Prayer
May God be in my head and in my understanding
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be in my body, and in my actions.
God be in our students, and in the vision they have for their lives.
God be in us, in the rituals of our life and in the motive for our being.
We ask this through Jesus, Your Son, who lived amongst us.
Amen
Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 October : Year 3 Reconciliation
Wednesday 31 October: Parish Mass Year 3 – 12.30pm
Thursday 1 November: ECE Outdoor Classroom Day
Friday 2 November: All Saints All Souls Feast Day Mass – 8.45am
Wednesday 7 November: iPad Parent Session in Year 3 classroom – 3.20pm
Thursday 8 November: Regional Cricket Competition Final (selected Year 5/6 students)
Friday 9 November: Year 4 Assembly – 8.45am
Friday 9 November: School Disco
Dear Parents and Members of St. Thomas' Community,
Many thanks to everyone who supported the St Thomas’ Art Show by either collaborating with a class and producing an art piece, cutting, pasting and displaying the children’s work, setting up, assisting with the afternoon tea or attending on the day. The community’s response was fantastic and everyone's individual contribution came together in making it a very successful event. Words cannot express my gratitude to everyone who was involved in this wonderful community event. A large vote of thanks must be given to Mrs. Kate Byrne who undertook the massive task of ‘Art Director’. Kate’s talents as the school’s art teacher were truly on display. Also big thanks to the Art Show Committee, very capably led by Nat Bogoias, for their pre-show preparation, organisation and time giving. Thanks also to Cathy Cotton and Sarah Chatfield for coordinating the musical talent we had on display throughout the afternoon. On behalf of the students and staff thank you all very much.
School Board: We are currently calling for nominations for the School Board for 2019. Please give this some consideration over the next couple of weeks. These positions will need to be elected through the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 20 November at 7pm. The only special skills required are time to commit and a genuine want to help St Thomas’ develop further for our children. Board members meet twice a term on a Tuesday evening commencing at 7.00pm and concluding at 8.00pm. We are looking for someone with a background in finance, as the current treasurer Linda Foot will be stepping down from this role after 3 years.
If you have any questions feel free to come and see myself or catch up with Pete Gibbons who is our Board Chair.
Thanks to P&F: The students and staff of St Thomas’ would like to say a HUGE thank you to the school P&F for their support so far this year. As a result of the P&F’s generosity we have been able to purchase in 2018:
- $16640 - Solar Panel Installation (balance)
- $600 - Portable pyramid wooden book display table for the school library
- $250 - Donation to mini-vinnies for supplies
- $2700 – Numerous outdoor toys, decodable home reading set, soft landing gym mat and easels for the Early Childhood classrooms.
- $400 – Beebot coding mat for Year 1
- $795 – Donation towards Year 6 Leaver Shirts.
- $1047 – Cyber Safety Parent Workshop
- $585 – Upcoming Resiliency Parent Workshop
- $4540 – Levelled Literacy Intervention reading books
We are extremely lucky to have such a giving parent community and supportive P&F. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
P&F Meeting: The next P&F Meeting will take place next Monday 29 October. This will take place in the School Library commencing at 9.00am —all welcome. This will be our last P&F Meeting for 2018, so come along and hear about the fantastic things that have happened this year.
All Saints/All Souls Mass: Friday 2nd November at 9.00am. I hope you can join us for this special celebration.
Reconciliation: We continue to pray for our Year Three students and Mr. O’Mara as they prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacrament will take place on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 October commencing at 3.20 pm.
Mini Vinnies: The Mini Vinnies worked very hard for the Art Show and had a variety of items on sale such as hair scrunchies made from recycled clothing, herbs and home made jewellery. A big thank you to Mrs Gamble and the students of Mini Vinnies, your passion for caring and giving to others is outstanding! Thanks to the generosity of the St. Thomas' Community we raised a very impressive financial total and are extremely pleased with our efforts. The proceeds from the stall will be used to participate in future fundraising projects. This Christmas we would like to participate in the Homeless Share the Dignity campaign where a preloved handbag is filled with toiletries and essential items to make someones Christmas a little brighter. https://www.sharethedignity.com.au
Christmas Hampers: Term Four is upon us and Christmas time is fast approaching. This is the time when we start collecting for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers. The society helps to provide hope, comfort and dignity to families who require extra assistance during the festive season. All our donations are distributed to families in our local community. Due to the nature of the season, Christmas can be a particularly emotional time of year where feelings of disappointment, failure and isolation can be heightened. We hope you will help bring ’Christ into Christmas” and generously donate non -perishable items to our appeal.
Romily House: Romily House caters for people that suffer from mental illness. They have 95 patients at present (70 male , 25 female). Each year we collect items to give to the residents as a Christmas present. Each class has approximately 10 large snap lock plastic bags to collect items. Some suggestions: Roll on deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, beanies, socks, moisturiser, other personal items or a little Christmas gift (please note: no razors).
Mr Tuohy, Mrs Cotton, Mrs Sullivan, Mrs Gamble and the School Choir are looking forward to presenting a concert at Romily House on the 15th November (10.45 - 12.15). A permission note will be sent home to the students in the School Choir. We would appreciate parent transport on the day and parents are welcome to attend the concert. Please indicate on the permission slip if you can assist.
We thank you in anticipation of your kindness and generosity. The last date for collection of items will be Friday 30 November. Volunteers will be required at a later date to assist with wrapping of presents.
School Bags for Jesus: The mini-vinnies have also recently sent 75 Schoolbags filled with stationery supplies to the Philippines. The children who receive these bags will no doubt be
thankful and appreciative of the mini-vinnies efforts. Thank you to all those that supported this appeal.
IPad Parent Information Session
Mr. O’Mara is looking forward to seeing the current Year Two parents at the 1:1 iPad Information Session on Wednesday 7 November at 3:20 pm in the Year 3 classroom. If you have attended this session before, because you have children who have already been involved in the program, there is no need for you to attend. There will be a creche run in the Year 5 classroom during this time.
Uniform Shop
The P&F is seeking volunteers for the uniform shop. Volunteering in the uniform shop is a rewarding way to help the families of our school and a great way to meet new friends!
We are looking for 3 or 4 people to run the uniform shop commencing in 2019. Volunteers will be fully supported by our outgoing team. With most families using the online ordering, the team is required to fill orders (usually done once a week/fortnight) and to open the shop a few times a year. For more information, please speak to Nicola Lovejoy, Kim Bennett, Judy Lucas or Clare McIlree. To volunteer or make an enquiry please email: claremcilree@hotmail.com
Digital Technology Guidelines for Parents
Continued from last Newsletter... Tips and suggestions for establishing rules for iPad/device usage at home.
Tip #3: Lay out consequences from the start
Make the consequences clear for breaking the rules, such as taking away the phone or iPad for a set period of time. But remember, the goal isn’t to punish them, but just to set clear boundaries. Your home’s digital device guidelines should be reasonable rather than excessive, and be made in collaboration with your youngster so they feel a sense of ownership about the rules too. This should make it less likely for them to ‘break the law’, so to speak.
Tip #4: Talk about respectful relationships, and online safety
You can’t let your young person loose in the digital world without having several conversations about how to stay safe online, how to show respectful behaviour and be aware of the pitfalls of the internet, particularly social media applications. Each of these topics is a separate issue on its own, but each is deeply affected by the virtual, boundary-free nature of digital technology. This kind of digital exposure can have massive ramifications on the growth and development of young people, especially when it comes to the quality of their relationships and well-being.
Tips 5 & 6 coming next Newsletter...
Ryan von Bergheim
Assistant Principal
National Water Week 21-27 October
Held in October each year, National Water Week helps us to understand and encourages us to actively protect and conserve our precious water resources and habitats.
The theme for National Water Week this year is 'Water for me, water for all' which encourages young people and the wider community to think about how we use water and how we can protect it so we have it in the future. It also gives us a huge opportunity to start conversations and encourage people to learn more about the value of water.
National Water Week provides an opportunity to remind ourselves and teach others that access to clean water if hugely important to every aspect of our lives, and we must do our best to protect our water environments and resources, use water wisely and respect its importance in our societies.
At St Thomas' we are 'water wise' and we remember to turn taps off firmly and report any water leaks promptly so they can be fixed. Remember!! Water for me - Water for all!!
Wildcats
Perth Wildcats After School Program
Each Wednesday 7th November to 19th December
Years 1 to 3 – 3.45pm to 4.30pm (7 sessions) - $135.00
Years 4 to 6 – 4.30pm to 5.30pm (7 sessions) - $180.00
To support our hardworking farmers who are suffering from drought, all the planned activities for the past two weeks are about educating ourselves about how to take care of the environment. We had a meaningful discussion during our mat sessions about the importance of the farmers in our daily lives. The highlight of the week was writing a heartfelt letter to our farmers and making a beautiful card with creative drawings to show our gratitude to them.
Extend-a-Hand - Learn | Aid | Appreciate: Each year Extend launches Extend-a-Hand, a major social initiative that educates primary school children on the benefits to contributing to the wider community. This year, we are extending a hand to our hard working farmers who have been suffering through one of the worst droughts in living memory.
Learn | Children will learn about weather systems and cycles, the impact of drought and who really provides our food.
Aid | Extend has partnered with GIVIT.org.au to raise funds for farmers and their farmers. Appreciate | Children will create handwritten letters and drawings expressing sentiments of gratitude and encouragement to the farmers and their families.
Visit Extend’s donation page via GIVIT and participate in this fantastic cause! http://givit.org.au/Extend-a-Hand
Our Extend Superstars are:
Elea Indaimo for always keen and enthusiastic in sharing her thoughts and in taking part in all learning activities in Extend.
Joshua Dominic Savio for his high level of interest and participation in all Extend activities.
What’s on next week?
Monday 29 October - Halloween Origami and Halloween Recycled Masks
Tuesday 30 October - Tissue Ghosts, Pumpkin Face- cut and glue craft and Talent Show
Wednesday 31 October- DIY Halloween Costumes and accessories
Thursday 01 November- Spider Craft and Skeleton Gingerbread Biscuits
Friday 02 November - Halloween Stem: Build Ghostly Structure and Sports Day (Soccer, Footy and Tennis)
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Liezel Menguito
Extend Service Coordinator
St Thomas' Primary School
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