STAFF SPIRITUALITY DAY
Yesterday our staff participated in a Staff Spirituality Day, lead by Mr Gary Quinn from the Catholic Education Office Wollongong. The theme for the day was People of Purpose: Exploring Vision and Mission. This theme, links with the 2019 School Review and Improvement Plan, to evaluate our St Michael’s Primary School Vision and Mission statement.

Our school Vision and Mission statement is:

Our Vision, inspired by St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, is that all children who leave our school:

• have a positive sense of community
• have an appreciation of, and respect for themselves as valuable people
• have respect for other people and the world in which they live
• have been given the opportunity to attain their academic potential are aware that learning is a life-long experience.

Following the example of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, the Mission of our school community is to build a relationship with Jesus and live it in our values and relationships with each other.

Gary lead us through a process of discerning the many experiences and messages of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, and the impact her philosophy has on the lives of our community. Our school community was founded by the Sisters of St Joseph and their charism has been part of the tradition of this school. We discussed also the meaning of vision, mission and ministry. The day was a very positive and reflective day. I wish to thank our staff for the many ways they continually contribute to our school and make it such a wonderful community for our students to be educated within.

The next stage of our Vision and Mission evaluation, is to discuss ideas with our students and survey our parents. This will take place in Term Four.

In finishing the day, Gary lead us in this lovely prayer on being “People of Purpose”, which I would like to share with you.

God of all creation,
You call us to be people of purpose.
Help us to slow down and discern the way to proceed.
Open our hearts and our minds to your presence:
around us; in others; and in creation.
Renew within us an openness to your desire for us.

As we go about our day, O God;
as we strive to walk with Jesus as people of purpose,
help us to notice your generous gifts all around us
and help us to be fully present to those we encounter.
May your grace, mercy and peace,
bless us, keep us and transform us all,
this day, now and forever.

Amen

SOCCER GALA DAY
I wish everyone involved in the Soccer Gala Day on Thursday, a wonderful day, filled with team spirit and positive engagement. Thank you to the many parents who are either coaching teams and / or providing transport to and from the venue. A big thank you to Mr Tuckwell and the office staff who have organised the day so well, especially after it being postponed previously due to weather. Have a great day representing St Michael’s Mittagong!

WALKATHON
Time is getting closer to the big day, as we prepare for our Walkathon on Friday 20^th of September. Thank you to all of those parents who have already helped their children gather sponsors for the day. There are two ways you can collect sponsorship- either the paper card and collecting of money or online via the Go Fund Me Page. Please see further details in the P&F section of our newsletter.

There will be an informal walkathon meeting this Friday at 1.30pm in the school library to discuss the walkathon event details.  All are welcome to attend.

RAFFLE
In conjunction with the Walkathon, the P&F are holding a raffle. The prizes are:

5 x 2 gold event cinema tickets, 4 x children hampers from Bowral Sweets and Treats and 1 adult hamper from the Mittagong Information Centre! 10 prizes in total. 

 Tickets $2 each or 3 for $5.

Raffle ticket books are available at the office, if you would like to take some to sell. If you would like some raffle tickets, please fill in the form at the end of the newsletter. 

UNIFORMS - GIRLS SUMMER DRESS 
The new girls summer dress uniform will be ready for this coming summer season. The change will be phased in over the next couple of years, however we feel that it will look
so smart and compliment the uniform changes that have been made over the last year or so.  The new style summer dress is available from Mimosa. 

We do have a few of the old style summer dresses which we are selling at a significantly reduced cost - $15.  Please contact the school should you wish to purchase the old style dress.

Have a lovely week.

Mrs Katrina West
Acting Principal

Listed below are some important school dates.  The school calendar is updated regularly and can be accessed via the school website and Compass parent portal.

Dates to Remember: All welcome

Term 3

• Whole School Mass Thursday 26^th September at 9:30 am.  All are welcome. 

Term 4

• Parish Mass Saturday 9^th November 2019 at 5:30pm , St Michael’s Church, Mittagong
• First Holy Communion Sunday 24^th November, St Thomas Aquinas Church, Bowral
• End of Year Mass Tuesday 17^th of December 2019 at 9:30 am, St Michael’s Church, Mittagong

At Mass on the weekend menALIVE team spoke to the parish about living God’s mission. If you are a male over the age of 18, the menALIVE team will be running a regional weekend. They would love for you to come along to be inspired, encouraged, and rediscover God’s purpose in your life. Bookings and enquiries please contact Jude Hennessy 02 4222 2407 or Ian Boorman 0427 006 021

www.menalive.dow.org.au

The recent Year 6 Masses with Bishop Brian Mascord provided a wonderful opportunity for our students to come together in faith and celebration.

The following article and photo gallery is now available on CEDoW’s website.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/general-news/together-as-one-year-6-students-gather-to-celebrate-an-education-milestone-with-bishop-brian-mascord/

Rebecca Mitchell, Acting REC

Learn to Swim (Kinder, Years 1, 2 and 3)
Following on from the success of last year’s Learn to Swim program, this year students in Kinder, Years 1, 2 and 3 will have the opportunity to participate in a Learn to Swim Program in Term 4 from the 25th November - 5th December. This year the Learn to Swim program will be held at the Mittagong Swimming centre. The Learn to Swim program is a necessary life skill for all students. It was quite noticeable at this year’s swimming carnival, that the Learn to Swim program held last year was of great benefit to students not only from increased student participation but also with the confidence shown by students across the swimming events.

We estimate the cost to families per child for the 9 day intensive program to be approximately $85. 

More details for Learn to Swim will be provided next term.

Surf Education Program (Years 4, 5 and 6) 
Next term, years 4 to 6 will participate in a Surf Skills and Education program. The State Funded Water safety program is made up of two parts, an input session here at school outlining surf safety and this is followed up with a practical session at Sandon Beach in Wollongong. We have chosen to participate in this program as it has educational value especially leading into the summer vacation.

The practical session is a 3hr Surf Skills & Education program which caters for all swimming abilities and has been designed for Stage 2 & 3 students.  Students do not need any prior experience or swimming qualifications, and the courses cater for all fitness levels. All students are expected be able to participate equally.

The information session is on Monday 23^rd September 2019 at 1.40pm. Parents are most welcome and are encouraged to attend this information session. 

This session provides valuable information on:

• Coastal studies -coastal geography & environment
• Surf zones – safe and dangerous areas
• Rip education – identification and easy escape methods
• Waves – negotiating and returning to the beach safely

We estimate the cost to families per child for Surf Education Program to be approximately $25. More details regarding the Surf Life Education program will be provided next term.

P&F WALKATHON - FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER
It’s time to get excited! Less than 2 weeks until our Walkathon Fundraiser.

We hope you are all looking forward to the St Michael’s P&F walkathon. Thank you for your support and happy fundraising!!!

A reminder that all sponsorship forms and money collected should be handed to your class teachers or school office.

This Friday (13th September) at 1.30pm in the school library, there will be a general meeting regarding the Walkathon.  This is our last opportunity to get together to finalise details before the event.  Please come along.  

Thank you for your support and happy fundraising!!!

On behalf of the P&F we sincerely thank you for supporting the fundraiser.  Our events wouldn't be as fun without the support from our local community of sponsors and volunteers.  It really is a pleasure being a part of such a great team. Thank you to all who have offered their help.  It is very much appreciated!

RAFFLE

Prizes: 5 x 2 gold event cinema tickets, 4 x children hampers from Bowral Sweets and Treats and 1 adult hamper from the Mittagong Information Centre! 10 prizes in total. 

 Tickets $2 each or 3 for $5.

Tickets will be available NOW from the school office up until the Walkathon day and on the day at the Walkathon. Prizes will be drawn at the conclusion of the Walkathon and winners notified by phone.

The proceeds of the raffle will form part of the Walkathon funds raised and will be used for educational resources for the benefit of students of St Michael’s School.

Happy birthday to the following students who celebrate a birthday this week:

Clare C, Ava S, Abigail F, Josephine L.M.