St Thomas More School Newsletter - Term 1, Week 3 2024
Our Newsletter | 2024
Year 2 | "Belonging" in 2MD
A message from Marie D'occhio, Year 2 Teacher
"Year 2MD have had a great start to 2024 and have settled well into classroom routines!
In RE, we have been learning about “Belonging” and have been talking about what it means to belong and all the groups that we belong to. We all belong to STM school and we know this because we wear the uniform with our school emblem on it, we follow the Mercy Values, we are part of a class and a sports team, we pray and we share the message of Jesus.
Each student has also decided on a learning goal for the year and we have displayed these with our “Learning Goal Tree” in St. Mary’s Building. The students have come up with some fantastic goals and are already working hard to achieve them!"
Marie D’occhio
Year 2 Teacher
A Message from our Leadership
Dear Parents, Caregivers, Students, and Friends of St Thomas More,
Welcome everyone to Week 3 of Term 1.
It has been a very smooth and settled start to the year for everyone and we look forward to many special events this term. This week we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes cooked and served by our wonderful staff for students and families. The commencement of the season of Lent was celebrated with special liturgies on Ash Wednesday.
Community | Season of LENT
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Church season of Lent. During this time of Lent, we reflect on our relationship with God as well as with each other and prepare as a faith community to meet Christ at Easter. Lent is a time for renewal where we strive to live the Gospel more faithfully each day, striving to be more like Jesus. We are inspired to reflect on the way we live our lives and engage more fully in the act of giving as we deepen our connection with God.
Community | Family Meet and Greet
It was wonderful to see so many parents/carers at the Family Meet and Greet meetings held this week. This was an opportunity to meet and discuss learning goals for your child as they start the year. If you have not had your meeting yet, please contact your child’s class teacher to organise a time, which is convenient for you. This is the start of many conversations with you about your child’s learning journey with several opportunities provided for this to occur during the year.
Years 1 - 6| Acceptable Use Policy - Electronic Devices
As you are aware students in Reception to Year 2 are provided with access to shared ipads to support their learning. Students in Years 3 to 6 are provided with an individual ipad which they are responsible for until the end of Year 6.
Next week our Acceptable Use Policy – Electronic Devices Form will be sent home for our Year 1 – 6 students.
Teachers are discussing this policy with students and will revisit it at various times across the year. This ensures that everyone has a very clear understanding about expectations and responsibilities that accompany the use of electronic devices in our school.
Please discuss this policy with your child, sign and return to school. We thank you for your support with this.
Community | Whole School Assemblies during Term 1
Our Term 1 school assemblies will be held on the following dates:
- Week 3 Friday 16 February | hosted by the Year 1CC class.
- Week 7 Friday 15 March hosted by the Year 3/4 class.
- Week 10 Friday 5 April hosted by the Year Reception SH class.
The school assemblies provide students with the opportunities to share their learning and to celebrate their successes and achievements with the wider school community.
The Assemblies commence at 9.00am and we look forward to having you join us at these times.
Reception - Year 4 | Swimming
This year swimming lessons will be held in Week 7 of Term 1. The Reception to Year 4 classes will attend lessons held over four days, Tuesday 12 March through to Friday 15March at the Gawler Starplex Swimming Complex.
Learning to swim is a very important life skill to have, particularly in Australia where swimming is part of our lifestyle. It’s vital that children learn water safety skills and have basic skills to enable them to be safe in water. Further information will be sent home early next week.
Community | School Board Nominations
We are currently calling for nominations for St Thomas More School Board for 2024. Here is an outline of the Board's responsibility.
The responsibility of the School Board is:
- To work in a spirit of partnership for the development of policies that nurture the Religious and Community dimensions of the school.
- Further develop the relationship between the school and the local Church.
- Financial stewardship.
- Support the administration of the school.
- Pastoral care of the school community.
- Promote community development and involvement within the school.
The School Board meets on a Wednesday evening, 2 meetings per school term. If you would like more information about being part of our school board, please contact the Front Office on 7285 1500 / info@sttmore.catholic.edu.au
Community| Pupil Free Day Reminder
Please note that there will be a Pupil Free Day on Friday 8 March (Week 6). OSHC facilities will be available for families. Bookings for OSHC are essential, contact OSHC Director, Cheryl Bielby on 7285 5555 / 0409 551 699.
Ensure you freuently check our School Calendar for important events and dates.
Community | Sports Day
Our whole school sports day this year will be held in Term 1. Please join us on Friday 12 April (last day of term) to cheer on our students in the various events they will be participating in and support our wonderful sports teams. More information will follow as we approach the day.
Shaping our future together
The Leadership Team
Faith and Community
Liturgical Calendar
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 focusing on or celebrating in our school.
Special celebrations that we focus on during classroom and whole school prayer throughout Term 1 and those that come up in our Liturgical Calendar include:
Week 3
- 13th February - Shrove Tuesday
- 14th Februrary - Ash Wednesday
- 14th February - Feast of St Valentine
- 17th February - Random Acts of Kindness Day
Week 6
- 9th March - Ramadan Begins
Week 7
- 17th March - Feast of St Patrick
Week 8
- 19th March - Feast of St Joseph
- 21st March - Harmony Day
Week 9
- 24th March - Palm Sunday
- 28th March - Holy Thursday
- 29th March - Good Friday
Week 10
- 31st March - Easter Sunday
For more important dates, please view our School Calendar for Term 1 2024.
Shrove Tuesday
This week staff gathered from across our community to cook and serve pancakes as part of our celebrations in preparation for the beginning of Lent. It was great to see students and their families’ enjoying pancakes in the yard before school. Check out the photos included in this newsletter.
Ash Wednesday
Students and staff gathered to celebrate Ash Wednesday with a liturgy for our Reception to Year 2 students and another for our Year 3-6 classes. Both groups reflected on the song ‘Ashes’ by Drew Lane with words to remind us how we can let the ashes inspire us and remind us to live just like Jesus.
Project Compassion
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.
Keep an eye out in upcoming newsletters for our Project Compassion fundraising initiatives.
Years 2 - 6 | Elizabeth Catholic Parish Sacrament Program
The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.
If your child is 7 years of age (or older) and would like to be involved in the program for 2024, and you were unable to make the parent sesion, please contact Melissa Musolino on 8255 6144 / mmusolino@sttmore.catholic.edu.au
Important Dates and Events
February 16 | Assembly, 9am - Hosted by 1CC
February 17 | Random Acts of Kindness Day
February 18 | First Day of Lent
February 19 - 23 | Australian Dental Foundation Visits
March 8 | Pupil Free Day and International Women's Day
March 9 | Ramadan Begins
March 11 | Adelaide Cup - Public Holiday
March 12 |Swimming Week R-4
March 15 | Assembly, 9am - Hosted by Year 3/4
March 17 | St Patricks Day
March 18 - 20 | Camp 5-6
March 19 | Feast of St Joseph
March 20 | World Story Telling Day
March 21 |Harmony Day
March 24 |Palm Sunday
March 27 |St Thomas More School, Elizabeth Park - Annual General Meeting, 6.30pm
March 28 | Holy Thursday
March 29 |Good Friday - Public Holiday
March 31 | Easter Sunday
April 1 | Easter Monday - Public Holiday
April 5 | Assembly, 9am - Hosted by RSH
Apri 9 | Ramadan Ends - Eid al-Fitr
April 12 | Sports Day and Last Day of Term 1
Out-of-School Hours Care (OSHC)
2024 OSHC runs daily from 6:30am to 8:30am and 3:00pm to 6:00pm. To make a booking, please call our OSHC Director on 7285 155 / 0409 551 699.
Birthdays!
At St Thomas More School we like to take any opportunity we can to celebrate and eat cake! Let's take a look at the special students who celebrate their birthdays in February this year...
Seth K
Ryder C
Mason M
Mason H
Archer B
Archie S
Veronica B
Freddie F
Ryder E
Patrick C
Summer G
Myles H
Tully M
Annabel-Grace B
Molly D
Behzad J
Kayleigh C
Georgia B
Lateisha J
Mason B
School Life
Safety Before and After School
For the safety of our students the following yard safety protocols have been implemented:
- Before School:
- Gates open at 8.30am
- Students attending before this time will be placed in OSHC and this will also incur a fee
- Students and parents/caregivers meet in the courtyard.
- Play areas are out of bounds - these include playgrounds, nature play space, ovals and basketball courts.
- School bell rings at 8.45am and students should move to their meeting areas to meet with their teachers.
- Parents/caregivers should leave the school grounds before the gates are locked at 9am.
- After School:
- Gates open at 2.50pm
- School bell rings at 3.00pm and students are dismissed from their classes
- Play areas are also out of bounds after school.
- Gates will be closed at 3.10pm.
Teachers have discussed and practiced the procedures involved with these protocols so that the students are very familiar with these. We thank you for your support in following them contributing to a safe and orderly start and finish to the school day.
Absentee Process
If your child is not going to be at school for any reason, you must inform the school by:
- Phone (before 9:00am): 7285 1500
- Schoolzine / Szapp / School Website (before 9am)
In a case where you know your child will be absent the following day please inform your child's teacher and the Front Office directly.
If a student’s name appears on the class roll as Absent without a verified explanation, our Front Office will send an SMS to a parent’s/caregiver’s mobile to confirm the absence, and the absence will be followed up asap.
Late Arrival Procedures
If a student arrives late (after 9am) they must report directly to the Front Office to receive a Late Card. Failure to do so may result in being marked as absent and may mean that an SMS is sent to the parent’s/caregiver’s mobile phone.