From the Principal
FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST - Feast of Mary of the Cross Mackillop
TUESDAY 12th AUGUST - Superhero Day
FRIDAY 15TH AUGUST - Feast of the Assumption of Mary (10am Mass)
- Prep B Assembly (2.35pm)
REMINDER - The Victory Boulevard Convenience Store offers lunches on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Dear St Michael’s School families,
Prayer
Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop
to live her life faithful
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope
and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you continue
to guide us as Pilgrims of Hope.
We ask that our faith and hope
be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,
like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage,
trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Location: St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne
Artist: Louis Laumen (Sculptor)
Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) was the first Australian to be recognised as one of it’s saints. She founded Australia’s first order of nuns, and established St. Joseph’s School providing free education to children from the area. On 12 August 2012, Archbishop Denis Hart, unveiled a statue of St Mary MacKillop on the grounds of St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne. “The statue portrays a young and vibrant Mary descending a staircase, as if she had just been upstairs to put on her habit for the very first time.”
Tomorrow our students will hold a class prayer based on this amazingly special person. All parents welcome to attend, 8.50am in classrooms.
AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE
This year our M.A.C.S. East Central Principal Network is attending the Australian Catholic Education Conference from 20th to 22nd August. The National Catholic Education Commission is presenting this conference, which brings together Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents and others from the broader Church involved in Catholic education.
The conference theme is ‘Hope, anchored in faith’ and will focus on the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence and Access. This theme mirrors Pope Leo's message to our youth, urging them to "find hope, friendship in Christ in uncertain times". Conference speakers, presenters and workshops will focus on Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing.
I will be away from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August to attend the conference, being held in Cairns. During my absence, Mrs Eloise Ellis will be Acting Principal. Although I will have access to my email, I will not have regular opportunities to check it, so please make contact with Eloise with any urgent matters during this time at eellis@smashburton.catholic.edu.au.
SUPERHERO TUESDAY - BULLYING PREVENTION WEEK
Superhero day marks one of the actions we take at St Michael's School in raising awareness about bullying to our students. Along with our Respectful Relationships Program and a focus on the S*M*A*S*H Expectations, we hold many daily, formal and informal conversations with children about how to treat each other respectfully.
On 12th August students may wear something simple such as a cape or mask, or they may dress up fully as their chosen Superhero. Let's keep working towards a positive, inclusive and kind community together.
KINDER KIDS
An enjoyable kinder kids session was had last Friday with families who braved the cold weather to be with us. The children enjoyed a special story about Grandparents and then decorated a picture of their Grandparents in a frame. Thank you again to the Year 5 students who have welcomed the kinder kids with care and compassion, and to the Year 4s who made delicious coconutty chocolate balls for us to share!
ST MICHAEL'S VEGGIE GARDEN
Thank you to two of our Year 1/2 classes this week and their little fingers!! There was quite a bit of weeding needed and they harvested the remaining silverbeet and sold it off at the front gate. Who knew we had some skilful marketeers in our midst!
PREPS 100 DAYS
Well done to our Preps who celebrated 100 days of school TODAY!! They have had an amazing day and no doubt will be asleep very early tonight!! More news on their day and photos in next week's newsletter.
ST MICHAEL'S TRIVIA NIGHT
Last Friday night, the PFA hosted a lively Trivia Night, bringing together parents for an evening of fun, friendly competition, and community spirit. The 90s theme brought out everyone’s inner retro superstar! Teams tested their knowledge across a range of topics from the 90s, with plenty of laughs and light hearted banter along the way. We all dug deep into our memories of dial-up internet, iconic sitcoms, and pop anthems – and the competitive spirit was alive and well, with teams battling it out for top bragging rights.
The costumes were a highlight of the night – we spotted Spice Girls, grunge band flannel, Fresh Prince vibes, Clueless-inspired plaid, and even a Dumb & Dumber tribute! It was clear that everyone leaned in and embraced the theme with full 90s flair.
A special mention to Alice Dwyer (Alfie Year 1), who did a magnificent job as host master, keeping the energy high and the crowd entertained. Heartfelt thanks to both Alice and Jess Deschepper (Max Yr4 & Evie Yr1) for their hard work and dedication in bringing this fantastic night to life! Thank you to all who came along, dressed up, and brought the fun – we’re already looking forward to the next one!
Speaking of the next one… We’re excited to announce our major event and fundraiser - a night of peace of love at WOODSTOCK - to be held on Friday 17th October! Details to follow. See the St Michael's PFA News page for some photos of the evening and our Save the Date flier.
A huge thank you to all the members of the Parents and Friends Association for their drive and energy in bringing this event together to raise funds for our wonderful school.
HOOP TIME REGIONALS QUALIFICATION ~ SURPRISE!!
Congratulations to St Michael’s Senior Girls Hoop Time team, who have qualified for the Hoop Time Regional Finals through a wildcard position. After our narrow three-point loss in the grand final, we were sure we wouldn't make it. However the coordinator has confirmed:
“Based on the results submitted, with your team losing the grand final by only three points and winning all their pool games, your All Star Girls team was recommended for a wildcard position as a strong contender.”
The All Stars Girls Team will be competing in these finals on November 6th at the Nunawading Basketball Stadium.
BOOK WEEK AND DRESS UP PARADE
This year's theme for Book Week is Book an Adventure. The feature artist for the year, Jess McGeachin, has brilliantly captured this adventurous spirit in his artwork, which features a whimsical map filled with imaginary characters. Jess’ illustration invites young readers to embark on fantastical journeys, inspiring them to travel through the worlds that books open up. As an award-winning Australian picture book illustrator, Jess’ work encourages children to imagine, explore, and create their own adventures.
So for this year at St Michael's School, we are encouraging our children to be adventurous in their dressing up for Book Week. Any theme, any book character can be considered and created for this year's event! The Book Week Parade this year will be held on Monday 18th August at 9am. Looking forward to seeing all the creative geniuses in our midst!
BOOK FAIR
It's time for the Annual Scholastic Book Fair!!
This is our major Fundraising activity for purchasing new books and teaching aids for the school library each year.
We need a few helpers for about half an hour after school Friday 15th - Wednesday 20th August. Toddlers and babies are most welcome!
If you can spare half an hour after school, (one or more days) please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do.
Thank you for helping to build the love of reading!
A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) AND ONLINE SAFETY PARENT WEBINAR
Catholic Network Australia (CNA) and Cyber Safety Project are hosting a free ‘AI & the Digital Generation’ webinar for parents and carers s of primary and secondary school students on Monday 11 August 2025 from 7.30 to 8.00 pm.
Registration and further information are available via bit.ly/AICSP25.
The webinar offers essential insights into topics including:
- generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI companion apps
- deepfakes and online misinformation
- AI safety at home
- legal and ethical considerations of AI use.
The webinar will help parents and carers:
- understand the online tools and technologies their children are using
- build confidence in discussing AI, deepfakes and digital truth with their children
- learn practical strategies to encourage safe and ethical online behaviour.
I urge parents to consider attending this FREE webinar to support you in understanding new information about what our children are accessing online.
AUSTRALIAN MATHS COMPETITION
Well done to all the students who bravely took part in the Australian Maths Competition held this week. Mrs Ellis reported that all students worked solidly in the time provided and positively tackled the challenging problems they were faced with. We look forward to seeing how our students performed when the results become available.
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY 2024
Each year our school prepares an Annual Report to the School Community from the previous year. Please find the report attached here for your reference.
SCHOOL PRODUCTION
This week we brought together some generous parents who were happy to form a committee to assist with our school production. Our focus was to review all the songs that are part of the production and determine the appropriate costumes. We will soon be going through our onsite wardrobe for what's already in our storage and will inform families as soon as possible what (if anything) might need to be brought in from home.
Please indicate to your child's classroom teacher as soon as you are aware if your child will not be present on Wednesday 8th October - Production Day - so that we can make any necessary changes in advance.
A reminder to all students wishing to submit a piece of artwork to use in promotion of School of Pop, please submit these to the office as soon as possible.
The above mentioned session is free to attend, with an optional donation to the Mirabel Foundation, a local organisation supporting vulnerable children and carers in St Kilda.
Below is a link to the donation page on their website. Please add a note to the section – Donation on behalf of: Your name
https://www.mirabel.org.au/get-involved/donate
ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGY BLOG
St Michael's School has partnered with Advanced Psychology with a psychologist working onsite weekly. This link takes you to a blog with podcasts / webinars that deal with a variety of topics which might be of interest to parents and teachers.