Welcome back to what is shaping up to be another amazing term at St Michael’s. It was lovely to see staff, students, and parents upon my return this week. Working in such a beautiful community certainly makes it easier to transition back to work. I’d like to thank Amy for her outstanding leadership stepping into the Principal role whilst I was away. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to switch off and spend quality time with my family.

As I have communicated previously, we value strong partnerships between school and home. Please always feel welcome to raise your questions, concerns, or ideas. The information you share helps us to better understand your children's needs and assist us in providing the best possible school environment for all. 

Excellence in learning (early career teacher visit) 

This week we were asked by the Catholic Education Office to hold a professional learning day for early career teachers from across our diocese. The day was focussed on student engagement and our school was selected because of the high quality practice within our classrooms. A key aspect of the day was the opportunity for our visitors to experience a number of our classrooms to observe teacher practice and student engagement. I felt a real sense of pride as I guided our visitors into a number of classrooms. Upon entering each classroom, I could see all students excited about learning and eager to share their thinking with peers. It was also terrific to see the students owning their learning and identifying what they have done to be successful. It is pleasing to see that the openness and commitment of our teachers has resulted in a huge shift in student engagement. Our school and external data collection is also showing upward trends in both literacy and numeracy. With the quality of teachers we have, revitalised structures, and the culture we are establishing, it is exciting to see what we can achieve as a school community. As our vision statement identifies, we don’t simply want to be a good school, we strive for excellence in learning. 

Play equipment update

During the holidays I received confirmation that construction is commencing shortly for our brand new play equipment. If all goes to plan, installation will likely commence in August. After the installation, we will then begin utilising funding the additional spaces in that area. Our wonderful P&F Executive have identified some exciting fundraising opportunities this year to help us bring the additional areas in this space to life. 

Upcoming P&F Meetings
On Friday 24 May at 8.15am, we will be holding our termly P&F general meeting in our school library. We welcome all available parents to attend. Some of the key agenda items include:

• Upcoming fundraising events to support the development of our new space behind year 5 and 6
• Unpacking and seeking feedback on the current award structure at St Michael’s
• Strengthening Parish and school connections
• Introduction of methods to seek feedback on student leadership structures 
• Update on progress against our improvement targets

If you have any items you wish to be discussed at our upcoming P&F, please send them to pandf@smtdow.catholic.edu.au by Monday 20 May. 

Calendar overview