Dear Parents and Carers,

I saw this image of St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore in the 2022 National Catholic Education Commission Report (NCEC) which has recently been released. The Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools was particularly impacted by flood waters and a number of students, their families and staff also suffered personal losses.

I share this image because it speaks to me of courage amidst adversity and resilience against the odds. May this help us to grow in gratitude for the gifts we have knowing that Mother Mary and her son Jesus walk with us.

Yesterday Year 5/6 students attended our Parish Mass to celebrate the Feast of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

Father Mick shared this prayer:

God, source of all goodness, who have shown us in Saint Mary a woman of faith living by the power of the Cross, teach us, we pray, by her example to live the Gospel in changing times and to respect and defend the human dignity of all in our land.

Thank you for your continued support.

Many blessings,

Judy Egan

Student absences

Information has been going home via the Compass portal regarding student absences. We are currently working with the Compass team to ensure we have systems in place to assist families to successfully log student absences via the parent portal. Current Government regulations make it a legal responsibility for parents to inform the school regarding student absences. We have discovered the system works best when parents only log full day absences, please do not log partial absences.

As of Monday 14 August, Compass reminders will be sent to parents at 1pm daily if the student is absent requesting an absent note.

If you are having any issues with the parent portal or would like support completing processes, please contact the front office staff who are happy to assist.

Community Council Corner

Community Council Meeting Update for newsletter

A broad range of agenda items were discussed at the recent Community Council meeting. 

 The school Disco and the Athletics carnival were all deemed to be great successes and the Community Council thanked all for their input into the running of both events.  The school Greenhouse requires considerable ongoing work to maintain its functionality and the alternate options are being considered.  Should any member of the school community be interested in being involved in the Greenhouses future, please approach the school.

 The possibility to re-introduce lunch orders for the students was proposed, which will be investigated by a parent committee and school staff.  Enrolments for Kinder 2024 are tracking well. 

 A key topic of discussion centred around the Catholic Education (CE) Office model for Community Councils across the diocese.  The model provides a broad guide to the makeup and conduct of the Council and the CE were looking for feedback, which was collated and provided.  This is a great opportunity to promote the Community Council as a genuine way to have an input into the culture and future of St Michael’s.  Should member of the school community be interested in becoming a member, please reach out to any of the current Council, who would be more than happy to help!