Dear Parents, guardians and carers,

Welcome back to Term 3!

It was lovely to see everyone arriving yesterday, happy to be back at school and excited to see each other. Fingers and toes crossed that we can continue to be on site and not have to return to remote, flexible learning. It is a great opportunity to focus on the learning that is important without some of the other distractions that can sometimes occur in a school.

In light of the outbreak in the Melbourne Metro area we are continuing all the COVID-19 precautions we had in place last term. We will maintain the drop off and pick up arrangements: the gates will open at 8:30am in the morning and then again at 3:15pm at the end of the day. Social distancing expectations are also important whilst waiting for your child(ren). If you need to speak to your child’s teacher please either email them directly or ring the office to leave a message and the staff member will get in touch with you.

We understand that as working parents’ having sick children can create stress, however, it is vitally important, especially in the current situation that you keep your child home from school if they are showing any of the following symptoms, however mild:

• fever
• chills or sweats
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• runny nose
• loss of sense of smell  

If you child starts to display these symptoms during the day you will be contacted and asked to arrange for them to be collected from school. Students who have any of the symptoms of COVID-19, however mild, should seek medical advice and get tested. According to the latest advice from DOSCEL, siblings will also need to remain home until the results of the test are received. Thank you for your ongoing support in this area.

Stay well, stay safe!

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 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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.

Answer from last week:

678 – 46 = 632
678 + 632 = 1310
The book stand sold 1310 magazines in these two months.

Mt 13:1-23

Sunday's Gospel reminds us that at Baptism we receive the seed of faith and that we have to cultivate and make it flourish. Read the scripture and talk to your children about tending the seeds of faith and love in us so that our lives grow. Like the farmer who must prepare and care for the soil in which crops will be planted, we must prepare and care for our hearts in which God's word is planted. Talk with your children about good habits that enrich our souls: daily prayer, respect for others, kind acts and thoughtfulness.

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 11, Term 2 the School Wide Expectation focus was Honesty.

I always tell the truth.

I am honest when reflecting on my personal performance.

I take responsibility for my actions.

The award winners for week 11 were: 

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.