I am so pleased to say it has been a smooth and joyful back to school experience for all our students and staff. We welcomed 45 bright eyed Kindergarten students on Tuesday, along with 8 new students from Years 1 to 6. We hope that the year ahead is an energising and engaging one for all. We also welcomed our new staff members who have all settled in very well to our St Thomas the Apostle community.  

Our Opening of the School Year Mass will be next Friday 10 February beginning at 9:30am. It will be in the church and you are all very welcome to come along. Your child/children are invited to sit with you in the church. 

Meet and Greet

We are looking forward to having a ‘Meet and Greet’ evening next Wednesday evening 8 February. This will be a community gathering . From 6:00pm we will have a sausage sizzle for all our families and at 6:30pm all teachers will be on the stage and I will say a few short words of introduction. It will be an informal evening where you will get a chance to meet your child/ren’s teacher and also a chance to meet with other parents and carers. The evening will conclude at 7:30pm.  All information about what is happening in each class for Term 1 will be sent home in the class term letter via Compass and will also be attached to the newsletter next week. 

School Community Council (SCC)

We will be advertising next week, for nominations for new members for the SCC. Our current SCC members will be roaming around at the Meet and Greet evening. They will be there to answer any questions you may have regarding the role of the SCC and perhaps joining the committee. They will have St Thomas the Apostle SCC shirts on (navy and light blue). 

Catalyst

This will be our third year of being part of the Catalyst program. We have learnt so much over this time and evidence shows that the improvement in learning from K-6 has been significant. The two ‘Bold Goals’ that we aspire to achieve for all of our students are: 

1. Every student is a competent reader;
2. High Impact Teacher Practice is visible in every classroom.

If you would like to know more about ‘Catalyst’, it is explained in depth on the CECG website. Click on this link to reach it

Artist in Residence

No doubt if you have driven past the school this week, you will have seen the beautiful mural that Wendy Rix has painted on our front wall. She will be finishing it today, and next week I will be able to share with you the story behind what Wendy painted.  It is an amazing piece of work. 

Each student has also had a lesson with Wendy this week. She has worked with Patty Porteus (our new art teacher) to explore the painting style of dot painting. You can ask your child what they painted; they all have a different story. 

Newsletter

Please ensure that the Front Office has your most up to date email address and contact phone numbers. The weekly newsletter will be available via the Compass app, email and on the school website. Everything you need to know will be in this weekly publication. The odd weeks of term will be a longer newsletter and the even weeks will be reminders, awards and current announcements.

School Rules

 I know this seems like a litany of rules and regulations, but if we are very clear from the start about expectations, then we will have a shared understanding for everyone. 

• A student’s hair should be cut off their face and, if longer than shoulder length, it needs to be tied back in an appropriate school coloured band. Hair should also be of natural colour with no extreme haircuts. Shapes and lines clipped into the hair should be saved for the school holidays.
• Jewellery should not be worn to school and only plain studs, religious necklaces (tucked in) and watches are acceptable. No bracelets, bangles, sparkly earrings, nail polish, make up, etc are allowed.
• No Smart watches with wif- fi connectivity of ability to take photos are allowed
• Please note that St Thomas the Apostle is NUT FREE.  
• Students with Mobile Phones are asked to switch the phone off and leave it in their bags. If mobile phones are heard or sighted during school time they will be confiscated and parents will be asked to collect it from the front office. The School takes no responsibility for mobile phones.
• Students who are collected by their parents during the day for appointments must be signed out/in at the Front Office before and after the appointment.
• Parents visiting the school to assist are also asked to sign in at Front Office. All parent / carer helpers are required by law to hold an ACT Working with Vulnerable People permit.

School Uniform

Thank you to the many parents who have made that extra effort to send their children to school in the correct school uniform.  We love to see our students wearing the right uniform and wearing it with pride. 

Birthdays

Don’t forget that we are giving our children a special treat on their birthday where they are welcome to have a uniform free day. If their birthday is on the weekend, they can choose either the Friday or Monday to wear plain clothes. If their birthday is in the school holidays, they can come and talk to me and tell me the day they would like to choose for their uniform free day. I do ask that uniform free is understood as appropriate clothing, including no thongs or bare shoulders. 

School Hours and Supervision 

The school day begins at 8:50 am and finishes at 3.10pm. Our recess break is at 11 am and our lunch break at 1.00pm. Supervision on the playground commences at 8.30am each morning and students should not arrive or be at school earlier than this. Students arriving late will need to be signed in at the front office by a parent or guardian. 

At the end of each school day the children being picked up or going to TEAM KIDS after school care will be taken to the stage. Children being picked up though drive through will be escorted to this area. The children are supervised in the drive through until 3:30pm so to ease congestion, I suggest that you don’t rush to be there at 3:10pm. 

It is essential that all children are picked up from the school by 3:30pm as teachers have meetings and planning commitments in the afternoon. I ask that you respect this by ensuring your child/children have been collected by this time. Of course, there are the odd occasions when you are late and I ask that you call the office to let us know, and also so we can let your child that you are on your way. If it is going to be a regular occurrence, I ask that you use TEAM KIDS for after school care for your child. 

Carpark usage 

Thank you for the care and courtesy you are taking in the car park. Please remember to be patient. A couple of points for you to consider: 

• Please do not park along the red painted gutter. This is a drop off area in the morning but a lane for drive through pick up in the afternoon.
• If you are parking and coming to the stage to pick up your children, please use the pedestrian crossings when leaving and returning to your car. Our pedestrian crossings are there for everyone’s safety.
• Don’t forget that you have a twenty-minute window for pick-up in the afternoon. You do not have to rush into school at 3.10 pm. Coming at around 3:20 means less congestion for everyone (and probably lower blood pressure for you ?) 

It is so good to have many parents and carers at Morning Assembly or picking up children from the stage in the afternoon. This is an integral part of our community, the gathering together and we love seeing your there. 

Yours in partnership, 

I am super excited to be back at school after having a relaxing time over the holidays.

This week I have met all of the new kinders and spent lots of time in all of the other classes.

In Miss Vandenbroucke’s class I like to sit on her chair and watch Bluey.

Love Tommy

Happy Birthday
to the following students and teachers
who celebrated a birthday in January

Crystal Borekar
Charlize McCann
Aubrey Kemsley
Liam McLaughlin
Josiah Boney
Stephanie Machin
Alexa Keough
Veda Stewart
Evie Russell
Hudson Field
Elizabeth McIntyre
Alvie Doherty
Caitlin Hamilton
Felix Walker
William Rogers
Flynn Johnson
Ms Patty Porteus
Mrs Sally Cameron

Happy Birthday
to the following students and teachers
who will celebrate a birthday this week

Jerome Kallidumbil Eldhose
Daniel Glynn
Rohan Kapoor
Daniel Housler
Ariana Nehme
Georgia Penny
Mrs Anne Barbic
Miss Laura Vandenbroucke