St. Michael's Primary School ~ Term 2 Week 10

IMPORTANT DATES

Principal's Message **

Dear Parents, Guardians and all in the St Michael's School Community,

As we conclude Term 2, I am pleased to reflect on the accomplishments and all we have achieved together at St Micheal's. I am so very grateful and feel blessed to have been able to join this welcoming and vibrant community. It has been a term filled with growth, learning, and community spirit, and I am grateful to each of you for your ongoing support and dedication.

Academically, our students have demonstrated progress across all year levels. From mastering fundamental skills to engaging in a range of curriculum areas with enthusiasm, their commitment to learning is to be commended. Our teachers have continued to inspire and challenge our students, fostering an environment where curiosity thrives and achievements are celebrated. I extend my gratitude to all of our educators for their unwavering dedication and expertise in guiding our students towards excellence.

We look forward to you all receiving the Semester 1 student reports next Thursday 27 June. The teachers have been putting many hours of work into preparing these for each of their students. We are excited for the upcoming Learning Conversations and PSG Meetings to discuss your child/ren's reports and to work together to ensure the continued progress and success of each student. These learning conversations form part of the Semester 1 reporting to families as there will be less information written in the report

Next week, all families can book a learning conversation time for Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 July on PAM. PSG Meeting times will be sent home shortly and confirmed with a phone call early next week. Due to the new agreement CEMEA 2022, there will not be other times provided if families miss their time. So it is vital for all families to book and attend a learning conversation on the days and times provided. Please contact the school if you have any questions about the Student Reports or Learning Conversations. 

Looking ahead, Term 3 promises to be equally exciting. We are committed to maintaining our focus on celebrating our Catholic faith tradition with liturgies and prayer, and academic excellence while further ensuring student well-being through our School Wide Positive Behaviour approach and Peaceful Kids. We look to ensure opportunities for each child's spiritual, physical, academic, emotional and social growth. As always, your feedback and involvement are crucial to our success, and I encourage you to continue to engage with us as we strive to provide the best possible Catholic Educational experience for every student.

In closing, I would like to thank our entire school community—students, parents, guardians, staff, and supporters—for your ongoing commitment and partnership. Together, we have created a nurturing environment where every child can thrive and succeed. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable break, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back for another successful term ahead.

Peace and blessings,

Lisa Hitchcock 

Whole School Mass 

We will celebrate our Semester 1 with a Mass on Thursday 27 June at 12:00pm in St Michael's Catholic Church. All are welcome to join us as we reflect on a semester of learning and growing in compassion, courage and community. 

Pertussis - Whooping Cough

Please be alert to Pertussis. If you become aware of any child or adult who becomes unwell with pertussis, could you please contact the Health Protection Team, OM PHU on 0456 841 229. 

School Attendance - Attendance Matters

We will continue to encourage our students to attend school every day. Every day matters for your child’s learning. Families play an important role in ensuring students get to school and stay in school every day.

Your child may fall behind in their subjects and this can have an impact on their learning in the long term. Missing school for students means missing explicit teaching time e.g. an important math lesson, learning tasks to ensure they develop the taught knowledge and skills, time with friends or participating in sports lessons and competitions.

Junction Support Services Visit

Our Junction Support Services information morning was a valuable session for our families and staff. Our Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiSP) teacher Mr Joe Quinn organised the visit for our school community. 

Thank you to all those who attended. We have the Early Help Program brochure available at the school office. We hope to have another session in Term 3 to share all the great support Junction has to offer for our community.

Peaceful kids

Junction Support Services will begin the Peaceful Kids program for children in Grades 3 & 4 Class and Grades 5 & 6 Class on Tuesday 24 July. Information about this program and a permission form were sent home to families yesterday. Thank you to the families who have already returned their forms. A big thank you to Joe Quinn and Junction Support Services for ensuring this program is available to our students.

​​The 'Peaceful Kids' program is a Mindfulness and Positive Psychology-based program to lessen anxiety and stress and increase resilience in children. This program helps children build their emotional resilience so they are better equipped to deal with the day-to-day stresses that life brings them. Please contact the school if you would like any further informtation.

St. Michael’s Primary School is committed to child safety and the inclusion of all children.

New email address - Office Staff 

With the change in office days for staff, a new email address has been created for all office related school communications at:

office@smtallangatta.catholic.edu.au

Principal and teacher emails are still to be addressed directly to the staff member.

Foundation Class - Mrs Marsha Ardern

A Busy Term of Learning in Foundation Class
The Foundation class has had an incredibly busy and productive term, filled with exciting learning activities and new achievements.

Reading and Writing Skills

Our young learners have made significant progress in their reading abilities. They have been consolidating their skills in decoding three-letter words and have now begun to explore the more challenging task of decoding and blending four-letter words. Alongside this, they have been diligently working on their spelling and writing skills independently.
One of the highlights of this term has been their exploration of sentence construction. The students are learning how to write sentences using a noun, verb, and adjective. Additionally, they are mastering the use of finger spaces and punctuation, ensuring their sentences are clear and correctly structured. This foundational work is setting them up for future writing success.

Mathematical Adventures

In mathematics, the Foundation class has delved into the world of simple addition and subtraction. They have been practising these essential arithmetic skills through various engaging activities, helping them build a strong numerical foundation.

Exploring Data

The young mathematicians have also been introduced to the concept of data. They have learned how to collect simple data and explored different ways to present this information. This hands-on approach to learning about data helps them understand the basics of information organisation and interpretation.
Overall, it has been a term full of learning, growth, and fun for our Foundation class. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and the progress they have made. Keep up the fantastic effort, Foundation students!

Wear Blue for Vinnies & BBQ - Sausage Sizzle

On Friday 28 June, the Mini Vinnies held a very successful fundraiser with $195.50 raised for the Vinnies' Winter Appeal. These amazing leaders also were able to collect many winter woollies and blankets thanks to your generous donations. We thank the Mini Vinnies for their work, our volunteers who cooked the BBQ and everyone who generously donated to both fundraisers.

NCCD - Parent Fact SheetNationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Warm Clothing Appeal - Mini Vinnies

Dear Families,

The St Michael's Mini Vinnies group  are conducting a Warm Clothing Appeal to collect blankets, doonas, coats, gloves, scarves, beanies for local families in need.  These students will help Mrs Moffat's help to deliver the items into the Wodonga St Vincent dePaul shop each week. 

Please be generous with clean second hard or new items to keep others warm. Any questions please email Mrs Moffat on mmoffat@smtallangatta.catholic.edu.au or call in and chat with your queries.

Thank you everyone. 
 

Labour Government 'Fair Schools Bonus'

A message from State Opposition, regarding the Labour Government's 'Fair School's Bonus' and the unfair treatment of Catholic School students and families in this Government Policy. 

We want an equitable “School Saving Bonus”. The thousands of Victorian families choose to send their children to Catholic and independent schools should not be treated this way.

These families are not immune to cost-of-living increases.

Whilst 100% of families with a child attending a government school will receive this bonus, only 13% of families (Health Care Card holders) in Sandhurst schools will receive the bonus.

If the Government wants to offer cost-of-living assistance to families, they should do it equitably.

The School Saving Bonus is lazy and inequitable policy-making. We ask you to reconsider the eligibility criteria for the School Saving Bonus to make it fair for all Victorian families.

http://fairschoolbonus.com.au/

School Handbook Update

Wodonga Catholic Parish News

Parish Movie Night for students Years 4 - 7: Sunday 23 June 4-6pm - Movie: The Prince of Egypt

Caritas Australia has an urgent appeal for the landslide victims and families of Papua New Guinea. Caritas and partners also support the emergency workers and assist all who have been affected not just in the moment, this support is ongoing.

We also have a new Baptism Preparation Program for children aged 7 years and over, there is information in this week's Bulletin

Kind regards

Sonni 

What's on

Lunch Order  List 2024