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Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
Term One feels like it is flying. Already we are in week Seven and the school holidays are starting to emerge on the horizon. It has been a pleasure to walk around the school and see the children so engaged in their learning - there is a sense of calmness present within the classrooms and the children have settled into a great working routine.
Just a reminder that Monday 13th March is a Public Holiday and the school will be closed.
SCHOOL PHOTOS
School Photos are on Wednesday 15th March. Students are required to be in full summer uniform. Envelopes are due back by 15th March. Sibling envelopes are available at the office.
ATHLETICS DAY FEEDBACK
Thank you for supporting our 2023 Athletics Day.
Congratulations to Blue House for being the overall winning team and Red House for winning the Aerobics competition.
We would like to hear your feedback about the recent school athletics day so we can keep improving how the day runs. This year due to the heat on the scheduled day, we altered the program and ran it over two days. Please fill this quick survey (link below) and let us know your thoughts.
PARENT AND FRIENDS
Thank you to the parents who have expressed an interest in being a part of this important working group with the school. Your role is important within the school to help develop the sense of community that is so important to our teachers, students and their families.
The group have been very busy behind the scenes planning two events for term one. We will be holding a hot cross bun drive from ‘Missen Link Burgers’ as well as an Easter Egg raffle to fundraise money to support the school. Details about the hot cross bun drive will be sent out this week.
In recent years the funds raised from this committee have helped us purchase technology for the school and add to the 3/4 playground area.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION PREPARATION
It was lovely to see a large number of our grade three students and their families attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation workshop last week as well as attend one of weekend Masses to hand in their commitment slip. Mrs Rickwood will be catching up the children over the coming weeks to support the work that is being done at home.
Key dates for the children and families are:
- Prayer Letter Mass: 18th /19th March.
- Presentation of pins – 25th /26th March.
- Completed journals to be returned to school - 27th March
- Celebration of Reconciliation - Wednesday 29th March, 4:30pm or 6pm
- Presentation of certificates and Pizza Night - Sunday 2nd April
Loving God,
Help us to teach our children that You love us all totally and unconditionally.
Guide us to model for them how to grow in love each day.
May we lead by example, in our words and actions.
Showing kindness and forgiveness and teaching the value of a genuine ‘I’ m sorry’, You always forgive.
May we, as parents of our precious children Be always ready to forgive and offer a fresh start.
Remind us to pray with our children and to share our faith with them as we journey together.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK
Multiculturalism is a core part of the Victorian identity, our character and way of life. Our state is home to people who speak 290 languages and have 314 different ancestries. It's also a place where anyone can contribute and belong.
Cultural Diversity Week is a time to celebrate the power, influence, and stories of Victoria's rich multicultural communities, and all Victorians are invited to participate through a variety of in-person events and activities.
In 2023, Cultural Diversity Week will take place across the state from 11 - 21 March.
NAPLAN FOR YEAR 3s AND YEAR 5s
This year NAPLAN is occurring from March 15th through to March 27th. It is an online assessment that occurs nationally each year for grades 3, 5, 7 and 9. Each child that sits these tests receives a copy of their results measuring where they sit against the State and National grade level cohort. The school uses the data from this testing to measure teacher impact and inform future planning.
NAPLAN information for parents and carers brochure is available on the VCAA website. It is available in a range of languages. https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/f-10assessment/naplan/Pages/parents/index.aspx
OFFICE HOURS
Reminder: The office hours are 8:30am - 4:00pm. Phone calls before and after these times may not be answered as there will be no office staff in attendance.
UPCOMING SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS
On the following dates the school will be closed to students:
- Thursday 6th April
- Monday 24th April
Term One holidays will begin at 3:20pm Wednesday 5th April.
Term Two will resume on Wednesday 26th April at 9am.
Kind regards,
Jodie
Each week students from each class are awarded Student of the Week certificates. These children are nominated for the example they have been within the school based on the School Wide Expectation focus for that week. The weekly focus will be from Wednesday until Tuesday the following week. Awards will be presented to students at assembly on Friday.
In Week 6 the School Wide Expectation focus was Resilience:
I view mistakes as a learning opportunity.
I persist through challenges and difficulties in my learning.
The award winners for Week 6 are:
| Elise Howell | Luca Mifsud | Nixon Krausz |
| Robert Johnson | Bruno Crivari | Justin Te Paa |
| Indiana Ellis | Candice Bayer | Will McLuckie |
| Liam Eccles | Lincoln Milliner | Leah Kalapurackal |
| Nayumi Chessum | Nadine Chihota | Charlie Hopkins |
| Joshua Lia | Tessa Jennings | Jaymes Johnstone |
| Nathan Tang | Penn Mason | Isabel Lavery |
| Bobbi Heatherill | Quinn De Ligt | Conor Boyington |
| Leopold Notting | Chad Di Dio | Lincoln Geary |
| Ava Hopkins | Lacey Thornton | Harrison Milliner |
| Maggie Heller | Elise Johnstone | Amelie Harper |
| Thea Webster | Ella Mazza | Leila Howell |
| Charlie Conway | Lily Faithful | Oliver Wilson |
| Eden Zammit | Hallie Strickland |
When Jesus wanted to pray he would often find a quiet, peaceful place away from the crowds. In this week's gospel Jesus took three of his disciples; Peter, James and John away to the top of the mountain so they could be alone. God’s voice from the cloud claims Jesus as his Son, the Chosen One, and then goes on to instruct those present – and we, the readers – to ‘Listen to him!’ For the disciples, this was a message not to get carried away with their own ideas about the Messiah but to listen to what Jesus was saying about the suffering he must endure and to what he was saying about true discipleship. Jesus tells us that to be a follower of his involves sacrifice, hardship and often unpopularity. It is this message we must listen to as much as the promise of salvation. During this Lenten season, like the disciples, we are called to consider who Jesus is and what role he plays in our lives.
St Michael's is once again participating in the Wonder Recycling Rewards Program. Our school is collecting bread and muffin bags to redeem for sports equipment. Could you please keep your bags and place them into the green bin outside of the hall. Bread bags should be as free from crumbs as they can be to keep the recycling process free from contamination (there is no need to wash them). Any questions can be forwarded to Mrs Dortmans or Miss Petesic. Thank you for your support!
