Dear families,

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. It sure was a warm few days.

I want to take a moment to thank our Year 5/6 students who have been helping run tours and Open Days at our school. The feedback from the prospective families has been amazing and is a testament to our school and your children. They speak about our school with pride and passion; as the Principal of this school, that makes me very proud. These students will be formally recognised at an assembly in Term 2.

Below is some information about School Photo day. I apologise it is on the first day of Term 2, but that is when they could get us in. I am going to be a bit more strict on uniform, it has improved throughout the term but I would like to see a further improvement this term. Our uniform helps us feel part of a community, it is important that we wear it with pride.

Just a reminder, I will be away at the Victorian Catholic Principal's conference in Lorne from Tuesday-Friday next week. Danielle George will be Acting Principal in my absence, she will be well supported by our other school leaders.

Well done to the families who emailed me that they found the chicken and answered the trivia question in last week's newsletter. This week you need to keep your eyes peeled for the worm. The first 5 families to email me with the location and the answer to the trivia question go into the draw for a $50 Woolworths voucher. The same families who won last week can enter again.

School Photo Day:

School Photos are scheduled for the first day of Term 2, April 15th. It is expected that ALL students are in full winter uniform.

School Fees:

School fees are now payable. Fee payments can be set up flexibly with Tarnia in the office. We kindly ask for regular payments or if you intend to make a one off payment please just let us know when you plan to do so. All fees are due by the end of Term 3 (unless on a payment plan, these plans can run all year). If anyone has any questions about fees please speak to Tarnia or myself.

Lighthouse Program:

The Lighthouse Program is run by students from St Joseph's College, Ferntree Gully. They come out to our school once per week and run a project with our Year 6 boys. The first session will be on the 18th of March.

Term 2 visits:

Week 1: Thursday 18 April

Week 2: Monday 22 April

Week 3: Monday 29 April & Thursday 2 May

Week 4: Monday 6 May & Thursday 9 May

Week 5: Monday 13 May & Thursday 16 May

Week 6: Monday 20 May &Thursday 23 May

Week 7: Monday 27 May & Thursday 30 May

Week 8: Thursday 6 June: Lighthouse Expo at St Joseph’s College

Lighthouse Expo Night: Thursday 6 June, 6pm to 8pm. An evening for all students, parents and staff involved in the Lighthouse Program. This is a special night where the students work is showcased.

In some exciting news I have been working with Mater Christi College, Belgrave, so we can have some girls from MC come and work with our Year 6 girls.

Student Absences:

As per MACS policies and procedures I will be sending home follow up notices to families who have missed a number of days of school so far in Term 1. I understand school absences are sometimes unavoidable, but St Thomas More has a legal requirement to monitor and follow up absences. I understand that each family's circumstances are different and unique. If you would like to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact me.

I have attached the MACS & STM Attendance Policy for your viewing.

What is considered as “poor attendance” is determined on a case by case basis. However, under the legislation, if a student of compulsory school age is absent from school for five days within a school year and without a reasonable excuse then further action can be taken at the discretion of the principal.

Sibling Enrolments:

It seems way too early to be thinking about 2025 already, but we are asking all families who have siblings entering Prep in 2025 to complete the enrolment process by the end of Term 1. Early numbers in Prep allow us to plan for our goal of having a straight Prep class in 2025. We need your support to do this. You can pick up an enrolment pack from the office. Alternatively, you can complete an online application by clicking on the link below.

Working Bee:

Last Saturday we held our first community working bee for the year. A huge thank you to the families that came out on what was an incredibly warm morning. Lots of jobs were completed; including spreading mulch on the yard and lots of weeding. In our Term 2 working bee we will be looking at adding more Garden Beds next to the new location of our compost bins and also tidying up and revamping our Veggie garden. If you are handy and would be willing to give me some advice or ideas for this project, please come and see me. Also if you are able to assist with pouring a slab of concrete to be used as a base for a garden shed please let me know.

Cyber Safety Webinar for Parents:

On Thursday, 21st of March at 7:30pm our school has joined with Inform and Empower to deliver an informative webinar about raising children in a digital age. Registration details can be found in the "Cyber-Safety" section of the newsletter.

Easter Liturgies:

Our Easter Liturgies will run in the final week of Term.

Tuesday 25th of March @ 2:30pm

Wednesday 26th of March @ 2:30pm

Thursday 27th of March @ 2:30pm

These liturgies will take place in the school library.

Assembly:

Our next assembly will take place on Monday 18th March at 2:30 pm in the school library.

Icy Poles:

Just a reminder that Icy Poles are on sale each Friday for $1 each. The money raised goes towards Year Six Fun day celebrations at the end of the year.

Confirmation Workshop - Parent and Child (online)

The new date for the online Parent and Child confirmation workshop is, Tuesday 19th of March at 6:30pm. A zoom link will be shared on the Monday prior. Thank you for your patience with this.

2024 School Closure Days:

Friday 29th of March - Good Friday (Public Holiday)

Thursday 25th of April - ANZAC Day (Public Holiday)

Friday 26th of April - School Closure

Friday 16th of August - School Closure

Monday 21st of October - School Closure

Monday 4th of November - School Closure

Tuesday 5th of November - Melbourne Cup (Public Holiday)

Friday 29th of November - School Closure

Monday 2nd of December - School Closure

Tuesday 17th of December - Students Last Day

Thank you and God bless

Declan