CLOSURE DAY - FRIDAY 19TH JUNE

STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - NUMERACY - FOCUS ON TEACHING FLUENCY & NUMBER SKILLS

ALL DAY CARE AVAILABLE WITH THEIR CARE

Dear Families,

Mother's Day

To all our mothers, grandmothers and carers, we hope you enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day. As a mother myself, one of the greatest joys of Mother’s Day is simply being surrounded by family, listening to the laughter, banter and stories shared together. I hope you, too, were able to enjoy special moments with your loved ones.

Occasions such as Mother’s Day can also be difficult for some members of our community. We keep in our prayers those who may find this day challenging or tinged with sadness, and pray they find comfort in the love and support of family and friends.

Mother’s Day Morning and Stall

Our Mother’s Day Morning and Stall was a wonderful success, with a fantastic turnout from our community.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, who generously gave their time to organise, prepare and run the morning activities — from setting up early to packing away afterwards. Your commitment and care for our community are sincerely appreciated.

Thank you also to our parent volunteers and to everyone who supported the stall. It was lovely to see the excitement on the children’s faces as they selected gifts for their mums and special loved ones.

On behalf of the staff of St Michael’s, I extend our best wishes to all mothers, grandmothers and the special women in our community. May God continue to bless you and your families.

Staff Professional Development Day

Teachers & LSOs participated in a professional learning day focused on spelling instruction. During the session, they explored a range of effective strategies, engaging games, and useful resources to support student learning. The day was full of inviting conversations and insightful questions. Staff built their knowledge & understanding of how the English spelling system works. They also discussed different instructional approaches to help improve spelling skills and make learning more connected, interactive and meaningful for students.

Principal Selection Process

The selection process for the appointment of the next Principal of St Michael’s, led by MACS, has now commenced. Linda Tarranan, MACS Senior Manager, School Leadership | Education Excellence, has been appointed to oversee this process.

Linda has begun by meeting with our Parish Priest, Fr Nicholas Pearce, to discuss the formation of the interview panel and the timeline for advertising and interviews. Prior to the shortlisting of candidates and interview process, Linda will also meet with staff, students and families to gather their thoughts on the qualities, skills and attributes they would value in our next Principal.

I will continue to keep the community informed as the process progresses and will advise families of the date and time of the consultation meeting.

Class Dojo - We Are Learning....

St Michael’s continues to be a vibrant and engaging place of learning, where students are supported and challenged to achieve their very best. Every three weeks, each year level shares an outline via Class Dojo of the learning planned for the upcoming weeks. These updates provide families with valuable insight into the curriculum focus areas for their child’s year level.

I encourage you to take some time to read through these posts and speak with your child about the many wonderful learning experiences taking place across the school.

Our staff also greatly appreciate when parents take the time to like or comment on posts.

Learning Support Officer Day

St Michael’s is privileged to have an exceptionally passionate and hardworking team of Learning Support Officers. Each day, they work alongside our teachers to ensure that all children can access and fully engage in learning opportunities across the curriculum. I am sure many of your children speak warmly about the support and care they receive from these valued staff members.

Our LSO team consists of Susan, Rachel, Lette, Raj, Michael, Beck, Oskar, Ash, Mimi, Leanne, Nadi, Vicky, Nataliia, Diluka, Isabella, Courtney and Tilly.

While Learning Support Officer Recognition Day falls on Tuesday, 19 May, St Michael’s will celebrate our LSOs on Tuesday, 26 May. It has been an especially busy period within the school community, and moving the celebration to the following week will allow us to give our Learning Support Officers the uninterrupted recognition they truly deserve.

I encourage families to take this opportunity to thank the LSO who supports, or has supported, your child.

Year 5/6 Camp

Our Year 5/6 children returned from Camp Oasis in Mt Evelyn totally exhausted but extremely content and happy with their time at camp. I was privileged to spend Monday and part of Tuesday with them at Camp, and it was fabulous to see all the children taking part in the amazing activities and being brave - trying things like the giant swing and the flying fox. I'm not sure how much sleep was had on the first night, but I did hear that the second night was a lot quieter than the first! Special thanks to all the staff who attended; your engagement with and care for our children was exceptional.

Year 3/4 Camp

Our Year 3/4 children head off to Camp at Campaspe Downs in Kyneton on Wednesday. This is a very exciting time for all. For some of our children, this will be the first time they have been away from their families overnight, so I'm sure there are some feelings of anticipation and maybe a little worry on the part of parents and children. Please be assured that our staff is well-trained in all camp and safety procedures to ensure each child has a safe but very enjoyable time away.

Whilst on Camp, the children will learn about the nature and environment in which they are living, but they will also learn many things about themselves and each other. It is a great time to develop independence, resilience, and safe risk-taking skills. It is also an opportunity to make new friendships and strengthen the ones they already have.

School Fees

Thank you to those families who have already paid their school fees and levies in full.

For those that still have an outstanding balance, this is a friendly reminder that fees are to be paid in full by the end of Term 3 which falls on 18th September 2026. The only exceptions to this are those who receive a MACS Concessional Fee, or have a payment plan or direct debit in place.

We have various payment options available, as follows:-

CASH - Accepted at the office
EFTPOS - Credit card / tap facilities at the office or over the phone
EFT - pay your fees directly into the school bank account via eft as below.

If you have any queries regarding your fees, would like an update on an outstanding balance, or would like some assistance with the abovementioned payment options, please don't hesitate to visit the office and have a chat with Michelle.

Winter Uniform

All students are expected to be wearing their full winter uniform. Wearing the school uniform correctly and ensuring it is clean and in good repair reflects the pride we take in belonging to the St Michael’s community.

A reminder that all students are to wear black school shoes with their daily uniform. Leggings are not part of the school uniform; students should wear navy blue socks or tights. Navy blue tracksuit pants can be worn on designated PE/Sport days.

Thank you for your continued support in maintaining our high standards.

Prep 2027 Enrolments

Prep 2027 enrolments close at the end of this month, so if you have a child ready for school next year, please make sure you complete an enrolment form as soon as possible. Siblings of families receive first preference for positions if their applications are received by the due date. You can find the link for enrolment here.

We have already received enrolments to fill one Prep class and are on the way to filling our second class group. Prep 2027 family interviews commence this week.

Building Update

We are now settling into the first stage of our building program, with students and staff enjoying the use of our new classrooms, corridors, library and, of course, the staff lounge.

It is anticipated that the Art Room and library corridor will be completed by the end of this month. Once these areas are finalised, we will invite families to visit and view the new spaces during scheduled before-school and after-school times.

Kind regards,

Denise Hussey

Principal

'The most simple thing I can do is to be good today but better tomorrow'

Catherine McAuley - Mercy Sisters Foundress

All students attending St Michael's Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.

Learning News