The Artist's Prayer
Heavenly Father
We come before You with grateful hearts, celebrating the creative gifts You've given each of us.
You've made us to create, dream, and innovate, to lead with new ideas and set new trends.
As we gather to honour the beauty of visual arts and the joy of music, we thank You for these talents. May we use our artistic expressions to share Your love, mercy, and grace with the world. Guide our hands, voices, and imaginations so that everything we create brings You glory.
Help us inspire others with the beauty that comes from You.
We dedicate this celebration to You, asking for Your blessing on every piece of art and every note played.
May our creativity shine brightly, leading others to Your truth and love.
In Your name, we pray.
Amen.
Important Dates
TERM 3
Saturday 07 September - Dad's Campout
Tuesday 10 September - Parent/Student Penance Workshop 6 pm
Tuesday 10 September - Advisory Council Meeting 7 pm
Thursday 12 September - Open Morning 9 - 10:30 am
Thursday 12 September - Interschool Athletics Training
Thursday 12 September - ARTs Show 1pm- 4pm
Friday 13 September - ARTs Show Parent Night
Tuesday 17 September - Interschool Athletics (Yrs 3 - 6)
Thursday 19 September - Perth Glory Soccer Clinic (Y4)
Friday 20 September - Assembly PP @ 9 am
Friday 20 September - Term Three Concludes
Please remember dates of events can be subject to change
(Full 2024 term dates at the end of this newsletter)
What a wonderful day we had last Friday at the St Thomas’ Primary Sports Day, held at McGillivray Oval. Our students had prepared diligently throughout Term 3 and showcased their talents in Jumps and Throws, Team Games, Sprints, and Relays. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Seaman for her excellent organisation of the carnival, as well as to our dedicated staff and supportive parents who contributed to making the day a success. A special mention goes to Rory McGoldrick, one of our parents, who kept the energy high and the event running smoothly as our announcer.
Catholic Performing Arts Festival
We are thrilled to announce that William S from Year 6 has been awarded the Bible Reading Shield, and our Drama Club has received the Primary Drama and Mime Shield at the 2024 Catholic Performing Arts Festival. The festival also featured outstanding performances from our Dance Club, Choir, and instrumentalists. The event will conclude with a Concert this Monday, 9 September, at Newman College, where the shields will be officially presented. Tickets are available here.
Speak Up Awards
Congratulations to Mattia and Inderpal from Year 6 and Charlie from Year 5, who participated in the annual Speak Up Awards. All three students delivered their speeches with confidence and poise. A special shout-out to Mattia in Year 6 for advancing to the second round.
Tournament of the Minds (TOMs)
We are excited to share that one of our TOMs teams has been invited to the State Finals next week! Congratulations to all four of our TOMs teams who competed in the state-wide competition last Saturday at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup. TOMs is an innovative program that challenges students to solve authentic, open-ended problems, encouraging creative and divergent thinking, collaboration, and teamwork. Our teams tackled challenges in STEM and Social Sciences with excellence.
A special thank you to Mrs. Lila Gibbs for her leadership and to the parents of our TOMs participants for their unwavering support during after-school and weekend preparations.
Arts Show
Our students are eagerly anticipating the St Thomas’ Bi-Annual Arts Show next Thursday, 12 September. Please join us at 1 pm for the official opening by Professor John Kinder. You will have the opportunity to view your child’s artwork, visit classrooms, and enjoy performances by classes, our Choir, and instrumentalists. There will also be afternoon tea for our parents and visitors, and a silent auction for class collaborative pieces. We encourage you to invite family and friends—everyone is welcome!
Open Morning for Prospective Students
St Thomas' will host an Open Morning for prospective students and their families on Thursday, 12 September, from 9 am to 10:30 am. Please help spread the word about our wonderful school and let others know that, although we are a small school, we offer big opportunities.
Oracy Year 4
This week, our Year 4 students took part in Oracy activities, where they practiced expressing themselves fluently and communicating effectively. Oracy is about how we speak and present ourselves in various contexts. Students presented a poem, a passion project, and a passage from a novel, offering parents a wide range of interesting topics. A big thank you to Mrs. Gibbs for her guidance and to Mrs. Corinna Herbert for her feedback and adjudication throughout the day. We look forward to the Year 3 students presenting their Oracy topics next Monday.
Market Stalls
Last Thursday, our Year 5 & 6 students brought the school to life with their market stalls. As part of a business and enterprise unit, they developed business and marketing plans, then executed them to raise funds for children in need. This project required research, collaboration, and teamwork to bring their market stalls to life. A big thank you to Mr. Godsall, Mrs. Pitcher, and Mr. Riddle for facilitating this project.
Principal’s Conference
In Week 10 of this term, I will be attending the Australian Primary Principals Conference. During my absence, Mr. Heath Nankivell will take on the role of Acting Principal.
May God bless your week
Natalia Thomson
Principal
WEEKLY FOCUS
We have moved to taking various elements of our School Vision statement. Curiosity, collaboration and critical thinking are all elements we try to include where possible to develop amongst our students through learning tasks. We will move to Creativity during next week’s Arts Show week, and then finish the term with Character, being Christ-like in our words and actions and citizenship.
PHOTOS
School photos are being printed through MSP are currently being processed. As soon as they are ready we will distribute to students to take home.
ICAS TESTING
A big congratulations to all students who completed the ICAS testing. There will be an opportunity for catch-up tests later in the year. Most results are available to parents online (or will be soon). Once certificates are mailed to the school we will inform parents.
INTERNET SAFETY
The Office of the E-Safety Commissioner is a federal government website providing parents and educators with valuable resources to help keep kids safe online. Whilst we have promoted this site many times through our newsletter, it is a webstie that is worth revisiting on a regular basis. There is a parent newsletter subscription which is worthy of signing up to, as well as other resources such as eSafety Guides for parents, activities to do with your child, and webinars for parents and carers. For more information, please visit https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Heath Nankivell
Assistant Principal
Father's Day
A big thank you to our wonderful Dad’s and father figures for attending the Father’s Day breakfast and liturgy last Thursday. We hope you all had a fantastic celebration on Father’s Day with your family and friends. Special thanks to our P & F for organising the stalls and the delicious breakfast for our families.
STUDENT DEPARTURE – TERMS NOTICE REQUIRED
It’s that time that time of year when final planning is underway for the following school year. Should your child/ren not be continuing at St Thomas' Primary in 2025 please ensure you contact our office and request a Student Departure Form.
A full terms notice must be given in writing to avoid the penalty of a terms school fees, so please ensure you contact the office and return the required paperwork on or before the last student day of this term Friday 20 September.
Thank you for your continued support and assisting us in planning for the 2025 school year.
Book Week
Students looked amazing in their variety of costumes for the Book Week parade last week. Thanks to your support, $150 was raised to purchase books for children in Uganda.
The Book Fair in the Library raised a considerable amount of funds to purchase new books for our school Library. A big thank you to Mrs Vincent for organising this event and to all parents and students for their support.
Seeking parent help
Excitement is mounting for our much anticipated Arts Show next week. Our students have produced a commendable collection which the P&F would like to display with your help. I have created sign-up slots to help display the artwork and also to volunteer with various other preparations for the Thursday 12th and Friday 13th events.
If you would like to help in any way please use the link below to sign up for a slot.
Please also book your tickets to the very popular evening event on Friday 13th September to avoid disappointment. I look forward to seeing you there for a fabulous evening.
P&F
Join us for our biannual Arts Show, celebrating the incredible talents of our students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Year 6.
This year’s theme, "Around the World," highlights the rich tapestry of cultures represented within our school community.
The event will showcase a diverse range of visual arts and musical performances, including 2D and 3D artworks inspired by global continents and crafted with recycled and repurposed materials. From sewing and embroidery to sculpture and textiles, our students' creativity knows no bounds.
Aligned with our school values of inclusivity, excellence, truth, compassion, and community, the Arts Show is a wonderful opportunity for the whole school to come together. We are deeply grateful for the support of our parent community in preparing these remarkable displays of student’s artwork.
We warmly invite all parents, families, and community members to celebrate with us and experience the vibrant artistic expressions of our talented students.
Mrs Kate Byrne & Mrs Nicole Wills
Visual Arts Specialist / Music Specialist
ARTs SCHEDULE, THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
1 - 1.20pm Official Opening
· Welcome | Prayer | Acknowledgement of Country
· Choir
· Guest Speaker – Emeritus Professor Dr. John Kinder
John Kinder is Emeritus Professor of Italian Studies. His PhD was a study of bilingual conversation among Italian migrants in New Zealand and his early research work focussed on recent Italian migration to Australia and New Zealand. He then published a grammar of the Italian language and a multimedia history of the Italian language. He is now studying the presence of Italian as a language of communication in Australia before the mass migration of the 1950’s.
He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, a Corresponding Fellow of the Accademia della Crusca, and a Grand Ufficiale of the Order of the Star of Italy.
1.20 - 4pm
· ARTs Show – visual arts display & instrumental student.
· Performances in hall, undercover and outdoor areas.
· GREEN Team stall in Library
· MINI VINNIES stall in Library
· Afternoon Tea in early years area
· Open classrooms
· Silent auction of artwork created by classes in the hall.
Catholic Performing Arts
The Catholic Performing Arts Festival has been underway with many exciting performances from the St Thomas’ Choir and the instrumental music students.
Congratulations to the St Thomas Choir for their successful performances at the Performing Arts Festival for Catholic Schools and Colleges. On Wednesday14 August the Choir performed in the Sacred Choral session performing “Justly, Tenderly, Humbly,” by Michael Mangan and “My Lighthouse” by the Rend Collective. The children sang with heart felt conviction and sincerity and demonstrated great showmanship. This was reflected in a positive and encouraging report from the adjudicator and the Choir being awarded Excellence for their Performance.
On Wednesday 21 August the Choir delivered another sensational performance in the Choral session singing “When you Believe” by Stephen Schwartz and “Firework” by Katy Perry whereby the children were once again awarded Excellence for their Performance.
Congratulations to all the participants who worked extremely hard to prepare for their individual performances to share their love of music with the wider Community, they are to be commended for their dedication.
A special congratulations to Billie B, Inderpal S, Javiera D R on all receiving a Merit Award for their solo performances. A special Congratulations to Ruby R on receiving an Award of Excellence for her Vocal Solo and Evan K for receiving Outstanding for his Classical Guitar Solo.
Nicole Wills
Music Teacher
Advisory Council Meeting 5, 6 August 2024
The Advisory Council met in the fourth week of term three.
Malini de Silva provided an update on the wonderful and ongoing work of the P&F, including in their support for the Founder’s Day morning tea, AFL MOST Dads’ Catch Up and very successful School Disco. The P&F has worked tirelessly to produce the new navy School Supporter Caps, perfectly timed for the Athletics carnival. We also heard about the P&F’s continuing support for the upcoming Arts Show and Fundraising Art Event.
The Principal’s Report highlighted the school’s commitment to wellbeing and a supportive, welcoming environment, as well as the breadth and diversity of events at the school. The end of term two saw the very successful school drama production and Founder’s Day mass. Term three was off to a busy start including NAIDOC week celebrations, the interschool chess competition and the start of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. The school was honoured to have the Most Reverend Timothy Costelloe, Archbishop of Perth, join us for the Sacrament of Confirmation for year six students, in conjunction with St Thomas the Apostle Parish.
There was some discussion of enrolments and marketing. The Finance Committee presented the financial figures for the month of June and financial outlook for the coming months. Finally, the Grounds & Maintenance Committee reported on the progress of a number of key projects, including the early childhood playground.
We are looking forward to a wonderful last few weeks of term, including the ARTs show, Athletics carnivals and continuing Catholic Performing Arts Festival.
Rebecca Faugno
Advisory Council member
St Thomas Athletics Carnival - Friday 30 August at UWA Sports Ground, McGillivray Oval.
ST THOMAS’ ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2024
On Friday 30 August we had perfect weather for our Athletics carnival held at McGillvary Oval (UWA sports ground) and it was great to have so many families supporting the event. We were proud of the high level of participation, sportsmanship and effort shown by all the students who participated in various athletics and novelty events. Thank you to all the staff, parents and community members for their assistance throughout the day, whether it was setting up, packing away, scoring, recording, announcing, handing out ribbons and collecting/returning gear to the school. Special thank you to ‘Ant Brew’ coffee van who came all the way from Rockingham to serve our parent community with hot and cold beverages throughout the day at the very last minute!
Congratulations to Forrest who were our overall winners and to Sheridan winning the ‘spirit award’ for 2024.
Please see below for all of the results and records broken on the day;
OVERALL CHAMPION FACTION
1st Forrest 2377 points
2nd Gittens 2208 points
3rd Sheridan 1907 points
Spirit Award – Sheridan
Champions and Runner Up Champion
Year 6 Champion Girl Annabelle H
Year 6 Runner Up Champion Girl Ivy O
Year 6 Champion Boy Will D
Year 6 Runner Up Champion Boy James T
Year 5 Champion Girl Valeria D
Year 5 Runner Up Champion Girl Ivy C
Year 5 Champion Boy Luke F
Year 5 Runner Up Champion Boy Lucas P
Year 4 Champion Girl Maddy G
Year 4 Runner Up Champion Girl Billie B
Year 4 Champion Boy Tommy V
Year 4 Runner Up Champion Boy James H
Year 3 Champion Girl Chloe M
Year 3 Runner Up Champion Girl Susana Q
Year 3 Champion Boy Hudson W
Year 3 Runner Up Champion Boy Elias H
There were a number of records broken this year. Congratulations to the following students:
Track Records
Yr 3 Boys 400m Hudson W
Yr 3 Boys 200m Hudson W
Yr 4 Girls 100m Maddy G
Yr 4 Girls 200m Maddy G
Yr 4 Girls 400m Maddy G
Yr 5 Girls 100m Valeria D
Field Events
Yr 5 Girls Long Jump Valeria D
Yr 5 Boys Turbo Javelin Charlie J
Yr 4 Girls Teeball Throw Maddy G
Thank you all for a wonderful day of shared sportsmanship and competition.
If parents are able to assist in this mornings with walking students back to school please email Sharon.seaman@cewa.edu.au
Summit Soccer “Design a Football competition”
During term 2, a number of students were provided an opportunity to design a soccer ball, to go into the running and win 50 soccer balls for the school and a signed Matilda’s jersey through Summit sports. A number of students went into the competition and even though we didn’t win, Elle M in Year 3 was selected as one of their favourite designs. Well done Elle and to all the students for entering the competition. Here is the picture of Elle’s design.
Claremont Football Auskick and Superkick sessions
Over the past 6 weeks some students participated in the afternoon AFL sessions run by Claremont Football Club.
A special thank you to Ed and Noah for coming into the school and teaching these programs to the students.
Student sporting achievements:
On Saturday 31 August, Charlie J (Year 5) represented Western Australia
at the Australian National Cross Country Championships, in Tasmania. Despite the freezing temperatures and extremely tough terrain, Charlie completed to the best of his ability. We are so proud of this wonderful achievement. Well done Charlie.
Upcoming Events:
INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
Tuesday 17 September, WA State Athletics Centre for selected Years 3-6 students. Permission forms are due Tuesday 10 September.
Kind regards
Sharon Seaman
Physical Education Specialist Teacher
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