Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe it is Week 6, Term One. We have had a busy and enjoyable start to the school year. Last week Mr Paton and Mrs Mathieson travelled to Los Angeles to represent the Diocese of Wollongong at a Religious Congress. Mr Paton and Mrs Mathieson have visited various schools and attended conferences, gaining great insights to share when they return to school.

On Wednesday 22nd February, Power FM visited St Michael’s for their Breakfast Show. Our School Captains Yuin Hill and Eleanor Boyton shared what they believe is great about St Michael’s and Max Bailey won a prize playing Scatterbrains. Congratulations Max! All the students enjoyed participating in games, talking with Navy personnel and engaging with the King and Queen of Green. The school community had a wonderful morning and the happy engagement of students, staff and parents reflected the spirit of St Michael’s.

Last Wednesday also marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Your child received a cross of ash on their forehead made from blessed palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday Mass. During Lent, as Catholics, we are called to consider the times when we have distanced ourselves from God through sin. When the ashes are placed on the forehead we are encouraged to accept the ashes as a symbol of penance. As we progress through the season of Lent to Easter we encourage families to join the school and Parish community at our Grade and weekend Parish Masses.

On Thursday 23rd February, our School Captains were invited to cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony of the new Nowra Bridge. They represented the school with pride and appreciated the privilege of contributing to a significant event in the history of the Shoalhaven. Well done to Yuin, Eleanor and the members of the school community in attendance. 

Last Friday (24th February) was a special day for our Year 6 leaders and Kindergarten students. This day was marked with a Beginning School Liturgy for Kindergarten. This week is Kindergarten’s fourth week of school. The students are fortunate to be very well supported by their parents, teachers, School Support Officers and their Year 6 buddies. We are all very pleased with how well they have settled into learning and playing with newfound friends. I would like to thank all of the school community for supporting and caring for our Kindergarten students.

This Tuesday (28th February), parents and carers were invited into the classrooms to meet their child’s class teacher. The students were encouraged to share their learning and classroom environment with their families. There was a positive buzz across the school and we thank everyone who was able to join us. If at any time you would like to discuss your child’s progress please do not hesitate to make an appointment by contacting the school office.  

On Thursday 9th March St Michael’s will be hosting an Open Day for 2024 prospective enrolments. Families seeking enrolment are welcome to attend a brief information session at either 3:30pm or 5pm. The information session will be followed by a tour of the school. If you know someone interested in attending St Michael’s next year please share this information with them. There is no need to register for the Open Day.

This year our Year 3 and Year 5 students will participate in NAPLAN (National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy). NAPLAN is an annual, point-in-time assessment for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The testing period is from March 15th until March 27th.

On Friday 10th March students in Years 3-6 will be participating in the annual Cross Country Carnival. More information about this event has been provided through Compass and is available in the Sports section of the Newsletter.

I wish you all the best for the coming week. 

Yours in Faith and Virtue,

Mrs Carolyn Rutkowski

Acting Principal