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SCHOOL PHOTOS TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER
WELCOME BACK TO TERM 4, 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 4. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with special times shared with your families.
We have had a very busy holiday period here at St Michaels, with lots of great projects underway whilst the students were offsite. Our major project was the painting of the Quiet Area. We had the end building painted white, which makes a huge difference to the old brown bricks that were there. Our prayer garden has been updated with painted benches and our playground fence has had a “spruce up” with fresh blue and yellow paint applied. Some of the students said to me that they feel like they are now at the beach!!
We have some great new playground equipment for the students to use. During the holidays, Mr Tuckwell kindly put together two new basketball stands and a netball ring and I was able to purchase some playground walking boards equipment for the students to play on. They have had a lot of fun this week playing with the equipment, as can be seen in our photo slideshow below.
Our nature playground has been ordered and hopefully this will be installed sometime this term. This playground has been jointly funded by our Federal Government Community Grant and our school. I am really looking forward to seeing the students playing in this special part of our playground.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW FAMILIES
This week we welcome Hugh Alcorn (Kindergarten) and Indiana Hedges (Year 2) and their families to our school community. We wish you every happiness in your time with us at St Michael’s Mittagong.
FORMATION OF OUR NEW PARISH
During the holidays there was special news about our Parish. Please see the message below from Fr Sean.
Dear Parishioners,
At all Masses last weekend, I read the Decree from Bishop Mascord announcing the formation of our new Parish: Corpus Christi Parish Mittagong-Bowral. The Decree will take effect from 1 January, 2021.
This is wonderful news. For many years now the Parishes of St Michael’s Mittagong and St Thomas Aquinas, Bowral have worked in a positive partnership pastorally and administratively. Our two Catholic communities now form the newest Parish in the Nation.
As the Decree stated the two Churches, St Michael’s and St Thomas Aquinas will retain their titles.
The new name, Corpus Christi, reminds us of the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of our Parish. The Feast is celebrated each year, the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. It was proposed by St Thomas Aquinas himself and in 1264 Pope Urban IV established the Feast and extended it to the whole Roman Catholic Church.
Mittagong is mentioned first in the new Parish name, to acknowledge the historical order of the parishes (Mittagong established in 1917 and Bowral in 1948). The announcement has been made now, to allow us time to put into place the changes in administration, like the financial arrangements and Sacramental Registers. In terms of our liturgical practices you will not experience any change at all.
Now, we can move forward together to face the challenges of our life as the Catholic Church in the Southern Highlands.
I am already anticipating a great celebration on the Feast of Corpus Christi on 6 June, 2021, one in which we can all participate and thank God for the gifts with which he has generously blessed us.
God Bless
Fr Sean
CHRISTMAS ART
The link to the 2020 Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition virtual event is now ready. This event will premiere on YouTube from 7.00pm on Wednesday 14 October and will be available to view via the link anytime after this.
Please find the YouTube link below:-
Certificates for successful students will be delivered to schools over the coming week for all student artists.
Congratulations to Mitchell King, Ava Lamour and Breanna Tully whose artworks are currently on display at the Wollongong Art Gallery. The student artworks will be exhibited at the Wollongong Art Gallery until the end of November.
COVID 19 DIRECTIVES FOR TERM 4
The Catholic Education Office has released the updated COVID 19 Directives for Term 4. Please read this information from Peter Hill, Director of Schools.
Dear Parents and Carers,
As you may be aware, in the final week of Term 3, NSW Health released updated COVID-19 guidelines for schools. The updated guidelines take effect in Term 4, and they include a number of significant changes that will make it easier for students to engage in more of the activities that were previously impacted by coronavirus restrictions.
This update is intended to provide you with a summary of the major changes. The complete list of directives in place at all Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong schools is available at www.dow.catholic.edu.au/covid19.
Major changes to our COVID-19 protocols for Term 4:
- Students may now travel outside of their Local Government Area, as long as there is a COVID-19 Safety Plan in place at the destination venue.
Additionally, as long as strict COVID-safe measures are followed activities are permitted:
- Camps (including overnight camps).
- Solo and small group singing.
- Incursions by external providers essential to—or that support—the delivery of the curriculum (this includes health and vaccinations programs as well as curriculum support providers such as music tutors, sport skills development programs and Healthy Harold).
- Orientation programs for future Kindergarten students - further details regarding this will be given to the Kindergarten 2021 parents in the coming weeks.
- Year 6 Graduations in revised format- further details regarding this will be given to the Year 6 parents in the coming weeks
As we continue to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, the wellbeing of our students, staff and school community always comes first. As a Catholic school we are committed to keeping the members of our community—especially the most vulnerable—safe.
You can help ensure the safety of our school community by:
- Keeping your children home when they are unwell, even with very mild symptoms.
- Informing the school immediately if your child is self-isolating or undergoing testing, informing us of the result as soon as possible.
- Following sickness with flu-like symptoms, ensuring your child is free of symptoms AND can present a negative COVID-19 test, which must be sighted by the school, before they return to school.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We will continue to keep you informed of changes to our COVID-safe practices and provide you with timely updates about activities and events relevant to you and your child.
Sincerely,
Thank you for a great start to Term 4. May this term bring all students and their families happiness and a continued sense of joy in their learning journey.
Have a wonderful week everyone.
Take care and God Bless
Katrina West
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.
OCTOBER
| Tuesday 20th | School photos |
| Friday 23rd | Year 4 Maubara Fundraiser |
NOVEMBER
| Friday 13th | Staff Development Day |
| Thursday 19th | Year 5 Maubara/Mission Fete |
Feast Day of St Michael
Each year on the 29th of September, we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Michael. Saint Michael is an Archangel and the leader of all angels and of the army of God.
The title "Archangel" means, that he is above all the others in rank.
St Michael has four major roles for God. The first is to defeat and repel Satan. The second is to escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death. The third is to be a champion of all Christians and the Church itself and the fourth is to call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgment.
On Monday 12th October our school participated in a liturgy to celebrate St Michael. Thank you to all the students and staff who were so reverent and prayerful in their classes as they engaged in the recorded liturgy.
YEAR 4 BUSKING FOR THE MAUBARA ORPHANAGE
Year 4 have been busily practicing their busking item to raise money for the Maubara Orphanage. Next Friday, the 23rd October, Year 4 will present different items on the playground during lunch. We ask all students to bring to school on that day, small change to give to the buskers and this money will be safely collected to send as a donation to the Maubara Orphanage. Congratulations Year 4 on the preparation that has gone into making this an entertaining fundraising event.
CONFIRMATION
Over the coming weeks please keep in your prayers, students from our parish who have commenced the Confirmation program. This year it will be very different due to COVID 19 directives. However, we are very proud of the commitment that our students and parents are making.
MASS
Be assured that in the Parish, every precaution is being observed to ensure the safety of those who come to Mass: distancing is clearly marked in the Church and maintained during Mass; all of the liturgical restrictions are followed (Communion in the hand and no singing); the Church is cleaned after each Mass; registration of those who attend is carefully recorded; sanitising is practiced by all who enter the Church. So, please, iyou are well and able do not be hesitant about coming to Mass.
Go to the website www.ccsh.org.au and press the link “Register Here” for Mass.
Please remember that all Masses will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, because of the social distancing requirements.
Masses for the week ahead
Vigil Mass
- 17 October - 5:00 pm
Sunday Masses
- 18 October 8:00 am - 9:30 am, 11.00 am - 5:00 pm
Weekday Masses
Mon 7:15am (The Hermitage, Mittagong)
Tue 8:00am
Wed 7:30am
Thu 7:30am
Fri 8:00am
Confession (Saturdays) 4:15 pm
Parish Fundraising
Tickets are still available to be purchased from the Parish website via https://www.raffletix.com.au/ccsh. Tickets are $10.00 per each and would make a great Christmas present, especially if they won. First prize is a HONDAJAZZ, valued at over $20,000 (supplied by Southern Highlands Motor Group).
Rebecca Mitchell
REC
On Friday 23rd of October, Year 4 will be holding their Maubara Orphanage fundraiser. As Year 4 have done so in the past, we will be performing a number of busking acts at lunch time in the playground. We would love it, if the students could bring in some coins on the Friday, to help us raise money for the orphanage.
SCHOOL PHOTOS - TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER (Term 4 Week 2)
A reminder to return your child's school photo envelopes. All students are asked to wear their summer uniform.
Sibling photo order envelopes are available from the school office.
SCHOOL EXCURSIONS: KINDER - YEAR 5
It is with sadness and regret that unfortunately due to the current Covid19 situation we have cancelled the excursions for Kinder through to Year 5 for 2020.
This decision wasn’t taken lightly. We had hoped to be able to hold these excursions in term 4, however due to the uncertainty of Coronavirus and the everchanging restrictions for individuals, venues and transport, we felt that is in the best interest of both our students and staff.
For those families who have paid monies for the excursions, a refund credit will be applied to your school fees. The Catholic Education Office will process the refund credit and these will appear on you fee statements over the next couple of weeks.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.
RETURNING TO SCHOOL FOLLOWING FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS
Students who have been sick with flu-like symptoms defined by NSW Health as:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
- Sore Throat
- Loss of smell or taste
are required to present a negative COVID test result before returning to school.
Please provide the school with a copy of COVID test results, as we are required to add this information to our school COVID testing register which is updated on a daily basis. The best way to do this is by sending a quick email to info@smmdow.catholic.edu.au. Once the result is received, please email a copy to the school immediately, this can be done as a screenshot if the result is sent as a text to your phone. Please note that your child will need to be symptom free and have a negative COVID test result before returning to school.
- Headache
- Muscle or joint pain
- Runny nose
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomitting or diarrhoea
- Loss of Appetite
WATER BOTTLES
Due to COVID 19 restrictions, the bubblers have been turned off. Therefore it is important that students come prepared to school with their own water bottle.
STUDENTS NOT RETURNING IN 2021
If parents are already aware that their child/ren will not be returning to St Michael's in 2021, we request that this information be provided to Mrs Berrell in the School Office as soon as possible. This information will assist us with accommodating both new applications and students who are currently on our waiting list.
UNIFORM LABELLING
Please ensure all uniform pieces are clearly labelled with your child’s name using permanent marker in a prominent place. Students should know where their name is marked for easy checking. Please encourage your child to place all items straight into their bag rather that leaving them on the playground or in the classroom.
SPORTS UNIFORM - TERM 4
This term students are to wear their sports uniform on the following days:
Kinder: Wednesday and Friday
Year 1: Wednesday and Thursday
Year 2: Wednesday and Friday
Year 3: Wednesday and Friday
Year 4: Wednesday and Friday
Year 5: Wednesday and Friday
Year 6: Tuesday and Wednesday
KINDER MAUBARA FUNDRAISER - THANK YOU
The sum of $220.80 was raised from the Kindergarten fundraiser held last term. Thank you for your support.
HAVE ANY OF YOUR DETAILS CHANGED?
If any of your details have changed (eg; address, work, emergency contact details, email address, mobile phone number), please email info@smmdow.catholic.edu.au
HELP NEEDED - YEAR 5 FETE
Every year, Year 5 organise a Fete which raises money to support Maubara Orphanage (East Timor) as well as Sr Anna Warlow’s Indigenous Outreach Mission in Western Australia. For many children, this is one of the highlights of the school year.
The Year 5 students are in the process of organising some fun and varied activities and games for the fete which we hope to take place on Thurs 19th November (Week 6) between 11.40 am and 1:10 pm.
As we did the past two years, we are asking for some help with the ‘White elephant’ stall. It would be appreciated if children across the school could donate to Year 5 any toys, games, books, dolls etc that you have at home and no longer really use or need. If they are in a reasonably good condition we can sell them for a small cost to other children in the school. Your child as well may be then able to buy something fun to bring home!
A plastic tub has been placed in each classroom for donations. We would really appreciate your help! A successful stall will not only provide a lot of enjoyment for our children at St Michael’s, but also raise money for people who really need our help.
Mrs Sewell
