Demountable Classroom

2023 will see our wonderful school expand with the arrival of a demountable classroom, giving us much-needed space for our students and teachers. It will be located near the outdoor classroom and will house 5/6 White. This move will also result in our existing classrooms changing ready for our Step Up afternoon next Wednesday.

Canteen

Savida Tanzer, our talented DSM, will be running a School Canteen for 2 days per week next year. The children will be able to purchase items over the counter initially with a view to lunch orders in the future. Stay tuned for further information in the new year.  

Certification at Highly Accomplished 

Congratulations to Gwen Tarleton who today received confirmation that she has achieved Module 1 of her certification as a Highly Accomplished Teacher. Gwen has done so much to support the staff and students at St Thomas More's, particularly her leadership in ICT through the pandemic. She will now work towards Module 2 and Module 3 which will make her officially certified. Congratulations Gwen!

Class Contacts 

In preparation for our new families to make early connections with students and parents in their child's class. We are calling for the nomination of Class Contact Coordinators for 2023. This is a pivotal role in providing families with support and information regarding the school and is a great network for social and school events.

If you are interested in putting your name forward, please email me directly with your grades of children for next year and the preferred cohort you would like to coordinate.  

Community Council Thankyou

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the School Community Council for all their support of the community this year. Michael Casrission, Fr Emil, Narelle Luchetti, Ben Lentini, Simon Needham, Simon Benson, Michael Kelly, Mhanda van Engelen, Nicole Mikkonen and Christine Washington have been strong advocates for continuous improvement in student learning and in community engagement at STM. Special thanks to Mhanda and Michael who are vacating their positions at the end of the year. We appreciate and value their dedication and commitment to our community.  

Wellbeing Dog

Watch this space! After receiving a presentation from some of our Year 6 students early in the year we have engaged in a process of decision making regarding the introduction of a Wellbeing Dog at St Thomas More's in 2023. You may have heard of a number of programs in schools across the ACT with school dogs, therapy dogs and wellbeing dogs. All of these programs have been assessed against our needs and we will be developing our own program as a result. We will have a gradual introduction of our Wellbeing Dog into the school but would invite any families with concerns to contact me so that we can support you and/or your children through this initiative.

Luke Donnelly
Principal

End of Year Mass- 9:30 am Friday 9th of December

Please join us for our end of Year Mass on Friday at 9:30am. The Mass will focus on the season of Advent, when we watch and pray awaiting the Lord’s coming. The season of Advent begins the new liturgical year. Advent has two main themes- looking backward and looking forward. The word “advent” itself means “to come” or “to arrive.” 

Christmas Vigil outdoor Mass

Please join us on Christmas Eve for our Christmas Vigil outdoor Mass in the courtyard of the school at 6:00pm (please bring a chair). Please scan the QR code below if you are able to help with the choir or if you would like your child/ren to be involved in the reenactment of the nativity. 

Yours in Christ, 

Samantha Mance
Religious Education Coordinator

This will be our final correspondence for the year. We have enjoyed our role over the past term getting to know your children. Again, we wish all our families transitioning to new areas a quick settling period and smooth transition into your new homes.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Defence families a very Happy Christmas. We hope you all enjoy a safe and relaxing time over the break.

Looking for something to do on the weekends? DMFS email out a monthly newsletter with events happening in Canberra and surrounds. If you are not already on their list and wish to be added to the mailing list, please email DMFS.canberra@defence.gov.au.

 We look forward to working with you and your children in the new year.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel welcome to visit us at school between 915am and 230pm or contact either of us via phone on 02 6249 8869 or email kate.mcerlean@cg.catholic.edu.au and  savida.tanzer@cg.catholic.edu.au.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2023

Kind regards,

Kate McErlean and Savida Tanzer
Defence School Mentors

A very big thank you to all of our families who supported the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal this year! We managed to fill 20 boxes with plenty to spare.

Your generous donations will go to families in need this Christmas and will be presented to Kim Duggan from St Vincent de Paul at our Thanksgiving Mass on Friday 9th December. 

Bikes for Sale 

The school has a number of used bikes for sale at the price of $50. These bikes were part of a discontinued bicycle education program and are in excellent condition. Proceeds of the bike sales will go to our Colour Run funds. There are 7 BMX bikes and 3 24-inch mountain bikes. Purchasing can occur over Qkr! with pick-up by the end of the term. They will be sold on a first come first serve basis and we will not accept returns!

Sporting Achievements 

Congratulations to Madigan who took out a prize in every division of her Miniature Pony Club competition on the weekend.

Well done Madigan we are so proud of you.  

ArtKids

Holiday Happenings

Team Kids

Coerver Coaching Holiday Camps offer a fun filled soccer experience for boys and girls aged 3 - 16+ years. Each day will include Ball Mastery, 1v1 attack and defence, receiving and passing, small sided Coerver games and mini Coerver Cup tournaments.

Coerver Coaching ACT Holiday Camps January 2023

Players who attend a Coerver® Coaching ACT Holiday Camp receive;

- 9 hours of programmed Coerver ® Coaching sessions delivered by Coerver® Diploma accredited coaches

- Coerver® Coaching training Shirt

- adidas training football

- Coerver® Coaching Home Study Program

- Coerver® Coaching Home Study Program Online Support

- Coerver ® Coaching certificate of attendance

Dates: Monday 16 January – Wednesday 18 January 2023

Times: 9:00am - 12:00pm each day

Venue: Northside – University of Canberra, Bruce. Southside – Trinity Christian School, Wanniassa.

Registration Link: https://coerveract.com.au/holiday-camps