Filter Content
- Assistant Principal's Report
- RE Week 5 - Who do you say I am?
- Library News
- Upcoming Events
- School Photos - Thursday 11 March
- March Birthdays
- Reading Eggs/Eggspress
- Partners: Parenting Ideas
- SCC Member Profiles
- Photos -Award winners Week 4
- Photos - Swimming Carnival
- Photos - Mini Vinnies Commissioning
- Congratulations
- TeamKids Newsletter
- TeamKids Birthday Flyer
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is hard to believe that we are half way through Term 1, its autumn already and the teachers are planning for Parent Teacher Interviews – how time flies! I am eternally grateful for the teachers and support staff at our school for their dedication to teaching and learning. The conversations at the staff room table and in our weekly meetings centre around making our school the best possible environment to learn and grow. Not only do we discuss day to day occurrences but also plan long term goals. It is a wonderful environment to work in when I see our goals come to fruition for your children!
Save the Date - Working Bee
The St Thomas Apostle working bee is planned for Sunday 28 March between 8:00am – 12 noon. A working bee will not only be wonderful to get our school ready for winter but a great way to connect with other families and get to know new people. JPlease bring along your gardening tools, John will point you in the right direction and there will even be pizzas for lunch!
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews will be conducted between Monday 22 and Wednesday 24 March. Bookings will open this coming Sunday (7 March) and close on Thursday 18 March. The link will be available via SZapp so please keep an eye out.
NAPLAN
In Term 2, all students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in NAPLAN online. NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy, against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia.
To prepare for NAPLAN testing, all students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in an online Practice Test on 25 March. The purpose of the test is to familiarise students with the type of items that they will see on NAPLAN online and related functionalities. This test is worthwhile to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the test.
As a parent, you can become familiar with NAPALN Online tests by visiting the public demonstration site:
NAPLAN Online allows for tailored testing. This means that student are presented with sets of questions based on their performance during the test. This model provides students with the opportunity to better demonstrate their range of literacy and numeracy skills and it is more engaging for students. Further information explaining tailored testing can be found at https://bit.ly/2PgG7rL. If you have any questions or wish to discuss your son or daughter’s participation in this event, please contact our school NAPLAN Coordinator, Luke Mooney at luke.mooney@cg.catholic.edu.au.
Further information on NAPLAN Online, including the public demonstration site, is available at
Warm blessings,
Susan Chant
Assistant Principal
RE Week 5 - Who do you say I am?
RE Week 5 - Who do you say I am?
Harmony Day and Grandparent’s Day
This year our combined Harmony Day and Grandparent’s Day will be held on Monday 22nd March from 9:30am - 11:30am. Grandparents are invited to join us outside for a morning of prayer and activities. Students are invited to wear clothes that represent their heritage. Grandparents are invited to bring a picnic Morning Tea to share with their grandchildren including a rug to sit on. Unfortunately we are unable to hold a shared morning tea due to COVID-19 restrictions. Families who have grandparents who live a distance away are encouraged to invite a close family member or aunt/uncle/godparent to share the morning.
Global School Partners
Harmony Day is also the day we consider our partner school in Kenya and raise funds to support them. Please keep an eye out for the flyer to come.
Mini Vinnies Commissioning
On Monday we commissioned 49 students into our Mini Vinnies Team. The children were well supported by members of the Kambah Conference of St Vincent de Paul and by the Youth Liaison, Matt Wilson. The Mini Vinnies team have an important role in the school to educate our community around social justice issues and to coordinate the collection of food items to assist those in need in our community. We appreciate your support in donating items of food or toiletries on a regular basis.
2021 Sacramental Program
This year, enrolment for Sacramental Programs will occur across 4 evenings.
Families may choose to attend a family prayer night run by Penny Vanzwol on Tuesday 16th March at 6:30pm. This will follow the 6pm Mass at St Thomas the Apostle Church. Families are invited to attend the Mass prior to this if they would like.
Alternately you may choose to attend Mass on either Wednesday 17th March, Thursday 18th March or Friday 19th March. Mass will be at 6pm in the St Thomas the Apostle Church.
Children enrolling for the Sacraments of Reconciliation (Year 3) Eucharist (Year 4) and Confirmation (Year5/6) are all required to attend on one of these evenings. Families should bring the completed enrolment form and payment on their chosen evening. If you are unable to attend any of these dates, please contact Penny Vanzwol through the school office on 62314144 or via email on Penelope.vanzwol@cg.catholic.edu.au to arrange another time. Attendance at an enrolment Mass is a vital component of the Sacramental Program. Students attending St Thomas the Apostle School will be given an enrolment form this week. Students from other schools may collect forms from the School Office and Church Foyer.
We look forward to sharing this important journey with you.
Youth Minister
Today we welcome Joseph Murray to our school and parish. Joseph will be working in the school and Parish in the role of Youth Minister. We are so excited to welcome him and the wealth of experience and enthusiasm he will bring to our community.
Penny Vanzwol
REC
This week in Library we have been exploring the virtue of cooperation and how this is presented in literature. You may like to support this at home by “digging deeper” into what cooperation means in the context of your family or in books you read together. Our aim is to move children beyond the explanation of cooperation as “working together” into a deeper, more thoughtful response involving an understanding that we were created to live in harmony with each other. God does not want us to live a solitary life. He has given each of us unique gifts and personality traits that are to be used to enrich our lives and the lives of others.
Penny Vanzwol
Teacher Librarian
Date |
Event |
Monday 8 March |
Canberra Day Public Holiday |
Tuesday 9 March |
Year 3/4 Excursion (AEC) 9:15am - 12:15pm |
Thursday 11 March |
School Photos |
Friday 12 March |
Yr 2 Assembly (Parents/Carers welcome) 2.30pm |
School Photos - Thursday 11 March
Please return the photos envelopes, including envelopes for sibling photos,
to your class teacher either on or before the photo day.
Students are required to wear their sports uniform.
Happy Birthday to the following students who will cebebrate a birthday this week
This year the school will not be renewing Reading Eggs/Eggspress subscriptions for every student. However, we will provide subscriptions for families upon request.
If you would like a 2021 Reading Eggs subscription for your child, please email luke.mooney@cg.catholic.edu.au by Monday 8 March.
Edwina Wundersitz
What brings me joy? Skiing, beach holidays and outdoor adventures. Fun times with family and friends and baking with the kids. Keeping fit, watching the football and cricket, and going to the movies. And saving the best ‘til last, my husband’s cooking and my children’s laughter.
Liz Grellman
I have been a parent at St Thomas since 2014 and on the School Community Council (SCC) since 2019. Olivia graduated from St Thomas last year and we now have Dan in Year 6. I try to be an adventurous mum: mountain biking, camping, skiing, painting toilets. It’s a shame work gets in the way sometimes! Initially I was quite nervous about being on the SCC but it is really rewarding. You get to hear about upcoming projects, you are able to voice concerns or raise questions from the parent community and you get to approve spending for the benefit of our children. I bring a background in education and school administration to the council and an enthusiasm for playing an active role in the school. There is a great community feel here at our St Thomas village - you can’t help but get caught up in it when you get involved!
Katherine Hellwig
My name is Katherine Hellwig and I hold the role as the Deputy Chair in the SCC. I have been associated with school since 2010 when my son started in Kindergarten and my daughter is in her finial year at St Thomas’s.
My decision to join the SCC was driven by wanting to participate in the school environment and learn more about how the school operates.
Aleks Kalinowski
My family joined the St Thomas the Apostle community when my daughter Zoë, now in third grade, entered kindergarten in 2018. We’re experiencing the move to “big school” all over again (albeit with fewer nerves) with my son Harry in kindy this year. My family and I love to travel, wander through our beautiful nature reserves with our golden retriever, play board games, and spend quiet Sunday afternoons with our noses buried in books. We’ve made good friends and many wonderful memories in this happy community over the years, getting involved whenever and however we can. I’m constantly inspired by the amazing, generous, and creative contributions children and families make to our school and broader community, and I look forward to contributing in another way through the SCC.
Congratulations to Steven Jacobs’ family (KH) who recently welcomed a new baby girl, Anna.