Filter Content
Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,
We only have a couple more weeks of school to go until the end of term, and it is shaping up to be a busy end to the term. We look forward to seeing you all at Parent Teacher Interviews on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July. Thank you to those parents who have logged into PAM and already booked their interview time slot. We do understand that this time of year is busy for all families, but please prioritise this meeting as it is an important aspect of your child’s learning.
Shortly, we will be heading into the school holiday break, with many children having the opportunity to jump onto a device at home. I came across this article on the eSafety Commissioner website and felt I should share it. Ensuring children utilise devices in a safe way is everyone’s responsibility, and whilst online safety is a large part of the children’s learning here at school, this must be supported within the family home.
We can help our children safely navigate the online world by taking some basic steps to reduce the risks.
Our support and guidance can give our children the knowledge to make sound decisions online and the confidence to ask for help when they need it.
- Be engaged, open and supportive
- Get involved with your child’s online activities as a family. Play games together. Talk about favourite apps, games or websites.
- Keep lines of communication open. Ask about their online experiences, who they are talking to and whether they are having any issues.
- Reassure your child they can always come to you, no matter what. Your child may not communicate openly about things that worry them online if they fear being in trouble if they tell you. Let them know you will not cut off internet or device access if they tell you they’re feeling uncomfortable or unsafe online.
- If you notice a change in your child’s behaviour or mood, talk with them about it. If you are concerned, consider seeking professional help – from your GP, a psychologist or school counsellor.
- Set some rules
- Set rules for devices and online access, with consequences for breaking them. As they grow in online skills and maturity you can review your rules together.
- Get your child’s input — this will help them understand risks.
- Model behaviour that you would like to see. Children will be more likely to follow rules if they see you doing the same.
- Consider creating a family tech agreement (sometimes called a family media plan or family online safety agreement). This is a set of rules about how devices are used in your home as well as what acceptable online behaviour looks like. eSafety has created downloadable templates for families with children under 5 or those with kids aged 5 to 8 years.
- Use safety features and settings
- Get to know the devices you and your children use and set them up for privacy and online safety. Take advantage of parental controls to monitor and control screen time and access to content, based on your child’s age and experience. See our guide to parental controls.
- Choose apps and games carefully, and visit the App Store or Google Play for age ratings and consumer advice.
- Refer to our advice about screen time and online gaming if these are of concern.
- The eSafety Guide provides valuable information about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your personal information and report harmful content.
Grandparents Afternoon - Thursday 26th June
All Grandparents and special people are invited to St Michaels on Thursday 26th June at 2pm for our annual Grandparents afternoon, where they are welcome to participate in a small activity in classrooms.
To help the afternoon flow a little easier, the students will be placed in groups according to surnames and family groups, therefore they most likely will not be in their normal classroom with their normal teacher. There will be a total of 21 groups located across the school and your child will come home with their group number in the days beforehand, which should be shared with their Grandparent or special person. This will make finding your child a lot easier. Signage will be placed around the school and school staff will be scattered around the grounds to assist.
The Front gate and Church Gate will be opened at 1:50pm. Unfortunately we cannot open the gates earlier as this will be the children’s lunch time.
Some photos from years gone by…..
Italian Week - 30 June to 4 July
This year, we will celebrate Italian Week in the last week of term. Students will have the opportunity to dress up and participate in a week full of Italian activities organised by Maestra Carla. Our Italian week dress up parade will be on Thursday 3rd July at 9am in the school yard. All parents and carers are welcome to come and watch.
Boys toilets
Today at lunchtime I unfortunately had to talk to all boys about the state of the boys toilets. I am sure from the photos below that you too can see how disappointed we are that some students have chosen to treat our toilets in such a way. Throughout the year, all students are reminded about the safe and hygienic use of the amenities, however at times we have broken doors, broken seats, soap dispensers ripped off walls, sports equipment jammed into toilet bowls and toilet paper thrown about. Despite our best efforts in being detectives, we are yet to determine who is responsible for causing the damage. I ask that you please remind your child about the safe and proper way to use the amenities at school and I have included the School Wide Expectation that may assist you.
When I use the toilet at school I ….
- Close the door to the cubicle.
- Flush toilet when finished.
- I wash my hands.
- I leave no trace.
Important Dates:
- Thursday 26th June - Grandparents afternoon 2pm
- Thursday 3rd July - Italian Week Dress up Parade 9am
- Friday 4th July - End of term - School finishes at 1pm
Kind regards,
Lia DiCorleto
Each week students from each class are awarded Student of the Week certificates. These children are nominated for the example they have been within the school based on the School Wide Expectation focus for that week. The weekly focus will be from Wednesday until Tuesday the following week. Awards will be given out at Assembly on Friday.
In Week 9 the School Wide Expectation focus is Learning:
I set high expectations of what I can achieve.
I work hard and always try my best.
I reflect on my own learning and how I can improve.
I can receive and act on feedback.
| Remi Chittem | Oakley Devitt | Hannah Jaison |
| Hugo Sanchez | Aarnavi Parankusham | Levi Stanistreet |
| Noah Maw | Charlie Conway | Hailey Lourensz |
| Nessa Bino | Kyah Pham | Romi Colgan |
| Josie Kite | Gemma Wood | Branson Flewin |
| Ari Marcou | Eden Zammit | Chelsea Pace |
| Melliya Jayaseelan | Levi Ason | Aubrey Ross |
In the week beginning June the 30th, the school will celebrate an Italian cultural week. A number of things will happen during this week.Firstly, for the grade 3s to 6, there will be a school incursion on Monday the 30th of June. This will be held in the school hall. Foundation to grade 2, will have their incursion on Thursday the 3rd of July. This will also be in the hall.
On Thursday, the 3rd of July at about 9am, we will have a school parade. Parents, family and friends are warmly welcomed to attend. The children are invited to dress up in the Italian colours (green, white and red) or as an Italian character.
Some simple ideas are as follows:
- a pizza chef - just need a pizza box and an apron
- a gondolier driver - a stripey top and black pants
- gelato (ice cream) - a colourful wig with brown clothing
- a Carnevale participant- a mask (can be made or Spotlight has some)
- a soccer player - soccer top and soccer ball
- a painter like Michelangelo - school art smock or old shirt and a paintbrush
- any clothing with the Italian colours (red, white green) - some children wear green sports tops on sports day and all children have a red polo shirt.
- An Italian flag
During this week, the children will also be able to taste some gelati. We will also have available gluten and dairy free sorbet, such as Gelativo from Woolies. If your child is not able to have gelati because of health issues, please contact Carla Scholtes on the email address below, to arrange an alternative. The gelati will be served in cups, not cones. (cscholtes@stmtraralgon.catholic.edu.au).
- Orders can be submitted via CDF Pay and will close at 9am on Thursday 19th June. No cash orders accepted.
- Collection day will be Wednesday 25th June, under the verandah outside the school hall from 3:15pm to 3:45pm.
Our next Parents & Friends group meeting is Monday 16th June at 7pm in the Staffroom at St Michael's.
Our Multicultural Day and Giving Appeal last Friday was a huge success. Together we collected 1006 items to present to St Vincent de Paul. This is a tremendous effort and will help provide food for people in our community throughout the year. Thank you to all of our families who contributed to this appeal.
Our school was filled with colour and excitement throughout the day as people shared their cultural story in some way with their classmates. The church was full of colour as we gathered together to celebrate. We listened to prayers in various different languages including: Shona, Italian, Malayalam, Indonesian, Bahasa Melayu, Greek and English.
An amazing day!
Last Thursday evening, some of the Mini Vinnies joined the St Michael’s staff at Mick’s Kitchen to put into action the call to be missionaries of Jesus. They did a fabulous job and represented our school with pride.
I liked how interactive it was. It was almost heartwarming. Alex
On Thursday night 12/6/25, 5 of us mini Vinnies went to micks kitchen to help serve food to the people who don’t have much money, we also helped clean up after everyone left. I enjoyed volunteering and helping out less fortunate people. And it showed me how much people need help. Pearl
Last Sunday we celebrated Holy Trinity Sunday, recognition of the connection between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - 3 in 1.
Throughout the Last Supper discourse, the Holy Spirit is identified as Gift and Love. The Spirit is the Gift that will be sent by the Father and by the Son so that the world may continue to experience the Love of the Father and the Son. In the discourse, Jesus calls on the disciples to love one another with the same love that they had experienced from him – the love of God. To assist the disciples to continue to love with the same love of God and Jesus, the Spirit is sent to them. The Holy Spirit is the lasting expression of the divine love that had previously been experienced through the Father and the Son, to continue the work of Jesus.
Every time we make the sign of the cross we reaffirm our belief in a God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although some people have difficulties with the gender-specific language of ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ and look for other ways to express this reality, all Christian people profess a belief in the one God who is experienced in three distinct ways. We are baptised ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ and we remind ourselves of this reality when we pray and when we bless ourselves or others.
The School Savings Bonus is a State Government initiative designed to assist families with cost-of-living pressures. Under this funding, each eligible student is entitled to a $400 bonus for application towards activity levies and uniform purchases from approved supplier. Within our school, all CSEF applicants are eligible to receive this funding. All families who have a Centrelink Health Care Card and have not applied for CSEF in the past are encouraged to contact the school office and initiate an application this year. Please refer to the below link for more information:
https://www.vic.gov.au/receiving-school-saving-bonus#non-government-school-information
We offer hot lunches weekly on a Monday with Munch Lunch. They are a local company that offer a variety of lunch items.
Ordering is simple, download the Spriggy Schools app via your App Store or Google Play store, select St Michael's School, add your children and their class to the app and place your order! Lunches will then be delivered to school. Orders need to be placed by 9:00am on the day. You can pre order lunches 2 weeks in advance.
Contact: Munch Lunch 0459 220 445 or hello.munch.lunch@gmail.com
