From the Principal

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for all the fathers in our lives, both those we know and those we remember. 

We thank You for the strength, guidance, and love they provide, and ask that You bless them with Your own wisdom, patience, and tenderheartedness. 

May they feel deeply appreciated and valued for their sacrifices and dedication to their families. Grant them the courage to lead by example, the strength to overcome challenges, and the joy to find peace in their work and in their relationships. 

We pray for those fathers who are struggling, feeling overwhelmed, or facing difficult times. Surround them with Your presence and provide the support they need to fulfill their roles with grace. 

For those fathers who are no longer with us, we ask for Your comfort for their families and for the blessing of eternal rest for them. 

May all men in fatherly roles strive to reflect Your perfect, loving heart. 

In Your name we pray. 

Amen. 

Happy Fathers and Special Friends Day

Dear St Michael’s School families,

ST MICHAEL'S BIENNIAL ART SHOW

We look forward to seeing everyone this afternoon / evening at our Art Show. We have some wonderful works to show you and look forward to having our family and friends share in celebrating our Visual Arts program together!

SAUSAGE IN BREAD $3.50 each

DRINKS $3.00 each

COMBO 1 sausage in bread and 1 drink $6.00

TAP & GO PREFERRED

ART OF THE WEEK

Thank you to our Year Six Arts Leaders for making the arrangements each fortnight for our Art of the Week competition.

THEME: Book Week

ARTWORK DUE:  TODAY to be presented at assembly on TOMORROW.

80TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

It's getting closer and we are all growing with excitement! Check out our 80th Anniversary Gala page for news on what to do to be ready; our Wine Wall; and our next DONUT DAY fundraiser!

SCHOOL DISCO

The School Disco has been scheduled in our calendar since earlier in the year, however the date has needed to change. Families will be advised of the new date when it is available.

DISTRICT ATHLETICS

Many of our Years Three to Six students look forward to next Wednesday, 9th September, when they will be participating in the District Athletics at the Bill Sewart Athletics Track in East Burwood. They compete against neighbouring schools within the Glen Iris District on this day, vying for a place at the Division level. We wish them all well. Please check the nForma notice for what they require for the day.

MANDARIN LESSONS

Our lovely Lily Luo, Mandarin teacher, will be taking Tuesdays as Long Service Leave on Tuesdays for the remainder of 2026. Mandarin classes on Tuesdays (Year Five/Six and Year One/Two classes) will be taken by Miss Katrina Balzat for these last two weeks of term and by a new Mandarin teacher, Ms Eva Wang, during Term Four. Ms Wang comes to us with a great deal of experience in teaching Mandarin at both the primary and secondary levels. She has many stories to share and will be a wonderful addition to our staff team.

We wish Miss Luo a wonderful rest on her well deserved LSL time away.

FOOTY COLOURS FRIDAY - 18TH SEPTEMBER

On Friday 18th September, all students are invited to be part of Footy Colours Day! 

Do you need to have a footy team? NO! 

Wear the colours of ANY of your sports favourite team, or a scarf, beanie, whatever!! There will be a kicking competition during the day for anyone to join and a Footy Colours parade in the afternoon.

MACSSIS SURVEYS

A significant and formal way in which we engage and gather data is through MACSSIS, the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys. Information about the MACSSIS surveys has been sent home to you in previous newsletters. Over the next three weeks, students in Years Four to Six will undertake these online surveys which gives us valuable information and data about many aspects of our school and what areas we can look to improve.

The portal opened on Monday this week and all families will have received the survey, as well as staff. If you haven't located it yet in your emails, look out for an email from ORIMA research which will contain the link to access the survey.  Your login details will be sent in a separate email from our school. MACSSIS is a key data source so please take the time to complete the survey so that the thoughts and opinions of our whole school community can be used in guiding the ongoing work to improve our school. Some information about what is collected is listed here in the table below.

REMINDER...

GARDENING

Thank you to our Prep students who took the time to harvest the remaining silverbeet and coriander in our garden this week. We're getting the garden ready for our spring planting and so looking forward to lots of new and different veggies to plant. Hmmmm what would be good to plant in Spring in Melbourne?

PLANNING FOR 2027

As we begin planning for the 2027 school year, it is important that we have the most up-to-date information regarding student enrolments for next year.  By gaining an indication of student numbers for the 2027 we can set overall class structures, forecast staffing allocations and negotiate with the school's finance partner our 2027 school year budget figures.

I therefore ask that you please email me at principal@smashburton.catholic.edu.au if your child will not be returning to St Michael’s School in 2027.  Parents are also welcome to make time to meet with me in the coming weeks.  

Thank you for your assistance in helping us plan effectively for the year ahead.

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we learn, play, pray, work and gather. 

We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and we honour the ongoing cultural, spiritual and educational contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.