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Upcoming
Events
Friday 24 August SAPSASA Athletics Carnival Munno Para Little athletics
club
Monday 27 August Write a book in a day– some
Year 7’s 8am to 8pm) Year 4 RELAT Test this week.
Wednesday 29 August
6/7E Mass 10.15am Activity Day STM Parish Sacramental Program
Thursday 30 August
SAPSASA Rugby League Tag Carnival Rescheduled
Friday 31 August
Whole School Assembly led by R/1S 9am
Fathers Day Sunday 2nd
September
Tuesday 4 September Principal Tour 10am
Catholic School 4– 7 Football Carnival
Wednesday 5 September R/1 Liturgy
Thursday 6 September Casual Clothes Day – Spinal
Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
St Thomas More School
Newsletter Term 3 Week 5 Thursday 23 August 2018 Website: www.sttmore.catholic.edu.au Email: [email protected]
St Thomas More School recognises and acknowledges that we are living on traditional Aboriginal lands and we offer our respect and appreciation to all Aboriginal people.
St Thomas More School
50 Yorktown Road
Elizabeth Park SA 5113
PO Box 2002
Elizabeth Park SA 5113
Telephone: 8255 1699
Fax: 8287 0241
OSHC: 8255 1626
0409551699
Principal
Mr Joe Blefari
Acting Deputy Principal
Mrs Sonia Kilmister
Acting APRIM
Mrs Leah Williams
This is a friendly reminder that 2018 is the final year that St. Thomas More School will have Year 7 students.
As a result, in 2019 STM will become a Reception – Year 6 School. If you have a child in Year 6 at our school
this year, if you haven’t already done so, you will need to enrol them in another school for Year 7 in 2019. I
sincerely apologise for any issues that this may cause families. If you would like to discuss your circumstances
with me please feel free to see me.
I have begun planning for 2019 and most of our classes are at, or near, capacity for 2019. If you are aware of
other families or friends that are considering enrolling their child or children at St. Thomas More School in
2019, they are strongly encouraged to contact the school and make a time for an enrolment interview with
me as soon as possible. Unfortunately we may have some children added to our waiting lists as a result of
our classes being full next year.
In the coming weeks we will begin the process of class placements taking into consideration the varying
needs of each child within the school. I believe it is important that we have as much information about each
child, to ensure that all their needs are fully considered throughout this process. As such, we give parents an
opportunity for input regarding the placement of students for the following year. This exercise is about
considering your child’s educational needs. I would like to stress that this is not an opportunity to select your
child’s class teacher. It is also my belief that the class teacher is the person in the best position to make
judgments about children’s educational needs. The school is consultative in this matter; however, the final
decision rests with the class teachers and myself.
If you think there is some aspect of your child’s learning needs that requires further consideration, please
put your thoughts in writing by completing the proforma included in this week’s newsletter. I can assure
you that these needs will be considered when class placements are finalised. All letters need to be submitted
to the Front Office by Friday, 14th September. If you would like to discuss any related matter with me in
person, please feel free to contact me.
2019
2019 Classes
Principal’s Report
From 2019, our Year 5 students will be viewed as senior students along with the Year 6s. As a result, the Year 5s will join the
Year 6s on school camp next year. The 2019 Year 5/6 camp will be occurring during Week 11 of Term 1. This is a 3 day and 2
night camp experience to be held at Narnu Farm, Hindmarsh Island. Further information including exact costs and permission
forms will be provided to families in Week 1 of Term 1. To support families in planning financially for camp, the approximate
cost will be $210 per student. This amount includes transport, food, activities and accommodation.
Some of the activities that children will be involved in include:
Horse Riding
Clydesdale hand ploughing
Blacksmithing demonstration
Separating milk and butter making
Vintage truck ride
Farm animal feeding
Chicken hatchery
Animals Anonymous
It was great to see so many people join us last week for this annual event in the school. I enjoyed meeting new people and I
know the children enjoyed the opportunity to share their classrooms, learning and school with those who are important to
them. This day was an opportunity for the children to celebrate their learning and school and to continue to build a sense of
community at St. Thomas More. Thank you to the staff for supporting this event and to Carmen Claxton for baking delicious
sweets that were shared at morning tea. I hope you enjoy the photos in this week’s newsletter.
On Thursday 6th September (Week 7) we are holding a casual clothes day to raise funds and awareness of Spinal Muscular
Atrophy (SMA). The disease affects all the muscles in the body and eventually compromises the ability to breathe and swallow.
This is the childhood version of Motor Neurone Disease. Infants diagnosed with SMA generally don’t live to reach their 2nd
Birthday. Tragically we have parents, students and staff of St. Thomas More School who have lost a loved one from SMA. In
November 2014, Grace Olivia lost her battle with SMA at just 10 ½ months of age. In honour of Grace, the Ahearn family is
desperate to raise awareness and promote further research into this disease. As a result, they have created the ‘Grace Olivia’
Fund with money raised going to The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation. Children are encouraged to wear ‘Active
Wear’ – i.e. netball/footy/sporting apparel and bring in a gold coin donation on this day.
This is a friendly reminder that our next pupil free day is the last Friday of Term 3, September 28. Staff will be taking part in a
Cultural Safety and Respect course facilitated by Jonathan Lindsay-Tjapaltjarri Hermawan. I look forward to sharing our
learning with you. Please note that OSHC is available if required.
School Camp 2019
Special Person’s Day
Casual Clothes Day – Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
Pupil Free Day – 28th September
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This year, a group of Year 6/7’s: Michael, Charlie, Georgia, Kaitlin, Mia A, Juron and Danielle as the illustrator, have come
together to enter in the Write a Book in a Day Competition. The group will have the challenge to write a book with a word limit
of between 4000-4500. They are required to come up with unique ideas and illustrations for their book. The team will have
only 12 hours, from 8am-8pm on the 27th of August, to fully complete, bind, and send the book off. Every book that enters the
competition goes to hospitals that care for children suffering with Cancer. The students are asking for sponsors to help raise
money towards the Kids Cancer Project. They are aiming to raise $300.
Catholic Education SA have kindly offered our Year 4-7 students the opportunity to engage with Aboriginal Contemporary
Dancer, Gina Rings in a Cultural Artist in Residence Program in Term 3.
Gina Rings, an Aboriginal woman from the Kokatha nation west coast of South Australia, has extensive expertise in
contemporary and traditional dance and choreography. In addition to her time with Bangarra where she was the leading
female dancer with the Company, Gina has choreographed numerous dance works, collaborated with Trevor Jamieson and
Scott Rankin and has served as Artistic Director of Kurruru Indigenous Youth Theatre and Adelaide's Spirit Festival.
Gina offers an exploration of Aboriginal cultural dance, history and practice. Students will engage with and reflect on Aboriginal
cultural arts, specific to the emergence of Contemporary Indigenous Dance. This program is aimed at enhancing learning and
wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and also enhancing cultural understanding and respect in our
school community.
I hope you have a positive end to the week.
Yours sincerely,
Joe Blefari
Principal
Write a Book in a Day Team
Indigenous Education
Page 3
Deputy Report
Page 4
Dear Parents/Caregivers
Last Friday it was wonderful to see such a turn out for our Special Person’s Day. It was great to see the smiles on children’s
faces as they enjoyed having their special people at school. It is so important to encourage the connection between our
students, their families and our school as we recognise students’ families as being their first educators.
You may have noticed a sign in the Front Office at school advertising ‘Parents in Education Week’. Although the week runs
from 28 – 30 August, the website below will provide an enormous amount of expert information, including live sessions, live
streamed content, videos and watch on demand until 30th November.
This is a government initiative and I recommend it to anyone looking for some guidance for children of any age. The aim of
Parents in Education Week is to highlight the importance of parents being engaged in their child’s learning and education
from birth through to the end of school. There will be free live parenting seminars held over three nights at the Adelaide
Entertainment Centre from 28-30 August if you are interested to attend.
https://www.education.sa.gov.au/supporting-students/parent-engagement-education/parents-education-week
Here are some of the topics you can find on this website:
How to live positively in a digital world
Behaviours for learning and well-being: How to set your child up for success
No more bullying: Tips for identifying, defusing and preventing bullying
Breaking the 'boy code': teaching boys about respectful relationships - Justin Coulson
There are also Parent Easy Guides which provide comprehensive, easy to read information on raising children and young
people from birth to 18 years. These guides are free to order in South Australia.
For further information on the free seminars please contact the Parents in Education Week team: Phone: 8226 3156.
Kind regards
Sonia Kilmister
Acting Deputy Principal
Parents in Education Week
Special Friends Day
What a beautiful day our Special Person’s Day was last week. It was lovely to see our community come together and to hear
how proud our students are of their school and their families.
Tying in with this day is Father’s Day which we celebrate on Sunday 2nd September. We wish all our fathers and our parental
role models a wonderful day as we spend special times with those we can or remember our loved ones which are not with
us at this time.
God our Father, We give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; May they find courage and perseverance to balance work,
family and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for our own fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; May they know that the God of
compassion walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.
We remember fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory
and nourish us with their love.
Amen
On Wednesday last week, the Year 2/3’s lead Mass in our Sacred Space. Father Pat affiliated our service “The Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary”. The Year 2/3’s readings were exceptional as was their singing. It was a lovely way to celebrate
Mary and Mass at St Thomas More School.
APRIM Report
Special Friends Day
Year 2/3 Mass
Page 5
APRIM Report
Walk a Mile in my Boots
On Tuesday 18th September, we will be walking to support the Hutt
St Centre. Hutt St Centre is an agency that supports homeless and
vulnerable people by clothing, providing meals and hot showers for
people facing homelessness. They also support those in need to
achieve secure housing and social inclusion.
To continue their support, they require our support. So on Tuesday 18th September we will be
walking a mile in our boots. On this day, students can wear their favourite shoes (remember
we have a long way to walk, so make sure they are comfortable and safe!). All we ask is for a
gold coin donation which will go straight to the Hutt St Centre.
We warmly welcome you all. More information will be provided as we get closer to the date.
We will be holding another competition for our students which I cannot wait to announce!!!
Diary Dates
May you always feel God’s love and presence in your life,
Leah Williams
Acting APRIM
Date Special Event
Wednesday 29th August Year 6/7 E Father’s Day Mass
Wednesday 5th September R/1 Liturgy
Wednesday 12th September Year 6/7 J Mercy Mass
Week 9 beginning 17th Septem-ber
Mercy Week
Tuesday 18th September Walk a Mile in my Boots
Friday 1st June International Children’s Day
Page 6
Page 7
Congratulations to Bailey Thompson who was selected to play in the Kids Footy Legends game last Friday. Bailey played for Kane’s
Kids against Blighty’s brigade at the Norwood Oval. Bailey was coached by Kane Cornes and had the privilege of meeting many
other junior footy legends. Bailey played full forward and ruck and managed to kick 5 goals 2 points and was named player of the
match. Well done Bailey on such a fine achievement.
Mr Chevalier
P.E. Co-ordinator
Kids Footy Legends
Sport News
Thursday, 9th August, St Thomas More participated in the Catholic Schools Cross Country carnival at PAC oval in the city.
On a beautiful morning for running we came up against some challenging opposition. All students were able to achieve some great results, completing the challenging 2km course, with each race having over 200 competitors. The students showed great enthusiasm, competed to the best of their ability and set high standards for themselves.
We had many students finish in the top 50 with Michael Starrenburg finishing 15th, leading the way for the boys whilst Adinda Fremlin was the leading female competitor, finishing 28th.
Thank you to Kylie Bickerdike and Mitchell Roberts for their assistance and support on the day!
Well done everyone on a great performance!
Fabian Chevalier
Cross Country Carnival
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Enrolment Information
Page 10
If you have a sibling ready to start school in 2019 or 2020 enrolments are now open.
Is someone you know interested in attending St Thomas More School—let them know about our
Principal Tours.
The best way to get a sense of our school community is on a principal tour. Tours will be held on
the first Tuesday of the Month (excluding school holidays).
Please call Principal Assistant Kerry Oates on 8255 1699 to register for a tour.
Thomas More College is proud to present ‘Mary Poppins’, 2 nights only at the Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth. Please head to the college website tmc.catholic.edu.au and click on the big blue banner to purchase tickets through Trybooking.
CLASS PLACEMENTS 2019 Please return class placement forms to Kerry Oates at the Front Office by
Thursday 14 S ber
Child’s Name:
Current Year Level:
Child’s Current Teacher/s:
Name of the person completing this form:
Contact phone number:
I would appreciate if the following needs could please be considered when making a
class placement for my child in 2019:
Sign
Learning Needs
Well-Being Needs
(So ial/Emo ional/ ioural)
Other Considerations
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Page 12
School hours are Monday to Friday 8:50am—3:00pm except Wednesdays when students are dismissed at
2:30pm for staff meetings to take place.
The school yard is supervised every morning from 8:30am.
Children arriving before 8:30am or remaining past
3.15pm will be sent to Out of School Hours Care.
Out of School Hours Care
St Thomas More School provides the following:
Before School Care 6.30am to 8.30am
After School Care from school finish to 6.00pm
Vacation Care 6.30am to 6.00pm
To book your child into OSHC or Vacation Care please contact our OSHC Director, Kate Thede on
(08) 8255 1626 or 0409 551 699.
More information is available from the school office.
———————————————————————————————————————--
We are currently organising classes for 2019
PLEASE RETURN TO THE FRONT OFFICE IF YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO ST THOMAS MORE NEXT YEAR
My child/ren ____________________________ Class_____________________
____________________________ Class_____________________
____________________________ Class_____________________
are leaving St Thomas More to:
Move Overseas o Move Interstate o
Move to another Catholic School o Move to a Government School o
Please return the form as soon as possible.
School Hours Reminder
