Term 2 - Week 3 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from https://www.living-prayers.com/children/prayer_before_class.html 

From the Principal’s Desk…

Every generation, pre-teens and teenagers have always found a way to create problems for their parents and teachers. In the 50’s it was rock n roll, the 60’s was the hippie culture, the 70’s featured fashion blow outs, etc. This age group of course has, and will always involve rebellious behaviour at some stage…it’s all part of growing up. I suppose each generation has had to deal with common issues such as drugs, alcohol consumption, body image, self-esteem, peer pressure, etc. However, with this current generation, it is the misuse of social media that has the potential to cause problems with all involved.

I have attended many a conference and read numerous articles on the pitfalls of the misuse of social media and the associated complications it has for this age group to function as normal members of society. Strong parenting is a common message, however, I believe it is too broad a statement, for as every teenager is different so is every parent. We all have our own idea of what strong parenting is. The best definition of what a strong parent is one that does not give in. The rule in our house is no mobile phones, nor social media.  And yes, they try every trick in the book to have the terms of this seemingly harsh sentence reduced and of course try to download snapchat, Facebook etc. without us knowing. But as I have told them, like me they are in the unfortunate position of having teachers as parents which means lots of informants at our disposal so…no matter what…we will always find out!!

The following article provides wonderful advice and I urge every parent, no matter what ages your children are, to take the time to read it. Don’t fall for the trap of believing it won’t happen with my child and don’t wait till a problem arises. Be proactive and start now to instil correct and proper behaviour whilst using social media.

“It’s important to start conversations with children about using social media at a young age to prepare them to be savvy users when we’re not around.

“If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”

This mantra always pops into mind whenever I’m about to cut some corners or do a rushed job in any endeavour. As a result, I double-check every article I write for mistakes. I over prepare every talk I give. And I continually edit and re-edit my books. This message keeps me at the top of my game. I can thank, or blame, my mother for inserting this mantra in my mind as she repeated it whenever I did a rushed job as a youngster making my bed, doing homework or cleaning up my bathroom mess.

Parents of every generation have always found ways to frame messages of safety and success for their children to remember. Parents of past generations who only had to contend with the offline or real world intuitively knew that they needed to teach child important lessons about safety and manners rather than assume they’ll be understood.

The same maxim holds true for the world of social media that children now inhabit from an increasingly young age. Even though our children are growing up with technology as a part of their everyday lives, they will still make plenty of mistakes while using it. This means we need to have direct conversations with our kids about the comments and posts that are okay to make using social media of all forms.

As parents, we teach our kids to talk politely and clearly so that they know how to speak to others when we’re not around. In effect, we give our kids social scripts to fall back on when they talk to friends, teachers and relatives. There’s no guarantee they’ll look an adult in the eye when they speak to them, but our discussions, reminders and lessons about manners will hopefully hold up when we’re not around. The same applies to social media. Our conversations and lessons will prepare them to be savvy users when we’re not around. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. “Is this worth posting?” The relatively impersonal nature of social media means that we can post information and pictures with relative immunity. Also, its immediacy means that we can do so without much thought. This means that kids need to be very critical about what they see online. ‘Is this accurate?’ and ‘Is this worth posting?’ are two valid questions children can ask when they read posts placed by others.
2. “Have you taken a big breath?” A child who blurts out everything that comes into his mind without thinking is sure to put plenty of people offside. ‘Think before you speak’ is the type of message that every child should have in mind. The same applies to social media. Just because they think something doesn’t mean they post it. ‘Take a big breath’ may just about be the most important message to give your kids about social media.
3. “Do you want the principal to see this?!” An invitation to a teenage birthday party posted on social media is one way to get more attendees than you bargained for! The viral nature of social media means that kids should only post messages and photos that they want to be spread and read by a large audience.
4. “How does this post make you feel?” We need to teach kids that not every post needs to be commented upon and not every thought needs to be shared, particularly when they are angry. Teaching them to walk away and then to step back in when they’ve calmed down is perhaps the most important communication lesson of all. It is very relevant to social media as emotions are often the last thing on many people’s minds when they haphazardly post a message.
5. “How will you fix this?” Social media just like any social space requires kids to behave ethically and with kindness. When kids overstep the mark and post hurtful things then it’s fair that they fix their mistakes, and apologise. It’s reasonable that we teach our children to act with tolerance and with empathy online, and if mean things are posted then they should be expected to try to repair relationships through social media, just as they should offline.

[Michael Grose]

2023 St Thomas More’s Annual Action Plan

Every year, the St More’s Leadership Team, School Staff, School Advisory Council and P&F collaborate and discern upon goals and priorities for the school year.  The Annual Action Plan is essential to maintaining the provision of long term, high quality educational experiences for all students. The collaborative process of defining the future vision and prioritising actions and resources to achieve this vision, challenges the school community to think deeply about its aspirations and expectations for students and builds a collective responsibility for our ongoing success.  Included for your benefit is a graphic identifying the priorities and goals for 2023.

To commence the new term, it’s important to be familiar with the following school expectations to ensure a smooth transition.

Before School Supervision

Children who arrive at school before 8:15 am are kindly asked to sit in the ‘Quad Area’ until teacher supervision commences at 8:15 am.

Uniform Policy

The uniform is as follows

• Girls Uniform: Check dress or royal blue skort with a check blouse, short blue socks and black shoes.
• Boys Uniform: Royal blue shirt, grey shorts, long grey socks with blue/gold stripes and black shoes.
• Unisex Sports Uniform: Blue shorts, gold shirt with blue trim, blue socks with gold bands, joggers.
• Hat: Royal blue wide-brimmed hat (no hat no play policy).

The Winter Uniform transition will commence on Tuesday 2^nd May and conclude Friday 12^th May.  This means all children from Years 1 – 6 will be required to wear the Winter Uniform from Monday 15^th May.

Please be reminded, the Formal Winter Uniform requirements are as follows:

• Check tunic, white blouse, long navy socks/tights and black shoes
• Long Sleeved royal blue shirt, long grey trousers, grey socks and black shoes

Please also be aware, children will be required to wear their Formal Winter Uniform for School Photos on Wednesday 17^th May.

Finally, the School Advisory Council and P&F will be reviewing both the Summer and Winter Uniform Policy throughout the year as part of their meeting agendas.

Guidelines

• No jewellery, rings, body piercings or nail polish are to be worn. One earring in each ear only, stud or sleeper.
• Hairstyles which draw attention to the individual, including but are not limited to: mullet, scullett, mohawks, tracks, tails, hair colouring etc. are not permitted.
• Shoulder length hair or longer to be tied back, both boys and girls. Hairstyles and colours to be sensible. Hair bands to be royal blue, navy, black or gold/yellow.
• Watches are allowed, but no liability or responsibility is accepted by the school.
  
• Boys formal shirts are to be tucked in.

Technology

• Mobile phones are to be signed in at the office each morning and collected at the end of the day after the final bell.
• Students are not permitted to text or make phone calls from smartwatches during the school day.

General

• Students are not permitted to bring toys, trading cards or sports equipment from home.

Should you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Student Protection Contacts

From our APRE

It was so lovely to see so many of our STM students, staff and families in attendance at the Toowoomba ANZAC Day celebrations last week. Thank you to those who were able to come and join us in the ANZAC Day March. What a special way for us to say thank you as a school community. Thank you must go to Mrs H, who coordinated our involvement in the Toowoomba March and Service this year. We appreciate all the time, effort, and organisation that you put in. 

As Service Club mentioned last week at assembly, something quite special is happening this weekend over in London. As some of you may know, I've spent quite a lot of time in England and am rather fond it of! This weekend, eyes from all around the world will be on England to see the coronation of King Charles III. This is a pretty special occasion for all Commonwealth countries, who have not seen a coronation since that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. I know one of the things I am most looking forward to seeing on the TV this weekend is St Edward's crown.

This crown dates back to 1661! It's one of the most important items in the Crown Jewels and is only used for very special occasions. When I visited the Tower of London in January this year I was disappointed to have not been able to see St Edward's Crown, or many of the other Crown Jewels, which were out being prepared for the coronation. So I'll be keeping an extra special eye out for them! How special for us to have the opportunity to be able to witness history in the making! 

Mother's Day 2023

Don't forget to send in your Mother's Day reflection photos before Wednesday, May 10th via email at Kristin.Byrne@twb.catholic.edu.au Each family is invited to submit no more than two photos of mums, grandmothers and those like mothers to be included in our video reflection for our Mother's Day Prayer Celebration. Please note that photos submitted after 3:30 pm on May 10th will not be included in the reflection video this year. 

Walk Safely to School Day

This year, STM will join with schools across the country acknowledging Walk Safely to School Day on Friday, May 19th. If you are able to, we urge families to ditch the car for part of the journey and join with staff walking to school from Thoms Park (1D Garde Street, Centenary Heights). A map is provided below if you are unsure of where Thoms park is. 

National Walk Safely to School Day is an annual event aimed at primary school kids and their parents and carers, to promote both the health and environmental benefits of walking, whilst encouraging safe pedestrian behaviour.

If your child/ren would like to participate in Walk Safely to School Day this year, please complete the form below. All necessary details are included in the form. 

God Bless.

Miss Kristin Byrne

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Thinking STM for Prep in 2024 ...

Miss Byrne's Important Dates to Remember for Term 2

Mothers Day Stall is coming up!

Our Mother’s Day stall will run again on Wednesday 10th May. We are excited to announce that this year we have sourced gifts from local suppliers - we have received wonderful support and have some beautiful gifts on offer. 

Students can order for their mums, grandma’s or special adults. Orders can be placed via FlexiSchools or a cash order form. You will be able to place orders up until Monday 8th May. 

If you can help with the setting up of the stall and collating orders (Tuesday) or the running of the stall (Wednesday) please message Kylie Haywood presidentpandf@gmail.com 

Book Club

From Our Sport Desk

Representative Sport  

Congratulations to Amelia for making the Toowoomba team for soccer. We wish her all the best at the Darling Downs trials in May.  

 Athletics  

Term 2 is Athletics season. During PE lessons and at the Athletics carnival children who are 10yrs, 11yrs & 12yrs will be participating in discus activities. Due to this being a high-risk activity, parental permission needs to be obtained.  

By giving permission, that means your child is able to participate in PE lessons that involve using a discus and will be able to participate in the athletics carnival in the discus event. If permission isn't given, unfortunately, your child will be unable to participate in these activities.  

If you have missed the cut off for this permission, please contact the office.  

Central Zone Cross Country  

Well done to all the children who participated at the Central Zone Cross Country. It was great to see some fantastic results. Congratulations to Audrey, Kiara, Tamsyn, Peter and Xavier who were successful in making the Central Zone Cross Country Team. We wish them the best of luck when they head off to race at the Darling Downs Cross Country.  

12 Years Boys 

Xavier  – 4th  

Cooper  – 7th  

Nathan  – 8th  

Kobi  – 9th  

Bastie  – 22nd  

12 Years Girls  

Kiara  – 4th  

Tamsyn  – 6th  

Emilia  – 11th  

Scarlet  – 17th  

11 Years Boys  

Peter  – 5th  

Jordan  – 12th  

Jordan  – 15th  

Seth  – 25th  

Chris  – 26th  

11 Years Girls  

Harper  – 14th  

Akech  – 17th  

Zara  – 21st  

10 Years Boys  

Billijace  – 7th  

Hamish  – 8th  

Christian  – 11th  

Mitchell  – 13th  

Jonathan  – 17th  

10 Years Girls  

Audrey  – 3rd  

Arianna  – 7th  

Makayla  – 14th  

Olivia  – 22nd  

Amelie  – 23rd  

God bless,

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher 

From Our Library

Bee’s Knees Issue 1

Click here to check out the first issue of The Bee’s Knees for this year -  Power Point Issue 1 2023.pptm . There are some terrific stories, information reports, poems and drawings.

From Service Club

Unfortunately, we didn't have very many Year 6 children join us for Service Club this week. Year 6, don't forget you can join Service Club from this term. We meet on Wednesday's at First Break in Miss Byrne's Room. In Service Club, we get to help decide the major school fundraisers, we visit the local kindy, we run playtime groups with the younger students and later this term we will be helping to plan a special Children's Mission Mass being celebrated at our church. Service Club is lots of fun. We'd love to have any extra members to join us. 

We can finally announce our fundraising amount for Project Compassion. Well done to our STM community for donating $1197.55! This donation will help to pay a fortnightly pay packet for a youth worker who works with young mums and will help to buy some specialist equipment to help people living with disabilities in Vietnam. 

Our main fundraisers for this term will be the Vinnies Winter Appeal and a Camp Quality Crazy Hair Day. Our Winter Appeal will kick off in Week 7. We will share with you the types of things you can donate in the coming weeks. Our Crazy Hair Day will be in Week 9 on Thursday, June 15th. For a gold coin donation, you can wear free dress and have a crazy hair style!

We hope you have a great week.

God bless,

Isaac, Brooklyn and Mckenzie from the Service Club. 

Week 2 Awards

Well done to our Week 2 award recipients. 

Classroom Newsletters

From our P & F

Can't make it in person ... you can join us online! 

From our Tuckshop

Tuckshop Menu

Open every Thursday & Friday.  Please place your childs order through FlexiSchools by 1pm Wednesday for Thursdays & 1pm Thursday for Friday. 

From our Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop Trading Hours.

Monday 8.00am – 8.30am

Wednesday afternoon – By Appointment

Friday 8.00am – 8.30am

If these times don’t work for you please email your order through to THOuniform@twb.catholic.edu.au and the orders will be at the office for collection at your convenience.

Need some uniform alternations?

A hem taken up?  A skirt taken down?  Some buttons adjust on a shirt?   Give Mrs Fix It a ring and see if she can help.   

From the St Thomas More's Parish

Please find attached the bulletin for this week. 

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!

A huge thank you to Meat Cellar for their continued support for our school events.

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