Thank you to the parents and family members who attended our Meet and Greet last week, whilst the attendance was low, discussions among teachers and parents were constructive and positive.

As you know, St Michael's is an inclusive learning environment, one that encourages and celebrates diversity. All children have different needs whether they be physical, social, academic, emotional or behavioural. For children, sometimes it is harder to understand students who may require additional supports, if they are not physical. It is important however, to have conversations with your child and encourage empathy, acceptance and inclusion. 

Basic ideas to share with your child...

No two people are the same -- some differences are just more noticeable.
People have many facets: likes and dislikes, strengths and challenges.
We are all the same in the sense that we all want friends, to be respected and to be included.
We all learn differently and for some, it might take them longer. They may require different tools or equipment to help with learning and focusing.

Try to use clear, respectful language when talking about other children. There are many students who have additional needs across the school with many unknown to the parent body, for this reason, it is important to keep in the back of your mind that there may be additional supports in place. Know that we, as a school, are working with families consistently regarding supporting each student. Our Classroom Support Team go in and out of every classroom each day to work one-on-one with students or with small groups. At times, there may be a need for some students to leave the classroom for individual support.

Accommodations are present in all classrooms, some may be more evident such as visuals around the room and others not so noticeable like individual safety plans. 

Again, rest assured that we are working very closely with many families across the school to ensure additional supports and adjustments are being made. We are also doing work across the school with all children to foster our values of empathy, acceptance and inclusion.

BYO ipad Information & Bootcamp Night - Year 5/6

Thank you to those parents who have expressed interest in this night going ahead. We will move forward with this night, however, we have had to change the date due to staff availability to lead the session. The BYOipad Night will now be on Tuesday 26 February at 6pm. We apologise for any inconvienence caused with the change of date.

We thank everyone for the feedback at the end of last year regarding topics to be covered. Some topics will include effective use in class, posture, games, messaging, expectations, consequences, homework, just to name a few. There will be time for parents to share tips and ideas they have used at home for appropriate use of devices etc. 

Moving forward, this night will be held in Term 4 for families of students in Year 4/5 in preparation for the following year.

School Fees - Term 1

Term 1 school fees are due soon. Please ensure school fees for Term 1 are paid by 8th March, unless paying by Direct Debit. Thank you to those parents/carers who have already made payments. A reminder to those families on direct debit, please ensure you have increased payments this year to ensure fees are finalised in time.

Enjoy the week ahead.

Be kind.

Pat Ellis

Principal