From the Principal
It is hard to believe it is nearly the end of Term 1, this will be the last newsletter of the term. Thank you to all the community for their support in this my first full term as Principal. It has been a challenging start to the year for my family, with the passing of my dad in January, but I would like to share some exciting news. Candice and I are expecting our 3rd (AND FINAL) baby in September this year. Emma and Connor are very excited, Candice is doing well and we are thrilled with the news. My dad would be very proud.
I invite you to check out the new photos displayed in the newsletter headers and also have a look at the link provided a little later on for all the professional photos from 2022.
Term 1 ends NEXT THURSDAY 6th of April at 3:10pm
Term 2 begins Wednesday April 26th
School Representative Council: (SRC)
Congratulations to the following students for being Elected to the positions of class SRC
Year 5/6 - Emma T, Archie L
Year 4/5 - Anna T, Liam K
Year 2/3 -Eliza A, Spencer R
Year P/1 -Lincoln O, Kaley L
As a SRC representative, these students will attend meetings to discuss ideas that have been raised in each classroom during circle time meetings. At St Thomas More we value student voice, so we welcome the discussions and opinions from the students that attend the SRC meetings. Our goal is that our discussions lead to an action that is for the benefit of all to continue to make our school a great place to be.
Sibling Enrolment Forms:
Earlier this term we sent Enrolment packs home to those families who we believe have children (siblings) attending prep next year. If this is the case, please fill out the forms and return them to the office by April. Any questions please see Ash in the office.
NAPLAN:
A big well done to our Year 3 and 5 students on completing the NAPLAN testing. At STM we try and make the testing as stress free as possible. These tests do not define our children, they do however help inform the school of teaching practices. We thank the students for their efforts; we are very very proud of them.
Stations of the Cross times: (All welcome to attend)
Monday April 3rd - 2:15pm (2/3 and 4/5)
Thursday April 6th - 9:00am (5/6)
Wednesday April 26th - 2:45pm (P/1)
Harmony Day:
On Tuesday 21st March we celebrate Harmony Day, an opportunity to recognise Australia’s diversity and promote inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging.
Australia is one of the world’s most successful multicultural countries and our cultural diversity is at the heart of who we are.
In STEAM Prep and Year 1 students made Harmony Day keyrings and Years 2-6 stude4nts made their own badges.
Project Compassion:
Colour Run/Cross Country/Athletics Day:
We have rescheduled our proposed Cross Country/Colour Run, this will now occur early in Term 2. We will keep families informed of the new date.
Casserole Bank:
Putting a call out to families to add to our Casserole Bank. We have used all of the current stock and are looking to replenish. If any families are willing to make a meal and deliever to the school so we can store in the freezer. These meals are used to help families who are have things going on in their lives (family bereavements, loss of job, injury). It is one small our community can come together to support each other in a quiet way that respects the dignity of all.
Please label the dish (e.g. Spag Bol, and put ingredients) so the family knows what dish they have.
Replay of Inform and Empower Webinar:
Please DO NOT share this link publicly.
Photos from Last Year:
Please find attached link to all the photos taken for our professional photo shoot with Tserlin from SchoolPresense. Please do not share the photos on social media.
School Fete Committee:
I am seeking passionate people to join a School Fete Committee to investigate if a Fete is viable once again for our school (with a possible start in 2024). The plan is for this to be a fresh start and a move away from the Mountain Doo (which hasn't occurred for a number of years).
This committee is a separate entity to the Parents and Friends and School Advisory Committee at this stage and I welcome expressions of interest from all members of the school community. Please send me an email if you are interested.
Easter Raffle:
School Photo Day:
Just a reminder to families that our school photo day will be held on the 5th of April. All students must be in FULL summer uniform for the photos.
Footy Tipping:
Now the important stuff!!!!
Community Footy tipping for 2023. Follow the link:
No More School Stream:
As per school communication, we will no longer be using School Stream to send information to parents. All information will now go directly to your emails through our Operoo system. Please make sure your details are up to date, all student profiles can have multiple email addresses linked and all parties will receive information. Reminder if you need to add a second person to the profile, this is something that you can do. Follow the link below for more parent help. Operoo has a sweep of tools designed to help parents navigate the platform.
Please see the link for more help:
Commitment to Child Safety:
Please see attached the CECV's (Catholic Education Commission of Victoria) commitment to Child Safety in schools. Each school must have a range of measures in place to meet the 11 Child Safety Standards.
HATS: We are a SUNSMART school
Hats are to be worn during play times during terms 1 and 4. If a student is not wearing a school hat they will be asked to play in the shade. Year 6 students can wear their baseball caps on Wednesday's, but must wear the normal wide brim hat on all other days. In Term 4, Year 6 students are able to wear the Baseball cap everyday.
Thank you, take care and God Bless
Declan
