Welcome to Term 2. I hope you were able to have a restful and enjoyable time over the holidays and that students are ready and excited for the new term.

During Week 2 we will celebrate Catholic Schools Week at St Matthews. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration generally held early in Term 2 in the Bathurst Diocese. This special week is an opportunity to acknowledge the amazing spirit and sense of community that is present in our Catholic schools. St Matthews is part of a system of schools within The Catholic Diocese of Bathurst. Together we provide a high quality education for over 10,000 students across 33 primary, secondary and K-12 schools. Our learning environments are Christ-centred and, in partnership with parents and parishes, our schools nurture a relationship with Jesus, educate for academic excellence and prepare students to build a better world through service to others.

On Monday we will commence our Catholic Schools Week celebrations at the Primary Campus with a liturgy and an opportunity for parents to visit our classrooms. On Thursday we will hold the annual tightly contested touch football match between our staff and the Year 6 students. This is a wonderful tradition and great fun to watch!

Thank you for continuing to choose Catholic education for your children. I deeply value your support of our school and appreciate the positive and collaborative relationships we have with our families. I hope you will be able to join us in celebrating our amazing community during Catholic Schools Week.

God bless

Angela Myles

We welcome back all families to what promises to be an exciting Term 2. A very special welcome also to our new families who joined our St Matthews Catholic School community this week.

During the holidays we were invited by the Mudgee RSL Sub-Branch to participate in the ANZAC Day March through the streets of Mudgee. We thank all students who were able to join us as a school community for this very special event where we remember all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service.

Our move to full winter uniform will begin on the first day of Week 3 this term (Monday 13th May). During Weeks 1 and 2, students can choose to wear either their full summer uniform or full winter uniform, not a combination of both.

Next week we celebrate Catholic School Week with many activities to promote the wonderful work that occurs every day in all 1756 Catholic Schools across Australia.

St Matthews Way Value

Compassion at St Matthews is about providing support and enhancing the wellbeing of others and ourselves by following Jesus' message of “This is my command: Love each other.” ~ Jn 15:17

It is the love of God in Jesus Christ that is our ultimate motivation for the acts of compassion in which we engage. The Book of Acts tells us that Jesus “went about doing good” He was known as a “friend of sinners” who freely associated with the poorest of the poor. All people are made in the image of God, with full dignity and inherent rights to be treated as such. In carrying out this work we are participating with God in the bringing in of the kingdom of God. And we are encouraged that all our acts of compassion, kindness and relief matter.

Thank you to our families for a mammoth effort for Project Compassion during term 1. 
You managed to raise over $3000, which will contribute to many projects across Asia and Australia. 

Ross McKeown

Leader of Mission

Our Library Monitors for 2024 received their library monitors badges at assembly last Term. The monitors have put in a lot of effort into their training each lunchtime and they have worked really hard to pick up all the new skills required to carry out their leadership roles.

It was a proud moment for Year 6 students Pippa, Chantelle, Ella, Sharon, Skylah, Aubrey, Nimi, Evie, Jenny and Liz. 

Annie Mort

Teacher/Librarian

Last term, Year 3 students painted self-portraits in monochrome colours. Colour was used symbolically to show unity across our grades and the values of our school. The students used the hues of their house colours to create their portraits. It was a challenging, yet very reflective process. The students displayed persistence and focus during the lessons to build skills in colour mixing and perspective.

Six students have had their artwork chosen by our staff, to be entered, in the Young Archie Competition, at the NSW Art Gallery. Congratulations to Emily (3B), Ivy (3B), Angus (3G), Amelia (3G), Hazel (3M) and Connor (3M).

About my artwork 

My house colour is red, and I painted my self-portrait using red. It was a hard but fun process. I liked making the colours. My red self-portrait means strength. The strongest person I know is my dad, because he’s in the military, and he has shown strength for years by doing hard things and just being a dad. I get my strength from him, and I mostly show my strength by using my words to communicate how I feel. I stand up for myself and others by saying STOP when I don’t like how others treat me or my classmates. We need to look after each other because school is a community. Helping others is what matters. Ivy

My self-portrait is in the colour red. It is a monochrome response. The colour red means compassion to me. Compassion is a very important value at our school. I believe it is important to show compassion to others, even when it’s hard. Compassion is a sign of love. I try to forgive others who hurt me. If no one forgives, the world would be a really bad place to be. Sometimes I can show courage by telling others not to make the wrong choices or also by taking risks. I did that when I swam at the Great Barrier Reef while on holiday. I like to play sports with my friends. It's lots of fun. Sometimes I have to show courage when I am disappointed or frustrated. Angus

My self-portrait is a monochrome-style painting. Red is a bold colour and it makes me want to just go and try new things. Like when I tried meat. I tried ribs and they were great! It also is the colour of love. I am full of love, especially for my pets and family. I love them a lot. My school house is also red and we were challenged to use that colour to explore the qualities of my house patron and then think about how I have the same qualities. My house patron gave a voice to the poor people and stood up for them. I try to be like him and help others by reaching out to them when it’s a hard time or standing up for them when they are hurt. I also try to be a happy person as you can see by my smile. A smiling face makes others joyful too. Amelia

The colour yellow means courage. We have been focused on the value of courage at school this term. My self-portrait is a monochrome painting. I used different shades by adding white and black to create light and dark patches and show shadows on my face. I have lots of freckles, so they were fun to include. Courage is about going up to someone you don’t know and helping them. I show courage by doing things I am not confident to do. My parents help me to be courageous by telling me some ideas to face my fears and then I have the confidence to go and try. Compassion is like courage. I like to help others when they are hurt or upset. Just trying to be a friend can make someone happy. Everyone needs a friend. Hazel

This is my monochrome self-portrait in the colour of my house patrons at school. Each house has a patron who has done great things for others in their life. My house colour is yellow. To me, yellow means happiness because it is bright and sunny. The light and dark parts, or hues of my portrait show that sometimes I have joy and sometimes I’m a bit sad too. I think everyone feels that way. Being brave and grateful is important. I am lucky to have an awesome mum and dad, who always help me. I try to help my friends and family so they have the courage to find success in whatever they do. Connor

Year 3 Teachers

Picnic on the Green Cancellation

Due to the weather forecast over the coming days we have made the difficult decision to cancel our Picnic on the Green this Sunday.

St Matthews P&F

Our much-loved annual Mother's Day Liturgy and High Tea is part of Catholic Schools Week being held on Friday 10th May. We invite all of our wonderful Mothers, Grandmothers and Carers to attend.

This is a ticketed event. Please register for tickets by Wednesday 1st May using the link below. There is limited seating and no tickets will be available after the closing date.

Mother's Day High Tea Tickets

Secondary School Photos

Secondary photo day will be Wednesday 15th May

Primary School Photos

Primary photo day will be Thursday 16th May

Sibling Photos

Familes are able to order sibling photos. The cut off for sibling photos will be 12am (midnight) Monday 13th May. No exceptions can be made.

We are pleased to once again offer sibling photos for families with children at both campuses. More information regarding this will be communicated to families closer to the date.

Please find below instructions for booking school photos. Envelopes will be available from the front office for those families who are unable to purchase online.

School code: PFQ YB9 NWT

Photo Day Information

Full winter uniform must be worn by all students, no sport uniform. The uniform should be neat and tidy. Long sleeved winter shirts should be tucked in, top button and ties properly done up. Students do not wear jumpers or jackets in their individual school photos, so please ensure they wear the correct winter shirt. Shoes must be black leather school shoes.

Boys hair should be neat and tidy and off the face. As a general rule, if the style attracts attention or comment it is not appropriate. The following jewellery is permitted to be worn: a watch and a cross on a chain. Boys are not permitted to wear an earring.

Girls with shoulder length hair or longer are allowed to wear their hair out on photo day. Hair should be of a natural colour. Hair accessories such as elastics and ribbons should be maroon and/or blue. The following jewellery is permitted to be worn: a watch, a cross on a chain and one plain stud or sleeper earring per ear.

Cindy Freeman

Head of Campus Assistant - Primary

Registrations are now open for our "Bright Beginnings" Playgroup.

Please use the QR code of follow the link

Please email Bernie for any questions or enquiries.

Bernie Atkinson

Kindergarten Transition Coordinator

St Matthews has a Smartwatch and Mobile Phone Policy that was produced through consultation with parents, staff and students. This policy is in place to protect all students at St Matthews with regards to privacy, child protection and limiting distractions whilst in the learning environment of our school.

For our students, Smartwatches are any wearable device that is able to receive and/or send messages, receive and/or make phone calls or have access to the internet.

Unfortunately, multiple issues have arisen this year with children wearing or bringing these devices to school. We have been made aware of students contacting or being contacted by parents during the school day, recording conversations in the playground and taking pictures of other students.

This email is to remind families of our policy and the consequences our students face if failing to adhere as we work in a challenging online world to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our students. 

Primary Students:

● Students in Primary are not to bring personal mobile phones or smartwatches to school unless permission from the Executive Principal has been successfully sought by parents who have outlined the health, safety or personal reasons that justify the student being in possession of a mobile phone or smartwatch. In this instance, unless instructed otherwise, mobile phones and/or smartwatches should be handed in to Student Services at the start of the day and collected at the end of the day.

● Students using mobile phones and/or smartwatches outside of this policy will have them turned off, confiscated, and delivered to Student Services where they will be stored securely. Students are responsible for collecting them at the end of the school day. Repeat offenders will not have devices returned until a parent/carer comes to collect it. If a student’s device is confiscated after 1:40pm, it will remain at the office until the end of the next school day. If you need to speak to your child at any time during the school day, please contact the front office.

Alternatively when children collect their phone or smartwatch at the end of the day, they will be able to use it for messages or changes to afternoon plans.

Justin Yeo

Head of Campus - Primary

To support the busy start and end to our school day, we remind families of a number of strategies put in place that reduce the impact to traffic along Lewis Street and also provide a safe environment for our students. We are currently experiencing issues with the impact on traffic and reinforce with families the need to abide by the processes we have in place. The strategies are supported by Mudgee Police and the Mid-Western Regional Council (MWRC), therefore we ask all families to be aware of the following in the Drop Off & Pick Up Zone:

• Family names displayed on the dashboards of cars in the afternoon.
• Parents and guardians remain in their cars at all times, no exceptions. If you child needs help entering or exiting the car, or needs a hug to say farewell in the morning, please park and support them away from the zone in front of the school.
• If your child is late to pick up in the afternoon, please do a lap and join the end of the queue.

Our school social media pages are an important source of information/reminders about upcoming events in our school and Parish community.

Felien Potgieter

PR Officer / Receptionist

Flexischools is St Matthews Catholic Schools preferred way to order from our canteens. The cut-off time is 9am, please allow yourself enough time to complete an order. An order can be placed the night before or even days in advance.

Orders that are phoned through via reception after 9am will be offered a simple sandwich, a drink and snacks only. No Hot Food will be offered. Credit Card details must be provided at the time, no exceptions. This ensures no further follow up for payment is required.

If parents are experiencing issues with Flexischools, please contact Flexischools directly using the Parent Help Line Number- 1300 361 769 (8am-12pm)

1. Introduction to Flexischools
2. How to Register with Flexischools
3. How to Place an Order (Canteen)
4. How to Place an Order (All Services)
5. How to Top Up Your Flexischools Wallet

Please let your child know if they are having a lunch order and what they are having. Some of our younger students are accidently throwing out their “tokens”. They need the token to redeem any frozen item/ slushie/ special that may have been ordered for them.

Birthday Bucket & Classroom Cupcakes

Alicia Cowden

Primary Canteen Manager

Parents and Carers of new or existing students enrolled in St Matthews can apply for free school bus travel with Ogden's Coaches for every route (except Botobolar and Cudgegong which is serviced by Booth's Bus Service)

• free school travel is available for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students no matter how close or far away they are from school.
• if students are not eligible for free bus transportation they can still ride on the bus by paying a fare or by purchasing a book of 10 tickets or a term/annual pass from the Ogden's Coaches office.
• students who changed address or schools must update existing details through the NSW Transport online portal
  if you are unsure whether or not your child has a current bus pass, please contact our office on 6372 2489.
• to travel on our bus service, students must present their bus pass to the bus driver morning and afternoon.

Apply for student bus passes through the Ogden's Coaches website

Select ‘Schools’ tab in top header then select ‘Apply for a New Pass'

Fill in the application form for each child and you will be notified of eligibility via email from Transport NSW. Bus passes will be distrubuted by post to students home address.

Ogden's Coaches - Mudgee

The Midford Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.00am to 4.00pm.

EFTPOS only, no cash.

Enjoy the convenience of online shopping. Save time and energy by ordering your uniforms online in six easy steps:

1. Go to midford.com.au
2. Select St Matthews Catholic School from the Online School Shops tab
3. New users to click the ‘Register New Account’ button
4. Start the registration process by selecting St Matthews Catholic School from the drop-down menu and add the unique school pass phrase: “Matthews1912”
5. Add your personal information, create a username and password
6. Order the items you need, select pick-up in store/deliver to school.

Online orders for Primary will be delivered to the school office on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30pm. Cut off time for ordering is 1.00pm.
Online orders for Secondary will be delivered to the school office on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9.00am. Cut off time for ordering is 3:30pm the day before.
Online orders for shop pick up - pick up only within the shop hours, please allow 1 hour after ordering for collection.

If you have any queries please contact the uniform shop directly:
Phone: 0439 442 509 or Email: st.matthews@midford.com.au