Welcome back to term 2! I hope you all had a wonderful break and you were able to spend some valuable time with family and friends.

This Sunday we commemorate Anzac Day. It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealander service men and women who have served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day originally honoured the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War.

On Sunday I will join the School Captains and Fr Ken to commemorate the memory of our soldiers. I feel so privileged to be able to share in this experience in what is still an event that is limited by restrictions. 

It is a day where we remember the strength, the courage and the commitment of such service men and women and acknowledge those currently serving. As a school we will remember their sacrifice and service with a prayer ceremony as well as in class focus lessons. 

God Bless

Mrs Belinda Hughes

Director of Schools Visit

The Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill, is visiting all schools across our diocese this year. Peter came to our diocese at the beginning of last year, just before the pandemic hit. Peter Hill is intending to visit all schools to get to know the staff, students and parent communities. He will be visiting our school on Thursday 6 May, and he will  join us for our liturgy at 12.30pm. I look forward to welcoming Mr Peter Hill to St Michael’s and sharing how wonderful our community is.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses the literacy and numeracy skills of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students participate in NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN provides an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. The tests are just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. NAPLAN also provides schools and education authorities with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

This year the NAPLAN program is:

2022 Kindergarten Enrolment Applications

2022 Kindergarten Enrolment Forms are now available from the school office. You may also access the forms from our school website. We look forward to welcoming siblings and new families to our wonderful community.

The enrolment package is available from our school or online at www.dow.catholic.edu.au

A prayer service for the wonderful women in our lives this Mother’s Day!  

As a school we will be celebrating the wonderful women in our lives with a Mother’s Day prayer service at our outdoor prayer space on Thursday 6th May (Week 3) at 12:30pm. We would like to invite families to attend this prayer service with gates opening at 12:20pm. Seats will be provided for guests, however please make sure you bring a hat and sunscreen as there is limited shade. 

Families are invited to stay for eating time at the conclusion of the prayer service (1:00 - 1:15pm). Students will be able to have a picnic lunch with their families on the top cement / grass passive play area. Families will be asked to vacate before students go to play at their allocated playground. 

We look forward to sharing this special day with you! 

ANZAC Day Prayer Service

Parents, families and friends will be invited to attend our ANZAC Day service out on the concrete in front of the flag pole on Monday 26th of April (Term 2, Week 2) at 10:00am. Gates will open at 9:55am and seats will be provided for guests, however please make sure you bring a hat and sunscreen as there is limited shade. In the case of wet weather the service will be held in our school hall. 

Miss Emma Groves - Religious Education Coordinator

We continue to showcase the wonderful work that our School Leaders are producing.