Principal News
Dear parents and carers
As we continue our learning journey together through the first term of 2025, it is clear that our school community is bustling with activity as usual. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been navigating through the important NAPLAN testing period, which is a significant milestone for our Year 3 students in particular.
We are also excited to kick off Project Compassion, a wonderful annual initiative that takes place during Lent and encourages our students to engage in acts of kindness and charity by fundraising to support people living in poverty, promoting justice and dignity in vulnerable communities worldwide. The fundraising activities are designed by the students themselves and began this week with a ‘come to school wearing green’ for St Patrick’s Day.
The season of Lent
We recently observed Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent.
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is a day of feasting before the fasting period of Lent begins. A free, delicious breakfast of yummy pancakes was the order of the day, with students, parents and friends gathering at the front of our school to savour the sweet treats!
On Ash Wednesday we receive ashes on our foreheads as a symbol of repentance and reflection.
These events remind us of the importance of self-examination, renewal and preparation for Easter. Lent is a special time for our school community to come together, support one another and grow in faith.
Prep 2026
We have had an unprecedented amount of interest in Prep places at St Michael’s for 2026 already this term. We have so many interested families, we are organising tours and interviews over the weekend!
Places are filling fast, so I encourage families with siblings who will be starting Prep in 2026 to contact our friendly office staff as soon as possible, so that you can secure your child’s place.
Student Leadership Development
At St Michael’s, we believe in nurturing student leadership by encouraging our students to embody the Corporal Works of Mercy. These acts of kindness, such as feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and helping those in need, are integral to our school’s values. Our student leaders set an example to others by organising and participating in various service projects, fostering a sense of responsibility and compassion within our school community. Through these efforts, we aim to develop empathetic, proactive leaders who are committed to making a positive impact in the world.
Our Year 6 student leaders visited the Seville Centre recently to take part in a day of learning about how they can be good leaders through the Corporal Works of Mercy. By all accounts it was a very productive and interesting day. We are looking forward to hearing from the students about their ideas and comments on the day.
Road safety reminder
At St Michael’s, the safety of our students is of paramount importance. We kindly ask parents to talk to their children about the importance of road safety. Students should be mindful when waiting for the school bus and ensure they are safe at bus stops. It is crucial for them to remember to cross roads with care, preferably with an adult, and always use a pedestrian crossing. By working together we can ensure the well-being of our students and help them develop safe habits that last a lifetime.
Stop, Drop, Go
Parents, please help us to move traffic quickly and safely through our Stop, Drop, Go Zone by displaying your family name card clearly in your car windscreen or visor. We don’t always recognise which cars belong to which family. This process will help us to quickly identify your vehicle and prepare your child for collection.
Welcome to new staff members
I am delighted to announce that our recruitment process has been completed and we have now appointed a new, permanent teacher for 4A. Ashleigh Fahlstrom is in her second year of teaching and joins us having completed her first year at a nearby Catholic school. Ashleigh attended St Michael’s as a student and is very excited to be returning to the school she has so many fond memories of. Ashleigh will join us from the beginning of Term 2 and will be spending a few days this term meeting the children and preparing to join our school full time. In the meantime, our wonderful Mr Kym Prestwood will continue in 4A until the end of the Term and will work with Ashleigh as she transitions into the role. We are looking forward to welcoming Ashleigh to our St Michael’s family.
In addition we have been very lucky to have found ourselves a new PE teacher for St Michael’s. Mr Grant Shields hails from South East Queensland, where he taught PE in a large Prep to Year 12 school. Grant has over 30 years experience as a PE teacher and is delighted to be working with our teaching team and our wonderful students at St Michael’s. We are very excited to welcome Mr Sheilds and look forward to offering our students top quality physical education and sporting experiences. Grant and his wife have recently moved to Cairns and despite a soggy start to the year, are enjoying life in the far north!
Attendance
Catholic Education Services Cairns recognises that every day of attendance in school contributes towards a student’s learning and that higher rates of school attendance enhance student wellbeing and learning outcomes.
At St Michael’s, we have a responsibility to record student attendance and respond to instances of irregular attendance. It is important for us to investigate the patterns and underlying causes of non-attendance so that we can support families to address the specific type of absenteeism and implement strategies to improve attendance.
Schools, and by virtue of their employment, teachers, are legally required to monitor and record attendance of students in their care on a daily basis, whether absent or present in class, on excursion or at a school-based activity. Legal guardians of children have a legal obligation, as set out in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, to ensure a child is enrolled at and attends school.
At St Michael’s School, we strive to support families to ensure that every student has access to quality education all day, every day. Our school has a policy of encouraging 100% student attendance.
If you need help or support regarding attendance, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance.
Emergency Planning
Part of our annual planning for the school year involves review of the mechanisms and processes we have in place to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our students, staff and families.
In order to ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors to St Michael’s School, each year we update our School Critical Incident Response Plan (SCIRP) and our Cyclone Preparedness Plan.
Each of these documents outlines the procedures for responding to a critical incident (e.g. school closure due to an extreme weather event). Detailed plans include contact information for local emergency responders, the roles and responsibilities of all staff in the event of an emergency and practical information for use in the aftermath of a critical incident. These plans are shared with all staff members and reviewed annually.
And that’s it from me this week. Enjoy the next couple of weeks. Let’s hope the rain eases a bit, just in time for Easter!
