Last night was a special night for some of our Year 3 students. They celebrated the sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. It was a lovely ceremony led by Fr Ken who reminded us all of the importance of forgiveness, compassion and love. The sacrament of Penance is about love and healing, an opportunity to own our failings and seek healing from God.

Fr Ken spoke beautifully to the children about the importance of forgiveness and compassion and as followers of Christ we are called to forgive and show love and compassion to others. He gave wonderful relevant examples that each child was able to relate to. Thank you to Fr Ken for leading our community in prayer and sacrament and to Mrs Stephanie Brown for supporting her students and families through this journey. We look forward to joining you on the next chapter of First Holy Communion.

​​‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’ (Luke 6:36-38).

Next week is Catholic Schools Week. Although this year there are no official events or celebrations as there have been in the past, as a school we are acknowledging and celebrating in class through prayer, mindfulness and learning experiences. We look forward to sharing with you some of our experiences. 

Catholic schools week is an opportunity to recognise the uniqueness of being involved in Catholic Education and to celebrate what it means to be a part of this faith filled community. I would like to thank our parents for your ongoing support of our teachers and our school, the encouraging messages mean a lot to our staff. We are blessed to have an amazing staff that sincerely care about our students and families. Thank you to each and everyone of you for all that you do to support our community.

Belinda Hughes - Principal

Beginning of School Liturgy & Induction of Leaders 

    “Blessings of Hope for 2022”

All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will be involved in a Whole School Liturgy via Zoom on Friday 25th February at 9:30am. The zoom will be led by Father Ken and the Inspired By Christ Team at our outdoor prayer space. In light of the current restrictions we invite the Parents of Year 6 students only to attend this Liturgy. Father Ken will bless the Year 6 students and present them with their badges.

Ash Wednesday - Classroom Liturgies 

Ash Wednesday is next week and marks the beginning of the season of Lent. On Wednesday 2nd March at 9:15 am, representatives from the Year 6 Inspired By Christ Team will attend the Ash Wednesday Mass in our Parish Church with Father Ken . After Mass, the Year Six students will visit each of the classrooms (K-5) and hold an Ash Wednesday prayer service. All children will receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads as an outward reminder that we need to be ‘True to Jesus’. During Lent, our loving God takes us by the hand and asks us to walk closely with Him. It is through the love of God and love of each other that we learn to become more like Jesus wants us to be. 

Sacrament of First Penance

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a healing Sacrament. This is where we learn to mend our broken relationships with God and others. Congratulations to our students who received their First Reconciliation on Wednesday and in doing so have taken the next step in their Catholic Faith journey. 

Sacrament of First Holy Communion

In the upcoming week, students will commence their preparation for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion (the second step in their initiation into the Catholic Faith). We pray for the students and their parents, for the strength to continue to share with each other their beliefs and love in Jesus Christ.

Receiving First Communion

Candidates may receive Communion at any 5:30pm Saturday Mass or any 8:00am Sunday Mass from 12/13 March onwards.

Grace and Blessings

Mrs Steph Brown - Religious Education Coordinator

National Day against Bullying and Violence. 

This year on Friday the 18th of March our school will be taking part in National Day against Bullying and Violence. This day is about encouraging a culture of kindness by promoting inclusiveness, respect and community belonging. 

Each class will be participating in activities around kindness and how demonstrating kind behaviour plays an important role in bullying prevention. These activities will link with our school rules of taking care of this place, yourself and others. 

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019). 

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

If you would like further information on the NCCD please click on the link below or feel free to contact Miss Treble

https://www.nccd.edu.au/sites/default/files/fact%20sheet%20for%20parents%20guardians%20and%20carers.pdf

Miss Eliza Treble - Assistant Principal

Each year at St Michael's we have a focus on specific improvement priority areas. The strategic approach to improvement is a way for the school to focus its professional learning time, resources and management in the right areas in order to have a positive impact on student learning, wellbeing and faith development.

This year our school priority areas are:

• Vision and Mission - after working on our revised Vision and Mission for the past 3 years. This year the focus is on ritualising the vision and mission, where we all as a community become familiar with what it is and what it feels like and looks like in our community.

• Literacy - our focus this year is to consolidate the learning that has occurred over the last few years and build consistent and shared understanding of a balanced literacy approach across the school.

• Assessment - this year we will be working on creating a common understanding of quality assessment practises. What are they? How they should inform practice and how they can be used effectively to share progress on learning and identify next steps in learning.

Throughout our newsletters this year we will be sharing our learning journey with you. 

2023 Kinder Enrolments

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

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

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.

 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 / ASTHMA 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. 

Year 5 & 6 Camp

This year's camp was an incredibly exciting and exhilarating adventure for all of us. We started it off with lots of photos by the gate and stomachs with enough butterflies to fill the amazon rainforest. Then we were off! We kick started the adventure by singing corny, encanto songs. I feel the pain of that poor, unsuspecting bus driver. When we arrived we were already buzzing with excitement but instead of calming it, the excitement only reached new, inhuman power levels when we were told of the dark maze. When we arrived at the dreaded dark maze we saw a strange rectangular building, Liam (our camp instructor) told us of the dangers that lurked inside the maze, vicious possums, rabid monkeys and venomous snakes. That little comment was enough to send a shiver down our spines but it was far worse than we even expected, because not only was it pitch black but also we had to crawl our way through it! We had finished the dark maze(many bragged that they had done it thrice). With stomachs empty but mouths full of words, we headed off for lunch. 

Lunch was amazing but after a mouth-watering, delectable lunch of burgers and watermelon it was time for raft building!

After the most delicious lunch we raced off in anticipation for our next thrilling build. But before we got our creative juices flowing down by the river, we had to wait for our slowpoke teachers to finish lunch. So we busied ourselves with some free time before we got wet. A tonne of people raced to the tennis courts, rackets in hands, ready for a good, old rally. Others sped to the basketball courts to take on our rival the inadequate Bandicoots A.K.A year six. Once the teachers were ready and the dining hall was clean we sat in two ‘straighter than a ruler’ lines to head off, towards the murky river of deception. Once we were divided into 5 equal groups we got to work. “We need the pipes here,” “Try weaving the rope,” “DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO TIE A KNOT!” Were a few phrases that were heard several times. As we carried the rafts down to the river that would soon annihilate all of them, a few fell apart before they made it to the river. We raced from one side to the other, but only one team could win. Once we reluctantly got out of the river we headed back to our cabins and got ready for dinner. For dinner we had Chicken legs, corn and peas, carrots and roasted potatoes. YUM! One of our classmates held the record of 7 mighty chicken legs, digested in under 45 minutes! 

Eventually when our eyes could not bear the agony of staying open any longer we headed back to our bunks and fell fast asleep dreaming of the adventures that would await us the next day. We awoke the next morning with wide eyes as we threw off the covers and prepared for what the day held for us ‘pool activities and brain teasers’.  As soon as Miss Treble gave the first wake up call we were ready! extremely excited and very hyperactive, so it took all four teachers to contain the fifty overexcited students for breakfast time which was delicious toast complemented by oceans of milk and cereal. Our first activity was a series of difficult tasks we had to complete, in order to go to the pool activities. Such as the tedious broken ship, the impossible blind walk and finally the extreme tilting car. Afterwards we headed off to the pool activities  where we made whirlpools and played a fun game of Marco Polo. Then, alas it was time to pack up and get ready to leave. So on the bus ride back we headed off with heavy hearts but minds full of all the excitement we had.

A recount by Audrey F and Sophie L, 2 amazing Yr 5 students.

The following are extracts from Year 6 students responding to their experiences at camp.

• We were able to fit so much in just two days
• I learnt more about teamwork Not only was it fun, but I learnt a lot about teamwork, communication and encouragement I over came some of my fears as I kept challenging myself
• camp was an adventure and I had to face many hard challenges
• There were some ups and downs One of my ups was the raft building. It made me happy and good about myself The camp was thrilling and exciting I enjoyed working with with people that I wouldn’t normally This experience has shown me that no matter how hot the weather is, there is always an ice machine!!
• School camp was the definition of fun because it brought us all together and it’ll be a day that I will always remember
• A highlight was definitely the the dark maze as everyone bonded together
• I really enjoyed learning from others
• My recommendation to future Year 6s is to make the most of every minute, get to know others in your class and be grateful for everything that is being done for you to be there and for your enjoyment. I learnt to get out of my comfort zone and worked with some of my other classmates. I think camp was amazing because we learned to cooperate with our class mates. In the initiatives course we all cheered on and helped our team members to compete the activity
• I learnt that sometimes working with different people and not your friends is good for you
• You can’t succeed when one person gives up, you need to work together and encourage each other to make it through
• My favourite thing was the pool activities and the game where the teachers could hit you with pool noodles and we had to be medics.
• I would like to say thank you to you and all the teachers that were there during those two days and for taking the time to go with us and having to stay awake.
• I think the ‘funnest’ thing was the rafting, it showed  and taught us that we can’t do everything on our own and that sometimes we need teamwork. Just like the saying “Teamwork makes the dreamwork’.
• Thank you for helping us over those tow days and helping us to stay cool in those hot times.
• I didn’t like the raft building with our shoes on, but on the other hand I especially liked the night game where the teachers had cut up pool noodles
• My favourite activity was the raft building, whether our rafts broke, everyone still had fun.
• My favourite activity was the raft building and the dark maze
• My favourite activity was the pool games. We all had heaps of fun and used lots of teamwork. It also cooled us down.
• In the dark maze you had to crawl in in order of 1,2,3 and come out 3,2,1. The second time I went in, we had to go in feet first as well!

KINDERGARTEN NEWS

Kindergarten have had a wonderful start to school. They have been busy learning new routines and rules. In class we have been working on the ‘Starting School: Building on Strengths’ Program which has helped them develop their social skills and interact with their peers in small group activities. It is so lovely to see the friendships forming.

From day 1 the students have entered the classroom with big smiles and an enthusiasm to learn new things.

Kindergarten have started Literacy Groups and Numeracy Groups where activities have been chosen to also support their fine motor skills. We have been focusing on concepts of print, learning sounds, patterns, counting and numbers.

Yesterday was an exciting day for Kindergarten and their Year 5 buddies! They spent some time together getting to know each other and completing a craft activity. It was so wonderful seeing the lovely interactions between both grades.

Kindergarten have also enjoyed recess and lunch time as they’ve been able to play on the playground equipment.

I look forward to seeing them learn and grow.

Congratulations Kindergarten! I am so proud of you!

 Mrs Katie Kelly- Kindergarten teacher

Online Safety Webinars for parents and carers 

These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences

eSafety’s parent guide to cyberbullying and online drama

This webinar will provide parents and carers with the tools to support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships. It will also offer advice about what to do when things go wrong.

It is designed for parents and carers of young people aged 11 to 18 years old.

It will cover:  

• starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships
• understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use
• where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.

REGISTER NOW https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/1132536977528511757 

2022 dates (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

• Thursday 10 March 12.30 to 1.30 pm
• Tuesday 15 March 12.30 to 1.30 pm 
• Wednesday 23 March 7.30 to 8.30 pm 

For downloadable resources to help you start the chat about online safety issues and strategies with your child. Please visit https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources

Miss Riolo - Middle Leader 2 

Well done to Riley S and Oliver F who attended the DOW Cricket Trials on Thursday 17th February. The standard of talent and skill of the students was very high and made the job for the selectors a very tough one. Congratulations to Riley S who will go to the next MacKillop trial, we wish you all the best.

Miss Emma Wragge - Sports Coordinator 

The P&F have sourced new sport jerseys for the students of our school for when they attend gala days throughout the year. They have created an opportunity for parents who would like to, to make a donation towards the purchasing of the jerseys. This has been set up through Flexi schools. Your continued support and generosity is greatly appreciated.