School Vision

St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning, and grow and develop as God intends.

This prayer is chosen to acknowledge Reconciliation Week:

God of all creation,

as we journey together in this Great Southern Land,

we pray for healing, forgiveness and unity,

creating a path of good will, with justice and compassion.

Jesus, through the power of your love, you have given us the courage, wisdom and strength to share our gifts and talents in humility.

In peace and understanding we reconcile with each other.

Creator Spirit, we come together in prayer and thanksgiving for the many blessings we have received. Allow your Spirit to wash over us and give us strength to walk together as one.

Amen.

Dear Parents & Carers,

This week, Australians join together to recognise National Reconciliation Week. It is an important week to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. As a lead-up to this week, on the first day of Term 2, St Matthew’s staff visited Dryandra. We took part in an on-country experience with local Noongar artist Ross Storey of Red Ochre Dreaming Tours. When asked why he is committed to sharing his culture, Ross shared on his Facebook page:

“I do it to teach others about my people and how they lived and survived on this country, how they learnt from nature.
I do it because I love my people and my culture because it is vibrant and it is beautiful.
I do it because I miss the old people and out here I can be with them again.
I do it because I am called to by my ancestors” (17 April 2024)

I know each of us felt honoured to spend time with Ross and to learn more about this wonderful culture in such a special place. We also visited Barna Mia and took part in the guided nocturnal tour. I would like to thank Ross for his generosity and wisdom, and Maria Lee for helping us to organise this lovely day.

First Holy Communion Parent/Child Workshop

This Parent/Child Workshop will be held on Thursday 30 May at 3:30pm in the Year 4 classroom. This is for First Holy communicants and at least one parent. The workshop is designed for parents and their children to learn and prepare together for this sacrament.

Morning Routines

St Matthew’s staff are committed to keeping our students safe. As student supervision does not commence until 8:30am:

• children must not be dropped off at school before 8:30am.
• children must only enter the school through the supervised gates on Glyde Street or Fathom Street. Please remember, these gates will be locked during the school day. 
• Kindy and Pre-Primary parents are encouraged to use the Kindy/PP gate to enter in the morning and exit at the end of the school day. Please remember, this gate will be locked during the school day.
• Children are only permitted to enter through the Administration doors if accompanied by an adult who is attending the Office for administration reasons.
• Students who arrive by bus are to be supervised by a member of the Leadership Team until 8:30am.
• From 8:45am to 3:00pm, parents and visitors must enter the school through the Administration doors, sign in, or speak with the Administration staff.

Cross Country Friday 7 June

The District Cross Country (Years 4 to 6) will be held on Friday 7 June. It is to be held at Thomas Hogg Oval, Bannister Street, Narrogin. Parents of selected students were emailed information on 24 May,

St Matthew’s School is hosting this exciting event this year which means we need some volunteers to help with marshalling, supervision on the track and scoring. If you are able to help, please contact Mr Muto (antonio.muto@cewa.edu.au)

Kindy Mothers’ Day Wednesday 5 June

Mrs Prideaux would like to thank the Kindy parents for their understanding about her extended leave. We are now pleased to invite our Kindy mums and female role-models to join us for an afternoon tea on Wednesday 5 June at 2:15pm. This event will be hosted by our gorgeous Kindy students and Mrs Claire Graham.

Book Fair

St Matthew’s Book Fair will run from Monday 6 June to Tuesday 11 June. This is our main Library Fundraiser for the year:

• Thursday 6 June 2024     8:30- 9:30am;  2:45 – 3:15pm
• Friday      7 June 2024     8:30 – 9:30am;  2:45 – 3:15pm
• Monday 10 June 2024     8:30 – 9:30am;   2:45 – 3:15pm
• Tuesday 11 June 2024    8:30 – 9:30am;   2:45 – 3:15pm

A Walk Through Disney Musical Showcase Jun 13, 2024

We are all looking forward to presenting “A Walk Through Disney” Musical Showcase. Although this event will not be a full musical production, Miss McCormack has been working very hard to develop a wonderful experience for all of our families. She is very proud of how the children have committed themselves to learning their songs and routines. To ensure that all of our parents can attend the 6:00pm performance, each family will be limited to 4 tickets. These will be able to be booked by phoning 98539500 or emailing admin@matthews.wa.edu.au  from Wednesday 29 May. There will be no charge for the tickets, however, families are encouraged to make a donation on the evening of the performance. All proceeds will be shared between Divine You and St Vincent de Paul.

Audience members do not need to book for the 11:00am show, however, there will be no allocated seating for this performance.

School Closure Dates Week 7&8

Friday 31 May Pupil-free Day

Monday, 3 June WA Day Public Holiday.

Coughs and Colds

The days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting colder! As we head into these colder months, can I please remind parents to ensure to keep children home if they have symptoms of colds and flus. We want to try to keep our staff and students as healthy as possible. Naturally, parents will be contacted and asked to collect children if they are unwell, especially if they have flu-like symptoms, including high temperatures, coughs and runny noses.

P&F Minutes

A big thank you to our parents who attended to P&F Meeting on Friday, either virtually or in person. The minutes for this meeting can be accessed via the school app.

My Long Service Leave 

I will be taking some Long Service Leave from 17 June until 28 June. Whilst I am away, Mr Muto will be Acting Principal.

Teaching Vacancies for Semester 2, 2024

We will, unfortunately, be farewelling Miss Meka McCormack at the end of this term. This means we have  vacancies for a Music/Performing Arts Teacher (2 days a week), a Science/STEM Teacher (2 days a week) and a Yr 3 Teacher (1 day a week.) Please see the link below for more details.

Teaching Positions Semester 2 2024

Lego & Chess Club

We would love to run both a Chess and a Lego Club for Years 1 to 6  this year. In order to achieve this, we are asking if there are members of the community who would be willing to donate their time and expertise. Ideally the clubs would run one day a week from 12:45 to 1:20pm, or in the mornings, 8:30- 9:00am. If you are interested, please email Susan.milton@cewa.edu.au.

Important Dates

All important dates can be viewed on the St Matthew’s app calender. Of particular note are:

• Thurs 30/05 First Holy Communion Parent/Child Workshop 3:30pm
• Fri 31/05 Pupil-Free Day
• Mon 3/06 WA Day Public Holiday
• Fri 7/06 Interschool Cross Country Selected students Yrs 4 – 6
• Sun 16/06 First Holy Communion
• Thurs 20/06 Interschool Winter Carnival Yrs 4 – 6
• Fri 28/06 Last Day Term 2
• Tues 16 July First Day Term 3

Have a wonderful week,

Susan Milton

Principal