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

A focus for our students-’ becoming the best version of themselves
During tomorrow’s assembly, I will be focusing my attention on sharing some powerful stories of people who have overcome adversity to become the best version of themselves. As humans, we all experience self doubt in some shape or form. My intention is to instill in our students that this is normal and ok. More importantly, I want them to develop the self belief that they are capable of whatever they set their mind to, even when people tell them otherwise. My hope is that we educate your beautiful children not only for now, but also into the future. I want them to be confident and comfortable in who they are, in order to unlock their unique gifts and ultimately reach their full potential. There is no such thing as failure, every setback is a learning opportunity. 

Parent consultative Group and P&F meetings

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with our wonderful Parent Consultative team. I have thoroughly enjoyed this new structure and have received some great insights and feedback that are already having an impact on the Faith, Learning, and Wellbeing of the students in our school community. As a result of our discussion, the following initiatives and strategies have been implemented:

• The initiation of a parent handbook to serve as a one stop shop for parents to access key information about the school (e.g. award system, behaviour frameworks, points of contact etc). 
• Development of new strategies to give you further insights into the learning of your child
• Exploration of additional extra-curricular activities
• Identification of parent workshops 
• Improved parent/teacher interview structures
• Capturing parent voice to begin shaping a set of values that we aim to instill in all members of St Michael’s, Thirroul 

P&F- connecting and shaping our beautiful school community

Our wonderful P&F have been working hard to continue to connect our beautiful school community and enhance the facilities that support the faith, learning and wellbeing of our students. During the term 3 vacation, the P&F have contributed funding to help create another calm space for our students to access for learning and during breaks. The space will be called the ‘Yarning Circle’ and capture the Dharawal spirit. The students may access this space to connect with peers, away from the hustle and bustle of the sporting fields during the break. Teachers will also use this space for a wide variety of outdoor learning activities. 

To continue to connect our community, the P&F have coordinated an exciting event that will be held on the evening of Friday 12 September. This will include a movie night (Lilo and Stitch) accompanied by music, food stalls, and fun activities. We had a wonderful turnout for this event last year, and look forward to providing an evening filled with fun, joy, and love for our school community. 

Grandparents Day
It filled me with joy, seeing our community come together for Grandparents Day. There was such a beautiful feel across the school and it was beautiful to see the connection between the children and their grandparents. Thank you for passing on the key information to our grandparents, it was an absolute pleasure having them at our school. I hope they felt valued and recognised for the role they play in the lives of their grandchildren. 

Parent workshop
Parent workshop (staying strong)-facilitated by Marina Bailey
On Wednesday 23 July, we held a parent workshop titled ‘Staying Strong’. This was facilitated by Marina Bailey- a highly reputable clinical psychologist and consultant.
The feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive. I myself learned a great deal as a Principal and a dad. We will continue to work in partnership with Marina to create shared language and strategies amongst the broader parent community. Marina urged parents to bind together to develop shared approaches and language that will ultimately support our students to be strong, resilient, and equipped with the skills to take on life’s challenges. We will be exploring some dates to hold a duplicate session for parents. We will also be inviting Marina to facilitate a similar workshop for all new 2026 Kindergarten parents as a part of our orientation process. Please see below some of the key messages Marina provided:

• Childhood conflict is a normal part of development. This discomfort is an opportunity for them to learn and grow as social beings. Our role and the parent role is to guide and support, rather than save. 
• We all need the ability to stretch (the ability to keep pushing through in difficult life situations). A child’s early experience of having to stretch, empowers them to be able to handle the more complex problems later in life. 
• Routines are critical for children to build confidence and independence. If we do the work for the child, they begin to rely on us and feel as though they are not competent. Simple morning and evening routines help the child to feel in control and competent. For example- packing their bag and knowing they have everything they need (library book, home reader, lunch box, hat etc).
• It is important to teach what a good friend is, not who a good friend is. This will help them to make their own decisions as they navigate the social world. 
• At the heart of anxiety, is a lack of self-belief.
• Children need a village to overcome challenges. They need to be able to identify and seek support from their trusted people when things get tough. 
• We have a role to support communication skills, which have a direct correlation with resilience. This includes the ability to negotiate, assert themselves, and ask for help. 
• Some children just need to let off steam. We need to give them space and provide strategies to help manage these big emotions. 

Calendar overview 

Pupil Free Days

Mr James Bryce - Principal