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| THIS WEEK | ||
| 17th February | Sacramental Program Information Evening | |
| COMING UP | ||
| 18th March | School Photo Day | |
| 8 April | Last Day for Term 1 | |
| 27 April | First Day for Term 2 | |
Please remember that copies of notes sent home are available on our website. https://www.stmichaelsps.act.edu.au/notes
Dear Parents/Carers,
Often at the start of the new school year, children can experience anxiety, this can be because of starting with a new class and a new teacher and worrying about the change or feeling stressed. This is a normal human response to a stress. For most children this worry goes away when they establish relationships and make connections/friendships etc.
For some children anxious thoughts can sometimes become overwhelming and it is a difficult situation for parents to know how to support their child. Michael Grose and Dr Jodi Richardson have authored a great book; Anxious Kids, how children can turn their anxiety into resilience. We have a copy if anyone would like to borrow it.
We are always here to support your family in whatever ways we can to ensure children are feeling safe and happy at St Michael’s. Please reach out to your teacher if you have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child. We also have Soraya Fisher our School Counsellor from CatholicCare, here with us every Tuesday. You are able to seek support by contacting us at any time.
Have a great week,
Many Blessings
Judy Egan
Principal
Reminder
A friendly reminder if parents could please return the Student Information Checklist Form and the Medical Alert Form as soon as possible.
Change to Afternoon Pickup
We have noticed that there is a safety issue with parents and younger siblings gathering outside the Front Office at afternoon pickup. To ensure everyone stays safe we will be dismissing children that are picked up by parents at the grass area next to the canteen gate. If you park your car on the basketball courts in the afternoon your child will walk through the side gate to meet you. We will start this as of Monday 21st Febraury so we can practise with the children. It is really important to let your child know what your normal pick up arrangements are. If you have a Kinder child you can attach a reminder to their school bag and email your child's teacher to avoid any confusion.
Sacramental Information Evening
There is an Information Evening on Thursday 17th February for families with children who are wishing to receive the sacraments this year. This is for those families who have children in Years 3, 4 or 6 and you are interested in having them receive the sacraments of:
- First Reconciliation (Yr3),
- First Communion (Yr4) or
- Confirmation (Yr6)
The Information Evening will be via zoom at 6:00pm. It is vital you attend this information session to learn more about the process and preparation required from families this year in our parish. Fr Loi looks forward to seeing you all there. The zoom address is https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/67225195932
Religious Education around our school – Spotlight on 1/2
In 1/2 students are learning more about prayer. They have been practising different ways to pray and how we give God our full attention with a still body and a focused mind. I was fortunate enough to join them for a special time of Christian Meditation last Friday.
1/2B wisdom about prayer:
Hannah – You need to be sensible and sit still for prayer
Lauren – We block out distractions to hear God
Leo – Let God be in your heart
Aaliyah – You have to love God when you’re talking to God
Emma – We pray to God
Valentina – Let God talk to you, not just you talking to God
Sofia – Listen to your heart when you pray
Maddy – We connect with God in prayer
A Reflection on our year theme Faithful in Prayer.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” – Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom’s life (April 15, 1892-April 15, 1983) is a beautiful and powerful display of the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:12. Having been arrested by the Gestapo for helping Jewish men, women and children escape the Nazi genocide during World War II, Corrie ended up in Ravensbruck – a German concentration camp. She, along with many others, was victimized and forced into hard labor. The injustice she suffered there was unspeakable, yet she testified years later how she learned that God’s love is deeper than any pit of evil or suffering we can face.
Of the 130,000 prisoners that passed through Ravensbruck, Corrie was one of only 40,000 who survived the camp and was released. She spent her post-prison life preaching about God’s love. In 1947, one of the former prison guards approached her and asked for her forgiveness. Corrie recognized the man, remembering that he was one of the more cruel guards who had committed horrible acts of cruelty against Corrie and her sister. Corrie testifies that by the power and love of God, she took the man’s hand and said, “I forgive you everything.” There is no doubt that Corrie ten Boom was, “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
Do you think it is possible to bear the fruit of faithfulness without a vibrant, healthy prayer life? Although few of us will face the suffering and hardships that Corrie ten Boom did, is prayer any less important in our lives? There are brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world who do face such atrocities because of the gospel. Don’t we owe it to them – and to Christ – to faithfully pray for them?
Do you pray only when you need something? Do you pray when you feel like it, or have the time? Faithfulness in prayer means praying regularly and often. Our prayers should be saturated with praise and thanksgiving to the Father. It is a time to commune with Him by both talking and listening. There is no quicker way to experience a heart change than through prayer.
Begin today by setting aside a time daily to spend in faithfulness to God through prayer.
Dear God, Thank You for the privilege of prayer. Please help me to be faithful in my prayer life. May my prayers be full of faith and in accordance with Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
From Touching Lives by James Merritt
https://www.touchinglives.org/devotionals/faithful-in-prayer
Sacramental Program 2022
If you have a child in Years 3, 4, or 6 in 2022, this will be a Sacramental year.
This also applies if your child is in Year 5 and he/she has previously missed the Sacraments of Reconciliation and/or First Eucharist.
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE FROM A FACE-TO-FACE MEETING TO ZOOM.
A Parish Sacramental Program Information Evening will be held this Thursday 17 February 2022 at 6pm via zoom for the families of students in Years 3-6 in 2022. You are very welcome to zoom into the information session where all the relevant information will be available.
The zoom address is https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/67225195932
First Eucharist will be celebrated in Term 2, 2022.
Confirmation will be celebrated in Term 3, 2022.
Reconciliation will be celebrated in Term 4, 2022.
For further Information – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website for updates at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
As several of the students at our school have a life threatening allergy to nuts and related products we have adopted a NUT FREE policy.
Our school does not sell any
nut products and we ask you to support our efforts by ensuring that your child does not bring peanuts, peanut butter, nutella or other nut related products to school in their lunch boxes. This will require you to take note of the content of items such as muesli bars etc.
We appreciate your support in ensuring the health and safety of all our students.
ACT Swimming Championship Nominations Required Now!
If you wish to nominate your child to be selected to compete at the ACT Swimming Championships, please contact Mrs Hardwicke by no later than Friday 25th February. Due to COVID restrictions, the process is very different for this year and students will need to provide an offical time with their nomination.
Erin Hardwicke
erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au
Library Matters
Library Lovers' Day
Monday 14th was not only Valentine's Day but it was also Library Lovers' Day! We created a display to celebrate what we love about our library and why we enjoy reading. We encourage you to take some time to relax with your favourite book or share a story as a family.
New Books in our Library
We have just received an extensive number of titles to add to our First Nations collection. These will make their way on to the shelves over the coming weeks.
SORA Library App
If you haven’t already downloaded the SORA App, we encourage you to do so. It allows students to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from our school's digital library collection. When in the App, it will ask for the school name, please select 'ACEN Member Collection' (this is for various CE schools). If your child logs in from home, student login details are required. Your child's login details are as per the student login used at school. If your child has forgotten their login details please see their classroom teacher.
Looking forward to an exciting year in the library.
Erin Hardwicke
Special wishes to those children who will celebrate their birthday this week:
Sierra 5/6Y, Logan 3/4L, Peltsho 3/4F and Lucas 3/4L
We hope you have a great day!!
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 3. Awards will be handed out to students during the day on Friday.
Well done!!
| KD | Anastasia V |
| KK | Toby B |
| 1/2B | Leo K |
| 1/2H | Gordon D |
| 3/4F | Nick S |
| 3/4L | Jesse H |
| 5/6H | Madison M |
| 5/6S | Vanessa C |
| 5/6Y | Stella C |
Please Help Mr Webb
Hello Lovely St Michael’s Families
On Friday the 25th of Feb, I am beginning a 3-day ride to Charlotte’s Pass (above Perisher) and back, to help raise money for Hartley Lifecare. I am fortunate enough to be riding with three of my brothers and riding with a team from the Department of Health. I have completed this ride once before, 2 years ago. It is great fun, but it is certainly a challenge. The ride is about 550km over the three days and requires a lot of training and preparation.
What is Hartley Lifecare?
Established in 1962, Hartley Lifecare (Hartley) is a Canberra-based not-for-profit organisation providing supported accommodation for people with disability, their families, and carers. Originally established to provide a learning facility and therapy support service for children and adults, Hartley has grown extensively to support clients in over 30 homes across the ACT.
How do I donate?
The following link will allow you donate to my effort. It is a great cause, and all the support is greatly appreciated.
https://www.hartley.org.au/fundraisers/damienwebb/the-hartley-cycle-challenge
Many thanks
Damien Webb