St Michael's Primary School Ashburton

From the Principal

Confirmation this Saturday at St Michael's Church - 1PM and 3PM

 

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

Prayer 

Spirit of God Prayer

Spirit of God, grant me: 

The gift of wisdom to see the world through your eyes, 

the gift of right judgement to make difficult decisions, 

the gifts of knowledge and understanding to use my mind to know you and to love you, 

the gift of courage to live in the faith despite the difficulties and disappointments, 

the gift of reverence to be able to express my special love and commitment to you, 

and the right kind of awesome fear that makes me pause to wonder and revere God’s Love. Amen.

Welcome Fr Darien

We take this opportunity to welcome Fr Darien to the St Michael’s community. Fr Darien commenced with us on 23rd September, whilst we were all on holidays. We hope he has had a gentle start and enjoyed the welcome embrace from our Parish community. 

St Michael's Feast Mass

On Wednesday we celebrated the Feast Day of our Patron Saint, St Michael. This was also an opportunity to welcome our new parish priest, Father Darien. Our very own 

St Michael's choir performed from above the church and sounded amazing. Thank you to Mrs Rachael Lampe for working with our choir to help them learn the songs. 

Level Newsletters

As with each term, we provide families with Year Level newsletters to give you key dates for your year level and information about our learning. I urge you please to take some time to read through these newsletters and refer back to them during the term so that you can remain aware of the learning focus throughout the term. I encourage you to have conversations about the learning with your child as this helps them to cement their understandings. Additionally, I encourage parents to refer to Seesaw on a regular basis throughout the term to view what your child uploads as well as the feedback that is offered by the classroom teacher. Your conversations about work samples can also aid your child in developing deeper understandings. Don’t hesitate to make contact with your child’s teacher about their progress and what you can do to support them. 

Level newsletters will be available Friday October 11th via email.  

New Uniform pieces

As discussed earlier in the year one of the main focuses of the School Advisory Committee (SAC) has been to review of the current school uniform.  At the start of Term 3, after seeking and reviewing information from our families, we introduced some minor refinements to the uniform. Families now have the option to wear the PE uniform 

Tuesday - Thursday each week.

 

The next step in the process was to review the individual items that make up the current school uniform, with the intention to refine the number of items available and update some of the uniform styles. To allow the uniform to be more streamlined for the convenience of families and for student comfort we will be removing some items and adding in some new items to further enhance the St Michael's school uniform.

 

Over time we will transition out the following items:

·        Legionnaires Hat

·        Bomber Jacket

·        Unlined Spray Jacket

·        Culotte

·        Leisure Pant

·        Current Style Tracksuit Pant

 

And we are happy to announce the addition of the following items:

·        Jumper

·        Long Sleeve Sports Top

·        Skort (with bike pants)

·        New Style Tracksuit Pants

·        Swimming Cap

·        Beanie

 

The new items will be transitioned in when they become available. Currently the skort, tracksuit pants and beanie are available to purchase. It is expected that the long sleeve spots top and jumper will be available for Term 2 next year. The new skort will be able to be worn with the academic and sports tops.

 

We want to specifically note that families do notneed to replace the outgoing items immediately. It is expected that the transition will occur over an extended period, as uniform items need to be replaced. 

Second Hand Uniform sale and Parents and Carers Coffee Catch-Up 

On Friday 18th October, the School Uniform shop will be open from 8.30am - 9.30am.

There is also a large range of good quality second hand uniform items for sale during this time. 

After your purchase/s you will receive a token for a Coffee on behalf of the uniform shop which you can enjoy with other parents and carers.

Mrs Herbison absent until 15th October

Just a reminder that I am absent until Tuesday 15th October, continuing our Principals’ Camino pilgrimage. Please see Eloise Ellis with any urgent matters or your child's classroom teacher in my absence. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you upon my return.

I wish all our Confirmation candidates all the very best in the celebration of this special Sacrament this coming Saturday. You have taken a great deal of time to prepare and reflect on this journey. I will say a special prayer for you on this day and I invite all our community to please keep these children in your thoughts and prayers.

Preston and Kingston Baptism

Last weekend, Preston and Kingston Tam celebrated their Baptism at the St Michael's Parish. We congratulate both boys on completing this sacrament. 

 

"When I walked into the Church I felt excited. I saw the altar and the tall candle. It was the day of my Baptism. Deacon Malcolm put his fingers in a special oil. He took his finger out and made the sign of the cross on my forehead. I put my head over a big bowl and he splashed some water on my head. The water felt warm. Then he dried my forehead. I held my Baptism candle. I was full of joy because I became a part of God's family."

Preston Tam, Year 2

Footy Colours Day

The last day of Term 3, Friday 20th September, we celebrated Footy/Sporting Colours Day.

A fun day was had by everyone, getting the opportunity to show off their beloved sporting team (AFL or other sport).

Many students also enjoyed a hot dog and donut (or two) organised by parent helper's Laura Dzanovski and Elle Horbury. Thank you!

PFA Major Social Event

If you haven't yet booked tickets for our community's Wild, Wild West social night next Friday, then get on board and book! Tickets are selling fast and closing soon - see details in our St Michael's PFA News section. 

Swimming 6-15 November, Prep to Year Two

As has been advertised in the Term Dates for some time, our Year Prep, One and Two classes will be attending the Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre for swimming lessons from 6th November to 15th November. We will be calling for parents to support us by walking us to and from the pool on each swimming day so please check your calendars and lock us in! Details about swimming times for each class and how you can be a parent helper have been sent out through Operoo.

School Parking and Crossings

The following messages have been shared by the Boorondara Council as a way of reminding parents and caregivers about student safety during drop off and pick up times.

 Respect crossing supervisors – they’re crucial for student safety.

  1. Stop walking when they whistle once. Wait away from the curb.
  2. Cross when they whistle twice. When instructed, walk promptly and directly across.

 Adhere to parking and road rules: 

  1. Kiss and Ride zones at schools are for quick drop-offs or pickups only – you have a two-minute limit, it is not a parking spot.
  2. Illegal parking compromises safety and risks a fine.
  3. Don’t double-park, stop in bus zones or park too close to the school crossing (within 20 metres before or 10 metres after it).

Consider alternative transport: Walking or riding to school with your child is a healthy and enjoyable way to avoid congestion at drop-off or pick-up time.

 

 School Crossing Supervisors are only there to help your children to safely cross the road. They do not enforce parking restrictions.

Our crossing supervisors work hard to keep these areas safe and are supported by parking officers who patrol our school zones and issue fines to motorists who are not following these rules. 

 

For more information, reply to this email or call the School Crossings Program team on 9278 4774.

Prep 2025 Transition Program

Our Prep 2025 Transition program commences on Wednesday 16th October, 9-10am, which is the second week into Term 4. Families have been emailed the details of this program and we look forward to seeing you for this first session early in Term 4.

Term 4 - hats  

A reminder to all our families to please search the house for school hats in readiness for Term 4. We ask that children please be wearing hats from the first day of term please, as we have already noticed some warmer days with high UV readings over these past few weeks. 

Planning for 2025

As we are now commencing the planning of class structures for 2025, we ask that you please email Annie Herbison if your child will not be returning to St Michael's School next year. It is vital that we have this information as soon as possible, as from the commencement of term 4, a great deal of organisation and planning is involved in setting up the following year's classes, staffing, budgets etc. Thank you

Instrumental Lessons

Would your child like to learn violin next term? See the St Michael's School hours and Timetables section of our newsletter for details and receive a FREE lesson!