Last week I attended the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn’s Catholic Leaders Day and Principal’s Retreat. The Leader’s Day was focused on Catalyst and the Science of Learning evidence on successful pedagogy in Schools. The Principal’s Retreat gave rise to a great deal of thinking about the human person and that we are all made in the image and likeness of God, male and female. We were all asked to consider how people in our community approach one another and whether it is always with love and openness. The days were educational and productive. I would like to thank Susan Chant for being such an excellent Acting Principal in my absence.

Family Week

I hope you are all enjoying Family Week – a time to stop, refresh and rejuvenate by spending more time with family and friends without the added commitment of homework! We have Family Week in Week 7 of each term as the ‘seventh’ is traditionally observed as the Sabbath or a day of rest.

Loving Creator
We seek the Sabbath rest.

Our lives are so busy, so crowded.
Life's riches sometimes give us indigestion.

Teach us how to find some stillness even in the busiest day,
how to stop and catch our breath, how to rest and refresh our spirits.

Teach us when to lay our tools down, to take the time to breathe and be.

Show us how to bring our souls back to a place of rest
within your sheltering wings.

Amen

Annual Improvement Plan

Each year, the leadership team, along with the teachers and our Catholic Education Performance Improvement Leader, formulate an Annual Improvement Plan. This is done in Term 4 of the year with the plan made for the following year. This is set out as three goals that will be the priorities for the following year. The three goals for the Annual Improvement Plan for 2023 are as follows:

1. To develop exceptional educators;
2. To develop a culture of consistency for teachers and students;
3. To develop high quality pedagogical practices in Mathematics.

Please see that attached link for the full AIP

Anxiety and Resilience strategies for parents and carers to assist your children As advertised via Compass earlier in the week, The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) invites parents and carers and staff in NSW/ACT Catholic schools to attend a FREE webinar being presented by Justin Coulson on Anxiety and Resilience. This will be on Wednesday 29 March 2023.  Please see the attached flyer for details and registration.

I know that with the recent increase in interest rates (once again) I understand that there are families who may be experiencing financial pressures. Please know that as a school, we are here to support you in ensuring an excellent education remains affordable. In all Catholic schools we share the understanding that no student will be refused enrolment or be disadvantaged because of an inability on the part of parents/guardians to meet financial requirements (from our Enrolment Policy).

Fee remissions are offered in cases of financial hardship and eligible families can apply for a fee reduction. Every family's circumstances differ and we are happy to work with you and discuss your concerns. Each application is considered individually and with the strictest confidence.

The ACT Government's Future of Education Equity Fund provides yearly one-off payments to Canberra families experiencing financial challenges with students from preschool to year 12 and independent students. The Equity Fund helps cover costs associated with schooling.

The following payments are available to those who meet the eligibility criteria:

• $400 for preschool students
• $500 for primary school students
• $750 for high-school and college students

Parents can apply for these payments at the following link: 2023 - Future of Education Student Equity Fund - ACT Education Directorate (smartygrants.com.au)

School Fees

Term 1 fee payments are now due to be finalised. Thank you to the families who have already settled their accounts. If you have not paid your Term 1 fees please do so ASAP. Payment can be made using, credit card, cash, Bpay or EFTPOS. As always, if you are experiencing difficulty paying the fees, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Naomi our Finance Manager.

2024 Enrolment Period 

1 May 2023  - 26 May 2023 (Weeks 2 - 5 Term 2)

It is hard to believe that we are starting to plan for next year already! If you have a child ready to start school next year or know of any parents considering a Catholic Education for their child, please spread the word about the upcoming 2024 enrolment period for Catholic Schools. Dates for our open school sessions will be advertised shortly and we look forward to welcoming prospective students and their families to St Thomas the Apostle School.

Harmony Day and Grandparents day

And finally for this week, we are looking forward to our Grandparents and Multicultural Day (Harmony Day) on Monday. All students are encouraged to dress in the national dress of a country their family may have ties to or to simply wear orange to signify harmony and unity.  We are expecting many of our wonderful grandparents on Monday to join us for Mass, an activity in the classroom and a shared morning tea. Please label morning contributions as gluten free (GF) or lactose free (LF) for those children with allergies and of course nothing with nuts of any sort can be brought in.

It may be autumn but we are looking forward to seeing summer off with a ripper of a hot weekend ahead. Enjoy it because it won’t be long until the cool / cold / freezing weather of Canberra is with us!