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| Important Dates & Reminders | |
| Tuesday 21 March | Harmony Day |
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Monday 20,Tuesday 21,Wednesday 22 March |
Goal Setting Meetings/ Interviews |
| Wednesday 15- Monday 20 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,
It was a privilege to be able to attend the Principal’s Retreat and System Leaders Days last week. The retreat was led by Sr Margaret Ghosn MSHF,
Principal of Maronite College of the Holy Family. The theme for the days was In the Image of God.
I include this image to share with you as it speaks to the fact that we all carry the spark of divinity within us. There were many messages and inspirational quotes from theologians, writers, poets and everyday people. There were times to reflect on scripture and engage in rich conversations.
Jesus welcomes and loves us always; I share with you the final prayer, from the Faith and Worship resource.
We have a call,
To be loved,
and to love,
To be shown mercy,
and to show mercy,
To be forgiven,
and to forgive,
To receive hope,
and to offer hope,
To know joy,
and share joy,
To feel peace,
and bring peace,
To be made whole,
and offer wholeness.
We have a call,
Listen…
Listen…
Do you hear?
High praise for St Michael’s
At the beginning of the Leaders Day- Principals from Canberra/Goulburn Archdiocese and Ross Fox , the Director of Catholic Education, referred to the great work we are doing at St Michael’s. Singling out the progress of our students in writing and our coaching and growth with Brooke Wardana. I am incredibly proud of our teaching team and wanted to share this with our community.
May you and your families continue to be richly blessed this Lenten Season.
Judy Egan
Principal
NAPLAN
NAPLAN 2023 will begin tomorrow and finish on Monday, with sessions happening for Year 3 and Year 5 students each morning. There will also be catch-up sessions next week if students are absent.
Thank you to Bridgette McCann for her coordination of NAPLAN and for the teachers supporting and delivering the tests.
Goal Setting Interviews
We hope that many families will take up the opportunity to be part of Goal Setting Parent/Teacher Meetings Week 8: Monday 20 March to Wednesday 22 March.
Bookings are open this week from Tuesday 14 March toFriday 17 March via COMPASS.
Easter Hot Cross Buns
Our Community Council are organising the purchase of Hot Cross Buns before Easter. Thank you to the team and to Lynda Logan for sorting payment via Qkr. Please see the Hot Cross Bun order form attached.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 7.
Well done!!
| KD | Mia B |
| 1/2K | Anna X |
| 1/2Y | Finn P |
| 3/4B | Zanna B |
| 3/4O | Dante B |
| 5/6H | Mallory B |
| 5/6M | Sean B |
| 5/6S | Aarian K |
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 for 3rd Week of Lent
This season of Lent, all of us are called to redirect our attention in life to follow the Lord and to commit ourselves to Him more wholeheartedly. Each one of us have been given the grace and gift of faith from God, to live our lives in accordance to His path and His truth. If only that we have more faith in Him and not be easily swayed by the temptations around us, we will come closer to Him, and closer indeed to the path towards eternal life. The choice is ours, as God has given us the freedom to choose how we will live our lives. Just like the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at the well and received the living water, the gift of eternal life.
Let us spend our time this remaining season and period of Lent carefully, that we do whatever we can to discern our path in life going forward. May all of us deepen our relationship with God and rediscover that faith and love that we ought to have for Him through our Lenten observance. Let us all do our best to be exemplary Christians in our way of life and be good examples and inspiration for one another, that more and more people may come to believe in God as well through us.
May God bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, all the work we do for His greater glory, not only just for the duration of this season of Lent, but continuing on for the rest of our lives. Amen!
(https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2023/03/page/3/)
Harmony Day Tuesday 21 March
Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs.
It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.
Orange has been the Harmony Week colour since the first event was held in 1999. Traditionally the colour orange relates to social communication, stimulating two-way conversations. It aids in the development of new ideas and frees the spirit of its limitations, giving us the freedom to be ourselves. At the same time it encourages self-respect and respect of others.
Students will participate in classroom-based activities and are encouraged to wear an item of orange clothing, a ribbon or hair piece to help celebrate Harmony Day at St Michael’s.
 Third Week of Lent We are now in the third week of Lent with the Project Compassion story of Priscilla, who lives in the Hwange district in Zimbabwe with her husband, Charles, and two of their grandchildren. Climate change continues to bring unprecedented challenges for people living in the most vulnerable and remote communities in Zimbabwe. During times of intense drought and food shortages, Priscilla had to commute to the town centre and wait in long queues to collect food. With the support of Caritas Hwange, Priscilla learnt conservation farming skills to grow drought-resistant crops and started poultry farming to support her family during the current food crisis. Priscilla was able to produce a bumper harvest in her first year of practising in conservation farming. Priscilla also used the funds from her harvest to start poultry farming, which enabled her to sell eggs to pay for her grandchildren’s school fees, books and stationery. The poultry farming provides a safety net for Priscilla and her family during times of hardship, like the current drought.
Watch a short film about Priscilla’s story here. Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion
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  Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia |
Volunteer Needed to Assist at Belconnen Region Swimming Carnival
We are looking for a volunteer to assist at the Belconnen Region Swimming Carnival on Tuesday 28th March at the AIS. Each school in the Belconnen region is required to provide a volunteer to help out on the day as the carnivals cannot be run without assistance. If there is anyone over the age of 16 years who is able to help out on the day please get in touch. It would be a great opportunity for senior students to do some of their community service hours!
Save the Date – St Michael’s Cross Country Carnival
Our carnival will be held next term on Tuesday 2nd May (Week 2). If you are able to assist as a course marshal we would be very grateful. Volunteers would be required for approximately 2hrs from 9-11am. Please contact Erin Hardwicke or Lynda Logan if you are able to assist.
AFL Gala Day – Paul Kelly Cup
We would like to enter a 5/6 team into this year's Paul Kelly Cup held on Tuesday 9th May. We are a few players short, so if your child is interested in playing please ask them to let me know. The day is aimed at increasing participation and having fun. The contact is limited to modified tackling (bear hug between shoulders and knees).
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge
It is great to see so many of our students who are already off to a flying start with the challenge for this year! Every completed Challenge Record Form can be placed in the barrel in the library, ready for the prize draw when the challenge concludes. Keep up the great reading!!
Covering New Books
If you are able to help out with covering new books please get in touch. I am happy to show you how it is done and your contribution means we can get our new books onto the shelves quicker and into the hands of eager readers.
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