2024 Term 1 - Week 1 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Prayer retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/818072748281434/photos/tonight-we-pray-a-simple-blessing-for-children-starting-school-and-those-returni/1871855172903181/ 

From our Principal

As a young man in the 1980s, the phrase, ‘We are on a Mission from God’ was often bandied about.

A quote from the cult classic movie, ‘The Blues Brothers’, the phrase had a warped sense of irony as Elwood and Jake Blues, small-time criminals, hustled throughout the film to raise money to save the orphanage that raised them.

Who can forget the early scene when they meet Sr Mary Stigmata? Knowing the boys are good at heart but unreliable, she sends them on their way with a twitch of corporal punishment for their trouble. The Blues boys vow to raise the $5000 in property taxes and save ‘the penguin’. Whenever the pair commit any illegal hijinks, they convince themselves that their actions are fine because of that mission from God.

We can now laugh at the irreverent humour and tongue in cheek poke at the Catholic Church. However, the mission from God is a very pertinent phrase with deeper meanings for us.

Every Catholic school is expected to have a sincere and active articulation of its aims and beliefs, known as a Mission and Vision Statement. This statement is the lived experience of what is important in that school community. We review it every five years or so with parents, carers, staff and children involved.

Vision

With Jesus as our model, St Thomas More’s Primary School assists members of its community to develop their spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and physical potential so that they may; “live life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)

Mission

This is achieved in a vibrant, safe and caring learning environment where the uniqueness of each individual is celebrated, and where active partnerships between home, school, parish and the broader community exist. As a school community, we strive to integrate faith with everyday life as we live our school values of joy, justice, faith and hope, allowing our students to ‘live life in all its fullness’.

I love being a teacher. I have the responsibility, in collaboration with parents, to help mould the behaviour and learning of children. Every day I get the joy of watching youngsters develop and giggle, say the craziest of things, overcome learning challenges, be thoughtful, learn to negotiate the ups and downs of relationships, hop, skip, run, read and sing: All of these things are wonderful and happen in every school in this country; State, Independent and Catholic.

I could very happily be an educator in our well-regarded State system but I’ve chosen to accept an additional responsibility. Just like all of the staff at St Thomas More’s, we are invited to consider the deeper meaning of why we are here. To keep Jesus in our hearts is our spiritual challenge. To nurture the spiritual dimension in our students is part of our ‘core business’. So without reticence we say, we really are on a Mission from God.

2024 School Priorities

At the commencement of every school year, the teaching staff gather to consider and develop priorities for the year. For 2024, the focus of our practices will centre on the following:

2024 Theme:

2024 School Goals:

2024 School Newsletter Cycle

Please be advised, the 2024 School Newsletter will be shared with the school community on a fortnightly basis (odd weeks).

Parent Information Evening

The 2024 Parent Information Evening has been scheduled for Tuesday 6^th February.

A schedule for the evening will be shared this coming Wednesday 24^th January.

Grooming Expectations

Please be mindful, hairstyles which draw attention to the individual, including but not limited to: mullet, scullett, mohawks, tracks, tails, hair colouring etc. are not permitted.

Before School Supervision

Before school duty commences at 8:15 am.  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.

Formal Uniform/Sport Uniform Days:

As there are no Physical Education Lessons in Week 1, children are required to wear formal uniform for the first day of school.

Please find below the allocated days for children to wear Sport Uniform commencing Week 2:

Prep: Every Day

Year 1:  Tuesday (PE) & Friday

Year 2: Tuesday (PE) & Friday

Year 3: Monday (PE) & Friday

Year 4: Tuesday (PE) & Friday

Year 5: Monday (PE) & Friday

Year 6: Monday (PE) & Friday

Children are to wear formal school uniforms every other day.

Communication:  

There is nothing new about the vital importance of clear communication, especially between the school and home and vice versa.  A School Newsletter is compiled and issued every second Monday of the School Year commencing in Week 1 via Sentral and email. We consider this a very important communication link with parents. Be up-to-date with all that happens, projects and plans that constitute the “life” of the School.  

Communication between school and home is vital. Our teachers understand this and are more than willing to discuss any issues or concerns you may have. Regular updates may be included in letters, homework folders, etc. Please take the time to find out your child’s teacher’s preferred method of communication. 

In any organisation, problems arise from time to time. A school community is a complex body involving the Parish, Toowoomba Catholic Schools 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 a problem arises, please contact the person concerned directly. If the matter involves a staff member and seemingly can not be resolved, the Principal should then become involved. Please avoid the approach of discussing such matters with other people who are not in a position to effectively assist in solving the issue.  

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 usually resolves any misunderstandings that may occur.  

Problems can arise between various parties involved in a school community. Most of these issues usually result from a breakdown in the lines of communication. The key then, is to maintain lines of open, clear and courteous communication. 

All the best for a great start to the year!!

Thanks for reading.

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

From our APRE

What a pleasure it is to be back at St Thomas More’s this year! Although I enjoyed my time away at St George, I am very pleased to be back at STM for the 2024 school year! I look forward to welcoming students and families back to school this week and seeing all the smiling and excited faces ready to tackle another school year.  

This year, our theme for the year is inspired by yet another quote by our very own Australian saint, St Mary MacKillop. This year, we will be exploring what it means to find happiness in making others happy. This fits in exceptionally well with our Term 1 Value ... Joy!  We will begin unpacking our theme for this year both at assembly early in the term and in class. 

Official STM Calendars 

All families will receive their official STM calendar on the first day back at school. This calendar is a wonderful resource for our families with lots of key events and dates outlined throughout the year. As you may expect, there have been some changes since the calendar was printed last year, so make sure you take a peek at the separate note coming home with the calendar with the amended dates on it. There is not a great deal, but it may be worth making note of these changes on your calendar. If your family situation requires a second calendar, please contact the school office and we can arrange for an additional calendar to make its way home.  

Volunteers 

We LOVE our volunteers at STM. You help us provide amazing opportunities and experiences for our students. All volunteers will need to complete our volunteer paperwork – even if you completed it last year … as it must be resubmitted each year. Tammy and I are hoping to have the Volunteer Induction packs ready to go by the end of this week. Please contact the office if you require a pack to be sent home.  

**Please note, parents cannot volunteer in the classroom or for whole school activities and events  (such as the Family Fun Day) without completing the TCSO Volunteer Induction, which includes watching the VOlunteer Induction Video created by Toowoomba Catholic Schools. 

School Social Media and General Photos 

At STM, we have both a school Facebook and Instagram page. From time to time, staff will capture images of students and classes participating in activities and having fun at school which may make their way onto our social media accounts. Please note if you have indicated your child cannot be photographed or included on our social media platforms, students won’t be included in photos taken by ‘official photographers’ (usually me!) at whole school events. This is a departure from previous years.   

Classroom teachers may still include these students in classroom photos that won’t be shared on social media but may be used for classroom celebrations if students have permission to be photographed.  If parents have indicated at the time of enrolment that students cannot be photographed, every effort will be made to ensure photos of these students will not be captured during school events and activities, which will involve these students being asked to step out of class photos etc. If you have chosen to not allow your child to be photographed, it would be beneficial to discuss this with them so they know why they are not being included in classroom photos. 

If you have any questions or concerns about protecting your child’s privacy online, please feel free to contact the office and make an appointment to speak to Duane or myself.  

With a short week this week, that’s it from me. 

I hope all students have a wonderful first day back at school tomorrow and a wonderful week to start the 2024 school year.  

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Important Dates to Remember

From our Middle Leader

Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful time on holidays spent with family and friends. This week I thought I'd outline a few key areas we are working on in Teaching and Learning for 2024.

Reading

In 2024, we will continue to support our students to be the best readers they can possibly be! Toowoomba Catholic Education Office has rolled out a revised approach to reading – the Diocesan Approach to Reading (DAR). One of the biggest changes with this approach to teaching reading is around how students will be assessed. In the Lower School, students will no longer be assessed using PM Benchmarking but rather, students will be tested using Sparkle – Decodable Readers – which aligns with the revised Australian Curriculum. Over the coming weeks, I’ll include some further information regarding DAR, along.

Spelling

In 2024, STM will be rolling out a new spelling program - PLD. PLD provides an Australian, evidence-based approach to Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP). Aligned with the Science of Reading, PLD’s SSP approach extends from the Junior Primary years through to Upper Primary years, thereby facilitating a whole school approach.

PLD’s method is derived from the disciplines of speech pathology, occupational therapy and educational theory. PLD advocates that literacy and learning outcomes are maximised for children when their Literacy, Oral Language and Movement & Motor skills are targeted. Further information can be found on the PLD website https://pld-literacy.org/  Teachers will engage with a gradual implementation of PLD – with the main focus being within the Lower School to begin with. While implementation is occurring, teachers will continue to engage with the TCSO Spelling Program, particularly in the Middle and Upper School.

Australian Curriculum V9

This year, teachers will be teaching and assessing with Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum in Mathematics, English and HPE. More details regarding the rollout can be found using the link below. 

God Bless 

Trish Wardle

Middle Leader 

From our Learning Support Teacher

Hello and welcome to St Thomas More’s Learning Support in 2024! I’m excited to be part of a wonderful, hardworking team of staff to help each child reach their full potential!

I’d just like to start by introducing myself. My name is Belinda Phillips. I grew up in Charleville with 2 deaf parents and attended both Primary and Secondary school in Charleville.  I completed my Bachelor of Education – Early Childhood at USQ in Toowoomba before beginning my teaching career in Cunnamulla.  During my 4 years in Cunnamulla I taught all year levels from 1 – 7 and was Middle Leader – Curriculum. While on maternity leave, I spent time as an Auslan interpreter in a primary setting which was a very rewarding experience. For the past 2 years, I was the Learning Support Teacher at St Mary’s School, Charleville, working in a hybrid model. My husband and I live on a little cropping and hay farm with our 3 children and menagerie of animals.

I am very excited to be working with the wonderful school community at St Thomas More’s. I’m looking forward to spending more time getting to know each class throughout this term. I will be working with each teacher to develop effective inclusive education strategies to maximise learning and participation for all students.

We are lucky enough to have Mrs Standfield and Mr Petzler continue working in small group intervention and hope to extend this to support students in literacy and numeracy this year. Mr Anderson will also be supporting students in their social/emotional development and engagement. We know how important early intervention and support is to give all students the best chance of success.  I believe the key to individual student success is through focusing on their strengths and interests and ensuring they have a strong sense of belonging.

If you ever need to contact me, my email address is: belinda.phillips@twb.catholic.edu.au.

I’m always happy to answer questions, bounce off ideas or just have a chat.

Have a great 2024!

God Bless

Belinda Phillips 

Learning Support Coordinator

Student Protect

Music Tutoring

Recipe of the Week

P & F News

Tuckshop News

Exciting news for 2024

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 

NEW Tuckshop Menu

From our Uniform Shop

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!

Notice Board

Tennis Lessons -  sign up for 2024