Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
A special welcome to new staff, students and families who are joining the St Thomas More’s Primary School community for the first time. I hope your time at STM is exciting, rewarding and happy.
The new students have settled in well and I am always so amazed at the generosity and kindness of their classmates in making each of them feel valued and included. It’s great to be back and re-connecting with our students.
Last week staff participated in a week of professional learning. Together we looked more closely at being “Centred in Faith” by gaining a deeper knowledge of Social Catholic Teaching resources and curriculum links. Fr Emil spent the day with us and celebrated Mass, which was the perfect opportunity to come together as a staff community in prayer. On Thursday we spent the day looking at the Science of Learning and High Impact Teaching strategies. This day launched our work in ”Catalyst” this year where we had the opportunity to listen to world renowned scholars and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of high impact teaching strategies. We finished the week fulfilling our First Aid requirements. It was a very busy week! I am excited about the year ahead and feel so privileged to have dedicated and hardworking educators in our school. Your children are very fortunate!
Newsletter
The newsletter is emailed out to families every Wednesday. During odd weeks, we have “More News” and in even weeks we send out “More Reminders”. The electronic copy can be accessed through our Schoolzine app and on the school website.
School Expectations
At all times, we expect students to respect more, think more and encourage more. Perhaps families could discuss these expectations at home. We also have the “No hat; No play” expectation. It might be a good idea to have 2 hats at school – one in your child’s bag and one that can be left in the classroom.
St Thomas More Parish
Mass times and other parish information can be found by clicking on the link below -
http://www.stthomasmore.org.au This Sunday, staff will be receive a blessing for the beginning of the school year at the 9:30am Mass.
School Counsellor
Our school counsellor is Sarah Foley; Sarah will work every Thursday.
Parent Information Night
Parent Information Night is next week, on Tuesday the 9th of February. Please come along to visit your child’s classroom and to meet their teacher. We are offering 2 sessions with the same information; first session will be at 5pm; second session at 5:40pm. RSVP by clicking the link below. We can only have one parent from each family attend this year due to our COVID requirements.
https://forms.gle/n59aJEncDHjyzAJ18
Email Correspondence
I would like to advise that staff will respond to emails during professional working hours (8am to 5pm) across the working week. For emergencies, please email me on julie.wiley@cg.catholic.edu.au.
Class Contacts
On Monday a letter was sent home about the St Thomas More’s Parent Network. This network provides an opportunity for all parents to be connected with other families. We encourage all families to provide their details for the class contact list to promote communication and being kept informed of important class events. Please complete the form and return it to your child’s teacher by next Monday.
We are also looking for one parent volunteer to be the “class contact” for each class. Being a class contact is a great way to get to know families in your child’s class and be involved in the school community. If you are interested in being a class contact or have any questions, please contact Julie Ogden at the Front Office.
Supervision Hours
School hours are 8:50am to 3:00pm. Students are supervised each day from 8:20am until 3:30pm. I would like to remind parents of the importance of ensuring that children are not dropped at school prior to 8:20am. Before and After School Care is available at our school.
Uniform
Thank you to families for ensuring students are in full school uniform. P.E. days are Wednesday and Friday. Boys are to wear navy socks with their summer uniform (not white). White socks are to be worn with the PE uniform.
Leadership Badges
Our Year 6 leaders will be presented with their badges during our Centred in Faith gathering on Friday, February 19th (Week 3). Parents of Yr 6 only are warmly invited to join us for this special assembly.
Did you know we have a Facebook page? Find us @stmcampbell.
Yours sincerely,
Julie Wiley
Principal.