This week we take a moment to reflect and celebrate St Mary of the Cross MacKillop with her Feast Day on August 8. What an extraordinary woman. Australia's First Saint. 

What an amazing legacy Mary MacKillop has had on Education in Australia. Her dedication, and advocacy for the poor, sick and those in need in our society. What we as Catholic Educators still hold dear to our hearts today.

There are many quotes from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop that resonate with me. Perhaps one of these might speak to you this week...

'Never see a need without doing something about it'

'Find happiness in making others happy'

'We have much for which to be thankful'

'We must teach more by example, than by word'

'Remember, we are all but travellors here'

Annual Survey

An annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff will be conducted on behalf of all Catholic schools in the Diocese this term. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified. 

The surveys will be launched via email on Friday 7 August 2020 using the email addresses supplied to the school. If you do not receive an email with a link to the survey, please contact the Front Office directly. 

Community Council Update

Community Council met via Zoom last night. It has been an interesting year regarding council, due to COVID-19. 

Unfortunately, due to the current restrictions, we will have to place our disco on hold for the time being. You would remember we pencilled in a night this term, in the hope that we could plan behind the scenes and by the time the night came around, restrictions would have eased. Due to the pausing of easing restrictions within the ACT, we have had to make the call now to hold off, until hopefully Term 4. 

We have also decided, that we would like to go ahead with our annual Trivia Night, but via Zoom instead. Our thinking is, that parents and carers organise their table of 8-10 people and go to someone's house to play. Mr Webb will be the quiz master for the night and we might be able to organise some roaming visitors to houses. Watch this space! We are really keen to get some community event up and going and be able to connect everyone (even via zoom) and have some fun!

COVID-19 Update

St Michael's and Catholic Education continue to take advice from health authorities in relation to COVID-19. The Catholic Education Office has a team that is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it develops, paying particular attention to local hotspots and organising support for schools where required. St Michael's is practicing all safe hygiene practices in line with government advice. We understand that the situation is fairly fluid and we will communicate directly with you should there be any important changes in relation to our school operations in the coming weeks. We remind all families: 

• If your child is unwell, they should not attend school.
• Please ensure that anyone who presents with COVID-19 symptoms in your family is tested.
• Parents should avoid routinely entering the school where possible but can attend scheduled school events and meetings with teachers where required (physical distancing and hygiene measures still apply).
• In regards to afternoon pick ups - our messaging is 'please pick up and leave'. A reminder that you can drive through the staff carpark from 3.05pm if easier. 

Should you have any questions in relation to our school and COVID-19, please feel free to contact our office.

Take it easy. 

Kind regards, 

Pat Ellis

Principal