Welcome back to Term 3

We were so pleased to welcome the students back to Term 3 yesterday. We hope you all had an enjoyable break and were able to have an opportunity for quality family time. It is sure to be an exciting term as we continue to engage in quality learning and have opportunities to come together as a community for our Science Fair, Book Week Parade and Father's Day Breakfast with Open Classrooms. Our 5/6 students will also have their excitement building for their annual camp to Stanwell Tops from 13-15 September.

Updated Furniture and Shade Structures

Our 3/4 students were so excited after recess yesterday when they were informed that their new desks were arriving. After moving tables to other areas of the school and into storage the classrooms were ready to receive the new desks. Our 3/4 desks are a neutral oak colour and rectangular, allowing them to align more closely with High Impact Teaching Practice and reduce cognitive load in the classroom environment. This also means that we have been able to furnish our classroom support space next to Kindergarten and set up the teacher workspace for staff collaboration and planning. 

You may have also noticed the support posts for shade structures have been installed around our outdoor classroom and sandpit. We look forward to the shade sails being installed over these spaces to increase their usability across the calendar year. In addition to this, the aging shade above the junior playground will be replaced. We are grateful to the Department of Education for selecting St Thomas More's in the School Upgrade Fund to achieve this improved shading on our campus.

CECG Faith in Learning Awards

There are only 3 days left to submit a nomination for the 2023 CECG Faith in Learning awards. We would encourage families to consider nominating an individual or group of people in our community for the excellence they bring to our community each day.

Nominate Now!

Tell Them From Me Survey

We have received the reports for the Tell Them From Me annual survey and are so grateful to our community for their affirmation of the work we do in addition to the constructive feedback provided to continue our growth as a school. There was an overwhelming majority of respondents who believe our fundraising efforts should be targeted towards replacing the old rope equipment with a senior students targetted equipment and quotes for this are already starting. Less than 98% of our students saw the value in Home Learning and gave considered feedback and the type of Home Learning they would like to participate in that complemented the sentiments of parents and staff. Nicole Mikkonen will now use this data to drive a review of the Home Learning Policy through consultation with staff, parents and students. 

Families leaving St Thomas More's in 2023

We are aware that offers of enrolment for private schools and Defence postings have now commenced for 2024. If you know that your child will be leaving St Thomas More's at the end of this year we would ask that you contact myself and Angela Kelley in the front office. If you are still undecided on your pursuit of other schools we would encourage you to also make contact so that we can have conversation to support you in this important decision regarding your child's education.

Luke Donnelly

Principal