Dear Families,

It has been a wonderful start to Term 3, everyone returned to school very eager to see their friends and ready to learn. I have enjoyed hearing the stories of holidays of families travelling far and near but also of resting and relaxing at home, something I really enjoyed doing. Term 3 is one full of many exciting events so it is important you check our communication tools, Operoo and Class Dojo to stay well up to date.

A reminder to all families that the school day now ends at 3.25pm each day. It is important that children are collected from school no later than 3.40pm. I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Japan Day

Today we celebrated Japan Day and it was lovely to see our school in a sea of Red and White. Each week our children engage in Japanese learning the language and about Japanese culture. Today we enjoyed Taiko (Drumming) taught to the children by Taiko teacher Kiyoi Calwell and had a demonstration of Sumi-e (Calligraphy) led by Junko Azukawa a Japanese Artist. We had a yummy Japanese BBQ lunch of Yakisoba (noodles). Special thanks to Pippa Sensei for organising this day and to the parents who generously gave their time to assist with cooking the BBQ.

A fun day that will be remembered by all for a long time.

Grandparents Day

Tuesday 25th July is the Feast Day of St Anne and St Joachim, Jesus' grandparents. On this special occasion, we celebrate grandparents, grand-friends, relatives, and those who generally take on the role of a grandparent within their family or community. We look forward to welcoming Grandparents on Tuesday morning to join us in our classrooms and for a cuppa.

Staff News

Congratulations to Andrea, our Numeracy Leader, and Ezza, our Learning Support Officer on completing their University Courses.

Andrea has been studying for Masters of Numeracy Leadership part-time over the past two years and Ezza has completed his Bachelor of Education. We congratulate them both on their momentous achievement! Your hard work, dedication, and perseverance have paid off, and you should be immensely proud of yourselves, we certainly are!

Winter Uniform

Thank you to all the families who are ensuring their children wear their uniforms correctly. In this cold weather wearing hats, gloves, and scarves are a great way to keep your children warm. A reminder that these items should be in school colours and can be purchased from our uniform shop.

We have already started collecting many items of lost property, please ensure your children have their names on each piece of clothing and remind them to put their items in their bags after taking them off.

NAPLAN Results

NAPLAN results for children in Year 3 and Year 5 will be sent home to families today. There will be a letter accompanying these results with information explaining how to read your child's results.

Itr is important families put this report in a safe place as secondary schools may ask for a copy of these for their enrolment.

receive theiMACS Executive Director's News

Curriculum resource materials to better support our teachers and learning.

Edward Simons is pleased to advise that Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) will shortly commence working with schools to develop high-quality, comprehensive curriculum resource materials to better support our teachers to deliver the F–6 Victorian Curriculum.

This follows the overwhelming endorsement of this approach by teachers across the Catholic sector in a survey conducted last year. Research also shows that high-quality curriculum resources will create more sustainable workloads for our teachers and allow them to focus more on teaching and student engagement, where their time and energy count the most.

In addition, this approach will promote equity and excellence across MACS schools, ensuring all students have access to evidence-based, quality-assured, sequenced learning materials that will help lift their outcomes over time.

We anticipate the rollout of the F–6 resource materials will be a three-year project. The initial phase will focus on F–2 Mathematics. These materials will be made available to us in Term 4 this year for review and planning purposes, with implementation in Term 1, 2024.

Importantly, our teachers will retain autonomy to tailor curriculum implementation to meet the individual and local needs of our students. Teachers will also have opportunities to participate in the development and quality assurance of the materials.

This is an exciting development for our school community and clearly demonstrates the commitment all Catholic schools share to supporting every student to fully flourish in their learning.

We will keep you informed as this important work continues.

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.

Prayer

NAIDOC week