TOMORROW - Year Three/Four G Assembly, 2.35pm in the hub

MONDAY 10TH MARCH - Labour Day public holiday - No school

NAPLAN for Years 3&5 begins Wednesday 12th March

Dear St Michael’s School families,

A Prayer for Lent

Compassionate God,

As we journey through this sacred season of Lent,

draw us closer to You in humble reflection.

Help us to see our hearts as You see them

—to acknowledge our weaknesses,

to learn how to say sorry,

and to seek the grace that only You can give.

Lord of Mercy,

Teach us the power of reconciliation

—with You, with ourselves, and with one another.

Soften the hardened places in our hearts,

mend what is broken,

and restore what has been lost.

May we be instruments of Your peace,

offering forgiveness as freely as You have forgiven us.

God of Kindness,

Fill us with Your love for the least and the lost.

Open our eyes to the suffering around us,

and move our hands and hearts to serve.

May our fasting lead to generosity,

our prayers lead to action,

and our sacrifices lead to deeper love.

Through this Lenten journey,

may we be transformed into the likeness of Christ,

who lived and loved with boundless grace.

We ask this in His holy name.

Amen.

ASH WEDNESDAY

It was lovely to celebrate a special Ash Wednesday mass with our Year Ones to Year Sixes yesterday morning. This begins the period of Lent, before the Easter Triduum, where we take some time to stop and reflect and contemplate Reconciliation.

Thank you to Father Darien and Deacon Malcolm for leading us in prayer and celebration. It was wonderful to see all the students partake in the reading, prayer and singing along with St Michael's parishioners.

HALOGEN LEADERSHIP DAY

Each year Halogen presents a National Young Leaders Day for student leaders in primary and secondary school to have the opportunity to hear and learn from young leaders in the community. On Monday this week our School Captains attended the Halogen National Young Leaders Day at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre with Mrs Ellis and Mrs Sue Carmichael.

This year's guest speakers include: Emma McKeon - Swimming Olympic Medalist, Majak Daw - AFL Player, Catherine Laga'aia - Actress & Thomas Duncan-Watt - Award winning screenwriter and author. The speakers for the day provided inspiration to our school captains and captured a number of themes including resilience, perseverance, failure, cultural barriers, gender barriers, consistency, self belief, balance and more.

Congratulations to our school captains, Aaliyah, Sam, Brayden and Oli, for the way in which they conducted themselves throughout the day, showing their true leadership qualities.

SHROVE TUESDAY - PANCAKE & PLAY

What a fabulous afternoon was had! After a full day of photo shoots across the school, the afternoon agenda was all about Pancakes and Play Dates. With many parents arriving nice and early to collect their children, we all traipsed down to the Soccer Court where the waft of BBQ pancakes was alluring! A huge queue of expectant tummies could be seen, but luckily the chefs worked quickly and there were pancakes-a-plenty for us all.

Thank you to the Tuesday Tennis Parents who were happy to do the "flipping" so we could all enjoy a pancake and a play!

Check out the St Michael's PFA News page to see more about the Pancake day and further information about our cake stall at the Ashy Festival and a final tally on how much was raised!

DIVISION SWIMMING

Congratulations to Anna R and Edward B who competed yesterday in the Boroondara Division Swimming event. Both students swam really strong races with Anna shaving off 2 seconds from her backstroke for a new personal best and finishing 4th in this event. Edward, also, was valiant in the breaststroke event. We're so proud of both students and look forward to following them in future events.

Additionally, we congratulate Anna and her basketball team, the Waverley Falcons, as they competed in the Colac Classic on the weekend with a win and Anna being awarded MVP. An amazing effort!

St Michael's Biennial Performance - Please mark this on your calendar now! WEDNESDAY 8TH OCTOBER 2025 will be the date of our biennial school performance, in which all students will take part. We will rehearse throughout the school day and our performance will be held in the evening for families to attend. Please keep this date free!

FEES & LEVIES

For families who have not yet completed the Payment Commitment form, we ask that you do so as soon as possible. Copies of the form are available from the school office. A reminder to please ensure we have the most correct email address for you too.

YEAR SIX 2025, GRADUATION COMMITTEE

In Term Four we will be making arrangements for celebrations for our Year Six students as they graduate Primary School. I invite any parents of Year Six students to indicate their interest in being part of a committee to plan the Graduation Night celebrations for the students. Please email me no later than the end of this term at aherbison@smashburton.catholic.edu if you would like to be on this committee.

2025 OPEN DAYS

We invite all families who have a child ready for Prep to visit on one of our Open Days for a tour of the school. If you know someone with a child ready for Prep 2026, please encourage them to come along. If you have a child ready for Prep in 2026, please collect an enrolment form from the school office and submit it as soon as you're able, or visit our website to download one.

2025 Assemblies