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Dear Parents and Carers,
‘A world that looks to the future without a mother’s gaze is shortsighted.’
Pope Francis, January 2019
Last weekend we celebrated and acknowledged the wonderful women in our life who have been an inspiration and a constant source of love and compassion. We always know and appreciate all that those who are mother figures do for us, however on this special day we deliberately pause and celebrate these special people in our lives.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the fabulous mothers and mother figures in our school community who support our amazing children to value learning and to be the best that they can be. We are so pleased that we were able to share a prayer service to celebrate you on Monday.
I pray and hope that you were surrounded by love and gratitude.
God Bless
Mrs Belinda Hughes - Principal
Easter Celebrations
This Easter season, may we all be blessed with the love of God reminding us of what is true. As we continue to make small sacrifices in daily living, may we keep in mind the biggest sacrifice that has been made for us out of love.
On Thursday 28th April we celebrated a Joyful Easter prayer service hosted by Year Five.
I would like to thank all Staff and students' for partaking in and preparing for these special celebrations and prayers.
ANZAC Day Prayer Service
On Friday 29th April, we held our own ANZAC prayer service. We were very fortunate to have Major General Brian Howard join us and share stories of his experience.
Fr Ken and Year 6 led the service as we reflected on the sacrifice of Australians who served and died in all wars The spirit of Anzac, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, forms an important part of who we are as Australians.
The Year Six students hosted a very prayerful service. All students were extremely respectful.
Loving God, you call us to be people of peace. Our hearts are full of gratitude to those who have given their lives in times of war and conflict. Through the example of Jesus may we learn to live in harmony, peace and unity.
Amen
2022 Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion
We would like to thank our school community for the generous response to this years Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. Our school has played a part to help support ‘future generations’ and to make a difference in the lives of others who need our help. We are excited to say that through the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” mufti day and our classroom project compassion boxes as a school community we have raised $312.00
Andrew Chinn Easter Concert
St Michael’s was very pleased to welcome international singer, songwriter and performer, Andrew Chinn, to our school to run music workshops with all our classes.
The workshops culminated in Andrew leading a special Easter Concert with our children!
The day was a celebration of faith with so much fun and joy shared as the students actively engaged in song, action and laughter!
A prayer service for the Special women in our lives this
Mother’s Day!
On Monday we celebrated the special women in the lives of our students at a Mother's Day prayer service. How wonderful it was to have everyone together again. Our mums & other visitors then joined the children for lunch. How special it was to have everyone celebrating together, we were so heartened to see so many community members in our school again. We thank each and every one who took time out of their day to come.
A blessing for our mothers and grandmothers and all those who fill the role of mother in our lives.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
in times of joy and in times of trial.
May the Lord make his face shine on you,
that you, in turn, may be the face of God to those you mother.
May the Lord be gracious to you,
that you may be the instrument of grace in your families and communities.
And may the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace,
that you might bring peace to your homes, to your families, to your work and to your world.
Amen
Confirmation
The Confirmation programme offers a wonderful opportunity for parents to strengthen their relationship with their children by sharing the faith.
Parents/Guardians need to attend the Parent Meeting on Tuesday, 31 May 2022, 7.00pm
Classes 1 and 2: Tuesdays, 7 and 14 June, 3:45pm to 5pm
Confirmation Practice: Monday, 20 June, 7:00pm
Sacrament of Confirmation: Tuesday, 21 June 2021, 7.00pm
Upcoming Dates
Our Lady Help Of Christians Hosted By Year Four
Monday 23rd May @ 12.30pm
Ascension of the Lord Liturgy
Hosted by Year Two
Thursday 26th May @ 2.30pm
ACTIVATE - Year 6
Friday 27th May
Grace and Blessings
Mrs Steph Brown - Religious Education Coordinator
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.
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.
Teachers engaged with a staff development day at the beginning of term to develop a shared understanding of quality assessment across the school. Teachers were given time to reconnect with the current research around what works best and share ideas of what quality assessment looks like in the classroom. Follow on staff meetings have focused on ways to embed feedback practices into teaching and learning effectively. These practices allow students to be able to self and peer assess their learning to celebrate what they have done well and clearly articulate what their next step in learning is.
Teachers will be involved in collaborative planning meetings over the next few weeks to work together to embed research based quality assessment practices where students can demonstrate their learning and know how they are going.
We invite you to respond to this short google form to collect your thoughts around assessment. Please click on this link https://forms.gle/12rx1Qrqvn3ZWX4g9
Miss Emma Riolo - Middle Leader 2
Winter Uniform
The official change over date for winter uniform is Monday 16 May, Week 4. If the weather is cooler beforehand students may begin to wear their full winter uniform earlier.
2023 Kinder Enrolments
The enrolment package is available from our school or online at www.dow.catholic.edu.au
RECORDING OF ABSENCES ON COMPASS
Please see communication below from the Catholic Education Office in regards to the requirements and changes to recording attendance.
Dear Parents/Carers,
The NSW Education Act (1990) and Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) require Parents/Carers to ensure that children of compulsory school age attend school on each day that the school is open for instruction. If children are absent from school, Parents/Carers are required to provide the school with an acceptable explanation, within seven days of the absence.
During the next school holiday vacation period the settings in compass will be adjusted to reflect the requirements of the Education Act (1990). After seven days, absences will automatically be recorded as Absent - unexplained / unjustified if the school is not provided with an acceptable explanation from Parents/Carers. Parents wishing to provide the school with an acceptable explanation after the seven day period, will need to contact the school and the school will adjust the attendance register. Parents will no longer be able to enter the absence through the parental portal in Compass after the seven day period.
The school will continue to support Parents/Carers and frequently send home letters giving Parents/Carers the opportunity to provide the school with an explanation for absences.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you require further information regarding the change.
Reporting Timeline - Years 1 -6
Towards the end of Term 2, Year 1-6 students will receive their Semester 1 reports. The Semester 1 report, will demonstrate student’s academic achievement in relation to what they have learnt in Term 1 and Term 2. Reports will be released via Compass on Friday 24 June, Week 9. This will be followed by Parent/Teacher Interviews in Week 10. There will be one late night of interviews on Tuesday 28 June. Interview bookings will be released closer to the date.
Change in Student/Family Circumstances/Contact Information/Medical Conditions
Please ensure that the school is notified of any changes to family circumstances. All details on Compass including contact details, changes in address must be notified and updated. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the office.
Little Learning Labs - UOW
The University of Wollongong invites students to LITTLE and EARLY LEARNING LABS, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. The program targets students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.
Dates: Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 7th – 8th July 2022
Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 4th – 6th July 2022
Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)
Applications close: Wednesday, 18th May 2022
LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS program brochure
APPLICATION PROCESS
- Parents/Guardians visit the website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “Workshop Descriptions” section.
- Parents/Guardians fill out the online application form.
- This is an academic and creative arts enrichment program designed for students who are motivated and passionate learners and performing excellently in their area of interest. First-time applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the program. One piece of supporting documentation is required (see 'Supporting Documentation' section on website).
- Learning Labs is registered as COVID-Safe and follows the guidelines set out by the NSW Government here.
Assemblies
This term we will hold our assemblies on a Friday at 2.30pm in Weeks 4, 6, 8 and 10. Parents are welcome to attend assemblies to be held in the hall.
Walk Safely to School Day - Friday 20 May
National Walk Safely to school Day is on Friday 20May. The annual campaign encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school. The event seeks to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment.
The objectives of National Walk Safely to School Day are:
- To encourage parents and cares to walk regularly with their children, all or part of the way to school
- To promote the health benefits of walking and create regular walking habits
- To help children develop vital road crossing skills and ensure children up to the age of 10 yrs old hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road
- To reduce car dependency and traffic congestion, especially around schools
- To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles
- To promote the use of public transport
Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT- Upcoming Free Parent Webinar on Online Safety
The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT have arranged to hold a free webinar with the eSafety Commissioner for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years.
The title of this year’s seminar is: Helping Kids Thrive Online.
This Term 2 webinar offers tips on how to support young people to socialise, learn and have fun online in a safe manner. It explains how to access information, use technology safely and navigate new online platforms.
It will cover:
- how to talk to young people about online risks on different social media platforms and games
- how to help young people develop skills to protect themselves when they are online
- where to go for help if things go wrong and how to access mental health support and information through eSafety.
Who should attend? Suitable for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years
Date/Time: Wednesday 8 June at 7:30 pm
If you have any questions or require additional resources please contact Clare Dunstan.
GARDEN CLUB TERM 2
This term we have started our Garden Club which consists of two students from each class.
The Garden Club is on every Friday at 1.15pm after eating time. It involves weeding the garden beds, preparing the soil and subpods and planting new veggies and herbs. So far we have cleaned up the area and we are ready for the planting process. The students have been so enthusiastic and I would like to thank them for the help they are giving each week.
Whole School Novelty & Tabloid Event
We will be having a whole school novelty and tabloid fun day at school tomorrow. Students are to wear their sports uniform and their house colour T-shirts. We will accommodate this fun day rain, hail or shine!!
P&F General Meetings
Term 2
Week 5, 26 May 2022, 6.30pm for tea and coffee, Meeting commences at 7pm
Term 2 P&F General Meeting we welcome guest speaker Sophie Sedgwick from Peer Support to discuss the Peer Support Program.
Pop-up Uniform Shop
As we all get ready for Winter changeover uniform next Monday, 16th May we are offering a Pop-up Uniform Shop within the School Hall for some last-minute bargains. Thank you to those who have provided donations. The opportunity to come grab some brand new and preloved Winter uniform items starts today!
Thursday, 12th May from 3pm
Friday, 13th May from 8.30am
Mufti Day
We are looking forward to Term 2 Mufti Day, which will be on Week 10 – July 1, 2022. The P&F team are asking for parents to send through some themed ideas. Suggestions could be ‘dress up as your favourite superhero’ or perhaps wear ‘your house colours for the day’. All ideas and themes are welcomed! Please send suggestions through to pandf@smtdow.catholic.edu.au
Gala Day kits
P&F are still accepting family donations via the Uniform shop within the Flexischool app for SMT Gala Day Kits. All contributions are very much appreciated, and we are very excited to have the kids in their new gear for the upcoming gala day! Many thanks for your support.
