School Vision

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

Lord, give us new strength so that we can build places of belonging: 

To create a community for all to share their gifts, 

To know that each of us is loved, 

To help us to see the light of Christ in all that we serve.

 Let us remember that each of us is loved, 

each of us is willed and each of us is necessary.

 Dear Parents & Carers,

BusyBee and Garage Sale

A massive thank you to all of the families who contributed their time and/or resources to the BusyBee and Garage Sale on Saturday. Thanks to this amazing support, we were able to tidy our veggie gardens, refill our sandpit and prune the Pre-Primary and Centenary gardens. We were also able to successfully run our Garage Sale which raised over $300 for our Sustainability Projects, including our new chook pen. Any unsold items will be donated to charity.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Each year, St Matthew’s School offers parents the opportunity to meet with their student’s class teachers to discuss their academic progress, share learning examples, and celebrate growth. 

Class teachers will be available in Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 1, and bookings can be made through the following link: https://sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=1317

If you are unable to meet with your child’s class teacher during the available times, please email the class teacher directly to arrange an alternate time.

 Please email Mr Tenney (mark.tenney@cewa.edu.au) if you have any technical issues.

Stations of the Cross 

As part of our Holy Week reflections next week, the upper primary classes will lead the school in the Stations of the Cross on Thursday 6 April. This will take place at 2:00pm. We encourage all of our parents to come and share this important service with us. Seating will be available for parents.

Combined Schools ANZAC Day service

On Thursday 6 April, Years 3 to Year 5 students will attend the Combined Schools ANZAC Day service. This is an important time to reflect on the men and women of the armed forces and the sacrifices they have made so that we can enjoy lives of freedom. A sincere thank you to Mriss McCormack for preparing our Year 6 student representatives for this service.

Teacher Education

This term, we have had teachers attend the following Professional Development opportunities to ensure that we stay up-to-date with new learning initiatives, behaviour engagement techniques and safety protocals : 

• EAL/D  – Mrs Maartens & Mrs Grieve 
• Religious Education Leadership – Mr Muto 
• Autism Professional Learning – Miss Grznic, Mrs Annear, Miss English, Miss Sutton, Sr Sahaya, Ms Bloxham  
• Maths Inquiry & Extension – majority of staff 
• Promoting Literacy Development (PLD) training – Miss Rutter 
• Early Career Teachers – Miss Sutton, Miss McCormack 
• Work Health & Safety – Mrs Milton 
• Literacy Statement and Spelling Prog, Analysis – all class teachers 
• Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention training  – Mrs Milton & Mrs Keppel 
• STEM Inquiry Learning – Mrs Dyke 

MSP School Photos

On Wednesday 5 April every student will have their photo taken, whether they are purchasing photos or not.

The school has chosen to use the online ordering system. Your child has been given an online ordering instruction slip and a unique student Shootkey.

Log onto www.msp.com.au and follow the prompts to place your order.

If you lose your Shootkey, the school reception will have a copy to quote back to you. The expiry date for online ordering is Wednesday 12 April 2023. Any orders received after this date will incur a $30 archive fee .

Specialty Group Photos:

Specialty Group Photos will be available for purchase after the main photo day packs are delivered to the school. Orders will be open for 4 weeks and ordering slips will be included in the students’ photo pack.

Family Photos:

Envelopes can be obtained from Administration. Family Photos are taken each morning before school. Please ensure that your family envelope and payment are handed to the photographers on Photo Day.

Family photos cannot be ordered online.

Once your school has received photos, Family Photos will remain at Reception for parents to collect.

Please Note:

Late orders can be placed via our website www.mspwa.com.au

Individual and Family Photos are not available to view online for students’ security.

lf for any reason you need to contact MSP regarding your child’s photos you will be asked to provide your child’s Shootkey.

2023 Project Compassion Appeal

During the season of Lent, we are encouraged to think of those who are less fortunate than us. Project Compassion boxes were sent home and families and kids were encouraged to donate to Caritas. We request that these are returned to school by  the end of term to add to our combined efforts as a school to help people both here in Australia and overseas in extreme poverty and support charitable programs seeking to make a difference. Please give generously.

Test Books

Test books will go home to families on Friday 31 March. These provide parents with an insight into their child’s achievements in English, Maths and Religious Education this term. Please be aware that the Test Books contain only a small sample of the assessments teachers complete.

Please ensure Test Books are returned to class teachers on Monday 3 April.

Interschool Swimming Carnival

The Interschool Swimming Carnival team will travel to Williams to compete this Friday. We are all sure they will represent our school wonderfully, both in sportsmanship and talent in the water. We require St Matthew’s parents to assist on the day. If you can help, please contact Mr Antonio at school.

Term 2 Commences Wednesday 26 April

Please be aware that the final day of Term 1 is Thursday 6 April (Friday 7 April is Good Friday Public Holiday). Students return to school on Wednesday 26 April due to Monday 24 April being a Pupil Free Day and Tuesday 25 April being ANZAC Day Public Holiday.

Principal Focus – We’re in this Together

This week, parents are invited to have a meeting with their child’s teacher. This is an important part of our assessment and parent engagement plans. We are very committed to ensuring that our parents stay informed of their child’s progress, both academically and socially. The following further explains the principles behind this:

Parents and families are children’s first teachers and they continue to help their children to learn and thrive throughout the school years. When their family’s love and support is combined with the expert knowledge of teachers, it can have a significant and lasting impact:
• Children can be more likely to enjoy learning and be motivated to do well.
• Children can have better relationships with other children, improved behaviour and greater confidence.
• Children can do better at school and are more likely to graduate and go on to college, TAFE or university.
• Children can be less likely to miss days at school.”
Extract from the Parent Fact Sheet, ACT Government, Education Directorate

Please ensure you have accessed the SOBS link and booked in your meeting time.

We’re in this together,

Susan Milton