Happy Catholic Schools Week! How fortunate we are to belong to such an amazing Catholic school community. I would like to thank everyone who attended our open classrooms on Monday. It was great to see so many people. 

Thank you to the Community Council for hosting our annual Catholic Schools Week Community Breakfast. I know many of the political leaders and CE staff look forward to visiting our school every year to celebrate with us. A big thank you to Lisa and Damien for your help and support with organising this event and for the staff for assisting with running of the breakfast.

This term, Damien Webb, Laura Frogley and myself will be participating in the ACT for Peace 'Ration Challenge' during Refugee Week (16-23 June). This is an important issue to raise awareness and ensure as a Catholic school, we are promoting an understanding for our students the issues that refugees, right around the world, face each and every day. It is important to instill in our students the understanding that everyone has basic human rights and they should be based on dignity, equality and mutual respect – regardless of our nationality, our religion or our beliefs. We also have the right to be treated fairly and treat others fairly, and have the ability to make choices about our own lives.

During this week (16-23 June), we want to bring the spotlight onto the importance of looking out for those in need and raise some money. Damien, Laura and I will live on rations (similar to refugee rations in Syria) for 7 days. No coffee, alcohol, meat and other items we take for granted. We will have a small amount of rice, flour, lentils, chickpeas, beans, fish and oil. We would appreciate if people were in a position to sponsor us. The money raised will help support Syrian refugees living in camps in Jordan, having fled eight years of conflict and violence in their own country. The funds will also be used to help tackle injustice around the world through Act for Peace’s emergency response, long-term development and advocacy programs.

Did you know, that over 11 million Syrian people – nearly half the country’s population – have been displaced because of war. They are some of the world’s most vulnerable people; mothers and fathers struggling to feed their children; sons and daughters missing out on an education; people dying for want of basic medical care that we take for granted in Australia; and families who, after losing everything, are not getting the support they deserve to rebuild their lives.

Please help us to help them. Every day during refugee week (16-23 June) Damien, Laura and I will keep the school community updated with how we are going and bring awareness to each class throughout the week to help develop a deeper understanding of the refugee crisis. Thank you in advance for your support. To sponsor us, please follow the link https://my.rationchallenge.org.au/stmichaelsstaff

Today we opened up the school to the community for our Enrolment Open Day. It is always a special day for a Principal as you see Year 6 leaders walking families around the school and showcasing the great learning experiences that occur. We will be still accepting enrolments throughout the year, so please spread the good news about St Michael's. A huge selling point for us and feedback from new families is the facilities we have, Miss Jordan's Garden, STEM/Coding experiences, smaller school, our classroom support program and the great reputation we have.

Tomorrow we will celebrate our Mums and the special women in our lives with Mass at 9.30am. We will host afternoon tea between 3-4pm in the school library with an activitiy in both of the block areas for mums to do with their child/ren. Hope to see you there.

Thank you to all the amazing women who love and cherish all our students. Happy Mother's Day for Sunday!

Enjoy the week ahead.

Regards,

Pat Ellis

Principal