St Thomas' News

God our Father,

as we begin this holy season of Lent,

help us to see that your merciful love is with us always,

even when we wander far from you.

With the help of your grace,

may our prayers and sacrifices over the next forty days

lead us closer to you and to each other,

the poor, the sick and the lonely

so that together,

we can fulfil your promises for all who live in your love.

AMEN

Friday 21 February - P&F Sundowner 6:30 pm - everyone welcome

Tuesday 25 February - Netball Clinics Yrs 1 -6 (please wear sports uniform)

Wednesday 26 February - Ash Wednesday

Thursday 27 February - Swimming Trials Yrs 4 & 5 only

Friday 28 February - Swimming Trails Yrs 3 & 6 only

Monday 02 March - Labour Day Public Holiday

Thursday 05 March - Constitutional Centre Excursion Y6's

Tuesday 10 March - Y2 Incursion

Thursday 12 March - WA Parliament tour Y6's

Friday 13 March - St Thomas' Swimming Carnival (Yrs 3 to 6)

Term 2

Tuesday 28 April

Tuesday 2 June

Term 3

Monday 20 July

Monday 24 August

Term 4

Monday 12 October

Year 6 Camp

It was lovely to spend time with the Year 6 students at their leadership camp in Dwellingup last week. In a beautiful bush setting based at Jarrahfall Bush Camp, students participated in activities using teamwork, problem solving skills, leadership and lots more alongside their peers. These activities were facilitated by Dare Adventures and included kayaking, tree adventures, bush activities and so much more. A big thank you to Mrs Gibbs and Mr Godsall for their leadership and organisation of this amazing experience.

Ash Wednesday

Next Wednesday 26 February, our community begins its Lenten Journey with an Ash Wednesday Mass in St Thomas’ Church at 9am. Lent is a time of preparation for the gift of new life that we receive at Easter. During this time, we are called to reflect upon our need for God and to address those things in our lives that distract us from the wholeness that only God can bring.

Project Compassion

Ash Wednesday is also the launch of ‘Project Compassion’ which will run throughout Lent. Project Compassion boxes will be coming home next week as a part of the Lenten Program. In 2020, Project Compassion carries a simple, yet insightful message: "Let’s go further together. " During Project Compassion we are asking all students and staff to help us raise money and offer hope to the millions of families who fight for justice, peace and survival every single day. If you have any spare coins, you may wish to have your children place these in the Project Compassion box for Caritas Australia.

You are also able to visit the Caritas website to see some of the stories behind the project. https://lent.caritas.org.au Thank you for your on-going support for the wellbeing of others.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

At St Thomas’ we are committed to keeping parents informed about their child’s progress and to work in partnership to provide the best education and well-being possible for each student.

In Term One, Parent /Teacher Interviews have been scheduled for Week 10 on the following dates:

· Monday 6 April – Pre-primary, Year 2, Year 4 & Year 6

· Wednesday 8 April – Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5

Parents will be able to book a meeting time online that best suits their needs. Information regarding the booking process will be forwarded to parents during week five.

Parent Meetings

A big thank you to all parents who attended the Parent Information Meetings in week one. As educators we are ever mindful of the very important role parents play in the education of their children and we value your support in their educational journey. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please feel free to contact your class teacher to have a conversation or organize a meeting to discuss your child’s progress.

School Board Members 2020

2020 school year promises to be a very productive year as we move forward into a new decade of education at St Thomas’ School. Our first Board meeting was held on Tuesday 19 February. A big thank you to the following parents who represent our community on the School Board:

Board Chair: John Prichard, Secretary: Rosemary Roach, Treasurer: Felipe Souza do Valle and Board Members: Sarah Chatfield, Paul Indaimo, Steve Dunn, Susan Swift, Peter Lorbeer, Daniel Della Vedova and Trish Cognilio.

The School Board will meet monthly to plan for the present and future operation of our school.

P & F Group

On Monday 18th February, we held our first P & F Meeting for the year. Prior to this meeting, all class representatives gathered for a short meeting to outline their role for 2020.

The P&F Executive team for 2020, consists of the following people: President: Sarah Chatfield, Vice President: Melissa Trend, Secretary: Paul Leighton and Treasurer: Francesca Perugia. All parents of students at St Thomas' are active and supportive members of the P & F. You are very welcome and encouraged to attend meetings and your support in volunteering and participating in many of the amazing events on offer is appreciated.

Class Representatives 2020

We also acknowledge the parents who will be our Class Representatives in 2020. A big thank you to all parents who have volunteered and to Sharon Tee, for coordinating this enthusiastic group of parents They are as follows:

Kindergarten: Angela Jarrott & Pru Adams

Pre-Primary: Bianca Bellini & Elizabeth Biggs

Year 1: Yi Yi Barker & Emilia Liczuk

Year 2: Deliah Cassidy & Catherine Leighton

Year 3: Libby Crawford & Damira Relota

Year 4: Helen Martella, Anna Simek & Cameron Forster

Year 5: Lucy Hennessy & Simone Lorbeer

Year 6: Judy Lucas & Netina Prichard

I thank each of these people for committing to their various roles this year and I look forward to working productively with the School Board, P&F Group and the school community in 2020.

God bless

Natalia Thomson

Principal

Lent

Lent is a season of reconciliation, reflection and prayer, which prepares us for Easter Sunday. This period we call LENT means ‘spring’, and we celebrate it in memory of the forty days Jesus spent alone praying in the desert. Lent is a time for strengthening our faith, a time to reflect on who we are and where we are going. It is a time for quietness and prayer, a time of penance and meditation, a time to become aware of our strengths and weaknesses.

The season of Lent is one of those times when the Church gives us the opportunity to address the important elements of our life in a practical way. For example, there would be little point “giving up” sugar in our coffee if we continue to speak unkindly about people. Nor is there much value in giving up lollies and sweets if we are going to be real ‘grumps’ to the rest of our family. Lent provides many opportunities for people to choose to do renewing activities, such as visiting someone who is lonely, giving up something on television, remembering to say our prayers daily and/or as a family, attending Mass as a family regularly or perhaps even making the Stations of the Cross throughout the period of Lent. We need to remember that if we are choosing to do some- thing this Lent it needs to lead us to a positive change, which in turn has a positive effect on the people who are daily in our lives.

Lenten Thought - Remember the concept of not only giving up during Lent, but taking up. What can we take up that will improve our lives and the lives of others this Lent?

As part of the school’s communication with parents, as well as our publicity activities, St Thomas’, Catholic Education Western Australia or the local media may wish to use voice recordings, photographs or video footage of your child for publication across a range of electronic and hard copy mediums. These may include, but are not limited to: School documents, St Thomas’ newsletter, Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) and Catholic Agency documents (e.g. Caritas, LifeLink, etc.), Local newspapers, St Thomas’ promotional flyers/posters, St Thomas’/CEWA website and the St Thomas’ Social Media accounts (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).

These permissions remain in place throughout the years of your child at St Thomas' Primary School. All existing families have already granted or denied permission. Should you wish to change your permission status please advise the school office in writing. For new families and children please return your form as soon as possible.

Lisa Meyers

Year 4 Teacher / Assistant Principal

Memories were formed and many leadership skills were learnt during our time on camp!

Our Year 6 students recently returned from their memorable camp at DARE Adventure in Dwellingup. The four days were perfect for nurturing leadership skills, strengthening friendships and most importantly, creating everlasting memories. Students were challenged over the four days by taking part in many tasks ranging from kayaking on the Murray River, archery, high ropes challenge, commando fitness course, mountain biking, raft building, bush walking, astronomy study and cubbyhouse building and orienteering. The different challenges developed their skills in cooperation, resilience and perseverance.

A huge thank you to Mr Godsall and Ms Thomson for being such good sports and helping us to flourish!

Please ensure our office has your most up-to-date address, home, business and mobile phone numbers together with all emails.

If any of your children's emergency contact numbers have changed then these will need to be notified to the office too. This includes but not limited to, Grandparents, aunts/uncles or babysitters (if they are authorised to drop off/pick up your children).

Many thanks

Administration

In Term 2 the Rainbows Program will be offered to students at St Thomas’ Primary School.

Rainbows is a weekly peer support program for children who are experiencing a significant life altering crisis or painful transition. This may include experiencing significant illness, death, separation and/or divorce, trauma or grief associated with moving countries, states or schools. Everyone of us is effected by these experiences differently. Because of their age and young life experiences, children may find it difficult to verbalise their feelings.

The Rainbows Program will be conducted in small groups of 3-6 children with a trained adult facilitator for a period of 12 weeks, meeting once a week for 30 minutes. Students from Pre-Primary to Year 6 are eligible for this program.

If you need any further information please send me an email or make an appointment to see me. My email contact details are ann.barry@cewa.edu.au

Ann Barry

Rainbows Co-ordinator/Facilitator

We have an evolving range of fiction and non-fiction books, graphic novels available for students to borrow. All children across the school, from Kindergarten to Year 6 borrow books each week. Kindergarten to Year 1 can borrow 2 books per week, Years 2-5 can borrow up to 3 books and Year 6 who have their own Senior Collection may borrow up to 4 books.

Please make sure your child has a library bag to protect their books. These are available online from the Uniform Shop.

Parents are encouraged to have their child's books ready for their return on Wednesdays and to assist in making sure all books are returned on time.

Parents are always welcome to visit the library, especially during Book Week which is celebrated each August.

Orbit is the library catalogue which can be accessed within the school through the Library student access computers, iPads and other devices or simply through your devices at home or on the go. The Orbit link is available on our website: https://www.stthomas.wa.edu.au/library/

Ron Wray

Library Technician

Sustainability is one of the three cross-curriculum priorities of the WA Curriculum. Sustainability addresses the ongoing capacity of Earth to maintain all life.

Sustainable patterns of living meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Actions to improve sustainability are both individual and collective endeavours shared across local and global communities. They necessitate a renewed and balanced approach to the way humans interact with each other and the environment.

Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills, values and world views necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living. It enables individuals and communities to reflect on ways of interpreting and engaging with the world. Sustainability education is futures-oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action. Actions that support more sustainable patterns of living require consideration of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems and their interdependence.

The Sustainability Team for 2020 at St Thomas’ is Mrs Jones, Mrs Kirkbride and Miss Campbell. The focus for this term is recycling. Bins are being purchased for each classroom so we can recycle paper. We also have battery recycling and mobile phone recycling. The collection points for these are outside the library. We support rebound rubbish ( wrappers and plastic going back home in the lunchbox) and composting of fruit, vegetables and other compostable materials.

Children who have a passion for the environment and sustainability meet as part of the Green Team and are involved in activities that promote and educate the school community.

We encourage you to support sustainability in the home.

Please note all children in Years 1 to 6 need to be in their sports uniform (white top & blue shorts) next Tuesday 25 February as they will be taking part in Netball WA workshops throughout the day.

Years 3-6 Swimming Trials and Training 2020

This year we are having swimming trials on the following days for each year group:

Thursday 27 Feb – Years 4 and 5 only

Friday 28 Feb – Years 3 and 6 only

Students can attend even if they are swimming 25 m events. All Year 3’s are encouraged to attend as this will be the first time they have competed in the School’s Swimming Carnival.

We also need 8 parents to assist on each of the mornings for timing purposes. If you are available please email Sharon Seaman – Sharon.seaman@cewa.edu.au

Swimming Training for the Interschool Team will commence Week 7, after the St Thomas Swimming Carnival, Thursday 28 February and each Thursday and Friday morning from 7.30 – 8.15am, except for Friday 27 March.

UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS

Netball Clinics – Run by Year 12 students from SEDA – Tuesday 25 February

St Thomas’ Swimming Carnival – Friday 13 March

Year 5 & 6 Tennis and Cricket Carnival – Friday 27 March

Interschool Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 7 April

Sporting Communities

AFL Football – If you would like to child to participate in AFL football for Claremont Junior Football Club registrations are open and you may also contact www.claremontjuniorfc.com.au

AFLW Football - Registrations are now open for girls in years 3 – 6 to join our local junior AFL Girls Football Teams. There is a come and try out at our open training afternoon on Tuesday 3rd March – College Park. (see the attached flyer to email link)

School Sports WA:

State School Boys AFL - Trials for this year's State Team which will take place during 1st term and the April School holidays. Any student born in 2008 or 2009 are encouraged to attend. Please note that only players turning 11 and 12 years of age in 2020 are eligible to nominate.

State Schools Girls AFL - Please be aware that WA is sending a 12 Years & Under Schoolgirls team to the inaugural National Schoolgirls championships also being held in Adelaide at the same time. Details for these trials can be found on the same website.

This year's championship will be in Adelaide from August 1st – 8th. The trial dates can be found on the School Sport WA website ( www.schoolsportwa.com.au ).

To nominate students simply follow the same process as above. Below is a list of sports and their travel dates. Nomination details can be found on the same website.

Basketball 15 - 21 Aug Bendigo, Vic

Cricket 7 - 14 Nov Bendigo, Vic

Cross Country 21 - 24 Aug Mile End, SA

Football (Soccer) 13 - 18 Aug Marrara, NT

Hockey 16 - 21 Aug Canberra, ACT

Netball 13 - 19 Sept Sydney, NSW

Rugby League 1 - 8 Aug Perth, WA

Swimming 8 - 12 Aug Brisbane, Qld

Diving 21 - 27 Nov Brisbane, Qld

Tennis 17 - 24 Oct Canberra, ACT

Touch Rugby 1 - 6 Nov Wagga Wagga, NSW

Triathlon 22 – 25 Mar Hervey Bay, Qld

Sharon Seaman

Physical Education Teacher

Saturday 28 March

Night on the Green

more information will follow

What’s on Next week?

Monday- AM: Q-Tip Painting PM: Playdough, Charades, Perler Beads, Drawing/ Colouring in

Tuesday- AM: Balloon Game PM: Painting, Book Making for Open Day, Soccer, Musical Bobs

Wednesday- AM: Playdough PM: Charades, Cooking Activity, Book Making for Open Day

Thursday- AM: Bracelet Making PM: Book Making for Open Day, Abstract Coloring Ins, Soccer

Friday- AM: Lego Creations PM: Book Making for Open Day, Monopoly Tournament, 44 Home

The Extend Superstars are…

Gabe L- for being an excellent member of Extend by consistently contributing a lot of help to set up each afternoon. Way to go Gabe!

Rebecca W- for helping a new member of Extend to feel more welcomed and comfortable by showing her around. Wonderful leadership Bec!

What have we been up to this week?

Wow, who can believe we are in Week 3 already! Time flies when we are having fun, for sure. So wonderful to see so many new faces at Extend and we hope they have been feeling welcome.

Week 2, we began our enrichment program for the term which will showcase our awesome authors and great storytellers of Extend. Our Open Day will be in Week 8 and we are hard at work writing and illustrating some picture books and stories to read on the day. We hope to see you there!

There have been some beautiful days and we have been making the most of it by doing lots of outdoor play including soccer, pirate ship play & cricket. Indoors, we have been doing some delicious cooking, making some stress balls (which were a big hit!),Valentines cards for our special people in our lives and beautiful handmade tulip flowers. Keep an ear out for more info about our upcoming activities for Term 1!

Announcement: Our Extend Squad Autumn holiday program has officially launched! Bookings for all families are now live on our booking platform LookedAfter and holiday timetables can be accessed on Extend's website here.

Enrol and book now: extend.com.au

We hope you have a great week!

Liezel Menguito,

Service Coordinator

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