Dear Parents, 

We gathered in the school hall last Thursday night with the new Kindergarten parents for 2020. We used a similar seating arrangement that has been utilised for Sacramental meetings this year. Parents gathered in table groups and the meeting was very interactive. The ‘Transition to School Through Playgroup’ sessions each Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning have enabled parents to become more familiar with each other. Last Thursday night was a great opportunity to have all questions about Kindergarten 2020 answered. 

The school celebrated our annual Mission Mass last Friday in the school hall mass setting. During this mass we all learnt about the plight of the people of Rwanda. The students viewed two short videos of life in Rwanda and the extraordinary efforts of Sister Stan to build facilities for young people to live and be educated. Thank you to Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Royston, staff and students who assisted with this mass. Mission fundraising and awareness is such an important part of our Catholic heritage and truly reflects the story of the Good Samaritan.

On Sunday 27 October 2019, the school and parish gathered together to celebrate the regular “Mass with A Difference” which occurs a few times a year. The mass commenced at 6pm on the God’s Grass area opposite the Year 4 and Year 2 classrooms. Father Leo led the liturgy and was supported by Deacon Peter Presdee. This is one of my favourite events and we all experienced a beautiful and lively mass. 

On Tuesday after school at 3.30pm, numerous Year 3-6 students and parents gathered in the school hall to participate in a maths afternoon. Parents were exposed to the challenging maths pedagogy that the students have been engaging in during 2019. The challenging maths concept works on the principle that it is ok to not know the answer to a problem straight away and that there is a benefit in working through a process to solve a challenging task. Students were able to work alongside their parents to solve some of the challenging tasks. The students receive regular opportunities to engage in challenging maths tasks in the classroom as a component of the mathematics program they are taught. Thank you to all staff who assisted with the afternoon. Today the students in Kindergarten to Year 2 will have the same opportunity to gather with their parents and staff at 3.30pm to engage in challenging maths tasks. Congratulations to Mrs Berryman for this initiative! 

After much careful planning, the Year 5 Leadership Camp commenced at ‘Waterslea’ today. Both days have been very carefully planned and will provide crucial leadership and faith opportunities for the Year 5 students. I will be joining the camp this afternoon and look forward to hearing about their journey today. The Year 5 teachers have worked very hard this year to develop a leadership passport to assist with the selection of student leaders for 2020 as well as developing leadership capacity in all students. Please keep these students and staff in your prayers. 

Tomorrow students in Years 4 and 6 will attend the ‘All Saints day’ mass in the church at 11:30am. At this mass we will remember all Saints who are in heaven. While there are many consecrated Saints such as our own Saint Michael the Archangel, in many ways all Catholics who have died and are in heaven can be considered Saints in their own way. Pope John Paul II encouraged all of us to be Saints and tomorrow we remember all who died and are in heaven. 

We now have just over one week until the School Fair on Sunday 10 November 2019. We are still requiring parental assistance with a number of stalls. It is hoped that all students will attend the school fair, bring along carloads of family, extended family, friends and neighbours. This is our major fundraiser for the year. The tickets in the raffle are selling well. There are only 600 tickets available and the prizes are exceptional. The $4000 travel voucher for first prize will be highly sought after. Please get involved in the excitement! Early next week I will audition students for the annual ‘St Michael’s has talent’. This is always an exciting event at the School Fair. On Thursday 7 November 2019, POWER FM will be at our school to present their breakfast show and provide breakfast for the students. The live broadcast will allow information about our School fair to be shared across the Shoalhaven! We will share more details with you early next week. We are looking forward to the participation of all families in our School Fair!

Yours in Faith and Virtue,

Mr Christopher Paton