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Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
As we all settle back into the routine of our “COVID normal” world we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support and understanding of the changing place we find ourselves in as we navigate each new piece of advice as it is given. We have been advised this morning by DOSCEL that temperature checks will no longer be required.
Our focus for the children is about keeping things as normal as possible and allowing them time to socially reconnect with their peers and settle back into the routine of school each day. An important part of this is helping the children to re-establish and/or develop friendships with each other. We know strong friendships allow children to grow into well-adjusted adults with strong social skills. The Department of Education website has some tips for how you as parents can support this:
Your child’s friendships can often change. It is the quality of friends that your child has that is important, not the number. Whether your child has one special friend or many friends isn’t the issue. As long as they are happy and content they’ll do fine.
Sometimes your child will argue with their friends. Not all arguments are bad. They are an important part of growing up. Talk to your child about:
- what things they like to do with their friends
- the things they like about their friends
- the ways your child could show their friends how much they mean to them
- how their friendships are going. If there are problems this gives your child a chance to talk to you about them.
Listen to your child and use open-ended questions.
Sometimes friends do things that upset us. This doesn’t mean the friendship has to end. Understanding that everyone makes mistakes is an important lesson to learn.
Friendships are usually made between people who have the same interests. Making friends can take time. Some children find it easy to make friends. Others find it difficult. You know your child best. If you know your child is nervous or shy when making friends, you can encourage them to:
- say hello and smile
- look for another child who seems shy and talk to them
- ask questions to start a conversation, like what school did you go to last year or do you like maths, music, running?
- listen to other children when they are talking and find out if they have things in common.
You can also support your child’s interests and get them involved in clubs or groups. This means they can make friends with children outside of school too.
On an important but separate note we ask that all families please slow down when driving around the school especially before and after school. When collecting your child(ren) please park your car and come to the nearest gate to collect your child. We ask that you do not call your child(ren) across the road. The safety of all children is paramount.
Kind regards,
Jodie
As per the fee letter sent to families on 6th April 2020, Important Message about School Fees, there will not be an automatic reduction in school fees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
School fees are an essential portion of resources for the operation of our school and assist our leaders and staff to enhance curriculum and teaching programs. Therefore, we are asking, for those who can, to continue to support the school financially.
If you have concerns about your financial situation, please contact Maria Churton, School Administration Officer at office@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au so that we can explore confidential financial support arrangements to enable your child(ren)’s education at our school to continue.
Cancellation of Student Activities
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all student activities for the remainder of 2020 have been cancelled. This now includes the junior swimming program, the Grade 1/2 Camp experience and any further excursions. Gr 3, 4 and 6 camps.
Credits for these student activities will be processed in the coming weeks, updated fee statements will then be issued. If this credit results in your fee account being overpaid a refund may be requested. Such requests must be submitted in writing, via email to office@stmtraralgon.catholic.
If any family has recently become eligible for a Centrelink concession or health care card please notify the office. You may also be eligible for the CSEF payment and a fee concession. The CSEF program for 2020 has been extended until 27th November 2020.
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 in class until assemblies can resume.
In Week 3 the School Wide Expectation focus was Safety.
I have the right to feel safe in our school environment.
The award winners for week 3 were:
| Arlie Graham | Amahlie Smith | Lahna Murphy |
| Sarah Franklin | Kenzy Duddington | Kiarna Field |
| Blake Langley | Yaazhini Arun Kumar | Lacey Thornton |
| Riley Collins | Erjon San Diego | Holly Pritchard |
| Kaiden Warne | Oscar Marotta | |
| Chloe Rawson | Nathan Kimani |
Last Thursday the students at St Michael's participated in Footy Day. They were invited to wear their favourite football team colours to school and each year level had a longest kick competition. The Grade 5/6 students created Footy Banners and marched them around the school for everyone to see whilst footy songs played. It was a great day for all!
Congratulations to the winners for the longest kick:
Foundation: Liam Thomas & Isabella Constantinou
Grade 1: Chad Di dio & Aubrey Ross
Grade 2: Braith Mc Neill & Harper Kite
Grade 3: Hugo Mc Pherson & Isla Hollands
Grade 4: Wil Walker & Makayla Price
Grade 5: Quinn Ross & Mia Hollands
Grade 6: Jett Koppen & Mica Nightingale
Answer from last week:
$385 ÷ 9 = $42.7777
Each person was paid $42.77 to clean up the lake.
In today’s gospel Jesus makes clear that love of God and love of neighbour form one circle of love, that we cannot have one love without the other. The two greatest commandments - love of God, love of neighbour - open a huge can of worms for us. Each of these comes with its own set of challenges. What do you suppose would be the obstacles facing the children if they try to obey these commandments? What are the obstacles? How do you overcome them? Talk with the children about all the daily ways we can love God through loving others: being cheerful to others, praising someone instead of blaming, sharing with someone etc.