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- Important Dates & Events
- Principal's Page - Judy Egan
- Happy Birthday
- Harmony Awards
- Religious Education News - Erika Tokich
- Parish News
- Sport & Library News - Erin Hardwicke
- The Resilience Project!
- School Counsellor
- SFX Enrolling for 2026
- Merici College Enrolling Now!
- Merici College Musical!
- 2025 School Fees Policy Update
- School Sport ACT - ACT Teams Selection - 2025
- Join a Team in 2025!
- Cats AFL
| 20 March | Reconciliation Retreat/ Prayer Night | |
| 25 March | Belconnen Swimming AIS | |
| 26 March | Sacrament of Reconciliation | |
| 31 March | National Ride/Walk to School Day | |
| 3 April | Ryka Ali Performance | |
| 3 April | St Michael's Cross Country | |
| 4 April | School Photos | |
| 10 April | Holy Thursday/Good Friday Liturgy | |
| 11 April | Pupil Free Day | |
| 18 April | Good Friday | |
| 25 April | Anzac Day | |
| 28 April | Pupil Free Day | |
| 29 April | First day of Term 2 for students | |
| 29 April | 2.30pm | ANZAC Day Liturgy |
Dear Parents and Carers,
Last week I attended the Catholic Leaders Day and Retreat in Bowral. It was great to meet the current Executive Director, Pam Betts and participate in workshops designed for Principal voice and reflection during a time of transition. On the second evening, Mr David de Carvahlo, the new Executive Director of Catholic Education and his wife Andrea attended and were warmly greeted. Originally from Sydney, David is a very experienced and well-regarded leader in the education sector, with a deep knowledge of, and commitment to, our Catholic faith. Andrea and David have both lived and worked previously in Canberra and are excited about returning to our system.
On the second day following Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Christopher Prowse, sessions were held for the Principal Retreat Day. Sessions on Charisms and Leadership were facilitated by Clara Geoghegan, the Executive Secretary for the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference. During this Jubilee Year of Hope, we were provided with opportunities for stillness, silence and discernment of how we can utilise the charisms gifted to each of us.
The 2025 Jubilee Year, themed “Pilgrims of Hope” is now underway and will conclude on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2026. The Holy Father’s prayer for the Jubilee Year invites us to renew our hope in Christ. Today we will send home copies of the prayer card to all families to serve as a guide for prayer. Each class and the front office also have a Guide and Calendar for the Jubilee year in the Archdiocese of Canberra/Goulburn. You are most welcome to access these.
NAPLAN
Today we wish our very best to Yr. 3 and Yr. 5 students who commence NAPLAN testing. We ask that students arrive to school on time and that appointments are scheduled outside test sittings. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
HARMONY DAY
- On Friday 21st March we will celebrate Harmony Day at St Michael’s. The theme for Harmony Day 2025 is "Harmony- we all have a role to play!". It's a time to recognise and celebrate the different backgrounds and cultures that make up Australia.
- The colour orange is associated with Harmony Week, and is a symbol of unity, respect, and meaningful conversations. We invite students and staff to wear an item of orange, this could be a ribbon, a t-shirt, scarf etc. in recognition of respect
- Students will be completing some enjoyable activities to reflect the ‘Harmony’ theme.
Finally, a special congratulations to Connor Howland and his partner Ashley who were married last week, we wish them a long and happy life together.
Thank you for your continued support.
Many Blessings,
Judy Egan
Principal
Special wishes to those children who will celebrate their birthdays this week: Zanna B, 5/6P, Sophie V, 1B.
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award this week.
Well done!!
| K Yellow | Parisa N |
| 1/2 Blue | Maximiliano M |
| 1/2 Red | Florentina K |
| 3/4 Green | Maria C |
| 3/4 Orange | Ivy-Rose G |
| 5/6 Indigo | Jesse H |
| 5/6 Pink | Lydia W |
Project Compassion
This Lent, we’re invited to Unite Against Poverty with Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. This year is especially significant as we celebrate the Jubilee Year - a time of renewal and solidarity.
Project Compassion 2025 shares three stories from around the world. We’ll meet Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) a young student from Samoa who faced severe water shortages at her school. Thanks to Caritas Australia and the generosity of supporters like you, her school now has a 10,000 L water tank improving hygiene and allowing the teachers to prioritise education.
We’ll get to know Lam from Vietnam, born with short stature, Lam faced social exclusion and limited employment opportunities – through the I-SHINE program, Lam is now a freelance graphic designer.
And we’ll meet Irene from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who faced immense challenges after losing her father to war and raising her children in poverty. With support from Caritas Australia, Irene received vocational training in sewing and farming and can now support her whole family.
If you would like to know more about these 3 stories of resilience and strength, you can watch the Project Compassion introduction film HERE. The video also shows the impact that your support can have on vulnerable communities around the world.
In classrooms students are discussing ways they can save money and contribute to Project Compassion. Lent in the perfect time to put our compassion into action.
A reminder that boxes will be collected at the end of term. Alternatively, you can donate at our school website:
https://fundraise.projectcompassion.org.au/o/st-michaels-primary-school-kaleen
Parish Sacramental Program
2025 Sacramental Program – for students who are baptised and will be in years 4-6 in 2025.
Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in term 1, 2025
Sacrament of First Communion will be celebrated in term 2, 2025
Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated in term 3, 2025
For further Information – please contact the Sacramental Program Coordinator at sc.belconnennorth@cg.org.au or check the parish website at www.cg.org.au/belconnennorth
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge
The Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge has commenced for 2025! The theme for this year is ‘Spaces and Places Where we Read.’ All students received their recording sheet in library lessons this week. We encourage all students to participate in the challenge by reading 30 books by 12 September. Books can be physical, digital or audio and include books read independently as well as those read by others.
All completed entry forms can be placed in the prize barrel in the library. The prizes will be drawn at the conclusion of the challenge. Happy Reading!
More information can be found at https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/additional-programs/chief_ministers_reading_challenge
Cross Country Helpers
We are still looking for a few parent helpers for our Cross Country. If you can spare a couple of hours from 9-11 on Thursday 3 April, we would appreciate your help. Please contact Erin.hardwicke@cg.catholic.edu.au if you can assist.
We are very excited to offer a Digital Wellbeing Webinar for St Michael’s families, hosted by Leah from The Resilience Project.
Date: Wednesday, 19th March from 6:30 to 7:30 PM
This one-hour webinar guides parents and carers to reflect on their family’s digital wellbeing, before diving into practical strategies to create healthy habits online and strengthen connections at home. This presentation will also unpack the latest research on screen time and its impact on individual and collective wellbeing in the home.
This is a practical and powerful webinar designed to meet the needs or families to ensure students are safe in our digital world. St Michael’s values the wellbeing of all students and has prioritised funding this excellent resource. To register, please use this link. The Resilience Project will then send you a zoom link and calendar invitation.
Hi parents and carers,
My name is Jo, and I am happy to be returning to St. Michael's as the school counsellor this year.
The school counselling program can be used as a first port of call in supporting and addressing your child’s mental wellbeing within the school environment. As the school counsellor, I can work with your kids using a short-term, child-led intervention model to support them in addressing any concerns relating to big feelings, relationships, growth and emotional regulation and expression. Through sessions that involve a lot of play, art and talking – I aim to facilitate a safe and objective space for children to explore their feelings and provide guidance and strategies for them to learn to manage and regulate themselves in different contexts.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to enquire further about the service, and whether it might be helpful for your child.
If you would like to make a referral for your child, please use the link below to access the online form. Once this referral has been put through, I will be in touch as soon as possible to chat through your concerns and discuss how the service might be helpful to support your child.
https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form
I look forward to working with you and your school throughout 2025.
A wonderful opportunity for prospective families to see the College in action, meet our students and attend the Principal’s Address, Year 7 and 11 Information Evenings and lots more.
Visit www.merici.college for all dates and information for our Open Day and enrolment events.
- Open Day, Principal’s Address and Year 7 2026 Information Night: Wednesday 7 May
- Be a Merici Girl Days: 2, 5, 12 May
- Talk and Tour: 10 May
School Sport ACT - ACT Teams Selection - Important Information
Please see the School Sport ACT webpage http://www.schoolsportaustralia.edu.au/stateterritory-school-sport-offices/school-sport-act/ or Facebook page for the most up to date information.
SCHOOL SPORT ACT TRIALS – Please keep an eye on the School Sport ACT website www.schoolsportact.asn.au for upcoming ACT trials. The process for registering can be found below. If you need any assistance registering your child please feel free to ask for assistance.
How to register your child with School Sport ACT
School Sport ACT now collects all registration information online – this is to prevent the movement to and fro of a paper note and have all information readily available to officials prior to the trial. As this process incurs a fee for data storage, system maintenance and admin, a small fee payment via credit card will be required.
- Go to the School Sport ACT website – www.schoolsportact.asn.au
- Click Register (top right corner of homepage) for an Account – enter parent details and password
- A confirmation email will be sent to your chosen email that will contain a link that you must click on to verify the email account.
- Click Log In (top right hand corner of home page) enter password then click on top tab My Profile
- You will see a ‘dashboard’ of your information, click green box to Add Student – enter student and medical details and save.
- Go to the Sports Tab – choose your specific sport, click on Trial Information box then click on the Register to Trial link.
- Select your child’s name from the dropdown box and then enter the optional fields for Playing History, Preferred Position (if applicable) and Representative Experience. If you are already in the system, ensure your child’s school is up to date in your profile – have they moved onto High School?
