St Thomas' Primary 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.

God of mercy and compassion,

We praise you for your goodness.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Fill us with the spirit of loving service as we recognise in those we meet the

face of Jesus your Son.

Through the generous work of our LifeLink welfare agencies,

may burdens be lifted from the shoulders of your people and may they feel the warmth of your kindness and love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

.

TERM 2

Thursday 06 June - Crazy Sock Day + gold coin

Friday 07 June - Sacrament of Eucharist Mass 6 pm

Saturday 08 June - Y5 Parish Mass 5:30 pm

Tuesday 11 June - Edu-Dance

Tuesday 11 June - Edu-Dance Concert 5:30 pm

Thursday 13 June - Winter Carnival Yrs 5 & 6 @ Wembley Oval, Henderson Park

Friday 14 June - Y3 Assembly 8:45am

Tuesday 18 June - MJR Incursion K-Y6

Tuesday 18 June - Advisory Council 7 pm

Friday 21 June - STPS Disco - PP to Y3 @ 5 - 6:15pm - Y4 to 6 @ 6 - 7:45pm

Saturday 22 June - Dads & kids WAFL Event

Tuesday 25 June - Drama Production Matinee

Tuesday 25 June - Drama Production 6:30 pm

Wednesday 26 June - Founders Day Mass 9 am

Wednesday 26 June - St Thomas' Feast Day & Founders Day Mass 9am

Wednesday 26 June - Drama Production 6:30pm

Friday 28 June - Term 2 concludes

Please remember dates of events can be subject to change

(Full 2024 term dates at the end of this newsletter)

LifeLink Launch

This morning, four of our student leaders attended the 25th Anniversary LifeLink Launch along with students from 67 other primary schools in Western Australia. Since LifeLink was established in 1999, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese have raised over $3 million to support the work of LifeLink agencies which aid people in need in our community. For more information about these agencies, please click HERE.

Crazy Sock Day

Tomorrow is Crazy Sock Day for students from Pre-primary to Year 6. Please send your child to school with a gold coin donation to raise funds for LifeLink.

Year 4 Holy Communion

This Friday evening, Year 4 students at St Thomas’ will be receiving their First Holy Communion, or Sacrament of the Eucharist, for the first time. Like Baptism, the reception of the Eucharist brings us into a closer relationship with God. On First Communion Day, we witness our children taking a new step in faith as they share Communion with us for the first time. Special thanks to Mrs. Gibbs and Sr. Catherine Warner for preparing our students for this Sacrament, to Father Richard for celebrating with us, and to all parent helpers for making this celebration memorable.

Disco – Time changes

We are looking forward to the school Disco on Friday 21 June for Pre-primary to Year 6 students in the school hall. Students are welcome to dress in the theme of ‘Sports’. Due to a clash with some sporting events, the time of each session has been changed. The new times are:

Session 1: Pre-primary, Years 1,2 & 3

5pm – 6.15pm Disco

6.15pm - Sausage sizzle

Session 2: Years 4, 5 & 6

6pm - Sausage sizzle

6.15pm-7.45pm Disco

Mobile Phone & Wearable Device Procedure

The school procedure for mobile phone and wearable device usage has been updated. As per the current procedure, students will be asked to hand in their mobile phones or any wearable device that has internet access to their class teacher at the beginning of the school day. These will be returned to the students at the end of the day. This procedure can be viewed HERE.

Students will also need to provide a completed permission form from their parents to bring such devices to school. These forms can be accessed on the school website under the ‘Parent’ tab.

If you need to communicate a message to your child before the end of the day, please contact the front office so that the message can be passed on.

Thank you for your continued support.

May God bless your week

Natalia Thomson

Principal

MAKURU SEASON

At Monday's Gathering, we heard of the change in season to the Makuru season. Traditionally, the Nyoongar people of this land continue to travel deeper and further into the country, taking advantage of the landscapes abundant natural resources. This was a time to use kondil (sheoak tree) for the creation of kylee (boomerangs). The kondil bright red blossoms are also a sign of the changing seasons - along with the unmissable colder mornings!

EDUDANCE CONCERT REMINDER

Please refer to the email from earlier today (Wednesday 5 June) with key information for students and audience members. Note that there will be approximately 180 seats in the undercover area. Students should be dropped off to their class in their costumes at 4:50pm ready for a 'closed' dress-rehearsal at 5:00pm. The concert will begin at 5:30pm in the following order: PP, Y2, Y4, Y6, intermission, Y5, Y3, Y1, Y6 (encore).

WEEKLY FOCUS

In the second half of the term, we use our weekly focus to examine the six elements of our School Vision statement. Last week we looked at the need for Collaboration in various school activities, noting that Harvard University along with 'Zoom' note that greater understanding of tasks, and greater performance within tasks was generated when collaborative learning took place. This week we look at Critical Thinking, which enhances decision making, self-management skills and links to another of our vision statement elements, Curiosity.

FOUNDER'S DAY

One of the most important days of the St Thomas' Primary School year is Founder's Day, held this year on Wednesday 26 June. We look forward to a day of celebrations for our whole school. The day recognises our namesake St Thomas the Apostle, and our the founding charism of the Presentation Sisters.

IT AND CYBER-SAFETY

A reminder of the fantastic resources located at the eSafety Commissioner's website https://www.esafety.gov.au/. I encourage all parents to use this site when various resources and information is required.

Heath Nankivell

Assistant Principal

We are currently interviewing and offering places in both Pre Kindy and Kindergarten for 2025 and 2026. If you have a younger sibling who you would like to enrol please complete an application form. Forms are available on our website: ENROLMENT FORM or call into the office.

Any queries please contact Julie on 9286 9600 or email julie.wray@cewa.edu.au

As teachers, we recognize the profound impact of agency on the educational journey of young learners. Agency, the ability to make meaningful choices and direct one's learning, is a cornerstone of early childhood education, guided by frameworks like the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).

In our classrooms, we prioritize fostering agency to nurture respectful relationships, holistic learning, and responsive environments. Respectful relationships are foundational to nurturing agency. By valuing children's voices and ideas, we create a space where they feel respected and empowered to express themselves, fostering a sense of ownership over their learning.

Holistic learning is central to our practice. We integrate cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development to provide comprehensive learning experiences that cater to the whole child.

Our classrooms are responsive environments designed to ignite curiosity and invite exploration. From inviting learning spaces to diverse materials, everything is curated to inspire children's natural desire to learn.

Promoting agency means providing opportunities for children to take the lead in their learning. Through choice-based activities and child-led inquiries, we empower them to pursue their interests and passions, fostering autonomy and ownership. Encouraging choice is fundamental. By offering options and respecting children's decisions, we honour their agency and promote independence.

Facilitating reflection helps children make connections between their experiences and learning, fostering deeper understanding and metacognitive skills. Promoting collaboration fosters a sense of community and belonging, encouraging children to learn from and with their peers, developing essential social skills.

Our commitment to nurturing agency is both professional and personal. By embracing agency, we empower children to become active participants in their education, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of curiosity, exploration, and growth.

Kate Byrne

Pre-kindy / Visual Arts Teacher

Do you have any silverbeet seedlings you would be happy for our Green Team to have?

Please leave at the front office.

Many thanks

The Green Team!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Winter Lightning Carnival Year 5 and 6 – Thursday 13 June at Wembley sports park from 10am – 2pm.

Netball – Perth Netball Association (Gold State Netball Centre)

Soccer – Henderson Park

AFL – Pat Goodridge Oval

Please return all permission forms online by Thursday 6 June and all the best to the Year 5 and 6 students participating next week.

RUNNING CLUB

Running club is on Thursday morning from 7.50 – 8.10am at Rowe Park. Just a reminder there will be no running club on Thursday 13 June due to the Winter Lightning Carnival.

If the weather is poor, I will send an email out either the night before or first thing in the morning.

Sharon Seaman

Physical Education Specialist Teacher

Instrumental music lessons are available at St Thomas' Primary. Children can learn voice, keyboard, piano, violin, drums, guitar and flute. Please contact the school office for a music form if your child is interested in commencing music lessons in 2024.

At St Thomas', we are keen to start a school community directory to support the family and friends of our school. If you have a small business that you would like to share, promote and support, please complete the form on this LINK

Term Dates for Students:

· TERM 1

Wednesday 31 Jan – Thursday 28 March

· TERM 2

Monday 15 April – Friday 28 June

· TERM 3

Tuesday 16 July – Friday 20 September

· TERM 4

Tuesday 8 October – Friday 6 December

Pupil free days:

Friday 26 April

Friday 31 May

Monday 15 July

Monday 19 August

Monday 7 October

Public Holidays

Monday 4 March (Labour Day)

Friday 29 March (Good Friday)

Thursday 25 April (ANZAC Day)

Monday 3 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