Happy Easter

As I sat amongst our new little Kindergarten friends during our Holy Week liturgy, a sense of gratitude flowed through my body. The sounds of the singing voices, the reverence of the students, and the parents overflowing out of our school hall, created an atmosphere that truly epitomises the love and connection within our school community. At this moment, I stopped to appreciate how fortunate I am to be a part of this beautiful Catholic school community. I have been repeatedly coming back to our school vision with staff, students, and parents throughout the year and reiterating that it must be more than words on a wall, rather shaping who we are as a community. This moment to me was our vision in full swing. Our students shared the story of Christ in the final days before his crucifixion, demonstrating how we can live with love, faith, compassion and integrity. The students' active engagement in the liturgy was beyond beautiful and helped shape a meaningful experience for all members of our school community. We were certainly connected as one community throughout both the liturgy and hat parade. There was a beautiful feel within our school grounds as all members engaged and connected with each other with warmth and understanding. 

As a Catholic school community, we are proud to draw our inspiration and comfort from the teachings of Christ. It is no coincidence that ‘Inspired by Christ’ is the opening line of our shared vision statement. Ultimately, as a Catholic School, we use Jesus' life experiences to provide a model of how we live a life filled with hope, kindness, love, and compassion. Our goal is that these values are instilled in all members of our community, not just during their time at St Michael’s, but throughout their lives. In partnership with you, we aim to foster each individual's relationship with Christ and empower them to unlock and use their gifts to shape a better world.Throughout our lives we all experience our own crucifixion or times of darkness, but my hope is that  during these times of challenge that we draw on our faith and connection to bring peace and optimism to overcome life's obstacles. 

I wish you and your families a lovely Easter. May it be a time where you spend time deeply connecting with your beautiful families with a sense of gratitude and hope. Thank you for the energy and positivity you bring to this school community. I am grateful for your ongoing support to ensure that St Michael’s is a thriving school community where all feel safe, valued, loved and respected. 

Parent workshop survey
A huge thankyou to the number of parents who completed the parent workshop survey. After analysing the survey we have identified three broad themes to be explored in Terms 2-4. 

1. Building confident and resilient children
2. Building self-regulation skills
3. Cybersafety 

Parish and school connections

At our previous P&F meeting, Jo Pye, who is a member of the Parish council and a parent within our school community shared with us the importance of having a strong connection between the school and Parish. Essentially, the school is an arm of the Church that aims to support the evangelising mission of the Church. 

Whilst the school provides each individual with a rich experience of the faith, we also acknowledge parents as the first teachers of the faith.Our partnered approach aims to assist parents in fostering rich experiences beyond the school that allow all children to experience the love and grace of God through a personal relationship with Jesus.

Approximately twelve months ago, Bishop Brian, released a decree outlining the role of a Catholic school. Within the decree, the Bishop outlined the key areas that all Catholic Schools must have a shared commitment to. Upon reflection, two areas stood out, that will become a focus tied into our strategic planning:

• Fostering a partnership between diocese, parishes, parents, and staff in the education of children to bring the Kingdom to fulfilment.

• Being Eucharistic communities that reach out as the Body of Christ to the community.

These two areas tie in beautifully with a key component of our vision that is focussed on Living Fully in Community. This includes having frequent opportunities to celebrate the Eucharist that empower us to go forth to make a positive difference in our world. In order for our community to thrive, we often require the support of parents and students during our weekend Masses. We will be including a Parish section in each of our newsletters to provide you with ways that you can support and be an active part of our beautiful communities in many ways. 

Throughout the rest of the year we will be implementing strategies to create a stronger connection between Parish and school. This is inclusive of termly family masses, that will invite students within our school community to play an active role. Please lookout for the Parish section in each of our newsletters which will outline opportunities and updates. 

Calendar overview