Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the School Community Council for all their work this year. Sonia Skinn, Fr Emil, Fr Andrew, Narelle Luchetti, Daniel Johnston, Michael Castrission, Dan Kenny, Jason Lancsar, Mhanda van Engelen, Nicole Mikkonen, Kristy Poole and Christine Washington have shown such dedication to our community and our students. Each member is a strong advocate for continuous improvement in student learning and in the community engagement at STM.

 Message from our SCC Chair, Sonia Skinn:

St Thomas More is a small school committed to providing quality education, promoting a love of learning and nurturing the potential of all students. Parent involvement in the school allows parents to work collegiately with staff to progress the schools mission and to support students in their learning journey.

One way parents can be actively involved in the life of the school is by nominating to be a parent representative on the school community council. The Council is made up of representatives from the Parish, teaching staff, leadership team and parents.

The Council provides the opportunity for members of the school and parish to work with the Principal, Parish Priest and staff to provide leadership to the wider school community. The Council operates as both a decision making and advisory body and undertakes a range of functions. Some of these functions include:

- developing, approving and monitoring the annual budget.

- providing opportunities for social interaction and support networks for parents and;
- providing advice on curriculum, student welfare policies etc.

Previous initiatives implemented through the Council include contributing money through the P&F funds for the school to purchase coding resources, updating the sports polo top and organising community BBQs and breakfasts including picnic in the park, cuppa at the gate, etc.

The Council is here to listen and support parents and the wider community. The Council sits twice per term. I would encourage you to consider joining the Council as I have personally found it rewarding, knowing that in some small way I am helping to support the school and the community.

If you would like any further information or are considering joining the Council, please contact Julie Ogden.

Yr. 6 Graduation Liturgy

Tomorrow night, we celebrate the end of Primary School for our Year 6 students. We wish them peace, courage and wisdom as they embark on their High School education. 

End of Year Mass 

Our final Mass was held this morning. The Mass was celebrated by Father Emil. We appreciate Fr Emil’s support and involvement at STM.

Step-Up Afternoon

Next Wednesday afternoon, the students will have their “Step-Up Afternoon”. It will start after lunch and will be an outdoor event due to our cohorting restrictions. Children will spend some time in the afternoon with their new teacher and classmates for 2022. This will benefit many students, but particularly our students who become anxious about change.

Special Lunch Day 

We will be having a special lunch day on Thursday 16th December. Sandwiches, wraps, muffins, brownies and chocolate milk will be available. Orders are via the QKR app and will close on Wednesday 15th December at 4.00pm. 

Staffing

Staffing will be announced in next week’s newsletter.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Wiley
Principal

Book Week

After reconfiguring this year’s Children’s Book Week into Term 4, the parade and author visit were a great success. Students were asked to dress-up according to the theme ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’. There were some very creative costumes, and I would like to thank everyone that participated. The teachers were involved and delivered a flawless performance before the parade based on the ‘The Unscary Book’ by Nick Bland!

The author visit was a highlight of the week. The children enjoyed participating in Shelly’s writing workshops and were delighted by her passion and enthusiasm for literature. Shelly talked to students about how she became a children’s author and where she gets her inspiration. Shelly shared with the students her writing and re-writing process through the editing stage as well her experiences taking a book through to publication.

During her interactive workshop Shelly read There’s a Baddie Running Through This Book! as inspiration to turn the students into mini detectives to help catch the Baddie. She read her book Blast Off! – and put the students through their paces as junior astronauts before taking them off on a space adventure.

It has been a great week! Thank you for your support of our school Library. Farewell STM. I will miss your smiling faces next year. Wishing all STM families a safe and happy Christmas.

Mrs Reid
Librarian