2025 Term 3 - Week 2 - Newsletter

Prayer for the Week

God of all generations,
You gifted the First Peoples of this land with deep wisdom, culture, and connection.
You walked with them through the Dreaming and continue to speak through their stories.
As we marked 50 years of NAIDOC, we give thanks for the legacy of those who came before, and we pray for the next generation—may they rise with strength, vision, and purpose.
Help us listen, learn, and walk together in respect and love.
Amen.

(Adapted from the 1986 Prayer for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Alice Springs)

From our Acting Principal

Welcome back for Term 3.  I hope you all had a wonderful mid-year break.

Term 3 is shaping up to be a very productive and engaging term at St Thomas More’s with a lot of key events and activities for our students. From Catholic Education Week to class camps and excursions, Term 3 will be a busy but fun term at St Thomas More’s

It was announced last week that Mrs Louise Pfingst will be taking over as the Principal of St Thomas More’s from Monday 4^th August. Mrs Pfingst will be joining us for assembly this Friday. Throughout the day, the Leadership Team will completing a handover process for Mrs Pfingst.

Thursday 31^st of July will be my final day as Acting Principal at St Thomas More’s. I would like to thank you for welcoming me to your school community over the past term. It has been a wonderful experience to lead St Thomas More’s and to contribute to the positive culture of the school, and its strong commitment to student learning. 

NAPLAN 2025

This week, students in Year 3-5 will receive their individual NAPLAN reports for the tests they undertook in March this year. The front page of the student report provides general information about the tests and an explanation of how to read the report. The second and third pages show the student’s result in each assessment area. The results are classified into one of four proficiency levels:

Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing. 

Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.

Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.

Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing and are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

The report shows the student’s achievement against the national average for their year (shown as a black dot) and the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level (shown as a light shaded rectangle). The final page of the report provides a brief summary of the skills typically demonstrated by students at each proficiency level.

These results help the school shape the Teaching and Learning priorities for the rest of the year and into early 2026.

Today, all families who have a registered email with the school have been sent an invitation to complete the “Shaping our Future” survey from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. This invitation was sent via Sentral and the Parent Portal.  I ask that all families take the time to complete the survey (approximately 10 to 15 mins) to provide some useful feedback to the school. The surveys are an excellent way to let us know how we have been going in the last 2 years and what are some areas for improvement. When the school receives the survey data back, the school leadership team will work with staff and school board on incorporating the data and feedback into future Strategic Plans. It would great if we could achieve an overall response rate of around 70%.

This parent community survey is very timely for St Thomas More’s as it will allow the New Principal Mrs Louise Pfingst to have a comprehensive snapshot of the current success and improvements for the school community. This will also assist the school as they complete a quadrennial school review in the near future.

God bless
Have a great week.

Luke Barrett
Acting Principal 

Shaping Our Future Survey

Every two years we ask staff, parents and students in our schools to share their views, to ‘check in’ on how each school within our community, and as a group of 32 schools together, we are bringing to life our purpose: to enable full and flourishing lives. We do this by asking each of you to complete a perception survey. The Shaping our future – Toowoomba Catholic Schools perception survey has been sent via Sentral on the 21.7.25, so keep an eye out for it.

We encourage all of our parents to share their views in the Shaping our future – perception survey.  This 15 minute survey closes on Wednesday, 6 August, 2025.  Please check your email for a link to the survey.

For more information email: stthomas@twb.catholic.edu.au

From our APMI

Celebrating Catholic Education Week: A Community of Hope in Action

This week, our school joyfully celebrates Catholic Education Week under the inspiring theme: Hope – Embracing the Jubilee Year.
Together, we journey as Pilgrims of Hope, building communities of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Rosies – Friends on the Street: Noodle Cup Drive

In the spirit of giving, we are proud to support Rosies – Friends on the Street through a Noodle Cup Drive. Rosies is currently facing a shortage of noodle cups, and we’re stepping up to help!

 Donation Period: Wednesday 23 July – Wednesday 30 July
Where to Donate: Classroom donation buckets
Every cup counts! Let’s show how generous our community can be.

Parish Breakfast Club – Volunteers & Donations Needed

The Parish Breakfast Club continues each Wednesday from 7:15am, offering a warm and welcoming start to the day for our students.

They are currently seeking:

• Volunteers to help prepare and serve breakfast
• Donations of breakfast items including:
  • Cereals
  • Breads
  • Milk
  • Jams, honey, and spreads (we’ve already donated leftovers from Shrove Tuesday, but a top-up is needed!)

Your support makes a big difference in keeping this wonderful initiative running smoothly.

Please remind your child of the expectations at Breakfast Club:

• Use manners at all times
• Stay seated while eating
• Walk together back to school
• No running or playing in the church

Special Combined Celebration – Wednesday 30 July

Please note a change in schedule:
Our Catholic Education Week Assembly will now be held on Wednesday 30 July at 11:30am in the Sportscentre, combined with our Prayer Celebration led by 4 Blue and a Farewell Ceremony for our visiting Doho students.

Families are warmly invited to join us for this special gathering.

NAIDOC Week Reflections – Honouring Strength, Vision and Legacy

A heartfelt thank you to 4 Gold for their magnificent efforts in preparing and leading our NAIDOC Prayer Celebration last week. Your thoughtful presentation helped us reflect deeply on the meaning of this important week.

The 2025 NAIDOC Week theme, “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy”, reminds us of something very special: We honour the strong people who came before us, we dream of a better future, and we recognise that we are part of something important — building a better world together.

Jesus showed us how to do this. He was strong in love, had a vision of peace, and left us a legacy — a way to live kindly, fairly, and together. He taught us to pray and to care for one another.

Our prayer celebration reminded us to continue to walk together in respect, hope, and unity.

Welcome to Our Friends from Doho High School!

We are excited to welcome our visitors from Doho High School in Tokyo, arriving on Tuesday afternoon. A big thank you to the families who are generously opening their homes and sharing a little of our Australian lifestyle — your hospitality is deeply appreciated.

The students will be at school on Wednesday, visiting classrooms and engaging with our students. We’ll see them more regularly around the school during Week 3.

Hosting international visitors is a wonderful opportunity for our students to:

• Share and celebrate Australian culture
• Learn about Japanese traditions and perspectives
• Build friendships
• Develop global awareness and understanding

These experiences help us grow as compassionate, curious, and respectful members of a global community — truly living out our theme of Hope – Embracing the Jubilee Year.

God Bless

Donna Barlow 

Assistant Principal Mission & Identity

2025 School Priorities

At the commencement of every school year, the teaching staff gather to consider and develop priorities for the year. For 2025, the focus of our practices will centre on the following:

2025 Theme:

2025 School Goals:

Before School Supervision

Before school duty commences at 8:00am. Children who arrive at school before 8:00am are kindly asked to sit in the ‘Quad Area’ until teacher supervision commences at 8:00am.

Process for Late Arrival, Early Departure and Collection Areas:

This is a valuable opportunity to remind families of the requirements pertaining to late arrival to school and early departure from school. Our aim is to safely account for all students while minimising disruption to teaching for the staff and learning for the students.

Late Arrival

• a student is considered to have arrived late any time after the 8.30am bell on a school day
• all students arriving late must sign be signed in by a parent, family member or themselves. Children then transition to the classroom by themselves.

Early Departure

• a student is considered to have departed early any time before 2.55pm on a school day
• Parent/Guardian to call, email or present to the School Administration Office to inform School Administration Staff their child/children will be departing early and offer the reason for the early departure
• the School Administration Staff will contact and advise the Class Teacher of an early departure and request for the child/children to present to the School Administration Office at a prescribed time
• Parent/Guardian to collect child from School Administration Office and sign child out
• Parents/Guardians are not permitted to attend the classrooms and withdraw children directly
• Parents/Guardians are not permitted to visit the classrooms between the hours of 8:30am and 2:55pm unless invited to do so. This is to avoid disruption to teaching and learning. Should there be a need to visit a classroom or drop something off to a child/children, this can be arranged through the School Administration Office.

Collection Areas for Families (End of School Day)

As part of the afternoon end of school day collection of children, parents/guardians are always invited and encouraged to collect children within the confines of the school in places that do not disrupt teaching and learning.  In doing so, we respectfully ask families to wait in the following areas:

• Drop Off/Pick Up Area on South Street (outside the Prep collection area)
• The Quad Area (the collection of children in Years 1, 3 – 6)
• The seats outside of the Year 2 classrooms (Year 2 children).

Communication Protocols

St Thomas More’s Primary School recognises and respects the right of employees to disconnect from work and not respond to work-related electronic communications outside of designated hours. St Thomas More’s Primary School staff will reply to electronic communication within the hours of 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Where contact is made outside of this span of hours, employees will respond within two working days of the employee’s next designated working day considering weekends, leave, other non-working days, vacation periods and holidays.

Student Phones

Student mobile phones are to be signed in at the School Administration Office each morning and collected at the end of the school day.  Children are not permitted to text or make calls from phones or smart watches during the school day.

From our Learning Support Dept

St Thomas More’s has contracted the services of an Audiologist, Ms. Dendra Cole, to visit the school on Tuesday 5^th August. This opportunity allows students to have a full hearing test and will provide vital information of the hearing health of your child. 

Your child may have previously participated in a Hearing Screening Process through your local Health Unit.  These screeners help to inform us of some issues, such as whether there is fluid in the ears, wax build up or hearing levels.  However, without a comprehensive hearing test by an accredited Audiologist, you are unable to access federally funded hearing services such as Australian Hearing or Ear, Nose and Throat consultations if required. 

The hearing health of your child is vital in their access to educational, social and emotional development. Even a mild hearing loss can mean that your child may be missing 25% of the speech that occurs in the classroom. Hearing loss (whether permanent or fluctuating) can also be linked to fatigue, disengagement in school and difficult friendship experiences. 

There is a cost of $99.00 for the Audiology test which can be paid for at the front office on receipt of the returned consent form. This cost is quite reduced from the expected price of such a test. Please contact the office for the consent form that we require to be completed and returned to the school office by Thursday 24th July. If the demand for Audiology testing is higher than expected, priority testing will take place and further audiology testing will be arranged for later in the year.

The hearing tests will take place at St. Thomas More’s. Part of the consent form asks whether you consent to the hearing test occurring without you being present. You are welcome to attend the hearing test (approximately 15-20 minutes) with your child, but this is not a requirement. If requested, I will reach out in the days before the testing with information regarding the approximate time of your child’s appointment.  

Paper copies of the forms are available from the front office, or call and we can send one home with your child.

Or click this link below to download forms 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or through the school office if you have any questions regarding the audiology testing or around your child’s hearing health. 

Belinda Phillips 
Learning Support Coordinator

From our Sports Dept

Catholic  Athletics Carnival 

Congratulations to everyone who was selected to represent St Thomas More’s at the Catholic Athletics Carnival. It was a shame that the carnival had to be cancelled due to the weather.  

The Central Zone Athletics will be held on Monday 11th August at O’Quinn Street. Congratulations to the following children who have been selected to attend these trials. Information has been passed onto these children.  

Zana B, Emily R, Michele A, Esther W, Adelyn U, Ava D, Zach M, Thomas G, Taj M, Vincent C, Millicent F, Paige S, Scarlett J, McQuidah O, Ellie R, Lauren A, Louie T, Ethan M, Wyatt S, Lachlan M, Max Mc, Tong W, Abbie M, Elliemay R, Lliam A, Aaliyah L, Addison F, Giorgia B, Penny T, Fergus A, Sim S, James O, Callum M, Nate E, Rhythm N, Nicholas M, Olivia K, Amelie F, Shanya N, Kendall H, Poppy F, Jonathan W, Hamish P, Wol M, Jacob W, Ryan L, Christian S, Bryce K.  

Catholic Netball & Touch 

As part of the Catholic Education Week celebrations the children in Years 5 & 6 will participate in a Catholic Netball & Touch Carnival on Thursday 31st July. All children are expected to participate. Buses will collect all children from school at 8:30am and will return by 2:45pm. Below are the details of the day.  

Netball – Nell E Robinson  

Touch – Kearney Springs  

Games will commence at approx. 9:30am  

Playing uniforms that have already been handed out (netball dresses and shirts), hat, sunscreen, food and water  

All jewellery and watches are to be removed.  

Team lists will be sent out over the next week.  

Interschool Sport – Term 3 

Interschool sport for all Year 5 & 6 children will recommence on Friday 25th July. This will be held every Friday afternoon for six weeks. Sports/teams have been organised and requirements/equipment are listed below.  

General information:  

• Buses will depart STM at 12:40pm and return by 2:45pm. 

• Children will be provided with a playing shirt/dress to wear for interschool sport. These will be handed out prior to interschool sport commencing. 

• Children are required to wear their sports uniform to school and get changed into their playing uniform before departing.  

• Hats, water, and sunscreen are essential.  

Swimming Lessons – Years 3-6 

Below is the timetable of swimming lessons for Years 3-6. This year we will be using the Glennie Aquatic Centre for our school swimming lessons. Children will be bused to and from their lessons. Children can wear their sports uniform on swimming days if they wish.  

Thursday 7th August  

Thursday 14th August 

Thursday 21st August  

Thursday 28th August  

9:30-10:30 Year 6 Classes 

10:30-11:30 Year 5 Classes  

11:30-12:30 Year 4 Classes   

12:30-1:30 Year 3 Classes 

Please ensure your child has their swimming costume, towel, and goggles for their lessons and anything else you feel they may require.

The Glennie Aquatic Centre will provide swimming caps on your child’s first visit. Teachers will collect swimming caps at the end of each session and will be given back out at the beginning of each lesson. These different coloured swimming caps are vital to the smooth running of the lessons as the different colours will indicate which group your child is in for easy organisation.  

Children will get changed before and after their lesson at the pool.  

Swimwear Guidelines: 

To ensure safety and comfort during the lessons, we request that all students adhere to the following swimwear guidelines: 

• Children should not wear rash shirts or oversized clothes. 

• If wearing leggings or full-body coverings for cultural reasons, they must be skin-tight. 

• No scuba masks are allowed (any goggles brought must not cover the nose). 

• We do not supply loan goggles, so if a child wishes to wear goggles, they must bring their own. 

If there is a problem with your child’s lessons, please speak to their class teacher and they will deal with the concern. Please do not contact the pool directly.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or your child’s classroom teacher.  

Stacey Hancock

Health and PE Teacher

From our Uniform Shop

P & F News

Tuckshop News

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Order via Flexischools App.  If you need help to navigate the App or to adjust your order, please feel free to pop into the tuckshop and chat to Jemma or email jemma@archerscateringandevents.com.au 

Cut off of Online orders...
Order before 7am for Wednesday and Thursday orders.  For Friday orders, please order by 1pm Thursdays.

Tuckshop Email:  jemma@archerscateringandevents.com.au 

NEW Tuckshop Menu

REMINDER - IF YOU CHILD IS SICK, PLEASE CONTACT THE TUCKSHOP BEFORE 9AM TO POSTPONE YOUR ORDER!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Westridge Fruit and Vegetables for their continued support with the donation of fresh fruit every week for our students!

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