TERM 1 - WEEK 1
Welcome
Front Cover - Rec/Year 2 Excursion
In week 8 of term 4, 2022 the Reception to Year 2 classes went on an excursion to celebrate a wonderful term of learning. We walked in beautiful weather to the Reading Cinema in Elizabeth using our great road safety skills and viewed the new movie called Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, a very talented crocodile who can sing and dance. Following the movie, we visited Fremont Park, had lunch on the lawn, and explored all of the equipment, that the park has to offer.
We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who helped on our amazing day, we hope to visit again soon.
Rec - Yr 2 Classes
Fremont Park Photos
Fremont Park Photos
Fremont Park Photos
Leadership
Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students, and friends of St Thomas More School community,
Welcome to Term 1! 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 1 looks like being a very exciting and busy term!
We welcome new staff and students. I hope that their experiences at St. Thomas More School and Parish encourages their love of learning and sense of curiosity. I hope, too, that their families feel connected with their children’s learning and development, and that our partnership with them is long and prosperous.
It is lovely to see so many happy, smiling faces every morning, keen to go into their classrooms for a day of learning. All teachers have been extremely busy over the last few weeks, preparing their classrooms for a new year, paying particular attention to providing a space that is inviting, welcoming, and conducive to good quality learning.
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 a 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. Staff 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.
2023 Classroom/Teaching Structure
Reception: Malama Theodosi
Reception: Rebecca Arnold
Year 1/2: Connie Carter
Year 1/2: Marie D`Occhio
Year 1/2: Stephanie Maiello
Year 1/2: Carly Morrison
Year 3/4: Katelyn Jessop
Year 3/4 Laura Brown
Year 3/4: Jasmine Fischer
Year 5/6: Sarah Carritt
Year 5/6: Jay O’Leary
Specialist Teachers
STEAM: Janie Gosling
Physical Ed: Cristian Morgado
Italian: Rosealyse Trimboli
Leadership
Leader of Teaching & Learning: Taylor Meyer
APRIM: Melissa Musolino
Head of Campus: Vicki Rubino
Principal: Chris Platten
Parent Meet and Greet
There will be a Parent ‘Meet & Greet’ on Wednesday 8 February. Each teacher will present their presentation on the same night, once from 6.00pm to 6.30pm and again at 6.35pm to 7.05pm to cater for parents with children in different year levels. The Meet and Greet will be an opportunity for families to get to know the teacher/s, hear about class routines, and ask general questions about the year ahead. This Meet and Greet is not a formal Parent/Teacher Interview. Parent\Teacher interviews will take place later in Term 1.
Staffing News
Next week we farewell Mrs. Leeanne Fisher. Leeanne has won a position at Bensons Radiology, Salisbury, and concludes her time with us on Friday 10 February after years of wonderful service to the St Thomas More School community. Leeanne has held a number of different roles and responsibilities during this time, most recently, in the Front Office. Leeanne has been a valued, important member of the school community and someone who has always been friendly, caring, and welcoming to students, parents, and visitors. On behalf of our school community, I’d like to thank Leeanne for her work and commitment to St Thomas More School and wish her every success and blessing as she embarks on this new chapter of her professional career. We will miss your friendly smile!
Congratulations
On behalf of the St Thomas School Community, I would like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to Milly Dixon. She has been a valuable co-educator throughout the last 18 months whilst completing her teaching degree. Milly has won a contract position at Aberfoyle Park High School, specialising in Japanese.
We wish Milly every blessing as she begins her new journey.
Children's Saftey 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 gate, ensuring the safe use of the school crossing on Yorktown Road and safe crossing at the entry gate on Shillabeer Road.
In the morning, these gates are open at 8.30am and closed at 9.00am. (Children that arrive before 8.30am will be directed to Out School Hours Care and families will incur a fee for this service).
In the afternoon, these gates will open at 2.50pm. To minimize the disruption to teachers’ instructional time, children’s learning time and to maintain our Duty of Care, parents are requested not to be on-site before the gates are opened at 2.50pm. We ask that you do not enter the school grounds through the Front Office.
Teachers will be on duty from 3.00pm. (Children that are not collected by 3.20pm will be directed to Out School Hours Care and families will incur a fee for this service).
Late Arrival at School and Picking Up Early
Children arriving late to class can find it difficult to settle and organise themselves for the day’s events and picking children up early at the end of a school day can cause disruption to the teaching program in progress. We ask that all children arrive to settle in for the start of the school day at 8.45am and they are then dismissed at 3.00pm each day.
It is an expectation that all students arrive in the classroom by 8.45am. Dismissal time is 3.00pm. If a pattern of frequently being late or collected early is observed, the school is required to advise Attendance Officers. This is a Social Justice issue enabling all children to access the curriculum.
Late Arrivals
Any children arriving after 9.00am are to enter via the Front Office and take their Late Slip to their classroom teacher.
Early Release Procedure
If you wish to collect your child(ren) early from school, you need to go to the front office and sign them out recording your pickup time and reason.
Family Holidays During Term Time
Students away from school for 3 days or more, during term time, must have lodged an application for exemption from school attendance with the Principal. Forms are available from the Front Office.
It is expected that whenever your child is absent you will notify the school either by phone or on schoolzine at the start of the day. Any accompanying notes and/or medical certificates can be sent on the child's return to school. If possible, this note/certificate should be in the child's diary/communication book.
If a child is frequently absent, the school is required to advise School Attendance Officers.
Urgent Reminders
Emergency Contacts
If you have changed your address, phone number, email, or any confidential information, please contact the front office to ensure ALL details are correct.
If you need to make updates, we ask you to do so as a matter of urgency.
There is much to celebrate as we recognise the rich heritage of our past, the gifts of the present, and the vision for the future. It is a great privilege to be the Principal of St Thomas More School and I look forward to being part of this community. I encourage you to be an active member of our community and take up every opportunity possible to be involved in your child’s education.
Working in Partnership,
The Leadership Team
Religion
Liturgical Calendar Information
A Liturgical Calendar shows the cycle of seasons in the Catholic Church. The Church year consists of six liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost. In each newsletter, we aim to highlight different events in the Liturgical Calendar that we might be celebrating in our school.
St. Valentine
As we celebrate St. Valentine, we celebrate the love that is in our lives. St Valentine reminds us to take time out to think about how wonderful it is to be loved and to love others.
A prayer for Valentine’s Day
Dear Jesus, you taught us to love others as ourselves. Help us to see you in the people we meet. May we bring them the light of your love so they will know that we care.
Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday & Lent
In week 4 we enter a new liturgical season in the Catholic Church, the season of Lent. This season lasts for forty days and forty nights. We begin with Shrove Tuesday. This day is celebrated by Catholics around the world in different ways. Some refer to it as Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, or Carnevale. In preparation for Lent, Catholics would use up foods that they were not permitted to consume during Lent. This included eggs, fat and rich foods.
This year, we will celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes. More information will be sent to families via Seesaw in the coming weeks.
We then celebrate Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday begins the Season of Lent. The marking of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a reminder for us all to walk with Jesus during the season of Lent, to say sorry for the times we have hurt others, and to aim to become more loving as we work to put others' needs before our own. It is a special time when we stop and think about how we can play our part in God’s hope for a world that is fair, just, and peaceful.
Project Compassion 2023
Each year Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australians in schools, parishes, and the community to stand in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable communities, to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. This year, the theme of Project Compassion is ‘For all Future Generations’. It is an expression of hope and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.
Classroom Learning
This term classes will focus their learning in Religious Education around the theme of Identity. Students will explore their own identity, and learn about our school and connections to our local Elizabeth Catholic Parish.
Elizabeth Catholic Parish Sacrament Program
The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. If your child is 9 years of age (or older) and would like to be involved in the program for 2023, please contact Melissa Musolino for more information.
mmusolino@sttmore.catholic.edu.au
Counsellor
Welcome to Term 1 and a new school year!
This time of the year brings both excitement and challenges for children as they negotiate the changes in routine and classroom, new friends, and a transition out of ‘holiday mode’ which can be tricky sometimes. If your child feels worried, there are some things you can do to support them;
- Listen to them and validate their feelings. Even if you do not share these feelings, it is important for them to know that you understand they feel that way.
- Talk to your child about any changes and how they are coping with them. You can ask if they would like to talk to another adult as well, the class teacher or school counsellor could be helpful. Also, talk about how the child has successfully dealt with change in the past.
- Take time to establish routines. Part of this is talking about the importance of sleep and removing technology at a consistent time each day to allow the brain time to calm down before bed.
- Help them face their worries. Talk to them about the supports they have in place, including you as parents, teachers, friends, and how they might be able to use these supports. It is important they learn to understand that there are some difficult things in life and that they have the resources to cope with these.
- Help them set meaningful and achievable goals. Work on a step-by-step plan and celebrate the successes. Focus on improvement, even when it seems very small.
Getting back into the routine after the holidays can be hard for us all, so it can sometimes take a little bit of time to settle into a new year. If you would like further resources, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to talk to you about other helpful resources you might be able to draw on.
David Hillard
School Counsellor
Italian Culture Studies
Congratulations Isaac Walker who proudly represented St Thomas More School at Radio Italiana 531am, interviewed by Mr and Mrs Villano on their radio program. Isaac spoke of his love for sports and also spoke a little about The Mona Lisa painting. He also introduced his mother Kristen who explained about their family background being the Campania region of Italy and their traditions.
Kind Regards
Rosemarie Villano
Installing SZapp
Please click on the link below for instructions on how to install SZapp on Apple and Android products.
Playgroup and ELY
Postponed until further notice
Out-of-School Hours Care
2023 OSHC runs daily: 6:30am to 8:30am and 3:00pm to 6:00pm
School Access
8:30am to 8:45am
Access via the main front courtyard gate at the school crossing.
8:45am 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
Principal's Tour - By appointment only
February 8
Meet and Greet
R-2 6pm
Yrs 3-6 6.35pm
February 9
National Pizza Day
February 14
Valentine's Day
February 17
Random Acts of Kindness Day
Raising Hearts and Minds
