Term 3 - Week 1 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from https://monicaoblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/24/prayers-for-back-to-school/ 

From the Principal’s Desk…

Welcome back to the start of Term 3. It is great to see all the students return safe and sound from a well-deserved mid-semester break.

Each new term brings with it an opportunity for students to build on previous achievements and to place further attention to areas which may need improving. I also believe that a new term will present further opportunities for our school community to further build on the positive culture that exists here at St Thomas Mores and for our school to continue our quest to provide the best possible educational and pastoral environment for all the children who attend.

Our school strives to develop and express its own unique culture. However, we cannot do this alone. We rely greatly on each of our students and staff members being able to actively contribute to this culture in a positive manner. For this to occur, it is necessary for parents to play a proactive role in their children’s education. Families who choose to place their children in a Catholic school have a responsibility to that school to add to its unique culture and Christian dimension. For our school to continue to operate successfully, it must be able to count on the unity of purpose and conviction of all who belong. I know you will continue to work with us, so your children can grow in confidence, with a love of learning and a determination to be the best person they can be.

One of the most important things you as parents can do to assist the school and the teachers is to ensure you instil great value of school and education. Explain to your child that treating everyone with respect, attending school, being on time, wearing the correct uniform and working hard in school is important to them. They are also important life skills. The value you place on these will be the value your child holds. Primary school is the crucial time to establish values, effective routines and an understanding of the benefits of a consistent and rigorous work ethic.

As you know, here at St Thomas More’s, we place great emphasis on our core school values of Joy, Justice, Hope and Faith.  The staff will continue to support you in reminding students of the importance of these values, together with saying thank you, please, excuse me and to call a person by their name i.e. Mr., Mrs. etc., also to be patient when adults are talking, to learn to wait, to knock on the door before entering, to stand back for adults if there is no room to pass and to hold the door and offer to help.

The teaching and support staff here at St Thomas More’s will do everything we can to help your child to do their best. Let us know if we can support you in any way. Remember, communication between home and school is vital for a happy and productive school year. Your child’s teacher will inform you on the most effective mode of communication. Myself, Miss Byrne (Assist. Principal Religious Education) and Mrs Wardle (Middle Leader) are more than happy to meet and discuss matters at any stage.

Please keep in mind that in any organisation, problems arise from time to time. A school community is a complex body involving the Parish, Head Office, School Administration, teachers and ancillary staff, visiting specialists, parent groups and students. As educators of children, we understand the concerns of parents and we ask that parents in return understand that the roles of the teacher continue to become more demanding and complex. The education of our students is a partnership.

When an issue arises, please contact the person concerned directly at the earliest opportunity and in the least formal way, i.e. a quick chat before or after school, courteous email or phone call at a reasonable time of day. Following this initial contact and if the matter seemingly cannot be resolved, the Principal or Assistant Principal should then become involved. Please avoid the approach of “going over their head” as all this creates is a feeling of distrust.

Another important point is to keep an open mind about what you hear. We love and cherish our children however it is wise to remember that they can sometimes embellish and misinterpret things. Checking ‘stories’ with those concerned in a courteous manner should resolve any such problems.

I am looking forward to another productive and successful school term. I have always been very proud of the efforts your children put into their school work and their overall exemplary behaviour. Of course, this does not occur by accident or by good luck. The pride students take in their work and how they conduct themselves is a product of great parenting and highly effective teaching. It takes hard work, but the fruits of our labour will be well worth the effort.

Thanks for reading…

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Student Protection Contacts

From our APRE

Welcome back! I hope all our families had a lovely break. This term we kick off with a very busy few weeks. This week, we welcome Healthy Harold and the Life Education Van. Students from Prep - Year 6 will visit Harold over the next two weeks and learn about some key safety messages. If you would like any further information about what your child will be learning with Healthy Harold, please contact your classroom teacher. 

Next week St Thomas More's will celebrate NAIDOC Week. The theme for NAIDC Week this year is For Our Elders. As the official NAIDOC Week usually falls during school holiday time, we have chosen to celebrate during a different week this year. During NAIDOC Week, students will attend a school incursion to learn about Aboriginal Survival Techniques and Technologies and a whole school prayer celebration led by 5 Blue. Classes may also spend some time during the week learning about Aboriginal Culture and History. 

In Week 3, we join with other schools to celebrate Catholic Education Week. This is a great week to celebrate all the things that make Catholic schools great! We have some exciting things planned for Catholic Education Week which I will tell you about later this week. 

Spirit of Catholic Education Award

Each year schools across the Toowoomba Diocese are given the opportunity to nominate staff members for Spirit of Catholic Education Awards. These awards recognise staff members who have made outstanding contributions to Catholic Education in a variety of ways. This year, our St Thomas More's nominee was Mr Russell Fechner. Russ is a long-time staff member at St Thomas More's who lives and breathes our school values. We are very proud to put Russ forward as our 2023 Spirit of Catholic Education Award nominee. 

TCS Excellence Awards

Catholic Education Week also brings with it the opportunity for schools to nominate staff members and community members for TCS Excellence Awards. These awards recognise school leaders, classroom teachers, school officers and volunteers who make significant contributions to our school communities. This year we submitted a number of nominations across all categories, with two making it as finalists. 

Congratulations to Mrs Charmaine Tancred, our Expert Teacher finalist. Charmaine is a valued member of our STM Community and shows compassion, dedication and passion in all her classroom interactions. Thank you Charmaine for your contribution to our school community. We are very proud of you and we wish you all the best in the final round!

Congratulations to Mrs Kylie Haywood, our Volunteer finalist for 2023. Kylie is our current P&F President. She is very passionate about our school and gives a significant amount of time and care to our school community through her many endeavours! Thank you Kylie for your contribution and we will you all the best in the final round. We are very proud of you!

God Bless.

Miss Kristin Byrne

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Thinking STM for Prep in 2024 ...

Miss Byrne's Important Dates to Remember for Term 3

From Our Sports Desk

Catholic Netball & Touch Carnivals 

All children in Year 5 & 6 will be participating in the annual Catholic Netball & Touch Carnivals on Thursday 27th July.  

Venues: Kearney’s Spring Reserve & Nell E Robinson  

Starting Time: Teams Arrive 8:30am, Official Opening 9:00am  

Finishing Time: 2:30pm (approx.)  

Please check Sentral to indicate if your child requires the use of the bus.  

We are chasing parent helpers for both netball and touch. If you are able to help out for the day, please send Mrs H an email (Stacey.Hancock@twb.catholic.edu). Helpers would be required to help with coaching and refereeing/umpiring games.  

 Term 3 Swimming Lessons 

Years 4-6 will participate in swimming lessons in Term 3. Due to renovation works happening at the Centenary Pool, we will be busing our students over to the Harristown High Pool. The swimming lessons will still be conducted by Darren Lange Swimming Academy. Below are the dates and times that the lessons will be held.  

Please ensure your child has their swimming costume, towel, cap and goggles for their lessons and anything else you feel they may require. They do not need sun shirts as they are inside for lessons. Swimming caps are encouraged for both swimming lessons.  

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.  

Dates for lessons 

Tuesday 18th July  

Tuesday 25th July  

Tuesday 1st August 

Tuesday 15th August  

Tuesday 22nd August  

Lesson Times – 45min  

11:45am – 12:30pm       Year 4 Gold & Blue  

12:30pm – 1:15pm         Year 5 Blue, Gold 5/6 Red  

1:15pm – 2:00pm            Year 6 Blue & Gold  

Interschool Sport 

Interschool sport will recommence in Week 2 for Years 5 & 6 children. If your child has chosen to play soccer, they will be required to have/wear shin guards. If your child has chosen to play rugby league, they will be required to wear a mouth guard and wear school-coloured footy shorts and socks.  

Catholic Athletics Carnival 

We have over 70 students representing St Thomas More’s Athletics at the Catholic Athletics Carnival on Friday 14th July 2023 at O’Quinn Street Oval. Children should have received paper work at the end of Term 2 and parents should have received a notification via Sentral to indicate if their child requires the bus.  

Children will need to be there by 8:15am. Field events for 9yrs will only be High Jump and Long Jump. 

Students who are 5yrs, 6yrs, 7yrs or 8yrs will only be doing their sprint race and will need to be taken back to school after their race at approx. 9:50am. The Carnival should finish by 2:30pm for the older children. The relays are at the end of the day.  

Children will need to wear their sports uniform including a hat and will need lunch and morning tea including adequate water and sunscreen. We will be there by 8:00am for early drop offs. 

God Bless,

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher

Week 10 Awards

Well done to our Week 10 award recipients. 

Southern Cross Award

Congratulations to our Term 2 Southern Cross Award recipients. 

Classroom Newsletters

From our P & F

If you would like to join us but can't make it to the meeting you can link in via Zoom.  A link will be released a week prior to the meeting date.

From OSHC

From our Tuckshop

Tuckshop will be open for Friday this week! Make sure your orders are done by 1pm on Thursday.

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

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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