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Dear Parents and Carers,
First Holy Communion
We have been praying for our First Communicants for this coming Sunday when they will receive the Eucharist for the first time. The word 'communion' means to be
united with; Catholics believe that in Holy Communion we are united in a special way with Jesus Christ.
At his last supper, Jesus said of the bread that he shared among his followers, "Take and eat, this is my body." When we receive Holy Communion, Catholics believe
that in a mysterious way we are sharing in the body and blood of Christ. Holy Communion and the
whole celebration is also known as Eucharist, from a Greek word meaning thanksgiving.
Sabbath Week
This week is Sabbath Week. It’s always a great opportunity to re-connect with your children, without the pressures of homework. We ask students to continue their reading practice during Sabbath Week.
Parent/Teacher Interviews
Reports will be published via COMPASS next Friday (Week 8). Parent/Teacher Interviews will be the following Tuesday and Wednesday (June 15 & 16). Due to Catholic Education’s decision not to include comments in the Semester One report we are offering 20-minute timeslots for P/T Interviews. Bookings will be via COMPASS and will open on Wednesday 9th June.
Cross Country
All the best to the students who are representing our school at the North/Gungahlin Cross Country this Friday. Parents are reminded that once your child has raced you will need to leave Stromlo. Your children are welcome to return to school after their race.
Tell Them From Me Parent Survey
We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school
community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at STM. Please complete the survey even if you are happy with our lovely school.
The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:
http://tellthemfromme.com/8g4wz
Congratulations
Mr Michael Washington will teach Yr. 1 with Mrs Kristy Poole from Week 8 this term and all of Term 3. We look forward to welcoming Michael back to STM.
Centred in Learning Gathering
We have our Centred in Learning gathering on Monday at 9am, in Holy Faith Hall.
Yours sincerely,
Julie Wiley
Principal
Year 3/4 attending 10am Parish Mass this Friday
Parents and caregivers of students in Year 3 and 4 are most welcome to join the classes when they attend our 10am Parish Mass this Friday the 4th of June.
St Thomas More Forum Dinner
The 2021 Annual St Thomas More Feast Day Dinner and Forum is on Friday 25 June at the Mercure Hotel, Ainslie. This year Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO will address the topic: ‘The Pell Case: Lessons for Church and State’. For $90.00 you will get a two course dinner, with pre-dinner canapes and wine on the table. Bookings are essential and close on Friday 18 June. Online bookings preferred at https://250621stmdinner.eventbrite.com.au. If you would prefer not to pay online, please contact the parish office, campbell@cg.org.au or 0416 823 447 to make other arrangements.
Sacrament of Holy Communion
We continue to pray for those children who are preparing for the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The retreat day is to be held on this Friday, the 4th of June.
Yours in Christ,
Samantha Mance
Religious Education Coordinator
Time to start planning for our Term 3 Events…
Book Fair Tuesday 2nd - Thursday 5th August
A great opportunity to purchase affordable books for your family and support our school with benefits going towards purchasing new books for our school.
Book Week- Monday 23rd – 27th August
The theme for Book Week this year is ‘Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds’. The children have been eager to share their ideas for costumes in preparation for our annual Book Week parade. It is a much-loved and fun-filled day that we look forward to celebrating!!
Events to look forward to this year:
Book Week Parade- Wed 25th August
Commencing at 9am at our school hall, you are invited to attend the annual Book Week Parade. We will celebrate the fun of dressing up, creativity of costumes and participation in the parade and sharing their costume inspiration.
Cake and Bake Stall- Mon 23rd August
Our Year 5/6 students will whip up cakes to display in the Library inspired by a favourite storybook. Students can purchase a piece of cake for a gold coin at recess.
Author Visit- Wed 25th August
Local author, Tania McCartney, will run workshops in story writing.
Tania is ambassador for the National Year of Reading, the Chief Minister's Reading Challenge and The Reading Hour, and a Books in Homes Role Model.
Snuggle Up and Read- Tues 24th August
From 5:30pm-6:45pm, parents and families are invited to our school library to read stories together as a family. Children can wear their pyjamas to school and read by torch light. As this is a family event, supervision by parents is required. Please come and share the love of reading with your children and enjoy a lovely cup of hot chocolate!
Book Covering Volunteers
If you can help with covering new library books at home, please contact me via email madeleine.reid@cg.catholic.edu.au
I will be preparing ‘book covering packs’ with 10 books to cover in each set. The packs can be sent home with your child or collected from the office.
Madeleine Reid
Librarian
DCO name change to Defence Member and Family Support
On 1 July Defence Community Organisation (DCO) will change their name to Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS).
The new name reflects their vision, what they do and who they do it for. While their name is changing, there will be no changes to the services or programs offered to ADF members and their families.
Find out more about the name change www.defence.gov.au/dco
DCO Coffee and Conversation
Registrations are open until Friday 4 June for the DCO Coffee and Conversation morning that is being held on Wednesday 9 June from 10:00am – 12:00pm at Adore Tea. Coffee & Conversation is a self-funded activity with attendees responsible for purchasing their own food and drinks. Children are welcome. Tickets can be reserved through Eventbrite on the link below.
Solider On
The link below should take you to the Solider On calendar and their events for the month of June. These include activities such as a beginners photography workshops, yoga and Come and Try Ukulele, Boots and All Choir and Wellbeing Wednesdays.
https://soldieron.org.au/calendar-new/
Duntroon Community Centre
Below is a link to events that the Duntroon Community Centre (DCC) are hosting for the month of June. These activities include a Kids Movie Afternoon, a virtual Paint and Sip Evening and a Kids Quilting afternoon. All events are ticketed and need to be booked through the Duntroon Community Centre Website. Membership to the DCC is also required, the cost for one year is approximately $35 per family.
https://www.duntrooncommunitycentre.org.au/parents
Craft Groups
Our craft group is up and running on Thursdays in the library during playtime. There is also our craft group on Tuesdays for students with a parent away, whether it be on deployment or course. I am also including in this group any students who might just need some quiet time during lunch or feel they are having a little help settling in. So please let me know if you would like me to invite your child to our Tuesday craft/Lego sessions.
We are currently working on colouring bookmarks, which I will laminate for the kids, in our Tuesday Craft Group, but it’s a slow process as we tend to get busy talking and the colouring gets forgotten!
Please feel welcome to visit me at school or contact me on 6249 8869 or, alternatively, send an email to brenda.galvin@cg.catholic.edu.au
Brenda Galvin
Defence School Mentor
Our Mini Vinnies are busy planning our Free Dress Day for the end of term. A date has yet to be set but we have decided that we will raise money for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout which is being held on the 17th of June. Any money raised by St Thomas More’s will be donated to the Team from Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn who are participating in the Sleepout. I have included a link below which will take you to their fundraising page.
https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/CatholicEducationCanberraandGoulburn1143
The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is aimed at raising awareness of homelessness in our local aeras and breaking the cycle of homelessness. I have attached a link to the PDF document put together by St Vincent de Paul, which assists parents in how to talk to our children about homeless.
https://d9iqj02m31d86.cloudfront.net/826a2fa82a7af4579599236ae6ad6b84.pdf
We will have a special Mini Vinnies Meeting this Friday so we can start making our posters to advertise this special event.
Please feel welcome to visit or contact me on 6249 8869 or send an email to brenda.galvin@cg.catholic.edu.au should you or children need anything.
Brenda Galvin
School Chaplain
School Fees are now due
End of May is Hats Off Day
It is that time of the year again where we start to witness UV levels dropping off in Canberra to levels that are considered low (under 3) for part of the day. It is also that time of the year where confusion sets in around sun protection in ACT primary schools as we move toward the winter months.
To keep things simple, many years ago Cancer Council ACT coined the phrase End Of May is Hats Off Day to assist Canberra primary schools and early childhood services with their hats on (hats off) policy.
So, in keeping with the End of May is Hats Off Day jingle, all Canberra primary school students (and teachers) are still required to wear hats during recess and lunchtime until the End of May.
Regardless of daily temperature Canberra primary schools should continue to monitor daily UV levels via the SunSmart app and when UV levels are 3 and above you know what to do………Be SunSmart.
The End of May spells Hats Off Day for ACT primary schools, for a few months anyway because the Beginning of August is Hats On Again For All Of Us as UV levels start to rise again in Canberra.
Read more about UV exposure and the healthy balance for Vitamin D benefits here