From Our Principal

Newsletter  ~ Term 2, Week 6, 2025

Principal's Message:

Dear Parents, Carers, Families and Friends of St Mel’s Primary School,

We commenced our week with our annual F.I.R.E. Carrier Commissioning with new students and staff members being inducted into this life long commitment to be Friends Igniting Reconciliation (through) Education. Our assembly that followed later in the day further supported us reflect on Reconciliation Week and our nation's journey toward Reconciliation with our First Nations people.

We have such a rich indigenous cultural heritage to learn from, engage with and protect together as we move ever closer 'Bridging from the NOW to the NEXT'.

Please find following our newsletter for this fortnight.

Sacramental Preparation:

Our Sacramental Candidates and their families , along with Bishop Shane Mackinlay (Bishop of Sandhurst), Fr Ronald, Fr Ruel and visiting clergy will gather in Christ the King church on Saturday 8th June from 11:30am for our annual Confirmation / Eucharist celebration mass.

The students will confirm the Baptismal promises made on their behalf by their Godparents, receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit through Bishop Shane and receive the Body of Christ during the celebration. Please keep the children, their Sponsors and their families preparing for the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist in your thoughts and prayers. 

All welcome to attend. 

Magnify Sandhurst' 

Every Student - Every Teacher - Every School - Every Day!

St Mel's PS Framework for Positive Behaviour & Support  

We continue to focus on the implementation of our Behaviour Curriculum based on our three School-Wide Expectations. Currently our Staff Team are implementing our four school-wide classroom Routines in support of our low-variance, consistent and predictable approach to behaviour support.

The following document provides a brief overview of our Student Behaviour Curriculum, detailing in summary form: School Values (ie our School-wide Expectations, Norms, Expected Behaviour, Routines, Rules (we are currently focussing on), Maintaining Expectations and Consequences.

This Behaviour Curriculum sits within our broader Framework for Positive Behaviour and Supports. 

For more information regarding the Behaviour Curriculum please contact your child/ren's Pastoral Group teacher.

Enrolment Enquiries & Applications ONLINE:

A reminder for parents and carers with students to commence Foundation in 2026 to go 'online' and complete the relevant Enrolment Application Form.

If you are aware of other members of the broader local community seeking enrolment please direct them to the ONLINE forms.

The NEW enrolment enquiry and application portal 'Enquiry Tracker' can be accessed via our St Mel's PS Website at: www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au 

OR by clicking the following live link: https://www.smshepparton.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-application

Enrolments for 2026 are due by TODAY - Friday 30 May 2025.

Illnesses:

Thank you to parents and carers keeping ill children at home during this time. We have recorded higher levels of absence than usual due to the run of colds, coughs, flu and other illness circulating through the community. In addition to student absences we have also experienced a higher level of staff absence than usual at this time. Fortunately through the support of staff members working additional days or sessions, engagement of Classroom Relief Teachers (CRTs) and Leadership support usual school routines have not been impacted, with classes running as usual. Its been a very big few weeks for members of our Staff Team who have taken on additional work, which I am very grateful for. 

St Mel's PS Winter Uniform:

With the weather now cooler as we enter June students should now be wearing the winter uniform. Please refer to our School Uniform Information below:

Become a St Mel's PS Community Volunteer

Our Volunteer Sign Up Form can be found here:

Staffing Update:

We have recently appointed four new Learning Support Officers to the St Mel's PS Staff Team:

• Liam Prior is a recent school leaver enrolled for teacher training in 2026
• Kelly Cox is a trained Learning Support Officer with experience in local schools
• Rachel Bell previously worked in the Learning Support and Admin roles at Grahamvale PS
• Mel Shiels who has working in Learning Support roles prior to her current role as Administration Officer at the St Mel's Parish will combine her parish employment with employment as a Learning Support Officer here at St Mel's

We are very pleased to have commenced engaging these new members of the Staff Team in classrooms from this week onwards. We look forward to their support of our learners in the weeks, months and terms to follow.

We have also appointed a new Administration Officer to our St Mel's Administration Team who will commence in a few weeks time. This new member of our staff team is giving notice at their current place of work and we will announce their name in due course.

• Jen Amadei, who returned to St Mel's PS to support our community whilst Karen Myers enjoyed her well earned Long Service Leave, completed her eight weeks with us yesterday. We thank Jen for her wonderful work in our School Administration Office during Karen's absence.
• Karen Myers has returned this week from her Long Service Leave and has commenced working with Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd, based in the Tatura Office. Karen will support our school until our new School Administration Officer commences in a few weeks.

• Maria Makin continues in her School Administration Officer role and will be joined by our new appointee in weeks to come. I am especially grateful to Maria for her dedication to her role, our Admin and Leadership Teams and school community. The centralisation of a number of Payroll, Finance and Human Resourcing functions has created some additional work during this transition period. New systems and ways of doing things! New people! New people learning new systems! Maria has been our constant, stable and highly capable consistent Administration Officer through the process. Thank you Maria.

   

  NOTE: As we continue to work through these significant changes we aim to keep things as smooth as possible for our students, parents/carers and staff. Please be conscious that we are involved in significant change in our Administration and Leadership areas during the weeks to follow.

Microsoft 365 Migration

Our migration from Google and Apple products and applications to Microsoft365 has gone quite smoothly with minor issues being addressed as they appear. Our Staff Team and students are to be commended on their adaptation from old to new ways of using technology using the Microsoft365 Suite of programs, applications and platforms.

Yesterday we became aware that a number of our EMAIL GROUPS may now not be operational and require re-establishment. We will continue to work through this and other issues that arise due to this Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd major change project.

Emails to St Mel's PS Staff:

Due to our Group Email issue, we will make greater use of SIMONeverywhere (PAM) notifications for informing parents and carers.

Parents and carers, please contact our school staff directly by their school issued email e.g., 

shicks@smshepparton.catholic.edu.au

dnapier@smshepparton.catholic.edu.au

dwalker@smshepparton.catholic.edu.au

mmakin@smshepparton.catholic.edu.au

etc...

School Dates:

Please check the Upcoming Dates & Events section of the newsletter regularly.

Some important religious dates coming up for our St Mel's Parish and School:

• Feast of Saint Hannabal (Sunday 1 June), founder of the Rogationist Order of Priests (who now serve our St Mel's Parish community) and the Sisters of Divine Zeal (who established St Mel's Kindergarten).

• Pentecost Sunday & our Confirmation / Eucharist Celebration (Sunday 8 June)

  Best wishes to our Sacramental Candidates, Sponsors and families.

• Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua (Friday 13 June)
• Parish Celebration of the Feast of St Anthony (Sunday 15 June) - Mass in our church at 9:30am, followed by the Procession of St Anthony's statue, Distribution of Bread and a wonderful parish lunch and celebration in St Mel's Hall. All welcome!

Thank you for your ongoing support of your child/ren and our Staff Team.

Stephen 'Steve' Hicks

Principal

Did you know? ~