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.

Welcoming Prayer

God of openness and hospitality,

You call us to be people of welcome.

embracing each encounter with another as an encounter with you.

Teach us to be attentive; to welcome your Word,

no matter how it comes to us.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who welcomes all.

Amen

A friendly reminder that Friday 22 September is a Pupil Free Day.

• TERM THREE

Friday 8 September - Year 2 Assembly 8.45am

Friday 8 September - Athletics Training - Relays @ 7:55 am Rowe Park

Saturday 9/Sunday 10 September - Dad's Campout Weekend

Monday 11 September - Gathering 8:40 am

Wednesday 13 September - Y3 Oracy postponed to Term 4

Wednesday 13 September - P&F Meeting 7 pm

Friday 15 September - Y4 Assembly 8.45am

Friday 15 September - Athletics Training - Relays @7:55 am Rowe Park

Monday 18 September - Gathering 8:40 am

Tuesday 19 September - Interschool Athletics Carnival (selected Y3-6)

Wednesday 20 September - Y5 & 6 Talk Money Incursion

Thursday 21 September - Last day Term 3 for students

Friday 22 September - Pupil Free Day

• TERM 4

Monday 9 October - Students return. First day of Term 4

Wednesday 11 October - School Photo - Whole school

Please remember dates of events can be subject to change

(Full 2023 term dates at the end of this newsletter)

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

It was lovely to see so many parents join us for our Father’s Day breakfast and liturgy last Thursday. A big thank you to our P & F for organising this event and to the Pre-primary students for leading in in the liturgy. I hope all dad’s had a wonderful Father's Day last Sunday.

Open Morning/Learning Journey

The school was buzzing as students showcased their work, and the Year 5 & 6 hosted their market stalls last Wednesday. Thank you to all students, staff and families for your support.

Catholic Performing Arts Festival

We are very excited to announce that Emily Coniglio Year 6, was awarded the Primary Vocal Shield and the Year 6 students, were awarded the Primary Drama and Mime Shield, in their respective categories at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. There were also outstanding performances by the Choir, Drama and Dance Clubs, and many of our instrumentalists. The festival concludes with a Performing Arts concert this Monday 11 September at Newman College where the Shields will be presented.

Tournament of the Minds (TOMS)

Congratulations to our two TOMS teams that competed in the state wide competition last Saturday at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup. Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a program that provides the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence, and teamwork. The two disciplines tackled by our students were, STEM and Language/Literature. An outstanding performance by all students. Thank you to Mrs Gibbs for preparing these students for the competition.

Long Service Leave

In week 9 & 10 this term, I will be taking long service leave. Mr Heath Nankivell will be Acting Principal until my return at the beginning of Term 4.

From my readings

“Children learn what they live.”

It has been estimated that ninety to ninety five per cent of all human behaviours are learned through modelling. Modelled learning is largely unconscious, picked up from non-verbal behaviour and is strongly influenced by the quality of the relationship that exists between the model and the learner. The higher the regard the more likely a person is to follow an example, which makes parents such influential models.

That also means it is a little scary being a parent. Someone is watching and perhaps copying every move we make: - the good and the bad stuff, the behaviours we are proud of and the behaviours we want to forget! For healthy development children need to be surrounded by adults who model responsible, caring behaviour. If they experience empathy, they are more likely to be empathic. If they experience encouragement, they are more likely to encourage others and if they experience optimism if they are more likely to develop a positive view of the world and themselves.

Twentieth Century poet Edgar Guest best expressed the power of modelling in his poem “The Living Sermon”:

“All the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
Though I might not understand you and the fine advice you give.
There’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.”

As significant adults in children’s lives, parents and teachers need not leave modelling to chance. We need to harness its power and consciously model behaviours and language we want children to learn before they move into adolescence.

Dad’s Camp Out

Our Dad’s Camp Out is on this weekend. A big thank you to Joep Vaessen and the amazing Men of St Thomas’ for organising the event. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

May God bless your week.

Natalia Thomson

Principal

PHOTOS

Photo packs were distributed earlier this week. Some photo packs are yet to be delivered, and affected parents should have received a note from MSP explaining this. Please note that portrait downloads, should they have been purchased, will be available approximately 48hrs after photo delivery. If you have any issues, please make contact with MSP Photography.

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES

Our primary focus at St Thomas’ is to keep children safe at all times. Our incident management procedures state the process we follow for three emergencies that, although unlikely to occur, need to planned and trained for. Please see below for more information:

Evacution: a ‘whoop, whoop, whoop’ sound will be played through the school PA system. Every person on campus will move to the grassed area in front of the church where all students, staff and visitors will be accounted for. Two other alternate evacuation points have been identified that can be accessed at the point of need.

Shelter-In-Place: otften during an incident, the safest place for students, staff and visitors to be is in a classroom or office. Having people stay where they are can help address matters that need to be addressed while limiting secondary issues that may be caused. All those on campus will be alerted to this by a verbal message over the school’s PA system.

Lockdown: a monotone ‘beep, beep, beep’ will be played over the school PA system. Whilst a ‘lockdown’ incident is rare in Western Australia, and indeed Australia, we have procedures in place to maintain safety for all students, staff and visitors to find a location hidden from view. Generally, we consider a school lockdown being an event more frequently occuring in places such as America, however it is important we plan for and educate our community on actions to be taken should this unlikely event occur in Perth.

If you have any questions regarding incident management, please make contact with Mrs Thomson or myself.

INTERIM REPORTS

A reminder that these reports will be available for download via Seqta Engage on Monday 18 September for students in Year 1 to Year 6. Students in Kindergarten will receive a hard copy of their report to take home, and parent of Pre-primary students have been alerted to their reports being available online. More information will be emailed to parents when the reports become available to parents.

Mr Heath Nankivell

Assistant Principal

Congratulations to our Year Six students on reaching this significant milestone in their spiritual journey – their Confirmation! It is heartwarming to see each of them growing in faith and spirit. May the values and teachings they have embraced serve as a strong foundation in their lives as they continue forward, remembering that this is just the beginning of a lifelong journey of faith filled with endless opportunities to learn, grow, and serve.

A very special thank you to Fr. Wayne and Sr. Catherine, who are always instrumental to us during this journey. Their wisdom, support, and kind-hearted nature profoundly impact our spiritual growth. We are truly grateful to them during this momentous occasion.

Congratulations once again Year Six. I am very proud of you; may you always walk in the light of the Lord.

Lila Gibbs

Religious Education Co-ordinator

Its 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 2024 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 (Thursday 21 September, 2023).

If your child/ren is continuing there is no need to contact our office their enrolment will be automatically rolled over.

Thank you for your continued support and assisting us in planning for the 2024 school year!

The St Thomas’ Mini Vinnies have orchestrated a heartwarming initiative that is bringing the whole school together. With their commitment to kindness and community, these young leaders have organised a school-wide collection of new and unopened personal care items, in the hope to make a big impact on those in our wider community who are in need.

Each year level has been assigned a specific personal care item to contribute, please see the attached poster. To facilitate this effort, a dedicated basket will be placed in each classroom. As we come together to support their cause, we’re excited to see just how much of an impact we can make as a united school community. Toiletry bags are also being collected, these can be used, but must be in good condition.

All of the donations will be collected on Week 9 Monday 11th September.

Thank you for your support.

Mini Vinnies

The Green Team has acquired a large number of Native Eucalyptus and Acacia tube stock seedlings.

This generous donation came from “InterEarth” an environmental company in Perenjori. Last weekend Green Team members Mrs Gamble and Mrs Byrne (and their driver/assistant, Mr Byrne) collected the plants from Perenjori, 350km North of Perth.

The name Perenjori comes from a local Indigenous word “Perangary” meaning Water hole.

Local Indigenous man Clayton has nurtured these plants during the last months and gave us an informative view on regenerating his country. He was happy to see the “InterEarth” plants go to good homes. Clayton played in the WAFL for Claremont football club. His final message to us was “Go the Tigers”.

The Green Team will be selling the seedlings for a gold coin donation with proceeds going to Saint Pat’s Homeless shelter in Fremantle.

Thanks to Miss Lee for organising accommodation for us.

ST THOMAS’ ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2023

On Friday 1 September we had perfect weather for our Athletics carnival held at 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 ‘Crazy about Brew’ coffee van who served our community with hot and cold beverages as well as a selection of food throughout the whole carnival.

Congratulations to Forrest who were our overall winners and to Sheridan winning the ‘spirit award’ for 2023.

Please see below for all of the results and records broken on the day;

OVERALL CHAMPION FACTION

1st Forrest 2566 points

2nd Gittens 2181 points

3rd Sheridan 2064 points

Spirit Award – Sheridan

Champions and Runner Up Champion

Year 6 Champion Girl Lily G

Year 6 Runner Up Champion Girl Amelie G

Year 6 Champion Boy Hamish L

Year 6 Runner Up Champion Boy Charlie D

Year 5 Champion Girl Annabelle H

Year 5 Runner Up Champion Girl Ignacia C

Year 5 Champion Boy Harrison C

Year 5 Runner Up Champion Boy William D

Year 4 Champion Girl Valeria D

Year 4 Runner Up Champion Girl Ewa K

Year 4 Champion Boy Charlie J

Year 4 Runner Up Champion Boy Luke F

Year 3 Champion Girl Maddy G

Year 3 Runner Up Champion Girl Beatrice B

Year 3 Champion Boy Thomas V

Year 3 Runner Up Champion Boy Martin C

800m

Girls Open: Gold Lily G Silver Amelie T Bronze Caoimhe P

Boys Open: Gold Charlie J Silver Mattia F Bronze Tom B

There were a number of records broken this year. Congratulations to the following students:

Yr 2 Boys 50m Hudson W

Yr 2 Boys 100m Hudson W

Yr 3 Girls 100m Maddy G

Yr 3 Girls 200m Maddy G

Yr 3 Girls 400m Maddy G

Yr 4 Boys 400m William D

Yr 3 Girls Long Jump Maddy G

Yr 5 Girls Long Jump Valeria D

Thank you for a wonderful day!

Athletics Training

Thursday 7 September @ 3.00 – 3.45pm School Oval Jumps - All long jumpers

Friday 8 September @ 8am – 8.20am Rowe Park 4 x 100m relay - All relay runners

Thursday 14 September @ 3.00 – 3.45pm School Oval Throws - All throwers – Teeball and Turbo Javelin

Friday 15 September @ 8am – 8.20am Rowe Park 4 x 100m relay - All relay runners

If parents are able to assist in this mornings with walking students back to school please email me Sharon.seaman@cewa.edu.au

Donations – Sporting Equipment

Families who wish to donate sporting equipment could you please take these items to any of the locations below:

Fair Game

We have donation bins located across Perth including:

HBF Stadium, HBF Arena, WA Athletics Stadium, Gold Netball Centre and the Bendat Basketball Centre - thanks to our community partner VenuesWest. Check our website for other locations here https://www.fairgame.org.au/boots-and-balls-for-brekky/

So why not have a spring clean this weekend and bring down your outgrown sports shoes and unwanted equipment so someone else can score some goals.

Items must be in good condition, not old, broken or damaged.

Please do not send these items to the school.

Thanks in advance.

Upcoming Events:

INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Tuesday 19 September, WA State Athletics Centre for selected Years 3-6 students.

Kind regards,

Sharon Seaman

Physical Education Specialist Teacher

'Parenting Principles for our Digital Natives' is a free webinar that is being run this term presented by Claire Orange, the founder of Best Programs 4 Kids and the Highway Heroes program. Parents can view at no cost - Parenting Principles for our Digital Natives. This practical webinar steps parents through what's actually happening in the online space and how to manage their child's access effectively. It's a no-nonsense 45-minute exploration of the big issues we're facing and the most practical ways to start tackling them.

Access the webinar here.

Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the summer school holidays. VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations. They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water. Enrol at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim

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 2023.

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 1
• Wednesday 1 February - Thursday 6 April
• TERM 2
• Wednesday 26 April – Friday 30 June
• TERM 3
• Tuesday 18 July – Thursday 21 September
• TERM 4
• Monday 09 October – Friday 9 December

Pupil free days:

Monday 24 April

Friday 2 June

Monday 17 July

Friday 18 August

Friday 22 September

Public Holidays

Monday 6 March (Labour Day)

Friday 7 April (Good Friday)

Tuesday 25 April (ANZAC Day)

Monday 5 June (WA Day)

Monday 25 September (Kings birthday)

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