Parent Newsletter Term 1 Week 2 2020

We acknowledge the Darug people,  the traditional custodians on whose land we educate our students. 

 Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends,

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2020 and a new year of living, loving and learning.

The first few days of the school year have been very busy and from our perspective, very successful. Congratulations to everyone on such a great start to the year – especially to our amazing staff who were ready for our first arrivals and our fabulous parents who had their children ready for school. Thank you for such a smooth start to the school year.

As we begin this year, the St. Michael’s community welcomes our new families and staff. You are joining a vibrant community and we trust your time with us will be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. At the start of any new year we are filled with anticipation of what this year will deliver and hope that prosperity, love and success is abundant.

Our newest and youngest members of our community began school on Monday. Their happy faces and excitement bubbled over as they walked through the gates carrying their school bags and wearing their hats with such pride. The children settled into the school routine very quickly and they have embraced the learning agenda like fish to water. Well done to our Kindergarten students and also to the new parents who shed a few tears as they waved their children goodbye.

This year is a year dedicated to learning – for our students and staff. By striving for one’s personal best we can be focused on the continual improvement cycle and ultimately achieve greatness. If you have any questions or I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to seeing you at the various parent gatherings throughout the year.

Lord Jesus, We ask for Your help as we begin this new school year.

Allow us to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before us. Open our eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year brings.

Open our heart and mind to new friends and new teachers. Give us a generous spirit to be enthusiastic with our studies

and courage to accept new opportunities. Help us to be attentive to one another and let us experience Your presence in our new friends.

Jesus, inspire us to do our best this year! Amen.

May 2020 be a year of fulfilment and joy for our community as we walk with our God. Be secure in the belief that we will continue to keep God’s kingdom alive here at St. Michael’s.

God Bless Mrs Sue Veling Principal

ST. MICHAEL’S SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT

St. Michael’s is a Catholic community in which children, teachers and parents nurture a sense of personal worth as they work

together in a safe, happy, challenging and faith-centred learning environment.

 FAMILIES & STAFF We welcome to the St. Michael’s community 109 new Kindergarten children. We also have many new students in all grades this year. We also welcome our new staff members – Mrs Jennifer Crowley - Assistant Principal; Miss Lesley Clark, Miss Imogen O’Carroll - Teacher Assistants; Mr Mark Baird – Year 3 Teacher; Mrs Kellyanne Kemble – Year 2 Teacher; Miss Ebony Moylan – PE & Kindergarten Diversity Teacher; Mr Michael Wheadon – Year 4 Teacher; Mrs Stephanie Bourne – Year 5 Teacher.

A special congratulations to Mrs Natasha Pullen and her husband Kurt on the birth of their daughter Kali – a sister for Ava. Mother and bub are doing well.

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Carers, I am very excited to have joined the learning community here at St Michael’s and am looking forward to a fabulous year of learning with students and staff. It has been wonderful to meet some of you over the last week at assessment interview times and on the playground before and after school. I too start the year as a parent of my own children with hopes and dreams for them to learn and grow into the amazing human beings I know they are capable of becoming. I am sure you have your own hopes and dreams for your child/ren and I trust that in partnership we can together nurture resilient, empathic and lifelong learners who love one another in Christ.

This year at St Michael’s we will be introducing a Student Representative Council (SRC). Students are happier and participate in their education more effectively when their ideas are listened to and their opinions are valued. Schools also benefit when students are involved in their learning and the school’s operation. A Student Representative Council (SRC) is one structure which can assist students and schools in achieving this ideal. An SRC is a formal group of students, elected by their peers to represent them and their views. An SRC facilitates leadership and decision making by all students in the school. It is an important way in which schools can provide meaningful leadership opportunities, active citizenship and be of service to others. This week teachers will facilitate an election process where each class will vote for one class Representative to be on the SRC. These students will meet twice over the term to be a forum for student voice, plan special events or projects and promote positive relationships throughout the school. At our school mass Friday 14th February all SRC Reps will be formally welcomed into the council and will receive their SRC badges. Curriculum Note Next week teachers will send out a Curriculum Note outlining the focus for learning over the term, along with key dates and information particular to that grade. Dismissal Note On Monday a note was sent home to parents/carers outlining procedures for dismissal and to record for class teachers any changes to how your child might travel home at the end of the day for 2020. Please fill out this form and return to your child’s teacher by Wednesday 5th February. This information will assist in a smooth transition from school to home for all students.

Many blessings,

Ms Jennifer Crowley   Assistant Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS 2nd February

Who do we listen to? In the readings on Sunday, we heard that we are to listen to the prophet, and in the gospel we learnt that Jesus is the one to be listened to. Who are the voices of the prophet for us today?

We probably all know people that we could consider prophets. They believe strongly in God, and their lives testify to this. They are not just talk. Think about those people, and the effect that they have on you.

Sometimes, I think that we have prophets right inside us. We really know what is right, and we know when something is really wrong. Sometimes we listen to that prophet, and sometimes we tune out that voice deep within us. We don’t want to even think about it. Are we able to always listen to the prophet within each of us and act in a way that lives out our school motto of ‘LOVE ONE ANOTHER’? OPENING SCHOOL MASS Our Opening School Mass will be held on Friday 14th February at 9:30am. We welcome everyone to join us as we celebrate the coming year and acknowledge our new staff, students and the commissioning of our Year 6 leaders and SRC members from Years 1-6.

MARY QUEEN OF THE FAMILY PARISH SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM FOR 2020

Dates have been set for parents who wish their child to receive the following Sacraments of Initiation in 2020. It is important to complete enrolment forms from the Parish website and return to the Parish Office.

Reconciliation - in Term 4 (Children in Year 3 or above) Tuesday 3 November 7.30pm St Michael’s Church Family (A - K) Thursday 5 November 7.30pm St Patrick’s Church Family (L - Z)

First Holy Communion - in Term 2(Children in Year 4 or above who have made their first Reconciliation) Sunday 14th June 2020 or Sunday 21st June 2020

Confirmation - in Term 3 (Children in Year 5 or above) Saturday 29 August 11.30 am for (Group 1 A - K) and 2.30pm for (Group 2 L - Z) at Patrick’s Church.

If you require further information, please speak to Christina Rodricks at the Parish Office or Mrs Easton at school.

THANK YOU for your donations to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal last year. The donations made were used to support many families within our own community to make their Christmas a little brighter. We truly did live out our school motto of ‘LOVE ONE ANOTHER’.

Love One Another Mrs Anne Easton Religious Education Coordinator

PUPIL FREE DAYS FOR 2020 Apart from the pupil free days held on 29th & 30th January, there will be no additional Pupil Free Days in Term 1. Our next Pupil Free Day will be held in Term 2 on Monday 27th April – the first day back after the holidays. Our final Pupil Free Day will be held in Term 3 on Friday 7th August.

MATHS ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW (MAI)

Thank you to all Parents, Grandparents and Carers who brought their children into school to complete their one-on-one Mathematics assessment. This is a time-consuming process and very difficult to complete during school hours. The information gathered is invaluable in getting to know your child’s level of competency in counting, place value, addition & subtraction and multiplication and division by using an interview process rather than a standardised test under test conditions.

A big thankyou to the staff who have given up two of their Staff Development Days to complete this task. For those students who missed out, teachers will need to complete the assessment this week.

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT FOR KINDERGARTEN & DISCO

A meeting for Kindergarten parents will take place on Wednesday 12thFebruary at

6:30pm in the new Creative Arts room (old library). This meeting will fill parents in on the learning, routines and every day running of Kinder. We encourage all parents to come along and join us, even if you have attended in the past.

A disco has been organised for our Kindergarten students and their siblings while this meeting is taking place. It will begin at 6pm outside the new library.

2020 SWIMMING PROGRAM TIMETABLE Swimming lessons for students in Years 1 to Years 6 will begin in Week 5. This 5-day intensive compulsory swimming program will be conducted at the Aquatic Safety Training Academy in Seven Hills operated by Royal Life Saving, Australia's leading water safety educator. The program involves 60-minutes of daily instruction by qualified teachers. The cost of the lessons is included in the 2020 school fees. This program is undertaken in order to further develop the students’ swimming and water safety skills in a structured environment with professional instructors. Each grade will attend in a different week during Term 1. Each class will go at a different time during the day. Year 6: Term 1 Week 5, February 24th - 28th

Year 1: Term 1 Week 6, March 2nd - 6th

Year 5: Term 1 Week 7, March 9th – 13th Year 2: Term 1 Week 8, March 16th – 20th

Year 4: Term 1 Week 9, March 23rd - 27th

Year 3: Term 1 Week 10, March 30th - April 3rd

The program caters for non-swimmers through to accomplished swimmers who will be able to gain experience in stroke techniques by participating in the coaching clinic. The class sizes are kept to a minimum with the ‘least able’ classes attracting smaller numbers to provide the individual attention required. Qualified Austswim Swimming Teachers will teach all children. A swimming questionnaire and permission note was sent home yesterday. The swimming pool requires this information ASAP so they can organise their staff.

PRE-LOVED UNIFORM SHOP Mrs Doris White has volunteered to coordinate our Pre-Loved Uniform shop. Doris began this very important service many years ago when her children attended St. Michael’s. The shop will be open every Monday & Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30am and Monday afternoon between 2:30-3:30pm.

 

PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE SKOOLBAG APP Skoolbag is a free app that can be downloaded to your phone, iPad and computer as a form of communication with the school. Skoolbag IS NOT a social media app. It is available from iTunes and Google. Just search for St. Michael’s Blacktown South and you will see our school crest. All school

notes, notices and newsletters are updated onto this site and you will receive an alert when something is uploaded or there is an important or urgent announcements.

100% ATTENDANCE IN 2019 Congratulations to the following students that had 100% attendance in 2019. They received a special medallion at

assembly today.

FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS

Severe allergies are a community health issue. The most severe allergic reaction is called Anaphylaxis and can be life-threatening. Anaphylaxis is a severe and sudden allergic reaction. It can occur when a susceptible person is exposed to an allergen (such as a food, animal fur and saliva or insect sting).

We have children at St. Michael’s who do suffer from severe (life threatening) allergies and whilst we are not a nut free/egg free school we do ask for everyone's co-operation in minimising the risk to our children. Please supply your children with food that is nut free and egg free on sandwiches. Dogs and cats are NOT permitted on the premises.

You can visit the website: http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/ for more information.

COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES

If the issue is about something to do with the classroom and/or playground –

Contact the Class Teacher Parents are advised to make an appointment with the class teacher through the school office. If further assistance is required, parents are advised to make an appointment with the Stage Coordinator, in the first instance, then the Assistant Principal or Principal.

If the issue is about another parents or child -

Contact the School Leadership Team An inquiry at the school office is the first point of contact for people with complaints. The office staff will take the complaint and refer it to the person designated to deal with the nature of the complaint. This person may be a Coordinator, the Assistant Principal or Principal.

Contact the Principal The matter may be more serious, and in this instance, parents are advised to make an appointment with the Principal through the school office.

Contact the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Parramatta There may be occasions when a person wishes to take their concern directly to the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP). It maybe they are not satisfied with the school’s response or that they have other legitimate reasons for not approaching the school directly, such as a conflict of interest.

The Catholic Education Office (CEDP) has a community liaison line for taking general inquiries or concerns. The CEDP Officer will take the complaint and refer it to the relevant CEDP personnel. In some instances, the CEDP Officer may advise that the complaint is more appropriately dealt with at the school level. In general, the CEDP Officer will refer the complaint to the Director of Performance for the school involved.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YEAR 6 As Year 6 begins their final year of primary school they are presented with the

opportunity to lead our school. Here at St Michael’s, we believe that everyone is

capable of being a leader and is able to put forth their unique qualities to be good

role models for the rest of the school.

Every morning as Year 6 enter their space, they are reminded of the possibilities to

lead and are inspired by some of our world’s greatest leaders. Some students have

shared with you which of those leaders they aspire to be like.

“Malala Yousafgai is a strong, independent and passionate women’s

activist. She inspires me to be a leader at St Michael’s because she

stands up for what she believes in and is not afraid to speak up for

what is right. This inspires me to be dedicated, hardworking and

passionate in whatever I do and I hope to inspire others to do the

same.” Chloe. D

“Nano Nagle inspires me to be a leader at St. Michael’s because she

was a loving teacher. Even though I’m not a teacher, I can act as

one by helping my peers with their work.” - Alexia

“Barack Obama inspires me to be a leader at St. Michael’s

because he is determined and passionate about everything he

does. Barack Obama lead by example and was resilient in his own

way. I think that I can try to be more determined, not just for me

but for everyone else.” - Mikayla

“Greta Thunberg inspires me to be a leader because she stands up

for our environment and I want to help the environment as well. I

have gone to a ‘school strike for climate’ protest and I really enjoyed

it. Our environment is important, we should take care of it because

it’s where we live.” - Keira

“Nano Nagle inspires me to be a great leader at St. Michael’s because she

helped children in need and I can try my best to help students of St

Michael’s too”. Chloe. B

“Michael Jordan inspires me to be a leader as he always got

back up when he fell and took failure as a step forward. So even when

I fail, I can take it as a step forward and help others gain the mindset

to think positively about their learning” -Mackenzie

Will Smith inspires me to be a leader at St Michael’s because he

shows us we can be leaders in our own unique way. He shows us

that hard work and dedication can take you far and was a great

role model for his community. I too want to be a role model for my

community, St Michael’s”. Archie

“Messi inspires me to be a leader at St. Michael’s because when he

was faced with challenges he didn’t stop leading his teammates. I

can live out what Messi did by encouraging people to never give up

and to follow their dreams.” - Levi

“Mother Teresa inspires me to be a leader at St. Michael’s because of

the faithful, loving, compassionate, respectful and amazing role model

she is to everyone. She was a follower of Christ and I too want to be a

leader of this school.” - Dante

Positive Behaviour Support for Learning - PBS4L PBS4L is a whole school framework that helps us create positive learning environments for all students at St Michael’s. The PBS4L framework is a research based and proactive school wide system that establishes clear behaviour expectations. “St MIchael’s seeks to be a Catholic learning community which reflects, engages and empowers to educate the whole child - academically, physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually’. Our school wide expectations at St Michael’s are:

WE ARE SAFE WE ARE RESPECTFUL WE ARE LEARNERS

SPORT NEWS

GRADE SPORT DAYS

Please see listed the days each grade are required to wear their sports uniform in Term 1. This includes white (or nearly white) sports shoes and white socks. Kindergarten - Wednesday only Year 1 - Monday & Tuesday Year 2 - Wednesday & Friday Year 3 - Tuesday & Friday Year 4 - Tuesday & Friday Year 5 - Monday & Wednesday Year 6 - Monday & Tuesday Please ensure your children have a labelled school hat and a drink bottle filled with water every day to school.

ZONE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Congratulations to the following students who will be representing St. Michael’s at the Zone Swimming Carnival on Thursday 13th February at Mount Druitt Pool.

August Cyreszko, Xavier Fenech, Marko Vidovic, Thomas Clarke, Jared Ragasajo, Francesco Tabone, Jacinta Thompson, Mikaela Fenech, Delinda Thompson, Maisy Cyreszko, Isabella Dabit, Nayomi Mouwad, Anabelle Taktak, Peyton Regner, Gabriella Azar, Chloe D’Sa.

Permission notes were sent home yesterday with our Zone swimming representatives. These permission notes must be signed and returned by Friday 7th February. At the assembly, our champion swimmers from the twilight swimming carnival were awarded their medals. Congratulations to the following students:-

Junior Girl Champion - Delinda Thompson Junior Girl Runner Up - Maisy Cyreszko Junior Boy Champion - Marko Vidovic Junior Boy Runner Up - Thomas Clarke 11yr Girl Champion - Peyton Regner 11yr Girl Runner Up - Gabriella Azar 11yr Boy Champion - August Cyreszko 11yr Boy Runner Up - Xavier Fenech Snr Girl Champion - Chloe D’Sa Snr Boy Champion - Jared Ragasajo Snr Boy Runner Up - Francesco Tabone

Yours in Sport Mrs Cristy Budd Sport Coordinator

Wednesday Morning Playgroup 9.15am -11am school terms only ** First day back for Term 1 is Wednesday 12/02/20** Our playgroup is a wonderful way to make connections with other families in a welcoming and informal gathering while having fun with your child. The playgroup is lightly structured with a variety of age appropriate activity options for children to learn through play and social interaction. Venue: Fr Sidney Moseley room (next to St Michaels Church) Cost: $1 - which is put towards the arts/craft supplies and the church room donation. Bring: Morning Tea for your own child. If you are interested in attending or require further information please call Laura on 0416 099 978.