From the Principal

Dear St Michael’s School families,

Prayer

This Sunday, 30th November, marks the first Sunday of the church's season of Advent, which leads into Christmas. Advent is a time for us to take stock, quiet our minds, open our hearts in preparation for the birth of Christ.

Loving God,

You call us into a time of waiting—

a time of hope, promise, and gentle preparation.

As we light the first candle of Advent,

may its glow remind us that Your light is always with us,

guiding our steps and filling our school community with peace.

Help us to slow down in these busy weeks,

to notice the goodness around us,

and to make room in our lives for joy, kindness, and gratitude.

May our words and actions reflect the love Jesus brings into the world.

We pray that this season renews our spirits,

strengthens our faith,

and prepares our hearts to welcome Christ at Christmas.

Amen.

ST MICHAEL'S CAROLS - NEXT WEEK

We are very much looking forward to our annual Carols event, which will be held in St Michael’s Church next Thursday, 4th December, beginning at 5.00pm. We ask that all families arrive and be seated by 5.00pm so that we can commence promptly. Students will sit at the front of the church with their classmates, ready to share their special Christmas item. Families are welcome to sit anywhere within the church. Students are asked to wear something reflective of the song their class is singing. The following shows the songs and the order for next Thursday evening.

1. Year 5/6 B - Mary's Boy Child
2. Preps - Silent Night
3. Year 3/4 R - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. Year 1/2 B - Away In A Manger
5. Year 3/4 G - O Come All Ye Faithful
6. Year 1/2 G - Go Tell It On The Mountain
7. Year 3/4 B - We Three Kings Of Orient Are
8. Year 1/2 R - Twelve Days Of Christmas
9. Year 5/6 G - The First Noel
10. Year 6s - Joy To The World 

Following the Carols, the PFA will host a BBQ outside the church, with sausages available for purchase. We warmly invite all families to stay, enjoy a relaxed chat, and share time together as we approach the end of the school year.

SWIM TO ST MICHAEL'S SCHOOL ON 2ND DECEMBER

As summer approaches and families prepare to spend more time around water, we are joining with the YMCA Ashburton Pool to raise our awareness about water safety.

This new national initiative: Swim to School Week, runs from 1–5 December. This fun, school-friendly campaign is designed to spark important conversations about water safety in the lead-up to the holidays.

On Tuesday 2nd December, we invite all students to take part in a themed dress-up day. Think bright, beach-themed accessories—like towels, goggles, snorkels, floaties, or life jackets. Along with the valuable resources that are provided to the school, this awareness raising approach can help us all talking about water safety. In the classroom we will share lots of practical tips about how we can stay safe in the water.

OPTIONAL EXTRA - If you would like, you can also support access to swimming lessons for all children with a gold coin donations to the YMCA’s Open Doors program - helping fund lessons for those who may otherwise miss out. Click on the link to read details and donate through the website OR we will have a box in the office if you wish to bring along a gold coin and we will deposit the money for you.

REMINDER BEGINNING OF 2026 YEAR DATES

Please refer to our School Calendar page in this newsletter so you are prepared for the commencement of the 2026 School Year.

YEAR LEVEL PURCHASES FROM COLOUR RUN

It has been wonderful to see boxes arriving at school over the past few weeks containing the items students and their teachers selected using the funds raised from last term’s Colour Run. The children have already begun enjoying their new games and construction materials—using them in classrooms, on wet days, and even out in the quadrangle during break times. We extend our sincere thanks to all families for supporting the Colour Run, sponsoring your children, and helping them seek additional sponsors. Your generosity has made a real and immediate difference to their daily learning and play.

Year 5 families, the money raised by these families will go towards their Year 6 Graduation event. What a great head start on the fundraising!

2026 ASSESSMENT DAY

We would like to inform families that our Testing Day for 2026 will take place on Thursday, 29 January, from 8:45am–11:45am. ALL students will be required to be present for this entire session, no separate appointments will be required. Our regime of testing has changed in recent years and we believe this three hour block of time will suffice for assessment of all students before we begin the school year. In the afternoon of this day, classroom teachers will begin to analyse their class data and begin making plans for their learning.

Students are welcome to attend in casual clothes for this session. They will only need to bring morning tea and a drink bottle.

The official first day of school for all students will be Friday, 30 January. We look forward to welcoming everyone back and beginning another exciting year of learning.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

BIKE SWAP

With Christmas fast approaching and our bicycle education program next week for the 3/4 cohort, we've had a few people volunteer their bikes to share. We appreciate how fast children grow and understand that some families may have a spare bike they have outgrown or no longer use. If you have a bike that you would like to see go to a new home, please bring your bike to pick-up on Friday, 5 December. If you are someone who is looking for a few bike, then please come along and see if there are any bikes you would like to take home with you! This could be a good way to pick up a second hand bike ahead of Christmas! We ask parents and carers to line their bike up in front of the vegetable gardens. You will need to wait with your bike, unfortunately we cannot store them, so you will need to take it home with you if it doesn't find a new home.

YEAR SIX MINI FETE

What a fabulous day our students enjoyed last Thursday with the Year 6 Mini Fete. There were so many stalls on offer from tasty treats to Guess the Lollies to King of the Cups! Well done to the Year 6 students in the planning, marketing and execution of their stalls. From all accounts it was a HUGE success. Along with learning about how to market their products and determine suitable sale prices, this Mini Market is how the students raise funds for the annual Big Day Out celebration.

PREP INFORMATION NIGHT

Last week we were delighted to welcome our 2026 Prep families to our Parent Information Session. It was a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and support our newest families as they prepare for the exciting transition into primary school.

During the session, we explored what “school readiness” looks like—socially, emotionally and academically—and shared practical ways parents can help their children feel confident and prepared for their first day. Staff guided families through important routines and processes, including morning drop-off, communication methods, daily schedules, and how we support students as they settle into school life.

Parents also gained an overview of our approach to learning in the literacy and numeracy classroom, the daily timetable, wellbeing initiatives, and the specialist subjects their children will experience throughout the year. We hope our families appreciated the chance to ask questions and meet Caitlin O'Donnell, St Michael's Prep teacher for 2026. 

We extend our warmest thanks to all who attended. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year ahead as we support your children to grow, learn and flourish in their first year of school.

TWILIGHT SPORTS

What a fantastic Sports Day we enjoyed last week! The sun was shining, spirits were high, and our students embraced every event with energy, enthusiasm and wonderful sportsmanship. It was heart-warming to see all children participating so confidently and encouraging one another throughout the day. The sense of teamwork and support across all houses was truly inspiring.

A huge congratulations to Gold House, who were the overall winners for 2025! We also congratulate every student for giving their best, having fun, and contributing to such a positive and memorable day.

We extend our sincere thanks to our parent volunteers who assisted and helped the events run so smoothly. Your support and presence make such a difference. A big thank you also to our dedicated staff for supporting and guiding the students, and a special acknowledgement to Mr Lo Ricco for his excellent organisation of the day. His hard work ensured a well-run, engaging and enjoyable event for all.

Thank you to everyone who made Sports Day such a success!

ST MICHAEL'S LIBRARY BORROWING

Thank you to all families who have returned St Michael's books to our school library. It is an enormous job, as you can imagine, to check that all books are returned, ensure they are placed correctly on shelves and continue to follow up those that still haven't been returned. We also conduct an audit of books that need replacing so that we can order new books for the following school year. My recommendation for you so that your children continue to read is as follows:

• Students borrow from their class library
• Use EPIC online books
• Make use of so many Street Libraries now available
• Make use of our wonderful and local Ashburton library

Whatever you do, DON'T STOP READING!!

LUNCH

Thank you Edward, Oliver, Abbey and Sarah who joined me last week for a delightful lunch in the Principal's office. The Betros and Dodds families were the winners of the Silent Auction Lunch with the Principal prize at the PFA Woodstock fundraiser. We enjoyed some delicious pizza and a delightful chat!

GRADUATION SAVE THE DATE

All Grade 6 parents should make sure that they have Tuesday 16th December marked in their family calendar - the Great Class of 25 Graduation Mass and Dinner.

Each graduate will be allowed to purchase up to 4 tickets for family members to attend and the link for ticket sales will be sent out shortly. Dress Code: Smart Casual (not fancy dress)

THANK YOU MORNING TEA

On Thursday 11th December, we invite families to come to the hub and share morning tea together with the community. For any way that you have supported our school this year - cooking a BBQ, helping PMP, supporting teachers in the class, helping with sports, assisting a cooking session and is SO MANY other ways - we wish to express our gratitude to you and invite you for a coffee, a chat and a small bite!! We are truly grateful for all that our parents do to assist in the community each day of the school year. See you in the hub from 9am. Coffee Cart will be available.

Immediately afterwards, you may wish to attend the whole school, End of School Mass where our new school leaders for 2026 will be announced and our current Year 6s will be thanked for their service at 10am, 

CHANGE TO OPEROO PLATFORM

As expressed in last week's newsletter and via email to ALL families this week, the Operoo Management and Communication System will be closing down early next year and all data will not longer be available through Operoo.

At St Michael’s, we are fortunate to already have familiarity with NForma, which we currently use for student reports, interview bookings and medical notifications. Parents will already have a login and password for NForma from when you accessed your child’s school report in June this year.

As part of this transition, we ask all families to log in to NForma by Wednesday 3rd December 2025 to review and update their child’s medical information. Emergency Management plans which are up to date will not need to be updated until the beginning of next year. Please have these ready for the start of 2026.

Ensuring that this information is accurate and up to date is essential for your child’s safety and wellbeing, and this is an ideal time to check that all details are correct.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this important update.

Guides to access NForma are attached.

ST MICHAEL'S CAROLS TIME AND LOCATION

We warmly invite all families to join us for our Annual Christmas Carols Celebration on Thursday, 4th December, from 5.00–6.15pm (approx.). This year, we are delighted to host the event in St Michael’s Church — a beautiful and fitting setting, with excellent acoustics, to reflect on the true meaning and reverence of the Christmas season.

Students are encouraged to dress in costumes that complement their class songs, and families are welcome to sing along with their favourite carols as we prepare our hearts for this special time in the liturgical calendar.

Following the carols, sausages will be available for purchase at the front of the church. We look forward to sharing this joyful evening together as a community and celebrating the wonderful year we’ve had.

ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGY BLOG

St Michael's School has partnered with Advanced Psychology with a psychologist working onsite weekly. This link takes you to a blog with podcasts / webinars that deal with a variety of topics which might be of interest to parents and teachers. 

https://www.advancedpsychology.net/blogs