2024 Term 2 - Week 3 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from https://catholicoutlook.org/poem-kokoda/ 

From our Principal

Each year I often get asked the question, “What would be the best secondary school for my child?” The old debates over single sex and co-educational schools, and non-government versus government schools reignite around this time. There are always experts that quote certain research that will support any argument they want to pursue.

I am very conscious of the amount of time and effort parents put into making a choice around schooling for their children - even some sleepless nights! The thing is, you as parents know your child better than anyone. One good question to ask yourselves, “what are the characteristics of a school you want for your child?” If that matches with the school of your first choice, that’s great. If not, there are many other excellent choices. We are blessed with the number of very good secondary schools in the diocese.

If you are still stuck, then common sense questions need to be asked, such as affordability, location, transport etc. and by a process of elimination, you will come to decision. It may not be your first option which may have been clouded by flavour of the month gossip and bells & whistles advertising, but as I said, we are blessed with so many excellent secondary schools, you will not be disappointed with your decision.

However, back to the debate over whether children do better in co-ed or single sex environments. My simple reasoning was that schools are an integral part of society, yet in today’s society we don’t segregate males & females anywhere else apart from schools.  My schooling was very normal, co-educational from Grade 1-7 and boys only from Years 8 -12.  I had great experiences in both settings and could not fault either one.

Now however, I have a different view. I now have a very strong conviction that single sex or co-education, as a contributor of ‘how well’ a child will do academically, is hugely outweighed by the quality of relationship that exists within a school between a student and his or her teachers and wider school personnel. Much more important questions to ask of a school than whether boys and girls are taught together or separate are:

• ”Is this a school where individuals are treated with respect?”
• “Is this a school where young people are challenged to do their best?”
• “Is this a school where the boundaries are clear and everyone; students and teachers are accountable?”
• And perhaps most importantly, “Do the teachers in this school really enjoy teaching and do they do that little bit extra at times to create opportunities and to help young people?”

Some people will also argue that boys and girls learn ‘differently’.  Yes, there is some truth in that. However, more importantly I believe that it is true that ‘people’ learn differently. As teachers today, we are much more aware of the different learning styles among all students than we were when I was at school or even when I first started teaching. It is no longer a case of ‘one size fits all’. Not all girls learn the same way nor do all boys learn the same way. Teachers have to work much harder today to accommodate as many different styles as there are students in a room.

So, I don’t think either is intrinsically better or worse for boys or girls. Schools are about kids. Young people need to be in a good environment, they need to feel happy and safe and the need significant adults who know them, believe in them and enjoy sharing their journey.

After that, it’s only bells and whistles.

Parent Engagement Charter (Code of Conduct)

The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Parent Engagement Charter is attached to this notification. It describes the partnership that exists between families and the school and is an agreement between parent, school and Toowoomba Catholic Schools. This begins when an enrolment has been accepted and continues until its completion. I strongly encourage you all to read this document, especially noting the final page of conduct expectations for both staff and parents.

ParentEngagementCharter (twb.catholic.edu.au)

Communication

We believe that good communication is the key to success for your child. If there is something worrying you about your child’s learning or well-being or if there has been changes at home which may be affecting your child, please ensure you contact your child’s teacher or myself to discuss this. Even if you feel it is a small issue, please let us know.

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. 

Thanks for reading. 

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

From our APRE

Last week, our school community commemorated ANZAC Day in many special ways. Miss Souter and 6 Blue shared a moving Prayer Celebration with students and families on Wednesday and many students and staff participated in the Toowoomba Regional Council ANZAC Day March and Commemoration Celebration at the Mother's Memorial on ANZAC Day. I am sure the whole school community joins me in thanking Miss Souter and 6 Blue for leading us so passionately in our school celebration and Mrs H for coordinating our participation in the TRC celebration.  ANZAC Day is a special day to many in our community for a variety of reasons and it is always special to celebrate this special day as a school community each year. 

In Week 1, I was fortunate enough to accompany Audrey and Flynn to the annual Mayoral Morning Tea. Mayor Geoff McDonald shared some thoughts on leadership, as did some student speakers from other schools in our region. I am sure these words will continue to resonate with Audrey and Flynn this year as they continue their fantastic work as our Student Representatives. 

On Friday last week, I was also fortunate enough to spend some time with our STM Chess Team down at the TCS Interschool Chess Tournament. Our players were outstanding representatives for our school, showing great behaviour, skill and sportsmanship. Congratulations to the members of our Chess Team who competed and a special mention for Charles for finishing the day as the highest Year 2 scorer, Hartley for finishing in 5th place overall and Shaun for finishing in 2nd place overall! What an amazing effort! Thanks Ms Lisa for helping supervise during the day as well. 

Mother's Day at STM

Mother's Day will be here before we know it! As you may have seen in the STM Calendar, our annual Mother's Day Stall will be held on Wednesday, May 8th. Orders can be submitted via Flexischools. If you have trouble accessing orders via the app, please contact the school office. Don't forget to send a bag along with students on Mother's Day Stall day to help minimise the chance of breakages and to hide the special gifts from Mum when they get home! Further details about the Mother's Day Stall can be found later in the newsletter. Thank you to our wonderful P&F for arranging this special Mother's Day activity for us again this year. 

Mrs Wright and 1 Red will be leading our Mother's Day Prayer Celebration on Friday, May 10th from 8:40 am in the Sportscentre. All families are most welcome to attend. This year, we will continue our tradition of sharing a Mother's Day Photo Story Reflection featuring our STM mums, grandmothers and those like mothers to us. All families are welcome to submit 2 photographs (please no more than 2) for our photo story featuring students with their mums, grandmothers or those like mothers to them. Photos must be submitted before 12 pm on Thursday, May 9 via email to Kristin.Byrne@twb.catholic.edu.au Please note that photos submitted after this time may not feature in the photo story. While I will endeavour to include all photos sent before the deadline, apologies in advance for any that I miss among the heavy volume of photos received. 

Catholic Education Week Awards

Each year, schools have the opportunity to celebrate the wonderful staff who make such a difference to their school community during Catholic Education Week. One way this can be done is by nominating staff for a Spirit of Catholic Education Award or a TCS Excellence Award. 

The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards are presented annually in conjunction with Catholic Education Week to celebrate outstanding contributions to Catholic Education in Queensland. Each year nominations are received from Catholic school communities across the State, highlighting the important work being undertaken by staff, parents, carers and volunteers who support Catholic school students. Is there someone at STM you think embodies the Spirit of Catholic Education? Why not send in a nomination for them! 

The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards are also presented annually and acknowledge staff in various positions across school communities who make a significant impact to school life. Is there a staff member at STM you think does a top notch job? Why not consider nominating them!

Musical Update

Mrs Wardle, Miss Candale and I felt very privileged to be part of the audition process for our 2024 Musical. We had over 70 children audition, which was so amazing to see! Congratulations to all students who auditioned. We are very proud of each and every one of you!   We are pleased to announce the Main Cast of our 2024 Musical ...

In addition to our Main Cast, all Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 classes will also feature in our show, sharing a musical number (or two!). 

This week, we hope to gather our Main Cast for our first read-through and to distribute scripts. Main Cast families will receive regular email updates with rehearsal schedules and any Musical News you need to know. 

This year, we are also calling for sponsorship to help us make our show extra special! Contact the School Office if you would like a Sponsorship Package. 

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Term One Important Dates

Prep 2025 - Make sure you register for upcoming events

Student Protect

From our Service Club

This term, Service Club will be open to all Year 6 students starting from this week. We meet each Tuesday at First Break eating and play. Children can bring their lunch box with them. We eat and meet at the same time. We hope to see you there!  

Our main focus for this term will be the Vinnies Winter Appeal. We will tell you more about this in the next few weeks. This term we will also continue with our kindy visits and LEGO Club. LEGO Club will start this week on Wednesday at second break. Thanks again to Mrs Wilson for helping us with this. You are a superstar! 😊  

Have a great week! God bless. 

Isla and Tilly from the Service Club. 

Mothers Day Stall

Wednesday 8th May 

On the 8th May, the P&F will again be operating a Mother's Day Stall for children to purchase gifts for their mothers, grandmothers and loved ones. The gifts will be $5 each. To order a gift please head to your Flexischool account and order via there (found under the tuckshop section) or collect an order form from the office and return with cash. Your child can collect the order form on your behalf. 

All orders must be received by 8:30am Tuesday 7th May. 

Children will attend the stall to collect gifts as a class during school time. 

Any questions, please contact Kylie Haywood via kyliehaywoodbusiness@gmail.com

From our Sports Department

Zone Cross Country Results 

Well done to all the child who ran at the Zone Cross Country last Friday. A big thank you to Mr Fechner for all his hard work training and guiding these children.  Congratulations to the following children who were selected in the Central Zone Cross Country.  

Ryan W – 2nd  

Jordan D – 5th    

Addison F – 5th 

James O - 5th

Peter A – 6th  

Makayla W – 6th 

Audrey T – 7th (Reserve)  

Darling Downs Touch Football 

Congratulations to Jonathan W in being selected in the Darling Downs Touch Football Team. We wish you the best of luck at the State Championships.  

God Bless.

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher 

Student Awards

Well done to our students who received awards in  Week 2. Keep up the great work! 

From our Library

P & F News

Minutes from the last meeting.

Click the link below to find out all the exciting news you may have missed.

Do you know someone who deserves to be nominated for one of these great awards?  Links below.

SOCE Awards

https://catholiceducationweek.com.au/catholic-education-week-awards/2024-spirit-of-catholic-education-awards-nomination-form/

TCS Excellence awards

https://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/about-us/about-us/toowoomba-catholic-schools-excellence-awards/

Tuckshop News

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

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

Cut off of Online orders...
Order before 3pm Tuesday (for Wednesday), 3pm Wednesday (for Thursday) & 3pm Thursday (1pm for sushi) (for Friday).

NEW Tuckshop Menu

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

From our Uniform Shop

From our OSHC

Vacation Care has wrapped up, and we are already in term two.  During vacation care we had 3 excursions. One to the cinema, which is an all time favourite for children and staff. Personally , that is my favourite excursion. We saw Kung Fu Panda 4, and it was quite entertaining. I have not seen 2 or 3, so the children said I needed to watch them so I can understand what was happening in 4.

The second excursion was to Lake Annand. Again, another favourite, as the staff try and make it special by making something extra for the occasion. Last vacation care we had lunch at the park , this time we had morning tea, and the staff made cupcakes, and I made Malteser slice to take down. The children are always respectful to the wider community and quite happily play with other children whilst there. We have a whistle so that the children understand that when the whistle is blown, they must stop what they are doing and look for an educator.  This works very well, and they always stop immediately and look for an educator.

The third excursion was to Cobb N Co. As you can see by the pictures attached the children had a great time. Some of the science room pictures didn’t work out however which is a shame, due to the bright lights.

We also celebrated two birthdays during vacation care, brothers whose birthdays are a week apart.  I hope Noah and Hugo enjoyed their birthdays at OSHC. I know the other children liked the chocolate cake that Mum brought in.

Some of the children decorated their own porcelain plates. That was a lot of fun, even though time consuming as you had to put them in the oven for 1.5 hrs. Some of the children made some for their siblings and parents which is lovely.

As you can also see in the pictures, we made goop and slime. Wow I forgot how messy goop and slime can be. We also had a great coloured rice sensory activity. Thank you to Miss Alannah for making this for the children . It was a source of great fun for hours.

Wheels up proved to be a great activity as it is every vacation care period. We made our own stop lights and the children had to stop when the light lit up. How we made it light up was using a prop from a few vacations care ago where we had a cubby house competition, and I purchased a sensor light for the door. If the children went through an orange or red light , they had to pull over and wait before taking off again. Using the light was good as it stemmed the speed some of the bigger boys were riding at .  

A few reminders for next vacation care is :

• All children must wear wide brimmed hats. Caps do not cover ears or necks and even though we ensured all children had sunscreen applied up to 3 times a day, some children still got sunburnt.
• All children need to wear closed in shoes , no sandals or thongs please.
• And children to wear sunsafe clothing.

This week we have been discovering Spain which was written in the Children’s Choice book at the end of last term by a child .

Next week we will be talking about ANZAC day and what it means to past generations and the current generation.

Staffing-

We were lucky enough to have Miss Alannah come to help us out over the Easter Break . Thank you, Miss Alannah.

Miss Laetitia has  stepped up to be a Responsible Person when I am not here.

Dates to remember :

We will be closed on the days below as they are a Public Holidays.

25^th April – ANZAC Day

6^th May – Labour Day

Have a wonderful long weekend with loved ones. Until next time from the team at STM.

Kind Regards

Debbie

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

Job Oppurtunity

PARISH ADMINISTRATION OFFICER: Applications are invited for the position of Parish Administration Officer at St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Thomas More’s.  This is a permanent part-time position.  As this role is spread over 2 locations you may like to consider applying for any of the following:

1. St Patrick’s Cathedral, 123 Neil St, Toowoomba (12hrs)
2. St Thomas More’s Parish, 71A Ramsay St, South Toowoomba (12hrs)
3. Combined 1 & 2.

Position Description is available by contacting St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish Office on 4637 1500 or admin@stpats.org.au.  Applications close 10/05/2024.