St Thomas' News

You created all people in your image.

We thank you for the astonishing variety of races and cultures

in Australia and in our community. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship,

and show us your presence in those who differ most from us. Grant that we may always promote the justice

and acceptance that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony. Grant that we may show equal respect to all persons of different cultures

that we may come across. And help us to remember and appreciate that we are one country,

with many stories.

Amen.

(A prayer by Joanne Doueihi)

TERM ONE: Last day Thursday 09 April

TERM TWO: Wednesday 29 April to Friday 03 July

Public Holiday 01 June

Pupil Free Day: 02 June

TERM THREE: Tuesday 21 July to Friday 25 September

Pupil Free Day: 24 August

TERM FOUR: Tuesday 13 October to Friday 11 December

Everyday I thank God for the wonderful students, staff and parents of St Thomas' School. Your overwhelming support of our community is remarkable, as we seek to positively respond to the challenges associated with the Coronavirus. I continue to ask for your support to remain calm during this challenging time.

Harmony Day

Students had a lovely day today celebrating our cultural diversity by wearing orange or traditional cultural dress. They participated in a range of activities including prayer, storytelling, sport, art and music. The central message for Harmony Day is that ‘everyone belongs’. The children demonstrate in their everyday activities and relationships with others. The day highlights many characteristics that we value at St Thomas’; respect for others, fostering a sense of belonging, tolerance and understanding.

Mass Changes

The Archdiocese of Perth has issued a statement outlining some new directives due to COVID-19. Two of these directives include:

· Temporary Suspension of the Public Celebration of the Mass

All public Masses at all churches and chapels across the Archdiocese of Perth will be temporarily suspended from receipt of these directives on Wednesday 18 March 2020. This temporary suspension of public Masses within the Archdiocese of Perth is in place for an initial period of two weeks between Wednesday 18 March 2020 and Wednesday 1 April 2020. Subsequent revisions and advice will be given prior to Wednesday 1 April 2020 in relation to this temporary suspension.

· The celebration of First Reconciliation (school-aged children and others), First Holy Communion (school-aged children and others) and Confirmation (school-aged children and others) will be temporarily suspended.

To view the full statement, please access the dedicated COVID-19 web page containing all statements from the Archdiocese of Perth via the following link: www.perthcatholic.org.au

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all students participating in the swimming carnival last Friday. It was great to see the sportsmanship shown by all students. A big thank you to Mrs Seaman for organising a successful event and to the parents and staff for their assistance on the day. Full results are in the Sports News below.

Student well-being

A major concern at this uncertain time, is the well-being of our students. It is of the highest importance that we remain calm for the welfare of children at St Thomas’. Staff have observed that students within the school are experiencing a higher level of anxiety due to the Coronavirus pandemic. One way you can assist with this, is to limit the amount of news, conversation about the virus that your child is exposed to. At school, we hope that students will feel safe, where they are aware of the virus, have good hand hygiene practices but still have a sense of joy and a love of learning.

God bless

Natalia Thomson

Principal

Congratulations to Jo, Roberto, Noah & Sofia on the arrival of baby Alessandro. May his future be filled with joy, peace and love.

Information for parents regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are acting on the advice of the WA Department of Health to take the necessary precautions for schools and staff.

All Western Australian public schools are being supported by the Department of Education to implement a plan in relation to COVID-19.

School closures

If there was to be a confirmed COVID-19 case at a school, the decision to close a school is based on the expert advice from the WA Health Department’s Chief Health Officer.

The Chief Health Officer will, if there has been a positive COVID-19 test result in a school, close the school temporarily while assessment and tracing of exposure is conducted. A thorough school clean will then be carried out to make the school safe for the return of students and staff.

In this situation, all families will be immediately contacted by the school and provided with the relevant information.

Travel

The Prime Minister has announced that as of 12.00 am 16 March 2020, all people returning from international travel must self-isolate for 14 days after the date of return to Australia.

Parents/carers must notify their school that their child will be absent from school for the isolation period and confirm the date of arrival into Australia.

Parents may want to seek alternative arrangements for their child’s remote learning keeping in mind that the isolation period, provided the person remains well, is a maximum of 14 days.

Students do not require a medical certificate or clearance to return to school but must remain at home until 14 days.

Mass gatherings

The Australian Government has announced that all organised, non-essential mass gatherings attended by more than 100 people for indoor events and more than 500 people for outdoors events must be cancelled from Wednesday 18 March 2020.

Each school will inform parents/carers about events and activities that will need to be cancelled or postponed. The WA Department of Health has updated information including frequently asked questions about the COVID-19. To view this information visit healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus

Updates will be provided as any new information becomes available. Please check back regularly to ensure the information you have is up to date.

The Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia and The Association of Independent Schools of WA will continue to respond as a collaborative team to advice from the WA Department of Health and provide updated advice to schools and staff as appropriate.

For more information

· WA Department of Health: www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus

· Call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080 · For general or travel related queries about coronavirus please go to the healthdirect website. · Visit the Australian Department of Health website or details about the novel coronavirus. · You can also visit the World Health Organisation website for more information about coronavirus and for updates.

This page was last updated 18.01 WST, 18 March 2020

St Thomas Swimming Carnival 2020

Well done to all of the students in Years 3-6 who participated at the swimming carnival. Your behaviour was immaculate and it was lovely to see everyone supporting each other and doing their best on the day.

Many thanks to the parents who assisted with the running of the carnival. Without your support these carnivals could not happen.

Congratulations to Forrest who were winning faction and to Gittens winning the Spirit award.

Results:

1st Forrest 1604 points

2nd Gittens 1563 points

3rd Sheridan 1150 points

Below are the results and records that were broken:

Year 3 Champion Girl - Emily C

Runner Up Champion - Saskia B

Champion Boy - Hamish L

Runner Up Champion Boy - Jett E

Year 4 Champion Girl - Allegra H

Runner Up Champion - Chloe C

Champion Boy - Jack H

Runner Up Champion Boy - Rory M

Year 5 Champion Girl - Sophie C

Runner Up Champion - Erin M

Champion Boy - Fred C

Runner Up Champion Boy - Joshua L

Year 6 Champion Girl - Lily L

Runner Up Champion - Ruby B

Champion Boy - Luca H

Runner Up Champion Boy - Jovi G

Records broken

Individual records

Allegra H – 2 records: Year 4 Girls 50 m Freestyle and Breaststroke.

Team records

Junior Freestyle Relay – Year 4 (Forrest) – George G, Allegra H, Rory M and Vivienne S

Cancelled Sporting events and trainings

Unfortunately due to coronavirus preventative measures, all of the following training sessions and sporting events are now cancelled:

Interschool swimming carnival and swimming training

Year 5 and 6 Tennis and Cricket carnival

Sporting Clinics – during school and after school hours

Thank you for your understanding.

Mrs Sharon Seaman

Physical Education Teacher

Top 5 Reasons why Physical Education is as important as schoolwork

Researchers have proved the importance of physical activity for students in our school environment. Our school is encouraging all students to take part in physical education. Scientifically these activities have been proven to be as important as doing school work.

The top reasons why Physical Education is as important as school work are listed below.

1. Enhances an individual’s ability to concentrate and maintain focus

2. Important for healthy growth and development

3. Prevents sleep deprivation

4. Helps in relieving stress and anxiety

5. Physical education makes an individual flexible and happy

For more information please click on the above link.

Virtual Classroom

The Year Four class was involved in a Cattle and Sheep Farming virtual classroom which gave them the opportunity to talk to a working Aussie farmer to learn about:

How farmers look after their animals and plants on their farm?

How different climates affect farms and the type of animals kept on them?

How technology is used to help run farms efficiently and sustainably?

The following feedback was given to the school:

Your students at St Thomas' Primary School were very attentive and polite and had some great questions so please pass on our admiration!

The E-Challenge class is an enrichment and extension class that incorporates thinking skills, literacy, science, design and technology and has modules with an emphasis on higher order thinking and developing critical and creative thinkers.

Children who achieve high results in the Test of Learning Abilities and Abstract Reasoning Tests are initially chosen to attend the E-Challenge classes. Children will be chosen for each term’s modules based on their testing, performances in class, multiple intelligences and level of thinking and interest in the module.

Term 1 modules include:

Year 6 Solar Car Challenge

Two of our four Solar Car Challenge team. Unfortunately this competition has been postponed but the preparation has taught the children invaluable skills!

Year 5 Literacy and Numeracy Extension

Engineering, Drama and General Knowledge activities to prepare them for Academic All Stars. This unit encourages the use of Higher Order thinking Skills to solve problems.

Year 4 Creating a Thinker’s Toolbox

Two minutes to solve a problem using playdough and the multiple intelligence of visual/spatial.

Scholastic Book Club

The date and time of closing LOOP order has been extended to tomorrow 6:00PM Friday 20th, so act fast to secure your order. All instructions can be found on the Library homepage at https://www.stthomas.wa.edu.au/library-2/Student Library Loans

At present about a third of students have overdue loans. Please assist your child to look for

their books and remember they can return on ANY school day. The librarys’ “monster” chute is always open for returns. Please also look for the Orbit icon on the library homepage and encourage them to search for their library day needs and interests. This way they will learn the Dewey Library System and find the books on shelves easier.

Monday- AM: Rainbow Fish Art Craft PM: Storytelling time, sensory table (kinetic sand), painting

Tuesday- AM: Weet-Bix/ Choc Chip Cookies PM: OPEN DAY- Awesome Authors & Great Storytellers

Wednesday- AM: Jewelry making PM: Fairyland Garden miniature, Puppet Making, Yoga Session

Thursday- AM: Origami PM: Game Festival- Simultaneous Indoor Games/ Drawing

Competition Friday- AM: DIY-Frisbee PM: Math Worksheets Printable and Math Card Games/ Macaron Cooking

The Extend Superstars are…

Isla- for her bubbly personality that brings joy to all those around her and for her impressive playdough creation (Fairy garden playdough) Your creativity inspires us all. Thanks Isla

Vivienne- for her fantastic effort in finishing the final copy of her storybook for the Open Day. Vivienne’s consistent display of excellence and a responsible attitude to all the Extend learning activities is admirable!

EXTEND UPDATE

In light of the requirement of social distancing recommended by health officials and the Government due to COVID-19, Extend is required to postpone our Open Day until further notice. We will continue to make decisions that minimise the risks to your children in our care at this time and operate our services in a socially responsible manner. The children have been working exceptionally hard preparing for this event and we look forward to hosting you at a later date.

These past two weeks, we have had a lot of our fan favourites of Pretend Play both in shops and in Schools. Alyssa is always an excellent shop keeper and Natalia gives the best lessons! Erin, Vivienne & Jewel always enjoy her classes. Every afternoon we provide a space for the children to complete their homework should they wish. We encourage the children to be responsible for their studies and homework and the educators are always available to help. We received a donation of a large puzzle mat from a fellow service and we had a wonderful time setting it up! Caleb, Miguel & James made some awesome frisbees. They made and decorated them before playing them and they looked so cool! MimI & Caitlin put on a wonderful drama performance for us, all about the importance of being nice to everyone. Angelica & Isla made some very fun and cute fairyland gardens out of playdough with swans, trees and miniature versions of themselves! The Perler beads were a big hit as always, Vivienne made a Slovakian flag and it looked superb. We got a new toy of some kinetic sand which was a major hit! So exciting to have new toys. Erin made some delicious Weetbix slices for our afternoon tea. They were delicious! The DIY Emoji Photo Booth Props were so cool! We took some awesome pictures with them.

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.

Enrol and book now: extend.com.au

We hope you have a wonderful 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