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Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
As the term comes to an end, the staff and students of St Michael’s wish you all a Happy Easter. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy the time spent with your family and friends. For those families that are travelling, please take care on the roads.
Please note that school is finishing at 1pm on Friday and that the school buses are not running. The students will return on Tuesday 22nd April.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our current Parent and Friends Group for their dedication and support of St Michael’s school. Our Annual General Meeting was held last Thursday morning and it was lovely to see some new faces join the group. I welcome the following to their new roles and look forward to working with you all:
President: John DiCiero
Secretary: Brooke Schultz
Assistant Secretary: Amie Adamo
Treasurer: Janice Hunter
Publicity Officer: Esther Greco
We have had an overwhelming response of parents wishing to be a part of our new general committee and I welcome all of you to this role. Some parents have been a part of this group for a while now and we love your expertise and knowledge. Together, this enthusiastic group will be a wonderful asset to our school.
Change of date for School Closure Day - Pupil Free Day
The school closure day originally occurring on Tuesday 10th June (after the King’s Birthday long weekend) has now moved to Friday 6th June. This is due to a change in circumstances for the staff of St Michael’s to participate in a Professional Learning day with Mr Michael Ymer. This day will be held in conjunction with St Gabriel’s staff and the focus is on “Effective Strategies for Teaching and Learning of Mathematics”.
Please note the change of date in your calendars.
See you all back at school on Tuesday 22nd April. A reminder Friday 25th April is a school closure day due to the ANZAC Day public holiday.
Kindest Regards
Lia DiCorleto
Important Dates - these dates are also located on the school website
- Tuesday 1st and Thursday 3rd April - Life Ed visiting the 5/6s
- Friday 4th April - Last Day of Term 1pm finish
- Tuesday 22nd April - Term two commences for staff and students
- Friday 25th April - School Closure - ANZAC Day public holiday
Olympic Bronze Medalist Jade Melbourne Inspires Students at St Michael’s
St Michael’s Primary School was abuzz with excitement on Friday, March 28th, as former student and Olympic bronze medalist Jade Melbourne returned to inspire the next generation. Fresh from her success at the Paris Olympics, Jade spoke passionately to the students about hard work, perseverance, and the power of dreaming big.
Standing before a captivated audience, Jade shared her journey from being a student at St Michael’s to becoming an Olympic athlete. She reminisced about her own childhood dreams, recalling how she once sat in the same classrooms, wearing the same uniform, and dared to dream of one day competing on the world stage. Her message to the students was clear: believe in yourself, set ambitious goals, and never stop working towards them.
Jade’s visit was made even more special when she presented the winning trophy for the school’s annual aerobics competition. This year’s victors, Red House, beamed with pride as they received the prestigious award from their sporting hero.
For many students, the highlight of the day was the opportunity to meet Jade in person, shake her hand, and even get an autograph. Her presence left a lasting impression, reinforcing the importance of dedication and resilience in achieving one’s dreams.
As Jade Melbourne departed, she left behind not only her signature on numerous notebooks and pieces of paper but also an enduring sense of inspiration. St Michael’s students will undoubtedly carry her words with them, dreaming big and working hard to turn those dreams into reality—just as she once did.
Each week students from each class are awarded Student of the Week certificates. These children are nominated for the example they have been within the school based on the School Wide Expectation focus for that week. The weekly focus will be from Wednesday until Tuesday the following week. Awards will be given out at in the classrooms.
In Week 10 the School Wide Expectation focus is Resilience:
I view mistakes as a learning opportunity.
I persist through challenges and difficulties in my learning.
| Ostyn Van Mierlo | Jacob Geary | Nadine Chihota |
| Maya Lourensz | Satvika Cheriampadath Suveesh | Angus Ross |
| Alice Dunca | Hamish Briscoe | Edelweiss Vickers |
| Harper Heatherill | Zara Hodge | Reid Campbell |
| Ayaan Sreejith | Huntah Martin | |
| Grace Wilson | David Edgar |
Luke 15: 1 - 3. 11 - 32
Sunday’s gospel is perhaps the most famous of the parables that are unique to the Gospel of Luke. The Pharisees and scribes accuse Jesus of what they regard to be abhorrent behaviour in relation to the purity code that dominated 1st Century life: not only does Jesus welcome sinners, he actually shares meals with them. This accusation leads into the telling of three parables: the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.
The three parables Jesus tells in response to this accusation are all about the lost being found and great rejoicing over the finding of the lost sheep, lost coin, or lost son. The Gospel of Luke – more so than any of the others – has a very strong focus on the message of Jesus being addressed to and welcomed by the outcasts and marginalised; in other words, the ‘lost’ of his society. Rather than being embarrassed by the accusation that he ate with sinners, Jesus would have worn those words like a badge of honour. It was exactly what his mission and ministry was all about – being one with the poor; the outcast; the sinful; the lost. The three parables, and particularly the parable of the lost son, demonstrate the joy of a loving God when one who was lost returns. The extravagant welcome the prodigal son receives from his father is symbolic of the extravagance of God’s love that will be poured out for any ‘sinner’ who returns to God.
On Tuesday 1st April at 6pm there will be a Parent Information night for all families involved in the Sacrament Program this year. This meeting will take place at St Michael’s Church.
The Sacraments are celebrated in the following order and each Sacrament must be celebrated before continuing to the next.
Each Sacrament will begin with a Parent night to learn more before preparation begins.
Please take note of the following celebration dates:
- Baptism (usually celebrated at birth) See flyer in today’s newsletter about a school aged Baptism program about to run in the parish
- Reconciliation (Grade 3 or above) Celebration Date: Tuesday 9th September 2025
- Communion (Grade 4 or above) Celebration Dates : Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd November 2025
- Confirmation (Grade 6 or above) Celebration Dates: Friday 30th May 2025: 6pm
If your child is participating in any of the Sacraments this year please attend the Information Meeting on the 1st April and bring along the completed enrolment forms that have been sent home today via email. If you have any questions please contact Sue Rickwood on srickwood@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au.
We offer hot lunches weekly on a Monday with Munch Lunch. They are a local company that offer a variety of lunch items.
Ordering is simple, download the Spriggy Schools app via your App Store or Google Play store, select St Michael's School, add your children and their class to the app and place your order! Lunches will then be delivered to school. Orders need to be placed by 9:00am on the day. You can pre order lunches 2 weeks in advance.
Contact: Munch Lunch 0459 220 445 or hello.munch.lunch@gmail.com
The School Savings Bonus is a State Government initiative designed to assist families with cost-of-living pressures. Under this funding, each eligible student is entitled to a $400 bonus for application towards activity levies and uniform purchases from approved supplier. Within our school, all CSEF applicants are eligible to receive this funding. All families who have a Centrelink Health Care Card and have not applied for CSEF in the past are encouraged to contact the school office and initiate an application this year. Please refer to the below link for more information:
https://www.vic.gov.au/receiving-school-saving-bonus#non-government-school-information
