St. Michael's Primary School ~ Term 3, Week 2

IMPORTANT DATES

Principal's Message

Welcome Back to Term 3!

Dear Families,

Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing and refreshing holiday break. It’s been wonderful to see our students return with bright smiles and a readiness to embrace all the learning and fun that Term 3 has to offer.

A warm welcome to Charlene Fenton.
We’re excited to welcome back Charlene Fenton to our school community! Charlene has joined us as the Specialist Teacher for Grade 1 and will also be taking on the role of Learning Diversity Leader until the end of the year. Her passion for inclusive education and her warm, engaging approach make her a fantastic addition to our team. Be sure to give her a friendly wave if you see her around!

Winter Reading Challenge - What a Success!
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Ms Maguire’s Winter Reading Challenge! It was such a joy to see all the wonderful photos of students reading—curled up under blankets, basking in the sunshine on farms, and enjoying the warmth of winter in so many creative ways. These moments captured the heart of what reading is all about: comfort, imagination, and connection. Reading at home is one of the most impactful habits a child can develop. Studies show that children who read daily are exposed to millions more words, which boosts vocabulary, comprehension and academic success. We’re proud to support this through fun and engaging challenges like this one. Stay tuned for our next reading challenge—it’s just around the corner!

Attendance Matters - Every day counts.
Regular attendance is one of the most important factors in a child’s academic success and social development. When students miss school, they miss out on valuable learning experiences, friendships, and routines that help them thrive. Even a few days here and there can add up and make a big difference. If your child is well, we encourage you to help them be here and be on time—because every moment of learning matters.

Performing Arts Concert – Save the Date
We’re thrilled to announce that our Dance and Performing Arts Concert will be held on the evening of September 12th in the Tallangatta Memorial Hall! This will be a vibrant celebration of student creativity and movement. We’re working with Border Danceworks to choreograph some fantastic routines and our students are already buzzing with excitement.

Concert dates and times have now been confirmed—please check the poster on Class Dojo for all the details. It’s going to be a night to remember!

Thank you for your continued support. We’re looking forward to a joyful and inspiring Term 3 together!

Warm regards,
Marsha Ardern
Principal

New Drop Off Zone 

New Allied Health Available

Allied Health Counsellor, Tamika Gigliotti will be available at St Michael's School on Thursdays.  For anyone seeking support with their children or families, a private and confidential space will be available at school for sessions with Tamika.  

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

100 Days of Foundation - Invitation & Dress up

Mini Vinnies and SRC

Mini Vinnies

Hello parents and families, 

The winter clothes drive was a big success. Thank you for donating lots of clothes. It was a big help to the people who are less fortunate.

Do you remember Pyjama Day?  Well that was a big success too. All of the children looked so colourful in their pyjamas. You might also remember that people were asked to bring a gold coin donation. In addition, we added the money we raised from collecting the 10c cans and bottles. 

In total, we raised $210.60.

Thank you everyone for your support of our Mini Vinnies events. 

SRC & Mrs Mez Moffat 

SRC

The SRC has successfully helped to get proper toilet paper in the student bathrooms.  Rolls rather than those scratchy paper sheets.  

We helped to organise visits to Bolga Court with the help of Community Leaders. 

We also had a First Nations Lady visit our school for NAIDOC week and help us draw Indigenous Art. 

Thank you 

Carla Barnes - Grade 6. 

Wellbeing & Mental Health

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Residents of Towong Shire are able to access resources for those farming businesses who are affected by drought.  These resources are accessed through the Towong Shire Website. 

I am drawing your attention to a few of the resources so that you can consider them and then go to Towong Shire website if you want to search further. 

Mr Joe Quinn

Mental Health 

Grade 1 - Ms Kaycee Frew

Kicking Off Term 3 with Energy and Curiosity

The Year One students have had a fantastic start to Term 3, diving straight into their learning with excitement and enthusiasm.

In Religious Education, our focus this week has been on the life and teachings of Jesus, using the Source of Life curriculum as our foundation. We began with a brainstorm word cloud activity, where students contributed everything they already knew about Jesus. It was wonderful to see such a wide range of ideas, showing just how much prior knowledge the students brought to the table. This led beautifully into our exploration of the Gospels, where we investigated who the Gospel writers were—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and why their stories are such an important part of the Bible.
Students discussed how the messages in these texts guide us to live with kindness, compassion and integrity.

In Mathematics, we wrapped up our unit on addition with a short assessment followed by a series of engaging maths games to reinforce key skills in a fun and collaborative way. We’ve now begun our new unit on time and sequencing. This unit will be highly hands-on, with daily practice reading our classroom analogue clock, sequencing events throughout the day, and discussing how we use time in everyday life. We encourage families to support this learning at home by involving students in activities like reading the time on wall clocks or helping to plan out the day’s routine.

In Garden Club, the Year Ones have been busy getting their hands dirty as they planted winter broad beans in our school garden. With gloves on and watering cans in hand, students worked together to prepare the soil, plant the seeds and care for our garden beds. Their enthusiasm and sense of responsibility were fantastic to see, and we look forward to watching our plants grow over the coming weeks.

It’s been a vibrant and productive start to the term, and we’re excited for all the wonderful learning still to come!

Ms Kaycee Frew 

Grade 2 - Mrs Bianca Kennedy

Hello from Grade 2

We’ve had a fantastic start to the term! The classroom is buzzing with energy, curiosity, and a whole lot of learning.

In Mathematics, we’ve been exploring addition and subtraction strategies, focusing on regrouping and using number bonds to strengthen understanding. Students are gaining confidence and applying these tools to solve problems with increasing independence.

In Literacy, we’ve introduced important comprehension strategies—predicting, connecting, visualising, and questioning. These help your child stay actively engaged with what they read and make reading time at home even more meaningful. We’ve also been diving into prefixes and suffixes, exploring how they change the meaning of base words, along with more complex spelling rules. These strategies are a great way to further your child’s engagement in their reading each night.

This term we’ve also kicked off an exciting volleyball program in Sport. Students are learning fundamental skills such as serving, passing and teamwork. It's been a great way to stay active and build coordination and cooperation.

Our class has taken part in a few wonderful excursions, including visits to the local park and Bolga Court Retirement Home. These outings have given students a chance to connect with our community and broaden their experiences outside the classroom.

We're also thrilled with the level of enthusiasm for the Reading Challenge. The class has been very engaged and motivated to meet their goals—it's fantastic to see their passion for books grow day by day.

Thank you for your continued support. Our learning journey is off to a strong start and we’re excited about what lies ahead. If you have any questions or would like to chat about how you can support learning at home, please feel free to reach out.

Warm regards

Mrs Bianca Kennedy 

Religious Education - Mrs Mez Moffat

On Saturday July 5th, two of our students, Amelia and Aiden received the Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion Eucharist at Sacred Heart in Lavington.  These children's families are a part of the Syro Malabar Church, the third largest church (after the Roman and Ukranian Catholic Churches). 

They were very excited to have Fr. John Pamamthatahil, the Archbishop of Melbourne, preside over the Mass. Mrs Moffat was honoured to be invited to attend and enjoyed the Mass; a cultural show and a meal with the congregation.

We pray thanks to God for His love and grace over Amelia and Aiden as they grow in their faith. 

Wodonga Catholic Parish News

Hi everyone.

📬yes it is Parish News time again, our Bulletin is jammed packed full of information this week.

✍️On the front page:
information on the Masses being held in Wodonga and St. Michael's Tallangatta celebrating the Solemnity of St Mary Of the Cross Mackillop and the following week for Wodonga celebrating the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Don’t Forget:
This weekend coming is the first weekend of the month, which is the weekend we come together for the welcoming Cuppa after each Mass: A plate to share would be appreciated. We Welcome the community of St Monica's Primary School Who will be our hosts for the Welcoming Cuppa after the 8:30am Mass.

Page 4: Greetings from Fr John Paul.

🙏OPEN YOUR HEART: 😇Page 6: Has an invitation for you to attend and Information evening about Foster Care and the increasing need for families in our local area.
Even if you feel you can’t offer guidance and support to a young person in need; we invite you to join us.
Come and discover what’s happening in your community.

On the back page:
St Augustine's Primary School Art show aa favourite amongst our parishioners in on once again. Hit the QR Code.

Thank you again for all the wonderful comments about our weekly Parish Bulletin.
😊Don't forget to share your smile with a stranger or a friend.

Kind regards
Sonni 🌻

Information Session from Wodonga Catholic Parish
- Open Your Heart to Foster Care - 

This is an open invitation to the wider community. An information session facilitated by Upper Murry Family Care and hosted by Wodonga Catholic Parish. We encourage you to spread the word!

Parish communities have traditionally played a significant role in nurturing and supporting families.

There is an increasing need for foster carers in our area, as many children are being placed far from their homes, schools, and communities due to a lack of local carers.

This separation can be profoundly distressing for children, particularly during such a vulnerable phase in their lives.

Our goal is to raise awareness and address any questions you may have. We encourage members of our Parish to consider how they might contribute, whether through fostering, respite care, or simply helping to spread the word. Even if you feel you can’t offer guidance and support to a young person in need; we invite you to join us.  Come and discover what’s happening in your community.

Kind regards

Sonni 🌻

What's On

Hi House mates!

I hope you are all keeping warm on this wintery day!  Just touching base about two things……

HOUSE NEWSLETTER

Have you been receiving our new-look whiz bang newsletter emails?  They are jam-packed with information about our upcoming activities plus other happenings in the community and we only send them about once a month.  We use a program called “Mailchimp” to create and send the newsletter and it tells me only around 20% of emails sent are being opened.  This means many of you might be unaware and therefore missing out on some of the fantastic programs happening here. 

Here is a link to the current newsletter “Edition 6” which was sent to you on 10 July.   https://mailchi.mp/towong/latest-happenings-from-the-house
We have a wide range of upcoming activities including Photography classes, Sewing, Community Roast Lunch, free help with your digital devices, Alcohol Ink classes, a new Jigsaw Puzzle library and much more!   I encourage you to click on the link to have a squiz to see what all the fuss is about.  And if you are keen to stay in the loop about our House Happenings, keep an eye out for our newsletters in your inbox (from Mailchimp) and maybe check your Junk mail in case they are hiding there.

POSITION VACANT

Towong Shire Council is seeking a new Community Development Officer to oversee the operations of Tallangatta Neighbourhood House.  After four years in this role, I have decided to “hang up my boots”.  I do not have an exact finish date yet as I will continue working throughout the recruitment period and providing handover to my replacement.   The House aims to connect community through a variety of engaging social, learning, and recreational activities that support mental health and wellbeing.  It has been a great privilege to play a part in working towards making Tallangatta a happier and healthier place for everyone.

If you are interested in this position you can find out more and apply here: towong.vic.gov.au/careers

Applications close 8 August.  Please direct all queries about the position to the Towong Shire Council Human Resources team by calling 1300 365 222 or emailing hr@towong.vic.gov.au.

Kind regards,

Katherine

Rosewood Music Camp - Strathbogie Rangers, Victoria

Border Triathlon Squad

The Border Triathlon Squad are excited to offer to you our 2025 Duathlon Series.

This series will be held at two different locations, one being Tangambalanga & the other in Wodonga.
The best part of this series for us, is that we are offering it for kids from the age 5 upwards and are also including adults to join in the fun. Depending on the age of the child, the distances will be different. (Attached is our flyer with all the details on distances per location)

Best of all, there is a discount if you register for more than one event & kids under the age of 7 are free!!! 

For those that register, an email will be sent out prior to the event with all the details you need to know. 

Cheers
Nadine & Jeremy Border Triathlon Squad 

Dental Services - Wodonga 

Hello St Michael's School Community,

My name is Alyssa Wood, and I’m the Practice Manager of Central Dental Group in Wodonga. We’re committed to supporting families in our community with high-quality, compassionate dental care, especially when it comes to children’s oral health.

We’d love share the awareness about the importance of regular dental check-ups and to inform families about the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS), which covers up to $1,132 over two calendar years for eligible children.

Our experienced Oral Health Therapist team works closely with young patients and their families to create a relaxed and positive dental experience, whether it’s their first visit or part of ongoing care.

Thank you for your time, and for the wonderful work you do in our community.

Warm regards,

Alyssa Wood