St. Michael's Primary School ~ Term 2 Week 6

IMPORTANT DATES

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Next Friday, the 6th of June, we are eagerly anticipating the F-2 Cross Country event! This is always a fun and energetic day for our Foundation to Year 2 students, encouraging participation, teamwork, and school spirit.

Last week, our graduate teachers Bianca and Kaycee attended the Graduate Teacher Workshop, where they had the special experience of participating in Mass with Bishop Shane Mackinlay at the Bendigo Cathedral. It was a meaningful time for reflection and connection with other educators in our diocese.

This week, our school is commemorating National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June), a significant time in Australia that encourages all of us to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and to reflect on how we can contribute to a more united and respectful nation.

Just before this, on 26th May, we recognised National Sorry Day, a time to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly the Stolen Generations. This day reminds us of the importance of truth-telling, listening, and healing.

This past week we have had the pleasure of welcoming Elisabeth to our teaching team at St Michael’s. It has been lovely having her join us, and the students have adjusted wonderfully to their new teacher. Thank you for your support during this time of transition.

Our school continues to focus on Kindness as a key value. We encourage families to share stories of kindness at home, which we will post weekly on Class Dojo. These stories help create a culture of compassion and thoughtfulness, both at school and in our wider community. We also invite you to talk regularly with your child about ways they can show kindness each day.

Students have commenced learning about our school rules, which are being introduced gradually to help build positive behaviours and shared expectations.

The rules introduced so far are:

• We treat and speak to everyone with respect
• We follow educators’ instructions

To support our expectations, we are introducing a Behaviour Tracker. This will apply to students who reach Level 2 or 3 more than two to three times per week. These students will have regular check-ins with a teacher and will bring home a form each day for a parent or guardian to sign. This allows us to work in close partnership with families to support student wellbeing and growth.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support as we continue to nurture a learning environment that values respect, responsibility, and kindness.

We also say good luck to the students who will be representing St Michael’s at the Division Cross Country.

We are proud of your effort and determination — go St Michael’s!

Warm regards,

Marsha Ardern

Principal

Absence and Teacher Communication Map 

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.  

Garden Club Donations 

Dear St Michael’s Families,

As we look ahead to the cooler months, the St. Michael’s Garden Club is getting ready for our winter planting—and we’d love your help! 🌱❄️

If you have any winter seeds to spare, we’d be so grateful for your donations. You can drop them off at the school office or bring them to Miss Kaycee’s Year One classroom.

Your contributions help our students learn, grow, and get their hands dirty in the most wonderful ways. Thank you for supporting our little gardeners!

Warm wishes,
The St Michael’s Garden Club.

FIRE Carrier Program & National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week - Library Visit

We had a wonderful afternoon visiting the Tallangatta Library to view the artwork we created in collaboration with talented Wiradjuri artist, Narelle Urquhart.

The students were proud to see their work on display. It will stay on display at the library for the next week for families to be able to go and share with your children.

We also enjoyed the opportunity to explore some books at the Library, including wonderful stories by First Nations authors and illustrators.

Thanks to Towong Shire for this incredible opportunity to work with Narelle and to be part of this project. Our students learnt so much!

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Our students also joined with Tallangatta Primary School for a Reconciliation Week performance this week.

We danced, we sang, and our hearts were filled with the rich sounds of Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous Australian culture. The students enjoyed the traditional instruments, cultural clothing, and fascinating tools from Northern Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands.

Students immersed themselves in this wonderful learning experience, moving to the rhythm and soaking in the stories of our First Nations Peoples.

What a fantastic way to celebrate and learn together!

Student Pick-up Arrangements

Please phone the school if your child/ren are not going to be on the bus or have changed pick up arrangements. This is a part of our daily process and our commitment to Child Safety at St Michael's.

Please update ongoing changes when they begin or conclude e.g. sport training or guides. 

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. 

2025 Pupil Free Days

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.

Sacramental Program

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Confession or Penance, is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. It is a sacred ritual through which Catholics receive God’s forgiveness for sins committed after baptism.

The purpose of the sacramental program is to restore the person’s relationship with God and the Church, which brings peace of conscience, and strengthens the soul to resist future temptation.

Please pray for these students who will are preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is the second of seven Sacraments within the Catholic Church; also known as "Confession."

Through this Sacrament, we are taught to examine our conscience for things we have done, said or thought that are not in line with God's commandments. We then share these 'sins’ with a priest who intercedes on behalf of God to seek absolution. We ask God for His forgiveness which is always given to us, and we are given penance to say or do to show our efforts to improve.

This year we have 7 students preparing each Wednesday afternoon for 4 weeks and they will participate in the Rite of Reconciliation on 17th or 19th. Please say a prayer for them as they learn about God's loving forgiveness.

Foundation Class

What's Happening in Foundation?

I’m thrilled to have joined the St Michael’s community and would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has made me feel so welcome.

From my first day, I’ve been met with kindness and support, which has made the transition into a new school both smooth and enjoyable.

A special thank you goes to the students, who have adjusted so well to having a new teacher in the classroom. They’ve been incredibly kind, patient, and helpful as I found my way around, and I’ve truly appreciated their enthusiasm and positivity. I’m really looking forward to the term ahead and all the wonderful learning and growth we’ll share together.

Mathematics

We’ve recently wrapped up our unit on part-whole relationships and have now begun exploring a new topic, shapes! The students have thoroughly enjoyed becoming “shape detectives,” spotting and identifying different shapes in our classroom and around the school. This week, we’ve focused on learning to recognise and name circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares.

Literacy

In reading, the students were introduced to new tricky words this week: he, she, and me. We also enjoyed a new storybook, Possum in the House, which had everyone laughing, it was a big hit in the classroom!

The students have been using their developing knowledge of letters and sounds to write simple, meaningful sentences. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence growing and their writing skills progressing so well.

Mrs Ryan 

Wodonga Catholic Parish News

Hello Parishioners far and wide, please find attached this weeks Parish News.

Pg 2: Has a wonderful tribute to Reconciliation week from Catholic College Wodonga which ends on June 3rd.

Pg 3: more from our CEW Schools a little write up about the Retreat Day our Four Schools were involved in with our First Reconciliation Candidates. please keep them in your prayers... 

• We also congratulate two parishioners who have had significant Birthdays in the month of May!

Happy days all ! 

Keep sharing your smiles!

Sonni 🌻