Important Dates
TERM TWO
23 April - ANZAC Day Service 9 am
26 April - ANZAC Day Public Holiday
03 May - Edu-dance commences
04 May - Advisory Council Meeting 7 pm
06 May - Mother's Day Liturgy 9 am (Change of date)
11 -21 May - NAPLAN Years 3 & 5
14 May - National Walk Safely to School Day
14 May - St Thomas' Cross Country
18 May - Strategic Plan Workshop for parents 7 - 9 pm
21 May - Assembly Y2
24 May - Our Lady Help of Christians Liturgy Y3
26 May - Whole School Photographs
31 May - Interschool Cross Country Carnival - selected Yrs 3 to 6
01 June - Advisory Council Meeting 7 pm
02 June - Lifelink Launch 2021 & School Mass Y2
04 June - Pupil Free Day
07 June - WA Day Public Holiday
08 June - P&F Meeting 7 pm
09 June - Interschool Chess
11 June - Assembly Y5
16 June - School Mass Y1
18 June - Winter Lightning Carnival Yrs 5 & 6
18 June - St Thomas' Quiz Night
23 June - Academic Allstars Y5
25 June - Sacrament of Eucharist Y4 @ 5:30 pm
29 June - Advisory Council Meeting 7 pm
01 July - St Thomas' Feast Day
02 July - Final day of Term Two
03 - 18 July - School Holidays
TERM THREE
19 July - Staff PD - Pupil Free Day
20 July - Students Commence Term Three
ANZAC Prayer
God of love,
we bring our thanks for the peace and security we enjoy,
which was won for us through the courage and devotion of those
who gave their lives in a time of war.
We pray that their labour and sacrifice may not be in vain,
but that their spirit may live on in us and in generations to come.
We pray that the liberty, truth and justice which they sought to preserve
may be seen and known in all the nations upon earth.
This we pray in the name of the one who gave his life for the
sake of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
Dear Parents and Friends
Welcome back to the start of a new term. We hope you had a relaxing holiday break at home with your families and a very special Easter season. We have an exciting term ahead with many opportunities for our students to excel.
ANZAC Day
To commemorate Anzac Day, we will be having a school service this Friday 23 April at 9am on the basketball courts followed by a special presentation by our guest speakers. Parents are welcome to attend. On Sunday morning, our Year 6 student leaders, Sophie C., Erin M., Christian L. and Anthony C., will be representing our school by laying a wreath at the Town of Claremont Anzac Day Ceremony.
Mothers’ Day Liturgy and Morning Tea
With Mother’s Day approaching we are excited to celebrate Mothers, Grandmothers and our mothering figures in our community. Please join us in the Church at 9am a this liturgy lead by our Year One students, followed by a Devonshire Morning Tea in the school hall, generously organised by our St Thomas’ Parents and Friends. Our P & F have also organised a Mother’s Day Market where students may purchase small gifts for Mother’s Day. Information and details on the markets and morning tea can be viewed on the flyers attached.
Strategic Plan
Every 3-5 years we review the strategic direction of our school. The review will include workshops with students, staff and parents. As key stakeholders in our school, we would like to invite all parents to a Strategic Planning Workshop facilitated by an independent facilitator Mrs Carlyn Dyer, on Tuesday 18 May at 7pm in the Library.
Please RSVP stthomas.rsvp2021@gmail.com to receive further information on the requirements for the workshop. All parents/carers are welcome to attend.
Survey for parents & carers on our school learning environment.
As a component of our review process for our Strategic Plan, all community members are invited to participate in a National School Improvement Partnerships (NSI) Climate Survey to provide information on our school and learning environment. Similar surveys will be administered to staff and students to enable us to capture a community snapshot. Data received from the surveys, as well as other sources, will be used to plan our strategic direction for 2021, and beyond. Information on accessing the survey will be provided to all parents prior to 3 May.
AEDC Census
Every three years since 2009, the Australian Government has undertaken a census of all children in Pre-Primary. This information is used to identify communities where families and children may require extra support and to help shape the future and wellbeing of Australian children. The 2021 AEDC will take place in Term 2, 2021. Pre-Primary parents will receive a parent information letter before data collection commences.
Edu-dance
We are excited to commence our Edu-dance program for students in Pre-Primary to Year 6. Students may wear their white polo and sports uniform every Monday throughout the term for these lessons, which will commence on Monday 3 May. Our concert has been scheduled for the last week of term on Wednesday 30 June. Please save the date.
Kindergarten 2022
We are currently interviewing new families for our 2022 Kindergarten class. If you are a current family in the school, it is important that you complete an enrolment form this term if your child will be attending Kindergarten in 2022 so that we ensure places are held for your child.
Have a lovely week.
May God bless you and your family.
Natalia Thomson
Principal.
NAPLAN
In Week Four and Five of this term, students in Years 3 and 5 will take part in the National Assessment Program – Literacy And Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments. There are four assessments conducted online that children across Australia will participate in. Whilst the assessments are only of a ‘point-in-time’, they do give comparative data that shows a child’s achievement in the Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy tests, for example comparisons against national benchmarks.
Online tests have been designed to measure more precisely an individual child’s achievement in each of the above areas, than can be assessed through paper testing. This is with the exception of Year Three Writing, which will be delivered via pen and paper, not online. Year Five students will complete all assessments, including the Year Five Writing, online. More information can be located at nap.edu.au where a number of resources, including information videos and infographics, can be accessed.
Parents can support their child by reassuring them, and encouraging them to attempt NAPLAN assessments as they would any other assessment at school. Simply doing their best is the only expectation of children during NAPLAN. There is no need for extensive preparation for the tests. Discussing a child’s feelings of concerns, as would happen in similar situations where a child may be nervous, can assist children feel more comfortable about the tests.
If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to discuss with your child’s teacher or myself.
Mr Heath Nankivell
Assistant Principal
Kindergarten 2022
Enrolments for Kindergarten 2022 are now open.
Children born between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018 are eligible for enrolment. Enrolment packages are available from the front office or by email: admin@stthomas.wa.edu.au.
P&F News
Welcome to Term 2! I hope all our families had a wonderful school holidays.
This term we are delighted to host a Devonshire Tea for all our St Thomas' mothers, grandmothers and those special women in our children’s lives with a mothering heart. We would love some Dads to help with the Devonshire Tea - if you are able to help please email stthomas.rsvp2021@gmail.com.
We will also be holding a Mother’s Day Market leading up to Mother’s Day. Children will be able to purchase a gift for mum, grandma or someone special. All monies raised will go to the St Thomas' P&F - a great way to do something special for mum while supporting our school.
We are also excited to host a P&F Parent Themed Quiz Night this term! Save the date of Friday, 18 June, rally your friends and stay tuned for more details.
We will soon be putting a call out for volunteers to help with the planning of this and other P&F initiatives. Please keep an eye out for that email. Many hands make light work and enable us to do fantastic things for our school and children and we would love your help.
This term our meetings will be held on Tuesday, 18 May and Tuesday, 8 June. As explained by Natalia above, at our first meeting we will join with the Advisory Council for a strategic planning workshop. I encourage those parents interested in contributing to or learning about the strategic planning process to come along.
Wishing you and your children a fantastic term. We’ll continue to work with you to create opportunities and initiatives that excite and unite our community and benefit our kids.
Best wishes
Bianca Della Vedova
Advisory Council Meeting, 30 March 2021
The St Thomas' School Advisory Council met for the third time in 2021 on Tuesday, 30 March, its second virtual meeting of the year.
Of the various matters the Council discussed on the night, some of the key initiatives were the timing and implementation of the Climate Survey to maximise participation within the School Community; and the development of a marketing strategy to increase the School's social media reach. Social media is considered an important component to raising St Thomas' profile within the community and attracting new families to the School.
The Grounds and Maintenance Committee discussed the priorities for the next months and had good news to share; recently, they met with a representative from the Town of Claremont to discuss strategies to improve the pick-up/drop-off areas. The Town of Claremont representative reacted well and the school and the Council are now working together to secure funding for the upgrade project to the surrounding roads in the Council’s 2022/2023 budget.
At the end of the meeting, Mr Heath Nankivell was put on the spot by Susan, who asked him to share his standout moments of term one; 'strong community, lots of support, teaching and a really special School.'
Sport News
Catholic Primary School Interschool Swimming Carnival…St Thomas CHAMPIONS
Congratulations to all of the swimmers who represented St Thomas’ in The Catholic Primary Schools Interschool Swimming Carnival last term on Thursday 1st April coming home with two trophies, Overall Champions (first time) and the Boys Trophy for a 4th year in a row!
All the students swum extremely well and it paid off with the hard work, students displayed at swimming training in the lead up to the carnival. It’s been over 10 years since another school has won the swimming carnival as Holy Spirit have been champions for a number of years.
Below are the results from the day:
Overall – 1st (by 6 points!)
Girls Trophy – 2nd
Boys Trophy –1st
Most Improved – 4th
A fantastic team effort, well done everyone!
Running Club – Years 1-6
Running Club will commence on Friday 30th April from 8.00am – 8.20am at Rowe Park. It is extremely important that students are supervised until staff members arrive.
Please note we do require parents to assist staff on the course and also walk students back to school.
There will be no Running Club on Friday 14th May due to the Cross Country Carnival. More information will be sent closer to the date.
Gymnastics lessons K -Year 2 classes
During Physical Education classes in term 2, the junior classes will be involved in a four week gymnastics program through Northern Districts Gymnastics Club. The students will learn how to move and land correctly as well as developing those fundamental skills they require including core strength and stability.
Upcoming Term 2 Events:
St Thomas’ Cross Country Carnival – Friday 14th May
Interschool Cross Country Carnival – Monday 31st May
Year 5 & 6 – Winter Lightning Carnival – Friday 18th June
Mrs Sharon Seaman
Physical Education Teacher
Uniform Shop Open
Before School Tennis Lessons
Enrol in tennis for term 2! The sessions are held before-school (typically 7.45-8.30am) and are a great way to introduce your child to tennis. Book online at www.tennisfactory.com.au/enrol/ click on GROUP LESSON > ST. THOMAS PRIMARY or email us at admin@tennisfactory.com.au
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