As you will know from the email that Jenny Hanrahan sent last week regarding forming a parent group, building partnership with our families is a focus for us this year. Whilst access to classrooms in the morning is limited, your child's teacher(s) are actively looking for ways for you to get to know each other. Our “Getting to know you” parent teacher meetings on next Tuesday and Wednesday (Grade 1/2E - the following week) are an important part of this process. A email on to how to book a timeslot on PAM was sent out yesterday. Please contact the office if you require any further assistance.

Parents are also always welcome to attend school assemblies on a Friday afternoon at 1:45pm in the hall. Once class Masses resume in the coming weeks parents have the opportunity to come to the classroom after Mass. Parents are also most welcome to visit our classrooms before or after school to view your child’s work. We ask that you make an appointment if you wish to speak to your child’s teacher about any specific issues relating to their wellbeing and learning so that teachers can give you their full attention without also needing to supervise the classroom or prepare for meetings.

Our school athletics Day is on Friday 24th February. Parents are most welcome to join us this year; we seek assistance with roles on the day, as well as walking to and from the venue. Spectators are also welcome to watch - there will be designated places on the oval to watch the events from so as not to impact the running of events.

Parish News

World Youth Day fundraiser

Bishop Greg will be joining us for Mass on Sunday 19th February at 9:30am. All are warmly invited. There will be a special morning tea after the Mass in the school Hall starting at 10:30am. The CWL will be hosting this morning tea to fundraise for the two young parishioners attending World Youth Day in Lisbon later this year.

Art Competition

THEME: HOLY WEEK: the meaning of Easter 

St Michael's Parish is running another Art Competition for all students. Get your creative cap on and draw, paint or sketch a masterpiece that represents the theme - HOLY WEEK. Entries close on March 20th 2023. The winning artwork will feature on the homepage of St Michael’s Parish website and all artworks will be displayed in the church throughout our Easter celebrations. 

Artworks will be judged by a panel and prizes will be presented to the most creative entries. Prizes presented to winners at Mass on April 2nd at 5pm. Please submit your entries to the following school offices (St Michael’s and St Gabriel’s) or the St Michael’s Parish office including the following details on the back: Name, Class, age, and School and a parent’s phone number. 

Starting the year right

If you’re like most parents, you really wanted to start things off well, but it’s been a little rocky. Getting back into a routine, being on time, sorting out school lunches… it’s a bit tricky. Best laid plans haven’t quite been as smooth as you might have liked. To dial in your morning and evening routines, I’m going to suggest a few principles to help.

1. Get clear on what ‘getting it right’ actually means.

You might know what you want the morning to look like. But is it clear to you? Can you write it down? Can you put it on the fridge? Can you explain it to your kids and help them to buy into why it matters? Clearly explaining what you want and why is going to be a critical first step.

2. Set up a system.

Author, James Clear, says that “you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” So what does your system look like for making things happen? Can you create a system that will facilitate a smooth morning for every member of the family?

3. Workshop it.

Setting up a system when you’re a parent is pretty easy. But bringing the family along can be trickier. By having a meeting and developing the system with input from your kids, you get to be clear, establish the system, and create buy-in. Ask your children to make suggestions and design the morning based on their ideas. Fashion it with your expert knowledge. And watch the results improve because your children have been part of it. Involvement is a central success pillar when it comes to developing a system that works in any family.

4. Curate competence.

The real secret to successful routines is helping the kids become self-sufficient. It takes time, but teaching them to toast their bread or crumpets, fry or scramble some egg, or organise their cereal or yogurt, or even blend a smoothie means that there is less friction with your routine. They feel good about doing what needs to be done because they know how to do it. And while it’s slow at first, it becomes wonderfully efficient over time.

5. Support autonomy.

Kids love to have choices. They appreciate being able to make their own decisions. Support them in that while ensuring they know what the guidelines and boundaries are for making things happen well.

Here are the golden rules of a magic morning (from a dad of six who has talked with thousands of parents about getting this right):

• Your morning begins the night before. Get the prep done for tomorrow at bedtime so uniforms are ready, bags are packed, and library books or sports gear is sorted.

• Create margin by waking up a little early, and getting the kids up (gently) a little early too. Room to breathe makes everything work better.

• Create the structure so everyone knows what needs to be done.

• Keep the kids accountable in a supportive way.

In spite of your best efforts, things will go pear-shaped now and then. When this happens, stay calm (remember: emotions are contagious), don’t sweat the small stuff, be flexible for the morning… but get it back on track the next day by having a calm conversation in the evening, reinforcing the system, and working together on making it work.

Whether it’s magic mornings or excellent evenings, the process is the same. Work as a team, and watch the magic happen… at least sometimes.

~ Dr Justin Coulson www.happyfamilies.com.au.

St Michael's has been very fortunate over the years  to have had many parents volunteer their time and talents by joining our school Parents and Friends Group.  As we continue to create a school community that works in partnership to support our students, we would like to attempt to re-establish a St Michael's Parents and Friends Group. Parent Groups support our school in fundraising but also play an important role in the establishment of social events. 

We understand that families are very busy and committing to extra responsibilities can be quite challenging. We are  hoping that if we can get a large group of volunteers, everyone may be able to work together so that the load is shared and involvement in the Parents and Friends Group becomes a great social experience for everyone involved. We are inviting parents, guardians and carers to come along to a very informal short meeting where we will share a 'cuppa' and ideas about what a Parent Group might look like for St Michael's in 2023. There will be no pressure for anyone attending to commit to involvement. This will be an initial chance for us to gauge interest and perhaps share some ideas about making a Parent Group viable in our busy lifestyles.

Please consider joining me as I get the conversation started. Perhaps even invite another parent or two to join you as well, this is a great opportunity to meet some new parents within our school.