During the last two weeks students throughout the school have participated in numerous learning activities.

• The Year 6 students participated in ‘ACTIVATE’ which is a spiritual formation program for Year 6 students and is run by the youth team from the Diocese of Wollongong. The day was an excellent support for the Confirmation Sacramental program being taught in all Year 6 classrooms at the moment. A big thank you is extended to the Year 6 teachers, Mrs Royston and everyone who assisted in some way. The hope is always that the students learn something about themselves and the Holy Spirit, which many of them will receive on 10 September 2022.
• Last Monday the Year 4 students participated in the Diocesan Religious Literacy Assessment, which was completed on ipads. These religious tests allow the school to determine what knowledge is being understood and remembered by the students. Thank you to the staff who supported these students.
• Yesterday our Kindergarten students celebrated their first 100 days of school. Many parents and carers were able to join the teachers and students for this celebration. The concept of a picnic on the concrete/bitumen outside the Kindergarten classrooms was a sight to behold! Thank you to our Kindergarten staff for organising this celebration.
• Last night the Year 6 Confirmation candidates and their parents/carers attended a Sacramental meeting in the school hall. Father Joseph and the teachers led the students and their families through an exploration of ‘Sign and symbols’ associated with Confirmation and the Holy Spirit. At the end of the meeting, Father Joseph gave students and parents separate invitations to become involved within the parish. Using the phrase, ‘Confirmed to Contribute’, Father Joseph explained that the parish of St Michael’s needs students and their parents to be involved to enable important needs within the parish to happen. These invitations may be returned to school or put on the plate at any of the weekend masses.

Important events coming up include:

NAIDOC assembly on Friday morning 4 August 2022 at 9.30am. The theme, "Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!" is a call for action to bring about “systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities.” With the recent media announcement from Prime Minister Albanese, this is a significant opportunity to celebrate the richness of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. In the media announcement about the NAIDOC Week theme, the following was written:

“Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—we must do it together…
It’s also time to celebrate the many who have driven and led change in our communities over generations—they have been the heroes and champions of change, of equal rights and even basic human rights.”

All families are invited to join us for this assembly. Students are invited to wear a tshirt or shirt that is coloured red, yellow or black. Sports uniform will be worn by all students who do not have a red, yellow or black top. The sports shorts/skirt are to be worn tomorrow. Due to the NAIDOC assembly this Friday, there will be no primary assembly in the afternoon.

South Coast Athletics Carnival
The South Coast Athletics carnival for students in the southern region of the Diocese of Wollongong, will occur this Tuesday 9 August 2022. Mr Allmark and the staff had a very difficult job trying to put a team together due to the ongoing closing of ovals due to poor weather over the last three months. We wish the students who will be representing the school the very best for Tuesday. Thank you to Mr Allmark and the staff for holding the trials and selecting the team.

Parents and Friends Meeting - Tuesday 9 August 2022 at 6.00pm
This monthly meeting will occur on Tuesday at 6.00pm. Further details and agenda will follow.

Staff Development Day - Pupil Free Day
On Monday 29 August 2022, the school will be having a Staff Development Day, focusing on ‘Writing’. Over the last 18 months, the area of ‘Writing’ has been a focus for staff development. This is our second staff development day for 2022, following the Spirituality day at the commencement of last term. As all staff will be involved in the learning process, supervision for students will not be able to be provided. Thank you in advance for making arrangements for your children not to attend school on this day.

Afternoon Dismissal
Thank you parents and carers for adjusting to the new (old!) afternoon dismissal procedures. The official school hours, complying with NESA requirements, are 8.45am until 3.00pm. For COVID19 safety reasons there has been a flexibility to ensure safety and social distancing. However, the teachers and I are now ensuring that all possible teaching time during the formal school hours is being used. As the gates will open at 2.45pm to allow members of our school community to enter the playgrounds, I encourage you to find a seat and introduce yourselves to others and relax until the final bell rings at 3.00pm. If you are running a bit late, that will be fine. The students who are still in the classrooms at 3.10pm are walked down to the area in front of the church and are fully supervised. Thank you for your patience and welcome back to the playground.

Continued Staff Shortages
The school has continued to experience staff shortages during the first three weeks of term due to COVID19, Influenza and general sickness. Families are experiencing the same level of sickness with some classes having up to 10 students away on any given day. As an optimist, I believe we are past the halfway mark of this current spate of absences. I am appreciative to the students whose classes have needed to be split on the odd occasion and sincerely thank the rest of the staff who flexibly accept these students into their rooms for the day. We have a small pool of casual staff who are assisting our school on a regular basis. Thank you everyone for your support and understanding during these challenging times.

Christopher Paton
Principal

Each year, schools and libraries spend a week celebrating the best in children's books, Australian authors and illustrators.

This year's theme is "Dreaming with eyes open".

Our school will be holding a dress up day to mark the occasion on Friday 2 September. Students are invited to come dressed as their favourite  children's book character or use the theme as a basis for their costume.  They are encouraged to use items around the house to put together a costume or build props to compliment their costume. So time to start "dreaming".