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| Important Dates & Reminders | ||
| Thursday 3 November | First Reconciliation Retreat Day | |
| Friday 4 November | Grandparent's Day | |
| Tuesday 8 November | Sacrament of First Reconciliaiton | |
| Saturday 19 November | 40th Anniversary Celebration Day 11am - 2pm | |
| Mon 28 Nov - Fri 2 December | K-2 Swimming Lessons | |
| Mon 5 Dec - Wed 7 December | Year 5/6 Camp | |
| Tuesday 13 December | Year 6 Graduation Liturgy/ Dinner | |
| Thursday 15 December | Last Day of the School Year for Students | |
| Friday 16 December | Pupil Free Day | |
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are looking forward to catching up with our grandparents this Friday 4th November at 12pm in the Church. We are so happy to be finally welcoming back our community!
Don’t forget our 40th birthday celebrations- Saturday 19 November 11am-2pm. Here’s hoping by later in the month the weather will begin to pick up. Thank you to all our families involved and to the staff and Community Council for their generous support, it will be a great day to welcome back special friends to our school community and celebrate 40 years of authentic education for all. Please see the update from our recent Community Council meeting included in this newsletter.
Assessment and Reporting
CE has advised that there will not be an expectation for teachers to write comments on reports at the end of this semester. At St Michael’s we strongly value the opportunity to meet with parents and chat about how the student is progressing. A conversation with parents certainly provides more depth and opportunity to discuss strengths and challenges. Sometimes, with older students it is also appropriate for the student to attend the meeting to help set goals and expectations. We believe it is a parent choice at the end of the year to decide if a meeting with the teacher is warranted. For this reason, we will not set up links and a formal booking process.
Reports will be sent home digitally via the COMPASS App parent portal on Monday 28 November. Parents are welcome to email/call teachers to arrange a meeting time that is mutually agreeable. We have sent the reports home earlier this year to allow the Year 5/6 families time to meet before Camp in week 9 (December 5-7) Understandably, teachers will be wanting to be with their own families after 2 nights away at CAMP.
Year 6 Graduation
This is a special time for Year 6 students and their families and is always celebrated with a liturgy and special event. Year 6 Graduation will be celebrated with a Liturgy at 5:30pm at St Michael’s Church- all family and extended family members are very welcome. Afterwards, it is tradition that parents and the graduate attend a special event- (COVID-19 has impacted somewhat in the last 2 years). This year we have made early bookings based on Catholic Education Advice to outsource the event. Year 6 families will be receiving further information shortly. Thank you to our Community Council who support our Year 6 families by paying for the meals of graduates. This is greatly appreciated.
Kinder Orientation 1
A warm welcome to all our new and returning families for Kinder 2023 who will join us on Thursday 3 November from 9:15am-10:30pm, this will be the first of 2 Orientation sessions.
School Fees
As mentioned in the newsletter last week, a note will come home today via COMPASS with updates for 2023 School Fees and the Fee schedule approved by the School Community Council. Thank you to all our families who support us by paying school fees. In last week’s newsletter I mentioned how some fees are set by CE and how other fees ensure the school covers costs for stationery, furniture, maintenance, IT, assets, etc. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
We value the support of everyone in our wonderful St Michael’s Community.
Many Blessings,
Judy Egan
Community Council Corner
Community council met virtually on the 25th of October for the penultimate meeting for 2022, a quorum of six were present with several apologies. Several topics were covered, most notably the Council finance, where a request was made to Community Council to assist with funding for some maintenance work on the Greenhouse and also assistance with Year 6 graduation celebration, both were approved by the Council. Council also discussed the expected intake of student for 2023 and the implications for the school at a broader level. Council was briefed on the renewed school fees for 2023 and the associated cost challenges the school is facing, which is reflected in the revised fees. The Council was excited to discuss the upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration and were incredibly grateful for the generous support of staff, families and local community to the event. The Community Council will meet for the final time in 2022, in November.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 4.
Well done!!
| KD | Valentina E |
| KK | Vivaan T |
| 1/2B | Sebastian D |
| 1/2H | Zoe M |
| 3/4F | Annika S |
| 3/4L | Nina K |
| 5/6H | Ana L |
| 5/6S | Kai W |
| 5/6Y | Luca F |
Parish Sacramental Program 2022
Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on:
- 8 November in St Michael’s Church – Kaleen from 4pm to 5.30pm.
- 9 November in St Monica’s Church – Evatt from 3.30pm to 6pm.
Trybooking for the Sacrament
The Trybooking for you to book which Church you would like to attend with your child ie: November 8 in St Michael’s Church or November 9 in St Monica’s Church, are open and will close by Friday 4 November.
Please feel free to book either church for the Sacrament. You will be required to book a 5 minute timeslot for your child to celebrate the Sacrament with Fr Loi.
The Trybooking links are:
St Michael’s Church – 8 November – 4.00 – 5.30 pm https://www.trybooking.com/CDXSL
St Monica’s Church – 9 November – 3.30 – 6.00 pm https://www.trybooking.com/CDXSO
The trybooking links are also listed on the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Child/Parent Formation Night – will be held this Thursday, 3 November from 6-7pm in St Michael’s Church, Kaleen. Candidates and at least 1 parent are required to attend.
For further Information regarding the Sacramental Program – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au
or check the parish website for updates at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Religious Education
RE in 5/6
Students in 5/6 have been investigating the origins and practice of the most familiar prayer associated with Mary, the Hail Mary and praying the Rosary. The name Rosary comes from the Latin word rosarium which means a garland of roses or a crown of roses. Traditionally people place a crown of roses on statues of Mary as a symbol of her role as Queen of Heaven. Key to the Rosary is the prayer for Mary, the Hail Mary. It comes to us from Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Some of what they learned about is available here: https://padlet.com/lisa_mammoliti/CECG_RE_support_materials/wish/1711171432
If your family would like to make praying the Hail Mary a part of your family prayer life, this resource may help you to become familiar with how to pray the Hail Mary. https://www.howtofindpeace.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary-online.html
Religious Life of St Michael’s
Parish Sacramental Program – First Reconciliation
We keep in our prayers our Year 3 students who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in November. Families are currently supporting their journey by working through workbooks and having family discussions about the importance of forgiveness and being reconciled.
Tomorrow Year 3 will have a special retreat session between morning tea and lunch time, reflecting on God’s loving forgiveness.
Parents and candidates for Reconciliation are reminded that we have a preparation session at 6:00pm in our St Michael’s Church. Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Catholic Mission WSPT
Thank you to 5/6 who led our whole school last Friday so thoughtfully in our Whole School Prayer Time reflecting on the work done by missionaries around the world.
Grandparents Day
We are very excited to be hosting grandparents and special older friends this Friday 4th November. The celebrations will begin with a WSPT in the church at 12:00. Thank you to 3/4 staff and students who have been busy preparing this special liturgy. Following the WSPT grandparents are warmly invited to spend time in the school with their grandchildren discussing some differences in education from their time to ours. If grandparents would like to bring a shared lunch for themselves and their grandchildren they are most welcome to stay on for lunch as well. Hopefully it will be fine enough for us to have lunch outside.
Remembrance Day WSPT
Staff and students in 3/4 will once again lead us in prayer on Friday 11/11 for our Remembrance Day Liturgy. This WSPT will be in the St Michael’s Church at 10:30. We will pause during the WSPT for a minute’s silence to remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in war. All families are most welcome to join us for the WSPT. A special invitation is extended to all Defence personnel.
