Term 2 Week 6

200 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION MASS 
24TH MAY 2021

Students from 45 of our Catholic schools across the Diocese of Wollongong gathered on Monday for a celebratory Mass to mark 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia.

Bishop Brian Mascord, representatives from Catholic Church agencies, religious orders, and Catholic school principals and students also gathered at St John Vianney Co-Cathedral, Fairy Meadow. 

Our Diocese of Wollongong Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill said during the mass that this celebration was a highlight of the bicentenary year. "Throughout the last two centuries, thousands of dedicated women and men, often with very limited resources, rose to the challenge of building the vibrant and diverse Catholic education system that exists today. As we reflect on the important work of Catholic education, we remember the intergenerational contributions that preceded us and that we continue to build upon.” 

Since the very first Catholic school was established in NSW in 1820, countless children and young people have benefited from the dedication and commitment of faith-filled staff in our Catholic schools. 

The nationwide celebrations mark the bicentenary of the first 'official' Catholic school, opened in Parramatta in 1820 by Fr John Therry. The first Catholic school in the Diocese of Wollongong, was established in 1828 in Campbelltown. 

St Michael's Mittagong was established in 1891, known originally as St Joseph's Catholic School Mittagong, by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. We are currently celebrating our 130th year of Catholic Education. 

Today, Catholic education has grown to 1751 Catholic schools in Australia educating around one in five or 768,000 students and employing 98,000 teachers and staff. The Diocese of Wollongong is home to 38 systemic Catholic schools and seven independent Catholic schools.

In the photo below are students from our combined parish schools of St Michael's Mittagong and St Thomas Aquinas Bowral.I would like to thank Daniel and Emily for representing our school at the Diocesan Celebration Mass on Monday.

Bishop Brian

This Friday, Bishop Brian and Fr Sean will be visiting our school as part of the Bishop’s parish visit. We are really looking forward to welcoming them. Bishop Brian is here to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our parish candidates.

Congratulations to the following students who will be making their Confirmation:-

Rylan, James, Emily, Daniel, Jack, Heidi, Jorjee, Breanna

SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
Yesterday was our school Athletics Carnival. I would like to congratulate all our students for the great sportsmanship and enthusiasm that they displayed throughout the whole event. A big thank you to our wonderful staff for your preparation of the carnival, especially our coordinators, Mrs Anderson and Mr Tuckwell. Thank you to our fantastic parents, who helped support the carnival in many different ways, especially as carnival event volunteers and donation of time and goods at the P&F stall.

In the near future, we will be able to share with you the final results of all athletics events. 

130 YEAR ANNIVERSARY ST MICHAEL’S SCHOOL FETE
On Tuesday, a note went out to all families about our fete that will be held on Saturday 23rd October. Please take time to read this note and notify our committee if you can support the fete in any way. We have a facebook page devoted to the organisation of the fete. The link is below if you would like to join- All welcome

Our next fete meeting will be held in the library on Friday 11th June at 9am. If you have any fete ideas, please come along to the meeting or else send any ideas or ways you can support, via the note from yesterday. 

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE FETE
If you know of any groups that would like to perform at the fete such as dance schools, sporting groups etc, please contact Mrs Berrell at the school office. It would be lovely for the fete to be an avenue to showcase the talents of our local students. 

ART AND CRAFT STALL
This stall needs to be organised really early, so if you know of any friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles etc that could donate items for the stall, it would be greatly appreciated. If you have craft supplies such as wool, ribbon, scrapbook paper, material, craft items etc that you would like to donate, please drop them off at the school office

GARDEN STALL
Now is the time to start planting seedlings and cuttings for our garden stall. If you are able to donate some plants in October, can you please let the school know so we can pass your details onto the stall co-ordinator. 

SPONSORSHIP
If you or someone you know is able to sponsor the fete, please see attached for sponsorship details.

Calling all Lunchbox Heroes! We are inviting students and their families to share a photo of their healthy lunchbox for a chance to feature in our Lunchbox Heroes resource. Each eligible submission will receive a Lunchbox Heroes cooler bag! Lunchboxes must include: vegetable, fruit, grain, protein (animal or plant based) and dairy + water bottle. **Any packaged products included in your lunchbox creation needs to have 3.5 or more Health Star Rating**. Photos must be in colour, JPEG form 1MB or higher quality. Get your parent/carer to send in your submission by 16 July 2021 using this link. Good luck!

God bless
Mrs Katrina West
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.

• Keeping your child home when they are unwell, even with very mild symptoms.
• Informing the school immediately if your child is self-isolating or undergoing testing, and informing the school of the result as soon as possible.  The school must sight your negative result before your child has clearance to come back to school.
• Any child who is sent home from school due to COVID symptoms e.g. temperature, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, NSW Health recommends that you have your child tested for COVID 19 and the school must sight your negative result before your child has clearance to come back to school.

The Catholic Education Office have advised the school that correspondence was sent out to relevant families within the Diocese regarding their overdue fees.

Please understand that if you do receive one of these letters and choose not to contact the school, your account will be taken over by the School Fees Liaison Office.

If you are one of these families and would like to come in and have a chat with our Principal Mrs West about your circumstances please contact the school office to book an appointment.  All discussions are completely confidential.

SELECTION TRIALS
Patrick participated in the Rugby Union Trials on Friday. Congratulations to Patrick who was selected in the Wollongong Representative Rugby team to compete at the Mackillop Rugby Selections on the 20th and 21st June in Forbes.

PRIMARY WESTERN REGION NETBALL GALA DAY
St Michael’s will be involved in the Western Region Netball Gala day on Thursday 17 June 2021 at Coronation Park, Minto.  We have had good response with a number of students wishing to attend the gala day.  We have entered a team in the 10-B, 11-B and 12-B age groups.

On Tuesday, Brainstorm Productions presented their student wellbeing performance ‘Buddies’ for K-6.

‘Buddies’ is a live educational theatre performance that follows the journey of Lucy and Charlie as they discover the secrets to building positive friendships and staying safe online.

Lucy is impulsive and breaks the rules to try to fit in. Charlie is being bullied, but he's afraid to stand up for himself and show his true feelings. As players in an exciting virtual reality video game, Charlie and Lucy must co-operate to navigate the cyber chamber, overcome the forces of Aggrator, earn the eight Friendship Discs and restore the Ancient Ring of Friendship. They learnt important lessons about online safety, such as not sharing passwords, not talking to strangers, protecting their privacy on apps and games and asking for help if something makes them feel uncomfortable. Together they discover that a true friend is someone who is kind, tells the truth, listens, helps you feel safe and allows you to be yourself. 

‘Buddies’ is part of our student wellbeing curriculum and has been developed by teachers and psychologists. This exciting live theatre experience gives students practical skills to make and keep good friends, take a stand against bullying and stay safe online.

Brainstorm Productions is one of Australia’s largest and most respected theatre in education companies, performing to over 360,000 students every year. They offer a range of programs to help schools build healthy and harmonious environments, addressing issues such as cyber safety, bullying, resilience, diversity and inclusion.

If you would like to know more about Brainstorm Productions, you can visit their website: brainstormproductions.edu.au, or their Facebook page: facebook.com/Brainstorm.Productions.

Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser - Thank you to everyone who helped out with the recent sausage sizzle lunch fundraiser. Over $500 was raised for the school.  

Athletics Carnival - Thank you to everyone who helped out with yesterday's cake/lolly stall, from baking or supplying the treats, to manning the stall on the day.  We truly appreciate your time and generosity.  Over $350 was raised for the school.  

Premiers' Reading Challenge 

SCHOOL BANKING DAY IS TUESDAY.

Its been a long stretch since the last disco which was in February 2020.

Venue: Mittagong RSL – Bessemer Street

Date : Saturday 26^th June    

Times : 4pm to 6.00pm

Cost : $5.00

Please note all money raised goes back to the children in the Southern Highlands community.   

St Paul’s International College is holding an open day & Anniversary fun fair with carnival rides & sausage sizzle for primary school age children.

August 13 2021

2.30 - 6.30pm.