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- Important Dates & Events
- St Michael's Enrolment Open Days
- Principal's Page - Judy Egan
- English Update!
- Happy Birthday
- Harmony Awards
- Parish News
- Religious Education News - Erika Tokich
- Sport & Library News - Erin Hardwicke
- NCCD Information
- Free Webinar!
- School Counsellor News
- Parentline
- Menslink
- St Joseph's ELC Open Day
- Merici Open Days
- SFX Open Day
- John Paul College II Open Events
- Daramalan Open Day
- School Sport ACT - ACT Teams Selection - 2024
| Important Dates & Reminders | Time | Event |
| Wednesday 8 May |
9am - 1pm & 4pm -6pm |
Open Day |
| Thursday 9 May | 9am - 1pm | Open Day |
| Thursday 9 May | Mother's Day Stall | |
| Thursday 9 May | 6pm | First Eucharist Formation Evening |
| Friday 10 May | Walk Safely to School Day | |
| Friday 10 May | 8.30am | Mother's Day Classroom Visits |
| Friday 10 May | 9.30am | Mother's Day Liturgy/Assembly & Awards |
| Thursday 16 May | Athletics Carnival @ Merici College |
Hats On!
Students are still expected to wear hats. Hats off is for June/July.
Dear Parents and Carers,
An enormous thank you to the 13 families and teaching staff and their families, who joined us for our Working Bee and pizza lunch on Sunday. Despite the weather, we were able to get the mulch moved and garden beds planted and a mountain of other jobs sorted! St Michael’s is looking in tip top shape for our Open Days and I know Mr. Kennedy is wearing a HUGE smile! Thank you to the following families: Knight, Coric, Metz, Bickley, Wunch, Puren, Pollard, Byfield, Sim, Hinder, McCurdy, Love, and Tshering. I am so thrilled with the results and grateful for the team effort- how wonderful for our students to enjoy such beautifully refreshed and rejuvenated grounds! Please see the photos attached.
Acknowledging Mothers and Mother Figures in our lives
In our Catholic Tradition, May is the month of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, so it is fitting that Mother’s Day occurs in May. We believe Mary is our divine Mother and when we pray to her, she intercedes for us through her Son -Jesus. Mary was the perfect example of a mother’s love for all of us. She was brave and faithful and devoted to her family; she did her best despite so many challenges.
We ask God’s blessing this Mother’s Day for all mothers and brave women in our community and beyond. Those who have lost their mothers, those who yearn for motherhood and those who take on the role of caring for children. May all these wonderful women be truly blessed in their journey.
Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 May Mother’s Day Gift Stall, (optional) Your child is welcome to bring money to school to purchase a small, wrapped Mother’s Day Gift. Items are priced at $6, $8, $10. It would greatly assist if your child could bring the correct amount of money. Our budget has allowed the purchase of 1 item per child. Thank you to our Fundraising Working Group for their organisation of this event.
Friday 10 May: Open classrooms from 8:30am and Mother’s Day Liturgy in the Church: 9:30am.
Enrolment Period Monday 29 April-Friday 31May (Don’t miss out)
Do you have a pre-schooler ready to start school?
Do you have family or friends wanting to join our wonderful community?
Please invite families with 2025 Enrolments to get in touch.
Our Open Days (Please spread the word!)
Wednesday 8 May: 9am-1pm and 4pm-6pm
Thursday 9 May: 9am-1pm
If you can distribute some promotional leaflets in your suburb that would be a great help!
Term 2 Information Letters
Please take the time to read Information Letters sent home this week so that you will be up to date with your child’s class information and school events this term.
Thank you for your continued support.
Many blessings,
Judy Egan
Principal
MONTHLY SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS
(INCLUDING ACT BUILDING FUND AMOUNTS)
Please note Families who have a zero balance and no current transactions will not be issued a statement. Where we have received payments for School Fees since the last statement, a statement will be issued displaying the movement in their account.
BUILDING FUND OPT IN RESPONSES
Your continued support is important of the building fund as this funding is vital for the maintenance and upkeep of our school facilities.
Please read the following information:
- An email has been sent from donotreply-accounts@cg.catholic.edu.au email address. This is an authentic CECG email address and is not SPAM.
- The Opt-In email will be sent to both parents and take the option chosen by the first parent. Split families will receive separate emails for their portion of the split.
- Each family will be requested to either select “Yes” or “No” regarding their intention to contribute to the Building Fund.
- The amount and frequency will be locked to $210 per Term, however an additional area has been included that will enable a family to contribute an additional amount if they wish to do so.
- Families can amend the Receipt details if they are contributing, i.e., for tax purposes.
This week on Compass, Information was shared in the Term 2 Overview of Learning about the content and skills taught by teachers during English lessons. In addition to this, we have begun providing further information on Compass about evidence-based programs that we use at St Michael’s.
The English Block at St Michael’s occurs daily from 9-11am and is taught using Direct Instruction and High Impact Teaching methods. Teachers use a variety of methods including the use of whiteboards and slides to deliver content and skills. We also deliver literacy Intervention programs to support students to further embed and develop their literacy skills. This is to ensure we strive to reach the system goal that every child will be a competent reader.
English K-2
Teachers in K-2 use the InitiaLit program to teach. It is a researched-based program developed by an organisation called MultiLit. It addresses reading, spelling and writing by:
- actively teaching the relationships between sounds and letters
- building vocabulary skills through quality children’s books
- giving children lots of practice in reading, handwriting, spelling and writing activities
If you would like to know more about this program and how you can help your child at home please read the information provided on Compass.
English 3-6
Teachers in 3-6 deliver lessons on spelling. grammar, handwriting and typing, vocabulary, sentence and text level writing, word level reading, text level reading, comprehension and reading fluency.
In Years 3-6 we have adopted Spelling Mastery. This is a Direct Instruction program that has an extensive research base and is teacher directed. The program helps students understand the relationship between sounds, word parts, and spelling patterns. Spelling Mastery encourages students to learn strategies to spell correctly rather than rely on memory alone.
If you would like more ideas on supporting your child at home, you are encouraged to discuss your child’s learning with his/her classroom teacher. You could also support your child’s literacy progress by
- Encouraging daily reading &reading to your child.
- Build vocabulary through helping your child to learn new words and explaining their meaning.
- Share learning by encouraging your child to talk about a topic, idea or skill they learnt at school and ask detailed questions.
- Ask your child’s teacher if they can provide support and advice for learning at home.
If you would like to know more about CECG Literacy practice and teaching methods please follow the link provided.
https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/information-for-parents/
Special wishes to those children who will celebrate their birthday this week:
| Sean B | 5/6 Pink |
| Heloise G | 3/4 Green |
| Finn P | 1/2 Red |
| Madeleine C | 3/4 Green |
| Valentina C | 3/4 Orange |
Birthday certificates will be handed out at the Mother's Day Liturgy/Assembly on Friday.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award this week.
Well done!!
| K Yellow | Griffin W |
| 1/2 Blue | Anna X |
| 1/2 Red | Nicholas F |
| 3/4 Green | Alana Z |
| 3/4 Orange | Zoe M |
| 5/6 Indigo | Kitsab N |
| 5/6 Pink | Yattani A |
Parish Sacramental Program 2024
2024 Parish Sacramental Program – for students who are baptised and in years 4-6 in 2024.
Sacrament of First Communion – will be celebrated during the four Parish weekend Masses on 15 and 16 June 2024.
Commitment Masses – Sacrament of First Communion
Students and parents must attend one of the weekend Masses at either St Monica’s Church (5pm Saturday or 10am Sunday) or St Michael’s Church (8am or 5.30pm Sunday) on one of the dates listed below to make their commitment for the Sacrament.
Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May
There will be no additional commitment masses beyond this date.
Parent Formation – will be held on Thursday 9 May 2024 at 6pm in St Monica’s Church, Evatt.
Sacrament of Confirmation – will be celebrated on 17, 18, and 19 September. Registrations will open on 24 June 2024.
For further Information – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Month of Mary
Mary is the first and greatest among the saints. It was through Mary’s openness to the Holy Spirit that the gift of Jesus came into the world. She has many important names including ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Help’, which our parish in named.
For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of Mary to honour Mary. During this month there are special observances and devotions to Mary, including daily recitation of the Rosary. It’s also a Catholic tradition to honour Mary by crowning her statue with flowers as a tribute of faith and love. As part of honouring Mary at our school there is a display in the front office area this month. If you would like to join the parish in honouring Mary, a decade of the Rosary will be prayed before the 5pm mass on Sunday; all are welcome.
Mother’s Day
Mother's Day is a special celebration honouring mothers, mother figures, motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. Catholics have been celebrating Mother’s Day since the first few centuries of the Church. This Sunday we will celebrate the mothers in our lives. We especially thank all the St Michael’s mums for their love and support and ask God to bless them today and always. We hope to see many of our mums this Friday at our open classrooms and the Mother’s Day liturgy at 9:30.
Eucharist
A reminder that this Thursday the 9th there is a Parent Formation Evening for parents of First Eucharist candidates at St Monica’s Church at 6pm. Commitment masses will then follow on the 11/12 May and the 18/19 May. Please keep our Eucharist candidates in your thoughts and prayers.
Athletics Carnival Reminders
Our athletics carnival will be held on Thursday 16 May at Merici College. All students from K-6 will travel to and from the carnival via bus. Please see the Compass event for details about the day.
Please provide consent via Compass as soon as possible. If consent is not provided, students are unable to attend the carnival. If you need assistance with Compass, please contact your child’s teacher.
A sausage sizzle $3 and fruit box $1 can be purchased on the day for lunch. All other food and drink will need to be sent to school as usual.
Volunteers Needed
If you are able to assist at the carnival from 9:30am-1:30pm we would greatly appreciate your help. At this stage we are looking for at least 6 more volunteers. Please contact Erin Hardwicke if you can help erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au
Regional Cross Country
Thursday 23 May at Stromlo Forest Park, Dave McInnes Rd, Stromlo ACT. The program of events has been added to the ‘resources’ tab on Compass. Please meet Mrs Blakey and Mrs Hardwicke when you arrive to collect your competitors sticker.
AFL Gala Day
We are looking forward to participating at this year’s Paul Kelly Cup on Tuesday 14 May. Please see the Compass Event for all details. The draw will be made available in the ‘resources’ tab on Compass once we receive it.
Library
Indigenous Literacy Foundation
This year we will again support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) by hosting a Great Book Swap. The Great Book Swap will be held next term as part of our CBCA Book Week celebrations. To help make the day a success, we are asking each child to donate a book in good, second-hand quality. Books can be donated at any time this term and can be dropped at either the Front Office or given to your child’s teacher. On the day of the Great Book Swap each class will visit the book stall and be able to choose a book for a gold coin donation. All money raised will then be used by the ILF to purchase books for Indigenous children in remote communities. We hope you will help us to support this great initiative.
Erin Hardwicke
Library Teacher/Sports Lead
My name is Jo, and I am happy to be back as the School Counsellor at St Michaels in 2024.
I have a psychology and counselling background and I have a great passion in working with young people. I feel it is a great privilege to be able to support them with their growth, emotions, relationships, and any other concerns they might be experiencing.
The school counselling program is a first port of call in supporting your child’s mental wellbeing within the school environment. I am able to provide short-term counselling intervention sessions over a few weeks and provide support and guidance in accessing external services if required. Feel free to touch base with any questions or concerns relating to the counselling service at your school, happy to chat through the program and the support I can offer in this role. I am at the school on a Monday each week.
If you would like to make a referral for your child, please use the link below to access the form – once the referral has been put through, I will be in touch as soon as possible.
https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form
I look forward to working with you and your school throughout 2024!
For 20 plus years, Menslink have provided free counselling to young guys throughout Canberra and the surrounding region.
If your young guy is having a hard time and could really use someone to talk to, get in touch with Menslink. Now conveniently located in Holder (with some sessions also available at Kippax & Lanyon), our wait times are currently low so we’re ready to help when he needs it.
We provide a welcoming and supportive environment for young guys to share their concerns and worries with a male counsellor who will hear them out, work alongside them and provide tips and strategies to get them through those tough times.
Our Counselling sessions are completely confidential and are available to any male aged 10-25. There are no fees or charges or limits to the number of sessions. You don’t need a mental health plan and we are available during school terms and school holidays. The only prerequisite is that he is willing to give it a try.
If you think your young guy will benefit from chatting to one of our counsellors, have a chat with them and head to www.menslink.org.au, hit the ‘Get Help’ button, fill in the form and we’ll get back to you, generally the same or next business day.
If you need more information on how to have that chat with them, just email admin@menslink.org.au or call 6287 2226.
School Sport ACT - ACT Teams Selection - Important Information
Please see the School Sport ACT webpage http://www.schoolsportaustralia.edu.au/stateterritory-school-sport-offices/school-sport-act/ or Facebook page for the most up to date information.
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 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?