Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers, 

We hope you all enjoyed an extra long weekend! Last Friday, staff had a professional development day led by our Religious Education Leader, Sue Rickwoood. We looked at different pieces of scripture from the Bible, and how we can make these more relevant for our students. Staff then spent time planning for term two as it is creeping up on us very quickly. 

Yesterday, staff engaged in a professional development day with Tracey Ezard. Tracey is a highly regarded educational consultant who worked with staff on developing a collaborative school culture that shows trust and professionalism. Tracey also worked with the Leadership Team a couple of weeks back, and all staff now look forward to implementing our learnings at St Michael’s. 

The Resilience Project Digital Wellbeing Webinar for Families - Wednesday 19th March at 6:30pm 

All parents, carers and guardians of St Michael’s children are invited to attend a webinar hosted by the The Resilience Project. The webinar will focus on looking at how screen time affects your household. It will share some practical tips and strategies for creating healthier digital habits. 

Parents and carers, please individually register for the webinar using  this link. 

Traffic reminders - drop off and pick up

Whilst I have already mentioned this in an earlier newsletter this term, I unfortunately need to raise this with the parent community again. Please use the correct parking bays to drop off and pick up your children. Please do not park in driveways, this includes the Church driveway - which is privately owned. Please do not use the disabled car park, unless you have a permit allowing you to use these parks. 

Latrobe Council will be patrolling the school block at drop off and pick up times to help enforce safe practices and to ensure parents are parking in signed parking areas. We are in constant communication with Latrobe Council about the traffic situation around the school, however as individuals, we all need to take responsibility for making sure we are driving and parking in a safe manner. 

Bike Safety around St Michael's Primary School 

Unfortunately we have had some very near misses from students riding their bikes in an unsafe manner around the school grounds. Riding a bike or scooter is a great way to encourage students to be fit and active, but we must remind all students about being safe and riding their bikes. 

Last week we were contacted by concerned members of the public on multiple occasions advising of large groups of students riding their bikes straight across the roundabout roads with no regard for instructions. Further to this, concerns were raised that a large group of children were meeting at a nearby park at 8am and then riding to school in an unsafe way. 

We have the following expectations: 

• Students must ride their bike safely to school, taking extra precaution when crossing busy intersections and roads. 
• Students must walk their bikes across the school crossing and follow the instructions given by the school crossing supervisor. 
• Students must walk their bike or scooter when on the school grounds at all times. 

We ask that all parents remind their children about the need to ride their bikes safely to and from school, and double check that your child is leaving home at a suitable time; not too early!  Teachers will also continue to provide the bike safety message in their classrooms. 

Regards, 

Lia DiCorleto 

Important Dates - these dates are also located on the school website 

• Wednesday 12th March - NAPLAN begins 
• Wednesday 12th March - Andrew Chinn performance
• Thursday 13th March - Regional Swimming 
• Friday 14th March - Year 5/6 Mass at 9:30am 
• Monday 17th March - 21st March - Dental Van onsite 
• Thursday 20th March - Hot Cross Bun Order closes on CDFPay 
• Friday 21st March - Year 3/4 Mass at 9:30am 

Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

St Michael’s Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting Invitation

The St Michael’s School Parents and Friends is an important part of the school. The group generates much needed funds which are used to enhance and beautify the school grounds, to purchase playground equipment, furniture and educational programs.   

The P&F group meets monthly to coordinate fundraising activities and social gatherings like the Mothers’ and Fathers’ day stalls, hot cross bun fundraisers and pie drives. There are lots of lots of opportunities to be involved – no matter what your interest is, how much time you have to spare or the skills you can offer.  All of our children benefit from our fundraising activities, but we require parental support through initiatives such as this group.  

The meetings are quite informal and are a good opportunity to hear about developments within the school.  Lia (Principal) or Sharon (Deputy Principal) attend each meeting. 

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 27^th March 2025 at 9:00am in the staffroom. You will be warmly welcomed to join us for a coffee and chat.  All roles will be vacated at the AGM and it is vital that passionate people fill them.  Please see the attached Nomination Form.

Kind regards,

The Parents and Friends Group

Roles within P&F Committee

President

The President’s position carries a task of trust and responsibility and requires skill and time. The President should exercise authority with tact, be impartial and open to other points of view. The main role of the President is to:

• Be the main representative/spokesperson for the P&F
• Liaise with the Committee members and set the agenda for meetings
• Be the main contact for agenda items
• Open the meetings punctually and ensure the agenda is followed
• Ensure those present at the meeting have the opportunity to discuss each item on the agenda prior to a decision being made
• Make sure, particularly on contentious matters, as many points of view as possible are expressed
• Make sure everyone is given an opportunity to speak and encourage members to speak by addressing questions to them
• Work towards a collaborative approach with other members of school community
• Be mindful of timelines, keep discussions on track and keep meetings moving
• Be mindful of the role of the Education Board and refer any contentious issues the board for discussion
• Liaising with the school principal in relation to any issues or concerns
• Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association

Vice President

The Vice President plays an important role by assisting the President with P&F responsibilities such as:

• Replace and chair meetings in the absence of president.
• Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association

Secretary

The Secretary is very important to the efficient operation of the P&F. The Secretary will work with the President and Committee members. Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Taking minutes at P&F and Committee meetings
• Photocopying and distributing minutes to Committee members along with agenda approximately one week prior to the next meeting
• In consultation with the Principal and President providing a summary of the matters discussed at the meeting for display on a parents notice board and/or in the school newsletter
• Dealing with any incoming/outgoing correspondence
• Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association

Assistant Secretary

The Assistant Secretary plays an important role by assisting the Secretary with P&F responsibilities such as:

• Taking minutes at P&F and Committee meetings
• Photocopying and distributing minutes to Committee members along with agenda approximately one week prior to the next meeting
• In consultation with the Principal and President providing a summary of the matters discussed at the meeting for display on a parents notice board and/or in the school newsletter
• Dealing with any incoming/outgoing correspondence
• Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association

Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer

The Treasurer carries a task of trust and responsibility. Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Taking charge of monies of the P&F
• Keeping accurate financial records of all receipts and expenditure
• Banking all money regularly
• Reporting monthly on the P&F’s financial position at meetings
• Preparing a financial report for the Annual General Meeting
• Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association

Shrove Tuesday was a fun and busy day! The Mini Vinnies team served up approximately 700 pancakes to many excited students. Pancakes were topped with a combination of lemon, sugar, jam and maple syrup. 

A huge shout out to John Diciero and Peter Rickwood who spent the day cooking pancakes; to the fantastic staff who jumped in to support the Mini Vinnies team to get the job done and to the enthusiastic students for ordering pancakes. The funds raised on the day will be used to support Project Compassion.

The School Savings Bonus is a State Government initiative designed to assist families with cost-of-living pressures. Under this funding, each eligible student is entitled to a $400 bonus for application towards activity levies and uniform purchases from approved supplier. Within our school, all CSEF applicants are eligible to receive this funding. All families who have a Centrelink Health Care Card and have not applied for CSEF in the past are encouraged to contact the school office and initiate an application this year. Please refer to the below link for more information:

https://www.vic.gov.au/receiving-school-saving-bonus#non-government-school-information

All 2024 CSEF recipients and new 2025 recipients have received a letter and DOSCEL Funds Allocation Form for SSB via email. Please complete and return the form as soon as possible. If you would prefer to complete a paper copy of the Allocation form they will be available at the office.

We offer hot lunches weekly on a Monday with Munch Lunch. They are a local company that offer a variety of lunch items. 

Ordering is simple, download the Spriggy Schools app via your App Store or Google Play store, select St Michael's School,  add your children and their class to the app and place your order!  Lunches will then be delivered to school. Orders need to be placed by 9:00am on the day. You can pre order lunches 2 weeks in advance.

Contact: Munch Lunch 0459 220 445 or hello.munch.lunch@gmail.com

The second hand uniform shop will be open Thursday 27th March from 3pm-3:20pm. Uniforms can be purchased or you may swap items in reasonable condition for another size or item.