2024 Term 3 - Week 5 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-jwWnpvFyg 

From our Principal

It’s is quite hard to believe that we are at the halfway mark through the term. Wow! The days are certainly flying by. I suppose it is a sign that life is pretty hectic, with very little time to just take a breather every now and again. With the business of school life being somewhat taken for granted, we need to be mindful of the stresses which young children can experience at this time of year. Kids need to be active, but they also need time to rest. Sleep and nutrition are vital, especially during periods of vigorous routine and or illness. This is the time where children will start to feel the wear and tear of school, homework, extra-curricular activities and the cold and flu season. Naturally, they will become more emotional over issues that a few weeks ago would be handled with ease. One such issue would be maintaining positive relationships with their school mates.

Conflict with peers is unavoidable and is all part of growing up. From my experience, most disagreements occur at the back end of each school term. Petty, niggling things that others may say or do suddenly become major reasons for arguments and strained friendships. At times like these, teachers and parents play an important role in guiding children through these rough patches. It is also important not to catastrophize issues into something they are not. An example of this is to avoid labelling minor school or playground incidents as bullying. Bullying should not be confused with teasing, rejection, random or one-off verbal or physical conflict. While teachers will engage various strategies to reduce such incidents and spend time and effort to maintain peace and harmony, children will tease and fight at some stage; however, this bickering should not be confused with bullying.

Bullying is a word that is wrapped in emotion. For many people, bullying is associated with bad childhood memories. Bullying is an insidious behaviour and can take on many forms and guises such as physical and emotional abuse, intimidation, harassment and exclusion. It is not the domain of just one gender. Girls bully just as much as boys, but they do it in less physical ways. Whilst boys use physical intimidation or verbal abuse to wield power, girls are more likely to use exclusion or sarcasm to assert themselves.

Bullying is about lack of power, as one person is powerless to stop the teasing or physical abuse. Bullying is the selective, uninvited, repetitive oppression of one person by another person or group. Sometimes, we don’t find out that someone has been bullied until after a long period of time and this proves very difficult to resolve, as recollections of incidents can become unclear if they occurred some months beforehand. This is why it is important to identify and act on any possible signs of potential bullying at the earliest opportunity. For this to occur, teachers, parents and children need to communicate and co-operate as soon as any signs may appear.

If you suspect your child is being bullied, here are some helpful hints on what to do:

1. Listen to their story. Children experiencing stress in their lives need someone to believe their story. Take them seriously yet take some time to help them differentiate between bullying and teasing. Kids can be nasty to one another at times, yet this does not constitute bullying.
2. Get the facts. Ensure you get a clear picture of what happened, including who was involved, the frequency and what occurs prior to any bullying. Get your child to be as specific as possible. A quiet chat with your child’s teacher the following day will help enormously. The teacher may be unaware of such behaviour occurring and now can start planning a course of action, or he or she can provide further information of what occurred.
3. Deal with their feelings. A child who is being bullied probably feels scared, angry and sad. Reassure them that it is ok to feel this way and by working together things will get better.
4. Help build your child’s support networks. Kids need friends to support them when they experience bullying, so look for practical ways to broaden friendship groups. Avoid withdrawing or utilizing social media to solve the issue at all costs.
5. Build their self-confidence. Provide plenty of encouragement. Let them know through your words and treatment of them that they will get through this tough period.

With National Day of Action Against Bullying scheduled for Friday 16^th August, It’s worth remembering that children who experience some form of bullying and have dealt with it effectively, often become stronger and more resourceful because they have experienced difficulties, developed resilience and a skill set they know will help them overcome tough situations. It is this skill set we aim to develop and strengthen throughout their primary years of schooling. These strategies will be invaluable as they continue their journey into secondary schooling. 

Thanks for reading. 

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Notices...

Toowoomba Catholic Schools Leadership Forum: Mr Wann Away

Please be advised, I will be attending the TCS Leadership Forum from Monday 5^th August to return Friday 9^th August.  Miss Kris Byrne will be acting Principal in me absence.  Should you have any questions or concerns during this time, please be encouraged to contact Miss Byrne.

Parish St Vincent’s Clothing Collection Bin

The St Vincent’s Clothing Collection Bin previously located near the St Thomas More’s Parish Office has been removed.  Should you have any items for St Vincent’s you are encouraged to take them directly to the main shop on Ruthven St.

Grooming Expectations

Jewellery, rings, body piercings, nail polish and makeup are not to be worn. One earring in each ear only, stud or sleeper.  Shoulder length hair or longer to be tied back, both boys and girls. Hair bands to be royal blue, navy, black, white or gold.   Hairstyles which draw attention to the individual, including but are not limited to: mullet, scullett, mohawks, tracks, tails, hair colouring etc. are not permitted.

Before School Supervision

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

School Lunches

We are asking families to have conversations with children regarding eating requirements when at school to ensure enough lunch is packed to see out the school day.  Many children are eating their lunch before school commences.

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. 

Student Protection

From our APRE

In Week 3, we celebrated Catholic Education Week! Although some of our school events ended up looking a little different than we planned, it was a wonderful week of celebrating all the wonderful things about Catholic Education in Queensland. Thank you to the students and staff for making the week so special, to the parents who attended our very first Parent Retreat and to our local community for joining in the celebrations with us!

Well done also to Miss Jodie and Mrs Jones for being selected as finalists for this years TCS Excellence Awards. Although you didn't take home to big award on the night, you are certainly winners in our eyes! 

Thank you must also go to Ms Roberts and 4 Red for leading our whole school so thoughtfully in prayer to celebrate Catholic Education Week. You did a wonderful job! 

Farwell Mrs Leah

Last week, our school community said farewell to Mrs Leah after over 12 years of service to St Thomas More's School. Mrs Leah, thank you for everything you brought to our school community during your time at STM. You will be fondly remembered for your kind and caring nature and your positive attitude. Although you will be missed terribly, we all wish you the absolute best for your next adventure. 

Feast Day of Mary MacKillop

This week, we join with The Church in celebrating the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop. As I am sure many in our community know, Mary MacKillop is a saint very near and dear to our school as she is not only Australia's very first (and only) saint, but she was also the co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph, who opened our school back in the 1960s. Mary MacKillop was canonised back in 2010, making her a fairly recent saint. I think it is wonderful that our young Australians today have their very own Aussie saint to look up to and learn from. 

This week, classes will be taking time to learn about St Mary in the lead-up to her Feast Day on Thursday, August 8. There are some amazing resources available that explore the life and teachings of Mary MacKillop. Below is a link to one of my favourite clips about Mary, which gives a bit of a summary of Mary's life and her faith journey.

We will gather as a school on Friday morning this week (August 9) to celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop with a Mass in the STM Church from 9:00 am. Families are most welcome to attend. 

Musical Update

Thanks to all the families who have ordered LKJ shirts. Shirts have now arrived and are in the Front Office ready for collection. A gentle reminder – students cannot collect their LKJ shirt until it has been paid for.

LKJ tickets are now on sale and they are selling fast! Tickets will only be available via Trybooking. Please use the link below to access our unique LKJ page to purchase your tickets. 

This year, we will hold a concession stand at our musical selling soft drinks and lolly bags! Families are invited to help us stock our stand by sending in cans of soft drink and bags of Allen's lollies between now and Week 10. Thanks in advance for supporting our 2024 school musical! 

A costume update was shared with Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 families last week via the Sentral for Parents app for our students who are part of class numbers. If you have any costume concerns or questions, please contact your classroom teacher.

Main Cast costumes should be sorted by the middle of this week. I will share Main Cast costume details with families via email before the end of the week. 

Prayer Celebrations Changes This Term ...

Our Mass for the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop this Friday has now moved to the STM Church and will begin at         9:00 am. Families are most welcome to attend. 

Please note that the 3 Gold Prayer Celebration scheduled for this term has been postponed until Term 4. With such a busy term ahead of us, Mrs Rowling and I felt a Term 4 Prayer Celebration was more suitable. I will share the new date for the 3 Gold Prayer Celebration with the school community once it has been confirmed. 

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Platinum Sponsor ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Gold Sponsors ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Silver Sponsor ...

Miss Byrne's Term 3 Important Dates

From our Sports Department

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. 

Thursday 8th August  

Thursday 15th August 

Thursday 22nd August  

Thursday 29th August  

9:30-10:30 Year 4 Classes 

10:30-11:30 Year 3 Classes  

11:30-12:30 Year 5 Classes   

12:30-1:30 Year 6 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. 

Other updates in readiness for swimming: 

• Children encouraged to wear Sport Uniform on swimming day 

• Children not swimming to attend swimming lessons with the class 

• Parents to notify teachers if their children are not swimming and reason for not swimming.  

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.  

Central Zone Athletics 

Congratulations to the children who will be competing at the Central Zone Athletics on Wednesday 7th August at O’Quinn Street Oval. We wish you the best of luck for the day.  

Darling Downs Cricket 

Congratulations to Grace O on being selected in the Darling Downs Girls Cricket Team. We wish you all the best at the up coming State Championships!  

Interschool Sport 

Interschool Sport continues this Friday for children in Years 5 & 6.  

God Bless.

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher 

Student Awards

Well done to our Week 4 Student of the Week recipients.

Library News

Book Week 

Book Week is a celebration of reading and an annual event in our school calendar.  The theme for Book Week this year, is Reading is Magic. Reading is Magic really encourages us to understand that books can truly take us anywhere and that we can do anything by imagining it.  

As a school we will celebrate Book Week with a special Book Week parade at 10am on Wednesday 21st August.  We encourage students to come dressed as their favourite character from a book of their choice.  It would be great if it could relate to the theme.  Costumes do not need to be purchased, putting them together from materials you have at home is preferable.  Students will need to have the book their character is from with them for the parade.  They are encouraged to borrow this from the library. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your classroom teacher or myself in the library. 

Book Week Competition 

We love to celebrate reading and all things books in our library.  This term we are holding a competition for Book Week.  Students are invited to create a hat that could take them anywhere or allow them to do anything.  Students might like to make their own hat from materials found at home, use an existing hat as the basis for their creation or draw an amazing hat that allows them to do all they could ever dream of! 

Completed entries can be dropped off at the library, any time between now and Tuesday 13th August.  Winners will be announced at the Book Week Parade.  

Catherine McAleer 

Teacher Librarian

P & F News

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) & 1pm Thursday (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

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

Scholarship Opportunity - Grace Lutheran College

Tennis Coaching.