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| THIS WEEK | |
| 18 June | Vinnies Sleep Out @ Home |
| 19 June | PJ Day |
| NEXT WEEK | |
| 24 June | Our Lady of Perpetual Help Feast Day Celebration |
| COMING UP | |
| 29 June | NAIDOC Week |
| 3 July | Last Day for Term 3 |
NOTES GONE HOME THIS WEEK
- Vinnies SleepOut@Home note
Please remember that copies of notes sent home are available on our website. https://www.stmichaelsps.act.edu.au/notes
Tomorrow we will participate in the Vinnies SleepOut@Home. You can access support materials via our Remote Learning Site (in the Religious Life Tab) or by following this link SleepOut@Home You can also download the page below.
Also, don't forget on Friday, everyone can wear their PJs to school. Students are welcome to also wear their slippers (provided they can wear them all day, including running around on the playground - sneakers can also be worn or popped in their bag to change into later).
We would ask all families to please donate $5 (via Charity Donation tab on Qkr!) to be given to St Vincent de Paul. We would also ask each family to donate a winter item (blanket, gloves etc) which will also be donated to Vinnies. This is a great social justice event that raises awareness for those in our community doing it tough, particularly during winter.
A huge thank you to Meaghan Younger for her coordination of the events.
Rainbow Awards
We would like to publish the student names below and the reasons for their award.
At the end of the year, all students who have receive a Rainbow Award have a special day with Mr Webb and Mr Ellis as a celebration and thank you.
Congratulations to the following students.
Term 1 Awards!
|
Class |
Student |
Reason |
|
KL |
Dante B |
Dante is a kind and caring classmate. He always tries his best and works hard on any task he is faced with. Dante consistently makes the right choices both in the classroom and on the playground. He is an attentive listener and enjoys helping his teachers and his friends. Dante is very confident, interacting positively with others and playing both independently and collaboratively on the playground. Well done! |
|
Eden P |
Eden is a quiet and conscientious student. She takes care with her work, always producing work to a high standard. Eden is kind to her peers and comforts those who are upset or hurt. She consistently makes good choices on the playground and in the classroom. Eden brings calm to the classroom and shows respect to her teachers and classmates. Well done! |
|
|
1/2B |
Zanna B |
Zanna puts 100% effort into every task she undertakes. She is always ready to learn and shows perseverance and focus when working. Zanna is helpful and kind to her peers. She demonstrates a positive approach to learning. |
|
Jayden R |
Jayden is a great role model for his peers. He shows focus and perseverance in his learning and is always willing to help others. Jayden is patient and kind. He consistently follows the school rules and responsibly carries out classroom duties. |
|
|
1/2W |
Elliott P |
Elliot consistently demonstrates dedication to his school work. He has a drive to produce high quality work across all subject areas and enjoys sharing his thoughts and ideas with other members of the class. He should be very proud of his efforts. |
|
Sophia C |
Sophia is a diligent and hardworking student, who sets a high standard for others to follow. She always brings great creativity and thinking to her school work and always produces neat and polished work. Well done Sophia! |
|
|
3/4A |
Kobe H |
Kobe is a thoughtful student. He always tries hard in his work and shows respect. Kobe has started the year really focused on his work and striving to improve. He is always looking after his classmates and helps them out and comforts them when there is a problem. Kobe excels in the sporting field and always plays fairly and by the rules. Well Done Kobe! |
|
Sienna W |
Sienna always tries her best. She is a kind and thoughtful class member. Sienna has been striving to improve and uses feedback to enhance her work. She is always willing to assist her classmates. Sienna consistently follows the school rules and is a fantastic role model to others. She always has a big smile on her face and makes our classroom a happy place! |
|
|
3/4F |
Cameron C |
Cameron is a respectful and motivated student. He has shown extraordinary teamwork skills when collaborating during peer work and always acknowledges ideas. Cameron displays a strong individual work ethic and dedicated commitment to produce work of a high quality standard. His attention to detail is impressive. Continue striving for your personal best and keep up the fantastic results Cameron. |
|
Maya C |
Maya is a positive and enthusiastic student. She demonstrates consistent effort towards all set learning tasks. Her optimistic attitude and willingness to remain open to continuous learning sets a great example. Maya is a kind, thoughtful and caring member of the classroom, she is always encouraging and supporting her peers. Well done and Congratulations Maya! |
|
|
3/4FR |
Michelle C |
Michelle is a highly motivated student. She completes all tasks to a high standard. Michelle asks questions to ensure her understanding is clear. She supports her peers both academically and socially. Michelle is always smiling and spreading positivity. Well done! |
|
Finley H |
Finely is a kind and thoughtful student. He has had a wonderful start to 2020. Finley embraces our keys for learning, especially the keys of Question and Explore. He strives for further improvement in all areas of his learning. Finley is always willing to assist those around him. His calm and supportive attitude ensures that the classroom is a positive environment. Well done! |
|
|
5/6F |
Samara R |
Samara is a kind and conscientious student who always puts her best foot forward in and out of the classroom. She consistently demonstrates positive role modelling and this is seen in her care for the younger students. She consistently strives for further improvement in her learning and is always engaged. Samara is always able and willing to assist in all tasks within the classroom. Well done Samara. |
|
Joshua L |
Josh is a considerate and calm class member. He demonstrates his leadership within the classroom by taking on greater responsibilities. Josh is self motivated, responsible and genuinely engaged in all tasks. He cares for his classmates and the younger students within the school commendably. Well done Josh. |
|
|
5/6K |
Olive B |
Olive always brings such a positive energy to the classroom. She consistently strives to do her best within any task she is given. Olive has a caring heart and is always willing to lend a hand to her peers or teachers. She is a wonderful role model and carries out the values of St Michael’s every day. Well done Olive. |
|
Tad M |
Tad is someone who brings a spark to the classroom every day. He is consistently engaged in all learning tasks and always strives to complete them to the best of his ability. Tad has a wonderful growth mindset and is open to feedback to improve his work. He is a polite and considerate member of the classroom. Congratulations Tad. |
Term 2 Awards!
|
Class |
Student |
Reason |
|
KL |
Sebastian D |
Sebastian is a kind and confident member of the class. He has worked hard this term and has shown big improvements in his reading and writing. His attitude towards school is positive and he brings a spark of joy to the classroom. Seb has shown more maturity this term, being patient and aware of his feelings and emotions. Seb is a good friend to his peers, caring for and including others. Well done Seb! |
|
Zara C |
Zara is a bright and confident student. She is a keen learner, always completing tasks to a high standard. Zara shows kindness and compassion to her peers, caring for others who are hurt or need help with their learning. She shows leadership in the classroom and confidence in herself and her abilities. Zara is a shining example of the school values, well done! |
|
|
1/2B |
Olivia S |
Olivia is a self motivated student who puts 100% effort into every task she undertakes. During the home learning period she completed her work to a high standard, developing confidence in presenting her learning in videos. Olivia is a calm presence in our classroom and can be relied upon to work well with her peers. |
|
Misha (Mihail) I |
Misha works hard to complete given tasks to a high standard. He listens to advice and uses it for self improvement. Misha is an attentive listener and he is growing more confident in contributing to class discussions. Misha consistently follows the school rules and is a great role model to his peers. |
|
|
1/2W |
Aveline D |
Aveline always brings warmth and kindness to the classroom. She has an amazing sense of wonder and is always asking wonderful deep questions during classroom discussions. She is a creative thinker, who enjoys the challenge of solving problems in different ways. She consistently displays perseverance in order to get her work done. |
|
Finnlay B |
Finnlay is a positive and confident member of the class. He enjoys speaking in front of others and often has insightful and well throughout ideas to share during class discussions. He has a passion and a zest for learning and brings a spark to the classroom. His upbeat nature is always welcome |
|
|
3/4A |
Macy R |
Macy’s interactions with her peers show that she is caring, friendly and reliable. She applies herself to all set tasks and prides herself on completing things in a timely manner. Macy constantly strives to improve and uses feedback to enhance the quality of her work. She is always willing to assist her classmates. Macy is a great role model to her classmates and consistently follows the school rules. Well Done! |
|
James S |
James is a conscientious, motivated and hardworking student, who applies effort to all set tasks. He is a kind and thoughtful member of our class. James is valued by his peers for his sincerity and positive approach to all he does. He enjoys sharing his creativity with the class. James tries his best in all activities and consistently demonstrates outstanding behaviour being a fantastic role model to others. |
|
|
3/4F |
Sierra B |
Sierra is a conscientious, hard-working student. She shows a love of learning and the desire to accomplish her personal best across all areas of the curriculum. Sierra thinks with clarity and precision when completing class tasks. She is constantly demonstrating kindness and respect towards the individuals around her and towards her learning environment. Congratulations Sierra, and keep up the impressive effort. |
|
Desan P |
Desan is a hard-working, honest and kind natured student. He is to be congratulated for his ‘can-do’ attitude when faced with a challenging task. He takes responsibility for his own learning by asking relevant questions to deepen topic knowledge. Desan has been achieving his goals due to his solid work ethic combined with a determined attitude. Desan always shows compassion, fairness, understanding and inclusion towards all his peers. Keep it up Desan! |
|
|
3/4FR |
Charlie C |
Charlie has been working hard to build his confidence in all areas of school. He creates wonderful illustrations to support his writing. Charlie consistently follows school and classroom rules. He quietly assists others around him. |
|
Chloe W |
Chloe is a self-motivated student. She pushed herself beyond the bare minimum during remote learning. Chloe not only worked through her own tasks, she assisted others in understanding what was expected by the task and troubleshooting technology issues. Chloe listens attentively at all times and is respectful of class and school rules. |
|
|
5/6F |
Ada C |
Ada is a kind and happy class member. She will regularly respond to calls to help out in the classroom and understands the value of teamwork. Ada is selfless in her approach to helping all of those around her. Her vivacious nature makes her a pleasure to be around. Ada consciously ensures she always puts her best foot forward with her work and consistently strives for personal improvement. |
|
Matthew S |
Matthew is a conscientious and caring class member. He regularly demonstrates generosity in the class environment and is often seen supporting his classmates and the teachers without being asked. Matthew has excelled in his learning and strives for improvement. His progress is a testament to the hard work, passion and organisation he puts into learning tasks. He is to be commended for his ongoing efforts. |
|
|
5/6K |
Eamon C |
Eamon is a thoughtful student who is considerate of the needs and feelings of those around him. He is conscientious of the values that St Michael’s entails and strives to live by these day to day. Eamon shows great initiative and independence within all subject areas and has been able to showcase his best work in a range of situations over the term. He has the tendency to thoroughly enjoy a good chat and a joke with anyone but has the ability to remain focused and in tune with his own learning. Congratulations Eamon and keep it up with your efforts. |
|
Arna M |
Arna brings a joyful personality to the classroom. She comes to class each day with a positive vibe and strives to spread that with others. Arna is a dedicated student who consistently strives to create her best work. She has become more independent throughout remote learning and has continued that since being back at school. Arna is taking initiative with her learning and asking clarifying questions when unsure. She is a thoughtful student who is aware and considerate of others and how she is with others. I commend Arna for her confidence that she shows everyday. Well done Arna and congratulations. |
Absentee Notes
A reminder to please send in absence notes via the SchoolZine app (preferred method) or via email to the school office. This is to assist us with keeping digital records. Please do not use seesaw or MSTeams. Thank you to everyone who is already utilising the app. We appreciate your support to streamline this administrative task.
Capital Region Community Services
There are support services for Belconnen Families, who are experiencing difficulties at this time. Lisa in the Front Office has further information about these for those interested.
Medical Advice - Threadworm
Threadworm is a type of roundworm that is commonly found in preschool and school-aged children, however the whole family can become infected. Threadworm causes a very itchy bottom, which is usually worse at night. Whilst many children experience some type of worm, sometime in their childhood, it is not very nice and can affect the whole family. Please remind children of the importance of washing hands after going to the toilet and be mindful if your children complain of the symptoms, to please treat immediately.
School Fees
A reminder to please organise payment of your Term 2 School Fees by the end of next week (Friday 26 June).
Thank you to those families who have already organised or starting to organise their payment or payments (if paying in instalments or direct debit).
We still have some outstanding fees from Term 1 as well.
If outstanding fees can please be paid by Friday 26 June.
Please contact me directly should you be experiencing any financial difficulty at the moment. patrick.ellis@cg.catholic.edu.au
We appreciate your support with this matter.
We will be leaving our drop off arrangements in the morning, in place for now because they are actually working better for us with getting students into class quickly and engaged in learning.
For our afternoon pick up arrangements, we would actually like to go back to normal as soon as we can. However, despite the easing of restrictions occurring this Friday in the ACT, we have unfortunately still been advised by Catholic Education, that adults will need to continue to refrain from entering school buildings for the rest of the term.
So, our current arrangements remain in place. A few reminders...
- At pick up time, especially for the Kindergarten parents, we would appreciate you remaining in the car and we will walk children over to your car. It is becoming quite hectic at times there and we need to ensure safety. Some of our Kinders are getting excited to see Mum or Dad and running over to you. This also unfortunately means, once children are in the car, you must leave to ease the traffic.
- Driving onto the basketball court there is only one way in (church entrance). Please do not attempt to leave this way. It is too dangerous. You must leave via the school staff carpark exit.
- Please be extra careful driving around the school now at drop off and pick up. We have children walking in multiple places.
- If you see there is a huge line for drive through pick up (normally for single children), please turn and drive onto the basketball court instead (church entrance). The teacher on duty can radio to the other teacher for the child to walk over. Wherever possible, we would like to not block Tyrrell Circuit. The last two days it has been backed up to the intersection. We will attempt to get the single family children out a little earlier from today to assist this flow.
Thank you for your understanding and consideration with regard to this. We all just have to go with the flow at the moment and be patient and kind to each other.
Refugee Week 
This week is Refugee Week. ‘Refugee’ is used commonly to refer to people who are forced to leave their homes for many reasons, including conflict and violence. Sometimes it is used to also refer to a person displaced due to a natural disaster environmental change.
As at the end of 2017, there were 68.5 million people who had been forcibly displaced from their home. Of these, around 50 million were displaced within their own country (internally displaced), while 25.4 million are refugees
The top five countries of origin make up 68% of refugees worldwide:
- Syria, with 6.3 million
- Afghanistan, with 2.6 million
- South Sudan, with 2.4 million
- Myanmar, with 1.2 million
- Somalia, with 986,400
Unfortunately, children make up an astonishing 52% of the world’s refugees in 2017. People flee overwhelming to neighbouring countries. Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Iran (the top four) are close to major countries of origin. The country with the largest proportionate number of refugees is Lebanon, followed by Nauru. Australia is 57th on the list.
It is an important conversation to keep having, particularly with our children. It is important to continue to discuss issues affecting refugees. This week aims to highlight aspects of the refugee experience and help the broader community to understand what it is like to be a refugee. It promotes harmony and togetherness. Refugee Week seeks to unite individuals, communities and organisations from many different backgrounds behind a common cause. We are reminded that, regardless of our differences, we all share a common humanity. In the spirit of what St Michael's stands for with being a Place of Harmony, an important conversation to have.
Enjoy the week ahead.
Take care.
Pat Ellis
Religious Education Curriculum
Across the school we have explored some very big questions and understandings this semester. All teachers have commented how engaged with the learning students have been and this is evident in their answers to the big concepts like:
KL
Caring for God’s Creation.
Jesus taught truths through story.
Year 1/2
God has made Covenants with people.
We are Stewards of God’s Creation.
We can create our own covenant in order to make our lives and the lives of those around us more positive and joyful.
Year 3/4
God created all things and we must look after Creation.
Community is significant for all people - including Christians.
Different communities (including Jewish and Christian) might respond differently to challenges and change.
Year 5/6
God created all things and we must look after Creation.
Faith is shared and strengthened in communities.
The Holy Spirit is present in the actions of people.
We’d love you to take some time in the coming week to chat with your child about their own understandings of these relevant concepts. It is from the work done and the understandings demonstrated that staff will draw the Religious Education grades for this semester.
Religious Life of St Michael’s School Community
Sleep Out @Home
This Thursday, 18June, is the CEO Sleep Out night. You are invited to join in this initiative to raise awareness of the hardships of homelessness, as well as money and Winter Woollies, to support St Vincent de Paul look after those in our own community in need. This year we will ‘Stay Safe and SleepOut@Home’. The SleepOut@Home package of activities have been uploaded to the St Michael’s Remote Learning website and they are also available in the Principal's page of this newsletter. The evening offers opportunities to find out about homelessness and to experience in a small way the hardships suffered by the homeless. All families are most welcome to take part from home this year.
There is a button on Qkr! for 'charity donations' which we are asking every family to donate at least $5. We will send these funds onto St Vincent de Paul Night Patrol to support their fabulous work in our local community. We look forward to seeing your family photos of how you become involved in this important initiative – there will be a post on our Facebook page on the Thursday for you to add to.
Mini Vinnies’ Winter Woollies PJ Day
This Friday, the 19 June, following the SleepOut@Home for many families, all students are invited to come to school in their pyjamas. Students are asked to bring in winter woollies for donating to St Vincent de Paul for this day. St Vincent de Paul tell us they are in desperate need of new warm socks, gloves, good condition pre-loved warm jumpers and jackets and warm blankets. Students can bring their donations to school and they will be collected or alternatively, they can be dropped to the Front Office to keep them in one consolidated area.
New Titles in the Library
We have added lots of new titles to both our fiction and non fiction sections. The students have been excited about borrowing some of these new books to take home and share with their families.
Book Week 2020 - change of date
MS Readathon
The MS Readathon support those living with Multiple Sclerosis and runs for the month of August. Although we are not taking part as a school, individuals are able to register to participate. For any students interested in taking part, more information can be found in the link below.
https://www.msreadathon.org.au/early-bird-tshirt
Congratulations to the following students who achieved a Harmony Award in Week 7 and Week 8. Also special congratulations to those students who received a Rainbow Award in Term 1 and Term 2 (see Principal's Page in this newsletter).
All those students will be announced over the PA on Friday morning and the teachers will hand out the awards. Well done!!
| KL | Ana K & Grace S |
| 1/2B | Kosta B & Isabella P |
| 1/2W | Eliane W & Hannah L |
| 3/4A | Stella B & Kai W |
| 3/4F | Hugo H & Zoe S |
| 3/4FR | Isabella B & Luca F |
| 5/6F | Natasha S & Phillip B |
| 5/6K | Beth L & Matilda W |
Special wishes to those children who celebrate their birthday this week:
Aaron 3/4A
We hope you have a great day!!
A well loved unicorn was found out the front of the 
school on Friday afternoon and a small ring has been found in the sandpit, please contact Lisa in the Front Office if your child is missing any of these items.
Please remember to check your child's clothing to ensure it has been labelled and that your child has the correct clothing. I have families missing labelled items and I have a lot of unnamed items in the lost property bins.
Parish Masses 
With the easing of restrictions from Friday (19/6) for 100 people, we are moving forward with commencing Weekend Masses, starting this coming weekend (20/6 & 21/6).
In order to follow the strict observance of the 1.5m or 4 square metres distancing, St Michael's Church can hold 75 people and St Monica's can hold 90 people.
A TryBooking system has been set up and the links will be on the Parish website, Facebook and Instagram accounts from Friday midday. They will also be shared on the school’s newsletter and social media accounts.
To ensure as many people can attend Church as possible, two additional Masses will start. The times and locations are as follows;
St Michael's Church
Saturday 6pm (additional)
Sunday 8am & 5:30pm
St Monica's Church
Saturday 6pm
Sunday 10am
Sunday 5:30pm (additional)
If you are in a position to help with Church cleaning, reading etc. Please contact the Parish Office.
We look forward to welcoming everyone who would like to, back to Church to pray and worship as a Community.
OLPH Youth Ministry
Gospel Video Series
Fr. Loi and I have begun posting a video series based on each Sunday's Gospel. These can be found in our parish Facebook page, under a playlist titled "Gospel Video Series". It includes Fr Loi's special Homily meant for primary school children. The video also has myself (Youth Minister Monica) closing with a Christian child- friendly song. We hope that the videos will prove to be entertaining and educational. This series will run for the current primary school term. Feel free to share the videos. You can find the videos on our Facebook page. Check out our latest video on Corpus Christi Sunday's (14th June) Gospel at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/OLoPHNBelco/videos/630935104186039/
Gospel worksheet activities
Using a template provided for the Youth Ministers, OLPH Parish creates worksheets surrounding the coming Sunday's Gospel. This is meant for primary age children. They usually contain an opening prayer, the Sunday's Gospel reading, an activity, and reflection. The purpose of these activities are to instil in children the importance of the Bible and also to help ignite an interest within children for our faith so that they learn to understand and appreciate it in time to come.
Attached is a copy of the worksheet activity for this coming Sunday, 21st June (12th Sunday in Ordinary Time). Please feel free to download/print/share this resource with anyone.
While reflecting through the past Sundays, 
I found how they each linked well. The purpose of this activity sheet (right) is to reiterate the Gospel messages and also how each of the Gospels are linked to the other. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for families to read the Bible more together at home. Can you draw or write about what each Sunday Gospel means to you?
Holiday Happenings will no longer be printed as a booklet, it is now all online.
Please follow the link below to check out the latest offers.
The Entertainment Book is back and is now all digital, there will no longer be books printed.The digital book is now available for $69.99 and is regularly updated with new offers.
Please click on the link below to order your 2020 Entertainment Book.
