From the Principal

Please note that weekly Parish mass times will now be located each week on our School Hours / Timetable page in our newsletter. 

Prayer

Let us pray. 

Loving and gracious God, who created all people equal, 

we thank you for indigenous people who have given so much to our country and our culture. 

We pray that we listen to their voice as they speak of their desires, hopes and dreams for their lives and the life of this nation. 

May we all commit ourselves to seeking justice for all people and show a willingness to find positive solutions that include all. 

We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen

NAIDOC Week is celebrated Sunday 7th-14th July, 2024. 

We acknowledge and celebrate First Nations Peoples of Australia and their unique heritage and culture during this time. This event gives us the opportunity to learn about our Indigenous brothers and sisters and understand their rich and lasting traditions. 

On Monday morning at our weekly assembly, we took some time together to acknowledge what NAIDOC week is and why it is celebrated. We had a chance to think about why this is important for our Australian culture and had a look at both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. One of our class prayer sessions this week was also a focus on NAIDOC week, recognising the invaluable contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to our Australian community. This week's newsletter prayer has been taken from the class liturgy we shared this week.

As Pope Francis reminds us, we are called to be a Church that goes forth, embracing all cultures and peoples. Let us open our hearts to the wisdom and spirituality of our First Nations Peoples, recognising the presence of Christ in their stories and traditions.

Thank you and "See You" Fr Laurence

Sunday's Eucharist was a lovely celebration of Fr Laurence and what he has been to our community. On Tuesday this week, we had the opportunity as a school to say thank you to Fr Laurence for his contributions to St Michael's and all he has done for our children and families. Naturally we couldn't resist the chance to farewell him with a Star Wars theme! Thank you to all who looked through cupboards and under beds for your lightsabers! The children had a real thrill wishing him well and using these in his guard of honour. Fr Laurence officially left us on Wednesday of this week and our incumbent, Fr Darien Strickland, does not commence at St Michael's until 23rd September. Until then, Deacon Malcolm and Valerie Scholast will be holding the fort in the Parish.

This is one of the prayers we prayed at our mass for Fr Laurence this week:

We pray for Father Laurence

We thank God for Fr Laurence and all he has achieved in his 9 years at St Michael’s, 

may the Holy Spirit always be with him in his new role as parish priest of St Peter the Apostle’s in Hoppers Crossing.

Welcome new staff

It has been wonderful to welcome two new staff to St Michael's this term. Mrs Kylie Ashton (3/4G) and Miss Emma Carmody (Science STEM - Mondays and Tuesdays) have made a start here and we hope they have had a positive beginning. 

Holiday works

We have had lots going on over the holidays to upgrade and refresh some areas in St Michael's School. If you're an Instagram follower you will know that we had our hub painted over the holidays. It's brightened up the space and given it a new lease on life. Thank you to the many parents who joined us on Monday for assembly and could see the works completed. 

We thank the Parents and Friends Association for funding these painting works. It's a space that every child in the school uses for assemblies, PMP sessions, PE lessons, incursions, dress up parades and so much more. We greatly appreciate the amazing work that our PFA does throughout the year to build funds for things such as this. We are additionally grateful to Marianne Weisser (Blanca Year 6) who was able to support us in getting a reduced price on the paint!

TheirCare Before and After School Care program has begun this week and took time over the holidays to set up the room in readiness for our children. They have such a huge variety of indoor and outdoor activities and it has been wonderful to watch the children engaging and enjoying their time in the space this week. 

Uniform

Just a reminder that our new uniform policy allows for children to have the option to wear either their school or sports uniform on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays each week. Naturally they will need sports uniform on their PE day.

Managing Challenging Information on Social Media 

No doubt you have heard about the recent disturbing political news about Donald Trump's attempted assassination. All too often our children hear and see things like this, even though we do our best to protect them. With mobile phones at the ready, everyone documents "news" and posts it to any platform they use. Often these stories can be upsetting and disturbing for adults, let alone out teenagers and children.

Kirra Prendegast (International expert in online safety & cybersecurity) released some helpful information this week which I thought may be helpful for parents:

Children are increasingly exposed to content on social media that may not be appropriate for their age due to complete disregard for age recommendation guidelines. This exposure can be particularly harmful during politically charged times or when violent events occur. Age recommendations in an app's terms of use exist in those terms, so when that "accept" is ticked, they are off the hook and not liable - age recommendations are not in terms because they care. Still, most are governed by COPPA (US Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act) because children are not emotionally equipped to handle everything they might see. It is not just about keeping their accounts private and secure; it is about managing what they are exposed to, from political violence to explicit material. 

Some practical steps 

Start by having open and honest conversations with your children about the content they might encounter online. Explain the nature of political violence and why certain content is inappropriate for their age. Encourage them to come to you with questions or let you know if they see something upsetting. 

Be attentive to your children's emotional and mental well-being....and your own. Exposure to violent or disturbing content can be traumatic. No matter how desensitised we might be to such content, it affects everyone differently. Seek professional help if needed. 

Please check the credibility of the sources you read. Look for news from reputable outlets. Before sharing any information, ask if it is from a trusted source and if it is confirmed by multiple credible reports. There is already a lot of misinformation out there. 

Have open conversations about the impact of misinformation with your children as well. Explain how false information can create unnecessary fear and division. Help them understand the importance of sharing accurate information and recognising fake news. Having a keen interest in how these tactics work online, informed by my past work, I see similar war strategies of fear and division deployed as part of the current US election process. Social media is rife with misinformation that creates panic and mistrust, undermining public confidence in the democratic process. These tactics exploit social and political divides, making it harder for communities to stay united. Online and off, it's crucial to promote resilience, verify information, and maintain unity to counteract these efforts. 

Please encourage children to think critically about the information they see online. Discuss how to spot fake news and why not everything on social media is true. This critical thinking skill is essential for their digital literacy. 

Make it a habit to stay informed with your children by reading news from reliable sources together. This can be a learning experience for both you and your child, fostering an environment of shared knowledge and understanding.

Parent Webinar - Roblox

This webinar is for parents and educators and is designed to give you insight into some of the things that can happen on Roblox, often without adults being aware. The webinar is presented by Safe on Social - Education and Consulting group, who work with schools and parents in proactive prevention and managing challenges online. Three different dates are being offered for this webinar. Please see the dates and details here.

Term Dates

This page was updated late last term for your reference. Please check dates against your personal calendars. There are still a few dates that are yet to be confirmed and we will release these as soon as possible. Thank you

St Michael's School Advisory Council

Expression of interest for S.A.C. 2025

As mentioned in the final newsletter of Term 2, the St Michael's School Advisory Council (S.A.C.) is now seeking expressions of interest from several parents and caregivers interested in joining the council from 2025 for a term of two years. Current members of the council will remain until the completion of their term. If you are interested in knowing a little more about the purpose of the S.A.C. the details in this notice / form will be of assistance. You are also advised to speak with myself and / or one of the council members: Sousan Esposto, Lauren Prior, Paul Tesoriero, Andrew Dodds, Paula McKiernan, Amanda Tran or Father Laurence.

Parent Help

We are still in need of parents to support a variety of events that are coming up during Term 3. If we wish for these activities to go ahead and be a part of our wonderful community, we need people to support them to happen. Please see the details on our Previous News and Information page and make contact with Annie Herbison as soon as possible. Your community needs you!!

Grandparents & Special Friends' Day

Friday 26th July

The timetable for Grandparents & Special Friends' (G&SF) Day is as follows:

We are also asking families to send a photo to Ray Hickey as part of our liturgy. See our Religious Education section for details.

TheirCare Out of Hours Care

Recently we held a very positive information session with Steve Baldock (National Partnership Manager) who unpacked more about the program and THeirCares operations for families. Many questions were asked and answered and there was a great response from those who attended. TheirCare will be setting up the Supper Room over these coming holidays in readiness to commence their work here at St Michael's on Monday 15th July. If you haven't booked in yet, please take time to review the details in the following flier.

St Michael's Art Show

The Art Room has been a hive of busy artists over the past 2 terms and now the wait is finally over. I am thrilled to announce that Term 3 is here and that means the St Michael’s 2024 Art Show is nearly HERE!!!

Every student has worked extremely hard so far this year on preparing a variety of pieces for the Art Show. We can’t wait to share it all with you.

Each week we will be sharing with you one of the advertisments desgined by some of our 5/6 students:

Aliyah G