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- Principal's Report
- RE Week 9 - Be still and know that I am God
- Archbishop Prowse - Return to our Eucharistic Home
- Library News
- Virtual Cross Country Event
- June/July Birthdays
- Remember to keep maintaining COVID-19 safe practices
- Award from Week 8
- Award Recipient Photos Week 8
- Yr 3/4 Science artwork - cold colours
- Yr 5/6 Spirituality artwork
- 2020 Non-Government School Census collection notice
- World Environment Day
- Tuggeranong Valley AFC
Dear Parents/Carers,
One of the hardest events in the life of a school is when one of our treasured staff members decides that it is time to leave the embrace of our community to seek new horizons. It with both sadness and gratefulness, that I share with you that our cherished Office Manager, Jodie Luhrs will be leaving us as of the end of this term. Jodie has been with us at St Thomas’ for the past 8 years and you would have to agree, that she has been an exceptional person in the way she relates with the children and all those she comes in contact with. We have all been touched by her caring and warm nature. Although Jodie has been very happy at St Thomas, the call to move on to a new adventure in her career means that the community of St Bede’s in Red Hill will be blessed to have Jodie as their new Office Manager. We will miss Jodie very much and wish her all the best for the future.
Enrolment Interviews
I have spent a time this week interviewing parents enrolling children for our 2021 Kindergarten intake. I find this particular task most rewarding on many fronts.
Firstly, simply meeting new families who are about to embark on this very exciting stage of their lives is always satisfying. I always ask the parents why they choose St Thomas the Apostle as the school to send their child. As you can imagine the answers vary from family to family but without exception, parents speak about their wish to instil strong values and their hope that the school will support them in this task. What is also intriguing is that parents hopes and expectations are generally quite simple…for their child to be happy, have friends and to learn those skills in life that will help them achieve their goals.
End of Semester Reports
Semester One Reports will be sent home next Thursday, July 2nd. I extend my thanks to the teachers for the time and effort they put into preparing the reports. As advised previously, this semester, the reports will look different as they will take into account the remote learning that has occurred due to the COVID-19 situation. The teachers have worked hard to ensure that the reports are an accurate reflection of each child’s progress and achievement.
Seeing all students without judgement
Parents can be surprised to hear another side of a student their own child has negative interactions with – perhaps mean comments or bullying.
They can realise they had misjudged, misunderstood, or written off a child. Something magical happens when adults hear details about other people’s children.
They move past stereotypes and clichés and begin to see them as humans – complex, complicated, messy humans who have strengths as well as weaknesses, virtues in addition to vices.
In other words, they start to see other people’s children with the same full perspective through which they see their own.
Children are, by definition, immature. They act impulsively. They make mistakes. They have very little judgment. They certainly have little experience to draw upon.
So extend grace, offer a space in which you make no judgment. Or at least to hold open the possibility that the story you are seeing will be incomplete, even when a child seems to be aggravating or difficult. Especially when a child seems to be aggravating or difficult.
Acknowledgement: “The Magic That Happens When Adults See Other People’s Kids as Three-Dimensional Humans” by Braden Bell, 2019
Only one week to go before our midyear school holidays. It will be a beautiful way to finish our term next Friday, by celebrating together, the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle.
May God bless you and your families
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
RE Week 9 - Be still and know that I am God
St Thomas the Apostle Feast Day
Next Friday we will celebrate St Thomas the Apostle’s Feast Day. This will be a wonderful way to celebrate the end of term. The day will also include our Winter Woolies collection. Thank you to those who have already donated items. Any time before or on the day would be wonderful.
What does St Thomas teach us about our focus for the year?
Be still and know that I am God
Be - The cross of St Thomas does not depict the crucified Lord. St Thomas focussed on the risen Lord. He challenges us to be the face of Christ to everyone we meet.
Be still- St Thomas spent time in prayer and reflection. He wants us to be still and meditate on the relationship we have with God in our lives.
Be still and know – St Thomas proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus. He wants us to know that the resurrection of Jesus is the source of great hope and joy in our lives.
Be still and know that I am God – St Thomas is known for his joyful proclamation, “My Lord and my God.” Through the words of St Thomas we understand that our God is a gracious God who blesses us each day and fills us with a love beyond our understanding.
Penny Vanzwol
REC
Because of the restrictions with COVID 19, we will not be having the usual Cross Country Carnival this year. However, all is not lost as we know that many of our students love running the Cross Country. Therefore, St Thomas the Apostle School is hosting a Virtual Cross Country. Please see the attached link for all the details.
Could you please send photos of students running the Cross Country to lynette.wilson@cg.catholic.edu.au. We would like to include them in the newsletter and Yearbook.
The four AFL Clubs within the Tuggeranong Valley; the Calwell Swans, Tuggeranong Lions, Tuggeranong Bulldogs and Tuggeranong Hawks amalgamated into one AFL Club this year. It's an exciting time to play AFL in Tuggeranong!!
Round 1 of Aussie Rules in the ACT kicks off on the 18th of July.
More details can be found at www.tuggeranongfc.com.au
Or by emailing playafl@tuggeranongfc.com.au