St Thomas' News
11th October 2018
Loving God,
Our creator, our saviour, our companion, bless this journey of a new term that we undertake today.
Refresh our souls and renew our spirits as we embrace the beautiful ministry you have called us to.
We welcome all those in our community andask that you strengthen them to share the wonderful gifts you have given them.
Lord, make our hearts pure as we prepare for the return of students to this school, and may you guide them to return with open hearts and minds eager to learn.
We ask this in Your name,
Amen
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday 12 October: Year 3 Assembly - 8.45am
Friday 12 October: Year 6 Surfing lessons begin
Wednesday 17 October: Parish Mass (Year 2 attending) - 12.30pm
Wednesday 17 October: Year 3 Parent Reconciliation Meeting - 7.00pm School Hall
Thursday 18 October: Kindy Grandparents Morning
Friday 19 October: ST. THOMAS’ ART SHOW - 1.00 – 5.00pm
Tuesday 23 October: School Board Meeting
Thursday 24 October: Coffee with Leadership Team – 8.45am
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear St. Thomas' Community,
Staffing News: Congratulations to Mr Peter O’Mara who has been appointed Assistant Principal at Majella Catholic Primary. Peter will commence his time at Majella at the start of the 2019 school year. We wish Peter all the very best for his promotion.
Congratulations also to Kelly and Zaaron Migliore on the safe arrival of Eva Harper. Eva was born on 25 September at 2:12am. What wonderful news!!
Mrs Rebecca Newman has tendered her resignation, as she wishes to focus her time and energy on her writing career. Rebecca has done a remarkable job of maintaining our library and library resources for the past 2 and a half years. We thank her for her contribution to St. Thomas’. Rebecca will continue to teach Choral Speaking in 2019 at St. Thomas’.
Art Show: One week to go!! Preparation for the St Thomas’ Art Show is certainly reaching fever pitch. The Art Show is now only one week away – Friday 19 October. I would like to congratulate all who have been involved in the planning and preparation. I have no doubt this will be a wonderful afternoon for the students, parents, grandparents and friends of the school. Thank you to the students for all of your wonderful art pieces, to the staff for their assistance, in particular Mrs. Kate Byrne who has been an amazing source of ideas, patience and perseverance regarding the creative side of the show. To the fantastic parents who contributed ideas, time and energy to the show in particular Mrs. Natalie Bogoias; thank you – the staff and students certainly appreciate all of your hard work. One final request is to have one last push to get the message out to family and friends about the Art Show so that it is the fantastic event we all hope it will be.
Reconciliation: We pray for our Year Three students and Mr. O’Mara as they prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. May they receive the grace of forgiveness and repentance as they journey closer to God. The Parent Meeting will take place on Wednesday 17 October starting at 7.00pm in the School Hall. The Sacrament will then take place on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 October starting at 3.20pm.
Year Three Assembly: Our next major assembly of the year will take place tomorrow Friday 12 October. The Year Three class will be showcasing their learning.
Updates: Please advice the office as soon as possible if you have had any changes to the following:
- Your residential address
- Your mobile, work or home telephone numbers
- Your Visa status
P&F Meeting: The P&F Meeting that was schedule for next Monday 15 October has been postponed to Monday 29 October at 9.00am. This will be the last P&F meeting of 2018.
RELIGION NEWS
Plenary Council: In a recent newsletter I spoke about the fact that the Catholic Church in Australia will be holding a Plenary Council in 2020. A Plenary Council is the highest formal gathering of local churches in the country. It is a chance for all catholic communities around Australia to enter into a dialogue about the current state of the Church in Australia and how our church can stay relevant within the contemporary society of Australia.
At school we will be holding two sessions for parents to attend and register their individual responses. These events will be facilitated by Ann Johnston (Member of St. Thomas' Board and St. Thomas’ Parish Council). Interested parents only need to attend one of either of the two sessions which are scheduled for: Thursday 25 October at 2.30pm or Friday 26 October at 8.45am.
Anyone in Australia can have their say as we are all invited to respond online to the following question: What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time? Please go to the website for further information: http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/
Bishop Timothy Costelloe is calling on us to speak boldly, listen with an open heart, to pray, to question and to discern. Everyone’s experience of faith and the Church is different and unique, and it is important that the Plenary Council hears responses from as many people as possible.
ST THOMAS' NEWS
School Disco - Date Change
The 2018 St. Thomas’ School Disco will now take place on Friday 9 November. See the Posters below for details!! The Student Leaders are running the disco. Parent volunteers will be required so if you can assist please contact Nat Bogoias or Ryan von Bergheim.
NAPLAN 2018
NAPLAN: The 2018 NAPLAN test results were sent home to parents/guardians of children in Year 3 and 5 prior to the end of Term Three. On the whole the results are extremely pleasing with an average of 95% of all children in Year 3 and 5 above the National Minimum Standard in all strands of Literacy and Numeracy.
Although these results are only a snapshot of learning the children have undertaken, they are nonetheless an important tool at a school level. As a school we use the detailed data we receive from NAPLAN to inform the focus of our School Improvement Plan for the following year and beyond. Our Plan involves redefining our goals and constantly improving our teaching practices ensuring that we get the best out of the students in our care. The staff look forward to addressing the focus areas identified as part of our professional journey as educators.
Website Treasure Hunt Winners!
Scholastic Book Club Catalogue
FINAL CATALOGUE FOR 2018 BOOKS MAKE GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS!
Orders due by MONDAY 22 OCTOBER
Students will bring home a Term 4 Scholastic book club catalogue this week. Our school library earns 20% from every item ordered.
Please note that orders are online only (Scholastic calls this 'LOOP') and payment is with a credit card.
This is your LAST chance to order from a book catalogue for 2018! If you wish to order an item, please follow the instructions on the back page of your child’s catalogue. (No payments by cash or cheque. Late orders cannot be accepted.)
Books you order will be delivered to the library later this term, and then sent home with your child.
If you are ordering items as Christmas gifts and don't want your child to see them, please email me after placing your order online and I'll keep your items aside for you for a parent to collect.
MONTHLY COFFEE WITH LEADERSHIP TEAM
Join the Leadership team on THURSDAY 25th OCTOBER straight after drop-off for coffee and an informal chat for 20 minutes. For more info, watch the short (45-second) video below. Each month we will hold this event - a chance for us to hear from the St Thomas' community.
* Please note, this is not a time to discuss individual children. This should still be done by appointment with the classroom teacher.The Big Camp Out 2018
When was the last time you took time out, unplugged from modern technology and spent quality time with your child?
As part of The Fathering Project, The Big Camp Out offers fathers the chance to spend quality one-on-one time with their child in a unique camp out experience at Domain Stadium. Be one of the last people to use the oval for this HISTORIC event!
The event is designed for fathers/father figures and kids aged 5 – 12 years to offer a unique camping opportunity. Participants are encouraged to bring along their favourite activities and games to play, as you would on a traditional camping adventure.
A BBQ style dinner and sumptuous breakfast will be provided during the event.
The event runs from 3pm on Saturday 10th November to 12 noon Sunday 11th November. There will be a range of fun activities co-ordinated by OutdoorsWA on Saturday and Sunday morning.
Fathers and children are encouraged to work together to prepare their camping equipment and board games (for Saturday night).
The Big Camp Out : For full details go to The Big Camp Out website.
St Thomas' Junk Band
In Term 4 all music classes will be creating a “Junk Band”. The instruments will be created by upcycling your junk and rubbish around the home. Some of the instruments will be displayed at the Art Show.
So please help your child to start collecting some interesting bits of junk and rubbish that can be turned into a musical instrument. Please keep your junk at home until next term, because there is no room at school!
You are welcome to create the instruments at home, then when it gets to school it’s ready to play. There’s lots of ideas on the internet. Get creative!
BUILDING RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN - PARENT WORKSHOP
Building Resilience in Children - Parent Workshop
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2018, 06:30 PM
St Thomas' Primary School, Warden Street, Claremont WA, Australia
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
TECH TIPS
Digital Technology Guidelines for Parents
Technology is everywhere now, in our homes, in our pockets, and perhaps worryingly for many parents, in our children’s hands. Every family is different, and will have their own ideas around what’s considered ‘normal’ or acceptable use of electronic devices, which means there’s no universal answer.
Our feedback from parents is that controlling iPad use at home can be difficult. Over the coming weeks I will share with you some tips/suggestions to help establish/re-establish guidelines for home usage to bring some order to the way your children use digital devices at home...
Tip #1. Consider a Digital Device ‘Contract’
Clearly set out your digital device usage guidelines, and print them in an agreement that you and your young one can both sign. If there are any disputes, then you both have the expectations in writing. This digital technology guideline maybe a little too formal for many people’s tastes, but it removes the grey areas around expectations that many young people are likely to exploit. At our Incoming Year 3 iPad Parent Night, we provide a copy of a 'Home Use Contract/Rules' document that you can use. This document can be found below if you require another copy or would like to revisit. It is also available on the St Thomas' iPad Website - http://stthomasipadprogram.weebly.com
Tip #2 : Specify Clear Hours for Digital Use
Set the ground rules for when your youngsters can use their tablets and phones, and when they need to shut them off for the night. It’s just a smart way to build a habit for the whole family so it becomes ingrained and just the way things are done in your home. Keep in mind that this age group faces tremendous peer pressure to be online 24/7, and even though they’d never admit it, it might be helpful for them to have an acceptable ‘way out’ from their demanding digital life.
Tips 3 & 4 coming next Newsletter...
Ryan von Bergheim
Assistant Principal
SUSTAINABILITY SQUARE
This term as part of our HASS program the Year 6 students will be embarking on the strand Economics and Business. This strand involves a number of interesting topics for discussion and investigation. The students are invited to think critically about the products that they consume and the effects that their choices might have on the environment and on the livelihoods of others. Students will also investigate sustainable methods of production and distribution and consider how product labelling can inform and influence consumer choices at the check-out. The students will collaborate to write a proposal for a business venture of their own and this year our focus will be on sustainability, products either made from sustainable items or the production of sustainable products. We are looking forward to see what they come up with. Stay tuned!
SPORT NEWS
Interschool Athletics 2018 Results
On Monday 17 September, 52 students represented out school at the Interschool Athletics Carnival at the WA State Athletics Centre.
Overall St Thomas came 5th, however the top 5 schools were all so close with 74 points between 1st and 5th, 1st and 2nd were only 6 points apart!
All of the students performed so well on the day and a special mention to our Year 6 student athletes. Our reserves had to step it up on the day, as our Captain Pathawi Edwards had broken his collar bone and Luisa Shields filled in for Nyvada Slater.
Here are the results below:
Overall winning school
1st St John’s 1383 points, 2nd Sacred Heart 1377, 3rd Holy Spirit 1369, 4th OLGC 1322, 5th St Thomas 1309, 6th St Paul’s 1053, 7th St Dominic’s 1023
Girls trophy
1st Sacred Heart 758, 2nd Holy Spirit 695, 3rd St John’s 668, 4th OLGC 658, 5th St Thomas 606, 6th Saint Paul’s 553, 7th St Dominic’s 481
Boys Trophy
1st St John’s 715, 2nd St Thomas 703, 3rd Holy Spirit 674, 4th OLGC 664, 5th Sacred Heart 619, 6th St Dominic’s 542, 7th St Paul’s 500
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday 8 November – Girls and Boys Regional Cricket Finals – Year 6 boys and Year 5 & 6 girls who participated in the Cricket carnival in Term 1 and won their division.
Positive Parenting by Michael Grose
Make your compliments count
Ever notice how small hinges can swing really big doors? It’s a reminder that it’s the smallest things we do in our families that often have the biggest impact. One way you can maximise your impact on your family’s wellbeing and your children’s self-esteem is to make your compliments count.
Here’s a story about how a few well-chosen words had a huge impact on a child, with an explanation of how you can do the same.
Next time, your child does something worthwhile take the time to give a sincere compliment. Smile and add a little touch to really let them know how you feel. Watch your child’s reaction.
I overheard a friend tell her eight-year old daughter last week: “You did such a good job helping your brother yesterday. You are such lovely big sister!”. My friend’s face was lit up with a big warm smile. At the same time, she gently put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder as she spoke. The little girl beamed, and then happily went off to play. It was a simple parenting moment among many that my friend would have initiated that day.
I couldn’t help thinking that it doesn’t take much to nurture a child’s self-esteem and create good feelings at home. Compliments, when given sincerely, have an enormous impact on those who receive them. We all grow a little taller, at least inside, when we receive them. We also feel closer to the person giving them.
Compliments satisfy the deep craving we all have to be appreciated. They are easy to give, but they are also easy not to give.
We forget.
We underestimate their impact.
We haven’t developed the habit of giving compliments.
There were two things my friend did that amplified the impact of the compliment. Firstly, she smiled as she gave it. Secondly, she touched her daughter as well. Touch will always amplify a compliment. It makes it personal.
Her mother’s smile showed her daughter how her mum really felt. In fact, the touch and smile said it all. The words justified the smile and touch. The compliment was given and received through three senses – visually, kinaesthetically and auditory.
That’s how kids will process all your messages – they see, they feel, they hear. We often focus on the words and forget the visual and kinaesthetic.
Next time, your child does something worthwhile take the time to give a sincere compliment. Smile and add a little touch to really let them know how you feel. Watch your child’s reaction.
I promise it will have a significant impact. It doesn’t take much to touch their little hearts.
Guitar & Drum Lessons
Russell has over thirty years’ experience in the teaching and performing of music. He is a professional who will be conducting guitar lessons with a twist. The diligent student will also receive the occasional drum kit, five to ten minutes instructional at the end of their guitar lesson. (Home kit not required). Enquire at the front office.
EXTEND NEWS
Welcome back to school! We hope you enjoyed a well deserved rest over the holidays and are feeling refreshed and keen for another wonderful term of school. We are excited to see lots of you in Extend Before and After School Care!
To open the term, we have been doing some fun welcoming and getting-to-know you crafts and games including 3D Cube All About Me.
Extend-a-Hand
Learn | Aid | Appreciate
Each year Extend launches Extend-a-Hand, a major social initiative that educates primary school children on the benefits to contributing to the wider community. This year, we are extending a hand to our hard working farmers who have been suffering through one of the worst droughts in living memory.
Learn | Children will learn about weather systems and cycles, the impact of drought and who really provides our food.
Aid | Extend has partnered with GIVIT.org.au to raise funds for farmers and their farmers.
Appreciate | Children will create handwritten letters and drawings expressing sentiments of gratitude and encouragement to the farmers and their families.
Visit Extend’s donation page via GIVIT and participate in this fantastic cause!
Our Extend Superstars are:
Rebecca Wijeygoonewardena her happy and enthusiastic attitude in helping others and in sharing her brilliant activity ideas to Extend program. Thank you Rebecca!
Lauren Shirley her high level of interest and participation in all Extend activities. She is such a great educator’s assistant, cheerful and always willing to take leadership role. Well done Lauren!
Liezel Menguito
St Thomas' Community Partners
St Thomas' Primary School
Email: admin@stthomas.wa.edu.au
Website: stthomas.wa.edu.au
Location: 8 Warden Street Claremont WA 6010
Phone: (08 9286 9500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stthomasprimaryschoolclaremont
Twitter: @StThomasCPS