Principal News
Dear parents and carers
It has been a busy couple of weeks since I last posted, with plenty of fun activities for our students and families to take part in, including our very popular Mother’s Day Pamper Morning; Day for Dolly; a visit from St Mary’s, and our annual Walk Safely to School morning.
MOTHER’S DAY
On Sunday (11th May) we honoured and celebrated the wonderful mothers, aunties, grandmas and mother figures in our lives. Those amazing women who have sacrificed, nurtured and loved us and helped us to be the best we can be.
At St Michael’s our traditional Pamper Morning for Prep mums took place the week before the big day, with plenty of opportunities for mums to be spoilt with makeovers, foot spas, amazing hairdos and definitely lots of laughs.
This is a personal favourite St Michael’s tradition and I am always delighted to see how much our little Preppies enjoy spoiling their mum! Our mums are such good sports too!
Throughout the week, our Mother’s Day stalls ran in the Library, selling gifts for children to purchase, ready for the big day. A huge thank you to Anne Spartalis-Fisher for organising this.
WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL
For the first time in a few years, the sun popped out just in time for our annual 'Walk Safely to School' morning. A record turn out of students and families joined us on the walk, finishing at our fabulous tuck shop where a free healthy breakfast was waiting for us. Children, parents and siblings were treated to their choice of fruit, cereals, or yoghurt and muesli.
A huge thank you to staff members and families who helped ensure our students had full tummies for the start of the day!
St Michael’s COMMUNITY GROUP - Get Involved and Make a Difference!
Next meeting (Wednesday 11th June) - How are we helping your child with Reading?
- Meet our Leader of Learning and Teaching (Kelly) and our Leader of Pedagogy (Emma)
- Get some tips on what you can do at home to help your child
- Hear about our whole school Literacy programme
- Learn about Literacy Blocks and why we have them in all classes, every day at St Michael’s
At St Michael's, we believe that a strong partnership between parents and the school is key to our students' success. We encourage all parents to get involved in their child's education in any way they can. Whether it's through volunteering, fundraising, sharing your unique gifts and talents, supporting various projects, or participating in school improvement planning, your involvement is invaluable.
Together, we can create a vibrant and supportive community for our children. Below are the dates for our 2025 Community Group meetings:
We look forward to your active participation and support!
PREP ENROLMENTS FOR 2026
Due to an unprecedented demand and of course because the word is out that St Michael’s has the best Prep teachers, our places for Prep in 2026 are almost full! If you would like to enrol your little one in Prep next year, please contact our friendly office staff to arrange an interview or school tour as soon as possible. We have a waiting list for those who may have missed out on the first round of offers.
SUGAR SOLSTICE
On Saturday 14th June (end of Week 7), the annual Sugar Solstice Country Fair, celebrating the start of the sugar cane crushing season, will take place in Gordonvale.
The fair begins with a parade through the streets of Gordonvale starting at St Michael’s school. Various Gordonvale-based businesses, community groups and schools take part in the parade and this year St Michael’s will be taking part.
We would very much like to have your ideas and suggestions as to what our part in the parade could look like (e.g. costumes for students and adults participating, what vehicle we use to move through the parade etc.). In the coming weeks, we will be inviting staff and community members to a meeting to discuss ideas and to work out the logistics.
If you would like to be involved, either by helping to organise the parade or taking part, please let me know. Keep an eye out for information on when the meeting will take place.
FEEDBACK SURVEYS
In Weeks 6 - 8 this term (May 26 - June 13), Catholic Education Services will be sending links to staff and parents for feedback on how our schools and system are performing in terms of delivering on our moral imperative: to ensure the Wellbeing and Learning of EVERY student. Students in Years 5 and 6 will also receive an invitation to add their feedback.
The Feedback Surveys are an important tool in providing information and data which helps us to determine and refine all aspects of our school and system operations. The data is also a requirement for reporting to government.
staff the opportunity to complete these surveys in school time or at staff meetings. Please be prepared to offer your honest and constructive feedback as this is the most valuable data to help us all to improve our service.
CONGRATULATIONS TO EMMA!
Recently Emma received her Master of Education (Guidance and Counselling) from the University of Southern Queensland after many years of hard study, whilst working full time - no mean feat!
Congratulations Emma, we are proud of you!
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC LESSONS - Music for the mind
At St Michael’s we have been very lucky to be able to offer children an opportunity to learn a musical instrument whilst at school, thanks to the endless talents of our music teachers who visit us weekly from St Mary’s (Mr Sanjay and Mr Johnstone)
It is well-known that learning to play a musical instrument has many benefits for brain development:
“Playing a musical instrument is a rich and complex experience that involves integrating information from the senses of vision, hearing, and touch, as well as fine movements, and learning to do so can induce long-lasting extremely beneficial changes in the brain…”
Research by the Journal of Educational Psychology suggests that the more children study music, the better they achieve in other areas of the curriculum such as English and Mathematics.
Every Friday, our instrumental music teachers visit our school to nurture the musical talents of our students. Instruments are provided free of charge by the school and tuition takes place during school hours. Children can learn to play a range of instruments including piano, drums, guitar and flute.
If you would like your child to begin lessons or perhaps to try something new, please email our friendly office staff (secretary.gordonvale@cns.catholic.edu.au) and they will register your interest with St Mary’s.
FLU SEASON IS UPON US
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) can spread quickly in schools where large numbers of students learn and play in close contact. ARI prevention is a joint effort. Parents, caregivers, and staff need to work together and take the necessary precautions to prevent ARIs from spreading.
- Stay protected by getting your free vaccinations (see your GP or pharmacy) for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV if eligible.
- Stay at home when sick (including keeping sick children home)
- Clean your hands regularly and thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- If you need to leave the house when unwell, maintain physical distance from other and consider wearing a mask when you cannot physically distance
Practice good respiratory hygiene by:
- coughing or sneezing into a tissue or the inside of your elbow
- discarding used tissues immediately in a bin; and
- cleaning your hands thoroughly.
We all know that school attendance is important, so by working together, we can limit the spread of ARIs, and keep our children healthy and well at school.
Stay healthy everyone and enjoy this beautiful North Queensland winter as it brings sunny days and blue skies! Until next time.
VOLUNTEERS - WE NEED YOU!
Warmest regards
