Dear parents and carers

It has certainly been a time of great joy and celebration at St Michael’s over the past couple of weeks. Our school has been filled with joyful moments that remind us of the beauty of everyday life in our school community.

From special sacramental celebrations and feast days, the warm welcome of new teachers, to the arrival of precious new babies and even a wedding, there has been so much to celebrate! 

Amidst all this excitement, our classrooms continue to buzz with energy as students dive into their learning with enthusiasm and dedication. We are excited to share some of these wonderful highlights with you in this week’s newsletter.

NEW PE TEACHER

As you know, our PE teacher, Mr Shields, had to resign from his position a couple of weeks ago, due to medical reasons. He was sad to leave our school but had to put his health first. We wish him all the very best with getting his health back on track.

On a happier note, we have a new PE teacher starting this week. Ms Kerrie Jago is an experienced teacher, who has worked as a gymnastics coach and loves sports of all kinds.

Ms Jago is very excited to be joining the St Michael’s family. Staff and students have welcomed her this week as she gets to know more about our wonderful school. 

CONGRATULATIONS TOM and SHONTELLE

On Saturday, our Wellbeing Officer, Mr Tom Skinner was married to his beautiful bride Shontelle. The happy couple were married in a beautiful ceremony at St Monica’s Cathedral. Congratulations to you both from all of us at St Michael’s!

NEW BABIES

Our wonderful School Officer, Mrs Shelley became a proud grandmother recently when her daughter Hannah brought a little bundle of joy into this world. We are all so excited to welcome Harrison to our extended family. Congratulations to Hannah and Kurt!

We wait with baited breath to meet two more little people as their expectant mums and siblings eagerly await their arrival.

We wish all our families blessings of happiness and love and thank God for the precious gift of new life.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME - A Special Step in Faith - Reconciliation

We are delighted to celebrate a significant milestone in the faith journey of five of our Year 4 students (and 3 students from other schools in the area), who recently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. With reverence and joy, they took this important step in the presence of Father Sabu, supported by their families, sacramental programme teachers, and parish community.

This sacred moment marks a deepening of their relationship with God and a beautiful expression of forgiveness, reflection, and grace. We are so proud of their commitment and spiritual growth. Congratulations to each of them!

Candidates from St Michael’s who are taking part in the sacramental programme are:

Ashton Galeano, Harper Lloyd, Arthur Stephens, Oliver Lizzio and

Remi Summers

ST MICHAEL’S CELEBRATES THE FEAST OF OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

Last week, the whole of St Michael’s School came together to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, a special day in the Catholic calendar. This feast honours Mary, the mother of Jesus, and reminds us of her role in offering comfort and support to people in times of need.

For Catholics, Mary is seen as a loving and caring figure who helps guide and protect us, much like a mother does. The celebration included a joyful Mass, presided over by Father Sabu, singing and classroom activities that helped students reflect on kindness, compassion, and helping others - values that everyone can appreciate and share and that echo the St Michael’s Way.

BUILDING STRONG FOUNDATIONS IN LITERACY AT ST MICHAEL’S

You may have noticed that children have been engaged in some slightly different work in English lessons recently. Perhaps you have received some information from your child’s teacher about Literacy Block routines or even some homework that looks a little different. So what is a Literacy Block?

At St Michael’s, we are committed to using the latest research to guide how we teach children speaking and listening, reading and writing. Across the whole school, every morning begins with a dedicated Literacy Block, where teachers explicitly teach the essential skills known as ‘The Big 6’ of reading. These include

• Oral language
• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Fluency

Lessons are carefully tailored to each child’s stage of development, ensuring every student is supported and challenged appropriately.

Research shows that a consistent approach across all year levels builds student confidence and leads to greater success - and we’re already seeing the benefits in our classrooms!

If you want to know more about Literacy Blocks and how you can help your child at home with reading, writing or speaking, come along to our next St Michael’s Community Group meeting where our Leader of Learning and Teaching (Ms Kelly Evans) will be presenting a workshop for parents.

FEEDBACK SURVEYS

From Monday 26th May, students, staff and parents will receive an invitation to participate in a short Feedback Survey asking for your feedback on the service St Michael’s provides you and your family.

Feedback surveys play a crucial role for several reasons:

• They provide an opportunity for students, parents/carers and teachers to express their opinions and provide feedback on various aspects of education.
• Incorporating feedback surveys as a regular practice fosters a culture of continuous improvement within our schools.
• Surveys promote accountability and transparency within the education sector.
• These surveys assist schools in meeting legislated accreditation requirements.

We really do appreciate your feedback, so please take some time to complete the survey as soon as you are able. Thank you.

SUGAR SOLSTICE

We are excited to invite all of our students to participate in the Sugar Solstice Parade at Norman Park on Saturday 14th June 2025.

To ensure we arrive on time and in full spirit, we ask that all participating students assemble outside St Michael's School at 1:30pm. From there, we will walk together to Norman Park as a group in the community parade.

Important Details:

• Students should come dressed in the nominated colour for their year level (see table below). We encourage everyone to dress entirely in that one colour to create a vibrant and unified look.
• All students must wear their school hat and enclosed shoes for safety and sun protection.

To help us with planning and supervision, please let us know if your child will be participating by completing the parent slip that was sent home today.

We look forward to a colourful and joyful celebration with our school community!

That’s it from me for this week. Keep a lookout on our Facebook page for updates and special events happening at St Michael’s.

Don’t forget to book your tickets for our upcoming Trivia Night ‘Out of this World’!

Have a wonderful two weeks!

God bless