Catholic Schools Week (CSW) Monday 4th March - 8th March

‘The future has a name, and that name is hope’.

Catholic Schools Week is about celebration. It is an opportunity to share with the community the great things that take place in our school every day.  On Friday 8th March St Michael’s will celebrate our love of learning. We are inviting parents, families, and parishioners to spend the afternoon with us as we host a Celebration of Learning linking our literacy learnings with our Religious Education.

Visitors are invited to join us at 1:50pm for a Celebration of Learning where visitors will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and engage with students in their learning.  The Year 6 Leaders of Learning and Innovation Team will greet visitors at the school front gate at 1:45pm.  Following the Celebration of Learning, visitors are invited to join us for our Friday afternoon assembly where each class will share their Class Mission Statements.  The afternoon assembly starts at 2:30pm.  We hope you are able to come and celebrate Catholic Schools Week with us. Please see the Religious Education News for a detailed overview of the week.

2019 School Improvement Priorities

Every school in our diocese uses a framework that helps us get better at what we do. This tool is called School Review and Improvement  (SRI).  It is a framework which outlines what schools should be doing in order to achieve excellence in various areas. Schools use the framework and data to prioritise goals for each year.  

This year we have four main improvement areas that incorporate learning, faith and community. We look forward to sharing with you our progress via the school newsletter or at P&F meetings throughout the year. To achieve these goals we have committed to the following strategies:

Goal 1: A focus on delivering a balanced reading and writing program that enhances student learning.

teachers regularly meeting in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) with a focus on student learning to collaboratively assess and design units of work, identify the immediate learning needs of all students and develop whole class learning goals

• teachers engaging in classroom observations and feedback conversations about improving teaching practice

• teachers engaging in Professional Learning including: Teaching Reading Strategies (Year 3- Year 6 teachers), Letters and Sounds (Kindergarten to Year 2 Teachers)

Goal 2: A focus on quality assessment that assists to monitor, track and evaluate student learning

• developing a whole school shared understanding and knowledge of quality assessment in order to implement best practice across the school
• exploring different ways to report and share student progress throughout the year
• teachers regularly meeting in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) with a focus on student assessment to collaboratively identify the immediate learning needs of all students

Goal 3: A focus on authentic staff and student spiritual formation experiences

• engaging with an external consultant to explore a journey of staff spiritual formation
• liaising and working with the Diocesan Youth Ministry team in regards to student faith formation experiences
• Exploring opportunities for parent and community engagement in the liturgical life of the school

Goal 4: A focus on developing positive parent and community engagement that enhances student learning

• Responding to the Parent Forum (2018) recommendations and developing a strategic plan
• Conducting a communications and skills audit of the school community
• Holding parent workshops that are linked to our school improvement plan

Thank you

Thank you to Fr Ken for celebrating our Opening of the School Year Mass last Friday and to Miss Groves for her excellent preparation of the students.  Thank you to all parents, families and friends who were able to join us for this important celebration.   We had a great turn up at the morning tea - a great way to start the school year!

Thank you to parents for attending the Meet and Greet conversations.  Teachers appreciated your participation in this conversation about your child’s learning journey.

CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK

Catholic Schools Week is about celebration. It is an opportunity to share with the

community the great things that take place in our school every day.

MONDAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK - LENTEN SPEAKER

Guest Speaker - Monica Ward-McCann  (Catholic Schools Week - Monday 4th March)

Monica Ward-McCann  will be joining our school community on Monday 4th March to speak with the students from Years 2 - 6 about Project Compassion and how we can make a difference to our neighbours. It is Monica’s love of mission and development work which makes her such a proficient speaker for Project Compassion. Caritas Australia’s promotion of human dignity and justice for all resonates deeply with her.

TUESDAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK - AFL GALA DAY & CARITAS LAUNCH

AFL Gala Day: We have a large proportion of our Stage 3 students attending the Paul Kelly Cup: AFL Gala Day. The Paul Kelly Cup is the largest AFL primary school competition in New South Wales and the ACT and is open to students in Years 5 and 6. The Paul Kelly Cup consists of 12 player teams competing in round robin carnivals. Games are played on a smaller field using modified 12-a-side rules. This allows children who are new to the game to experience and enjoy AFL in a safe and fun environment. 

PROJECT COMPASSION LAUNCH

Bishop Brian Mascord will be launching Project Compassion at St Brigid's Catholic Church, Gwynneville. The theme for Project Compassion 2019 is ‘’lives change when we all give 100%”, which is based around giving in the name of hope. Mrs Hughes and the school captains will represent our school at this event.  

WEDNESDAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK - ASH WEDNESDAY LITURGY

On Wednesday 6th March at 9:15 am, Year 6 students will be attending Ash Wednesday Mass in our Parish Church. Later they will administer the ashes to each class during a special Liturgy.

Ash Wednesday begins the Season of Lent - time to prepare ourselves for Easter. Ashes on our forehead mark us as Christians, as people who carry Christ’s message in the actions of our lives. It is a time for refocusing and renewing our lives so that we more closely reflect our Baptismal promises.

During Lent we are encouraged to pray, fast and give alms (money, food or clothing) to those in need. As we all know, Jesus retreated into the desert for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for him a time of reflection and contemplation.

Prayer - Mass attendance; family prayer; a visit to a church or chapel; reading the Bible; making the Stations of the Cross; praying the Rosary.

Helping others - special attention to someone who is poor, sick, elderly, lonely or overburdened.

Self-denial - not eating sweets or dessert; giving up entertainment to spend time with the family; limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor; not eating meat; (abstinence from meat and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday for people between 18 - 60).

THURSDAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK - PROJECT COMPASSION FUNDRAISER, WATER RELAY AT ST MICHAEL'S

Doing a water relay at St Michael’s we plan to raise awareness and funds for the thousands of children, women and men around the world who have to cover many kilometres each day for basic necessities like food, water, education or healthcare. Students bring in a gold coin donation to go into the water relay on Thursday 7th March (Week 6 - Catholic Schools Week).

We ask all students to bring in a minimum of a gold coin donation on the day for project compassion.

Teachers split their classes into teams (appropriate for each class) and they are to carry the bucket of water from one side of the basketball court to the other. At the end of the time specified by the teacher, the group with the least water spilled and most laps completed is the winner (the living the faith team will be supporting the teachers on the day).

It is active, fun and students get a feel of what it is like to have to carry water which is what many people around the world have to do to get clean drinking water. It is a gold coin to enter or more if students want.

We look forward to raising lots of money for Project Compassion and the excellent work they do all over the world. 

FRIDAY: CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK - OPEN CLASSOROOMS & ASSEMBLY

On Friday 8th March St Michael’s will celebrate our love of learning. We are inviting parents, families, and parishioners to spend the afternoon with us as we host a Celebration of Learning.

Visitors are invited to join us at 1:50pm for a Celebration of Learning where visitors will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and engage with students in their learning. The Year 6 Leaders of Learning and Innovation Team will greet visitors at the school front gate at 1:45pm. Following the Celebration of Learning, visitors are invited to join us for our Friday afternoon assembly where each class will share their Class Mission Statements.

The afternoon assembly starts at 2:30pm. We hope you are able to come and celebrate Catholic Schools Week with us.

CONFIRMATION

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred by Bishop Brian on Wednesday (26/6) & Thursday (27/6) 2019 to Year 6 (or older) students.

Enrolment Forms for the Sacrament of Confirmation close on 13 May 2019. To download an enrolment forms go to the St Michael’s Parish website (thirroul@dow.org.au) and return it to the Parish Office.  

BEGINNING SCHOOL MASS

A huge thank you to Fr Ken for celebrating the Eucharist with our school community and bestowing blessings on our school for the upcoming year. Thank you to all parents, families and friends who were able to join us for this important celebration, where we welcomed our new staff and students as well as presented our Year Six Leaders with their leadership badges. We are truly blessed to have such a great community.

CONGRATULATIONS

It's a boy! Congratulations to James Bryce and his wife Lauren on the safe arrival of baby Bede Hunter Bryce. Bede was born last Friday and all are doing well. We wish James and Lauren all the best as they navigate having 2 little ones now.

ENROLMENTS 2020

Enrolment forms are now available from the school office or from our website for Kindergarten 2020.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE - ST MICHAEL'S

St Michael’s now has an official FaceBook page! This page will be used to celebrate and showcase some of the great things that happen in our school and the occasional reminder of upcoming events.

It is important to note that the skoolbag app is still the official channel of communication and will have the most up to date information. If you would like to contact the school, this is still to be done through the school office or school email address.

The recent photo permission form that was sent home is inclusive of facebook also. If you would like to make any changes please contact the school.

Later this year the Diocese is launching a Social Media policy that will cover the use of social media and the ethical boundaries and expectations of such. Currently there are codes of conduct that outline that any social media platform is used for its intended purpose and for positive comments only.

Please ‘like’ our page and we look forward to sharing the great things at St Michael’s through another avenue! www.facebook.com/stmichaels.thirroul 

CATHOLIC CARE UPDATES

- please note no bikes, scooters, skateboards or games (including electronic)

- this is an alcohol free event

A reminder that this event is organised by the Parents and Friends Association so there is limited supervision provided by staff.   We hope you can make it.  This evening will be made all the richer by your presence. 

Last term at our final P&F meeting for the year, we had around 30 people attend a forum for parents/carers to gain ideas and suggestions on the following areas of focus:

• Learning and teaching
• Living the faith
• Parent Engagement
• Projects and priorities
• Fundraising and volunteering

The feedback from this forum and recommendations were published in our Term 4, Week 5 school newsletter and we have already progressed a number of these recommendations. See below for an update:

We will continue to keep you updated on our progress on these recommendations and thank you once again for your involvement in the parent forums.

We welcome parent/carer feedback and suggestions at any time via the P&F or you can email the school directly via info@smtdow.catholic.edu.au

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

The Catholic Education Office has updated their Administration of Medication at School Policy. There are changes that will impact all administration of medication procedures here at St Michael’s. Please read carefully the below blurb which outlines the new regulations that we must follow.

St Michael’s has a duty to take reasonable care for the safety and welfare of our students.  This care extends to assisting students manage their medical condition that requires medication, where medication cannot be administered outside of school hours.

If your child requires staff to administer prescription or over-the-counter medication at school, you will need to complete a Request to Administer Medication Form (this is a new form).

School staff will only administer prescription medication that:

• Has been prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner (e.g. doctor, dentist)
• Is in its original container
• Has an attached pharmacy label to the container
• Has been delivered to the school by the parent/ carer and is accompanied by a completed Request to Administer Medication Form

School staff will only administer Over-The-Counter medication that:

• Is in its original container
• Has been delivered to the school by the parent/carer and is accompanied by a completed Request to Administer Medication Form including the signature and stamp from a qualified medical practitioner

If your child requires more than one medication, you will need to complete a form for each medication.

ASCIA ANAPHYLAXIS ACTION PLANS / ASHTMA MANAGEMENT ACTION PLANS

If your child is at risk of anaphylaxis, asthma or an allergic reaction, it is important that the school is provided with a current ASCIA Anaphylaxis Action Plan / Asthma Management Plan completed by a doctor.  This plan provides up-to-date information for the school regarding the medical management of your child’s condition.  

If there are any changes in your child’s health care needs, please inform the school as soon as possible.

Mrs Belinda Hughes - Principal 

SPB4L

As a part of the school’s SPB4L procedures there is a Correctional Sequence of Behaviour that is followed by all teachers to assist students in making positive choices. This forms a part of the school’s procedures in living out the school rules and expectations. Please find a copy of the flowchart that is used in the classroom.

The focus for this week has been Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. The students in each class have been working hard to demonstrate this Habit each day and have been earning points for their class charts. At this Friday’s assembly, the class with the most points based on this Habit will become the Class Of The Week.

At each assembly the students will be provided with a new focus area based on a Leader In Me habit area.

CAR PICK UP ZONE

Thank you to all parents and carers that use the car pick up zone as intended. A reminder that this is not a parking zone and in the morning and afternoon it should only be used to drop off and pick up children. This is for the safety of all children and to allow for the flow of traffic. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Mrs Amie Dutaillis - Middle Leader 1

MATHS AT HOME

The best way to learn Mathematics at home is to use maths in everyday situations. Talking about Mathematics in contexts such as cooking, travelling and playing games are the best ways for parents to be an active part of their child’s learning.

Once children start to talk about maths in everyday situations it becomes ‘normal’ and can eliminate part of the fear that some children have around Mathematics.

The website below has some maths toys and games that can encourage a love of Mathematics for all ages. Check it out and enjoy the learning!

http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12180

SPLICED

The unit for the 2019 SPLICED program is “The good, The Beautiful, The True”. This Unit is designed to allow for students to engage in a Critical and Reflective Thinking Process incorporating creative thinking and productivity. Students that have been selected to participate in the SPLICED program will work in a number of ways to produce their work.

These experiences may include, attending external workshops, online mentoring and in school workshops. The aim of this program is to have the students work published for a wide audience. The students have purchased journals where they are currently brainstorming, reflecting and creating ideas for the design of the work.

iPADS IN STAGE 3

This week Mr Ben Woods from the Catholic Education Office came out to work with our Stage Three students. He spoke about their digit footprint and how to be respectful, responsible and reasonable online. The students learnt how they can develop a positive digit footprint that can benefit others. They saw the impact that a negative digital footprint can have on job prospects and their future relationships.

 Miss Eliza Treble - Middle Leader 2

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Recently we held our annual School Swimming Carnival. The students showed great competitive spirit and supported their fellow friends with enthusiasm. Thank you to all the parents who were able to help on the day, this allows us to run a smooth carnival. Congratulations to Fitzroy Blue for the win! Mackillop 2nd, Penola 3rd and Tenison 4th.

Well done to all who participated and contributed to their team’s efforts.

Congratulations to the following students who will be representing St Michael’s at the Regional Swimming Carnival on Thursday 7th March:

Josh Beaumont, Tessa Body, Milla Camargo, William Egan-Brown, Darius Hamod, Charlie Lamberger, Oscar Lamberger, Sophia Lamberger, Henrietta Mayers, Riley McEvoy, Amelia McNamara, Elliot Phelan, Elyza Ryan, Riley Saville, Holly Sheldrick, Jessica Smith, Imogen Villanti, Seamus Wood and Zoe Wilson

The results for Age Champions were:

Junior Boy and Girl: Oscar Lamberger and Zoe Wilson

11 Year Boy and Girl: William Egan-Brown and Mila Camargo

Senior Boy and Girl: Seamus Wood and Tessa Body

PAUL KELLY CUP: AFL COMPETITION

We wish our teams well as they prepare to participate in the Paul Kelly AFL cup on Tuesday, March 5th at Thomas Dalton Park, Towradgi.

MACKILLOP AFL DIOCESAN TRIALS

Congratulations to Dylan Lopes de Oliveira who trialled for a place in the MacKillop AFL Diocesan team. Dylan competed for a place in a team with very talented players and it is a big achievement to be invited to trial. Well done Dylan for making the MacKillop squad. We wish you well on the next step of your journey.

CROSS COUNTRY

The school Cross Country Carnival will take place at Gibson Park on Friday,

29th March (Week 8).

Mr Jason Novak - Sports Co ordinator

Awards

Principal's Awards presented at the next assembly;

• Edison Crinis
• Oliver Forte
  
• Dylan Fisher
• Mahli Duffin
• Maggie Lamberger

Gold Awards presented at the next assembly:

• Mitchell Fisher

Congraulations to all students!!!!

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Thanks to parents who have volunteered to be Class Parent Representatives for 2019. We are still seeking volunteers for the following classes:Yr 1, Yr 3, Yr 4W, Y5 & Yr 6B. 

The role of the class rep(s) is to:

• Manage all communication from P&F and/or School to each parent in that class
• Co-ordinate an event throughout the year e.g. Mother's Day Stall or Grandparents Day Morning Tea (this involves recruiting that grade to help etc)
• Organise a Christmas gift for the class teacher

If you are interested in being a Class Parent Representative (or sharing the role) please email the P&F: pandf@smtdow.catholic.edu.au or contact the school office.