Filter Content
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Within the challenging times of staff shortages and student/staff sickness, school is continuing for the majority of students. It appears that a number of students are experiencing symptoms related to either the flu or COVID19 and parents are keeping them at home if necessary. It is highly recommended that students receive a flu shot and it appears these will be provided for free for a period of time. The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday:
"Influenza vaccines will be free to people across NSW as early as next week in a bid to curb a massive rise in flu infections that have soared to almost 12,000 this month. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has warned that influenza season has “hit the state harder and earlier than it has for many years”. He urged people to get the flu jab amid enormous pressure on the health system, with thousands of people presenting to emergency departments with influenza-like illness and 380 hospitalised with the virus this year."
Thank you for your support with keeping your children at home if unwell.
As parents are aware through Compass alerts and the media, tomorrow (Friday 27 May 2022) will be a day of ‘Protected Industrial Action’. What this means is numerous staff from Catholic schools in NSW are exercising their democratic right to attend rallies in Wollongong and Sydney. How will this affect St Michael’s Nowra:
- Limited supervision will be provided at school, but classes will not run as normal.
- You may wish to keep your child at home.
- Any absence from school on this day will not impact your child's attendance record.
As there will be no formal teaching tomorrow, if your child is able to remain at home for the day, it would be appreciated. Thank you for your understanding. A link to Digital Learning Packs for the students to do at home tomorrow can be accessed:
This coming Monday 30 May 2022 is ‘School Photo Day’. Families have received all the information from MSP and most have paid online for the various packs. The students are required to wear their full winter uniform this Monday, for their individual, class and family photos. There is an option for family photos to be taken from 7.45am in the school hall, should parents wish to bring and supervise their children in the hall. Alternatively children will be called down for sibling photos throughout the day.
Congratulations to the students who have recently represented our school at the Diocesan Cross Country and the Netball Gala day. From all reports the students displayed exceptional ability combined with great sportsmanship behaviour. A good summary is provided in the newsletter. Well done students, and a big thank you to families for transporting the students.
Next Wednesday 1 June 2022, students from Year 2 preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation will meet in the hall from 6.30-7.30pm. It is necessary for at least one parent from each family to attend these meetings. If there is a difficulty, please make contact with our Parish Priest Father Joseph.
Safety concerns before and after school:
I have received two calls from parents in the last week with concerns about the drop off zone out the front of the school. Parents are dropping off students in the marked zone, but some parents and students are crossing the road at the same place. All students and families are asked to use the crossing near the church. There is a designated council employee who is there each morning and afternoon and does an amazing job to keep us all safe.
Like most schools around the country at the moment, St Michael’s Nowra is experiencing difficulties employing casual teachers when staff members are ill or need to look after their own sick children at home. Every effort is being made by all of us, including Catholic Education Office staff, to have a teacher in front of your child. In the extreme case, a class may need to be split and work within another classroom. This has happened a few times this year and is the last resort. I apologise for the inconvenience this causes the students, but their learning is continuing within whatever classroom they are in. Thank you for your patience.
Yours in Faith and Virtue,
Christopher Paton
Principal
As many of you are aware, the current stretch of bad weather is having consequences on weekend sports where games are being cancelled due to wet grounds. Unfortunately, we are no different. On the 27th May, we were supposed to hold our athletics carnival at Shoalhaven High School, though due to the rain this was postponed to the 10th June. Shoalhaven High School has informed us that due to the state of the track that our back up date has been cancelled. At this stage we do not know when they will open the track again. We are currently looking at our options if we cannot get on the track. We will keep you informed about the decision of the upcoming carnival.
On Tuesday, a group of students from Year 2 to 6 were up early to travel to Narellan to compete in the Diocesan Cross Country Trials in the hope to make it onto the Wollongong team which will compete at Eastern Creek on the 7th June. The track was a lot different to what the students are used to at Willandra. The students were running 2 km on asphalt around the sports precinct. Our runners were up against the best two runners from other schools in the dioceses. The pace of all races was fast and I was exhausted just watching the students put in their best efforts. We had some extremely pleasing results from the carnival;
- Ella Walsh from Year 4 ran an extremely impressive run and came in first in her age group.
- Finn Goddard from Year 2 ran in the 8/9’s boys’ race where the majority of the competitors were 9 years old. Finn put his Little A’s participation to good use and came in 6th.
- Taj Goddard from Year 6 put in another consistent race finishing 7th. Taj has made it to the CPS Trials for the past 3 years it has been run.
- Milla Cooper from Year 6, like Taj, has made this stage of the carnival for the second time. This year she finished 7th, and for the second year in a row she has progressed to the next level.
- Amarlie Ward from Year 3, in her first outing representing St. Michael’s, overcame her nerves and put in a fantastic run finishing 7th.
These runners will progress to the next stage of representation, representing the Wollongong Diocese at Eastern Creek on the 7th of June. We wish these students the best of luck and also congratulate all students who ran on the day: Savannah Crockett, Kai Delaney, Imogen Foster-Percy, Harley Hackett, Brooklyn Horwood, Noah Jamieson, Joey Jefferson, Kyiesha Kershaw, Matilda Martin, Olivia Seymour-Munn, Miley Winchester and Adam Wisniewski.
On the same day, we had 50 students compete in the Netball Schools Cup at the Shoalhaven Netball Courts. The weather was fairly kind to the students with only light rain here and there. The heavy rain managed to hold off until the completion of the day, which made packing up that little bit trickier. The boys and girls that participated in the day had an absolute ball playing such a great game. Reports from the teachers and parents in attendance is that all the students played fairly and with a high level of sportsmanship. Our Year 6 team won 6 out 7 games and they now progress to the next round which will be played in the Eurobodalla in August. A big thank you to Mrs Lenihan and Mrs Boyton for their organisation and supervision on the day and all the parents who assisted in managing and umpiring on the day.
Next Tuesday, we have 50 students completing in the AFL Paul Kelly Cup at the Showground. We wish these students the best of luck and pray the rain stays away so the event can go ahead.
Here are upcoming sporting dates for Term 2:
Paul Kelly Cup – Tuesday, 31st May
MacKillop Cross Country – Tuesday, 7th June
Athletics Carnival – TBC
If you have any questions about sports or any upcoming events, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Mr. Allmark
Sports Co-ordinator
Light up your week
Do you have family, friends, children or colleagues who live with a disability? Our friends at Cushman & Wakefield are delighted to invite you and your family/carer to a FREE showcase of Wild Lights at Taronga Zoo for a Night of Inclusion.
WHEN: June 1 from 5:30-7pm
WHERE: Taronga Zoo, Bradley’s Rd, Mosman
Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre - Annie Production and ReConnection event

Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the best of our local artists at Reconnection, a free community event to be held on the forecourt of the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Sunday 5 June from 11.30am – 2.30pm.
The afternoon will include the unveiling of a stunning new sculpture called ‘phases’ created by award-winning artist Greer Taylor. The artwork was commissioned as part of the Streets As Shared Spaces program and will delight locals and visitors to the council precinct.
Term 2 |
|
Week 5 | |
Thursday 26.05.2022 | Sorry Day Liturgy |
Week 6 | |
Monday 30.05.2022 | School Photos - Full Winter Uniform |
Wednesday 01.06.2022 |
Reconciliation - Second Parent Meeting Time: 6.00pm Location - School Hall |
Week 7 | |
Tuesday 07.06.2022 | P & F AGM Meeting Time: 6.00pm Location: School Hall |
Wednesday 08.06.2022 |
Confirmation - First Parent Meeting Time: 6.00pm Location - School Hall |