Important Dates
TERM ONE 2022
Friday 18 February - P & F Sundowner (postponed)
Tuesday 22 February - Advisory Council Meeting 7pm online
Friday 25 February - Swimming Carnival Years 3-6
Tuesday 1 March - Shrove Tuesday
Wednesday 2 March - Ash Wednesday
Wednesday 2 March - P & F Meeting 7pm online
Friday 18 March - Being a Sporting Hero Free Dress Day
Friday 1 April - Disco K-6
Tuesday 5 April - Parent Interviews Kindy, Years 1,3 & 5
Thursday 7 April - Parent Interviews Pre-primary, Years 2, 4 & 6
(Full 2022 term dates at the end of this newsletter)
Prayer
God our Father
As we begin this holy season of Lent,
Help us to see that your merciful love is with us always,
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, so that together,
we can fulfil your promises for all who live in your love.
Amen
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Thank you so much for your support and agility in adapting to the changes in place as a result of the evolving COVID situation. Please remember to wear your mask whenever you are on school grounds and to correspond with staff via email as we are not able to visit classrooms. We will continue to inform you of any changes to our protocols in line with government and health directives.
In just under two weeks, we commence the liturgical season of Lent; a preparation for Easter. Two of the events we celebrate at this time are Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.
Shrove Tuesday – Tuesday 1 March
Whereas last year, our wonderful P & F cooked pancakes for the whole school, COVID restrictions mean that this activity will be taken back to the classroom. Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday as it is also known, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday was the last opportunity to use up eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.
Ash Wednesday & Project Compassion – Wednesday 2 March
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the annual Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion, allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. Project Compassion boxes will be distributed to each family on Ash Wednesday. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting this worthy cause.
Parent / Teacher Interviews
This term Parent Teacher Interviews will be held online using the Microsoft TEAMS platform. The dates for these interviews are as follows:
· Tuesday 5 April – Kindergarten, Years 1, 3 & 5
· Thursday 7 April – Pre-primary, Years 2, 4 & 6
Information on booking times for these interviews will be distributed in week 5.
Mobile Phones
A reminder that if students bring phones or other electronic devices to school, they need to hand them to the class teacher in the morning and collect them in the afternoon. Please complete a student mobile permission form. This school policy is for safety and security reasons. The student mobile phone policy can be found here.
Student mobile phone permission forms can be accessed here
Uniforms
Thank you for ensuring that your child comes to school each day in the correct school uniform. It is important for all students to keep hair neat and tidy and that no jewellery is to be worn, except for a watch, one pair of studs or sleepers, a gold or silver necklace with a religious medallion or cross. If hair is falling across a student's face or anywhere else, it will require tying back. Please ensure that hair accessories are kept to the school colours and appropriate. If you are purchasing new sports shoes, please avoid fluoro laces, fluoro colours or lights. Thank you to all the wonderful families who always support our school by adhering to correct uniform policy.
Have a wonderful week
May God bless you
Natalia Thomson
PRINCIPAL
From the Assistant Principal
CO-CURRICULAR CLUBS
While there have been recent changes to restricting the grouping of students, we hope to be able to introduce after school clubs as some stage in the future. We will advise when these after-school clubs can begin. As a reminder, these clubs offer interest-based activities that are in addition to the year level curriculum. So that we are ready to go when we can reintroduce these clubs, it is important that parents register for each club their child wishes to attend. Please see below details and links for registration:
CODING CLUB (Start date to be advised)
Years: 4-6
Teacher: Mr Nankivell
Time: Mondays 3pm-4pm
Register your child: https://forms.office.com/r/6Jps0JXgNh
Need: charged iPad and snack for straight after school
E-SPORTS CLUB (Start date to be advised)
Years: 4-6
Teacher: Mr Evans
Time: Wednesdays 3pm-4pm
Register your child: https://forms.office.com/r/HKNNS0Kwrr
Need: charged iPad and snack for straight after school
Heath Nankivell
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Be a Sporting Hero Free Dress Day and Sports Equipment Collection in support of FAIR GAME
Students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite Sporting Hero on FRIDAY 18th March in return for a gold coin donation to support Fair Game, a WA charity that recycles sports equipment and distributes it to children in remote, regional and under serviced communities across the State.
- Come dressed as your favourite sporting hero or in your team colours
- Bring any unwanted or outgrown sports equipment to donate – most needed items are runners, footy boots, footballs, soccer balls and basketballs. Please make sure donations are clean and in good useable condition with plenty of life left in them.
- We are not able to take helmets or clothing.
- Your gold coin donation and pre-loved equipment makes you a sporting hero as it enables another child to enjoy the benefits of playing sport too.
Parking
The Town of Claremont Rangers have been visiting the area on a regular basis. Please ensure you read all the road signs carefully and allow yourself a few extra minutes to find suitable parking. We know that parking is difficult and that recent changes to signage has only complicated this.
Just a friendly reminder that the verge area directly outside the school office on the corner of Warden & College is a no parking/no standing area. This falls under the WA Road Traffic Rules. Parking on the verge to the left of the sign (tree) is allowed, hence this is marked as staff parking with a no standing on the road but parking from the right of the sign (tree) to the stop sign/corner can incur a hefty fine and the rangers are speedy at responding to complaints from our neighbours.
The bus bay parking on college road (outside the library) will shortly be having its signage changed so that you will be able to park here during school hours for drop off and pick up during the school day. If you are picking up during the school day and unable to find suitable parking then you can use our driveways leading to the basketball courts on College Rd. Please make sure this option is only ever used for short pick up stays and not near our pick up time when the gates will need to be open (2:50 pm) to allow for the safe flow of traffic. The church driveways and grounds are not to be parked in at any time.
We appreciate that not all cars parking illegally are from our school community as we have neighbours and visitors to the area also parking, but would like to keep both our neighbours and parents happy, safe and fine free wherever possible.
P&F President
I would also like to welcome Carin Penberthy to her role as P&F Vice President, and Melissa Di Latte who is continuing in her role as Secretary. I very much look forward to working with you both. We are still in the process of finalising our Treasurer role. If you are in a position to help with the finances of the P&F, please let us know.
Term 1 is in full swing for our children. Unfortunately, due to the ever changing COVID landscape, we were very disappointed to postpone our Welcome Sundowner. It is always a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends, and catch up with old ones after the Summer break.
Despite the restrictions on gathering as a whole School and parent community, the P&F will continue to support our St Thomas children and families and strengthen our School community as best we can. We hope as the year progresses we can resume some of our fun and memorable P&F events. In the meantime, our enthusiastic Class Reps have been planning class events and we encourage you to go along as it is a great way to strengthen your class connections.
Our first P&F Meeting will be on Wednesday, 2 March at 7pm. The location will be advised closer to the time. You will also be able to join online. Every parent is part of our School's P&F so everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. We encourage your ideas, suggestions and contributions.
As we navigate through what is proving to be an uncertain year, let's continue to look out for each other and support each other as a class and School community.
Bianca Della Vedova
P&F President
Sports News
St Thomas’ Swimming Carnival – Friday 25th February
An email was sent out on Monday regarding the change of date and carnival format.
Years 3 and 4 – 9.00am – 11.30am
Years 5 and 6 – 11.30 - 2.00pm
Years 3 and 4 students - Students are to be dropped off to the pool from 8.30am, not earlier as staff are setting up for the Swimming carnival and they will not be supervised. They will return to school on the bus and parents are to collect the children at St Thomas at 3pm
Years 5 and 6 students – A bus will transport the children to Claremont Pools. Parents and Guardians can collect them at the conclusion of the carnival. Any student who requires transportation back to school must notify the school in the form that was sent home.
Year 6 sport leaders are to attend all day and may be dropped off between 8.30 – 8.45am.
Parents and volunteers – If you can volunteer on Friday 25th February, please email Sharon.seaman@cewa.edu.au
Swimming Training for the Interschool Team will commence in Week 7 and a letter will be going home to those who have been selected. Training is on Thursday and Friday morning from 7.30 – 8.15am, except for Friday 26th March. Parents are responsible for dropping off and collecting their child.
UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS TBC
Year 5 & 6 Tennis and Cricket Carnival – Tuesday 29th March. Need parental assistance on this day.
Interschool Swimming Carnival – Monday 4th April
Lets meet our staff
Position: Year 4 Classroom Teacher
Interests: Reformer Pilates, swimming, going to the movies
Football Team: Fremantle Dockers
Favourite Food: Burgers
Currently Reading: Better than Before-Mastering the habits of our everyday lives
Favourite Holiday Destination: Paris
3 people you’d invite to dinner: Robin Williams, Julie Andrews and Bill Gates
What would you do with your last $50? Buy a lotto ticket
Favourite Movie: Matilda
Favourite Quote: "What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say"
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
UWA Judo Club – Tuesday afterschool.
UWA Judo Club is pleased to announce the commencement of judo as an after school activity. Lessons will run from 3.20pm to 4.20pm on Thursdays in the school undercover area. The classes commenced on Tuesday 15th February.
Students will be supervised by our experienced coaches from after school until the conclusion of the judo lesson.
The term fees cover training at St Thomas Primary School and unlimited training at junior sessions run at our main dojo in Claremont. We run junior classes 5 days per week – please see the timetable or visit our website at www.judouwa.com.au.
For further enquiries, if you would like to attend the trial class or enrol your child, please email info@judouwa.com.au
Music Tuition in 2022
Application forms are available from the front office or on our website: https://www.stthomas.wa.edu.au/music-tuition/
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