SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY TUESDAY, 10TH MARCH

STUDENTS NOT IN ATTENDANCE

STAFF INVOLVED IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

ALL DAY CARE AVAILABLE WITH THEIR CARE - PLEASE BOOK ONLINE

Dear Families,

Internet Outage

Over the past few days, we have certainly been reminded of how much we rely on the internet. Last Tuesday, we experienced a power outage that impacted our internet, phones, alarm system and several other services. By Thursday, our external phones and alarm systems were restored; however, as I write this, our internet is still not fully operational.

I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused families. I would like to sincerely acknowledge our educators and administration staff for the calm and resourceful way they responded. Thanks to their flexibility and problem-solving skills, our students have not missed any learning opportunities. We continue to work with providers to rectify the issue as soon as possible.

Cross Country Carnival

On Monday we held our inaugural Cross Country Carnival for our Year 3–6 students — a wonderful milestone for St Michael's. Our PE specialist, Sarah, did an outstanding job organising this first-time event.

The carnival provides an opportunity to select students to represent our school at the District Cross Country Carnival and allows time for preparation. It was also a fantastic way for our House teams to build spirit and cheer one another on.

Special thanks to Sarah, our parent helpers and staff for their support. I hope all who attended enjoyed the day!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is the 40-day period before Easter when Catholics prepare to commemorate Jesus’ Resurrection through prayer, penance and fasting.

On Wednesday:

Our Year 3–6 students will attend Mass at 10:00am.
Our Year 1–2 students will participate in an Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 12:30pm.

We warmly invite families to join us for either celebration.

Family Get Together

Our beginning-of-year Family Get Together will be held on Thursday 19th February. This is a lovely opportunity to gather as a community, enjoy a chat, share some food and have a little fun together.

Please look out for the flyer on ClassDojo for further details.

Principal Pilgrimage

I am extremely privileged to be attending a pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey with fellow principals from the North West region, walking in the footsteps of Saint Paul. I will depart on March 18th.

During the pilgrimage, we will retrace Paul’s missionary journeys (circa 49–50 CE), visiting significant biblical and historical sites including Philippi, Thessaloniki, Athens, Areopagus, Corinth and Ephesus.

Saint Paul is regarded as one of the most significant contributors to the New Testament and founded several early Christian communities across Greece, Turkey and parts of Europe. I look forward to deepening my faith through this experience and sharing my learnings with the St Michael’s community.

I will be on pilgrimage for the final two weeks of Term 1 and will take leave for the first two weeks of Term 2. During this time, Angela will step fully into the role of Principal.

Empower and Inform

In the coming weeks, students will participate in incursions led by Empower and Inform to strengthen their understanding of online safety. I strongly encourage you to engage in conversations at home about being safe online and what to do if they ever feel uncomfortable or unsure.

Stage 2 Building Program

Our Stage 2 building program is progressing well, and we anticipate that the first stage of the rebuild will be handed over to the school before the end of Term 1.

Please enjoy the photos showing the recent progress — it is exciting to see our vision continuing to take shape.

Road Safety

I thank the majority of our families who make the right and safe choice to park legally or walk or ride when picking up or dropping off their children. It is disappointing that I still have to play the role of a traffic police officer and speak directly to drivers who not only do the wrong thing but put the lives of our children in danger. If this behaviour continues I will be calling the council traffic officers and the police and requesting that they patrol our school area at drop off and pick up times.

Walking or riding to school is always a good option, as is parking a little away from the school.

Kind regards,

Denise Hussey

Principal

'The most simple thing I can do is to be good today but better tomorrow'

Catherine McAuley - Mercy Sisters Foundress

All students attending St Michael's Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.

Extracurricular Activities