Dear Parents,

Thank you for your continued support with the COVID-19 restrictions especially with the early morning drop offs and after school pick-ups. These arrangements continue to be in place until further notice. In particular the playground is still out of bounds after school. The teachers have commented to me that they are finding the children are more settled as they start each day as the teachers can focus on the students and help them get their jobs completed for a successful start.

Moving forward into next term we are still waiting for confirmation regarding camps, excursions and swimming programs to see if they are going to be able to go ahead. These are dependent on government restrictions which as you know can change rapidly. We have rebooked the photographer for our school photos for during term three but again must wait to see if and when external people can enter the school to work with the children. The Parents and Friends group are also waiting for further advice before resuming hot lunches.

The time students have spent at school during 2020 has been greatly reduced by the circumstances we have found ourselves in through COVID-19. Term one was a short term and some students were also kept home due to health concerns at the time. As a result, the semester one reports will be very basic and not like the reports that were sent home last year. This will be rectified at the end of year reports. Parents will also have the opportunity to meet with teachers during term three to discuss their child’s progress.

Our focus at the minute at St Michaels is ensuring that teachers can quickly adapt and learn to deal with the “new normal” we find ourselves in. We are spending time identifying what students have learned and listening to the students to monitor their sense of wellbeing, allowing them time to reconnect with their teacher and friends. The teachers are valuing the continued support they are receiving from you all via email. Teachers now need time to explore what the children now know and what they need to be learning next to ensure the events of 2020 has no lasting impact on every child’s progress.

Traditionally at St. Michaels at this time of year we would be preparing for our Giving Mass which aligns with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Feast Day. Unfortunately, due to COVID we are unable to gather and celebrate with a Mass however many in the community are still in need (even more so at this time). St Vincent de Paul Society have contacted the school to see if we could still give food (canned items) as they are anticipating more people in need this winter. Therefore, we will still plan to collect canned and other food items to give. All items need to be collected by the last day of term. If you can spare a can or two, please send them in with your child. 

Kind regards

Jodie

As per the fee letter sent to families on 6th April 2020, Important Message about School Fees, there will not be an automatic reduction in school fees for term 2. 

School fees are an essential portion of resources for the operation of our school and assist our leaders and staff to enhance curriculum and teaching programs.  Therefore, we are asking, for those who can, to continue to support the school financially.

If you have concerns about your financial situation, please contact Maria Churton, School Administration Officer at office@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au so that we can explore confidential financial support arrangements to enable your child(ren)’s education at our school to continue.

2020 Camp Fees

At this stage all camps are still proceeding and therefore camp fees have not been removed from fee accounts.

Grade 4 camp - September, due 07/08/20

Grade 3 camp - October, due 30/10/20

Grade 6 camp - November, due 30/10/20 (this fee is not due in term 2 as shown on fee statements)

We will keep you updated on any activities that are cancelled such as  camps and swimming and where no alternative is available those fees will be removed and not payable.

If a student will not be attending camp for any reason, written notification advising the reason for non attendance must be provided to the office as soon as possible and at least 4 weeks prior to the camp date. Failure to provide this notification will result in camp fees being due and payable. In the event of an unexpected illness resulting in non attendance at camp a medical certificate will need to be provided.

Thank you for your understanding.

Notifying Student Absences

• For all absences please notify the school via the website or School App by 9:30am the morning of each absence. Your child’s name, class and reason for absence is required.

• Students arriving late to school, after 8:55am, need to be signed in by their parent/guardian and the teacher or office staff advised of the reason the student is late.

• If a student is absent without notification to the school by 9:30am an SMS will be sent to parents/guardians. This will be followed up with a phone call if the school is still not advised of the student’s reason for absence.

• A written note to your child’s teacher is required when they return to school if the reason for absence has not been provided by the School website or App.

• For planned absences please provide the school with notification via the School website or App stating the reason and dates that they will be away prior to the absence. By law every absence must be accounted for on our rolls and written notes kept. Prolonged or frequent illness requires a doctor's certificate.

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 class until assemblies can resume.

In Week 9 the School Wide Expectation focus was Safety.

I have the right to feel safe in our school environment.

The award winners for week 9 were:

Mt 10:26-33

The readings this weekend talk about the challenges of following God. Though it is not always easy, we know that God will give us the strength we need. We told the children that it is not enough to just say we are a Christian, we must show by the way we live that we stand with Jesus. Jesus promises that on the last day, he will claim us as his own.

Answer from last week:

8.2 L – 1.8 L – 2.4 L = 4 L
4 L – 6 L = -2 L
The car will not make it to the petrol station without running out of fuel.

Welcome to the 2020 Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and St. Michael’s Primary School is excited to be participating. A new application is being used this year that offers a range of exciting features including: 

• access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
• a modern user-friendly interface
• rewarding  students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
• the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review 

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 4 September 2020. 

Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books. 

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers. 

To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklists and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit:www.education.vic.gov.au/prc 

As you know, reading helps ensure children develop important foundational skills –
setting them up for school and for life. Just as importantly, reading also helps our kids imagine, explore and learn more about the world around them.
This year, everyone who completes the Challenge will receive a Certificate of
Achievement – and with more than 12,000 titles on the Challenge’s reading list, there really is a book for everyone.
For children not yet at school, the Challenge invites parents and carers to experience
40 books with their child. For students from Prep to Year 2, the Challenge is to read or experience 30 books and for students in Years 3 to 10, the Challenge is to read 15 books.
I also encourage you to visit the Challenge Facebook page: facebook.com.au/VicPRC
There you can join the community of avid readers to share stories, stay informed and
recommend books.