Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all the parent volunteers that gave of their time to support the Mother’s Day stall last Friday. This is a very special time for the students as they get the opportunity to give their Mum, Grandmother or Nanna a personalised gift that has been lovingly wrapped and presented. Thank you to Kaylene Jones and Tracee Taylor for coordinating the gifts, the stall and the helpers. The time you all give to supporting our students, your children is very much appreciated.

I anticipate that you were all able to spend a happy Mother’s Day on Sunday, surrounded by family and love. We thank all mums and mother figures in our lives for the tireless work they do and the unconditional love they share.

Thank you, Lord, that you fill a mother’s heart with love,

That you have instilled in her very being the need to protect her children if at all possible,

Thank you for giving her the gift of nurturing her children, of teaching them, of comforting them,

for feeding them and making a safe place for them.

For guiding them to be all that God has created them to be.

Fill every mother with love, wisdom and endurance,

with strength and patience and joy.

Give them ability to forgive again and again.

Enable her to rely on You and  call upon You, because You will give her all she needs.

In Your precious and all powerful name, Amen

Yours Faithfully

Mrs Belinda Hughes - Principal

MINI VINNIES

The Year 5 & 6 Mini Vinnies have been split into 3 groups.

Group 1 will be doing Mini Vinnies this Term - Term 2

Group 2 will be doing Mini Vinnies in Term 3.

Group 3 will do Mini Vinnies in Term 4

This term Mini Vinnies will meet once a week at lunch time to pray as a group and work together to increase whole school awareness of different Catholic Social Teachings. They are working together to think and brainstorm ideas to care for the poor and vulnerable people in our society.

The group of Mini Vinnies that will be working with Miss Groves this Term are:

Charlotte, Zali, Holly, Finlay, Rafael, Mitchell, Zoe M, Sara, Anabel, Holly, Ariannah, Georgia, Kalani , Shelby, Lawson and Tyla.  

Confirmation

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

Parents/Guardians need to attend:

• Parent Meeting: 7:30pm, Tuesday, 4 June 2019
• Classes 1 and 2 : Tuesdays, 11 and 18 June, 3:45pm to 5pm
• Confirmation Practice: Tuesday, 25 June, 7:00pm
• Sacrament of Confirmation : 7:30pm on Wednesday, 26 June or 7:30pm on Thursday, 27 June 2019

ANZAC DAY Service

Thank you for those that attended our ANZAC day commemoration at St Michael’s on Tuesday April 30th. We thank Mrs Nichol and Mr Douglas for contributing to this service. It is nice to have the parent body involved in this very important commemoration. Thank you also to Father Ken and Bob Weir for their contributions to our service.

A big thank you also to Charlotte McLeod, Chloe Bleeker and Riley McEvoy who represented St Michael’s at our local Thirroul ANZAC day dawn service.

Activate Fire

St Michael's hosted Year 6 students from Holy Cross, Helensburgh, St Joseph’s, Bulli and St Columbkille’s, Corrimal for Activate Fire, which was held on Monday 6 May, 2019. The day was an Immersive Spiritual Experience based on the Yr 6 unit Confirmation: Celebrating the Gift of the Holy Spirit. St Michael's, Thirroul hosted the day with CYMW (Catholic Youth Ministry Wollongong) assisting the day to facilitate.

I want to say a huge thank you to Shanda and Dale Eglitis and all the parents and grandparents who came to help on the BBQ on this day. Experiences like this don’t happen without the dedication of our parent community. Thank you.

This is what some  of the students had to say about the day:

Charlotte McLeod:

Activate Fire was a really fun and educational day for everyone. I really enjoyed how other schools came so I could make new friends that are going to the same high school as me. My favourite part was the fun games that we played. One of them being ‘Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors’! This was a fun game that linked in with the Sacraments that we receive in the Catholic Church. Overall, I really enjoyed this fun experience and I think that in the future others will feel the same way.

Holly Witten:

Activate fire was a really fun and educational day for all the year six classes who came along. My favourite experience was the group work, in groups we got to discuss our feelings, what makes us special and how we feel we can grow in faith. We got to interact with other children from other primary schools. I really liked meeting other people and getting to know other kids like me. This day helped me understand more about confirmation and the best part was, it was really enjoyable. I really liked the end when we all got to dance and be with our friends to celebrate our faith.

Finlay Reid:

Activate Fire was a really fun, interesting and entertaining day. My favourite part was when we got to interact with all new and old friends. Activate Fire started with a song that we could sing along to and dance to if  we wanted! I think it would be such a great experience for the next years classes and I expect that they will enjoy it as much as we did! The main speaker was Joel. He told us about how to communicate to God and how different it feels from talking to a human being. “It feels weird talking to someone who doesn’t respond to you but you get used to it” - Joel. Thank you for putting on such an incredible day - we feel much more ready for our Confirmation.

Ariannah Ballantyne:

Seth was one of the speakers and keyboard player. He told us about many different things, my favourite thing he talked to us about was our confirmation was. Seth told us all about what gifts we will be given from God once we receive our communion for example joy, hope and love and that is only three of them! Later on at break time we had the chance to interact with all the kids from other schools and even make some new friends. Everyone got along really well and everyone joined in on playing together and getting to know each other. Overall it was a really fun day and I definitely learnt a lot more about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and I  would like to do it again.

Dates for your diary

Liturgies & Prayer Services - Term 2

• Our Lady Help of Christians - Patroness of Australia - 6W Hosting - Friday 24/5 @ 2:30pm
• National Reconciliation Week Prayer Service -   Whole School Service - Monday 27/5 @ 2:30pm
• Ascension of the Lord - Year 1 Hosting - Monday 3/6 @ 2:30pm
• World Environment Day Liturgy Tuesday - Whole School Service -  4/6 @ 2:30pm
• Liturgy for the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Hosted by Year 3 - Friday 28/6 @ 2:30pm

Miss Emma Groves - Religious Education Co Ordinator

Term 2 Assembly dates

School Assemblies

Assemblies at St Michael’s are an opportunity for our community  to come together to acknowledge and celebrate the great learning and events that happen in our school. The school assembly allows all students at St Michael’s to be recognised for their efforts. This term we have added an additional component to our assembly which allows one class per fortnight to share some of the brilliant learning that has been happening in their classrooms. Thank you to Mr Novak and 4W for sharing their learning at our week 2 assembly.

Week 4- Friday 24 May (Year 6W sharing their learning)

Week 5- Friday 31 May (Year 5 sharing their learning)

Week 8- Friday 21 June (Year 1 sharing their learning)

Week 10- Friday 5 July (Kindergarten sharing their learning)

SPB4L update: Gibson Park

This term we have some revised playground arrangements due to the landscaping works being conducted within our school. To allow the space for students to run and play Years 3-6 have been using Gibson Park at lunch time every day. The students are to be commended on the way in which they have used this space responsibly.

Once stage 1 of the landscaping project is complete we will be introducing a new passive play space in area 1. We are all very excited to be able to use this new beautiful space.

SPB4L Focus Area:

This week our Year 6 leaders of community will be introducing our fortnightly school focus during our morning assembly, which will be the way we move to the playground at recess and lunch times. A huge thank you to our student leaders who have been pivotal in sharing our school expectations in a positive and engaging way.

Premiers Reading Challenge

This year St Michael's will be involved in the Premier's Reading Challenge again. As in previous years, students in K-2 will participate in the Challenge using their classroom readers. If students in Years 3-6 would like to participate they will need to log on to the website and use their log in details from last year. Usernames and passwords for Year 3 students will be sent home soon. If you have any questions about your log in details please contact the school.

The challenge runs from 4th of  March 2019 and closes for students Friday, 30th August 2019. https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

Showcase of learning

Throughout 2018 and 2019 we have invested in a great deal of professional learning and have witnessed the vast positive impact this has had on the learning of our students. To share this with you we will be incorporating a showcase in each newsletter to provide a quick snapshot of this learning in action.

In Year 1 the students have been working extremely hard during word sense, which is evident in the quality of their work samples. To reflect on their learning the students have been using success criteria to identify what they are doing well and a next step for their learning. Below are two examples of how these students are using the success criteria to provide evidence of what they are doing well and identifying their next step in learning.

Year 1 sample

Learning Labs

The University of Wollongong would like to invite your children  to LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS, an academic enrichment holiday program. The university are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 during 2019, who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Dates:   Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 8 – 10 July, 2019

              Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 16 – 18 July, 2019

Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong Campus)

Applications close: 29th May 2019

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Parents/Guardians visit the website and read the full list of workshops available by selecting the blue button relevant to your child’s age group.
• Parents/Guardians fill out the online application form.
• As this is an academic 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). Please know that workshops fill very quickly.

We will also have several sponsorship places available for students who identify as Australian Aboriginal/Torres Strait or students experiencing financial difficulty. For further information about workshops and the application process please visit the university website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au or phone on (02) 4221 5557.

LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS program brochure

SPLICED

On Monday the 6th of May some of our SPLICED students went to a workshop at St John’s in Dapto. These students had a great day working hard on their projects with the guidance of talented tutors.

We were also lucky enough to have Mr John Charadia come back to St Michael’s to work with a few of our SPLICED students. Mr Charadia assisted these students to deepen their thinking and refine their projects. All SPLICED students will continue to be part of school workshops where they will have an opportunity to work on their projects, ask clarifying questions and have their thinking challenged and extended.

We will be holding a Visual Arts day for our SPLICED students this term. This will be an opportunity for the students to work on their art works for a prolonged period of time with guidance from teachers and hopefully some volunteers. On this note if you have a talent, skill or interest in visual arts and would like to be a part of this workshop please contact the school and let us know. Dates have not been finalised as we will wait to see availability of volunteers.

MATHEMATICS

Each newsletter this term we will have a section in the newsletter where we will be looking at how you can engage your child in mathematics at home. This week we are going to explore different ways you can help your child develop their knowledge and confidence.

10 things you can do to help your child learn mathematics

It has  been proven that a basic understanding of mathematics is essential for everyday life, but if students are comfortable with mathematical concepts their confidence, self worth and future opportunities all improve.The most important thing to understand with mathematics is that children and adults learn maths in a number of different ways...and that is okay. Not every child learns mathematics in the same way or at the same rate. Below are some examples that you can do with your children at home to assist your child development and confidence in mathematics.

https://bosho.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/links/shoponline.html

Science… Let’s get coding

This term, the year six students of the Leaders of Learning and Innovation team will be running lunchtime coding workshops for all grades. The student leaders have done an amazing job planning for unplugged and plugged activities to develop students knowledge, skills and understanding of coding.

This week kindergarten and year one were lucky enough to be our first grades to take part in our coding workshops. All students had a great time and learnt new skills in the process. The kindies and year one students learnt about the importance of providing clear instructions to perform a task. They also learnt about what happens when the instructions get mixed up and the task doesn’t go to plan. All of this knowledge will assist these grades when they come back to their next session where they will need to code a character to complete instructions on an ipad!

Our year one student with their student leader coding their bears to find the magic square!

Our Kindy students, year six leader and Mrs Hughes coding with grids and blocks!

Miss Eliza Treble - Middle Leader 2

School News

School Uniform Expectations - Focus on Hair

After the Easter holidays there have been many children who have returned to school with inappropriate hairstyles, coloured hair or long hair that is not tied back. A reminder that a students hair is a part of the school uniform and it is expected that all students follow the school policy. This means no coloured hair, no inappropriate hairstyles and if boys or girls have hair that is to their shoulders OR falling in front of their face it must be tied back. Following our school’s expectations demonstrates pride in the St Michael’s name and respect for the school rules. Thank you to all the families who follow the school rules and expectations.

Class Learning News

These will be sent home on Friday this week for each grade.  The Class Learning News includes information outlining an overview of learning and teaching for the term, the Term 2 Timetable as well as updates and reminders about grade specific routines and expectations. We hope you enjoy the read!

Landscape Project - Phase 1 of Stage 1

It is with great excitement that we returned this term to some great landscaping works and planting of some fresh trees, garden areas as well as a designated garden space for our school. This is the beginning of the long awaited landscape project which is a part of the bigger picture of the School Environmental Management Plan. The new spaces look amazing and once the grass has taken and the area is safe to use it will also provide another purpose built space for our students at lunchtime. I look forward to seeing the next phase coming to life.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

At St Michael’s parents have many opportunities to be involved in school life and engaged in student learning either at the school or by making connections at home. Please see below some upcoming workshops that we hope you will be able to join us for.

New PDHPE Syllabus - A message from Catholic Education Office

The new PDHPE Syllabus has been released and support materials are currently being developed for teachers within the Wollongong Diocese. The following survey will provide helpful information that will inform the collaborative writing team. Your assistance in completing this short survey is greatly appreciated. We value your input in improving student learning experiences. Please click the link to complete PDHPE Parent Survey

https://forms.gle/GxqSb59jf8BvrBns5

Kindergarten Enrolments 2020

Kinder enrolment interviews are well underway at the moment, I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the smiling faces, new and existing families. It is an exciting time as we already begin to prepare for the next chapter of our St Michael’s community.

NAPLAN

As you are aware, Tuesday was the first day of NAPLAN, which our school is doing online. Unfortunately some connectivity issues were experienced during the Year 5 writing test and these issues are currently being investigated by the NAPLAN authorities. The connectivity issues were not related to the school's network.

While this isn’t ideal, please be assured we have procedures to follow to minimise any impacts on our students. National test authorities have advised they regret any inconvenience this has caused to schools and students, and are working to rectify the issue as soon as possible.

Woolworths Earn and Learn

Don’t forget to keep collecting your stickers and send them into the office.

Lamplighters

Last week I had the privilege of attending day 2 of the Lamplighters program. This is an opportunity to reflect, pray and take time to focus on the importance of our Faith. The Lamplighters program is a leadership formation journey that focuses on the prayer life of the school.

Diocesan Cross Country Carnival

Last week, St Michael’s entered a 24 strong team of gifted runners into the Wollongong Diocese cross country at ‘Wilandra’ in Nowra.

Our team consisted of Giselle Barr, Sophia Lamberger, Harper Pingnam, Noah Henderson, Riley Saville, Cameron Sheldrick, Arabella Barr, Siedah Bristow, Zoe Wilson, AJ Duffin, Harrison Leavesley, Rory Milross-Rose, Amelie Kelly, Finlay Reid, Jessica Smith, William Egan-Brown, Charlie Lamberger, Ciaran Stuart, Chloe Bleeker, Tessa Body, Sophia Leavesley, Dash Barr, Jayden Beaumont, Ruben Mayers.

Our team performed remarkably well. We had many students who finished in the top 8, qualifying them for the Wollongong team and will be competing at at MacKillop level.

Amelie Kelly 1st place

Jessica Smith 6th Place

Chloe Bleeker 5th place

AJ Duffin 4th Place

Harrison Leavesley 5th Place

Riley Saville also just missed out on a spot at MacKillop, finishing a commendable 9th.

Our girls finished 3rd overall and the boys came in second. But the most exciting thing is that our small school beat all the other schools and won the whole event. Congratulations to all the runners! They did an amazing job and showed great sportsmanship. Well done.

We wish the runners well who will now continue onto MacKillop level.

Mrs Ronelle Peardon 

Sport Gala Days

The sports gala day preference notes have been sent out and are due for collection as soon as possible! Thank you

Basketball & Hockey

The first week of our Basketball (Yr 3, 2,1 & K) and Hockey (Yr 4, 5, 6) program has been a great success! Thank you for your enthusiasm St Michael’s, all children are learning new skills.

Mr Jason Novak - Sports Coordinator

Teaching Reading Strategies

Over the past two weeks Years 3-6 teachers engaged in the next Teaching Reading Strategies Professional Learning Day facilitated by the wonderful Kaylene Duffin. As a follow up each teacher had a half day collaborative planning session to implement this new learning. Over the past week I have had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in these classrooms and have been blown away by the quality and depth of the student learning. In this newsletter you will find some quick snapshots to showcase some of this brilliant learning that is happening throughout the school. A big thank you to all of our staff who continually strive to refine their practice to ensure that all of our students have the best possible learning experiences.

Awards

Principal's Awards presented at the next assembly:

• Ruby Nichol
• Maddis Organ
• Georgia Clark
• Sebastian Clark
• Audrey Foran

GOLD Awards presented at the next assembly

• Rubt Nichol

Parking Concerns

We have received a notificaton from a resident with regards to the Communiy Garden, that cars are not to be parked on it. The Community Gardens are maintained by volunteers for all to appreciate and enjoy.