Dear Families,

Welcome back to you all! I hope that you were all able to enjoy some rest and relaxation during the holidays and were able to spend some quality time with your family and friends. It has been wonderful listening to the children's stories of all the fabulous times they have enjoyed over the holidays.

Along with all the staff, I look forward to working closely with you in providing your child with a learning environment that is engaging, allowing each child to further grow in their passion for learning, and encouraging them to strive to be good today but better tomorrow. The year has started well and the children are very excited to finally be in their new class and new learning space.

There is much news to share with you and I ask that you take the time to read this newsletter and continue to do so throughout the year. Each fortnight you will receive a general newsletter and for the duration of the building program, a Building update will go out on the alternate fortnight.

It is wonderful to welcome you all back and I look forward to a great year working together.

Lunar New Year

We wish you all a very Happy Lunar Year. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger! Festivities are held all over the world to celebrate, some going for more than 2 weeks marking the end of the Year of the Ox and the start of the Year of the Tiger. It is a traditional time to honor ancestors and deities, with family reunions and street parades, and fireworks to drive off evil spirits.

Assessment Days

We thank you for supporting your child's learning by bringing them to school on Monday and Tuesday to complete their Reading assessment. Curriculum Leaders will now work closely with Classroom Teachers to support the unpacking of the data gathered in order to plan differentiated learning experiences for each child. This information will inform planning in English and ensure the learning experiences are differentiated to meet the needs of each students.

RATs

If you haven't collected your child's Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) pack from the Office, please do so as soon as possible. The second pack of tests will be given out at the end of Week 3. A notification will be sent out on Operoo inviting you to come and collect your child's pack.

A reminder that if your child's RAT is positive, you will need to keep them at home and advise the school of the positive test.

Masks/Vaccination

All adults entering the school building are required to wear a mask and be double vaccinated.

Drop Off and Pick Up

A huge thank you to everyone for assisting to make our drop-off and pick-up time safer for all our children. A reminder to please adhere to these times until further notice.

A-K Surnames - arrive between 8.30-8.40am and depart at 3.20pm.

L-Z Surnames - arrive between 8.40-8.50am and depart at 3.30pm.

It is important that children do not arrive at school prior to 8.30am. The school does not provide supervision for children before 8.30am and children should never be left unattended or unsupervised on the street at the front of the school.

I encourage parents/carers to come into the yard at the end of the day to collect your children, it will make it much easier for the children to find you, you will be able to social distance more easily and the school gate will not be so crowded.

Building Progress

I am disappointed that our Building Project will not be completed in the timeline that was projected last year. There have been many factors that have caused this delay, the effects of COVID, difficulty in obtaining supplies, and the discovery of works needing to be upgraded such as our sewer system, to say the least.

I am also very disappointed to report that during the holidays Worksafe was contacted due to an unsafe practice occurring. A Worksafe Officer as well as Melbourne City Council Officers attended and inspected the site. The Site Manager informed the Architect of the incident. This was then reported to me as well as MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholics Schools, our governing body).

Over the past weeks, I have had several discussions and meetings with MACS representatives including the General Manager, Infrastructure Services and Capital Delivery and the Northern Regional Manager, Crosier Scott Architects, and representatives from Lloyd Group to discuss the incident that occurred. I am awaiting the formal response from Lloyd Group but it is important you know that this incident has been taken extremely seriously and procedures to ensure it doesn't happen again have already been put into place. This can be seen with the extra security being placed at the Brougham St gate entrance when trucks etc are entering the school and the solid fence that has been put in place to separate the children from this building site entrance.

We are compensating for this loss of playground space by more use of Royal Park for the Year 3-6 children as well as the parish basketball court. There will be some play sessions where the children may remain inside, during this time they will have access to games and inside activities.

The safety of each child and persons in our community is of paramount importance to me, MACS, Crosier Scott Architects, and Lloyd Group and will continue to be for the duration of this project. A more detailed building report will be sent out next week explaining the works already carried out and proposed works for the coming weeks.

Uniform Shop

Our uniform shop will be at school in the hall each Tuesday 3.15-3.45 pm, please enter via the office. You are also able to order uniform items online and have them delivered to the school office so you can pick them up there. A uniform price list is included in the General News section of this newsletter. A reminder that black shoes are to be worn when wearing the regular school uniform, runners are only to be worn when in sports uniform.

School Fees

I have included information regarding our school fees within the General News of this newsletter. If you have any queries about the fees and levies please speak to Michelle our new Office Manager or make an appointment to see me. I ask that the School Levies are paid in full prior to the end of February and that all payment for school fees is completed before the end of Term 3. The school's preference is for all fees and levies to be paid by bank transfer but families can also pay by credit card, debit card, or cash. Payments can be made in the full amount or at intervals chosen by the family. If your family is having any financial difficulties please make time to see me to discuss a suitable payment plan.

Operoo

You will have received numerous notifications and notes to sign via Operoo over the past few days. I ask you to take the time to read and sign them as quickly as possible especially the 'Get To Know You' Chat letter for children in Years 1-6.

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.

General News

Birthdays & School Fee Information