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Students Bring "Zen Den" to Life, Inspired by Christ's Compassion
We are incredibly proud to share an inspiring story of student-led initiative, embodying our vision statement to be "inspired by Christ." Much like Jesus noticed the needs of those around him, a group of our thoughtful students identified a significant need within our own school community: a quiet space for calming and regulation when the playground becomes a bit overwhelming.
These students didn't just notice a need; they responded. They bravely presented their idea to our P&F committee, who were so impressed by their vision and dedication that they generously allocated a $1000 budget to bring this calming space to life!
Demonstrating remarkable research skills and collaboration, the students then gathered valuable data from their peers and teachers to pinpoint the most effective calming resources. They've since used a portion of their budget to purchase these items, and we're thrilled to announce that the new resources for our "Zen Den," located in the school hall, are scheduled to be delivered next week!
It is truly beautiful to witness our students looking beyond their own needs and, like Jesus, reaching out to support others with such empathy and initiative. This project is a testament to their compassionate hearts and their commitment to making our school a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone. We can't wait to see the positive impact the Zen Den will have!
Staffing update
We have some staffing updates to share: Bonnie Bate will be covering Year 4 during Emma Cook's maternity leave, while Marcia Sepple will cover Year 1 on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Aimee Griggs will cover Year 1 from Wednesday to Friday during Pamela Cheetham's maternity leave. We'd like to extend our warmest wishes to Pamela and Emma as they embark on this exciting new chapter of motherhood; we hope they have a wonderful and rewarding time.
Uniform reminders
At St Michael's, we're dedicated to upholding high standards across all areas of school life. Our school uniform policy plays a key role in maintaining these standards and fostering a sense of pride among our students.
As we transition into the new term, I've noticed a number of students aren't fully adhering to our uniform expectations, primarily concerning footwear and occasionally a mix of summer and winter uniform.
To address this, I've asked teachers to be diligent in monitoring uniform compliance and to communicate directly with parents when they observe a student not following our uniform policy. Please refer to our complete uniform policy below.
UNIFORM
Summer: Blue check tunic or unisex navy-blue shorts with short-sleeved blue shirt, short blue socks, black polishable leather shoes, hat with school emblem.
Winter: Navy tunic or unisex navy trousers with long-sleeved blue shirt, school tie, navy tights or short blue socks, black polishable leather shoes, hat with school emblem.
For extra warmth: Navy V neck wool jumper with emblem or cardigan. Bomber jacket and navy scarf is optional.
Sports uniform: Unisex microfibre navy shorts or culottes, polo shirt with emblem, blue socks, sports shoes. Navy V neck tracksuit jumper with emblem and straight leg pants. School hat with emblem.
Principal Appraisal
Within our System of school, Principal’s engage in appraisal process every three years. It is hard to believe that time has come for me already. My formalised appraisal will be held on Tuesday 29 July. In the lead up, staff and parents will have the opportunity to engage in a survey as a part of my appraisal process. I will distribute a survey in the coming weeks to seek further feedback.
Calendar overview
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Week 6 |
Monday 2 June |
Tuesday 3 June |
Wednesday 4 June |
Thursday 5 June |
Friday 6 June |
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Week 7 |
Monday 9 June |
Tuesday 10 June |
Wednesday 11 June |
Thursday 12 June |
Friday 13 June |
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King’s Birthday (Public holiday) |
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Canteen Open |
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Week 8 |
Monday 16 June |
Tuesday 17 June |
Wednesday 18 June |
Thursday 19 June |
Friday 20 June |
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Canteen Open |
Canteen Open |
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Pupil Free Days
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Date |
Days |
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Wednesday, 2 July |
1 |
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Friday 26 September |
1 |
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Thursday, 18 December 2025 |
1 |
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Friday, 19 December 2025 |
1 |
Mr James Bryce - Principal
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Our Catholic Culture and Mission |
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Strategic Priority: By the end of 2027 our Catholic Community is a place of encounter that empowers advocacy and authentic action. |
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2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
2027 |
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Annual Targets |
Faith formation plan has been developed with an emphasis on Educating With a Mission Lens. |
Catholic Social Teaching embedded within Religious Education and other key learning areas. |
Quality pedagogical practices embedded within the teaching of Religious Education. |
Parish and school connections in living faith in action. |
Over the last couple of weeks, we have celebrated significant events on the Church’s calendar. Year 6 led a prayer service in the classrooms to recognise Mary, Our Lady Help of Christians. On the 26th of May, the school celebrated Reconciliation Week, with our Year 2s working together with the Inspired by Christ team to inform classes of the theme ‘Bridging Now to Next.’ This week, students explored the Ascension of the Lord in their Religion lessons, and our WEN ambassadors led the school in a prayer they wrote for World Environment Day.
Money Raised for Caritas
Last term, we had two fundraising opportunities, including celebrating Harmony Day by wearing orange and fundraising for Project Compassion over the Lenten season. Collectively as a school, we raised $265.55 on Harmony Day and $310.50 for Project Compassion. Thank you so much for your generosity.
Family Mass
On Saturday, the 7th of June, we have our Family Parish Mass. This is a great opporutnity to build on our connection as a School with our local Parish. If you could make it, please remember to register for catering purposes. Here is the link: https://forms.gle/B8fnfZtjJPvEG25F6.
Upcoming Liturgies and Class Masses
- Pentecost Liturgy ~ Friday the 6th of June, at 2:30 pm.
- Family Parish Mass ~ Saturday the 7th of June, at 5:30 pm.
- Year 1 and Year 6 Class Mass ~ Friday the 13th of June, at 9:30 am.
- Kindergarten and Year 5 Class Mass ~ Friday the 27th of June, at 9:30 am.
- Confirmation ~ Thursday the 4th of July, at 7:00 pm.
2025 Vinnies NSW Reconciliation Movement Poster Competition
St Vincent de Paul is inviting students to participate in the 2025 Vinnies NSW Reconciliation Movement Poster Competition. It is part of their ongoing commitment to reconciliation and as a way to celebrate National Reconciliation Week and to promote cultural understanding in your school community, St Vincent de Paul is asking for anyone aged 3 to 17 to show their creativity and culture through an original artwork of their choice. See the following poster for further details. There are 24 deadly prizes up for grabs!
Sacraments
Baptism
Baptism, the first sacrament of initiation, prepares us to celebrate the Eucharist. Families wishing to prepare their children for initiation are asked to contact the Parish Office. Baptisms are usually held on the third Sunday of each month [except January and Lent], usually during either of the Sunday [5:30 pm Saturday or 8:00 am Sunday] Masses.
Baptism forms are obtainable from the Parish Office. At least one parent is required to attend a Baptism Preparation Class before the child's baptism. Classes are usually held at 7:15 pm on the last Thursday of each month [except December] in preparation for baptisms the following month. To check the dates for this year [2025], see below.
Please contact the Parish Office if you have any questions.
Parish Secretary: Kerry Fabon
Parish Office thirroul@dow.org.au
Telephone: 02 4268 1910
Hours:
Tuesday 9 am to 3 pm [closed 12:30 pm to 1 pm]
Wednesday 9 am to 3 pm [closed 12:30 pm to 1 pm]
Friday 8:30 am to 3 pm [closed 12:30 pm to 1 pm]
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Preparation Meetings |
Baptism Dates for 2025 |
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Thurs 29 May |
Sat 21 Jun |
Sun 22 Jun |
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Thurs 26 Jun |
Sat 19 Jul |
Sun 20 Jul |
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Thurs 31 Jul |
Sat 16 Aug |
Sun 17 Aug |
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Thurs 28 Aug |
Sat 20 Sep |
Sun 21 Sep |
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Thurs 25 Sep |
Sat 18 Oct |
Sun 19 Oct |
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Thurs 30 Oct |
Sat 15 Nov |
Sun 16 Nov |
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Thurs 27 Nov |
Sat 20 Dec |
Sun 21 Dec |
First Penance and Communion
The Sacraments of First Penance and Communion are celebrated when a child is in Year 2 or seven years old (or older).
Enrolments for 2025 close on Tuesday, 9 September. Enrolment Forms are available by clicking HERE
Enrolment Forms are returned (by email or by hand) to the Parish Office. Do not return forms to the School Office
Prior to receiving First Communion, children are to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance [Reconciliation].
In order to prepare for these Sacraments, there is a preparation program consisting of the following:
- a parent information evening
- two classes (after school hours) in preparation for First Penance
- Celebration of First Penance
- two classes (after school hours) in preparation for First Communion
Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred by Bishop Brian on Thursday, 3 July 2025 to Year 6 (or older) students.
Enrollments are now closed and we have approximately 14 students who will be preparing to make their confirmation in the coming weeks
Parents/Guardians need to attend:
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Preparation Meetings |
Attending |
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Tuesday the 3rd of June at 7:30 pm |
Parents and Guardians at the Church |
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Tuesday the 24th of June at 3:45 pm |
Confirmation Class 1:
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Tuesday the 1st of July at 3:45 pm |
Confirmation Class 2:
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Wednesday the 2nd of July at 7:00 pm |
Confirmation Practice:
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Thursday the 3rd of July at 7:00 pm |
Sacrament of Confirmation. |
What’s on in our parish
Here are some upcoming events at our Parish:
- Friday, 6 June 09:30 ~ Anointing of the Sick during Mass
- Weekend, 7/8 June Pentecost Sunday – Presentation of Confirmation Candidates
- Blessing of June Wedding Anniversaries and Birthdays
- Saturday, 7 June 17:30 Family Mass with Families from our Parish School
- Friday, 13 June ~ Celebrating St Anthony of Padua with Year 1 and 6.
- Friday, 27 June ~ Celebrating The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with Kindergarten and Year 5.
If you would like to receive our Parish Bulletin emailed to you each week, as well as the Saturday evening Mass each week, please email our Parish Office,thirroul@dow.org.au and make your request in the email.
Mr David Ryan - Acting Religious Education Coordinator
Enrolling Now
We’re enrolling now for 2026! Applications are fee-free and can be made online. If your child is due to start Kindergarten next year, the best time to make your application is in Term 1 this year.
Learn more about our school and the enrolment process here:
https://www.smtdow.catholic.edu.au/
Mental Fitness Gotcha4life update: Pam Cheetham
This week, our school community came together to celebrate Mental Fitness Week. It offered us a chance to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful learning about the protective factors that support strong mental health. We also enjoyed some extra daily fun along the way with our gotcha playground moments, student-led ‘kindness colouring’ initiative and a mufti day to end it all.
Building staff mental fitness
Student led artworks in their own time Student led colouring competition
Gotcha moment recipients
Building mental fitness in class lessons
This week each term serves as a timely reminder that mental fitness is something to prioritise not just now, but all year round. Taking care of our mental wellbeing is an ongoing journey that benefits every aspect of our lives, from learning and relationships to resilience and overall happiness. We look forward to developing this even further for the remainder of the term.
Waste Free Wednesday Update
Week 6 Results
Kinder: 88%
Year 1: 64%
Year 2: 95%
Year 3: 66%
Year 4: 50%
Year 5: 59%
Year 6: 61%
Congratulations to Year 2 who are the GOLD waste free warriors and Kindergarten who are the SILVER waste free warriors.
Parent Feedback Survey - What you want to know about most in the upcoming parent/teacher conferences
Recently we communicated that the parent teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday 2nd July (Week 10) after reports will be made available to you. The structure of the conferences will align to our faith, learning and wellbeing framework. To help teachers know what you would like them to focus on during the parent/teacher conferences, a google survey was shared with you to get your general feedback. Below is a snapshot of the data from this survey. There were 37 responses and the top two priority areas or what parents would like feedback on from their child’s classroom teacher are:
- Peer relationships and social skills
- Motivation, effort and learning engagement
This will be communicated to teachers to ensure they provide you with some feedback in these two areas. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with these insights.
Awards news
As you are aware, we have awards assemblies every fortnight in which students receive awards to recognise their effort, growth or achievement in their faith, learning or wellbeing. We often get inquiries into how teachers award superstar, vision in action awards and end of term Living the Vision Awards. Below is an overview of the awards system at St Michael’s
- Superstar Awards are presented at a fortnightly assembly awarded by the classroom teachers.Each student will receive at least one superstar award per semester.
- Vision in Action Awards: presented at the Monday morning assembly awarded by any teacher, SSO or nominated student for demonstrating our vision in their actions.
- Principal’s Awards are given for 5 awards (superstar, Vision in Action, St Francis of Assisi award)
- Living the Vision Awards are awarded at the end of the term. These are awarded by the classroom teacher/s to students who have demonstrated they are either inspired by Christ, aspiring to excellence in learning or living fully in community across the term. These are equivalent to a Principal’s award. .
- Gold Awards are earned for 3 Principal awards.
- The St Michael’s Blue medallion is obtained when a student receives 2 gold awards.
If students have received a High Behaviour aligned to the High and Low behaviour definition matrix within a two week period leading up to an awards assembly, they will not be awarded a superstar award. This award will be held over until the following awards assembly. Parents will be notified of this prior to the assembly.
Choir - Wollongong City Eisteddfod
Congratulations to our very talented Choir who participated in the Wollongong City Eisteddfod on Tuesday night. They sang with such pride and enthusiasm and came away with a "Highly Commended". Well done to all of you!
Mrs Amy Sammut - Assistant Principal
ICAS Competition: Register Now!
I am excited to offer students in Years 2–6 the opportunity to participate in the 2025 ICAS competitions. These assessments are designed to recognise and reward academic excellence in the areas of Digital Technologies, English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling Bee, and Writing.
ICAS provides valuable feedback on your child’s progress and is a great way to extend and challenge students. Participation is optional, and parents can choose which subjects your child/children enter. More information, including registration details and key dates, has been sent via Compass. Please refer to the Compass post for further instructions and deadlines.
Celebrating Writing Across the School
We are incredibly proud of our Year 5 and 6 students who recently submitted entries to the Whitlam Institute’s What Matters? writing competition. The quality of their work has been nothing short of outstanding, demonstrating not only writing skill and creativity but also a deep sense of purpose and passion.
What has truly stood out, is the wide range of genres students chose to express their ideas, from persuasive pieces and heartfelt narratives to poetic reflections. Given the opportunity to write about issues that matter most to them, students explored powerful themes such as social justice, environmental sustainability, identity, and community.
These entries are a testament to the impact of our classroom practices. Through explicit teaching, the Writer’s Workshop model, and a strong emphasis on student voice, we are seeing our young writers grow in confidence, clarity, and conviction.
Congratulations to every student who took part. We’re so proud of your thoughtful, articulate, and passionate contributions, and we look forward to hearing how you go in the competition.
Please take a moment to read some of the amazing writing our students have produced. I’m sure you’ll be as inspired as we are.
Delicate
Our world is delicate, and like a piece of coal. Easy to burn, yet very precious. As precious as a diamond. As she spins on and on, time is ticking away. Climate change is lapping at the edges of glaciers like waves on the sand. Pollution is eating away at everything we know, animals, forests, oceans, valleys, mountains. Animals are on the verge of extinction and it’s all because of…us.
Climate change isn’t just bad, or awful, or mean, it’s greedy. Harmful. Effective, but in a careless way. Sea levels rise, and continue to rise, each year. Temperatures carry on ascending, forcing animals into shorter hibernations, therefore preventing them from fattening up for Winter. Rising temperatures mean more frequent and intense extreme weather events.
We need to take action now. We can't wait another 20 years. We can’t wait until next month. The more we wait, the harder it will be to fix our mistakes. But to do that, everyone has a role to play. You can do your part by switching to renewable energy sources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, using public transport, using less water or even just using reduce, reuse, recycle as your guideline.
It will take a long time, and a lot of effort, but together, we can fix climate change. Together, we must fix climate change.
What’s one of the utmost disgusting things you have ever seen? It might be slime, zucchini, breathing someone else’s ‘breathed air’, toddlers with smushed food on their faces, or dirty shoes. But for me, the most atrocious thing I have ever seen is pollution. Why? You might ask. Well, did you know that plastic takes 20-500 years to break down, sometimes even longer. It also fills the earth with debris, contaminates our resources, while also contributing to a wide range of illnesses, not to mention how much it affects animals.
Pollution impacts animals' health, safety, diet, and even survival. Both marine and terrestrial animals become tangled in litter, such as plastic bags or fishing gear, which leads to injury, suffocation, or even death. Some animals, such as dolphins, can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them. Ingesting plastic, toxic substances and other harmful materials causes internal injuries, poisoning and starvation.
Experts prove that we are producing over 380 million tons of plastic each year. All of this plastic eventually goes into the ocean. An example of one of the places all this garbage goes is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific Ocean. It is 1.6 million square meters in size, which is about three times the size of France. This proves that we are being too wasteful. We need to fix this issue.
Animal species are rapidly decreasing, with 100-10,000 species going extinct each year. Some examples of extinction are: the pinta giant tortoise, western black rhinoceros, golden toad, pyrenean ibex, spix's macaw, and the bramble cay melomys. Human activity significantly contributed to the extinction of all these animals. If we continue on like this, there will be nothing left except humans. Scientists estimate that by 2100, up to half of existing animal species could become extinct. This is just unacceptable.
People think the world has an endless supply of everything we need. But we don’t. We’re eating away at the earth, instead of caring for it. Humans are treating the earth like it doesn’t matter. But it does. It matters to me. They say life in 2075 will be better, but I don’t think we’re going to make it. The reason why, not just you or me, but every single one of us.
By Sienna P (Year 6)
The Weight Of One Life
What is one life worth? In a world with billions, it's easy to feel like you're tiny, like one single voice in a maze of noise but life is a gift, no matter how quiet or invisible you feel. It’s something extraordinary, that so delicately, blends into our everyday tasks, activities and responsibilities. Not many people seem to realise the fact that we do not last forever. Life is a thing we should all cherish and be thankful for, and live throughout everything we do.
Life isn’t always fair. It’s not always daisies, sunshine and rainbows but, that doesn’t mean we should act out by bringing others down, because who knows, it might just influence someone else’s life. Be careful with your words and actions because they can spread in ways that we could never fully grasp.
Every life has a purpose. Including yours. If you throw your life out the window you're destroying great opportunities of discovering who you were truly meant to be. You could be the person who teaches, who brings help, who changes someone’s day or even their whole life without even realising it. That’s the power that one of many lives can hold.
Everyone was born for a reason. Even when the world feels like you're deadlifting 100kg weights and the path isn’t clear, your existence still matters. It’s all in the way you smile, in the way you take care of others, in the way your presence can bring comfort and hope to someone else’s day. You don’t need to be famous or rich to matter, you just need to be you. So hold onto your life. Protect it, love it, and remind others to do the same. Lift people up instead of pulling them down. Because sometimes, the smallest acts leave the biggest marks in people's lives. And in a world that mostly feels loud, cold, or crazy be the hushed kindness that makes it just that little better.
Did you know that more than 720,000 people commit suicide every single year and that it is the third leading cause of death amongst 19 to 29 year olds? That’s crazy! This is due to all the bullying and unkind things we are doing to one another. If you feel hurt or feel lots of pain on the inside just know that help is available. You can try splitting. Splitting is an effective defense mechanism where you perceive people or situations as either really good or really bad, failing to recognise the problems of the world and the existence of both good and bad qualities in people or situations. Or just call: 13 11 14 or message: 0477 13 11 14. Lifeline Australia. But just remember, you matter to someone. You matter to me.
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. That word is love, and I know that somebody loves you.
Remember, your life matters to not just me but everyone, so cherish everything because tomorrow isn't a promise to anyone. One decision, one act of kindness, one man’s story can ripple externally in ways we may never fully imagine.
By Darcy F (Year 6)
Write-on Competition: We’re excited to see such strong engagement in writing across the school! A fantastic example is the Write-On competition where 84 students have expressed interest in taking part, showing a real love for writing.
This year’s theme, “Could they be changing?” encourages students to think creatively and connect their writing to real-world experiences. Each school can submit three entries to the competition (one per stage) and all participants will receive a Certificate of Entry. We are looking forward to seeing the wonderful writing our authors craft here at St Michael’s! The competition closes on the 20th June.
Mrs Chelsea McLeod - Instructional Coach
Social Media
With so much going on at school, a great way to follow any up and coming events and read about the great things that are happening, please follow us on:
Instagram- stmichaels.thirroul or Facebook-St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Thirroul.
View the webinar: https://www.gym.gotcha4life.org/learn/mental-fitness-childrens-anxiety/
Download the app today: https://www.gym.gotcha4life.org/app/
Mrs Pamela Cheetham - Middle Leader
Upcoming Dates for the Diary
- Netball Gala Day - Tuesday 24th June
- Athletics Carnival - Tuesday 22nd July
Cross Country Diocesan Trials
Congratulations to all the students who represented our school at the Diocesan Cross Country Trials. Competitors faced very windy conditions and a strong field of talented runners from across the region.
A special congratulations to Annabel C (1st), Abigail S (1st), Darcy F (3rd), Madeleine F (7th) for an outstanding performance, earning a place on the Wollongong team. They will now go on to compete for a spot on the Mackillop team. Well done!
Student Extracurricular Sporting Achievements
We love celebrating our students' extracurricular sporting achievements—please keep us updated on their successes!
Mrs Danielle Campbell - Sports Coordinator
Congratulations to the following students who received awards at the last assembly;
Principal's Award
- Monte R
- Camilla P
- Eva K
- Molly H
- Reuben C
- Romeo F
- Eisley C
- Sienna P
- Ethan Z
- Oliver D
- Ariah C
Gold Award
- Teo T
- Eisley C
- Sienna P
- Ethan Z
- Ariah C
St Michael's Blue
- Tye F
- Eisley C
- Sienna P
- Ethan Z
The P&F have had a busy few weeks with various meetings and events.
Thank you to all those who could attend our May meeting, we had a great turn out.
We had the opportunity to have Year 5 do a presentation for us regarding a concept that they are proposing 'Zen Den' , the initiative was accepted unanimously. Thank you Year 5, we look forward to seeing it in action.
The P&F also approved the 'Yarning circle', including shade cloth, this new outdoor learning space will be amazing and I’m sure it will be well used with the aim to add value to our school as a whole.The Thirroul seaside festival has proven to be another great fundraising activity for St Michaels, last weekend we raised over $1400. A big thank you goes out to Morgan Clark and all of the Year 2 parents who were involved in this event, and of course to all of you who cooked, baked, bought or purchased anything for our stall, thank you it was greatly appreciated.The planning for our family fun fair in September is well underway, please lock Friday 19th September into your calendar’s, if you thought last year was fun wait to see what we have planned for 2025!
All funds being raised this year are going to put a new large shade cloth over the playground, our goal is to raise 30k.
What a great initiative.
Fiona Heslop - P&F President