I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Meaghan Younger! In leadership positions within the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn, we are required to undertake a contract renewal process. This occurs after 2 years on an initial contract and then 4 years later and another 4 years later. Meaghan has just undertaken her 2 year contract renewal for St Michael's. This process involves a survey being sent to various teachers, support staff, parents and Parish Priest. The feedback for Meaghan was outstanding and we congratulate her on her hard work, passion and dedication over the last year and a half in the role of Religious Education Coordinator. I have recommended to the Director for Meaghan's contract to be renewed for another 4 years. Well done Meaghan!

How amazing was the Year 5/6 Travel Expo last week! An incredible showcase of learning. I was blown away! I had the opportunity to visit a couple of times to chat to some students about what their task was, why they chose that country and what they learnt or found interesting. Congratulations to all students - a very proud moment as a leader of the school. A big thank you to Damien Webb, Jessica Figura and Catherine Beckett for all their work with supporting, encouraging, challenging and affirming our 5/6s to complete this learning task to such a high level. Well done!

NAPLAN

On Monday, the annual student NAPLAN parent report for students in Years 3 and 5 was sent home either directly with the child or via the post. The report contains student results for numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation on an achievement scale. The results provide parents and educators with a snapshot of how students are progressing – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards over time. Of course, your child’s teacher knows your child’s learning best and the NAPLAN results need to be interpreted in light of classroom monitoring and assessment, teacher feedback, school reports and Personal Plans. NAPLAN is a 'point in time' assessment, however the information adds to your child’s overall school-based comprehensive learning profile.

Early next term, teachers will also review the NAPLAN results from an individual and whole school perspective. This work helps us determine trends, monitor our teaching, evaluate learning outcomes, set school-wide goals for the following year, evaluate curriculum and improve the accuracy of our individual analysis of student learning data.

While NAPLAN has its benefits, there can also be some angst attached to the process. I think the most important element, however, is “student growth”. The first thing I do when checking our school’s NAPLAN data is to chart individual student growth and school growth. 

Our St Michael's Fun and Fitness Day will be happening tomorrow. Thank you to those parents who have already emailed Damien to offer to help cook the BBQ and cut fruit. If you could spare some time on Thursday 26 September between 12-1ish, that would be greatly appreciated. Please email Damien at damien.webb@cg.catholic.edu.au 

The plan for the day will be that we start with St Michael's Feast Day Mass at 9.30am. A special recess of a packet of chips and muffin will be provided to students. After recess, students will enjoy movie time in the block areas. A sausage sizzle will be provided for students for lunch at 1pm, followed by the Colour Fitness afternoon starting at 1.30pm. Any families wanting to join in the Colour Fun, are welcome to come along. We will finish our fun day with an ice block and fruit. If your child is someone who eats a lot of food, sending their normal food or a bit extra would be an idea. There may be more sausages etc left over, but there is no guarantee. 

If your child does not want to have coloured powder sprayed on them, please let their class teacher know. 

Term 4 - Summer Uniform

A reminder that at the start of Term 4, all students are to start to wear summer uniform. The last fortnight has been a transition period from winter to summer. Remember, we do have some second hand items at the front office.  

Girl's Summer Uniform:

- Powder blue polo shirt with embroidered logo with navy blue shorts/skort or maroon & blue check dress
- St Michael’s polar fleece
- White socks
- Black school shoes
- Navy blue school hat

Boy's Summer Uniform:

- Powder blue polo shirt with embroidered logo with navy blue shorts
- St Michael’s polar fleece
- White socks
- Black school shoes
- Navy blue school hat

It is important that students are wearing black school shoes. These shoes do not need to be full leather, however, they do need to be fully black. No white ticks, white or coloured soles or laces. 

Summer sports uniform remains the same as winter however the short sleeve top and shorts/skirts can replace tracksuit pants and jumpers. Again, shoes need to be predominantly white. Some colour is fine but no fluro or fully coloured sneakers. 

Thank you for supporting your child to follow the school rules. This is important because it ensures we take pride in our uniform and are consistent across the school. This is something that everyone agreed upon when enrolling their child in a Catholic School. 

Any issues or concerns you have, I would be happy to discuss further with you. 

School Climate Strike

We are so fortunate that we live in a democratic society with opportunities for us all to express our thoughts and opinions on issues that we may be passionate about. Without getting into the politics of this particular event, young people need to be afforded the same opportunities to express their thoughts, ideas and opinions, especially when this issue will directly impact their future. As a school, we encourage our students to speak up on many issues, to take responsibility for their words and actions, to be critical thinkers, to be walking in the footsteps of Jesus, caring for those around them and caring for God's creation as a responsibility that was gifted to us. 

We had two students attend the School Climate Strike last week. 

“I really couldn’t believe how many people were at the protest, there were about 30,000 people supporting school strike for climate change. Before we protested there were adults and children around our age giving amazing and inspiring speeches. It was extraordinary how committed everyone was about climate change. I don’t understand why some of our leaders are denying and not supporting our future. Overall it was a remarkable experience". From Jemima

“The school strike for climate change was a big hit. Thousands of people turned up to support actions against climate change, and its causes, such as the Adani Coal mine. Non-reusable energy is cheap but can be harmful to the Earth. People protested on closing the mine and for a transition to renewable energy. Many people also gave inspiring chants and speeches, many High Schools turned up at the march too, to take a stand against climate change". From Mischa

There has been much talk on this particular issue and whether students should miss school to attend. My view on this decision lies with students and their parents. Young people all over the world are speaking up and having a voice on issues that directly affect them. As an educator, this is something that I support, to have young people active and becoming passionate about their environment, sustainability and their future. 

Grandparent's Day

A reminder that we will be celebrating Grandparent's Day on Thursday 17 October. RSVP slips are now due. We need to order the morning tea for our visitors before the holidays, so if you haven't rsvp'd, can you please do so as soon as possible. The morning will begin with Mass at 9.30am, followed by morning tea for our visitors and open classrooms at 11am. 

Staffing

Just an update regarding staffing.

Yvette Whalan has decided to take next year off to focus on her health. We wish Yvette all the best as she focuses on herself and her family.

Sarah Sams (Medway) who has been on leave the last year and a half, has officially resigned. We thank Sarah for her work in the past at St Michael's and wish her all the best in the future. 

I am pleased to announce that Natasha Kapantais has accepted a temporary teaching position with us in 2020. Tash has been a fantastic addition to our team at St Michael's this year and look forward to continuing to work together moving forward. 

At this stage, staffing for 2020 is basically completed which is excellent. Over the next few weeks I will be firming up some part-time staff members in different roles across the school, however our main class teacher roles have been locked in. Class structure for 2020 will be as follows;

1 x Kinder class

2 x Year 1/2 classes

3 x Year 3/4 classes

2 x 5/6 classes

At the start of next term I will announce which classes will have which teacher and also call for any requests from parents/carers which we will take into consideration when forming our classes for 2020. A reminder, any request regarding class placement needs to be emailed to me directly and that they will be taken into consideration. As Principal, ultimately I have the final decision regarding any class placement. It is important to note, there are no guarantees regarding requests due to the amount of factors that need to be considered. As said, I will put out a call for any of these requests at the start of next term.  

Community Prayer

Please pray for those in need, especially those around our country who are experiencing difficulty through drought and fires. 

Lord God, Bless Australia, our Great Southern Land of the Holy Spirit. Grant, that as the Cross shines in our southern skies, so may Christ bring light to our nation, to its people old and new. May we receive the blessing of abundant rain so that the 'desert blooms with the life that lies in wait'. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As we enter in the last couple of days of Term 3, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for your continued support over the term. It has been a big one!

I hope everyone has a nice restful break, ready for the last term of 2019!

Enjoy!

Kind regards,

Pat Ellis

Principal

Reconciliation

Key dates:

Reconciliation Student Retreat Day Thursday 24^th October - St Monica’s School 9:30 – 1:30

Reconciliation Parent/Child Preparation Evening 24^th October - St Michael’s School 6:00pm

Reconciliation Liturgies 12^th November St Michael’s 6:00pm & 13^th November St Monica’s 6:00pm.

A reminder for those families who have not already done so to please present their children to make a commitment at any of the parish masses by the end of the school holidays. Please make sure you bring your commitment card to the mass and speak to the priest before mass begins.

St Michael’s Feast Day Celebrations

We will mark St Michael’s Feast tomorrow, Thursday 26^th September. We will begin with our whole school Mass at 9:30 in St Michael’s Church. All families and friends are warmly invited to help us celebrate this special day.

The app of the week is Color Uncovered. This is a very creative and out of the box idea aimed at developing a deep understanding of colour. Explore this fascinating interactive book that features videos, articles and illusions. Developed by Exploratorium, this free app is well worth a look.

Free Sport Pump / Compressor

If there is anyone who has a use for our old sports pump/compressor it is looking for a new home. It is in working condition but is quite large, heavy and old. Please see Lisa in the office if you are interested. First in, best dressed. 

School Holiday Clinics

A number of sporting clubs and organisations offer school holiday programs. The details of these are best obtained directly from the organisations and clubs. However, we have received flyers for some of the clinics on offer for the October holidays. They can be found on the doors leading to the courtyard.

Boorowa

Training for the 3/4  Touch Football team will take place before school 8:20-8:50am this Thursday. This training will not be under the supervision of St Michael’s staff and parents are required to supervise their children during this time.

If there are any other coaches who would like to organise a training session for early next term please email Erin Hardwicke at erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au

Outstanding Payments

If you are yet to pay for Boorowa Touch and Netball or ACT School Sports events we would greatly appreciate if these can be paid as soon as possible. Thank you for your assistance.

 

ACT Public Library Book Apps

BorrowBox and Libby are two apps which are offered through ACT Public Libraries. They are a terrific way of accessing books and audio material to download to a personal device. They can be downloaded free through the apps store.

 

Overdue Books

Thank you to the families who have returned overdue library books!

Could all overdue books please be returned before the end of term. It will assist us in updating our system over the holiday break. If you have misplaced a book please email Erin Hardwicke at erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au. This will allow us to update your child’s account.

Author Visit

We are very excited to be welcoming author Chris Collin, author of the very funny Funky Chicken series,  to our school early in Term 4. On Monday 28^th October Chris will present two workshops; one with the students in K-2 and then another with the students in Years 3-6. We look forward to meeting Chris and learning more about being an award winning author and the writing process.

For more information and resources visit the FunkyBooks website https://www.funkybooks.com.au/home-2/about-us/

 

WEAVING  

We will finish the term by completing weaving projects and learning about the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander textiles.

Weaving is a great craft activity for developing many skills:

*builds fine motor skill

*aids visual tracking

*building hand and eye coordination

*physical experience of spatial concepts of up, over, and under

*helps in using both the dominant and non-dominant hands at the same time

*weaving involves crossing the midline.

The art of fibre has a long history in Arnhem Land as evidenced by the many depictions of fibre objects in rock art.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make a variety of objects from animal and plant fibres. Their skills in basket weaving are evidenced in everyday tools such as baskets for collecting food, nets for fishing and ceremonial items such as headgear and wristbands.

Commonly used fibres include the leaves of pandanus, palms, jungle vine, and the inner bark of kurrajong and stringybark eucalyptus trees.

Help us to raise $2500 to purchase Jariah Education Centre a Water Tank so they can access clean, fresh water at school as they learn!

A huge thank you to these two businesses (EcoSmart Builders and Premier Capital Properties) who have generously donated to sponsor our Jump Fest. Please support those businesses who support us. 

EcoSmart Builders are highly experienced and established Canberra builders who are committed to offering a collection of high energy efficient homes.

EcoSmart Builders all have one thing in common: they build beautiful, modern homes using cutting edge building practices designed to achieve high Energy Efficiency Ratings. Check them out at https://ecosmarthomes.com.au/

Premier Capital Properties are ACT real estate agents offering specialist property services to buy, sell and rent real estate. Visit them at Shop 20, The Marketplace, Hibberson Street Gungahlin. 

Congratulations to the following children who have achieved a Harmony Award in Week 10 and will receive their award this Friday at morning gathering (weather permitting).

KL	Maggie O
1/2F	Kai W
1/2M	Sami K
1/2W	Jimmy D
3/4AK	Xavier C
3/4YM	Grace A
5/6B	Owen K
5/6FW	Samara R

Special wishes to those children who celebrate their birthday this week:

Aarush 3/4AK, Ned KL, Ari 5/6B and Owen 5/6B

We hope you have a great day!!

All lost property items for the term are displayed on the bench leading into B Block and will be disposed of / or cleaned and reused on Friday afternoon.

Please ensure that your children's belongings are clearly labelled at all times.  As the weather is warming up, there are quite a few jumpers discarded in the playground and unclaimed at the end of the day, please remind your child/ren to collect them at the end of playtime. 

Lunch Orders are to be placed by MIDNIGHT on Wednesday nights. 

The canteen require assistance on Fridays for Term 4 from approximately 12.30-1.45 to help pack lunch orders, if you can assist in anyway, please contact Lisa in the Front Office.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  

Please feel free to contact Empire Catering on 0408 200 481 for queries with lunch orders or any constructive feedback you have regarding menu items.  

Playgroup is held on Wednesdays in Weeks 2 to 9 from 9am til 10.30am in the School Hall. It is for children aged 0-5 and their parents/carers.  Please contact Kylie Arena or Lisa Monro on 62414022 for any enquires. 

DANCECORE -  Dance classes are held on Wednesday’s at recess in the school hall, forms are available at the Front Office. 
Contact Cassie 0417 442 750 

CHESS -  Chess classes are held in C Block on Tuesday’s at recess, forms are available at the Front Office.  Contact Sydney Academy of Chess 9745 1170

GUITAR - Guitar lessons with Sam on Thursday's, please contact
Sam on 0408 196 855

PIANO - Piano Lessons with Mary-Liz on Mondays & Tuesdays,
please contact Mary-Liz on 0413 425 753

SPEECH & DRAMA  -  Drama classes are being held on Tuesday’s at lunchtime, please contact Elizabeth McIntosh if you are interested on 6255 9054

SCHOOL BANKING  -  Banking day is Thursday, please leave your books at the Front Office.

BOOKCLUB -  Scholastic Bookclub runs eight times a year, there will be two issues each Term.  If you have any queries, contact Mrs Monro or Mrs Arena. 

 

 

Belconnen Youth Ministry

Inviting all students in year 3-7 to join us for an afternoon of faith, friendship and fun at South Belconnen Parish's Junior Youth Group and Youth Mass. Join us in the Orana Parish Center just outside of St Vincent's Church, Aranda on Saturday 26th October at 4:45pm for Youth Group then stay on to celebrate Mass at 6pm. Contact Youth Minister Sarah for more information at Sarah.Larkin@cg.org.au

Changes to School Sport ACT

From the commencement of this year there will no longer be Belconnen Region level trials for specific sports. To replace the regional level completion, many sports are holding gala days for schools to attend. We will enter teams in these gala days where there is student interest. The pathway for selection to an ACT sporting team is through trials offered in the same way as they have been previously. Please see the information below in relation to the process of registering your child for ACT trials on the School Sport ACT website.

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.

1. Go to the School Sport ACT website – schoolsportact.asn.au
2. Click Register (top right corner of homepage) for an Account – enter parent details and password
3. 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.
4. Click Log In (top right hand corner of home page) enter password then click on top tab My Profile
5. You will see a ‘dashboard’ of your information, click green box to Add Student – enter student and medical details and save.
6. Go to the Sports Tab – choose your specific sport, click on Trial Information box then click on the Register to Trial link.
7. 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?
8. Make the $5 credit card payment then click to register.
9. An automated email will then be sent to your Principal/School Approver for their approval to trial (no need to take anything to school for the Principal to sign).
10. You will be able to see the process has been complete back in My Profile – once your Principal/School Approver has completed the approval process your child’s information will be collated onto a list for the Team Manager and Coach prior to trial.
11. Note the registration process closes two days before the first trial date to allow sufficient time for approval and sharing of collated information.

Looking forward to another big year of sporting participation,

Erin Hardwicke
erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au

YMCA is setting up a donation bin in the foyer of the canteen… we would more than appreciate all donations of plastic lids even if you don’t attend Afters, please feel free to drop your lids in the bin.

Lids for Kids helps disabled children

Don't throw away those plastic lids. They can be recycled to make prosthetic limbs for disabled children using 3D printing.

Next time you are planning to throw your bottle cap away, think twice as it can be used to make prosthetics for children using 3D technology.

Previously all those lids were going into landfill. Now people can take the lids off their bottles and donate them. The bottles can still go into their kerbside recycling bins.

The lids are sorted and then fed into a 3D printer to make the mobility aids.

The idea comes from Envision Hands, a not-for-profit organisation based at Wheelers Hill in Victoria, which shreds low and high density (Numbers 2 and 4) bottle lids and turns them into new prosthetic limbs using 3D printing.

Nicole and Brad Sutherland, who established Lids for Kids in Goulburn, collect the buckets of lids from various sites, which is then shipped to organiser Tim Miller in Canberra.

"We had set a target of 5,000 lids a week but having surpassed it we are reluctant to set a target because the more we collect the better. Both Brad and I are thankful for the support from Goulburn and surrounding community," Mrs Sutherland said.

Tim then transports the lids to Envision Hands' warehouse in Melbourne, where they are cleaned and organised into colours. Next, they are shredded and then fed through an extruder, which produces an ink-like filament.

That filament is then used in conjunction with 3D software to print the mobility aids.

The Lualua Family and Scentsy would like to do some fundraising through the students at St Michael’s for CDH Australia. As some of you may be aware their son and Ana’s brother passed away from CDH (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia) in April. When Tasi was diagnosed at 15 weeks of pregnancy the family was put in contact with CDH Australia. They were a great support and gave them something no one else could give at the time, HOPE. CDH Australia raise awareness about the rare birth defect, provide support services for families and also help raise money for research. 

Scentsy are selling Scent Circles for $30 (pack of six) and all the commission will be donated to CDH.  Order forms are available from the Front Office and a sample of the circle and scents are also on display.

Get your family and friends involved, the more circles sold the more money that goes to CDH.

Please see the link below to the fundraising page for Tasi, you are welcome to donate to this page at any time.

https://give.everydayhero.com/au/in-memory-of-tasi/wizard/donate

Thank you for your support.

From 2020 Entertainment Book will be going digital, they will no longer be selling printed books.  This is your last chance ever to purchase a printed book.  Please click on the link below to order.

The books are no longer available for sale at the Front Office, however they can still be ordered through the following link as well as digital copies for your phone.

Please see Lisa in the Front Office for more information.