TERM 2 - WEEK 1
Front Cover 1/2 Crossley
We had a very busy Term filled with learning, fun and friendship. On the last day of term, we were able to welcome our families back to school, supporting us on sports day. We all did our best demonstrating teamwork, resilience and a growth mindset.
We welcome Miss Galvin and look forward to an exciting term ahead.
Crossley Photos
Leadership
Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students and friends of St Thomas More,
Welcome to Term 2! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. The students appear relaxed and excited to be back at school and it was great to hear some of their holiday stories. Holidays are always a great opportunity for everyone to recharge their batteries and Term 2 looks like being a very exciting and busy term!
We welcome Levi, Ava, Alice, Malakai, Daniel, Mia and their families. We hope their association at St Thomas More will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience in our school/parish community. We also welcome Ms. Brieanna Galvin who will be our Year 1/2 class teacher for Term 2 (replacing Lisa Crossley while she is on Long Service Leave) and Ms. Alexia Surace who will be teaching Italian for the remainder of the 2021 School Year. We trust that their time at St Thomas More will be a rich and rewarding experience.
Adjusting to the first weeks of school
Back to school can be a very emotional time for children. For first-time students, being away from parents, adjusting to a new environment with new people, and adapting to a new routine can be overwhelming. You can help by talking about the positive aspects of school. Tell stories about your happy, funny and enjoyable experiences at school. Talk to older siblings about ways they can help so they don’t tell scary stories.
- Establish regular bedtime and wake-up routines. Children, including teenagers, need plenty of sleep. They may be more tired than usual and need time to relax. You may find that rather than becoming more grown-up, young children might regress or become more difficult or defiant, in response to the stress of the new routines.
- Celebrate the start of school with a special meal or outing. Make the experience as happy and positive as you can.
Children normally shed a few tears when they part from their parents. Try not to extend your stay because it can prolong and intensify the child’s reaction. This behavior may last a few days or weeks. Teachers are prepared to handle the situation and if alerted that a child may react to separation, they can give the student a special job or a partner in the class to help with the adjustment period. Even if children have been to school previously, they might still find their initial weeks a period of change.
Naplan 2021 - Years 3 and 5
During week 3 (10 – 14 May), the national testing will be conducted in all schools. ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) provides the following information for parents about this program: “The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It has been an annual event for schools since 2008.
Students will sit the 2021 NAPLAN tests during weeks 3 and 4. NAPLAN assesses skills in Literacy and Numeracy that are developed over time, through the school curriculum. NAPLAN is not a pass or fail type test, but rather shows how students are progressing in numeracy and literacy skills against national standards for all Australian children. It also provides valuable information that allows schools and governments to better target effort and support to help all students achieve their potential and acquire the basic skills to help them build successful and happy lives.” All students are expected to participate in the tests.
NAPLAN tests fundamental skills rather than specific content, and as such is not a test for which students can study or drill. A good discussion to have with your child regarding NAPLAN is to let them know that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and to reinforce to them that they did their best they can on the day. An individual student NAPLAN report will be issued by the school later this year. Parents can use this information to monitor how their child is progressing and to identify any areas of concern. Parents may also wish to use their child’s results to discuss progress with teachers.
2021 TERM 3 RECEPTION ENROLMENTS
Places are available. If you have or if you know of anyone who has a child turning 5 before October 31, 2021, please complete and lodge an enrolment form at the Front Office.
2022 RECEPTION ENROLMENTS
Places are available. If you have or if you know of anyone who has a child turning 5 before May 1, 2022, please complete and lodge an enrolment form at the Front Office.
2022 TERM 3 RECEPTION ENROLMENTS
Places are available. If you have or if you know of anyone who has a child turning 5 before October 31, 2022, please complete and lodge an enrolment form at the Front Office.
Working in Partnership,
Chris Platten, Vicki Rubino, Melisa Musolino, Leah Williams
ANZAC Day
Sunday, 25 April was Anzac day.
ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day is the anniversary of the landing of troops from Australia and New Zealand on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, in World War I on April 25, 1915. The bravery of all military personnel who participated in this campaign and the lives of those who died in all military actions are remembered. Anzac Day is a day of memorial for all Australians, who have died fighting for our country, in a host of wars. On Anzac Day we remembered those who made the supreme sacrifice for us in time of war.
Mother's Day
Sunday, 9 May is Mother’s Day.
A Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Mums, Grandmothers and to the other significant women in our student's lives. We acknowledge that this is a day to truly celebrate the wonderful role the mums in our community play in loving and ensuring the success of our students.
Religion
Respect
Jesus said “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the
prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
This term our theme for Religious Education across the school is Respect and classes will be exploring this in many different ways. Students will begin to break open the theme and explore what respect looks like, feels like and sounds like for them and how they might show respect in the same way. As we begin to explore this theme together, we can start by considering:
What does respect mean to you?
Can you think of a time when you practised respect?
What is something you could do this week to show respect?
Staff from St. Mary Magdalene’s and St. Thomas More School gathered this week for staff meeting. Our prayer focused on the upcoming Sunday gospel of the vine and branches.
In the gospel, we read a very short part of a long speech that Jesus gave to his disciples the night before he died. He uses the image of a vine and branches. Just as the vine and the branches are joined together, so we are connected to Jesus and will live by his words. Like the branches of the vine that bear fruit, our lives will bear fruit too – the fruit of love and goodness – when we are united to Jesus as disciples.
Staff were asked to consider the following:
What fruit is Jesus talking about?
How am I as much a part of Jesus as a branch is part of a vine?
Sacramental Program 2021
If your child is currently enrolled in the Sacramental Program for 2021, please take note of the following dates for term 2.
Week 4 | Workshop-Reconciliation | Saturday 22/05/2021 | 1:00-4:00 | St Mary Magdalene’s School | Candidates only |
Week 8 | Reconciliation Celebrations (choose one date of preference) | Friday 18/06/2021 | 5:00-6:00 | St Thomas More’s Church | Candidates only |
Saturday 19/06/2021 | 10:00-11:00 | St Thomas More’s Church | |||
20/06/2021 | 11:30-12:30 | St Thomas More’s Church |
Catholic Education Week – Week 2
In week 2 we celebrate Catholic Education Week with the theme ‘Raising Hearts and Minds to the wonder and awe of God’s creation’. The week has a core focus on celebrating teaching and learning and what it means to be part of a Catholic school community.
As we respond to the needs of others and all of God’s creation we are called to consider:
- Has God’s creation inspired wonder and awe for you?
- How can we ‘Raise our Hearts and Minds’ to the wonder and awe of God’s creation?
Sports Day
On the last day of Term One, students, staff and many parents celebrated Sports Day at St Thomas More. It was great to see students demonstrating their agility, coordination, speed and strength to the best of their ability throughout sports day. To see everyone having so much fun and striving to gain points for their team was a highlight.
Thank you to all the teachers, administration staff and parents for their help and support throughout Sports Day. I would also like to thank the many parents for coming along and supporting their child/ren. They really appreciated your encouragement and enthusiasm.
I would like to especially thank Ms Swann for organising each team’s song and movement. It was a great effort by all teams. Also, a big thank you to Mr Scott for helping set up, pack up and take on the role of starter for the day. Thank you to all the Sports Captains for their help and support in preparing for and assisting on Sports day.
Congratulations to the MacKillop team on winning the Vin Davies Shield
and Barry on winning the Spirit Cup.
Final Results:
Vin Davies Shield Spirit Cup
MacKillop – 1147 Barry – 3035
McAuley – 1044 McAuley – 3016
Barry – 1000 MacKillop – 2924
Coolock – 988 Coolock - 2825
Well done to Jordan VanDam, Tahni Porter, and Charlie-Anne Daniele on winning the championship running events.
Excellent Effort Everyone!
Sports Co-ordinator
Fabian Chevalier
Kids Taekwondo Classes
Have you thought about high school options?
Is your child enrolled?
Some schools have waiting lists, to avoid disappointment it is recommended to have your child enrolled at least 18mths prior to starting.
Elizabeth Community Connections
Playgroup and ELY
Brain Teasers
Can you solve them?
Out of School Hours Care
Daily: 6:30am to 8:45am and 3:00pm to 6:00pm Wednesday: 2:30pm to 6:00pm
School Access
8:30am to 8:50am
Access via the main front courtyard gate at the school crossing.
8:50am to 2:45pm
Access via green front pool gate in front of the administration building. You will need to lift the pool gate lock at the top of the gate to open and please ensure the gate is closed securely.
2:45pm to 3:15pm
Access via the main front courtyard gate at the school crossing.
Children dropped off before 8:30am and not collected by 3:15pm will be sent to OSHC and caregivers will be invoiced for the service.
School Banking
School Banking at our school is on Wednesdays.
For every deposit made at school, students will receive a silver Dollarmites token. Once students have individually collected 10 tokens they can redeem them for an exclusive School Banking reward item in recognition of their regular savings habits.
School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year.
If your child has lost their book, please contact your School Banking Co-ordinator for a replacement or visit any CommBank Branch.
If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2020 School Banking program information pack from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/sbc
Advance Notice
Every Tuesday
Parent Coffee/Tea chat 8:30am in Jubilee Hall - Postponed
ECC Playgroup 9:15am to 11:15am
Principal's Tour (first Tuesday of the month) 10:00am - By appointment only
Every Wednesday
ECC Early Learning Years (ELY) 9:15am to 11:15am
School Banking
May 2
World Laughter Day
May 9
Mother's Day
May 13
Feast of the Ascension
May 22
World Bee Day
May 23
Pentecost
May 26
National Sorry Day
May 27
National Reconciliation Week Begins
Raising Hearts and Minds
