St. Michael's Primary School ~ Term 1 Week 6

IMPORTANT DATES

Principal's Message

Dear St Michael’s School Family,

We have had a great week enjoying time with our parish, school and broader community and receiving amazing support from so many people through our Shrove Tuesday pancakes - thank you to Luke and Anna Furze's Grandmother Joy  for making our delicious pancakes, Ash Wednesday Parish Mass, the School Advisory Council and Parent Representative Group (PRG) beginning of year gathering and meeting, and our Community Evening. 

I am so grateful that our children, families, staff and community have this unwavering and loving support from you all and the broader community. Thank you to Fr John Paul and the parishioners, our School Advisory Council and PRG members and the families that were able to join us yesterday at our community evening. 

As we journey through the season of Lent, we are reminded of the values of courage, reflection, compassion and renewal. While Lent is a time of spiritual growth for our Catholic community, we understand that families from all faith backgrounds and life journeys are part of our school family. We invite everyone to embrace the spirit of Lent in your own way, whether through prayer, giving to others your time and any excess resources, acts of kindness, self-reflection or spending quality time with your loved ones.

This season is an opportunity for all of us to grow in faith, understanding, strengthen our sense of community and encourage the values of courage, compassion and love that unite us as a catholic school community.

I ask you to continue to pray for Pope Francis as continues to be hospitalised for pneumonia. Our much loved Francis has sent a message of thanks from the bottom of his heart for all of our prayers and well wishes. 

Wishing you all blessings, peace and a meaningful Lenten season.

Lisa Hitchcock 

Principal 

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St Michael's Principal Appointment 

A reminder to contribute your thoughts about St Michael’s as part of the process to employ a new school principal.   The purpose of this survey is to gather feedback from parents and guardians of students at St. Michael’s about the strengths, challenges and opportunities that currently exist, so that the Principal Selection Panel can better understand the context of the school, as it works to appoint a new Principal for St. Michael’s in 2025. 

Please note that the survey is open until 5:00pm on Friday 14th March 2024.  Thank you for your contributions and ongoing support to St. Michael’s. 

The link to the survey was emailed on Thursday, 6 March to all families. Please contact the school if you need the link shared with you.  

School Photos

Next Tuesday, 11 March, we have our school photos. Please ensure you have the school photo QR Code sent home this week to order photos - the deadline to order family photos - siblings at school - is next Monday 10 March.

Students should be in full school uniform on Tuesday for our photos. Please contact the school if you need any support with school uniforms. 

School Advisory Council and Parent Representative Group 

We are looking for new members!

If you would like to take the opportunity to nominate for our School Advisory Council or join our PRG we would certainly appreciate new members. They are both great ways to connect with other families and support your child/ren's education and make our school even better. 

If you have any questions about the council or PRG please contact the school. 

Teaching and Learning at St Michael's - Magnify Sandhurst

What a big six weeks we have had at St Michael's. I have had the absolute privilege of being in our classroom, observing and getting the chance to teach some of the Religious Education English and Mathematics lessons using our new low variance and knowledge rich curriculums Source of Life, OCHRE and InitiaLit. I am so amazed by the progress and growth I’ve seen in our students and teachers. It is inspiring to witness the professional approach with which the content is delivered, and the exposure to high-quality children's literature is so valuable for our students' growth and to help them make meaning of the world. However, the most exciting aspect has been watching how actively and enthusiastically your children are engaging with their learning.

I am very grateful to our families for their interest in learning more about our new teaching and learning model and the transformative and highly ambitious program - Magnify Sandhurst. We have had two well attended information sessions for our families and prospective families. Thank you!

For more information please contact the school or visit:

https://www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au/what-s-on/latest-news-events/193-magnify-sandhurst-new-learning-and-teaching-program-launched

Building Project

Our Supplementary Capital Fund Building Project to increase the accessibility features of St Michael's has commenced. Thank you to everyone for keeping our community safe by following our alternative entry and exit points. This project will continue over the coming weeks. Once the first part of the project is completed at the front entry of the school we will move to the rear double doors and stairs and the ramp along the portable to the playground. 

If you have any questions about the project please contact the school.  

Farewell to Mrs Palmer

At the end of last year, we learned that Mrs Sarah Palmer had accepted a position at Eskdale Primary School.  On Monday, we bid farewell to Mrs Palmer with an afternoon tea and presented her with a gift of appreciation.  Throughout Sarah's time with us, she was a teacher who always put the children at the centre of all she did, consistently showing a deep commitment to their growth and well-being. Her collegial and generous nature was very much appreciated by all of her colleagues at St Michael's. 

We are incredibly grateful for all that Sarah contributed to our school community and wish her the very best in the next part of her teaching journey. 

NAPLAN 2025 – Year 3 & 5 students only.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a Literacy and Numeracy
assessment that students in Years 3 & 5 at our school sit each year. It is the only national assessment all
Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. It is important to check how well our students are
learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN is just one aspect of our school’s
assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by the classroom
teacher about student performance, but it can provide teachers with more information about students’
educational progress. This year the NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday, 12 March 2025 and
finishes on Monday, 24 March 2025.

Our teachers have worked with parents/carers and students to identify, on a case-by-case basis, reasonable
adjustments available for individual students to access NAPLAN. Please discuss any NAPLAN concerns
with your child’s classroom teacher. It is important to discuss any concerns before the NAPLAN test window
begins.

It is also important to note that students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by letting  them know that NAPLAN is a part of their school  program and reminding them to simply do their best. We have had scheduled time for students to become familiar with the tests, how to navigate the online platform, the types of questions in the tests and are providing appropriate support and guidance.

Year 3 and 5 families have received further information about NAPLAN. However, if you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email lhitchcock@smtallangatta.catholic.edu.au or phone the school 6071 23 86. 

For more information please visit: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers

St Michael's Parish Sacramental Program

St Michael's will once again be supporting the Parish Sacramental Program. Please contact Mrs Moffat if you would like your child to participate in the preparation program for Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist, or if you are interested in Baptism for your child/ren or Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) to prepare children over 6 years of age for Baptism. 

2025 Pupil Free Days

Term 1: 28-29 January Staff Professional Learning Days and 1 April -Behaviour Curriculum Professional Learning

Term 2: 22-24 April Staff Professional Learning Days (The Neuroscience of Learning)

Term 3: 13  August CESL Staff Spirituality Day

Term 4: 20 October Dan Petro Behaviour Analyst Professional Learning, 28 November 2026 Planning day and  17 - 19 December Staff Professional Learning Day and Magnify Sandhurst Days

STUDENT ILLNESS & ABSENCES

A reminder that if your child has gastroenteritis or fever please notify the school and record on your child's absence notification. This will help keep our school safe and our students healthy.

Gastroenteritis exclusion from school - 48 hours from last symptom of vomiting and/or diarrhoea.  

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

Birthday celebrations to the following students: Cooper, Indi, Laine and Jye. 

Happy Birthday!! 

Religious Education - Mrs Mez Moffat

Term 1 has been very busy within the Religious Education learning field. We have focused our first Unit of Work on “Prayer” across the whole school.

This week all students began learning about “Lent” as we prepare for the celebration of Easter. This special season of LENT helps us as Christians to prepare our hearts and minds for Holy Week and ultimately for Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

We pray more, give more time & love and we are generous with our almsgiving of financial support towards charities etc. 

Social Justice Event 

St Michael’s chooses to support CARITAS through Project Compassion each year through Lent.  Each family is given a small box to make donations. We encourage your whole family to speak about and share ideas of ways everyone can donate some $.

Please have a look online at the CARITAS website for Project Compassion at the amazing and effective ways our provisions will be used to facilitate thoughtful help to those who need support. 

Project Compassion 2025

This Lent, we are called to Unite Against Poverty through Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. By taking home a Project Compassion donation box or envelope, you’ll be answering the Gospels’ call to care for our global family and walk alongside the most vulnerable.

Your generous support this Lenten Season will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, and water shortages, while building resilience against future challenges. Together, through faith and action, we can bring hope and opportunity to those most in need.

Please donate today.

You can support Project Compassion 2025 through the donation boxes  or by scanning the QR code below.
Or online at: caritas.org.au/project-compassion
Or by calling: 1800 024 413

Thank you for standing with us, as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent.

SWPBS - School Wide Positive Behaviour Support - Mrs Marsha Ardern

Building a Stronger Community Through Teamwork

At St Michael's, we are committed to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment through School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). This month, our focus is on Teamwork to Build Community, an essential part of our 3Cs: Courage, Compassion, and Community.

Teamwork is more than just working together—it’s about understanding, supporting, and encouraging one another to achieve a common goal. By learning and practicing key team skills, our students will develop stronger connections, a greater sense of belonging, and the ability to collaborate effectively in all aspects of their lives.

Week 6: Team Spirit Week

To celebrate and reinforce the importance of teamwork, we are hosted Team Spirit Week in Week 6! Each day we focused on a different teamwork skill that students can practice and apply in their daily interactions. 

• Monday: Look After Our Equipment – Taking care of school equipment so it lasts and everyone can enjoy it.
• Tuesday: Work Together in Shared Spaces – Understanding that all spaces in the school belong to everyone, and sharing them respectfully.
• Wednesday: Use Encouraging Words – Being positive and kind to help others feel valued and included.
• Thursday: Be on the Same Team – Playing with each other, not against, to build cooperation and camaraderie.
• Friday: Work Out a Problem Together – Listening to each other's ideas and respectfully solving problems as a team.

Through these activities, we aim to strengthen our school community by encouraging students to demonstrate Courage in stepping up to help others, Compassion in understanding and supporting their peers, and Community by working together towards shared success.

Reflecting on Team Spirit Week

As Team Spirit Week comes to an end, we are proud of the way our students embraced teamwork and applied these valuable skills in their daily interactions. We saw students looking after equipment with care, sharing spaces respectfully, using kind and encouraging words, working together in play, and solving problems as a team. These moments truly showcased the power of teamwork in building a stronger school community.

The lessons learned this week don’t end here—teamwork is a lifelong skill that extends beyond the classroom. We encourage students to continue practicing these skills every day, both at school and at home. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this initiative. Let’s keep the Team Spirit alive all year round!

Let’s make this a fantastic Team Spirit Week!

Sport - Mrs Mez Moffat

Our annual Swimming Carnival with NERSA (North East Regional School Association) was a wonderful event and we congratulate ALL students for their efforts in the pool.  We celebrated these three St Michael’s students as Age Champions across all seven schools who attended; Archie Bryant, Carla Barnes and Boyd Small.

We congratulate them and add Meitta Ristrom, Cleo Small and Tilly Piper, who all competed at Waves in Wodonga at the Regional Swimming Carnival. Everyone represented our St Michael’s School community with pride and effort so a massive well done to them all. 

This Term all students have enjoyed coaching from Victorian Ultimate Frisbee each fortnight as part of Sport lessons. These lessons are possible through funding provided by Sporting Schools Victoria. We have purchased an Ultimate Frisbee kit for ongoing skill development and will install a frisbee ‘goal’ in the playground soon.  

3-6 Specalist Classes

5/6 Science

During the lesson 'Mirror, Mirror on the Wall,' 5/6 students explored how light is reflected. They used mirrors and flashlights to investigate how light is reflected from a surface. Students used their knowledge in a mirror maze challenge where they found a way to guide a light beam through a book maze in order to hit a specific target, the foil diamond. 

During 'Getting Focused,' students explored how lenses refract light to correct vision and enhance our ability to observe the world. They investigated how Dr Fred Hollows used his scientific expertise to address preventable blindness in vulnerable communities. 

Light and Refraction

3/4 Art

3/4 students have continued their learning about self portraits by famous artists. Students enjoyed using many coloured paints to create their own self portraits in the Art room. This week students will be examining Paul Gauguin's self-portraits. Students will think about the characteristics and qualities that make them who they are. They will have the opportunity to visually represent or symbolize their personality, talents, tastes, and moods.

Portraits

Wodonga Catholic Parish News

☺️Hello everyone,

✍️please find attached our Parish News and the first week of Lent ‘Prayer Leaflet’ or you may access this in the foyer of your church if you prefer a hard copy.

Don't forget to share your smile with a stranger or a friend. 😇

I leave  you with some words from our beloved Pope Francis; spoken during his Ash Wednesday Homily.

“This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs,”🙏   

Happy days all

Kind regards

Sonni 🌻

What's On

Off-Grid Living Festival 

The festival will be staged for the second time at the old Chiltern Racecourse, and this year [April 12-13] it will for the first time include a special feature called 'Future Thinkers'.

In Future Thinkers, students will channel their creativity and STEM skills into their artwork with 2D drawings that envision a better tomorrow with unique solutions for a sustainable future such as: eco-friendly gadgets, green city designs, edible urban environments, new electric transport, or imaginative energy solutions. Refer to attached flier and https://www.offgridevent.com.au/futurethinkerscompgeared on our Off-Grid website for further detail. NB Competitions are still open for student entries.

On the same STEM theme our BREE group will also be running  Model Solar Car Construction workshops to challenge the skills and interest of our young festival goers, in solar technologies [Refer to attached poster]. Participants numbers will be limited ‘to first come, best dressed’, for this activity.

Neighbourhood House - Tallangatta