Dear Parents and Carers,

We had a wonderful day on Monday welcoming back our Kinder, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 students. There were many stories being shared and the delight on children’s faces was wonderful to witness as they joined their friends and teachers again. I know for families there will also be a huge sigh of relief, after trying to struggle with work demands and schooling.

A bright spot last Friday night was the Trivia fun night organised by Mr Webb, thank you to Damien for his generosity for taking the time to present this, it was enjoyed by over 30 families. Thanks also to Jane McKeough, our amazing Arts teacher for her wonderful, colourful welcome back sign!

This Friday 29^th October is World Teacher’s Day and I want to take the opportunity to thank our dedicated teachers at St Michael’s. The fact that 3 teachers on our staff are going through the process of collecting evidence and creating portfolios to attain the classification of Highly Accomplished, speaks to the professionalism and commitment to excellence of teachers at St Michael’s.

Many blessings and stay safe

Judy Egan

Assessment and Reporting

This year CECG (Catholic Education Canberra/Goulburn) schools moved to the COMPASS platform to deliver Semester 1 and Semester 2 reports which didn’t include a section for comments. Communication from CECG around the change to reporting was included in newsletters. At St Michael’s we strongly value partnerships for learning and we would like to change the reporting structure this semester. As this report will also have no comments, we are encouraging parents to meet with teachers in Week 9 to have a productive discussion focusing on learning strengths and challenges for the students and some personal goals for 2022. These meetings will take place using MS Teams. Due to the prolonged period of Remote Learning for much of the term, the reports will focus on Religious Education, Literacy (English) and Numeracy (Mathematics). Teachers will also be reporting on a scale for student engagement with learning including creative and critical thinking, communication, responsibility, and collaboration. It is our hope that parents/carers will feel more informed with this change to the process.  

Morning Drop off and Afternoon Pick up

Things have been running smoothly this week. Thank you to the families who are reading our communication and supporting safe practices. Don’t forget to put a clear sign on your windscreen, helping us to identify your family name, this makes the process a lot quicker.

A few important reminders:

• If you arrive after 8.50am and the sliding door is locked, your children can enter via the Front Office, and we will sign them in, as this will avoid adults coming into the building.
• If you need to collect your child during the day, please call us and we will sign them out and walk them out to you.
• Please do not sign your children in late or out early on the COMPASS app, we will do it for you, as this causes inconsistencies with attendance data.

Upcoming Events

Large group events are currently discouraged due to COVID-19. CECG have notified us that shortly we will receive information about events such as Graduations and Kindergarten Orientation.

Our date for the Year 6 Graduation is Wednesday 8^th December, Week 10. We will be able to invite families to the Church for a liturgy and awards ceremony. Further planning depends on information from CECG around ACT Health Directives.

COVID19 Safety Practices

It can be quite confusing keeping up with COVID-19 safety practices, here is a quick Q and A. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Does my child have to wear a mask at school?

No, only high school students are required to wear masks.

What if I want my child to wear a mask?

We will support the wearing of masks and are happy for the children to bring masks from home. We have some child-sized masks available in classrooms.

The same rules apply for K-6 children at school no matter what their age.