Before School Care

I have been in conversations with YMCA regarding offering a Before School Care option at St Michael's. I believe there is a need for it and I would like to see this service offered. 

In order to get this service happening, we obviously need families to support it. Details of times and costs are not yet determined. YMCA is just after initial interest so they can work out the next step. 

As you would be aware, the leadership team have been opening up the library at 8am every morning to assist families for morning drop off. This was intended to be a short-term measure whilst we explore more formal before school care options. The 8am library starts are not sustainable long term. 

We would like the YMCA to start offering Before School Care from at least 7.30am starting in 2020. In order for this to happen, we need your support. 

Could you please fill out the survey (three short questions) indicating your interest, so YMCA have a rough idea of what numbers they would be looking at each day for Before School Care. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H7SS7QW

The survey link will close on 6 December. 

BYOipad Parent Information Session

A reminder that tomorrow (Thursday 28 November) we will be holding a BYOipad Parent Information Session at 3.15pm and again at 5pm. These sessions are intended for any parents who will have students in Year 5/6 in 2020. A big thank you to Jessica Figura who will be leading these sessions. 

International Day for People with a Disability

Every year on 3 December, people around the world take part in International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), a day to celebrate the achievements of people with a disability and promote awareness, understanding and acceptance in the community. At St Michael's, we will be celebrating this day on Friday 29 November. This year we have worked on continuing to build upon our strategies, procedures and policies to ensure all students at school are welcomed, feel included and feel supported. I thank Laura Frogley for taking the lead with coordinating activities to celebrate this day. 

K-2 Swimming Program

Next week our K-2 students begin their swimming program. This runs for two weeks. We will have some very tired students by the end of the two weeks, luckily there is only one week left after the program concludes. Thank you to Erin Hardwicke for her organisation behind the scene to ensure this program runs as smoothly as possible. 

Archies (Art Show)

Next week we will hold our very first Archies. This art show will display pieces of art from students. This event will be set up in the hall and open for parents to walk through on Thursday 5 December between 2-4pm and Friday 6 December between 8-9.30am. Please come along and share in their art success!

Unsung Heroes - Voting still open

I am pleased to announce that Damien has been shortlisted for the EducationHQ Unsung Hero Leadership Award. Damien goes above and beyond, particularly with leading Sustainability at St Michael's. There were hundreds of nominations, so for Damien to be one of 5 shortlisted is a massive achievement. In order for Damien to get across the line and take out the award, he needs your vote. Please click the link below to vote. Share with others and spread the word. The link is also on our Facebook site. Good luck Damien!

https://educationhq.com/unsung-heroes/unsung-heroes-leader-vote/

Advent Prayers

As we enter in the first week of Advent on Sunday, this week we took a moment in prayer to reflect upon Hope and symbolically light the first candle of our Advent Wreath. 

We come to you looking for hope. When everything else we rely on fails us, our only hope is in you. When we do not understand what has happened, we put hope in you. We can hope for better days because we trust you. We know you and we know you are here with us no matter what we are facing. Some of us see only darkness this time of year. Some of us find life overwhelming. Wherever we find ourselves today, Loving God, remind us that our hope is in you. Be with us on this journey. Amen

Enjoy the week ahead.

Kind regards,

Pat Ellis

Principal

Advent Whole School Prayer Time

Thank you to Miss Frogley and 1/2F for your beautiful WSPT on Monday. Next week 1/2M will lead us in prayer as we prepare for the second week of Advent. Advent WSPT will be held on Monday 2^nd December directly after morning assembly. All families are warmly invited to join the whole school in our prayer preparations for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. In the coming weeks the following classes will lead these special Advent Prayer Times:

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers

Perhaps your family preparation this Advent could include donating some special Christmas food/drink for our Giving Tree? All gifts of non-perishable food can be sent in to your child’s class for storage until our Giving Mass on Tuesday 10^th December. Our local St Vincent de Paul people have asked for food items as a priority please rather than toys and gifts. Thank you in advance for your generous support of our local families in need of a little extra at Christmas.  

Giving Mass

Come celebrate the wonderful year that was 2019 with the whole school on Tuesday 10^th December from 9:30am in our St Michael’s Church. We will also be presenting representatives from our local St Vincent de Paul Society with the wonderful donations of food and drink for Christmas Hampers.

Triathlon ACT

Please visit the Triathlon ACT website https://bit.ly/37zIzhO to find out more about their upcoming events. Early bird entry is now open for the 2020 Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon. There are great resources and an opportunity to score awesome prizes for our school - definitely worth checking out! 

Tennis

Tennis ACT are looking for students who are interested in being part of the  BALLKID SQUAD FOR THE APIS CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL 6-12 JANUARY 2020. Please see the attached flyer if you are interested. ACT Tennis will host a range of come and try sessions after school leading up to the event.

Sporting School Holiday Programs

From time to time we are notified of sport-based school holiday programs or activities. We will place flyers for these programs on the display board in the courtyard (immediately to your right as you enter the courtyard).

If you child has interest in a specific sport, information about holiday programs can also be found on the webpages of local sports groups or by contacting the sports directly.

Save the Date – St Michael’s 2020 Swimming Carnival

Our carnival will be held on Tuesday 25^th February at Gungahlin Leisure Centre.

K-2 Swimming Program 

All classes in K-2 will start their two week program next Monday 2nd December (Week 8).  Swimming lessons will be at Gungahlin Leisure Centre between 12.30 and 1pm.  The students will leave school at approximately 12pm and return just prior to lunch. 

School Sport ACT Trials

Please check the School Sport ACT website https://www.schoolsportact.asn.au/ for information about current and upcoming trials.  The process for registration can be found in the School Sport section below.

End of Year Borrowing & Returns

We ask that all library books be returned by next Friday (Week 8) as this will greatly assist us with stocktaking during Weeks 9 & 10.  If you have misplaced any books, please contact erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au so they can be deleted from student accounts.

The app of the week is Storyline Online. This is a fabulous site that many of the classroom teachers use. The students can watch fun, interactive stories read by a variety of famous celebrities. Choose from a wide variety of texts and enjoy!

Congratulations to the following children who have achieved a Harmony Award in Week 7 and will receive their award this Friday at morning gathering (weather permitting).

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

Charlie 1/2W, Luke 1/2F, Andrew 1/2M, Madeleine 1/2M, Mischa 5/6B, Finnlay 1/2F & Ella 1/2W

We hope you have a great day!!

The lost property boxes are quite full with unclaimed items as well as the bench in the courtyard.  If you are missing an item, please remember
to check the boxes.  All unclaimed items will be disposed of at the end of Term.

Please ensure that your children's belongings are clearly labelled at all times.  As the weather has warmed up, there are still 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 still 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 till 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. 

POSITION VACANT

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, North Belconnen

The parish is seeking a Parish Sacramental Program Coordinator, 5 hours per week, to commence duties for the school year of 2020. 

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