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Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
St Michael's Parish is hosting an Ecumenical Prayer service for peace in the Holy Land on Thursday 26th October at 6pm in St Michaels Church. All are welcome to attend.
Esafety parent and carer webinars.
The esafety commissioner website has a range of free webinars for parents and carers available during term 4. Please click on the link below to find out more about these topics.
Link here
World Teacher’s Day
AUTHOR Dr Justin Coulson
By the time your child graduates high school, they will have spent about 17, 640 hours at school. That’s a lot of hours. In fact, on a typical school day, our kids spend 2-3 times as many hours with their school teacher than they spend with us, their parents and caregivers.
Our teachers work hard. On average, Australian teachers work 45 hours a week, with many even working on weekends to keep up with the workload. Yet 71% of teachers feel as though their work is unappreciated, and that their profession is not respected.
I don’t know about you, but anyone who spends twice as much time with my kids as I do on a regular basis deserves to feel all the appreciation in the world. And while buying a #1 Teacher mug or a box of chocolates as a gift on World Teachers Day certainly helps, there are things we can do all year round to have a great relationship with our kids’ teachers, and help them to feel supported and appreciated:
Communication
Having open and frequent communication with the teachers goes a long way towards establishing a supportive relationship. This includes taking a proactive approach at the start of the year, where you should share with the teachers any relevant information that may affect your child’s performance or behaviour at school. This includes medical conditions, learning difficulties, and even special interests. Then throughout the school year, keep the teacher updated about any changes in your family’s or your child’s circumstances.
Communication can occur through emails or phone calls on an as-needed basis, but also make sure to attend parent-teacher conferences, school events, and any other meetings organized by the school. Frequent contact fosters open communication.
Finally, if your child is facing any academic or behavioural challenges, collaborate with the teacher to address any difficulties and identify strategies that you can employ together to support your child’s learning.
Involvement
Show interest in your child’s education by asking them about their day and experiences in class. When you demonstrate an interest in their education, it sends a positive message.
If you can, make time to get involved in the school community. Volunteer in your child’s classroom as a parent helper, participate in school events, or join the parent council. Getting involved both supports your child’s education and eases the burden on your child’s teachers.
Finally, attend workshops or training sessions that are offered by the school. By having a better idea about the educational approach used in the school, it becomes easier to support your child and their teachers.
Respect
I wish this didn’t need to be said, but sadly it does: Don’t verbally threaten, intimidate, or get physically aggressive with your kids’ teachers. It’s never ok.
Respect goes beyond that though. Treat teachers with kindness and appreciation for their work. Take time to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts and dedication. Be grateful for the time they invest into your children.
Make sure you see your child’s teacher as a whole person (hopefully as an adult you no longer believe that teachers sleep at the school!), with responsibilities and interests beyond teaching. Avoid contacting them outside of school hours and be patient in awaiting their responses.
Finally, support classroom rules and expectations. Don’t undermine your child’s teachers by disrespecting them at home. Encourage your child to take responsibility in the learning process, and follow the guidelines set by their teachers.
Teachers do one of the most important jobs in our society. They are shaping the next generation of leaders, thinkers, caregivers. Let’s do what we can to thank them for everything they do for our kids.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
- 16th - 26th October: 1/2 Swimming
- 25th October:First Eucharist Parent Meeting
- 27th October:Walkathon
- 30th October - 2nd November: Foundation Swimming Program (Week One)
- 1st - 3rd November: Grade 5 Camp
- 6th November: School Closure Day
- 7th November: Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
- 10th November: School Art Show
- 13th - 16th November: Foundation Swimming Program (Week Two)
- 20th November: Foundation 2024 Transition
- 22nd November: Foundation 2024 Information Meeting
Jodie
The gospel of Matthew tends to treat the Pharisees rather harshly but they were, in fact, more aligned with Jesus’ style of teaching than other religious groups of the time. The role of the Pharisees was to interpret the Torah – the Law – for everyday people. They were teachers and preachers who often had a group of disciples who were their followers.
This gospel passage is sometimes interpreted as Jesus’ endorsement of the Christian responsibility to state authorities through the obligation to pay taxes. In fact, Jesus neatly avoided the direct question put to him and never gave a response to the question of paying taxes. Rather, he made the question a much broader one and reminded people that their first obligation was to God, not the state. It is an excellent example of the need for critical interpretation of scripture. A simple, literal reading of this text leads us to drawing simple, literal conclusions about whether or not we should be paying taxes. In today’s world, how can we give to God what belongs to God?
A quick reminder for the families with a child enrolled in the Sacrament of First Communion…..
The Parent Information Meeting will be in the St Michael’s Church tomorrow evening, 25th October, at 6pm.
This is an important part of the Sacrament journey as it provides you with all the important information and knowledge to begin the journey with your child.
Look forward to seeing you there.
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 4 the School Wide Expectation focus is 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.
| Jasper Sheen | Lakyn Lowe | Bonnie White |
| Indiana Ellis | Marlee Williamson | Lahna Murphy |
| Keegan Rice | Kenzy Duddington | Chloe Szkwarek |
| Eva Skarlatis | Quinn Chapman | Mia Francolino |
| Evie Wyers | Tasha Skarlatis | Ebony Thexton |
| Dominic Riseley | Sienna Symes | Wynter Krausz |
| Jackson Stanistreet | Aria Pearson | Oliver Wilson |
Gippsland Region Athletics
Last Wednesday 18th October, 22 St Michael's students competed at the Gippsland Region Track & Field Championships. Well done to everyone on a warm but wonderful day of competition! We are really proud of the hard work and effort everyone put in.
All results fromt he day can be viewed on the SSV Website https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/gippsland-primary/Pages/GippslandPrimaryResults.aspx
Congratulations to Evie Hoggard, Sibella MacPherson and Ekhai Imhagwe who earned a place at the State Finals next week on Wednesday 1st November in Melbourne.
Evie won the Girls 9-10 shot put, with a whopping throw of 6.76m which was nearly 0.5m further than her nearest competitor. Sibella placed first in the Girls 11yo 800m and Ekhai won both of his individual events, coming in first in the Boys 12-13yo 100m dash and Triple Jump. They can be viewed live via the SSV Website https://www.ssv.vic.edu.au/state/pages/Track-Field.aspx
We wish you all the best at the State Finals next week!
Latrobe Valley Division Cricket Blast
St Michael's was represented by a boys/mixed and a girls team last Tuesday 17th October. The boys team batted well, but were met with tough competition, winning one of three of their games and finishing third in their pool. The girls team won one and lost one, finishing second overall and progressing to the Gippsland Region Cricket which is being held at Joe Tabuteau Reserve in Moe on Wednesday 15 November.
The shop will be open every 4th Thursday of the month. The next day it will be open will be on Thursday 26th October from 3:00pm to 3:30pm. The stall is located in the large meeting room at the school, so those wishing to purchase items will need to enter through the main office. Donations and swaps welcome.
