School Vision

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

Dear Parents & Carers,

A big thank you to the parents who attended our Parent Information sessions in Week 3. This is an important way for our parents and teachers to connect and begin the school year.

LENT – a special time of year

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 day period in the Church calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Holy Thursday. This is a special time of year for prayer, penance, sacrifice, and good works. Traditionally, people would give up something for Lent, usually a favourite food or perhaps a pleasurable activity. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting that children give something up for Lent, as long as they understand why they’re doing it and do it in the right spirit. So it’s important to explain that giving something up for Lent can help us focus on God and that depriving ourselves of something we like gives us an appreciation for all we have. It’s also a good idea to have the children do something positive related to what they’re giving up. For instance, if they’ve given up chocolate for Lent, then they could take the money they would have spent on the chocolate and put it in a jar to be used for an organisation which helps children in need. If they’ve decided to give up watching television one day a week, then they could use the time they would have spent watching TV helping someone or praying.

Our Ash Wednesday Mass is on 5 March at 9:45am for Years 1 to 6.

School Communication

It is naturally important to us that all of our beautiful families stay fully informed about school events and therefore, it is essential for our families to please take note of the following:

School app

This is the main source of information:
Newsletter (every second Tuesday – odd weeks);
Whole-school communication (announcements, incursions, excursions, Mass information etc);
Whole-class communication (invitations, excursions, term overviews etc);
Absentees.

Download School App Instructions

Emails
These are used for small group messages, such as Enrichment or School Band, or one-on-one communication between staff and students.

Phone calls
These are used for one-on-one communication between staff and parents.

SMS
These are used for alerts and remainders.

SeeSaw
This is used to celebrate student work and share homework.

Faction Swimming Carnival Years 3 to 6

On Thursday, 6 March, students in Years 3-6 will participate in the St Matthew’s School Swimming Carnival. Students will walk to Narrogin Leisure Centre at 9.00am for a 9.30am commencement time. Prior to the carnival, students will receive a program of the day’s events with their individual events circled.

We require the assistance of many parents for the smooth running of our carnival. If you are interested, please email linda.kilpatrick@cewa.edu.au

WaterFun Pre-Primary to Year 2

Students in Pre-Primary to Year 2 will be participating in a water fun afternoon at school on Thursday, 6th March at 1:30pm.

Students will need to bring their bathers, a towel and a pair of thongs or similar for their feet. Students will be involved in a number of fun activities with their teachers such as a slippery slide, water carrying relays and sprinkler dancing.

If you have any queries regarding this activity, please contact myself, Linda Kilpatrick, or the PP, Year 1 or 2 classroom teachers.

Ordination of Bishop George Kolodziej SDS

The Episcopal Ordination Installation Steering Committee (EOISC) is pleased to provide you with the following updates. Invited representatives from all parishes and schools from across the diocese will gather with bishops (from around the country and overseas), clergy and other invited guests at the Episcopal Ordination Mass on the Feast of Saint Joseph, 19 March 2025 at 10.30am. The Episcopal Ordination Mass will be livestreamed on the Bunbury Diocese’ YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@CatholicDioceseofBunbury from 9.30 am Wednesday, 19 March 2025. As we draw nearer to the Ordination date your prayers and support are especially appreciated.

Lunch Orders

From Friday 7 March, parents are able to order lunches from the Narrogin Primary School canteen on Mondays,Thursdays and Fridays via QuickCliq. The QuickCliq brochure can be found on the school app; select “General”.

It is important to note that this service is on a trial basis this term. At present, staff members collect the lunches from Narrogin Primary on Mondays and Thursdays. This can be difficult to navigate due to changes in timetables and staff commitments. We need parent volunteers to continue to offer this service in Term 2. The lunches need to be collected at approximately 1:00pm and delivered to the Undercover Area. If you are able to help, please contact your P&F rep, or email susan.milton@cewa.edu.au

Sacrament Schedule on App

For those students who are Catholic and planning to receive either the Sacrament of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion or Confirmation this year, please see the Sacraments Schedule with key dates and times that has been uploaded to the school app (select General).

Term 2 First Holy Communion 15 June
Term 3 Confirmation 24 August
Term 4 Reconciliation 6 November

School Band

Over the last few weeks, 35 budding musicians auditioned for our school band, all very hopeful and wonderfully enthusiastic. Fiona Hastie, Music Teacher, has led this programme at St Matthew’s School for several years, and it has always proven to be a wonderful experience for those involved, building confidence, creativity and connections. Selected band members will need to practise the songs in their own time and come to rehearsal each week. With all the members new to the dynamics of making music together in this type of setting, Fiona will support them throughout the year, with the aim of presenting a concert in Term Four.

We are proud to announce the band members for 2025:
Vocals: Milly (Year 5)
Keyboard: Ellice (Year 6) and Maggie (Year 5)
Guitar: Logan (Year 5)
Drums: Amelia (Year 5) and Blake (Year 6)
Bass: Amelia (Year 5)

The Teddy Bear Hospital – Pre-Primary & Year 1 Incursion

Pre-Primary and Year 1 students are invited to bring a teddy or soft toy to the Teddy Bear Hospital on Thursday 13 March. The Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) is a community medicine strategy that assists children in becoming more aware and accustomed to hospitals and medical treatment whilst developing the clinical skills of medical treatment. In a TBH visit, children play the role of a parent and bring their teddy bears or favoured toys to a simulated hospital (classroom) for treatment by the Teddy Doctor (medical student). These Teddy Doctors demonstrate the entire process of a medical consultation in a fun, non-threatening environment. The project is supported by the Medical Students’ Association of Notre Dame and will be run by graduate entry medical students in the first year at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle and second year students from Curtin University.
More information can be found on the school app – select year level.

State Government and support for capital development in Catholic schools

On Saturday, 8 March, Western Australians will vote in the State Government election. A letter from Wayne Bull, Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Limited (CEWA) and Siobhan Allen, Executive Director of Catholic School Parents WA that aims to inform parents and caregivers of the requests that Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) has made to the next State Government concerning support for capital development in Catholic schools has been uploaded to the school app – select General.

Maggie Dent – Parenting Workshop Narrogin

Join other parents for an engaging parenting workshop with the renowned Maggie Dent in Narrogin! Learn valuable insights and practical tips on parenting in today’s world. This in-person event will take place at the John Higgins Community Centre. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with other parents and enhance your parenting skills!

Date: Saturday, April 5th, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: John Higgins Community Centre
Cost: Free

Please arrive at 9:40am to find seating and grab a bite to eat, for a prompt 10am start.
Any questions or queries please reach out to Emmalee 0428 929 550 or Hannah 0437 858 079

Link: Maggie Dent Saturday 5 April

Important Dates

All important dates can be viewed on the school app via the calendar and on the class Term Letters. Of particular note:

Take Care,

Susan Milton