Dear Parents and Carers, 

During the last two weeks there has been an increase in student and staff sickness. Hopefully this current wave is passing and we will see a return to school from early next week. The school appreciates the measures families take to keep their children at home when they are unwell. 

Over the last two weeks, students, staff and parents have had an opportunity to participate in an online survey called, ‘Tell Them From Me’. Developed by The Learning Bar, and used extensively across Australia, the student, teacher, and parent/caregiver surveys will enable schools within the Wollongong Diocese to measure and understand the factors that are known to have a direct and profound impact on well-being and student learning within our school. Thank you to those families who have participated in this survey. The link for parents will close later today. The survey is anonymous and will only take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please follow this link to the survey and complete it today if you have not had an opportunity up to this date. 

Due to the challenging weather in the last three weeks, the Wollongong Diocesan Cross Country will be proceeding at Willandra Course as planned, on Tuesday 28 May. Our P&F team will be running the canteen at this event and we urgently require volunteers to assist, even just for a short time. If you or your extended family & friends are able to help, please email stmichaelspnf@gmail.com.

Thank you again to Mr Allmark, school staff and members of our Parents and Friends group who have been preparing to host the event. Best wishes to the students who will represent our school. We look forward to sharing the results with all families.

Kindergarten interviews for students wishing to commence at our school in 2025 will conclude next week. It is certainly a privilege to interview these future St Michael’s students and their families. In 2024 the enrolment application information has been provided to the school through an online process. Successful applicants for 2025 will be sent offers towards the end of June. If you have friends, neighbours or relatives who are intending to enrol their child in St Michael’s for Kindergarten next year, please direct them to apply this weekend as the number of enrolments is extremely high for 2025. 

Last Friday students in Kindergarten and Year 1 attended the Parish mass at 10am in the Church. It was wonderful to see so many families join the children for this mass. These masses for grade groups will continue through 2024 and the schedule will be updated in the fortnightly newsletter. Parents, friends and students who are baptised Catholic and have received their First Holy Communion are able to receive Communion at any masses that they attend. All non-Catholic adults are able to receive a blessing from Father Joseph or the priest who is facilitating the mass. To receive a blessing adults cross their arms over their chest.

Last Sunday the Catholic church celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. Known as Pentecost Sunday and celebrated fifty days after Easter, this feast day holds profound significance for Catholics worldwide as it commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, marking the birth of the Church. This event, described in the Acts of the Apostles, empowered the disciples to spread Jesus' teachings and perform miraculous deeds, symbolising the Holy Spirit's ongoing presence and guidance within the Church. For Catholics, Pentecost is a time of renewal and spiritual empowerment, emphasising the importance of the Holy Spirit in their faith and mission, and fostering a deeper sense of unity and purpose within the global Catholic community. For our present Year 6 students who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on the weekend of 29/30 June 2024, this feast day is particularly significant. Please keep these students in your prayers as they continue to prepare to receive the Holy Spirit through Confirmation. 

It is with sadness that I share news with you about the passing of Father Joseph's mother yesterday morning. Chinnamma Luka (89) passed away at 5am on Thursday (23/5). The funeral will be at St Sebastian's Church Cheruvandoor of Changanacherry Archdiocese in India at 2.30pm on Saturday 25 May 2024. Father Joseph has flown home to India this morning to join his extended family at the funeral. Chinnamma Luka had been very unwell for a period of time and Father Joseph is grateful for the short period of time he had with his mother a few weeks ago in India. Please keep Chinnamma Luka, Father Joseph and his extended family in your prayers.