Filter Content
- Important Dates & Events
- Principal's Page - Judy Egan
- Assistant Principal's Page - Bridgette McCann
- Lowes 20% off Sale- 9 & 10 March 2023
- NAPLAN for 2023
- Happy Birthday
- Harmony Awards
- Parish News
- Religious Education News - Lisa Mammoliti
- Sport & Library News
- SFX Enrolment Information Evening for 2024
- Merici- Enrolling for 2024
- St Edmund's College Open Day
| Important Dates & Reminders | |
| Monday 13 March | Canberra Day |
| Tuesday 21 March | Harmony Day |
|
Monday 20,Tuesday 21,Wednesday 22 March |
Goal Setting Meetings/ Interviews |
| Monday 20- Friday 24 March | NAPLAN window |
| Friday 24 March | School Photos |
| Thursday 6 April | Last day of Term 1 |
| Friday 7 April | Good Friday |
| Wednesday 26 April | First day of Term 2 |
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have recently commenced the Season of Lent. It is a time where we prepare for Easter by doing 3 main things prayer, fasting and giving to others. In years gone by the focus used to be on ‘giving up’, in families it was giving up ice-cream, giving up chocolate and having fish n chips on Fridays. Looking a bit deeper as we prepare for Easter, Lent is a time for us to reflect on our own weakness, what are the things that prevent us from accepting Jesus into our hearts? It’s a time to let go of bad habits and develop new positive habits. It’s a time for action on giving to others. Making a difference in a small way is a great first step, how can I do something wonderful for my family? May this Lent be a time of positive change for all of us, inspired by the love and compassion of Jesus.
Registration and Compliance
Thank you to everyone involved in out 2 days of Registration and Compliance last Wednesday and Thursday. The panel is preparing a report that we will share with the community addressing these 5 domains in Catholic Education.
- Catholic Identity and Culture
- Staff Capacity and Leadership
- Excellence in teaching and Learning
- Partnerships and the Community
- Stewardship and Resources
We were required to submit a document detailing our journey of continuous improvement in these areas and providing evidence attesting to the process. The 7 visiting panel members investigated these areas and reported against a set of criteria.
Feedback celebrates and affirms a journey of improvement at St Michael’s. Early feedback has been positive and constructive with ideas and alternatives for various areas. It is always great to have new eyes looking at how we do things.
NAPLAN
We have been sending home parent information about NAPLAN which will be held earlier this year. Please see attached information and reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
A message for the community
The start of the school year is a particularly busy time in our school carparks and surrounding streets. To help keep students safe when making their way to and from school, please ensure you drive and park safely and legally, at and around, school grounds. We all have an important role to play in supporting road safety. Access Canberra has notified us that mobile speed and parking vans will be in operation to support our students’ safety. These enforcement teams play a critical role in supporting our students get to and from school safely and we thank them for their ongoing support. In addition to sticking to the speed limit, please remember to park safely – including not parking across pedestrian crossings, in no stopping zones, on corners, verges and double parking. Unsafe and illegal parking can reduce visibility of our students and motorists to see each other, creating a significant hazard when students cross the road. Let’s work together to keep our kids safe.
This Wednesday to Friday I will be attending the Catholic Leaders Days in Bowral. Thank you to Bridgette McCann who will be stepping up in my absence and to Lisa Mammoliti who continues to be a great support in the Religious Education Coordinator role.
I hope families enjoy the Canberra Day long weekend safe travels.
Many blessings,
Principal
Goal Setting Parent/Teacher Interviews
Meetings will be held in Week 8, Monday 20th-Wednesday 22nd March and bookings will be open next week from 14th-17th on COMPASS
Next week we will be opening up bookings for goal setting meetings for Term 1, 2023. These sessions are opportunities for teachers and parents to focus on setting some brief, achievable goals for the first semester for our students.
Any discussion about goals should always start with a positive - Where does your child feel confident? What are the strengths that your child exhibits? These may not be academic; it is crucial that we build self-esteem and wellbeing before any focus on academic achievements.
For the older students Year 5 & 6 it is often a good idea to include the student for some or all of the interview. This helps put everyone on the same page. For the younger students it can be best for parents and teacher to discuss goals. After the interview parents and teachers can express the goals in more student friendly language for the younger students.
As parents are booked into sessions with teachers it is important that time limits are kept and families are not inconvenienced by sessions going over time. I would encourage parents to make follow up meetings with teachers if the times are not adequate.
If you have any difficulty booking, please email your child’s teacher or the front office for help.
Kind regards,
Bridgette McCann
Assistant Principal (Acting)
bridgette.mccann@cg.catholic.edu.au
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 6.
Well done!!
| KD | Sophie C |
| 1/2K | Ruby W |
| 1/2Y | Christopher J |
| 3/4B | Yattani A |
| 3/4O | Leo K |
| 5/6H | Hugo H |
| 5/6M | Kye M |
| 5/6S | Akito B |
Parish Sacramental Program 2023
If you have a child that has been baptized and is in years 4- 6 in 2023, this may be a Sacramental year for your family.
Sacrament of First Eucharist - will be celebrated on the weekend of 17 and 18 June 2023 across the four Parish Sunday Masses:
5pm - 17 June at St Monica’s Church – Evatt;
8am - 18 June at St Michael’s Church – Kaleen;
10am – 18 June at St Monica’s Church – Evatt; and
5.30pm – 18 June at St Michael’s Church – Kaleen.
Registrations open on Monday 3 April 2023 and will close by Friday 28 April 2023.
Registration for the Sacrament must be made via the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Qkr! App (NOT the school app).
No late registrations will be accepted after the closing date.
Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on 5, 6 & 7 September 2023.
Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in term 1, 2024.
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
Religious Education
Reflection
As we continue to progress through this season of lent, all of us are continuously reminded to make our lives and actions to be truly good and worthy of God, and we are reminded today to show compassion and mercy on others, just as the lord himself has shown to all of us. Since the very beginning, when God created us, he has created us all with love, and he has patiently taken care of us, while guiding and providing help for us in our journey that we may come to find our way back to him.
Through our faithful practice of prayer, fasting and almsgiving this lent, let us deepen our relationship with God, restrain our personal and worldly desires as well as ambitions, and learn to become more generous in loving one another, putting others as equally important as ourselves. Let us all be no longer selfish in our attitudes and way of life, but be filled with god’s love and generosity, kindness and compassion, and do our best to love one another just as God has loved us. May God bless us all and our every good efforts and endeavours, and help us to have a most fruitful and blessed season of lent. Amen. (Taken from a reflection by Peter Canisius Michael David Kang)
Religious Education in the classrooms.
This term each class has been working on various aspects of the Religious Education Curriculum.
The Curriculum is based on Gabriel Moran’s model of Teaching about Religion, which is the classroom teaching of Religion and Teaching people to be Religious in a particular way, which is the Religious Life of the School.
In Kindergarten, the children have been learning about how people communicate with others and how this can build positive relationships so people can follow God’s plan to live happily and safely together. This includes exploring the signs, symbols, words, actions and gestures which enable us to communicate with others and with God.
In Year 1/2, the students have been exploring the big idea “Living in harmony can help people to feel happy and safe in a community”. This learning is exploring what a community is, what the characteristics of a harmonious community are and how people can live happily and safely according to God’s plan for creation using Jesus’ teaching about treating others the way you want to be treated.
In Year 3/4, the students have been exploring how human rights for all empower people to nurture a harmonious and fair society. Students have been learning how to use the Bible to find key Scriptures which explore how Jesus teaches and models how people should live, including the Golden Rule.
In Year 5/6, the students have been learning about the significant individuals and events of the early Australian Catholic Church. Students are exploring how Faith can help individuals and communities in the face of adversity and challenges.
Lisa Mammoliti
Religious Education Coordinator
 Second Week of Lent This week through Project Compassion we learn about Tereesa, a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. At just 16 years old, she had to leave school after falling pregnant with her first child. A single mother struggling with homelessness, Tereesa’s only concern was finding stability for her children. Seeking a better future for her family, Tereesa joined Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation’s Young Mums and Bubs Group, supported by Caritas Australia. Baabayn helped Tereesa access housing and psychological support. Through Baabayn, Tereesa was also able to hear stories from Indigenous Elders and reconnect with her culture. Today, Tereesa is studying a certificate in Community Services so that she can strengthen her skills and give back to her community. Tereesa now works at Baabayn, providing support to young mothers and mentoring the next generation of young people. Watch a short film about Tereesa’s story here. Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion
|
 Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia |
Belconnen Region Swimming
Congratulations to our students who will represent us at the Belconnen Region Swimming Competition later this month. We wish you our very best!
Permission notes were sent home on Monday with our swimmers. Could these please be returned by this Friday 10th March. Payment can be made to Lynda at the Front Office or on QKR.
SCHOOL SPORT ACT TRIALS – Please keep an eye on the School Sport ACT website www.schoolsportact.asn.au for upcoming ACT trials. The process for registering can be found below. If you need any assistance registering your child please feel free to ask for assistance.
How to register your child with School Sport ACT
School Sport ACT now collects all registration information online – this is to prevent the movement to and fro of a paper note and have all information readily available to officials prior to the trial. As this process incurs a fee for data storage, system maintenance and admin, a small $5 fee payment via credit card will be required.
- Go to the School Sport ACT website – www.schoolsportact.asn.au
- Click Register (top right corner of homepage) for an Account – enter parent details and password
- A confirmation email will be sent to your chosen email that will contain a link that you must click on to verify the email account.
- Click Log In (top right hand corner of home page) enter password then click on top tab My Profile
- You will see a ‘dashboard’ of your information, click green box to Add Student – enter student and medical details and save.
- Go to the Sports Tab – choose your specific sport, click on Trial Information box then click on the Register to Trial link.
- Select your child’s name from the dropdown box and then enter the optional fields for Playing History, Preferred Position (if applicable) and Representative Experience. If you are already in the system, ensure your child’s school is up to date in your profile – have they moved onto High School?
Please contact me via email if you have any questions, feedback or are able to offer your assistance at any of our sporting events throughout the year.
Erin Hardwicke
erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au
New Books for our Library
The students were excited to check out new books for our library! The books were purchased with the vouchers we received for winning last year’s Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge! We have already kicked off our 2023 challenge and are hopeful of another award this year!
