Dear Parents and Carers,

This is our last newsletter for Term 1. Catholics around the world celebrated Palm Sunday last weekend.  Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week and is an occasion to recognise Jesus as King of the Jews. But it is also the beginning of one of the saddest true stories of all time. 

Following Jesus’ triumphant arrival into Jerusalem, he gathered the Apostles together on the evening of Holy Thursday and shared the “Last Supper” with them. At this stage, Jesus was aware that he is soon to be ridiculed, taunted and hung on a cross to die. At this “Last Supper” he actually led the apostles in the first mass where he used the symbols of bread and wine to signify his own body and blood. Every mass that occurs around the world has a Priest present to lead the gathered people to remember the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. 

On Good Friday, we have a clear reminder that God loved us so much that he allowed his son Jesus to die on the cross so that we all could be saved. On Easter Sunday the Catholic Church celebrates the risen Jesus. Amidst the arrival of Easter eggs and chocolate, we celebrate the commencement of our new lives. For our first Pope, St Peter and the apostles, Easter Sunday was the beginning of their journey in establishing a church of followers, to be known centuries later as the Roman Catholic church. 

Please feel welcome to attend any of these important celebrations in the Church during Holy week and Easter. The school hall will continue to be the mass setting for all Easter liturgies. A schedule of the liturgies is in the newsletter. 

This week all students have been scheduled to visit the hall to pray the ‘Stations of the Cross’.  Thank you to Mrs Mathieson and Mrs Longford for arranging the ‘Stations of the Cross’ in the hall. 

The first day for Term 2 is Monday 19 April 2021. It is NOT a staff development day and we look forward to seeing all students. At this stage, our Covid19 procedures will continue for morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. 

On Monday 26 April 2021 our school will commemorate ANZAC day with a service in the school playground. Parents will be able to attend, following the social distancing rules. Thank you to our new Defence Mentor, Mrs Natalie Hayes, who is also one of our parents. The service will commence at 9.15am. 

As we conclude the term, I would like to thank all of our staff at St Michael’s Nowra for their amazing commitment to our students. Education during these ‘Covid19’ times continues to be a challenge and our staff has supported students and families with conviction and purpose. Have a well earned holiday everyone. 

Yours in Faith and Virtue,

Mr Christopher Paton

A big thank you to everyone who donated to Project Compassion.

As a school we raised a total of $1750 which will go to less fortunate families.

Thanks for your support.

Wishing you a safe and peaceful Easter.

Mrs Martine Mathieson

Religious Education Co-Ordinator

It has been a busy start to Term 1 2021. We have had 10 students make Wollongong sporting teams in a variety of sports, 20 students compete in the Diocesan Swim Trials, our female AFL side progressing to the next stage of the Paul Kelly Cup and finally holding and completing the School Cross Country.

Last Friday, after what felt like a year of rain, we were able to hold the School Cross Country at the oval next to the Shoalhaven Hospital. Due to the persistent rain during the previous week, we were unable to hold the event at our usual venue in Willandra. The weather on Friday was fantastic and the ground had managed to dry out in the days leading up. It was good to see such enthusiasm from the students who participated in the day. Well done to all the students for their efforts on the day, and especially Year 6 who assisted as course marshalls and cheered all the students whilst they raced.

Here are the results from the day.

The top 3 runners have progressed to the Diocesan Cross Country Carnival which will be held at Willandra on the 27^th April. A big thank you to the Year 3 teachers for their assistance in organising and running the carnival.

Here are the upcoming sporting dates for Term 2:

Diocesan Cross Country -  27^th April

Rugby Gala Day (Yr 5 and 6) – 7^th May

AFL Paul Kelly Cup – 26^th May

If you have any questions about sports or events that are coming up, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Mr. Andrew Allmark

Sports Co-Ordinator

Thank you to all families who donated eggs for the easter raffle and bought raffle tickets. We raised $3350!

Our major prize winners were:

1st Prize: Belle D

2nd Prize: Milli L 4W

3rd Prize: Ky S 4R

4th Prize: Beau Clark KB

5th Prize: Lily Farrugia 4R

Grade Prize Winners:

Benedictine Centre

Marcus Donovan

Kindergarten

KB Nina Montgomery (1st), Tiara Turner (2nd), Braxton Staggs (3rd)

KR Lachlan Cunningham (1st), Nate Spencer (2nd), Torah Winchester (3rd)

KW Billie Brown (1st), Keaton Bates (2nd), Airlie Sliwka (3rd)

Year 1

1B Logan Lovell (1st), Annabelle Seymour-Munn (2nd), Mia Gleeson (3rd)

1R Lily McDonough (1st), Finn Goddard (2nd), Airabella Bailey (3rd)

1W Sophie Webber (1st), Flynn Sharpe (2nd), Lane Plant (3rd)

Year 2

2B Declan Kochaniewicz (1st), Savannah Crockett (2nd), Hannah Smith (3rd)

2R Jordyn Hitchcock (1st), Ava Edwards (2nd), Tykea Hutson (3rd)

2W Cooper Lucke (1st), Grace Riepsamen (2nd), Gracie Coe (3rd)

Year 3

3B Harley Hackett (1st), Holly McGregor (2nd), Maryann McGee (3rd)

3R Maddalin Russell (1st), Jack Butler (2nd), Oliver Newton (3rd)

3W Morten Ellerington (1st), Chelsea O'Keeffe (2nd), Indi Bell (3rd)

Year 4

4B Yuin Hill (1st), Stella Lane (2nd), Tyson Crowley (3rd)

4R Kobie Webb (1st), Xavier Beattie (2nd), Lauren Vaughan (3rd)

4W Milla Bowden (1st), Iris Zarrella (2nd), Koen Manners (3rd)

Year 5

5B Jack Meagher (1st), Alaina Wood (2nd), Luke Keating (3rd)

5R James Fielding (1st), Taj Goddard (2nd), Conrad Robin (3rd)

5W Kai Reid (1st), Zoe Douglas (2nd), Pheonix Scanlon (3rd)

Year 6

6B Marshall Avery (1st), Taylor Milla (2nd), Mylan Brunton (3rd)

6R Isabella Nguyen (1st), Nash Norton (2nd), Max Hair (3rd)

6W Zali Delaney (1st), Ashton Davis (2nd), Gabrielle Kidd (3rd)

Staff

Tanya Goodwin

Meagan Dempsey

Thanks for your support!

P&F Committee

I hope everyone has a very restful time over the school holidays and can enjoy some quality family time. If for any reason you need to speak with someone or require assistance over the break please remember that you can always call the DCO Family Helpline on 1800 624 608 or Open Arms Counselling on 1800 011 046.

Have an awesome break and I look forward to seeing everyone next term!

Mrs Natalie Hayes

Defence School Mentor

The Student Representative Council (SRC) ran a fundraiser last week. The fundraiser was to raise money to re-concrete our front handball courts. The SRC students organised the whole day and ran multiple stalls. Overall we were able to fundraise $940.50. Well done, St Michael's, on a successful fundraiser. 

On Friday the 26^th of March, three environmentally aware students went to St Paul’s Albion Park to participate in the very first Wollongong Environment Network (WEN) Summit. The day was really inspiring. We got to listen to Jack Berne, a remarkable 12 year old, who is responsible for the Fiver for a Farmer Fundraiser. Jack showed us that you are never too small to make a difference.

We heard about the great ways that six schools in the Diocese are caring for the environment. We realised that there are some fantastic things already happening at St Michael’s School, however, we have been inspired to implement a few simple changes to improve the environmental footprint of our school. Stay tuned. We would like to thank Mrs Warner and Mrs Davis for taking us.      

Just a reminder that students are required to wear winter uniform for terms 2 and 3.

For the first two weeks of term 2 only, students are permitted to wear summer uniform if the weather is quite warm.

From week 3, full winter uniform is required to be worn.

The Federal Government's Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides eligible children with $1013 worth of free dental treatments. These benefits can be used on select children's services over a 2 calendar year period and covers services like consultations, X-rays, teeth cleaning, fillings, fissure sealing, root canal and tooth extractions. To see if you are eligible, please click on the below link.

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/child-dental-benefits-schedule/who-can-get-it

The Mother's Day Classic is held annually all over Australia both in Capital Cities and regional areas.  This is the 5th year holding the Huskisson event which has raised over $40,000 through sponsorship, registrations, raffles and Bunnings sausage sizzles. We would not have been able to achieve this without the help of our local community.  

In 2021, you can participate virtually at a time to suit yourself or you can participate on the day between 9am and 11am within allocated time slots. Registrations and more information can be located on the website. https://www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/local or following the link on our Facebook page Mother's Day Classic Huskisson.

Thank you.

Huskisson Mother's Day Classic Committee