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- News from the Principal
- St Michael's Parents & Friends Annual General Meeting
- Student of the Week
- Education in Faith
- 2025 Sacrament Program
- The Resilience Project
- Parents & Friends
- Secondhand Uniform Shop
- Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)
- 2025 School Savings Bonus (SSB)
- OSH Club
- Munch Lunch
- From the Community
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
It’s the time of year where we are open for 2026 Foundation enrolments. Taking families on school tours is something that our student leaders look forward to most, so I take pride in seeing them walking families through our school, sharing details about what makes St Michael’s a great place to learn. As we open for enrolments, please share the following information with families and friends who may be interested in enrolling their Foundation child at St Michael’s in 2026.
Lockdown Drill
As part of our school’s Emergency Management Plan we are required to schedule emergency response drills each term. On Wednesday we will practice a Lockdown Drill. A Lockdown is used in the event that an unsafe person is on the school site, or in the event where the risk to the children’s or staff’s safety has been determined. All schools are required to have regular drills such as these so that we are well equipped and prepared in the event of a real emergency.
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.
We are almost at the end of term…….
Kindest Regards
Lia DiCorleto
Important Dates - these dates are also located on the school website
- Tuesday 25th March - District Athletics
- Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th March - Life Ed visiting the 5/6s
- Thursday 27th March - P&F Annual General Meeting
- Friday 28th March - Aerobics Competition at 9am
- Tuesday 1st and Thursday 3rd April - Life Ed visiting the 5/6s
- Tuesday 1st April - Hot Cross Bun Collection
- Friday 4th April - Last Day of Term 1pm finish
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
St Michael’s Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting Invitation
The St Michael’s School Parents and Friends is an important part of the school. The group generates much needed funds which are used to enhance and beautify the school grounds, to purchase playground equipment, furniture and educational programs.
The P&F group meets monthly to coordinate fundraising activities and social gatherings like the Mothers’ and Fathers’ day stalls, hot cross bun fundraisers and pie drives. There are lots of opportunities to be involved – no matter what your interest is, how much time you have to spare or the skills you can offer. All of our children benefit from our fundraising activities, but we require parental support through initiatives such as this group.
The meetings are quite informal and are a good opportunity to hear about developments within the school. Lia (Principal) or Sharon (Deputy Principal) attend each meeting.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 27th March 2025 at 9:00am in the staffroom. You will be warmly welcomed to join us for a coffee and chat. All roles will be vacated at the AGM and it is vital that passionate people fill them. Please see the attached Nomination Form.
Kind regards,
The Parents and Friends Group
Roles within P&F Committee
President
The President’s position carries a task of trust and responsibility and requires skill and time. The President should exercise authority with tact, be impartial and open to other points of view. The main role of the President is to:
- Be the main representative/spokesperson for the P&F
- Liaise with the Committee members and set the agenda for meetings
- Be the main contact for agenda items
- Open the meetings punctually and ensure the agenda is followed
- Ensure those present at the meeting have the opportunity to discuss each item on the agenda prior to a decision being made
- Make sure, particularly on contentious matters, as many points of view as possible are expressed
- Make sure everyone is given an opportunity to speak and encourage members to speak by addressing questions to them
- Work towards a collaborative approach with other members of school community
- Be mindful of timelines, keep discussions on track and keep meetings moving
- Be mindful of the role of the Education Board and refer any contentious issues the board for discussion
- Liaising with the school principal in relation to any issues or concerns
- Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association
Vice President
The Vice President plays an important role by assisting the President with P&F responsibilities such as:
- Replace and chair meetings in the absence of president.
- Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association
Secretary
The Secretary is very important to the efficient operation of the P&F. The Secretary will work with the President and Committee members. Duties and Responsibilities include:
- Taking minutes at P&F and Committee meetings
- Photocopying and distributing minutes to Committee members along with agenda approximately one week prior to the next meeting
- In consultation with the Principal and President providing a summary of the matters discussed at the meeting for display on a parents notice board and/or in the school newsletter
- Dealing with any incoming/outgoing correspondence
- Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association
Assistant Secretary
The Assistant Secretary plays an important role by assisting the Secretary with P&F responsibilities such as:
- Taking minutes at P&F and Committee meetings
- Photocopying and distributing minutes to Committee members along with agenda approximately one week prior to the next meeting
- In consultation with the Principal and President providing a summary of the matters discussed at the meeting for display on a parents notice board and/or in the school newsletter
- Dealing with any incoming/outgoing correspondence
- Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association
Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer
The Treasurer carries a task of trust and responsibility. Duties and Responsibilities include:
- Taking charge of monies of the P&F
- Keeping accurate financial records of all receipts and expenditure
- Banking all money regularly
- Reporting monthly on the P&F’s financial position at meetings
- Preparing a financial report for the Annual General Meeting
- Is a core member of the Parents and Friends Association
Annual General Meeting Nomination Form
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 assembly on Friday.
In Week 9 the School Wide Expectation focus is Honesty:
I always tell the truth.
I am honest when reflecting on my personal performance.
I take responsibility for my actions.
| Sunday Cauchi | Chenai Chikwinya | Tasha Skarlatis |
| Lucy Hogan | Stellar Dugan | Hannah Vargheese |
| Godric Tiong | Billy Cooper | Oliver Sutherland |
| Darleen Lugtu | Christian Paolini | Mila Campbell |
| Evie Collins | Seth Billam | Harry McMahon |
| Harvey Zammit | Hattie MacPherson | Ella Mazza |
| Claire Mavhundu | Elora Pearson |
The story of the fig tree in Sunday’s gospel is one of patience when all seems lost. The farmer gave the fig tree a second chance to bear fruit ….. who doesn’t love a second chance? Second chances are wonderful opportunities. They allow us to learn from our mistakes, reflect, make amends, and achieve success where we may have previously fallen short. In fact, the season of Lent is rooted in second chances. It’s a time for us to reflect on our lives as Christians, to meditate and evaluate our success as people of the Gospel. Where have we let ourselves down? How could we have done better? How could we have been the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and mouth of Christ more effectively in our world?
Lent is a season for taking ownership of our mistakes and acknowledging our sins—those moments of ‘missing the mark.’ The Greek word for this is metanoia, often translated as ‘turning around’ or conversion. A more accurate translation is ‘turning back’ or ‘realigning ourselves with the mark.’ Lent is an opportunity to turn away from our sins and realign ourselves with God.
Thank goodness God gives us the opportunity for a second chance—to make amends and be a better person, a better Christian. What opportunities can you find during this season of Lent to realign ourselves with 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.
Last week, our families were offered the opportunity to join an online webinar about Digital Wellbeing for Families by The Resilience Project.
If you missed it, here is the link to the recording as promised. Please note that this link will expire on the 19th April 2025.
The seminar covered parental use of phones, how to promote healthy amounts of screen time in your household and strategies to help children to safely use devices.
These are important issues facing our families today and the webinar was very informative. The Resilience Project continues to be a great source of education for wellbeing at St Michael’s.
St Michael’s Parents & Friends Association
The second hand uniform shop will be open Thursday 27th March from 3pm-3:20pm. Uniforms can be purchased or you may swap items in reasonable condition for another size or item.
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
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
