Dear Families,

We wish everyone a very happy St Patrick's Day.

St Patrick, who was born in Roman Britain in the 5th century, is widely credited with having introduced Christianity to Ireland and, according to Irish mythology, to have driven all snakes from the country. St Patrick's Day is the anniversary of his death. St Patrick is the patron saint of Melbourne and our Catholic Cathedral in the city is named after him. On this day many people of Irish descent celebrate their heritage, so have a wonderful St Pat's day!

Project Compassion

During Lenten time Catholics focus on three things - Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. As part of our commitment to Almsgiving, we support the Caritas Project Compassion Campaign. Caritas raises money to support people in need, people affected by the war in Ukraine, the recent earthquake in Turkey, and the African food crisis, these are just some of the places where you can find Caritas at work. Today our Mini Vinnies leader, Benjamin Cao led our school in fundraising money for Caritas by holding a Zooper Dooper sale. We thank Ben for his efforts and for bringing our attention to how we can serve those less fortunate than ourselves. Any family who wish to support Ben by donating to the Project compassion Campaign can do by speaking to either Indi or Michelle at our front office.

Staff Conference

All school staff participated in our Annual Staff Conference for Learning on Thursday and Friday last week.

On Day 1 we worked alongside Dan Petro, Behavioural Analyst, with a focus on Strengthening Your Educator’s Role Through Evidence-Based Practices. His theories and practices aligned well with our current behaviour support approaches and throughout the day Dan challenged our thinking and encouraged us to reassess our practices. He reminded us that developing strong, trusting, and meaningful relationships with each child is the key to making positive progress in all aspects of a child's school life. We look forward to working again with Dan in the near future.

On Day 2 we visited the Jewish Museum in St Kilda. Here we learned about the history of Judaism and the world in which Jesus grew up. We explored the traditions and customs that he engaged in and the ones that have influenced our own Catholic faith. Both days were great days of learning for us all as we continued to live out Catherine McAuley's words:

'We aim to be good today but better tomorrow'.

I hope you were able to enjoy an extra long weekend with your family.

2024 Prep Enrollments

We held a very successful Open Day on Tuesday and welcomed many new families to our school to begin the process of finding the best fit school for their children in 2024. They were all very impressed by what they saw and heard in each and every classroom they visited. I thank our children and staff for showcasing the best of St Michael's to our visitors.

Enrollments are now open for Prep 2024, if you have a child starting school in 2024 please collect an enrollment form from the office and submit it as soon as possible. The best form of marketing is word of mouth so please let your friends and neighbours know that St Michael's Primary is the place for their child in 2024!

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and Year 5 Students are currently engaging in their NAPLAN assessment. Over these two weeks, the children will sit four separate NAPLAN assessments, Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (grammar & spelling), and Numeracy. All assessments are done online except the Year 3 Writing Assessment.

We wish them well and know they will do their very best.

Harmony Day

On Tuesday, March 21, we celebrate Harmony Day, the theme for 2023 is 'Living In Harmony'. Harmony Day, celebrates diversity, aiming to foster inclusiveness, respect, and the idea that people of all different cultures can make a valuable contribution to society.

On this day we encourage children to come to school in their cultural dress, colours of their country, or in the colour orange. Let's all get involved and show that our St Michael's community is committed to being respectful of all regardless of our cultural or religious background.

Pre-Loved Uniform sale

Our pre-loved uniform sale will take place on Tuesday March 21, in the morning at 8.30am and if any stock is left, again at 3.15pm.

It is not too late to donate any clean second-hand uniform you may have. We would prefer all payments on the day to be in cash.

ALMOST ALL ITEMS ON SALE WILL BE $10 OR LESS!

Easter Raffle

Our Easter raffle is one of our best fundraising activities for our school, the reason being that our generous families donate the prizes and all money collected goes towards providing children with the best possible resources.

You can help by donating Easter goods to be included in the raffle and purchasing raffle tickets. There are extra raffle tickets available from the office.

After School Traffic

I have had numerous complaints from families and community members about the parking during after school pick up time.

I understand that parking is very limited but I remind you that parking in the bike lane or across driveways is illegal and can attract a fine from either the police or council parking officers. I ask that you refrain from parking in these places and show respect for all other members of our community.

Staff are on duty until 3.45pm to supervise children in the playground, so coming just that little bit later to collect your child will allow you to park in the appropriate places.

If inconsiderate parking by families continues a report will be made to both the police and council officers informing them of the situation and asking them to patrol the area during this time.

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.

Learning News

Maths / 5/6A