks Launch
We are thrilled to announce that the Illawarra Hawks will be visiting our school again this term to officially launch their season.
This event will involve a range of students who currently play competitive basketball in Years 3-6, versing some key players from the Hawks in 4 separate games of basketball.
All students from K-6 will take part in the event as part of the audience. Prizes will be awarded to students watching the game by competing in half-time activities.
Parents and carers are welcome to come and join in the fun. The event is scheduled for the 10th of November from 1:30-2:50pm.
We hope to see you there!
Mrs Chelsea McLeod- Year 4 Classroom Teacher
NSW Police Announcement - Gel Guns
Please find information shared by NSW Police that has been asked to be shared with all schools in NSW.
Gel Blasters in New South Wales
New South Wales Police would like to highlight an emerging issue which many of you might not be aware of. Gel Guns or Gel Blasters are lifelike ‘toy’ guns that closely resemble firearms. They fire gel balls and can be very difficult to differentiate from a real firearm. They are classified as air guns under NSW law and gel balls are classified as ammunition.
It is a crime to possess a Gel Gun in NSW unless you have a firearms licence, even if it was
purchased online or legally in another State. It is also a crime to bring a Gel Gun to school.
There is potential for injury if a person is struck by a gel pellet ammunition and understandably students and staff may become frightened and distressed if they believe a firearm has been brought into the school. If a student is found to have a Gel Gun in a school, it will be confiscated, parents and the police will be called. The student may face disciplinary action through the school and could be arrested and charged with possession of a firearm. Parents may also be held liable as per Section 82 of the Firearms Act. On 1 July 2021, New South Wales Police commenced an ongoing National Firearms Amnesty along with all other states and territories. This allows for any firearms or firearm related articles to be surrendered to a police station without fear of prosecution. If this issue relates to you
please ensure you contact your local police station prior to attending and ensure the firearm is in a bag or wrapped in a blanket.
My sincere thanks for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
Gavin Wood APM - Assistant Commissioner
Capability Performance and Youth Command
Learning Labs
The University of Wollongong invites students to Learning Labs, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.
Dates: Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 9th – 11th January 2023
Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 17th – 19th January 2023
Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)
Applications close: Wednesday, 9th November 2022
APPLICATION PROCESS
- Parents/Guardians visit our website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “Workshop Descriptions” section.
- Students apply for workshops that are within their current year (ie. Year 6 students in 2022 will apply for the Year 5 & 6 workshop). In exceptional circumstances, we are willing to review applicants who would like to try a more challenging workshop.
- Parents/Guardians fill out the online application form.
- This is an academic and creative arts enrichment program designed for students who are motivated and passionate learners and performing excellently in their area of interest. First-time applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the program. One piece of supporting documentation is required (see 'Supporting Documentation' section on website). Please note that the Teacher Nomination Letter can be used as a supporting document.
Please know that applications are now open, and workshops fill very quickly.
For further information about workshops and the application process please visit our website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au.
We thank you for your continued support of Learning Labs and we hope to share our passion for providing further opportunities to your students!
We are hosting a Talk-And-Walk-Afternoon to build student connections.
October is Mental Health Month and we are encouraging students to talk and walk. The aim is to build connections between students, as strong relationships are crucial to good mental health.
What is the Talk-And-Walk-Afternoon?
It’s important that our children feel safe, connected and supported at school and within the wider community. We know our young people connect and chat through their devices but this doesn't replace the need for connecting with others through face-to-face conversation. The Talk-And-Walk-Afternoon has been designed to highlight the importance of talking with others as a way of connecting to strengthen a sense of belonging, empathy and understanding.
Students will be invited to stretch their legs and strike up a conversation with peers they may not have connected with before. Engaging with others for the first time may not come easily to everyone. Students will be supported with conversation cards to help prompt discussion as they walk. Students who find conversation easy, will be challenged to use their skills to increase connections beyond their usual friendship groups.
When is it?
The Talk-And-Walk-Afternoon is on Friday, 28th of October, 2022
How can you support your child develop social skills?
You can help your child learn conversational skills at home by:
- Practising conversation at home with the conversation prompts provided.
- Modelling conversation with your child.
- Modelling conversation with new people you meet.
- Modelling help-seeking or talking about your experiences, challenges and how you worked through them.
- Having conversations with people who are different from you.
Using conversation starters at home
Here are some conversation prompts to use at home.
- If you could make three family rules, what would they be?
- What are the most important things we’ve learnt from each other?
- What do you like best about your siblings?
- What do you think are the most important qualities of a good parent or carer?
- What is your favourite family tradition?
- What is your favourite thing about our family?
- What should we do more of as a family?
- What should we do less of as a family?
- If you could change one thing about your room, what would it be?
- What is something your parent or carer didn’t have growing up that you are glad you have?
- What is something you don’t need, but you’re grateful you have?
- What do you think is the best part about being a parent or carer?
- If you could make a rule for a day and everyone had to follow it, what would it be?
- What do you hope never changes?
- What day do you look forward to the most each week or each year?
- Among our family, what are you most famous for?
- What’s your favourite family memory?
- What’s something you wish everyone knew about you?
- When you’re feeling sad, what makes you feel better?
We recommend making time to enjoy the conversation together as a family. A family meal is an ideal time to do this.
Eating together at home has a range of benefits. Research shows that kids who eat with their families perform better at school, have bigger vocabularies, lower rates of depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and have healthier diets and better cardiovascular health. (You can read more about that on The Conversation.)
There are many times and ways to connect and talk. Do it as often as you can, as it helps build strong communities.
You may like to come up with some conversation prompts too. What questions can you think of to discuss with your kids at home?
PB4L Team - Mrs Ronelle Peardon and Mrs Chelsea McLeod
Summer Uniform Update
Lowes have advised the school that the current blue socks have been discontinued. Lowes will stock a slight variation on the colour moving forward, Saxe Light Sky sock. The price remains the same.
