Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers
Last Friday 9 June 2023, all of Year 6 and their teachers travelled to Warrawong for a mass with Bishop Brian Mascord. This mass provided a unique opportunity for students in the Diocese to come together in a spirit of unity, faith, and celebration. The mass occurred the day before many of our Year 6 students received the Sacrament of Confirmation and Bishop Brian inspired everyone at the mass to use the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’. St Michael’s Nowra provided the liturgical movement, choreographed and taught by one of our SSOs, Miss Shari Cook. The mass was truly an opportunity for reflection, prayer, and spiritual growth as the students listened to Bishop Brian’s words of wisdom and engaged in communal worship. Thanks to all staff involved in this important gathering.
Congratulations to all the Year 6 students and parish candidates who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Michael's Church last Saturday! It was a very special occasion filled with hope, faith, and the Holy Spirit. The dedication and commitment of families to the faith journey of all who were ‘Confirmed’ by Bishop Brian Mascord on the weekend is truly commendable. This sacrament marks an important milestone in the lives of the candidates as they embrace the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ and deepen their relationship with God. Our school community prays that the grace and blessings received during this sacred ceremony will guide all of our Year 6 and parish candidates on their path, empowering them to live out their faith with courage and conviction.
May everyone who attended the Confirmation ceremonies last week, continue to grow in wisdom, love, and service to others, becoming shining examples of God's light in the world. Congratulations once again, and may the faith journey of all families be filled with the ‘Gifts’ of the Holy Spirit. A special thank you is extended to all of the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Royston and staff who taught and prepared all of our Year 6 students for this important sacrament. Congratulations to Father Joseph and the parish team who led the Parish Sacramental program. Thank you to Mrs Maree McMillan who prepared lunch for Bishop Brian Mascord, teaching staff and parish team members.
Having placed in the top 6 competitors at the Wollongong Diocese Cross Country trials, our school was represented by Finn Goddard, Ezekiel Blinksell, Ella Walsh, Adam Wisniewski and Morten Ellerington on Tuesday, competing at the MacKillop Cross Country Event. Special mention to Finn Goddard. In a strong field of 52 runners, Finn placed first in his event! Congratulations to these students on their outstanding performances!
The formal Student Progress reports for students in Year 1-6 will be released through the Compass portal on Thursday 22 June 2023. These reports express student progress using the Common Grade Scale of ‘A, B, C, D and E’. During the first half of the 2023 school year, teachers have taught and gathered evidence on student achievement in their class. An opportunity to formally discuss your child’s progress will occur during Week 10 of Term 2. Students in Kindergarten do not receive a formal written report at the end of Week 2, however parent teacher interviews will still be provided.
Yesterday afternoon, parents and caregivers received a Compass alert to inform them that the Compass portal to book interview times was open. Parents and caregivers are able to view times your child's teacher is available and book a meeting. You will find where to book by selecting 'conferences' in the menu for each child, where multiple children attend St Michael's Nowra. The teachers are looking forward to discussing your child's learning journey in 2023 with you. We respectfully request that you book the first available time and minimise gaps in meetings for our teachers. Each meeting is allocated 15 minutes. Should you require more time with your child's teacher, this can be arranged with the teacher. Bookings will remain open until next Friday 23rd June. If there are no suitable times, please contact the front office and your child's teacher will be in touch to arrange a suitable time.
Last Tuesday evening the Parents and Friends group met in the school library, and online through Zoom. A summary of upcoming events will be shared through this newsletter. I would like to thank and congratulate this group who gather on your behalf and discuss numerous agenda items, all aiming to enhance the school life of the students. Important information regarding the development of an artificial grass area on the front playground was shared, as well as a number of future social events for the students and some upcoming fundraising options. Please consider attending the next meeting.
Two important school events will occur in the next two weeks:
- Monday 26 June 2023 - The School Athletics Carnival at Shoalhaven High
- Friday 30 June 2023 - NAIDOC Week Liturgy
As shared in the last newsletter, I will be on Long Service Leave from Monday 19 June 2023, returning to school on Tuesday 1 August 2023. During this time, Mrs Carolyn Rutkowski will be Acting Principal, fully supported by the school Leadership team and staff. I am looking forward to travelling overseas to explore parts of Italy, England, Ireland and Scotland during this time.
Yours in Faith and Virtue,
Mr Christopher Paton
Principal
| Week 9 | |
| Monday 19 June | |
| Tuesday 20 June | South Coast Netball Gala Day (Selected students) |
| Tuesday 20 June | Year 1 Walking Excursion (11:15am - 2pm) |
| Wednesday 21 June | Oliver School Production Rehearsals 3:15pm - 5pm Hall |
| Thursday 22 June | Year 1-6 Student Progress Reports Released in Compass |
| Friday 23 June | Infants Assembly in Hall 2:20pm |
| Friday 23 June | St Michael's Family Weekly Morning Tea (8:45am - 10:30am in Library) |
| Friday 23 June | Bookings Close for Parent/Teacher Interviews (Book via Compass) |
Week 10 |
|
| Mon 26 June - Fri 30 June | Parent/Teacher Interviews (Bookings via Compass) |
| Monday 26 June | K-6 School Athletics Carnival (Shoalhaven High School) |
| Tuesday 27 June | |
| Wednesday 28 June | Oliver School Production Rehearsals 3:15pm - 5pm Hall |
| Thursday 29 June | |
| Friday 30 June | St Michael's Family Weekly Morning Tea - cancelled today for NAIDOC celebrations |
| Friday 30 June | Primary Assembly in Hall 2:20pm |
| Friday 30 June |
NAIDOC 2023 "For Our Elders" celebrations (9:30am-10:30am) followed by morning tea in the Hall foyer. |
| Friday 30 June |
Final Day of Term 2 |
DATES FOR THE DIARY
| Monday 17 July | Staff Development Day |
| Tuesday 18 July | Students Return for Term 3 |
| Friday 21 July | Vinnies Winter Appeal Mufti Day - Gold Coin Donation for St Vincent De Paul & warm Winter apparel donations appreciated. |
| Friday 21 July | Mini Vinnies Winter Sleepout 5:30pm - 7am Saturday |
| Friday 4 August | Grandparents Day-9:30am Liturgy followed by class visits & morning tea |
| Friday 4 August | Winter Disco- Infants 5pm, Primary 6:45pm |
| Monday 7 August | 2023 School Photographs |
| Tuesday 8 August | P&F Meeting 6pm- All Welcome |
| Friday 8 September | SMN P&F Colour Run |
| Tuesday 12 September | P&F Meeting 6pm- All Welcome |
Last Saturday, 48 candidates from St Michael’s Parish Community (Nowra, Bomaderry, Berry, Kangaroo Valley, Culburra and Vincentia) received the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Brian Mascord. Both Liturgies were a wonderful celebration of our faith. Congratulations to our Year 6 students who received this final Sacrament of Initiation.
MINI VINNIES SLEEP OUT
Next term, on Friday 21 July our brave Mini Vinnies Team will be sleeping out in the school hall to raise awareness of the homeless in our area. Students will be collecting sponsorship donations. Monies raised will be distributed to our local St Vincent de Paul Society to assist those in need.
Additionally, our school will be holding a Mufti Day on Friday 21 July for a gold donation and warm winter apparel donations will be grateful accepted.
Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.
Martine Mathieson
Religious Education Coordinator
On Tuesday, five St Michael's students travelled to the Sydney International Equestrian Centre to represent the Wollongong Diocese in the MacKillop Cross Country trials. It was an early day for some, waking at 4 am to make the long journey to Sydney for the event.
Competing in the 8/9 Year Boys’ 2km race, Finn Goddard and Ezekiel Blinksell of Year 3 ran a very strong race. Finn shined in the field of 52 runners, finishing in first place, whilst Ezekiel ran a great race to cross the line in 31st.
Adam Wisniewski and Morten Ellerington competed in the 11 Year Boys' 3km trial. Both boys ran a good race. Unfortunately for Adam, he was unable to compete at his best due to being unwell last week and still recovering from his illness. Adam is to be commended for his perserverance to complete the run, finishing in 55th place.
Morten showed great sportsmanship, running with Adam for most of the race and providing him with encouragement to complete the course. Congratulations to Morten, finishing in 41st place.
The final St Michael's runner to compete was Ella Walsh, running in the 11 Year Girls’ 3 km race. Following her impressive 1st place at the Diocesan Carnival, Ella excelled to finish 16th place in a strong field of 50 competitors.
Congratulations to Finn, Ezekiel, Adam, Morten and Ella! Good luck to Finn who will compete in the NSWPSSA Championships at Eastern Creek on Friday 21 July.
Today, we have 54 students competing in the AFL Paul Kelly Cup at the Nowra Showground. This is a round robin event where students will play against other local schools, vying for a place in the South Coast Finals on Thursday 10 August at Ulladulla. We wish all those competing the best of luck!
Next Tuesday 20 June, selected students from Year 3 – 6 will travel to Berkley to participate in the South Coast Netball Gala Day. This event includes schools in the Southern region of the Diocese. We wish the boys and girls the best of luck! A big thank you to Mrs Baran who has organised our teams for this event.
Our school athletics carnival will be held in the final week of this term on Monday 26 June. This year we are running the carnival a little bit differently. The first few races for each age group in the 100m and 200m will be for students who wish to compete in a competitive timed race and would like to represent St Michael’s at the Diocesan South Coast Athletic trials in Wollongong on Tuesday 8 August. Students who do not wish to participate in a competitive race will run with their friends in a non-timed friendly race. The 800m is for competitive runners only. The field events will be conducted at school during Friday sport lessons.
Notes for the carnival are on Compass. It is asked that parents/carers provide permission and select if their child is competing in the competitive or non-competitive races. Entries for the competitive carnival close on Monday 19 June, to anable students to be assigned to their races before the carnival.
Upcoming Events;
Tuesday 20 June – South Coast Netball Gala Day (Selected students)
Monday 26 June – Whole School Athletics Carnival
If you have any questions about sports or any events coming up, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Mr. Andrew Allmark
Sports Co-ordinator
REQUEST FOR IMAGE OF ELDERS
Staff are requesting for Aboriginal families to please send in a photograph of their child/children with the child/children's Grandparents/Elders, if possible.
OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS
SOCCER GALA DAY
EXECUTIVE POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Publicity Officer
We currently have an executive position for a Publicity Officer available and are looking for nominations.
If you enjoy managing social media accounts, preparing newsletters, designing flyers for events etc then we need you!!
Grant Facilitator
We are looking for someone who may have experience in finding and applying for Grants. This opportunity will involve working with the P&F and the school to apply for Grants for any identified projects.
If either of these positions are something you would be interested in helping with, please email our P&F with an expression of interest and attend the meeting on either of these dates below;
P&F Meetings
Tuesday 8 August - 6pm
Tuesday 12 September - 6pm
We greatly appreciate all parent and community contributions.
HANDY HELPER
UPCOMING DATES FOR THE CALENDAR- TERM 3
Winter Disco
The P&F are organising a Winter Disco for students, taking place on Friday 4 August. More information to come. Parent Volunteers will be required for this event.
Colour Run
The P&F are organising a Colour Run for the end of Term 3, scheduled for Friday 8 September. More information to come. Parent Volunteers will be required.
P&F Committee
SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISOR POSITION AVAILABLE
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST- SCHOOL CANTEEN
Over the last few years St Michael's School Canteen has been run by 'Meaghan's Kitchen'. All families will attest to the high standard of food prepared daily for the students. Whilst the school is very pleased with Meaghan's Kitchen, every few years there is a requirement to test the market. If interested in submitting an expression of interest to provide a canteen service, please send to the school office by Friday 23 June 2023.
