WELCOME BACK TO ST MICHAEL’S MITTAGONG

This past week, we have welcomed back to school our students, staff and families. The students were very excited to see their friends and share their holiday stories. Thank you to all our parents for helping prepare our students for the start of school. 

We welcome to our school community the following new families: the Anzures family;the Carney family; the Cater family; the Crowney family; the Delamont family; the Fairall family; the Gates family; the Hart family; the Hayes family; the Henson family; the Kennedy family; the Lyons family; the Martin family; the Montanari family; the Plokstys family; the Reeves family; the Reyna family; the Sloan family and the Toor family. Thank you for choosing to join our wonderful St Michael’s School community. 

We also welcome all our Kindergarten students who start this week on Thursday. They have been very excited to visit school for their Best Start Assessment sessions. 

WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF
This year, we welcome to St Michaels, Mrs Alyssa Williamson (Year 5 Teacher); Mrs Mary-Lynn Lane (Diverse Learning Needs Coordinator); Mrs Laura Wilson (Specialist Support/SPLICED teacher). We also welcome Mrs Carola Murnane and Mrs Kristie Faavae in the roles of School Support Officers. Carola and Kristie have worked at St Michaels in a casual capacity. This term they will be joining our staff to support students in the classroom. Below you will find a list of all our St Michael’s Staff for this school year and the roles that they have in our school. 

STAFF AT ST MICHAEL’S MITTAGONG 2021

PLAYGROUND UPDATES
Over the holidays we had some great changes happen to our school playground:- 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, 130 Years Commemorative Garden.
Thank you to Mr Tuckwell and Mr Nash, who planted our Mary MacKillop Bottlebrushes in the garden near the Stage 2 classrooms. These will be a beautiful addition to our school with the added focus of the plants honouring our first Australian Saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

who was the foundress of the Sisters of St Joseph, who established our school in 1891.  Our school is celebrating 130 years of establishment this year- a very special celebration.

Prayer Space
Thank you to Mrs Mitchell and her husband for cleaning up our prayer space and placing the staff reflection pavers and the students prayer stones in the garden. Our updated prayer space is now a very special place for our community to sit in and spend time reflecting. Throughout the school, the students can find our staff reflection pavers, which have special quotes from St Mary of the Cross MacKillop upon them.

New Playground Activity Structure
Thank you to Matt and Brent, grandfather and dad of Archie (Year 1) and to Mr Tuckwell who installed our new piece of playground equipment. The students are absolutely loving playing on this equipment. Thank you to Scott, dad of Brohdi (Year 6) and Axel (Year 2) and Aaron, dad of Jace (Year 3) and Kobi (Year 5) for assisting with the painting of this equipment.  

Playground Markings
We also had some great new playground markings painted on the asphalt and Library verandah. These will be used to develop the students gross motor and sensory skills, whilst they are having fun manipulating and playing on the spaces. 

Nature Playground and Outdoor Education Space
During the last week of Term 4 2020, our Nature Playground and Outdoor Education Space was completed for the students to play on. They have really enjoyed the space and this area continues to be a focal point in our playground. This year we would like to add plants and groundcovers to the playground. If anyone can assist us with this, we would greatly appreciate your support. A huge thank you to the Federal Government for the Local Schools Community Grant of $10,000 towards this space. 

STUDENT CARLINE DROP OFF AND PICK UP
For the beginning of this year until further notice, we are still under NSW Covid 19 restrictions and unfortunately parents and other family members are unable to come on site apart from the times you will have appointments or office inquiries. Last week, there were exceptions made for parents with students in Year 1 and Year 2, to come onto the playground to assist their child if required. This week and next week, only Kindergarten parents are able to come onto the school site. If your child is feeling anxious in the morning, and some do after being at home for a long period of time, by all means, come with them to the school office and we can help them with their start to the day. 

KINDERGARTEN ARRANGEMENTS 
For all our Kindergarten drop off and pick ups, we are going to use the gate between the school hall and office- This is the gate we used for Kinder Orientation. Could parents and Kinder students please meet in the paved area near the gate, on Thursday at 8:45am and sign in using the QR code that will be placed at the gate. Mrs Bourke-Nash will be there to greet the new Kinder students and take you down to the Kindergarten Room. We invite the Kindergarten parents to visit our Kindergarten room and meet the support staff that will be assisting your students this year. The following days, Kinder parents are able to walk their child to the classroom and then depart at bell time. The “Kindergarten” gate will be open each day at 8:40am. For afternoon pickup, can the parents of the Kindergarten students remain at the gate and we will bring the students to you for pick up. Pick up for Kindergarten students for the first 7 days (Week 2 and Week 3) will be at 2:30pm. We hope this will allow a smooth transition to school. Some Kindergarten children will be catching buses with their siblings or leaving the school with their siblings and arrangements will be made to accommodate this. 

NEW PARISH
On the 1st January 2021, the Catholic Parish of Mittagong, and the Catholic Parish of Bowral, became a new Parish called:

Corpus Christi Parish, Mittagong-Bowral

Fr Sean Cullen is the Parish Priest and our two churches within the parish are St Michael’s Mittagong and St Thomas Aquinas Bowral. Corpus Christi Parish, Mittagong-Bowral is a part of the Wollongong Diocese. Mrs Mitchell has explained the significance of the new logos for our Parish in her RE news.

FUNERAL MASS FOR ARCHBISHOP PHILIP WILSON RIP

Archbishop Philip Edward Wilson former third Bishop of Wollongong (ordained on 10 July 1996) passed away on 17 January 2021.

Last night a Memorial Mass was held at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral Wollongong. We take this opportunity to remember all of the wonderful things Bishop Wilson did for our Diocese of Wollongong. May he rest in peace. 

SPECIALIST LESSONS INFORMATION TERM 1 2021

May everyone have a wonderful 2021 school year. 

Best wishes,
Mrs Katrina West
Principal

Term 1 2020

• Friday 12^th Feb – School Mass (Beginning of the Year Mass, 9:30 am at STA, Year 6 attending )
• Wednesday 17^th Feb – Ash Wednesday
• Monday 1^st – 5^th March – Catholic Schools Week
• Friday 5^th March – World Day of Prayer
• St Patricks Day 17^th March – Year 2 Maubara Fundraiser
• Thursday 19^th March – St Joseph’s Day
• Thursday 1^st April – Holy Thursday
• Friday 2^nd April – Good Friday

School Mass
Welcome back to another school year. To celebrate our new school year, St Michael’s will have a School Mass on Friday the 12^th of February at 9:30 am. Due to COVID 19 restriction the Mass will take place at St Thomas Aquinas, Bowral and due to restricted numbers, Year 6 only will be attending. During this Mass they will receive their leadership badges. The Mass will be recorded and available for the whole to school to watch the following week. It will be a wonderful way to celebrate returning to school.

Thank You
Thank you to Year 1 for the wonderful Christmas clothes fundraiser for St Vincent De Paul last year. Year 1 managed to raise $190 dollars and was graciously collected by Mr Peter Doris from St Vincent Paul on the last day of Term 4. Thank you to all our students and families for your continuous support of our community.

Corpus Christi Parish Mittagong-Bowral

On the 1st January 2021, the Catholic Parish of Mittagong and the Catholic Parish of Bowral became a new Parish called, Corpus Christi Parish, Mittagong-Bowral.  After consultation within the parish over the past few weeks, the new logo for Corpus Christi Parish Mittagong Bowral has been finalised.

The symbolism of the mother Pelican feeding her babies is rooted in an ancient legend that preceded Christianity. In ancient Egypt, the Pelican was associated with death and the afterlife.

​The legend is that, after her chicks hatched, the mother would leave the nest to search for food, return and feed the chicks. The chicks are delicate, need to be fed daily, and without food are quickly in danger of starvation and death.

​In the time of famine, the mother would wound herself, striking her breast with the beak to feed her young with her blood to prevent starvation. In reviving her young from death, she, in turn, lost her own life.

​Given this tradition, we can easily see why early Christians adapted it to symbolize Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

​The image of the Pelican is a strong reminder of our Lord, who suffered and died for us to give us eternal life. We were dead to sin and have found new life through the Blood of Christ. Jesus continues to feed and nourish us on our pilgrim way with the Eucharist.

​The Pelican has also been part of Christian art and of our liturgical tradition.

​An image of a mother Pelican with her chicks is carved into the top of a column at the Cenale, the upper room on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where tradition holds that Jesus shared the Last Supper with His Apostles and instituted the Eucharist.

It is the only artwork in the entire room.

​In early times, when tabernacles were sometimes suspended over the altar, they were shaped like pelicans. For example, Durham Cathedral, which was attached to a Benedictine monastery before the suppression of all monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538, had the Blessed Sacrament reserved in a tabernacle fashioned in silver lie a Pelican and suspended over the High Altar.

​The hymn: “Adore te devote,” written by St. Thomas Aquinas, is one of the five Eucharistic hymns which were composed and set to music for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, instituted in 1264 by Pope Urban IV.

​In the sixth verse, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote:

“Lord Jesus, Good Pelican,

clean me, the unclean, with Your Blood,

one drop of which can heal

the entire world of all its sins.”

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, if you 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.

Please do not attend Mass if you have any coronavirus symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever or fatigue. 

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.

For families that received a COVID19 fee concession in 2020, you will have received an email in January regarding the review of your school fee account in February 2021 and providing options for your school fees.

For further information regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available under our Fees Information tab on the school website.

The following forms were sent home last week for completion and return to school. Please note that the school must receive new signed consent/permission each year.

Consent for Use of Student's Works/Images
A new Consent for Use of Student's Works/Images Form is required to be signed by parents and returned to the School.  It is important that this form, which was sent home last week, is completed, signed and returned to the school as soon as possible.

If you have not received this form, you can download the form by using the link below.

General Permission Note 

LOOP - order online 
LOOP is the Scholastic Book Club Linked Online Ordering & Payment platform for parents. It allows you to order and pay online via credit card, negating the need to return forms and cash to school. It also cuts out the middle man, so you can be assured that your order is exactly as you want it. No waiting for change or wondering if the order actually made it to the Book Club Organiser. You can order and pay for Scholastic Book Club by credit card by visiting the Scholastic website at  https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent.aspx or on the go with the app (available in Google Play and the App Store). More information here http://www.scholastic.com.au/schools/bookclub/assets/pdfs/toolkitpdfs/Loop%20registration.jpg
 
Returning members can jump straight into your login and order here https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

Please refer to the Social Media Flyer and CEDoW Social Media Statement below.