Filter Content
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
We have been welcoming our 2023 Foundation students to our Orientation sessions over the past few weeks, and it has been delightful to see the smiling faces walk through the gate each time. They have been kept very busy with activities in the Foundation Learning Space and have also visited the Specialist rooms to do activities there. The other children have also had time in their 2023 learning spaces getting familiar with how they look, sound and feel in preparation for next year.
We have a busy couple of weeks coming up with different activities. Below are some reminders!
Foundation excursion:
The group will leave school this Friday at 9am for Inverloch and return by 3pm. Keep your eye on the app as we will post updates if there are any delays with the return time. Thank you to all who have volunteered to assist with this excursion, you will have received notification if you are required to attend.
Parish Family Christmas Picnic:
Italian Day dress up:
Italian Day will be on Monday 5th December - children are invited to come dressed in their Italian colours or as an Italian character. There will be a parade, gelato and an Italian show for the children to enjoy. We invite all parents to join us for the parade starting at 9: 00am in the school yard.
End of Year Mass
We will be celebrating the 2022 school year with a whole school Mass on Friday 9th December. During this Mass we will present the goods collected for the Christmas Giving Plan to the St Vincent de Paul society. All are welcome to attend.
Is your child old enough for a smartphone?
Parents often ask what is the appropriate age to give their child a mobile phone and of course there is no right or wrong answer to this question. It all depends on the family circumstances and the reasoning why you feel it is important for your child to have one of their own.
The following article is from the esafety commission and may help you in your decision making process as well as provide some guidelines that will help you keep your child safe.
A smartphone is about much more than making phone calls. It allows your child to spend time online using their own device, rather than a shared family tablet or computer. It literally puts the online world in their hands.
For many parents and carers, giving a five year old their own smartphone may seem like it is a step too far. For others, it might offer them peace of mind and security to know they can keep in touch with their child – especially in an emergency.
The right age for your child will depend on their level of maturity and your family routine. It is worth asking yourself the following questions before handing over a digital device.
- Does my child have a good sense of responsibility?
- Are they able to stick to the rules?
- Do they show a good understanding of actions and consequences?
- Do they come to me or another trusted adult when they are distressed or if they encounter problems?
- What are the rules about when and where my child can use their smartphone? For example, will they only be able to use it while they are away from the house, and not in their bedroom at night.
For younger children it may be best to start with a mobile phone without internet access, and only introduce a smartphone when they demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity. There are a range of mobile devices available that allow you to control which tools or services your child has access to.
Some younger children might argue that they are ready for a smartphone, especially if their friends already have one. But it is worth holding out until you feel confident that your child is mature enough.
If you have a family online safety contract (found here), it would be a good idea to go through it carefully with your child in the context of the new responsibilities they are taking on with their own phone.
Kind regards,
2023 School Fee Schedule and School Fees Payment Arrangement form will be sent home this week. Please note that forms for changes to current direct debits, or to set up new direct debits, are required at the school office by Monday 12th December. Direct debits for the rest of December and January 2023 will be scheduled for processing during the last week of term. Any changes to bank details etc received after 12th December will not be processed until 30th January 2023.
Orders for the 2023 Grade 6 memento polo need to be placed in CDFpay by 10pm tomorrow, Wednesday 30th November. This applies to the current grade 5 students only.
St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal
St Michael’s Primary School has a long tradition of supporting our local St Vincent de Paul Society. Each year we assist with two collections for St Vinnies: June, for the Mass of the Sacred Heart and December, for the Christmas Appeal
Leading up to the festive season, St Vincent de Paul make Christmas Hampers for families in our local community who are in need of support, particularly at this time of year.
To assist St Vinnies, we ask our school families to donate some festive items. These donations might include: Christmas food, serviettes, wrapping paper, bon bons, gift cards, toys etc. Consider donating the items that bring joy into your household during this special time of the year.
Any support you can offer at this time would be greatly appreciated. We ask that donations be at school before Friday 9th December.
Thank you for your continuous spirit of giving.
Sue Rickwood
Mt 24:37-44
In this week's readings, Jesus draws a parallel between the people in Noah’s time and the people of his own time. What it reflects is a complacency that periodically overtook the Jewish people. When the people bound themselves to God in covenant their lives gradually became better. Inevitably, their lives improved to such a state that they forgot God was responsible for their blessings. They ignored their relationship with God and became complacent about their good fortune. Ultimately, their comfort was brought to an end and they recognised once again their need for God. Jesus calls the people to get ready because the pattern is repeating itself. This week we head into the period of ADVENT and we begin the preparation for the birth of Christ - it is time to “get ready.” Talk with your children about the things that you can do to prepare for the arrival of the Christ child!
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 presented to students at assembly on Friday.
In Week 8 the School Wide Expectation focus was Respect:
I treat my peers, teachers and learning environment with respect.
I show appreciation for the efforts of others.
I speak kindly to others.
I show justice and fairness to all.
I listen carefully to others.
The award winners for Week 8 are:
| Wyatt Verdaas | Mia Hurley | Ruby Roscoe |
| Ivy Lambourn | Milla Koppen | Lilly Duran |
| Will Jennings | Lucy Graham |
Icy poles are for sale at lunchtime during Term 4. They are 50 cents each.
