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

Dear God of all Seasons,

Thank you for the beautiful season of winter. 

Thank you for the snowflakes that fall from the sky, 

the crisp air that makes our breath visible, 

and the cozy warmth of our homes.

Please keep everyone safe and warm during these cold days. 

Help those who are without shelter or warmth to find comfort and protection.

Thank you for the quiet beauty of the snowy landscape 

and the way the world looks so peaceful and still.

Bless our family and friends during this winter season. 

Help us to appreciate the beauty of your creation 

and to be grateful for all the blessings we have.

Amen.

Thank you and farewell Fr Laurence

No doubt many of you were made aware over the weekend that Fr Laurence's term of Parish Priest at St Michael's is soon to come to an end. Fr Laurence has been appointed by the Archbishop as the new Parish Priest of St Peter the Apostle Parish in Hoppers Crossing, effective from 17 July, 2024. Father has served here at St Michael's for the last nine years and we are greatly appreciative of his amazing work and support here.

Fr Darien Stricklen has been appointed as our new Parish Priest. He is currently the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Parish in Queenscliff and will arrive here on 23 September, after his sabbatical leave.

We are so sad to see Fr Laurence leave us, but we wish him the very best in his new assignment. Both the Parish and School will be holding farewell events for Fr Laurence and details will be sent about these in due course.

Monday Morning Assembly

On Monday morning, we will acknowledge and celebrate Mrs Charlotte Allen who leaves St Michael's at the end of this week. All families are welcome to attend from 8.55am. If wet or cold, we will hold this in the hub.

Child Safety Code of Conduct

Just a reminder to all families that you have been sent a new Child Safety Code of Conduct through Operoo. We ask that all parents please sign this to ensure you have read and understood what it entails. This will be a requirement for all parents wishing to be parent helpers or be onsite during school events, going forward. We appreciate that it's another thing that needs your time and consideration, however it is essential that all families are aware of the ways in which we work towards safety for our children. Thank you for your understanding.

For further reading about the Child Safety Standards please visit the CCYP website here.

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!!

Student Reports

Student Semester 1 reports will be made available through the nForma portal on Monday 24th June. Parents have been sent details about how to access your child's report through Operoo. Please refer to this information when seeking your child's report. 

Parent / Teacher / Student Conversations relating to Semester 1 progress will be held on Thursday 25th July, after the Term 2 holidays. Please note that the school will close at 12noon on this day so that we can conduct these meetings. See Operoo notices that were issued earlier this week to book in your times. ALL students will require a Parent / Teacher / Student Conversation time in order to discuss their goals for Term 3.

Grandparents & Special Friends' Day

Traditionally this day is held at St Michael's on the 26th July, the Feast of St Ann & St Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. We are currently preparing the details for this day and we ask that you invite the Grandparents or special friends in your family to please keep this day free. Details to come!

Specific Learning Disorder forum

The Team at Advanced Psychology is pleased to invite you to a free evidence-based info session on Wednesday 26th June at 10 am or 4 pm over Zoom focusing on Specific Learning Disorders (e.g., Dyslexia). The workshop is for any parent or other professional who may want to find out more about common traits and what to do next if wanting to explore an assessment. The info session is 20 minutes plus 10 minutes allocated for Q&A at the end of the presentation. This session is open to all people but will be most relevant to those querying whether someone close to them or their child or themselves has a learning disorder.

The learning aims of the session include:

• Understand Specific Learning Disorders and early signs.
• What are the different types of Specific Learning Disorders?
• Things to consider and the steps to getting a diagnosis/formal assessment   

The session will be completed as an online seminar format. The workshop will be recorded. In order to join the session, email admin@advancedpsychology.net stating your full name, email, referral source, phone number and which session you would prefer – 10 am or 4 pm. Note that each session is capped at 100 participants and registration is open until all spots have been filled or by Wednesday 26th June at 10 am or 4 pm.

Regional Cross Country

Congratulations to Alex B and Annabelle S in Year Five for their perseverance and courage at last week's Regional Cross Country event. Despite the bitter cold and the threat of rain, Alex and Annabelle bravely competed in their respective events. We are so proud that you represented St Michael's and wish you all the best in next year's Cross Country competition. 

Kinder Kids 

Last Friday we enjoyed a wonderful morning with our Kinder Kids session. Approximately 15 of our incoming Preps for 2025 were present and after a short reading session in the library, the children trotted off to the hub where Mr Lo Ricco and our wonderful Year Five students engaged in some fun physical education games with them. We played some running games and some relays and it was wonderful to see the children enjoying one of their first St Michael's experiences. A HUGE thank you to our Year Five students who showed responsibility and great leadership with the Kinder Kids. Thank you also to our Year Four students who made a delicious lemon slice and as well as some bookmarks for our visitors to enjoy. Our next Kinder Kids session will be held on Friday 19th July, 9am.

Year Five/Six Parliament Incursion

The Year 5/6 students took part in an incursion this week run by the Education team from the Victorian Parliament. It was a fantastic learning experience linked to relevant sections of the Civics and Citizenship curriculum. The students participated in discussion and a role-play to learn about the Victorian government and the parliamentary process ‘How a law is made’. 

TheirCare Out of Hours Care

Last week we had 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.

Student mobile phones

Lock boxes in the classroom have been in use these past few weeks and seem to be progressing well. We ask that you please make contact with classroom teachers if you have any specific needs or concerns about your child's device. We also ask that you have conversations with your children about ensuring their devices are not used whilst on the school grounds. Photographs of other students are not to be taken at any time during school hours, nor are photos of students to be taken while they are in school uniform. We greatly appreciated parent support in this matter.