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.

Heavenly Father, I lift up to you today my mother and all mothers. Bless them with strength to continue to care for their children, with the same bold, selflessness Mary showed Jesus. Help my mother and all mothers feel our gratitude and truly know their impact. May we honour them today and on all days as vessels of Your love. In Your name I pray. Amen.

TERM 2

Thursday 09 May - Mothers' Day Stall 8:00 - 8:30 am

Friday 10 May - Mothers' Day Mass 9 am followed by a morning tea

Friday 10 May - Walk Safely to School Day

Sunday 12 May - Mother's Day

Tuesday 14 May - Edu-Dance

Wednesday 15 May - Yrs 1 & 5 Buddy Parish Mass @ 12.30pm

Wednesday 15 May - Simultaneous Storytime

Friday 17 May - Y5 Assembly 8:45am

Monday 20 May - Interschool Cross Country - Lake Gwelup Reserve

Tuesday 21 May - Edu-Dance

Tuesday 21 May - National Reconciliation Week

Tuesday 21 May - School Dental Screening PP/1/3/4/6

Wednesday 22 May - Yrs 1 & 6 Buddy Parish Mass 12:30pm

Wednesday 22 May - Parish Rosary 12 pm

Friday 24 May - Mass - Mary Help of Christians 9am

Monday 27 May - Y6 Confirmation Retreat

Monday 27 May - P&F Meeting 6:30 pm

Tuesday 28 May - Edu-Dance

Wednesday 29 May - Yrs 4 & PP Parish Mass 12:30 pm

Wednesday 29 May - Parish Rosary 12 pm

Friday 31 May - Pupil Free Day

Saturday 01 June - Dads & kids WAFL Event

Monday 03 June - WA DAY - Public Holiday

Tuesday 04 June - Edu-Dance

Tuesday 04 June - Y4 Eucharist Retreat

Wednesday 05 June - Lifelink Launch Y6 Leaders

Friday 07 June - Y2 Assembly 8:45am

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 @ 4:30 - 5:45pm - Y4 to 6 @ 6 - 7:45pm

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 & Presentation Day

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)

Firstly I extend warm wishes to all mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures for this coming Sunday. May your children's love and appreciation bring you joy not only on Mother's Day, but every day of the year.

I want to express my delight in seeing the enthusiasm of our children as they selected gifts for their mothers or mother figures at the Mother’s Day stalls this morning, accompanied by their fathers. The stall will be open again tomorrow between 8:00-8:30 am. A heartfelt thank you to our P & F for their efforts in organising the stalls and sourcing lovely gifts for purchase.

Mother’s Day Mass and Morning Tea

We warmly invite you to join us for Mass this Friday, May 10th, to celebrate Mother’s Day with the children. Led by the year one students, Mass will commence in the Church at 9:00 am, followed by a morning tea for all our Mothers and mother figures. Kindly RSVP for the morning tea for catering purposes. Details can be found below.

COVID & other Illnesses

As COVID-19 continues to pose occasional challenges, please adhere to the guidance provided by the WA Department of Health. If you or your child have COVID-19 symptoms, kindly stay home until symptoms resolve. It's essential to keep children at home if they are unwell to prevent the spread of illnesses.

After School Pick Up

Several residents on Warden Street have expressed concern that their driveways are being blocked during afternoon school pick-up. Please make every effort to avoid blocking driveways during this time.

Kindy Interviews 2025

We are currently conducting interviews for families interested in enrolling their children in Kindy at St. Thomas’ in 2025. If your child is due to commence in 2025, please enrol as soon as possible to secure a place. If you know of anyone considering enrolment in 2025, please share this vital information with them.

Wishing all our mothers a Happy Mother’s Day.

God bless

Natalia Thomson

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

REPORTS

Mid-Year reports will be distributed to all Kindergarten to Year Six students via Seqta on Monday 24 June (final week of Term Two). These reports provide a snapshot of student achievement at the mid-point of the year. Kindergarten students will have achievement shown against elements of the Early Years Learning Framework, whilst Pre-primary to Year Six students will be assessed using the Western Australian Curriculum. Years One to Six will use an A-E rating, with a 'C' grade communicating expected achievement. Pre-primary will use a slightly different five-point scale, using the terms 'Excellent', 'High', 'Satisfactory', 'Limited' and 'Very Low' to communicate achievement. Parents will be alerted via email when reports are available in Seqta.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

An annual review of the Student Code of Conduct will take place over the next few weeks. This document is created by students, for students, and outlines each student's expectations of others and the responsibility they have in contributing to a positive school culture. We all understand that students are learning how to interact with others appropriately, and students at school represent a very wide variety of stages of child development, being 3-years-old to 12-years-old. For this reason, two documents were created - one for PK to Year Two, and one for Year Three to Year Six. Both documents state how children said they wanted to feel at school: "Happy", "Safe", "Respected", and to "Have Fun". Students will have the opportunity to review the documents to see if they still reflect how children want to feel when they are at St Thomas'. I encourage you to discuss with your child what this document means for them, their expectations as well as their responsibilities.

WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL

A reminder that this Friday 10 May is Walk Safely to School. All students, and their families, are encouraged to walk to school where possible.

EDUDANCE CONCERT

Please save the date for our Edudance concert Tuesday 11 June, beginning at 5:30pm. The concert will be held in the undercover area. Costumes will be communicated by your child's class teacher. More specific details of the event will be communicated over the coming weeks.

Heath Nankivell

Assistant Principal

We were very excited to celebrate our Mums and Carers in Kindergarten this week and thank them for all that they do for us. The pamper morning included making fairy bread, jewellery making, nail painting, hand and foot massages and painting portraits of our Mums. A great morning was had, and many memories were made by all.

Name: Claire Hutchison

Position: Kindergarten Teacher

Interests: The beach, cooking, travel, shopping

Football Team: South Fremantle

Favourite Food: Any Mexican food.

Currently Reading: 'The Happiest Man on Earth' by Eddie Jaku

Favourite Holiday Destination: New York

3 people I'd invite to dinner: My husband, my best friend from childhood, and my Nanna.

What would you do with your last $50? Share it with my family.

Favourite Movie: The Holiday

Favourite Quote: 'Everything will be ok in the end, if it’s not ok it’s not the end.'

During the Month of May, we honour our Blessed Mother, Mary. We know that Mary will always listen to our prayers and intercede to God on our behalf. In Kindergarten, students enjoyed spending some time with the statue of Mary in the early years playground and painted a picture of Mary for the Kindy classroom.

In Music this term the Pre-Kindy and Kindy students have been exploring emotions and how composers write music to ensure their audience connects and responds to music. They have been learning how to play a wide variety of percussion instruments, creating ideas and play together in time.

The Year 1 students have been reflecting and responding to the music Star Wars by John Williams and have been demonstrating their understanding of the rhythmic elements through exploring beat and rhythm with the percussion instruments. The Year 2 students have been extending their understanding of the rhythmic elements through bucket drumming and learning to write bars of music in Simple Time.

The Year 3 students have been exploring pitch through the study of Kodaly and exploring rhythm through African drumming, focusing on playing various rhythms simultaneously in time. The Year 4 students have delved into body percussion and are currently creating ideas through experimentation of the elements through rhythm stick ensembles.

The Year 5 students have been interviewing famous composers throughout history, exploring their life, background and the times in which they lived. They have also studied timbre and music ensembles learning how various combinations of instruments produce different sounds. The Year 6 students have been working on pitch and rhythm through their individual recording of the song “Mal, Mal”. They have also been listening, reflecting and responding to Jazz music, continuing to explore various music styles on the ukulele.

Choir & Rock band

The Choir have been working diligently to improve their vocal technique, pitch and intonation and have been learning to sing in canon and in two parts. They have been striving to work as a team to prepare for their upcoming performance in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. The Rock Band this year has grown with two bands to cater for all the needs of the students. It now provides a space for students who are learning to play their instrument as well as the more experienced performers. The bands have been exploring repertoire, learning to communicate with each other as an ensemble and playing together in time.

Nicole Wills

Music Specialist

This year in drama has been brimming with excitement as students from Kindergarten to Year 6 have delved into the realms of imagination and creativity, collaborating to bring captivating plays to life.

The Year 6 students have immersed themselves in the world of espionage with their "Spy School Training," inventing gadgets and unravelling mysteries through role-play, improvisation, and scriptwriting. Meanwhile, the Year 5 cohort has been engrossed in the themes of "Boy Overboard," crafting their own plays inspired by the powerful narrative. Not to be outdone, the Year 4 students have once again showcased their creativity by repurposing old socks into puppets for charming fractured fairy-tale performances.

In the Year 3 classroom, students have embarked on thrilling adventures with the "Mystery Box Challenge" in the “Dramachef kitchen”, while the Year 2s have been exploring the art of comedy. As for the Year 1s, they've been sailing the high seas as intrepid pirates. In the early years’ classrooms, superheroes and princesses have taken centre stage as students hone their voices, movements, and coordination, all while delving into the intricacies of storytelling structure.

Drama Club

Get ready for an enchanting showcase as the 2024 Drama Club gears up for their upcoming production! This year, audiences will be treated to not one, but two beloved tales: "Cinderella" and "Beauty Inside Out." Every Wednesday afternoon, our dedicated young actors have been pouring their hearts into rehearsals, fine-tuning their performances for the big show scheduled for Week 11 of this term. Keep a lookout for ticket announcements coming your way soon and mark your calendars for an unforgettable theatrical experience!

Renae Miller

Drama Specialist

Developing a life long love of reading is our aim! Reading allows us to grow our knowledge, develop our cognitive abilities and enrich our vocabulary as well as reduce stress and boost our imagination and creativity. With this in mind we are very excited to be a part of The Premier's Reading Challenge for 2024. The challenge is open to all students from K-Year 6.

All you need to do to be in the running for weekly prizes is to register at

premiersreadingchallenge.wa.edu.au or simply click on the QR code in the image on the link, or on the special bookmark each child has received from their class teacher and get reading!

Once you read something, make sure you log the book, magazine, graphic novel etc. in your account and you're in the draw! The Challenge goes for 18 weeks until 6 September.

There is also a treat for the school who has the most children sign up relative to its size so we encourage as many as possible to get involved.

Any queries please contact Mrs Sam Valentine sam.valentine@cewa.edu.au.

Friday 10 May

The St Thomas' P&F Group warmly welcomes you to join us to celebrate with Mother's Day Morning Tea following the Mother's Day Mass at 9am in the Church.

Please let us know you're coming, click here to RSVP by 9am Tuesday 9th May.

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