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

Heavenly Father, help me teach my children to be good stewards of the resources they have been given. Help them see the importance and value of placing others' needs before their own. Give them a caring heart for those who are less fortunate. May they learn the value of storing up treasures in Heaven and holding material possessions loosely. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Well done Preps!

Well done to all our Preps who have settled in so well this week! With a very hot weekend and the adjustment to a new routine, the Preps have been superstars in their transition to Primary School. They have already settled into the daily expectations of the day and are starting to make new friendships at playtimes. Many are enjoying the fresh sand in the sandpit and others are loving the play equipment, with buddies by their sides, of course!!

Pancake Tuesday

Next week, on Tuesday 13th February, we will be celebrating Pancake Tuesday, traditionally the day that we use up all our ingredients in the house in readiness for fasting during Lent. We invite all families to come for a pancake from 8am on Tuesday morning. Come and grab one before you start your work day and before the children start their school day. We will be cooking pancakes in the hub on the BBQ and look forward to seeing you there. Please note, there will be no staff on "duty" before 8.30am as per usual, so you will need to be present with your child until then. Sports equipment will be available on the top court from 8.15am for families who wish to play together.

Sunscreen

As you would be aware, we require our children to wear hats throughout terms One and Four. We strongly encourage play in the shade on warmer days and we encourage our children to drink water for rehydration. Another important practice at this time of the year is applying sunscreen. We will now have basic standard sunscreen in classrooms which students will be encouraged to apply as they head out to playtime, which supports children to get into the practice as they grow up. 

As we know, some people's skin is very sensitive to sunscreen! Therefore we ask, should this be the case with your child, that you please send your own sunscreen for your child's use or apply it yourself before coming to school. Please email your child's class teacher by Monday 12th February so we are aware of children who shouldn't use regular sunscreen.

Due to OHS regulations, staff will not apply sunscreen to your child. They will be encouraged to spread it on their arms, face and back of their neck on their own. We understand that most kinders and childcare centres are using this practice so many children will already be accustomed to this.

Parent / Teacher / Student Conversations

On Thursday 29th February we will be holding our Parent / Teacher / Student Conversations. The main purpose of this first meeting of the year is for parents to meet their child's teacher for you to share any important information you have with them. We have held "Handover" meetings with your child's 2023 teacher, however there still may be some information you wish to share. The teacher can share with you how your child has settled into the class in these first few weeks. Students may wish to share some thoughts about what areas they would like / need to develop in their learning this year. 

You will notice that Specialist staff (Mandarin, Physical Ed etc) have not been allocated time slots. If there is something you wish to share this early in the year with a specialist staff member, please email them directly or you may email me and I will forward your email.

On this day, please note that all classes conclude at 12.00 noon so that 'Conversations' can commence from 12.30pm and will finish by 7pm.

Tennis lessons and our Chess after school program will continue on this day so we ask that you please don't book 'Conversations' with your children's class teachers during these times if they are involved in these activities. 

School Crossings

Thank you to our parents for making use of the school crossings which help our children to understand the safety of these measures in our community. Please be mindful when you are crossing to wait for the crossing supervisor to blow the whistle before moving across for the safety of everyone.

Pick up & Parking - Important

We ask parents and carers to please be aware of some of our Pick-Up and Parking procedures:

• The St Michael's Church carpark is available before and after school for parking.
• Please be mindful of parking restrictions on Victory Bld and Morotai Ave. Some areas are for short stays only and please don't park close to the crossing.
• The Drop Off / Pick Up area on Morotai Avenue is NOT for parking. Please do not leave your vehicle in that section. Please be mindful of parking inspectors in this area.
• Please do not drive onto the top courts after school for pick up to ensure the safety of students and parents walking out the gate onto the street.
• Please remind your children to wait with the teachers on after school duty until you have arrived to collect them. Children should not be waiting for parents on the biggie or any part of the playground after school. Parents remaining with their children are welcome to take them for a play - please always remain there to supervise your child.

We appreciate that we are getting back into routine and thank you for your patience and understanding of these procedures.

Anaphylaxis at St Michael's 

As within all schools, St Michael's School has students who are anaphylactic to certain foods, most commonly nuts. We wish to advise our families that at St Michael's we have a student in Year 3 who is highly sensitive to nuts specifically and can react to the touch of someone else with even the smallest amount. We ask that you are mindful when packing food for your child and that you please avoid packing nuts themselves and foods which contain traces of nuts, for the safety of all our students with anaphylaxis. Of course, if foods are accidentally packed for students, we understand this can happen and will manage this accordingly on the day. 

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

COVID Awareness

As we are aware, new strains of Covid have been appearing in recent months. As a school we continue to encourage Covid safe practices. Some practices we will be revising with our children in these first few weeks include:

• washing hands after using the toilet / playing outside
• using sanitiser when entering the classroom
• air filters in classrooms and office areas
• coughing and sneezing into elbows

We remind families that it is really important to keep children home when children are unwell. Sadly we have some families in the school who are suffering from Long Covid and we wish to support these families and of course, each other.

Raising Kids in a Digital World

On Thursday 15th February, we are thrilled to host Marty McGauran again to lead our community in learning more about the ever-changing digital landscape in which we live. Marty is the founder of Inform & Empower, and he will present his session on 'Raising Kids in a Digital World’, with new information for parents about what to look out for in the digital world.

As St Michael's embarks upon a new approach in it's Digital Technologies program, with students from Years 3-6 taking home their devices, it is vital that at least one parent attends the session so that you are fully informed. We ask that you please complete the Operoo form for this event as soon as you are able.

The presentation will begin at 7pm and finish at approximately 8.30pm and will be located in the Hub. Child Care is available if you have no other option to you on this night. We have limited staff available for this so please email Annie Herbison at aherbison@smashburton.catholic.edu.au if you are in need of child care.

Year Three-Six Swimming Carnival

Next Monday, 12th February, all our students from Years Three to Six will attend and participate in our annual Swimming Carnival at Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre. Students will need to arrive at school as per a usual school day and classes will walk to the pool together. Students may wear sports uniforms with bathers underneath. Be sure to also pack underwear for this day so students can change when they are finished swimming. The first event will commence at approximately 9.30am and parents are welcome to attend to watch. Many thanks to all the parents who will be supporting the events on the day.

Year Three-Six Swimming Program

Our Swimming program at Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre has gone well this week and we're fortunate to have had some pleasant weather. Please be aware of the following dates for the remainder of the program:

• Swimming Program days: FEBRUARY 14th, 15th, 16th AND THURSDAY 22ND FEBRUARY (Water Safety Day)
• Year Three to Six Swimming Carnival - Monday 12th February from 9am

School and Parish Enhancement Session / Working Bee

Our first enhancement session for this year will be held on Saturday 17th February, from 9-11am and will be in conjunction with the Parish Working Bee. An Operoo notification will come out today for you to complete. At 11am Fr Laurence will be cooking a BBQ for all the attendees.  

Some of the jobs that will need to be done include: weeding, digging, some indoor & outdoor cleaning, sweeping, shovelling, clearing of items to the skip.

Please bring the following if you have them at home: garden gloves, window washers and buckets, rakes, brooms, shovels, wheelbarrows, pruners, hedge shears (electric or manual)

We look forward to seeing you there!

CSEF Eligibility

If you are eligible for the Camps, Sports, Excursions Fund (CSEF), please make contact with the school office at your convenience. If you are unsure, make contact to find out.

CHILD SAFE PRACTICES - Working with Children Checks 

St Michael’s School is committed to providing a child safe environment and takes active steps to ensure any person authorised to conduct ‘child connected works’ does not pose a risk to their safety or welfare. To achieve this, the school implements screening processes, including Working With Children Checks (WWCC), to assess and verify their suitability. 

St Michael’s School ensures that non-teaching staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors are of suitable character and do not have a relevant criminal record that poses an unjustifiable risk to children. 

Teaching Staff & Casual Relief Teachers who are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) undergo criminal record checks via their annual registration.

Parents wishing to assist with any of our school activities will need to have a valid Working With Children Check. If you do not have one yet, or if it needs renewing, please visit the Service Victoria website for information.

Hands on Music

Hands On Music is a company St Michael's has been using for some time.  If you wish for your child to learn an instrument this year, please make contact with Jen Capon via email: handsonmusic.j@gmail.com or phone: 0402 910 330

Class Reps and WhatsApp groups for 2024:

As informed in December, every class has a WhatsApp group set up, with thanks to the organisation of the Parents and Friends Association. Please see the links below. We strongly urge you to join your class WhatsApp group, so you can be sure of knowing what is going on.

Each class needs a class rep or two. This important role is the link between the PFA and each class. The main task is to organise and manage a class kitty which covers the teacher's birthday present and Christmas present. If interested, please contact Therese Molnar on 0417.014.772 or via therese.molnar@gmail.com 

Prep 2024: please contact Charlotte Jones on 0431.321.775 if you haven't already joined the group, which was advertised at the Prep information session.

Mrs Erica Cremer Prep Blue:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/J8wnPWVNQMF7TVN72PSQFv

Miss Ally Panas Prep Green:

Whole Prep Group:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/CJFJyMImZZ7EOjzUmwotFN

Mrs Lampe's 1/2 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/HC9fTePBBKEGyPdOlJZACP

Miss O'Donnell's 1/2 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/E7pQOXhpy9p2p2YzYb26Pg 

Mr Stent's 1/2 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DE0t0uIB5z137onLOIRyNp

Ms Balzat and Miss Anne's 3/4 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/FMT6mFh2YQ9LICwzQG19PG

Mrs Harding and Mrs Hedley's 3/4 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/F97XrdW3XSM53uTpoVzpoy

Mrs Imbriano's 3/4 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/GiszikWr8fSDjt8gehl0Qa

Mr Hickey's 5/6 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/I3HbW5rsiRYJESo21NXYCK

Miss Casey's 5/6 class:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/LdDY5mMkLQ1IR5BDxSnm6s

St Michael's Cake Stall

We continue to need helpers on the Cake Stall at the Ashburton Festival on Sunday 25th February. If you're able to assist OR help with some other needs on this day, please see the details in our Community News page.

Final Day of Term 1

Thursday 28th March (Holy Thursday) is our final day of term 1. In order that we can accrue some hours for Time in Lieu (T.I.L.) for the staff, we will be closing at 12.30 on this day. Many of you will be aware that in 2023 a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement was made to address the heavy workload in the teaching profession. So that teachers can be present for the various events we hold throughout the year (eg Sunday liturgies, Twilight Sports, Information nights, Sacramental events, Parent / Teacher interviews, camp etc) we need to provide them with T.I.L. to make up for some of these additional hours they do. 

Given that 28th March is the start of the Easter weekend, we hope that by choosing this day to close early, when many families seek to go away and it leads into the school holidays, it will be less of a disruption to families. We have given notice to Extend that we will be closing early on this day so please make contact with them should you need childcare for the afternoon.

2024 T.I.L. and Closure Days this year:

For your personal diaries and calendars, the following days will be either Staff Professional Learning days or Closure Days to replace Time in Lieu for 2024:

• Wednesday 20th March - Staff Professional Learning - Positive Behaviour for Learning
• Thursday 28th March - School closes at 12.30 noon (T.I.L. hours)Friday 26th April - School closed all day (T.I.L. hours)
• Monday 4th November - School closed all day (T.I.L. hours)
• Tuesday 26th November - Staff Professional Learning - Religious Education & Inquiry Learning
• Final School Day for 2024 for students - Wednesday 18th December - TO BE CONFIRMED