TERM 4 - WEEK 5

Front Cover - Carnivals

Catholic Schools Tennis and Athletics Carnivals

Early this term member of the Year 3/4 cohort represented the school at the Catholic Schools Tennis Carnival. A small team of 8 students played in a round-robin competition finishing 3^rd overall out of 48 teams. Throughout the day it was great to see students improve their serving and forehand skills to hit many winners. As the progressed players grew in confidence and students worked well with their partners to gain many successful results.

On Tuesday 2^nd November St Thomas More participated in the Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival. The Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival competition is conducted between Catholic Schools of similar ability and size.

St Thomas More entered a small team of 25 students in various athletics events with many students helping other year levels.

Some of the highlights were St Thomas More winning the Year 3 and Year 6 girls relay events. Also, a big congratulations to Tahni Porter for using all her energy and strength to win the 800m event. Many other students should be impressed with their efforts in gaining place ribbons.

Thank you to all of the students for their efforts leading up to the carnival and for the way they represented the school displaying great sportspersonship. I would also like to thank Stephanie Maiello, Lesley Swann, Lisa Timmermans and Mandy Schumann for their help and support during the day.

Carnival Photos

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SAPSASA District Cricket

Congratulations to Max Thompson and Liam McGuire on making the Playford District SAPSASA team. The boys represented the district at the State Cricket Championships last week. Well done Boys!

Working in Partnership,

Fabian Chevalier

PE Teacher/Coordinator

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day in Australia is dedicated to Australians who died as a result of war, particularly from World War I onwards. A minute of silence is dedicated to the deceased, especially for soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. Remembrance Day is annually observed on November 11 although it is not a public holiday.

What Do People Do?

Many Australians stop what they are doing at exactly 11am in their local times on November 11 each year to dedicate a minute of silence for those who died in war, especially soldiers from as far back as World War I.

Many people wear artificial poppies on the day and key political figures make speeches in remembrance of the nation’s fallen heroes. Services are held at 11am at war memorials in suburbs and towns across the country, at which the “Last Post” is played by a bugler and a one-minute silence is observed. Remembrance Day has been partly eclipsed by ANZAC Day as the national day of war commemoration.

Background

According to the Australian government’s Cultural and Recreation portal, Remembrance Day, which was originally called Armistice Day, commemorated the end of the hostilities for the Great War (World War I), the signing of the armistice, which occurred on November 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

On the first anniversary of the armistice, in 1919, one minute's silence was instituted as part of the main commemorative ceremony. After the end of World War II in 1945, the Australian and British governments changed the name to Remembrance Day as an appropriate title for a day that would commemorate all war dead.

The year 2008 marked the 90th anniversary of the Australian attack at Villers-Bretonneux. On April 24, 1918, Australian Imperial Force (AIF) soldiers attacked German forces that captured the French town of Villers-Bretonneux earlier that day. The action was successful, but the fighting was fierce, and many lives were lost on both sides.

Symbols

Red poppies are worn on blazers, shirts, jumpers and other items of clothing on Remembrance Day to remember those who died during a war. Poppies were among the first plants that came from the battlefields of northern France and Belgium during World War I. Some people believed the popular myth that poppies were rich in their redness because they blossomed from grounds that were saturated with soldiers’ blood.

As a whole school, we participated in a special liturgy to commemorate this day. The “Last Post” was played, and a minute of silence followed this. Each class made their own wreath decorated with poppies which were laid at the prayer space during the liturgy.

Leadership

Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students and friends of St Thomas More,

Catherine McAuley – Feast Day 11 November

This week we celebrate the life of Catherine McAuley. She was born in Dublin in 1778 and died in 1841. In 1824 she built a house to serve poor women and children and visited the sick in their homes and in hospital. Seven years later she and her co-workers founded the Sisters of Mercy.

There are many Sisters of Mercy in Australia and throughout the world, working in education, health care, welfare and justice ministries.

There are many opportunities for us to stop and reflect throughout the school year to give thanks for the life of Catherine McAuley, all that she did and all that we can learn from her.

We are encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Catherine McAuley in our words and actions everyday as we learn about and live our Mercy values of Compassion, Courage, Justice, Respect, Hospitality and Service.

‘Let us take one day only in hands at a time. Resolve to do good today and better tomorrow’…Catherine McAuley

National Skin Cancer Action Week 21 - 27 November 2021

National Skin Cancer Action Week highlights that we need to do more to promote sun protection. 

Despite improvements in melanoma rates amongst Australians under the age of 40, skin cancer remains Australia’s most common cancer, the most costly and one of the most preventable. It is estimated that there have been over 15,000 deaths since the last national skin cancer awareness campaign 14 years ago.  

In order to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, all Australians need to use the five forms of sun protection when the UV level is 3 or higher:  

• Slip on sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible. 
• Slop on broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF30 (or higher) sunscreen. Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors and every two hours afterwards.  
• Slap on a hat – broad brim or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears.  
• Seek shade. 
• Slide on sunglasses – make sure they meet Australian Standards

Reception Induction

On November 2 and November 9, we held our Reception Transition mornings for our new Reception students beginning school in Term 1, 2022. We had excited and eager students who seemed to be delighted by their morning. They became familiar with their classrooms and participated in activities whilst in them. The children were still beaming with excitement when their parents picked them up. While the children were busying getting to know one another, parents also gathered during this time to meet one another and begin (for some) their involvement in the St Thomas More School community. Parents have commented on how welcoming the other students have been towards the new students. This is one of the special qualities of St Thomas More School. Staff have also been delighted by the new students’ enthusiasm and how quickly they settled into their new environment.

Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival

Well done to the teams of students who represented St Thomas More School at the Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival held at SANTOS Stadium last week. We were well represented by many students. It was great to see the fantastic effort that all students gave individually and as a team. Part of ‘life learning’ is that not everyone can always come first, but we can always do our best, and this was certainly evident in the effort given by our children. Special thanks to Mr Chevalier for organising and ‘training’ our students and to Ms Maiello and Ms Swann for supporting on the day. A very successful day.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Congratulations to all students who participated in the 2021 Premier’s Reading Challenge. It was very pleasing to see so many students involved and reading so many books. Certificates and medallions were handed out during our school assembly last Friday morning. Thank you to all teachers for encouraging students to participate and a big thank you to Ms. Swann for her coordination of this challenge.

School Reports

Teachers are preparing to write Semester Two reports for students in their care. Our Semester Two reports are individual and extremely detailed and provide an excellent summary of each child’s progress. They will be distributed to students during week 9, this term. They will include information regarding each child’s class for 2021.

Students Illness

We have had a number of students with serious illnesses over the past weeks. This has reinforced the importance of children not attending school when they have an infectious illness to minimize the risk of infecting others. In particular, it is very important that children with vomiting or diarrhea stay at home until they are completely well. Please also reinforce with children the importance of personal hygiene especially washing hands. It seems that resistance is low as the year comes to a close and children become more susceptible to disease.

Thank you to parents for keeping us informed about your children’s health.

Thanksgiving Mass

The End of Year ‘Thanksgiving Mass’ will be celebrated this year on Tuesday, December 7 at 9am in the Jubilee Hall. We will also be recognising the contribution made by the Year 6 students to the life of St Thomas More School.

 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.

End of Term arrangements are:

~ End of School Year – (Year 6 students) – Monday 6 December 2021 at 1.30 pm

~ End of School Year – (Reception to Year 5 students) – Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 2.30 pm

Working in Partnership,

Chris Platten, Vicki Rubino, Leah Williams, Melissa Musolino

School Concert

Tuesday, November 23 -  6.30pm at St Thomas More School

Plumbtree Community

COVID - Check-in

Elizabeth Community Connections

Playgroup and ELY

Canteen Specials

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

November 11

Catherine McAuley Day

Remembrance Day

November 15 - 19 

Class Pulse Check In

November 15  

School Board meeting 6.30pm 

November 16 

Reception transition and parent/carer meeting 9am – 11.30am

November 23

School Concert at St Thomas More School 6.30pm 

November 28 

First Sunday of Advent

November 29 

Graduation Dinner 6pm

December 3 

End of Year Assembly 2pm

Raising Hearts and Minds