Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I would like to thank all families for the beautiful way the children have returned to school in Week 3 in their winter school uniform. I am aware that there has been a supply issue with the girl’s uniform in particular, and thank parents for doing their best. It may be worth checking our preloved uniforms near the school office. With the change of weather, the winter uniforms are being worn at the right time.  

All of our staff and students were so excited to welcome parents, grandparents and friends to the Mothers Day celebration last Friday. The prayer service led by the students and staff certainly paid great homage to the role of mothers in our society. A special thank you to those who attended and remained afterwards to have time with the children. Thank you to all staff and students, especially Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Royston, Mr Anderson and the Year 2W class. 

As we move forward from COVID19, the school will be engaging with staff and families regarding the reintroduction of infants/primary assemblies as well as movement by parents and caregivers back on to the school playground before and after school. To achieve success in these areas, some new procedures will need to be implemented to assist students and families. These will be introduced firstly to the students and practiced prior to implementation. A measured reintroduction will allow the present calm environment to be maintained. 

This week the students in Year 3 and year 5 have commenced NAPLAN. This testing program gathers information from a moment in time in the areas of numeracy and literacy. Students who miss out on the testing on a given day, are given the opportunity to do the testing when they return to school from illness or other reasons. NAPLAN provides families and the school with individual feedback and trends in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Please keep these students and staff in your prayers during this next week and a half. 

This coming Saturday 14 May 2022, a number of our leadership team, SSOs and AEAs will be assisting me to interview students for Kindergarten 2023. Based on our early enrolments, we are expecting all Kindergarten classes to be full for 2023. If you have friends, family or your own children who would like to be enrolled in our Kindergarten 2023 class, please ensure that an enrolment form is returned to the school. We will continue to interview prospective Kindergarten students after this coming Saturday, but places will certainly be limited for 2023.

A number of our students are currently trying out for various representative sporting teams. Good luck to these students and their families who are transporting them as far away as Forbes! We are still hoping that the Diocesan Cross Country will occur on Tuesday 24 May 2022 at Willandra. Improved weather over the next two weeks is required. Thank you to Mr Allmark for coordinating all of the sporting events. 

The car park opposite the Church still continues to provide challenges for families. The recent rain has created a bit of a quagmire on the lower end of the carpark. It may assist to consider parking in the public carpark off Osborne St as an alternative to the school carpark. To allow more teaching time in the afternoon, all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 are dismissed at the same time at 3pm. Students whose parents are not at school by 3pm are supervised at the crossing until parents arrive. If you wish to avoid the congestion, aim to be at school by 3.10pm. Many families have departed by then and your children will remain safe and supervised. 

Yours in Faith and Virtue,

Christopher Paton

Principal

Last term we saw a lot of sports disrupted by the large volumes of rain we have received this year. This term started off in a similar way. The Diocesan Cross Country was supposed to be held on the 3rd of May, though it had to be postponed due to the rain making the track unsuitable for holding the event with such large numbers of students. If the rain holds off, it is rescheduled to Tuesday 24th May. We wish those students selected the best of luck if this event goes ahead.

On the same day, we have students from Grade 3 to 6 representing the school in the NSW Schools Cup which will be held at Shoalhaven Netball courts in a round robin style competition against other local schools. Thankyou Mrs Lenihan for organising this day.

On Friday the 29th of April, Taj Goddard, Noah Jamieson and Cooper Green made the trek to St Gregory's College Campbelltown for the Diocese Rugby Union trials. They were blessed with some beautiful weather which has been rare of late. The level of Rugby Union played at the trial was very tough, and the boys are to be commended for their efforts. After 3 hours of a combination of skills and drills and games, overseen by the Illawarra Rugby development squad coaches and Diocese convenors, Taj, Noah, and Cooper were selected to trial for the McKillop Team in Forbes in June. Congratulations to the boys on their passionate dedication to team sports and representing your school and all the best for the upcoming games. 

Taj and Noah also travelled to Canberra, last Friday, to participate in the MacKillop League Trials. The boys were up against some taller and stronger boys who they described as mini men from Sydney, Canberra, Wagga Wagga and Goulburn. The boys played 5 extremely physical games and despite their best efforts they managed to win only one game. Noah and Taj’s talent shone through and they were selected to play in a Probable’s and Possible’s team before the final team was announced. The boys said it was one of the best games they played over the day and despite their best effort they were unsuccessful in making the Mackillop team. Well done to both Noah and Taj for their consistent endeavours on the sporting field. They have both done St Michael’s proud.

Matilda Martin also represented St Michael’s and Wollongong at the Hockey MacKillop trials last Friday. She joined other students from surrounding dioceses to play 7 games. The skill level of the students participating was extremely high and the competition was tough. Matilda was rotated around into different positions and showcased her hockey talent in the hope of making the Mackillop team. Matilda was successful in making the team with 13 other very capable players. She now goes to Tamworth later this week to participate in a weeklong competition. Well done Matilda and we wish you the best of luck. 

The upcoming school athletics carnival is scheduled to be held at Shoalhaven High School on the 26th May. At the carnival all students will complete in the 100m and can nominate to run in the 200 and 800 m races. This year, we a trialling holding a full carnival where students have will have the opportunity to complete in high jump, long jump and shot put. These are open to serious competitors who wish to go onto the next level and represent St. Michael’s at the Wollongong trials. Please log onto Compass for further details. A canteen will run on the day at the carnival though it will not be providing lunch orders.

Here are upcoming sporting dates for Term 2:

Diocesan Cross Country – Tuesday, 24rd May

Netball Schools Cup - Tuesday, 24rd May

Athletics Carnival – Thursday, 26th May

If you have any questions about sports or any upcoming events, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Regards,

Mr. Allmark 

Sports Co-ordinator

Margaret Simoes conducted two excellent and informative staff development sessions in our first week of the term on Cultural Awareness. Margaret is a very proud First Nations woman, a descendant of the Wandi- Wandian people. Margaret has had extensive experiences working in education, community engagement, cultural competency practices and community development.

Dear Families of St Michael’s,

Many of us understand what a terrible disease cancer is and the burden it places on families. Unfortunately, so many of us are already connected to someone who has had to fight such an unimaginable fight. Similarly, we know too well the financial burden this places on a family with treatment, travel and accommodation to consider. On Saturday night, I will be participating in the Stars of Nowra Dance for Cancer. This is because a little humiliation on my part helps reduce the affliction placed on these families. All funds raised for this event go directly to our local community and community members that are assisted by the Cancer Council. Part of my involvement in Stars is to create a goal and raise funds for this worthy cause. I would welcome any financial support that can be spared to help shape a better future and to provide the hope these heroes so desperately need. If you are keen to help out, you can donate below:

https://stars.cancercouncil.com.au/fundraisers/andrewallmark/stars-of-nowra

Thank you in advance for your support.

Mr Allmark