Dear Parents and Carers,

Thomas More was born in London in 1478. After a thorough grounding in religion, he entered Oxford to study law. Upon leaving the university he embarked on a legal career which took him to Parliament. He was a literary scholar, eminent lawyer, father of four children and chancellor of England. An intensely spiritual man, he would not acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church in England, breaking with Rome and denying the Pope as head.

Few saints are more relevant to our time. In the year 2000 in fact, Saint John Paul II named him patron of political leaders. The supreme diplomat and counsellor, he did not compromise his own moral values in order to please the king. King Henry himself realised this and tried desperately to win his chancellor to his side because he knew More was a man whose approval counted, a man whose personal integrity no-one questioned. But when Thomas resigned as chancellor, unable to approve the matters that meant most to Henry, the king had to get rid of Thomas More and he was subsequently beheaded. His final words were: "The king's good servant, but God's first." Thomas More was beatified in 1886 and canonised by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935. 

At St Thomas More’s Primary School, we treasure the life of St Thomas More through the values of wisdom, courage and peace. St Thomas More was a person of wisdom. He loved learning and was a person of great intellect. He strived to seek the truth. St Thomas More was a person of courage. He persevered and stood up for what he believed in despite adversity and oppression. He had a strong faith in God. St Thomas More was a person of peace. He forgave those who opposed him. He was God’s servant first.

St Thomas More’s School Prayer

St Thomas More pray for us and our school.

Come Holy Spirit be my helper and my guide.

Jesus Christ – yesterday, today and forever.

We had a wonderful celebration for the St Thomas More Feast Day yesterday. Thank you to the parents who cooked, served and cleaned up on the day. It was very much appreciated. 

Special morning tea

Don’t forget to order before 4pm today! Log into QKR! to place your order.

Friday – free choice clothing

The Mini-Vinnies are raising funds for the Winter sleepout. Students can wear free dress if they bring in a gold coin donation.

Athletics Carnival 

This year’s Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 30^th July (Week 3, Term 3) at Merici College Canberra. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the running of the event. Please fill out the following Google Form if you are able to help: https://forms.gle/ymfDTacnwb6aj1dcA

Please check you COMPASS Parent Portal in the ‘events’ section to fill out your child/ren’s permission notes. This can be accessed on a browser by pressing the 9 squares tab or in the app through the side menu.

Our coordinators are; Andrea McQuirk and Brittney Temple 

Pupil Free Day – Term 3

Our Pupil Free Day will be on the first Monday back. Staff will spend the day looking at the Four Strands of High Impact Principles as well as The Science of Reading - the science of how the brain reads and therefore the most effective methods of reading instruction.

Enjoy the holiday break.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Wiley
Principal

Chief Minister’s Challenge

There is just over 6 weeks to go in the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge. All student reading records must be returned to class teachers no later than the 6^th August. If your child has misplaced their form, another copy can be printed from https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/additional-programs/chief_ministers_reading_challenge/book_lists_and_forms

I will verify each entry and submit our results to the Chief Minister’s event organisers. Each student who completes the challenge will be presented with a certificate during a morning assembly next term. We will also have an ‘in house’ St Thomas More’s raffle draw for CMRC for each class. Students who complete the challenge will go into a class draw to win a $20 Book Club voucher.

Schools with the highest percentage of participants who complete the challenge will receive book vouchers from Paperchain Bookstore. Winning schools will be invited to attend the Awards Ceremony at the National Library of Australia in October (date to be confirmed).

Library Events- TERM 3

Book Fair Tuesday 2^nd - Thursday 5^th 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 23^rd – 27^th 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 25^th 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 23^rd 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-Tania McCartney Tues 24^th August (Years 3-6)

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.

• Author Visit- Shelly Unwin- Thurs 19^th Aug (Years K-2)

https://shellyunwin.com/

• Snuggle Up and Read- Tues 24^th 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!

Happy Reading,

Madeleine Reid
Teacher-Librarian