Term 4 Week 1

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back to Term 4! I hope you all had a lovely break and are energised for the busy final term It was lovely to see the friendly faces of students, staff and parents walking back through the gate on Tuesday morning!

I will be accessing my entitlement of CEWA System Leaders Renewal Leave (SLRL) and will be offsite from Wednesday 12 to Friday 21 October and Mr Michael Sheridan will be acting principal in my absence SLRL is an accumulative leave that CEWA principals and system leaders accrue over time which can be used towards study and/or faith formation activities I will be using my upcoming leave to participate in a pilgrimage journey between Melbourne and Adelaide called 'Following the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop'

30 Years in Catholic Education WA Mr David Caddy and Mrs Lola Stewart

Congratulations to Mr David Caddy and Mrs Lola Stewart who are both being recognised at today's annual CEWA Staff Breakfast for 30 years of service to Catholic Education in WA This is an amazing achievement and a testament to David and Lola's tremendous dedication to their craft and the students they work with!

Recent Student Free Days Staff Professional Development (PD)

Recently on our student free days at the end of Term 3 and beginning of Term 4, staff participated in professional learning opportunities

Namely, a Grammar and Punctuation PD facilitated by Dyslexia Speld and a PD on Culturally Responsive Pedagogies facilitated by the CEWA Aboriginal Education Team

School Registration Audit

Last term St Michael's underwent our School Registration Audit and I have received notification that we met all the audit requirements We put in a fantastic team effort and passed with flying colours We are thankful to all who participated including some parents who completed a survey for us Thank you for taking the time to complete this

Three Year Old Program (3YOP)

We have had a very good initial response to our survey regarding a 3YOP in 2023 and, subject to final numbers, we are hoping to commence the program at the start of 2023 on both Tuesdays and Thursdays at a cost of $75 per day We will be contacting those who have completed the survey in the coming weeks regarding submission of a formal expression of interest form If you or anyone you know may be interested, please complete this survey to ensure we have your details

Term 4 Staffing Update

Welcome back to our music teacher, Mrs Rochelle Albert, who returns after a period of leave We also temporarily welcome back Mrs Katherine Turner who will be teaching Year 2 on Thursdays and Fridays this term It is lovely to have both Rochelle and Katherine back! Best wishes to Miss Nat Pin who takes on the role of acting Assistant Principal this term We ask any parents or caregivers of Kindy to Year 2 students to touch base with Nat regarding any concerns (after they have first spoken to the relevant teacher)

Catholic Performing Arts Festival Certificates of Merit

In the last week of Term 3 we received notification that two of our students received Certificates of Merit Harry T for his Primary Piano Performance and Attia W for her Primary Vocal Solo Congratulations to these two very talented students!

Uniform Reminder - Conservative Hair Styles

As per our enrolment contract and as discussed in all enrolment interviews, acceptance of enrolment at St Michael's means that parents and caregivers agree to follow and support all school policies We have noticed a number of boys in upper primary who have come back to school this term with mullet haircuts which are not in keeping with our uniform policy ( a conservative hairstyle) Parents of these students will be receiving a uniform note from their class teacher and are asked to have the haircut fixed by Week 3

Fees

A reminder that 2022 school fees were due in full by 23 September Please ensure any outstanding fees have been paid by the end of next week and contact our finance manager, Mrs Peng Kong, if you have any queries regarding your statement

Departing Families Please Notify the School in Writing By End of Term

A reminder that, as per our enrolment contract, the School requires written notice one term in advance if students are leaving St. Michael's. We reserve the right to charge one term's fees if adequate notice is not provided. We have now commenced planning for 2023 such as the planning the school budget, ordering booklists, leasing of iPads etc. If we are not provided with adequate notice of students who are departing and incur costs as a result, these costs will be passed on to the family. Therefore, if your child/ren will not be returning to St. Michael's in 2023 (unless they are a graduating Year 6 student) please notify us in writing by the end of next week via: admin@stmichaelsbass.wa.edu.au.

Week 3 Wellness Week

Week 3 of this term (24 28 October) is our annual Wellness Week at St. Michael’s. During Wellness Week students, families and staff try to slow down and focus on taking care of their mental and physical health.

Numerous wellness and mindfulness activities will be provided for students over the course of Wellness Week. This will be a week of no homework and no before or after school meetings to allow all students, parents and staff to focus on family and wellbeing At school, we will be cancelling our usual Wednesday afternoon staff meeting so that our staff can go home earlier and spend time with their families and focus on their own health and wellbeing Similarly, we ask that, unless in the case of an emergency, parents do not request before or after school meetings with staff during Wellness Week

A number of activities are planned for the students during Wellness Week, including a Tranquil Minds workshop on Thursday 27 October We ask all students to wear their sports uniform on this day to ensure that they can comfortably participate in the workshop.

“Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. Childhood is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace which is right for each individual child.” Magda Gerber

It is so important to remember that childhood is a period of time in a person’s life, it is not solely about learning the lessons found in the classroom Yes, these are very important, but so too are the lessons we learn whilst reading with dad, throwing the ball with mum, playing with imaginary friends in the back yard, cooking with nana or sitting on pop’s shoulders as we walk around the garden I strongly encourage you all to make a special effort to enjoy time with your children during Wellness Week Below are some ideas of activities you might do as a family during Wellness Week

Activity Ideas for Wellness Week

Introduce “Reading Night” to your families a night where the TV and other electronic devices get switched off and the family comes together to read, discuss books and share the joy of literature

Have a “ screen free pledge night” with your children where you all pledge a night free of the screens that encroach on our lives This may even spark a permanent screen free night one day a week If you usually eat in front of the tv, choose one night to sit down and have a meal together at the table with the tv switched off Make the most of the no homework week and perhaps go for a family walk, bike ride or midweek picnic

Visit other family members such as grandparents who you don’t normally catch up with midweek

Have a family cooking night Walk or ride your bike to school with your children Plan healthy recess and lunches and prepare these with your children

It’s all about our wellness and finding time to take care of our own health and wellbeing Start planning ahead and make it a special week You will never get these early years back again, so live them, enjoy them and make treasured memories for life!

Best wishes for a fantastic final term!

Warm regards,

Dr Siobhan Galos

Principal

PRINCIPALS'

Student Absentees

Please note it is the parent's responsibility to notify the school prior to the commencement of the school day if their child will be absent from school. Please use the online absentee form from the school website: https://www.stmichaelsbass.wa.edu.au/absentees.html or send an email to attendance@stmichaelsbass.wa.edu.au. Please note the ConnectedApp and Absentee phone number is no longer operational.

School Photos

School photos were sent home this week. Family photos are available for collection from the office.

Mercy Day

This was another wonderful celebration of our history here at St Michael's. Our Christian Ministry lead a beautiful Mass to begin the day and I would like to thank those children who read and assisted in the Mass.

Our stalls raised $1175.10 for the Mercy Sisters. This money will support Sister Joan Kelleher and the Sisters of Mercy in their important work caring for those in need. A huge thank you to our superstar P&F who provided the sausage sizzle and kindly cooked up 260 sausages.

Uniform

Summer uniform should now be worn. There is a two week 'grace period' while the weather is still cool but all children should be beginning to wear their summer uniform.

Confirmation

A number of students who missed Confirmation in Term 2 due to COVID isolation will be receiving this sacrament on Sunday 23rd October at 9am. Please keep these children in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Holy Spirit.

Kind regards, Mr Michael Sheridan and Miss Nat Pin Assistant Principal and Acting Assistant Principal

In Year One this term we are going to be learning about fiction and non-fiction texts.

We wrote a ‘Holiday Recount’.

We then shared our writing with a partner, and they had to guess which one was fiction and which ones were facts.

We had to write one fiction statement and two fact statements.

The inclusion of any community advertising does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof by St. Michael’s School. St. Michael’s does not accept any responsibility or liability for the conduct or content of these advertisements, sites and the offerings made by the third parties.

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St Joseph Parish Presbytery Maintenance Financial Help

The Presbytery, which everyone should know, is right across the road from the church. It was bought in 1988 in Fr. Morahan’s time. Through the 30+ years, there has been some wear and tear. This June, due to the heavy rain the whole lounge ceiling collapsed and we need to return it to a humble decent place for our priest to live in.

The roof, along with some electrical work is estimated to cost $30 000 If you would like to offer a donation for the presbytery maintenance, you can give the donation either to Fr. Ben, to the secretary Catherine or the Donation Box at the back of the church at each Mass.

OR

You can donate through electronic transfer :

Account Name : St Joseph Parish BSB no. 016 255 Account Number 4247 67029

specify for presbytery maintenance)

We thank each one of you for your generous help and support, in time, effort and finance. May you be a cheerful giver and may God’s blessings be with you and your family

Catherine Parish Secretary

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