Vision: Inspired by Christ, we aspire to excellence in learning, living life fully in community
The mission at St Michael’s is to:

• be a vibrant catholic community where all feel safe, valued, loved and respected

• display understanding, compassion and care for others and all creation

• foster dynamic and diverse learning opportunities

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome back to another exciting term here at St Michael’s, Thirroul. I hope you and your families had a wonderful Easter filled with joy and hope. It was wonderful seeing all of the smiling students return to our beautiful little school. 

As I stated from the outset, I hope to ensure that St Michael’s is a place where every individual can be their best. Please continue to maintain open communication as we work in partnership to ensure we support every individual’s faith, learning and wellbeing needs. 

As a school we value utilising the expertise and passion within our school community to enhance the experiences of our students. In response to our parent expertise survey, we have been fortunate to tap into some of these talents. A big thank you to Gary Coleman, Matt Gully, Kane Hay, Rodney Bolton, Fiona Morris and Mrs Peardon's Dad, Michael Barnett for supporting Year 6 in their science day where students designed and made an electrical circuit for a model house. 

I’d also like to thank Sonya Harrison for supporting our school cross country team. I know the students are loving the lunchtime training! 

Thank you also to our wonderful P&F, as well as the parent volunteers for your time and commitment in supporting our Mother’s Day celebrations and stall. 

We truly appreciate the time and energy our parents put in to support our school community and will continue to explore ways to utilise your expertise to enhance the life of our school. 

Parent voice to support our strategic direction 

Last week a compass notification was sent out to all parents to provide access to a Tell Them From Me survey. This survey is a key component of our school Cyclic Inquiry (4 year review) that we are currently engaging in. By completing this survey, you as parents and carers, will play an important role in helping shape our strategic direction as a school for the next 4 years. The survey will close on Thursday 18 May.

For further details on the purpose of the survey and instructions on how to access it, please click on the link below. 

How to access the TTFM survey?
To access the survey, simply open our St Michael’s unique URL link. . You can choose to
complete the survey in multiple languages other than English if required.

Staffing announcement 

Recently, our Year 5 parents were informed of a staffing change that would occur from week 3 for the remainder of the year.

After putting forth a proposal, the Catholic Education Office has provided an additional staffing allocation for the remainder of 2023. I will be utilising this staffing allocation to have Mrs Amy Sammut off class to support me in playing a critical leadership role in the implementation of our annual improvement plans and the reshaping of our diverse learning support. 

I’d like to formally welcome Mrs Danielle Campbell to St Michael’s. Danielle has been appointed to fill Amy’s current classroom position for the remainder of 2023. Danielle comes highly commended as an exceptional practitioner from her precious school at St Anthony’s, Picton. Danielle has a vast range of experiences and will add a great deal of value to our wonderful school community. I know you will support me in making Danielle feel welcome in our school. 

Student attendance

As a school, we strive to meet our Diocese benchmark of 95% student attendance rates. We understand that there are a variety of factors that can have an impact on student attendance that are out of your control. Where possible, we encourage you to ensure that your children attend school unless there are circumstances that prevent them from doing so ( e.g. illness, family situations etc). A day here or there may not seem like a lot, but over time can have a significant impact on your child’s learning.

If you have planned leave that will span longer than 5 days, can I ask that you complete the Application for Extended Leave documentation that can be obtained from the school office. Please ensure that this documentation is provided at least 14 days before planned leave, with the exception of unpredictable circumstances. If you have any questions about planned leave please don’t hesitate to contact the school to organise a meeting with Mr Bryce. 

Mr James Bryce - Principal