St Thomas' News

St Thomas’ Primary School is part of a faith community centred on the life of Jesus, as expressed in our Motto, ‘Together in Christ’

Our Vision is to 'Educate the Whole Child' and empower learners as global citizens, to be curious, collaborative, creative and critical thinkers, inspired by Christ.

TERM FOUR

Thursday 02 December - Road to Bethlehem 7 pm St Thomas the Apostle Church

Friday 03 December - Keyed Up Music Concert 3:15pm

Tuesday 7 December - Christmas Concert 6pm start

Wednesday 8 December - Orientation/Transition for 2022 morning 11 am

Thursday 9 December - End of Year Whole School Liturgy & Year 6 Graduation 9am

Friday 10 December - Students last day

2022

Monday 31 January - First day Term One (Kindergarten - Year 6)

Please see all 2022 term dates at the end of this newsletter

As we near the end of the school year, we prepare for the Church season of Advent.

God of light and hope look upon us in love

And fill us with the Spirit of Jesus.

That we may love you and serve you in your kingdom

Protect us during this week and keep us watchful in prayer

As we await the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Who is light of the world

And who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit

One God, for ever and ever.

Amen

We have been blessed to have wonderful weather for our swimming lessons this year. With only two weeks left until the end of the 2021 school year, students are busy completing their activities and preparing for the end of year celebrations. Please take note of these activities and join with us as we celebrate and conclude an incredible year.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Last Tuesday evening, I had the privilege of reporting on school activities for the year at our Annual General Meeting. I also had the opportunity to thank the many people who contribute their time and talents to assist in the education of our students. Reports from the Advisory Council Chair Mrs Susan Swift, P & F President Mrs Bianca Della Vedova and the Principal, provided a snapshot of the amazing achievements of our students, staff and community throughout the 2021 school year. Reports from the AGM will be uploaded to our website soon.

Advisory Council

A big thank to the dedicated members of our Advisory Council who have given generously of their expertise and time. A special thank you to our Chair Mrs Susan Swift, for her leadership and contribution to the Council. There were no vacancies in the Advisory Council for 2022.

Advisory Council members for 2022:

Mrs Susan Swift

Mr Peter Lorbeer

Mr Paul Indiamo

Mrs Trish Cognilio

Mr Frank di Latte

Mr Brian Douglas

Mr Daniel Della Vedova

Mrs Liz Dawson

Mr Chris Adams

P & F Representative: Mrs Bianca Della Vedova

P & F

A big thank you to our wonderful, hardworking P&F Executive and members. Your support is truly appreciated and a vital part of building a fantastic school community. A special thank you to our President Mrs Bianca Della Vedova for her enthusiasm and energy throughout the year leading the P & F, and to our retiring Secretary Mrs Mel Trend, and our retiring Treasurer Mr Curnow, for the amazing contributions to their roles.

We welcome the Mrs Carin Penberthy to the P & F Executive for 2022. The executive members are as follows:

President: Mrs Bianca Della Vedova

Vice President: Mrs Carin Penberthy

Secretary: Mrs Melissa Di Latte

Treasurer: TBC

Staffing 2022

We farewell and thank Mrs Ann Barry, Mrs Leanne Hancock, and Miss Michelle Campbell, and thank them for the wonderful contribution to our school.

We also farewell Mrs Nicky Sullivan and Mrs Lisa Keatch who will be on study leave during 2022 and Mrs Kelly Migliore who is taking maternity leave. Mrs Sam Valentine will be taking Long Service Leave in Semester One, returning in Semester Two. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Sullivan, Mrs Keatch back in 2023.

I am pleased to announce staffing for the 2022 school year:

Principal: Mrs Natalia Thomson

Assistant Principal: Mr Heath Nankivell

Administration/Finance: Mrs Julie Wray & Mrs Mary Courtney

Teachers:

Pre-Kindy: Mrs Kate Byrne

Kindergarten: Mrs Brianna Kirkbride

Pre-primary: Miss Georgia Lee

Year 1: Mrs Nicola Ward

Year 2: Mrs Sam Valentine & Mrs Nicola Hurst

Year 3: Mr Brendan Evans

Year 4: Miss Penny Mulholland

Year 5: Mr Liam Godsall

Year 6: Mrs Lila Gibbs

Science: Mr Heath Nankivell

Visual Arts: Mrs Kate Byrne

Physical Education: Mrs Sharon Seaman

Performing Arts (Music & Drama): Mrs Corinna Herbert

Support: Mrs Corinna Herbert

e-Challenge: Mr Heath Nankivell

Library Technician: Mr Ron Wray

Education Assistants:

Pre-Kindy: Mrs Nicole Nolan

Kindergarten: Mrs Jeanette Koong

Pre-Primary: Mrs Virginia Gamble

Years 1-6: Mrs Sue Vincent & Ms Rebecca McCarthy

I am confident that the teacher your child is placed with in 2021, is dedicated to providing an environment in which your child will thrive.

Year Five Leadership Speeches

Congratulations to all the Year Five students who did a truly amazing job of presenting their leadership speeches. Your speeches were delivered with poise and showed a mature level of confidence and pride in the school. I wish everyone the best of luck for elections. Leaders for 2022 will be announced at the end of year Thanksgiving/Graduation Liturgy on Thursday 9 December.

Christmas Concert -Wednesday, 7 December

Students are busy rehearsing their songs for our annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday 7 December. Family and friends are welcome to attend. Students will need to be at school by 5.45pm for a 6pm start.

St Vincent’s Christmas Appeal & Romily House Christmas Donations

Thank you to the families who have sent in a variety of food items or toiletries in support of these appeals. Each classroom teacher has a basket in which to collect these items. In the last week of school, a representative from St Vincent de Paul will be collecting the donations to distribute to those in need.

Student Transition to 2022

At St Thomas’ we have a thorough handover procedure between the staff for the end of the year and also a transition programme for all classes. This transition will take place on 8 December. Children from Kindy onwards, will move up a year level between 11am and 12.40pm, students will have the opportunity to spend some time with their 2022 class teacher. New students to the school have been invited to attend.

End of Year Thanksgiving Liturgy – Thursday 9 December

Please join us for our end of year thanksgiving and Graduation Liturgy in the Church at St Thomas’ on Thursday 9 December at 9am. The Liturgy will be followed by our end of year presentations and the announcement of the Year 6 Leaders for 2021. Students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will attend. Parents and friends are welcome.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

God bless

Natalia Thomson

Principal

Applications are now open for the 2022 Instrumental Program. Along with piano, drums, guitar and vocals new for 2022 is flute, clarinet and violin.

Application forms are available from the front office or on our website: https://www.stthomas.wa.edu.au/music-tuition/

Christmas Donations

Thank you to the families that have already made such generous donations to the St Vincent Christmas Appeal and Romily House. It will make the Christmas of people in our local community have a much brighter Christmas!

The last day for donations is this Friday 3rd of December. John Loney will be attending Gathering on the 6th November to accept the donations on behalf of Claremont Vincent De Paul.

Mini Vinnies

To thank the children who work hard to make social justice real and help those in need over the year. There will be Mini Vinnies Christmas Party on Wednesday 8th November. Can children who participate please bring a plate. Thank you!

Nicky Sullivan

Assistant Principal

Last term on the Feast of St Thomas' Day, the Year Five and Six students held their HASS Market Day. There were twelve groups that all started with $30 and had an aim of making a profit. They sold a range of items including baked goods, healthy jelly cups, home-made drinks, Christmas decorations, Pearler beads, Jewellery, Game shows and Sweet treats. Amazingly the students were able to turn twelve lots of $30 into an accumulative $1740.80!!

The students decided the money would be donated to Life Link and the UNICEF Afghan Appeal. Life Link provides ongoing financial and promotional support of agencies established or assisted by the Catholic Church. UNICEF Afghan Appeal helps support the agency’s work as it provides conflict- and disaster-affected children with access to water, sanitation, nutrition, education, health, and protection services.

The students would like to thank our school community that supported our learning and our chosen charities.

Mr Godsall and Mrs Gibbs

P&F Report

It was a delight to address our School community at Tuesday’s AGM and share what a fun filled, busy and productive year it has been for the St Thomas P&F and our School community.

From the diverse range of social opportunities to connect our children, their parents and families, to the many educational and extra curricular investments the P&F has made this year into our School, all of which directly benefit our children, it has been a year that all St Thomas parents and friends can be proud of.

I’m delighted to announce that the incoming P&F Vice President is Carin Penberthy. Cars, we’re delighted to have you join the team and very much look forward to working with you next year.

We are still looking to fill the role of Treasurer. This role has been significantly simplified and no accounting experience is required. If you, or someone you know is interested in working with an energetic, fun and hardworking P&F team and contributing to our School, we’d love to hear from you.

Outdoor Family Movie Night

A big thank you to Joep Vaessen and his team of hardworking and energetic Dads who organized our Outdoor Family Movie Night. The sausages were sizzling, the popcorn popping and all the children loved getting comfy under the stars watching the very fun loving film, Luca. What a fantastic night for all families who came along.

Thank you

There are many people to thank who have made this year what it was. I look forward to acknowledging them in coming weeks as our busy year draws to a close.

Best wishes

Bianca Della Vedova

P&F President

NETBALL – Thursday afterschool 3.15pm - 4.00pm

Girls in Years 1 and 3 have taken the opportunity to learn new skills, have fun and learn a new sport over the past few weeks through the Net, Set, Go program (Netball WA). It has been a pleasure teaching and coaching you over the past few weeks and look forward seeing future Netballers coming through the ranks here at St Thomas’.

ANZ TENNIS HOT SHOTS RACQUET ROADSHOW

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow occurs every now and then and we were fortunate to be one of 67 primary schools to be a part of providing all pre-primary children a tennis racquet

A massive thankyou to Tennis West and ANZ as our pre-primary for this wonderful opportunity. Children. This was a big surprise for our pre-primary children after I taught the students some tennis skills and said they can keep the racquet and a ball that I provided for them. The smile says it all!

Sharon Seaman

Physical Education Specialist Teacher

Holiday Reading

The school holidays are a time for everyone to wind down and switch off. However, research shows during school holidays students’ literacy levels can decline by as much as 20 per cent.

While play and relaxation are an important focus for students during the summer (or holidays) break, encouraging them to read during this time will mean it’s easier for them to pick up where they left off when they return to school next year.

Tips on Holiday Reading

Summer reading

Summer is the perfect time to embed reading as a life-long habit in children. The days are long, the sun is hot, and the air-conditioned libraries and bookshops are full of enticing titles for children to expand their reading repertoire.

Be a good role model

Take time to relax and read with your children. Let them see that you make space for the joy of reading in your busy day, and so should they.

Provide access to great reading

If you aren’t sure of what titles to suggest or buy, check with your child’s teacher, the school or local librarian and, if you are lucky enough to have one, ask your local bookshop.

Make regular visits to the library, check out the local Vinnies Op Shop and the street libraries.

Bring out the books you loved as a child. Books don’t date as quickly as fashions in clothing and hairstyles. The classics never go out of style.

Share a book to double the joy

If your child is a reluctant reader, or even if they aren’t, read books together. A shared book can be as bonding as a family trip, outing or movie with very little cost outlay and no queuing.

For a family novel, read a chapter each night of a series such as Deltora Quest. Or show a child how special they are, by reading about a special child such. as Rowan of Rin.

Quarantine time for reading

To create spaces in the long empty days that only reading can fill, set a ‘reading only’ time in the last 30 minutes before lights out or establish device-free times each day or have a device-free day each week.

Increase the status of reading

Talk with your children about the books you are reading and the ones they are reading. Discuss books at mealtimes, humorous short pieces by Andy Griffiths make a tasty dessert.

Start a summer book club with parents and children, where the reading and discussion of a book is followed by a treat related to the book. Eat peaches after James and the Giant Peach, make chocolates after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, watch the film of the book of just have water play or a bike ride after reading any book.

Capitalise on the value of audio books

Listening to books may not build up fluency, but it will expand children’s vocabulary, general knowledge, and enjoyment of books.

In the car, especially if you are travelling to a holiday destination, listen to a reading of a classic book you can all enjoy. Audio narrators have such elaborate ways of presenting stories that they are entertaining for the whole family. Make use of the free Borrow Box app from your local library.

Show your children how even tedious chores such as room cleaning, car washing, or potato peeling are never boring when accompanied by an audio book, perhaps with headphones.

Encouraging your children to read throughout the holidays will avoid a possible summer slide in progress. Even more importantly, it will support the development of a lifelong love of books, opening your children to a world of enjoyment and knowledge.

Taken from AISNSW

If you would like to receive your child's next years uniform orders before the end of this school year please order before 03 December. All orders are made online through the school website: https://stthomasprimaryschool.permapleat.com.au/shop/

All children going into Pre Primary need to wear the sports uniform daily, those entering Year One commence wearing the full school uniform.

Please order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment with possible stock delays.

Facilitated by Mrs Brianna Kirkbride (Early Years Educator) the session for parents and their children between 0-3 years is held every Wednesday morning between 8.45 – 10.15am.

All welcome.

• TERM 4

Friday 10 December - Last day for students 2021

• TERM 1
• Monday 31 January - Friday 8 April
• TERM 2
• Wednesday 27 April – Friday 1 July
• TERM 3
• Tuesday 19 July – Thursday 22 September
• TERM 4
• Tuesday 11 October – Friday 9 December

Pupil free days:

Tuesday 26 April

Friday 3 June

Monday 18 July

Friday 23 September

Monday 10 October

Public Holidays

Monday 7 March (Labor Day)

Monday 25 April (ANZAC Day)

Monday 6 June (WA Day)

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