Filter Content
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
Yesterday we farewelled the grade three students as they headed off on their overnight camp to Allambee and celebrated Fairytale Day with the Foundation students. Large numbers also showed up to support our Italian Day parade last week. Each week we also have a group of parents and grandparents who help out in the Foundation classroom to hear the children read. All of these ‘small’ things are so important in building the community of the school.
2024 requests for classes
All school staff aspire towards providing an environment where the best interests of the child are held paramount. While teachers may not have the same attachment to a child that a parent does, the staff at St Michael’s care personally for the children in the school. We are starting the process of planning for the 2024 school year. If parents have a genuine reason for class placement requests for next year, could you please email them through to principal@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au by Friday 15th September.
An enormous amount of time and effort is put into the creation of class lists and many factors are taken into consideration by the staff. A written request will be considered on its merits but is not a guarantee. Who is teaching which grade has not yet been decided so please do not request certain teachers.
At St Michael’s we work on a whole school approach to class planning and are blessed to have a committed teaching staff who collaborate to give the very best learning opportunities to all students in our care. Please be aware that a request has to be made for this current year, we will not be referring to requests made 12 months ago as circumstances change.
If your family situation is changing, we would also appreciate you letting the Office know. An accurate indication of student numbers assists us enormously in our planning for 2024. We have a waiting list for some grades and if we know you are leaving we can offer them your spot.
All requests are due by Friday 15th September and no further requests will be considered after this time.
NEW STAFF
We welcome Marianne Nightingale and Kelly Potalej to the St Michael’s staff. Marianne will take on the School Compliance role and Kelly will be our First Aide Officer. We are excited to have them join our staff.
We wish Melissa Morris all the best in her new venture as she finishes up at St Michael’s this week.
FIRST AID PROTOCOLS FOR NOTIFYING INCIDENTS
At times you may have received a phone call from a staff member indicating that your child has injured themselves at school. From Term 4, phone calls will only be used in urgent and serious cases. Instead, parents will now be informed that their child has visited first aid and received treatment via an email sent to your PAM account.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- Thursday 14th September - Footy Colours day
- End of term -Thursday 14th September at 3:20 pm.
- Friday 13th October - Andrew Chinn incursion (concert starting at 1:55pm)
- Monday 16th October - 1/2 swimming program commences
Have a safe, healthy and happy holidays
We will welcome you back on Monday 2nd October
Kind regards
Jodie
This week’s gospel provides us with a lesson that could be well heeded in our contemporary world. Matthew relates a discourse on dealing with a grievance or sin between two ‘brothers’ – community members; fellow disciples. Matthew advises his audience that the first step is to try to resolve the matter privately between the offender and the one offended. This is a practice that seems to have almost disappeared today. When one person feels offended or hurt by another, it seems the last thing they do is to go and speak to the person, confront them with the hurt and try to resolve it. Matthew advises that, only after a failed attempt to address an issue face to face, should other members of the community become involved to further confront the offender. There is a very strong message of reconciliation that comes through this process, the whole process works towards bringing the community back together in harmony, not to seek revenge and punishment.
It can be very difficult when we feel that someone has hurt us to actually go and speak to them about how we are feeling. It is so much easier to revel in our hurt or seek payback for the hurt. Sometimes we feel that we might ruin a friendship by speaking to our friend about a way in which they have hurt us. But a hurt that goes unaddressed will continue to hurt and will probably be repeated. This week’s gospel reminds us of the need to challenge our friends when they hurt us but it also reminds us that when we have hurt others we need to be challenged about it and called to account for our actions.
On Friday 13th October, Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. During the day Andrew will work with the children in their learning levels and in the afternoon we will have a whole school concert. You are all welcome to join us at the concert. The concert will take place in the school hall, at 1:55pm. We look forward to seeing you there.
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 in their classrooms this week.
In Week 10 the School Wide Expectation focus is Learning :
I set high expectations of what I can achieve.
I work hard and always try my best.
I reflect on my own learning and how I can improve.
I can receive and act on feedback.
The award winners for Week 10 are:
| Evie Ploegmakers | Hattie MacPherson | London-Rose Radford |
| Harper Heatherill | Senula Bodawaduge | Sebastian Mazza |
| Toby Flowers | Anjali Thusmanraj | Hamish Greenhill |
| Levi Ason | Zara Hodge | Leila Howell |
| Leo Graham | Lincoln Milliner | |
| Scarlett Ryan | Isaac Huffer |
The shop will be open every 4th Thursday of the month. The next day it will be open will be on Thursday 26th October from 3:00pm to 3:30pm. The stall is located in the large meeting room at the school, so those wishing to purchase items will need to enter through the main office. Donations and swaps welcome.
Thank you to the 39 students who participated in the 2023 Premier's Reading Challenge. Combined, students read a total of 2080 books! Congratulations!
| Quinnie Tiong | Evie Wyers | Olivia Wisewould |
| Sienna Hunter | Wyatt Verdaas | Tessa Rouget |
| Makayla Atkins | Sarah Franklin | Imogen Rouget |
| Milla Koppen | Hendrix Lear | Candice Bramwell |
| Hannah Rochstad-Lim | Anjali Thusmanraj | Senula Bodawaduge |
| Hailee Collison | Aaryan Thusmanraj | Mia Francolino |
| Elsie Stanistreet | Lucy Graham | Ashar Saini |
| Jackson Stanistreet | Olivia Francolino | Isla Jensen |
| Henry Stanistreet | Clarence Mavhundu | Isabella Constantinou |
| Claire Mavhundu | Nicolette Chihota | Billy Cooper |
| Levi Stanistreet | Harper Rode | Courtney Thomas |
| Clementine Reid | Lachlan Franklin | Imogen Hunter |
| Jonah Joseph | Amelia Wisewould | Nadine Chihota |
