From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

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

Prayer 

Remembrance Day is a day when we acknowledge those who have died while serving in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Remembrance Day is held on 11th November. This is the anniversary of the Armistice that ended fighting with Germany in World War 1.  In Australia and many other countries a one minute silence is observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month because that is when the Armistice came into effect. It is a time to honour our service personnel who died in service of Australia.

Loving Father,

You always hold and protect us in your love.

Grant eternal rest to those who have died

protecting our nation from the horror of war.

May we who stand shielded by their sacrifice

always remember and thank you for their gift.

May war never again threaten us,

and where war rages in our world,

we pray that your peace will reign.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Tomorrow, St Michael's School will pray for all who have suffered and died in wars to fight for our country.

St Michael's PFA School Disco

We are excited to announce that the PFA is holding a school disco on 24th November. Details below. Book through this LINK

Friday 24th November 2023 in the Hub

Session 1: Prep, Grade 1's and 2's :   5.30pm - 6.30pm

Session 2: Grades 3 - 6 :   7pm  - 8pm

** Alternatively stay for both if you have children across the two sessions!

Cost: $5 per student

While the Kids groove, parents are invited to "Linger and Laze" in the Supper Room and Catch-up with Other Parents 

Bookings close: Wednesday 22nd November 2023

****Please note: Even though this event will be taking place at St Michael's Primary School, it is not an official school event.  It is an event organised and run by the PFA.  Therefore all children MUST be supervised by either their parents or nominated guardian.

Enhancement Session

Thank you again to all who have signed up for tomorrow afternoon's Enhancement Session. We will see you in the Hub at 5pm. 

Our session will include: clearing out the garage, removing and replanting some plants in the garden, shifting soft fall, and clearing the Supper Room kitchen. Please bring garden gloves, rubber gloves, old cloths for cleaning.

St Mary Magdalen's School, Chadstone

This week at St. Michael's, we had the pleasure of welcoming fourteen Year One to Six students from St. Mary Magdalen's School as part of their transition process for 2024. These wonderful students are preparing to join our St. Michael's family next year, and they recently spent a day with our dedicated teachers and students. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to become acquainted with our school community.

We're excited to share that they will be returning for two more transition days in the upcoming weeks to further acclimate themselves. Our current students truly shone in extending a warm welcome to these new additions, actively involving them in both their learning and play. It's heartwarming to witness the strong sense of belonging and camaraderie within our St. Michael's community.

Hopefully you have taken advantage of the parent seminars made available through this project. Due to the positive feedback received from parents/carers, the TKPSP team is offering an additional two weeks of seminars from Tuesday 21 November until Thursday 30 November. These sessions provide parents with practical tools and strategies for:

• behaviour management
• managing anxiety and
• building healthy peer relationships

For further details go to our Wellbeing News section

Altar Servers at St Michael's Parish

The Parish is looking for Altar Servers for 2024. Students who have received their Eucharist are eligible to be an Altar Server. If your student is wanting to apply, please email a short application to rloricco@smashburton.catholic.edu.au explaining why they would like to be an Altar Server.

See the Religious Education section for some information on Our Giving Tree 

Year 6 Mini Fete

On Thursday 16th November, between 12-1pm, our Year 6 students will be holding a mini fete, which they have been planning all term.

There will be...

On this day students will be able to purchase items or an experience for $1-$2. If you are happy for your child to purchase something at this event, please provide some gold coins for them to use. It is recommended that Year P-2 students have coins sent in envelopes with the child's name and that they are given to the classroom teacher until the mini fete is opened. 

Carols on the Green

We look forward to our annual St Michael's Carols on the Green event for the celebration of Christmas 2023. 

When: Thursday December 7th, 6-7.30pm (Gates open from 5:30pm

Where: St Michael's Tennis Courts

What to bring: A picnic basket and outdoor chairs (NO alcohol please)

Students will sit in their class groups in front of the stage for the evening and return to parents at the end of all class performances. Families are invited to bring along their picnic rugs and sit on the grass or bring chairs and sit along the concreted areas towards the side and back of the tennis courts. Please note this will be an alcohol free event due to child safety regulations. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for updated details.

PFA BBQ - The PFA will be serving a BBQ from 5.00-6.00pm on the Soccer court. 

Chess Mates 

St Michael's is very pleased to confirm that there will be an after school Chess Club in the library every Thursday from November 16th until the end of the term. 

https://chessmates.com.au/school-lessons/#search

SPARE CHESS SETS - We have had an overwhelming response from students across the school showing their interest in the game of Chess and we will be starting a St Michael's lunchtime Chess Club. If you have a spare Chess set at home (all pieces please) that you would be happy to donate for our lunchtime club, please send it in to the school office. Much appreciated! 

Prep Transition 

We look forward to welcoming back our 2024 Prep students NEXT WEEK to another transition session. Hopefully they are already starting to feel like they belong here!

Thursday 16th November, 9-10am and

Thursday 30th November, 9-11am (Please bring a small morning tea for this session)

Upcoming Closure Day ~ Monday 27th November

A reminder to all that we are holding an additional closure day on Monday 27th November for 2024 planning. Please ensure you have this date in your home calendar.

Some important 2024 dates

To assist you in your planning for 2024, we release some of our term dates here for your home calendars.

Jump Rope for Heart at St Michael’s!

We’re skipping through the term!

We have 28 students signed up to Jump Rope for Heart, with a total of $495 raised so far! We are so close to our $500 target! If you haven't registered your child, it’s not too late: www.jumprope.org.au/parents

We will be holding a special Jump Rope For Heart Fundraiser day later in the term for all students to get involved!