Dear families,

It is nice to be back at school after a week on parental leave. Thanks to Mrs George and the other school leaders for making sure the school ran smoothly in what was a busy week.

We are starting a fun little game of "Find the Chicken" in the newsletter! If you can find the chicken and answer the trivia question you will go in the running to win a $50 Woolworths voucher drawn at the end of the term. The first five families to email me with where the chicken is, and the answer to the question will go in the draw.

The office has been incredibly busy this year as we have been receiving lots of enrolment enquiries which is fantastic. To have so many this early in the year is very promising. A big thank you to the families with children for Prep in 2025 who have started the enrolment process, there is no rush for this, but we would like any 2025 sibling enrolments to be finalised by the end of Term 1.

Just a reminder, the school will be closed on Monday 11th of March for the Labour Day long weekend. Another reminder, I will be attending the Victorian Catholic Principals Conference in Lorne from 19th-22nd of March. Danielle will once again be Acting Principal for these 4 days. It has been a busy first term for myself, I am lucky to have a wonderful leadership team at school, so when I am away our school just keeps running as normal.

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.

New student:

This week we welcomed Teddy (Year 1) to our school community. We hope Teddy and his family enjoy their time at STM and are made to feel very welcome.

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:

This coming Saturday we will be holding our Term 1 Working Bee for families. It will start at 9:00 am and will conclude at 10:30 am. We have lots of jobs to be completed. It would be great to see many families support our Working Bee. If you have any ideas about ways we can improve our school grounds please send me an email with your suggestions.

Reminder: attendance at a Working Bee will mean we will apply the $100 maintenance levy rebate on school fees.

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.

We currently have 7 families registered. Thank you to those families. I would like to see that number a little bit higher. It will be well worth your time.

Easter Liturgies:

We will be celebrating our Easter Liturgies in the last week of Term 1, the dates and times for these are as follows:

26th, 27th and 28th of March all beginning at 2:30pm in the school library. I will confirm which class is presenting each liturgy and share this in the next edition of the newsletter.

Japanese Exchange:

A huge thank you to Sensei Bawden who organised a school in Japan to link up with STM to help our students with their Japanese introductions. Our 4/5 class jumped online with a school in Saitama, Japan. Our students did an awesome job with their self introductions.

Assembly:

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

Labour Day Public Holiday:

The Labour Day public holiday is Monday 11th March. The school will be closed.

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.

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. More information will follow in coming weeks.

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.

School Advisory Council:

On Tuesday the School Advisory Council (SAC) met for the first time this year. We discussed many agenda items including, child safety, enrolments, possible school uniform updates and a few other items. The next School Advisory Council meeting will be on April 30th at 7:00 pm in the school library.

What is the purpose of the SAC?

The purpose of the SAC is in place for all stakeholders in the community (including parents) to provide advice and feedback to the Principal on the running of the school. It is important to note that the council is advisory in nature, and is not a committee that makes decisions on the running of the school.

2024 School Closure Days:

Monday 11th of March - Labour Day (Public Holiday)

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