TERM 2 - WEEK 5
Front Cover - Yr 1/2 D'occhio & Villano
May is the Month of Mary
During the month of May, 1/2DV has been learning all about Mary, who is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother in Heaven. We have been discovering how she lived in Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph and what her daily life was like. We have read many stories about her in the Bible and learned about the important role she played in the life of her Son, Jesus. We have also written about Mary and created beautiful portraits of her with oil pastels. Each day in May we have prayed her special prayer “The Hail Mary” and we are learning to say this prayer in Italian as well!
Mary
Mary was praying and an angel appeared. The angel asked Mary to have a baby called Jesus. Mary had a baby in a stable. Mary sat on a donkey and Joseph walked and they lived in a rock house. They lived together as a family. Joseph made the house. When Jesus died on the cross Mary was upset. Mary still prayed every night. Mary is the Queen of Heaven. She is so happy to be with God.
By Sofia
Mary is very, loving and caring. She wears a beautiful cloak and she had Baby Jesus. She said lots of prayers to God. When she was saying a prayer an angel appeared in front of her. She was shocked! The angel said to Mary, “You will have a baby boy and you will call him Jesus!” And Mary said, “Yes, but when will I have him?” “Soon. Are you ready to have him?” said the angel. “Yes!” said Mary.
By Maelah
Mary is a loving person. Mary is a kind person. Mary works very hard. She takes care of the children and makes some clothes and gets the water.
By Evie
Our Mary Portraits
Leadership
Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students and friends of St Thomas More,
The colder mornings are certainly upon us and it really is that much harder to get out of a warm bed. With this in mind, I remind parents that regular attendance at school is very important. Going to school every day and getting there on time reinforces for children, that school is a significant experience. I cannot stress enough the value of arriving to school on time. Most classroom teachers set out the day’s routine, lunch orders, prayer, news, notes for the office, learning intentions and work expectations for the day. Missing out on these routines sometimes means that when a child arrives late, they are playing catch up for the remainder of the morning and are unsettled and unsure. If this happens regularly children can become anxious or even casual in their approach.
It is also important for children to attend school regularly. Allowing children to stay home without a good reason sends a message that learning can be interrupted and isn't important. When children attend regularly, the teacher is able to build a sequence of learning for each child and children develop a sense of increasing success. Attending school regularly also supports a child’s sense of belonging to the class, the school and helps them maintain friendships. I know that the cold mornings make for a slower start to the day however, I ask that families make the extra effort to be on time.
Staffing News
We welcome Ms. Kylie West to St Thomas More & St Mary Magdalene’s School communities. Kylie has won a full-time position in Human Resources. We look forward to working with Kylie and wish her every success and blessing as she embarks on this new chapter of her professional career.
The Importance of Sleep
The recent weather has been quite inconsistent and it can disrupt the children’s sleep patterns at night. I know how difficult it is to function the next day if I don’t have a good night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep often comes down to routines. It is important to avoid late-night technology use such as computers, mobile phones, iPads, etc. Recent studies have found that adolescents used multiple forms of technology late into the night, including gaming systems and as a result, they have difficulty staying awake and alert throughout the day.
Any factor that decreases the quality or quantity of sleep will lead to difficulty with school performance and poor behaviour problems. When children stay up at night texting in bed or playing computer games, they are increasing their risk for neurocognitive problems. According to research, having a regular bedtime was the most consistent predictor of positive developmental outcomes in four-year-olds. In a sample of 8000 children, language, reading and maths scores were higher in children whose parents enforced regular bedtimes.
The number of night sleep hours required by children varies by age. In general, five-year-olds should get 11 hours of sleep, nine-year-olds need 10 hours and 14-year-olds require at least 9 hours.
Fortnite Game and Social Media
The Fortnite game continues to be a topic of conversation amongst, staff, students, parents and many psychologists. As a school, we have been reflecting on how we are seeing this game affect our children and their ability to solve conflict restoratively, treat others respectfully and behave in socially acceptable ways.
The recommended age to use Fortnite is 13+, which means that it is not only inappropriate for most primary-aged children to play but also does not comply with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Following are some excerpts from psychologists across the world who are now querying if this game is in fact, changing the minds of our children;
“The American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that games “in which killing others is the central theme” – a good summary of Fortnite – “are not appropriate for children.” Incidentally, “children” here means “humans under 18 years of age.” In their guidelines, the Academy advised that “Video games should not use human or other living targets or award points for killing” and that parents should not allow their kids to play games that violate this guideline. In case you haven’t seen it, Fortnite is a game in which the object of the game is to kill other humans.” Psychology Today
”You must have the courage to say: This is not a good thing. Kids need to learn face-to-face social skills. They need to be physically active, preferably outdoors. They need to get a good night’s sleep. A kid obsessed with Fortnite is less likely to be doing any of these things.” Psychology Today
“………. Games like Fortnite are designed to exploit the brain’s vulnerabilities in the same way poker machines do” Professor Yucel is a clinical neuropsychologist
"I could see this aggression starting to form, he started being rude and I was, like, oh my God, this game is going to drive me mad!” Parent
Our school teaches and values respect and kindness, we are working daily to develop self-esteem, growth mindsets and relationships, how does Fortnite enhance the personal, social and psychological development of your child? Fitness is a key holistic element of well-being, strongly correlated with positive outcomes such as success in school, better sleep behaviours, and reduced stress. When we move more, we are happier and healthier. If you wish to discuss gaming and the possible effects on your child’s learning please speak to your Class Teacher, Leadership or our School Well-being Counsellor.
As well as Fortnite, we have had further discussions with students about social media and cybersafety. Our compulsory curriculum, Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, has specific teaching on keeping yourself safe online. This is much more of a need at the moment due to the increased usage of computers/phones during isolation.
During these discussions with students, there are a number that talk about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok as well as Fortnite. This is where some bullying is occurring outside of school hours and on weekends. We wish to inform our learning community of the following things to keep our students safe and promote well-being practices.
You MUST be 13 years and older to have your own account on Facebook, TicToc, Snapchat, Instagram and for online games such as Fortnite due to the level of maturity and resilience which can affect your ability to have positive experiences on social media and respond appropriately to harassment, bullying or privacy concerns. This does not necessarily mean that the site is unsafe but it is in compliance with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
We encourage supervision and cybersafety discussions to occur. For further information visit: www.esafety.gov.au
Children's Safety at St Thomas More School
At St Thomas More School safety of our students and community is one of our highest priorities. We provide a secure environment that allows the students to move safely around the school. Staff are clearly identified by the badges that they wear. As our school is fully secure, with fences around all areas, visitors must enter through the Front Office and sign in upon entering the school. Safety in the yard encourages our students to play actively without fear. Each teacher on Yard Duty wears a florescent vest and carries a bag that contains a first-aid kit for the treatment of minor injuries in the yard whilst more serious injuries are dealt with promptly in the sick room by staff who are trained in Senior First Aid.
St Thomas More School is situated on a main road and in a suburban street, which can make the movement of traffic difficult during peak school drop off and pick up times. To ensure that the students are safe during this time teachers are on duty at the school’s front, ensuring the safe use of the school crossing on Yorktown Road and safe crossing on Shillabeer Road.
Students and families are reminded to be wary of approaches from strangers, especially when they are unaccompanied or travelling to and from school. If they are approached students should not respond and should not accept offers of rides or gifts.
Students should seek the assistance of other nearby adults if they feel unsafe and should report the event to a trusted adult (parent or school staff member) as soon as possible.
SAPOL advises that taking out a mobile phone and calling the police can deter the offender and they recommend the student make a formal report to their closest police station.
Student Phones
A reminder that if students need to bring a phone to school, they must give it to their classroom teacher for safe storage in the morning and collect it at the end of the school day. We ask that parents/caregivers let their child’s teacher know if their child will be bringing a phone to school so that this can be closely monitored. If students bring a phone to school without following this process, the phone will be confiscated until the end of the day and parents/caregivers will be contacted. We thank you for your support in this matter, ensuring the safety of all.
PLEASE OBSERVE THE ‘NO STANDING’ AREAS AND ‘YELLOW LINES’ AROUND THE SCHOOL. These areas are to help provide a safe environment for the students. We ask and expect that all members of the St Thomas More School community follow the road rules associated with the ‘School Crossing’ (on Yorktown Rd) and all road signage (both Yorktown Rd and Shillabeer Rd) stringently. They are also monitored by the police and council.
Please ensure children are dropped at the front gate or office if arriving after 9am to sign in to ensure they enter their class safely.
Community News
From time to time we hear news involving members of our school community. As a community, we care about both the joys and sad events in each other’s lives. Not all of this news reaches the school office but we would like to include a regular section in the newsletter entitled ‘Community News’. We hope you will contribute to this by letting Leeanne know – personally with a written note or by email – news about yourself or others. We hope this will enable us to better support each other in times of sadness and join in celebrating times of joy.
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.
2023 RECEPTION ENROLMENTS
Places are available. If you have or if you know of anyone who has a child turning 5 before May 1, 2023, please complete and lodge an enrolment form at the Front Office.
2023 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, 2023, please complete and lodge an enrolment form at the Front Office.
PUPIL FREE DAY
FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2022
(OSHC available – bookings essential)
Working in Partnership
Chris Platten & Vicki Rubino
Religion
The Liturgical Year of the Church and Special Celebrations
This week in our Church’s Liturgical Year we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. This event occurs forty days after Easter Sunday and commemorates the ascension of Christ into heaven. Next week we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, we celebrate the birthday of the Church and hear how Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples, just as he had promised to do.
We celebrate World Environment Day on June 5. This is the day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. Classes will spend time during morning prayer reflecting on their role in protecting our environment.
This week we focus on and celebrate National Reconciliation Week. This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
Students and staff will ‘Be Brave’ and continue to work to ‘Make Change’ this week as we learn more about the importance of Reconciliation.
Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds, and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Class Prayer and Liturgy
We are now once again preparing and leading class liturgies. Children across the school will be involved in this throughout the remainder of the term. Fr. Pat will resume Mass in our school as of Term 3.
Sacrament Program 2022
We are now able to start our 2022 Sacrament Program. If you have already enquired about the program, you would have been emailed the dates below. If you would like your child to join this program, you are welcome to come along to the first session, on Saturday, June 7 at 9am at St. Thomas More Church. Please see the outline attached.
Fundraiser
A very big THANK YOU to our school community.
Together with Vili's, we raised $866 for the Tjindu Foundation
Carnival
On Monday 23rd May, 33 years 4-6 students participated in the Regional Catholic Schools Netball/Soccer carnival at Argana Park. The round-robin competition allowed students to develop their skills and knowledge of soccer and netball. In perfect conditions for sport, all students showed enthusiasm, discipline, teamwork, and a high level of skill to produce some great results.
The Netball teams started confidently, passing the ball around with accuracy and scoring some fantastic goals. Students showed excellent teamwork in defence to make many intercepts and displayed great teamwork to transfer the ball from defence to attack.
The Soccer teams were extremely competitive in all games with both teams showing improvement throughout the day. The boys managed to move the ball quickly to create scoring opportunities with some great goals being scored and saved.
All students are to be congratulated on their fine sportspersonship during all matches. Thank you to Lesley Swann, Jamie Warren, Cristian Morgado, Anzac Lochowiak and the many other parents for their help and support during the day.
As the day went on all teams grew in confidence and worked well to achieve success. Well done everyone!
Fabian Chevalier
PE Teacher/Co-ordinator
Installing SZapp
Please click on the link below for instructions on how to install SZapp on Apple and Android products.
Canteen
PRC and Stem Competition
Secondary School
Playgroup and ELY
Postponed until further notice
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.
Advance Notice
Every Tuesday
Parent Coffee/Tea chat 8:30am in Jubilee Hall - Postponed
ECC Playgroup 9:15am to 11:15am - Postponed
Principal's Tour (first Tuesday of the month) 10:00am - By appointment only
Every Wednesday
Early Learning Years (ELY) 9:15am to 11:15am - Postponed
June 5
Feast of the Pentecost
World Environment Day
June 8
World Oceans Day
June 12
Feast of the Holy Trinity
June 14
Refugee week Begins
Raising Hearts and Minds
