St Thomas More Catholic Primary School

From the Principal

For the most part the weather was been fantastic this week as Term 3 slowly comes to a close. The sun has been shining (apart from yesterday afternoon) and it is starting to warm up nicely. It has been such a busy term with so many fun filled experiences for our whole community. Term 4 is always a busy term and I will make sure that families are kept up to date with all the things happening at school through the newsletter and weekly reminders message on SchoolStream. Term 3 will finish next Friday @ 3:10 (20th of September) and Term 4 will begin on Monday 7th of October. 

 

I am delighted to share some very exciting updates to our school Wellbeing and Mental Health Program in 2025. Please refer to the Mental Health in Primary Schools Program / Wellbeing Support tab for more information. 

 

Last week 25 families were send a link to complete the MACSSIS school improvement survey. To this date only 9 families have completed this survey. I urge those families who received the link to please complete the survey. 

 

This week Tarnia sent out Fee statements, it is important for families who have not contributed to their fees in 2024 that they contact the office to arrange payment as these fees are now due. We have lots of different options for families to pay, so please contact the office. If you have arrangements in place already (payment plans) there is not need to make any additional payments.  

 

Student Leadership 2025:

Yesterday an email went home to parents who have a child in Year 6, 2025 explaining the process for leadership speeches' for next year. If you did not receive this email please let myself, Belinda Saville or Jess Jones know. 

 

Wild Robot:

Next Friday (last day of Term), our Year 4/5 and 5/6 classes will be walking to Cameo Cinema to watch the Wild Robot. This movie is based on a novel that the students did a book study on earlier this year. The students will be back at school in time for their free toastie. 

Trivia Night:

What an amazing night we had on Saturday night. It was a fun filled evening with lots of laughs and games. A huge thank you to our amazing Parents and Friends Committee who put in so much time and effort to make the event a huge success. A huge thank you to the families who came to support the evening and the business sponsors that supported us with awesome prizes to raffle. Please see below some photos of the evening. 

 

School Fees 2025:

Planning for 2025 is well underway, I have been meeting regularly with our Business Partner as we discuss budgets and other items. MACS have instructed schools that each school must increase fees to match the ongoing cost of suppliers and day to day running of the school. MACS will continue to offer the fee concession for any Concession/Pension card holders. If any family is struggling with school fees, I ask them to please come and see me. There are always options and ways in which we can support families. 

 

Also, if any families are planning on moving from St Thomas More, please let me know as soon as possible for planning purposes.

 

Junior Information Evening:

On October 22nd at 6:30pm we are hosting a Junior Information Evening for all Prep 2025 - Year 3 2025 families. This evening will unpack how the junior school will run in 2025, introduce the 2025 Junior teaching staff (Prep - Year 3) and also provide some details on the successes of our approach to reading with families, the science behind our reading approach and how you can support your child at home. The evening will also go through Prep 2025 transition details. 

 

If you would like to discuss this evening further or have any questions please speak to myself or Deputy Principal, Danielle George. 

 

MACSSIS School Improvement Survey:

25 of our school's parents would have received a link to complete the survey. This is a wonderful tool that schools (and MACS) use to guide future school planning. I urge you, if you received a link to please complete the survey. 

Trivia Night Sponsor Shout out!!

The STM Parents and Friends would like to say a big thank you to the following businesses that have kindly donated items to our P&F Grand Raffle and our Trivia and Games Night this past weekend. 

Sporting Achievements:

Well done to Adam Meese and his Knox Hockey Club teammates won their Under 12's Premiership over the weekend. A huge congratulations to Adam and the rest of his team. 

Closure Days in Term 4:

Just for parents reference, there are a number of closure days in Term 4 for various reasons (Time in Lieu days and Professional Learning/Planning). Please see below the dates of closure and mark them in your diaries. 

 

Monday 21st of October - School Closure (Professional Learning)

Monday 4th of November - School Closure (Time in Lieu day for staff)

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

Monday 2nd of December - School Closure (Planning)

Tuesday 3rd of December - School Closure (RE Professional Learning)

 

Footy Dress up Day!

On Thursday 19th of September, we are inviting students to dress up in their footy colours for the day. As finals footy approaches it is always a fun day to dress up and show our team spirit. 

Free Toastie Day!

The Wonderful P&F committee are providing a Free Toastie lunch for all students on the final day of Term 3. The 4/5/6 students are out at the Wild Robot movie, however they will be back in time for lunch. 

 

Thanks so much P&F!!

 

Save the Date: Grandparents Mass / Morning Activities:

Please note, on Thursday October 17th we will be holding a special Grandparents Mass / Activities morning here at STM. The mass will begin at 9:00 am. More details will follow over the next few weeks. 

 

Eggs for Sale

We are finally able to put our chicken eggs up for sale.  The money we receive from the eggs is being used to purchase pellets and seed for the chickens.  Eggs are $7.00 per dozen, if you would like to make a purchase please contact Tarnia Hiosan in the office.

Lunch Orders - Mondays:

Subway Vermont South and Canteen Hub are very pleased to be able to offer the Subs For Your School Lunch Program.

  • Every Monday 
  • Place your order by 4:30 pm Sunday - the day before
  • If you are using a VPN please select Australia
  • Please register at canteenhub.com.au
  • Select St Thomas More Primary School
  • If you need to cancel your order this can be done via canteenhub.com.au under your profile up to the order cut-off time.
  • Need help please email help@canteenhub.com  

Thank you, Go Hawks and God bless

 

Declan McDermott

Principal