Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thankyou to parents, grandparents and carers who were able to join us at the Parish Mass on Ash Wednesday to mark the start of the Lenten Season. Lent is an important time on the Christian Church calendar and is the forty days preceding Easter when we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. As always, Fr Curran was very affirming of the students and their participation in the Mass. After Mass, we gathered to congratulate our swimming champions for 2024 and to announce the team for the Diocesan Swimming Carnival to be held in Gunnedah in the coming weeks.

Thankyou to Miss Martin for coordinating the presentation and to our Sporting House Captains Nulla Gillon and Tommy Taber for helping out.

Swimming Champions for 2024 are: Alice Coombes, Georgia Abra, Jedd Hall, Makayla Wilcox, Jack Kenafick, Nulla Gillon and Molly Gallagher. Well done on a fantastic effort.

This week, Amanda McNair and myself attended the practical component of Mental Health First Aid. The course has strengthened our knowledge, skills, and confidence to recognise, understand and respond to a friend, family member, co-worker, or another adult, experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis. In 2023, 1 in 5 Australians aged 16 - 85 suffered some form of Anxiety or Depression. Although not experts, we are now equipped to offer assistance in the first instance if needed.

On Tuesday, some staff will visit St Joseph's Primary School Walgett as part of the Armidale Catholic Schools Annual Improvement Plan process. This visit will give us the opportunity to view classrooms, to share ideas and discuss system and school based initiatives designed to improve the learning outcomes of all students. Joining us in Walgett will be staff from St Joseph's Primary School Wee Waa. All schools in the Diocese are underpinned by the Living Well Learning Well Framework: I am Safe; I am Valued, Respected and Cared For; I am a Learner.  We look forward to networking with these two fabulous schools.

Congratulations to staff members Amanda McNair and Leah Summerell who have both been accepted into the Keystone Leadership Program facilitated by the Diocese. Eleven staff from across the Diocese were selected, with Amanda and Leah being part of the cohort. This is wonderful recognition of their work at St Michael's and I look forward to working with both the ladies as they navigate their way through the program. Well done!

Enjoy a wonderful weekend,

Bronwyn