St. Michael's Primary School ~ Term 3 Week 4

IMPORTANT DATES

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Yesterday, 8 August, we celebrated the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Australia's only saint, I am pleased to take this opportunity to reflect on her enduring legacy and the profound impact of the Josephite Charism on our school community. 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, one of the founders of the Sisters of St Joseph, is a remarkable figure whose life and work continue to inspire us here at St Michael's. Born in 1842 in Fitzroy - Melbourne, Mary MacKillop dedicated her life to education and social justice, establishing schools and institutions to serve the most marginalised and disadvantaged members of society. Her deep faith, reliance on God's providence, and unwavering commitment to living out the Gospel message by following Jesus' example of a life of love and service were evident in her generosity to "never see a need without doing something about it."  St Mary of the Cross's belief in the dignity of every person is at the heart of the Josephite Charism and what we hold at the heart of all we do at St Michael's.

The Josephite Charism emphasises:

Compassion: A call to respond with kindness and empathy to the needs of others, particularly to share what we have with those who are treated unjustly, and do not have the same opportunities as us or access to life's necessities.

Courage: An invitation to love and serve by acting when we see a need by helping, speaking up and acting justly, following St Mary MacKillop's example of selfless giving and advocacy for the marginalised.

Community: A commitment to providing quality education that empowers individuals and communities, reflecting St Mary of the Cross's vision of education as a path to social change. At St Michael's, we strive to embody these values in our daily lives. Our approach to education, programs, activities and interactions is guided by the principles of the Josephite Charism, aiming to foster a spirit of kindness, service and academic excellence. As we celebrate St. Mary’s Feast Day, I encourage each member of our community to reflect on how we can continue to live out these Gospel values in our actions and relationships.

Loving and generous God,

We thank you for your unending love and grace. May we be filled with your Spirit and, like St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, may we always try to never see a need without doing something about it. Help us to reach out to others who need our help and support. May we be people of compassion, people of courage and people of community relying on your providence and willing to reach out to those who need our care and support.

We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Thursday 15 August at 12:00pm, our community and the parish are invited to join us for Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. This Feast celebrates Mary’s passing from this world into the glory of God as we remember her deep faith and her constant trust in God. We will also celebrate St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph who we continue to be inspired by each day at St Michael's. 

We also invite our families to celebrate Father's Day with us on Monday 2 September with breakfast at 8 am and Mass at 9:15 am.

I would like to thank, Alisha Watson Principal of Tallangatta Primary School and their community for their generosity in having our Grade 5 & 6 students compete in their Athletics Sport today. The Grade 5 & 6 students were great competitors today and enjoyed the day immensely. Thank you to Mrs Moffat and Ren Wyatt for supporting our students today. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our school community. Together, let us continue to uphold the spirit of Mary our Mother, St Mary MacKillop and the Josephite Charism in all that we do.

Peace and blessings, 

Lisa Hitchcock 

Principal

Term 3 2024 Class Newsletters

All classroom teachers have sent their Term 3 Class Newsletters to families to share all the great learning that is happening and will continue this term. The term newsletters aim to provide our families with opportunities to support learning throughout the term and have a better understanding of the curriculum content and learning that will make up the Semester 2 student reports. 

Student Attendance 

St Michael's new student attendance policy and process implementation has begun. The policy is to support students to achieve the maximum amount of growth in all dimensions of their lives through school attendance. Our aim is for all students to attend school 95%. Once students drop to 90% attendance, which is around 1 day off every fortnight, we will look at what might be impacting attendance and ways that we can support increased school attendance to ensure learning opportunities are not missed. Education is a partnership and we are here to work with our students, families and community so all our students can flourish. 

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

Parent Representative Group

Thank you to our Parent Representative Group (PRG) members for our meeting last Wednesday. Possible community building and fundraising opportunities are being explored to continue to support our student's educational experience at St Michael's. Thank you to our community for their generous support of the successful Chocolate Drive and to the PRG for coordinating the fundraiser for our school. 

Catholic Identity & School Improvement Tool Reviews

On Wednesday we had our Catholic Identity Review. Many aspects of St Michael's Catholic Identity were celebrated and affirmed with some great opportunities for our continued improvement shared by the panel members. I want to acknowledge the work of Mez Moffat, Charlene Fenton and Amy Bilston for their leadership in this area, and to all of our students, families and staff for their contributions to our rich and meaningful Catholic Identity. A big thank you to the families that were able to attend our Catholic Identity on Wednesday and share their insights with the panel. 

The School Improvement Tool (SIT)Review will be led by Mr Ron Bamford from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on 20-22 August. 

We invite parents to speak with panel members for the SIT review. If you are available on Wednesday 21 August can you please let me know by calling the school. We would love for you to be involved in celebrating all the great things happening at St Michael’s and to help us with opportunities for future growth. Thank you.

Understanding Learning Difficulties: A practical guide for parents - Auspeld  

The majority of children in Australia start school with a degree of trepidation but with an expectation that they are about to commence an exciting journey of discovery; learning many new skills including how to read and write. Parents share both this excitement and trepidation but also assume that within the first few years of schooling, their children will take the steps required to develop competencies in both literacy and numeracy.

It is certainly the case that with effective instruction, appropriate support and ongoing encouragement most children do learn both the foundation skills, and then the more complex skills, required to read, write, spell and calculate.

However, there are some students who, despite attending school regularly and receiving adequate instruction and support, struggle to acquire these essential academic skills. These students may have a learning disability.

The decision to seek professional advice, and a possible assessment to determine whether or not a child has a learning disability, is a complex one. It should only occur after a number of other steps have been taken - including a period of observation and collection of relevant information. The processes that families can follow are explained in Auspeld's guide - a link to access this guide is below. 

If you would like to access Auspeld's Practical Guide for Parents - Understanding Learning Difficulties, which has been developed to provide parents and carers with current information about the nature of learning disabilities and to offer practical guidance on the most appropriate identification, intervention and support. Please find the link below: 

https://uldforparents.com/staging/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/DSF12029_Auspeld_Learning-Difficulties_PARENTS_V9-LR_WEB.pdf

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.

Religious Education - Mrs Mez Moffat

Saint Michael the Archangel is a champion!  In Hebrew, Michael means "who is like God?". St Michael is the leader of God's army and the Prince of the Angels. His story tells of his epic battle to cast Satan and his rebellious angels out of heaven. St Michael assures us of his courage, strength and valor. All of these qualities are a focus of our school, St Michael’s, where we strive to learn together as a community with courage, inner strength and bravery as we face each day. 

Term 2 - Mini Vinnies Team.

So immensely proud of this working group of students who volunteered their time to organise, set up, collate and then distribute the “Blanket & Wamr Clothing Drive.”  A HUGE carload was taken to Wodonga’s St Vincent DePaul store and they were incredibly grateful. Thank you to all who donated.  Praying these donations are all being gratefully used in the very cold weather. 

Special mention to Kyle Small - Boyd and Cleo’s Dad, for coming in to help our Mini Vinnies Team cook the BBQ on the last day.  This raised $234.00 and was also gratefully received by St Vincent DePaul for supporting local families.  

Term 3.

Staff completed our Catholic Identity Review which was a special time to reflect on St Michael’s School’s recognition as a Catholic community. We welcome any ideas, suggestions and questions about our Catholic faith tradition from families so please feel free to speak to or email staff. 

Mini Vinnies - Book Drive 

This Term 3 there will be a “Book Drive” coordinated by the same wonderful team.  Please have a look through your bookshelves for books in good condition to be donated at the Front Office.  We will send these books to an overseas Library in the Philippines that Mrs Moffat has a connection to; San Pio Village in the Philippines where I spent a month working with families lifted off the streets from poverty to live together in a close-knit supportive community.  We built a library while there and often sent books to them.  Simple things like books make a massive difference in their lives.  Please give generously to this great project by our committed St Vinnies Team here at St Michael’s. 

Thank you 

Mez Moffat - Religious Education Leader 

100 Days of Foundation - Mrs Marsha Arden

Reflecting on Our Journey

From the very first day, our young learners embarked on an exciting adventure, exploring new concepts and making new friends. They have grown in confidence, developed new skills, and embraced the joys of learning. Each day has brought its own unique experiences, whether it was discovering the magic of numbers, diving into the world of stories, or creating vibrant art projects.

Highlights of Our First 100 Days

• Academic Achievements: Our students have shown tremendous progress in literacy and numeracy. They have mastered the single letter sounds, begun to read simple words, and can now count to 100.

• Creative Expressions: The classroom has been buzzing with creativity. From colorful drawings to imaginative storytelling, our students have let their creativity shine.

• Social Growth: Building friendships and learning to work together has been a significant part of our journey. Our students have learned the importance of kindness, sharing, and teamwork.

Celebrating in Style

To mark this special occasion, we organised a fun-filled day of celebrations. The students participated in various activities themed around the number 100. From finding 100 counters to creating art projects of a self-portrait of themselves as a 100-year-old person.  We ended the day with a "100 Days Smarter" certificate, recognising their hard work and dedication.

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, we are excited about the future. The next 100 days promise even more opportunities for growth, discovery, and fun. We are committed to continuing to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where every child can thrive.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated teachers, supportive parents, and, most importantly, our incredible students. Your enthusiasm and commitment make every day special.

Here’s to many more days of learning and success!

Unexplained Student Absences

Fact sheet for Parents & Carers

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify their school as soon as possible on the day of absence using one of the following methods:

1. Online: log the absence directly using your school’s IT platform.
2. Telephone: the school office and let the staff know your child’s name, class, date of absences and reason.
3. Email: the school and provide the staff with your child’s name, class, date of absences and reason.

Notifying the school of your child's absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility. 

Why do I need to notify the school if my child is absent?

Schools need to know when and why a child is absent and you need to know if your child isn’t at school.

From the end of Term 2 2018, all Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained.

This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

What is your responsibility?

You are legally required to ensure your child attends school every day or you must provide an explanation for their absence. You should let the school know in advance of any upcoming absences or let them know in the morning if your child won’t be at school. In order for schools to implement the same day notification requirement, it’s essential that you provide the school with your most up-to-date contact details.

Generally one notification will be sent per family. Should there be circumstances that require both parents and carers to be notified, please contact the school to make the necessary arrangements.

What is the school’s responsibility?

The school must notify you of an unexplained absence in relation to your child as soon as practicable on the same day.

Schools will let you know either by your school’s online communications app, SMS, phone call or email. If you can’t be reached because the school does not have your correct contact details (i.e. changed phone number, SMS/email failure notification received etc.), the school will attempt to make contact with any emergency contacts nominated on your child’s file held by the school. Where possible, this contact will be made on the same day of the unexplained absence.

Where can I learn more about the process for managing student absences?

Ask your school for a copy of the Attendance Policy which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up of student absences.

Positive Partnerships

Wodonga Catholic Parish News

Good morning,

FYI: Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church, Wodonga @ 6pm tonight, Friday 8 August, celebrating the feast day of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop.

Share your smile with a stranger and a loved one.

Please find attached  ‘The Bulletin’ for this weekend...  and something from St Mary of the cross Mackillop to ponder on.

Happy days to all.

Kind regards

Sonni 

Wodonga Catholic Parish Sacramental Program

Running again for 2024.

We are now taking enrolments for Confirmation Eucharist. 

I have included a link to the form enrolment and the blurb in this email. May you please make this accessible to the families in your community,  much appreciated.    https://wodongacatholicparish.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-CON-EUCH-Enrolment-Form-1-1.pdf

Share your smile, there is always someone who needs it more than you. 

 We are now taking enrolments for the 2024
Confirmation/Eucharist Program that will run during October, the Sacraments being received on the first weekend of November . 
Enrolment forms are available on our Parish website or Facebook page. Hard copies can be collected from our CEW Schools or the Parish Centre. 

To enrol your child/children in the
Confirmation/Eucharist Program they must have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If you have any questions about the program please
E: wcpsacramental@gmail.com