Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Last Friday, the St Michael’s community gathered for a fantastic Father’s Day Breakfast. It was wonderful to see so many fathers, grandfathers, carers and special father figures sharing bacon and egg rolls and enjoying each other’s company. We hope all the special men in our students' lives enjoyed a memorable Fathers’ Day and were thoroughly spoiled!
That same day, our school community rallied behind Bear Cottage for our annual Superhero Dress-Up Day. A heartfelt thank you to all our families for your incredible support of this vital cause. As the only children’s hospice in NSW, Bear Cottage delivers exceptional, specialised paediatric palliative care to families from right across Australia.
School Musical - The Quest
The date for our school musical, The Quest, is confirmed for Thursday evening, November 19, at Manilla Town Hall. The children are hard at work rehearsing, so please be sure to mark this date on your calendar. Details about costuming will be shared before the end of the term. As a whole-school presentation from K–6, every single student will have their moment to shine—including our wonderful Mini Michael’s class!
P&F Association Monthly Meeting & Disco
Our next P&F Association monthly meeting will take place in the 2/3M classroom on Monday, September 14, commencing at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend if available. A key agenda item will be concluding preparations for the school Disco scheduled for Thursday evening, September 17. The students are eagerly anticipating the event and we extend our sincere thanks to the P&F for organising this fantastic opportunity for our school families.
2027 Class Planning
Preliminary discussions regarding class structures for 2027 at St Michael’s have commenced in conjunction with Armidale Catholic Schools. If your family does not plan to return to St Michael’s in 2027, kindly notify the school office in writing. Please note: this does not apply to students graduating to Year 7. For students transitioning to secondary school who are not yet enrolled at their intended high school, please get in touch with that school at your earliest convenience.
Armidale Catholic Schools (ACS) Updated Media Guidelines
ACS is enhancing its photography guidelines to uphold our duty of care and ensure our school community remains safe, valued and respected. The key objectives are simple: reduce public posts, clarify content purpose, minimise identifiable information, establish stronger consent protocols and enhance image security.
School Newsletters & Internal Portals (e.g., Compass): Detailed updates and photos will now be shared primarily through secure, closed channels accessible only to our school community.
Public Social Media: We will significantly limit public posts. Photos will be published only when necessary and in low resolution to protect against AI manipulation. Additionally, images will refrain from featuring close-up facial portraits, full names, year groups, or identifiable location details.
For further details, please refer to the comprehensive article provided by Armidale Catholic Schools, attached to this Newsletter. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact the school.
We have noticed a growing number of students bringing chewing gum to school. If your child likes chewing gum, we kindly ask that you ensure they do not bring it onto school grounds.
Enjoy a wonderful weekend,
Bronwyn