Important Dates
Thursday 28 July - Homework Club 3:15 - 4 pm
Thursday 28 July - Drama Club 3:15 - 5:30 pm
Friday 29 July - Running Club (Yrs 1 - 6)
Monday 01 August - Coding Club 3:15 - 4 pm
Wednesday 03 August - CPAF Piano Solos
Wednesday 03 August - Italian Club 3:15 - 4 pm (PP - Y2)
Thursday 04 August - Y3 Assembly (PK - Y2)
Thursday 04 August - Drama Club 3:15 - 5:30 pm
Thursday 04 August - Confirmation Parent/Student
Friday 05 August - Running Club (Yrs 1 - 6)
Friday 05 August - Y3 Assembly (Yrs 4 - 6)
Monday 08 August - St Mary Mackillop Prayer Service
Wednesday 10 August - Italian Club 3:15 - 4 pm (PP - Y2)
Thursday 11 August - Drama Club Performance 5:30 pm
Friday 12 August - Drama Club Performance 5:30 pm
Friday 19 August - Confirmation Retreat Y6
Monday 22 August - Pupil Free Day
Wednesday 24 August - Book Week Dress Up & Parade 8:45 am
Friday 26 August - Jumps/Throws Athletics Yrs 1 - 2
Friday 26 August - Confirmation Y6 - 6 pm
Wednesday 31 August - Jumps/Throws Athletics Yrs 3 - 6
Thursday 01 September - Jumps/Throws Athletics Yrs 3 - 6
Friday 02 September - Jumps/Throws Athletics Yrs 1 - 2
Friday 02 September - Fathers Day Liturgy & Breakfast
Thursday 08 September - Athletics Carnival PP - Y6
Friday 16 September - Open Morning 9 am - Prospective Parents
Friday 16 September - Grandparents & Parents Arts Show Afternoon 1:30 pm
Friday 16 September - Arts Show Exhibition - Wine & Cheese Night (Parents only)
Tuesday 20 September - Interschool Athletics Carnival
Tuesday 20 September - Parent Teacher Interviews (K, Yrs 1, 3 & 5)
Thursday 22 September - Parent Teacher Interviews (PP, Yrs 2, 4 & 6)
Friday 23 September - Pupil Free Day
(Full 2022 term dates at the end of this newsletter)
St Thomas' School Prayer
Lord God,
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to be your hands and feet where we are.
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to love as you love us.
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to pray for those in need.
At the beginning of this new term
teach us to show your abundant love, grace, mercy and peace.
So that You are honoured and glorified
Amen
Dear Parents and Caregivers
HOLIDAYS
Welcome to Term Three! I hope the start to the term has been smooth for your children and your family. The way students have slid straight into their positive learning routines is a credit to them. Over the holidays there were a number of works carried out to the school, including new lino in the Pre-Kindy classroom, improvements to the bifold doors in then hall, and thorough cleaning in each classroom.
STAFFING
We welcome Mrs Sonia Caielli to the St Thomas’ teaching staff for the Semester Two. Mrs Caielli is teaching the Year 3 class. We thank Mr Evans for sharing his gifts and talents with the Year 3 class and our school community and wish him and his family all the best for the future. After six months leave, we are excited to welcome Mrs Valentine back in the Year 2 class. Also coming back to St Thomas’, Miss Antulov, who will be working as an Education Assistant in Early Years classes. Whilst our Year 1 class won’t have a new teacher in a couple of weeks, Miss Ward will have a new name! Miss Ward will return to Year One as Mrs MacDonald, after her recent wedding. Congratulations Nicola – we look forward to hearing about your special day when you return to us mid-Week Four.
STUDENTS
We have welcomed 9 new and returning students this term to St Thomas’. It has been heart-warming to see the welcome these students received from their new classmates, and to see how quickly they have settled into our St Thomas’ community. Welcome students!
CLUBS
There are some minor changes to our ‘Clubs’ offerings this term. I spoke to all PP-Year 6 students at gathering on Monday of this week, displaying the Term 3 Clubs poster and discussing the many opportunities students have at St Thomas’ Primary School. Please view the PDF of this poster at: https://www.stthomas.wa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-T3-ClubsPoster.pdf.
Please note that ‘E-sports’ will not take place this term – students with a passion for technology may consider joining Coding Club on Monday afternoons – please contact me for more information: Heath.Nankivell@cewa.edu.au
VALUES
This week our weekly focus is on ‘Collaboration’. It is no accident that collaboration was specifically chosen for inclusion in our school vision. Collaboration is more than ‘group work’, or sitting next to someone. It is respectfully contributing with, inviting and hearing others to complete a task or work towards a goal. I encourage you to discuss how your child has collaborated with others across the week.
NAIDOC CELEBRATIONS
Last Wednesday St Thomas’ celebrated NAIDCO day. The Year 5 class led the classes with a prayer service in the hall, before students participated in music, cooking, sport and art activities involving indigenous themes. Our buddies program was again on show as the Year 3-6 classes worked with their Kindy-Year 2 buddy class. The St Thomas’ value of ‘community’ being on show with the older students helping out the younger students. Please view the photos below to see a selection of activities.
CATHOLIC PERFORMING ARTS
A major part of the Performing Arts program for the year is the opportunity for students to perform in the Catholic Performing Arts program. The program involves 100 Catholic Schools across Western Australia, and over 15,000 students will take part. Categories include: Bible reading, instrumental solos and duets, choir, drama and dance. We have already received excellent results in the Bible Reading category, and this week sees the instrumental performances. We look forward to updating you on the achievements of our very talented students later in the term. For more information, please visit: https://www.spiritofthearts.com.au/performing-arts-festival/
BRLA
Students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in the Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment (BRLA) over the next couple of weeks. A practice test will be conducted 9am Thursday 28 July, with the assessment proper to take place on Thursday 4 August. If a student is absent they have an opportunity to catch-up on Friday 5 August, before the assessment website closes. Communication has been sent to all Years 3 and 5 parents, if you have any questions please contact myself or your child’s teacher.
God bless
Heath Nankivell
PRINCIPAL (ACTING)
Dad's and Father Figure Camp Out
The St Thomas Dad's Camp Out is back!
All St Thomas dads and father figures are warmly invited to this year's Camp Out. An overnight adventure full of fun, mateship and trying new things with your kids in the great outdoors!
When: Saturday 29 October - Sunday 30 October 2022
Where: The Jarrahfall Bush Camp & Dare Adventures Team, Dwellingup
Please secure your tickets via https://www.trybooking.com/BYDSF
Enrolments 2023 - 2024 & 2025!
We would hate to disappoint as we give priority to siblings of our existing families, however, we are getting applications for quite a few years in advance and realise some years may fill prior to receiving all our existing families applications.
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)
We are delighted to inform you that St Thomas’ Primary School will be participating in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) again this year.
ICAS Assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence. Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher order thinking and problem-solving skills.
Students from Years 2-6 are eligible to enter the ICAS Competition.
The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.
2022 Participation
ICAS Assessments are online.
You are invited to choose all, or any of the assessments for your child to sit.
Payment for the online assessments will be done via the Parent Payment Portal.
Visit the online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global and to nominate the assessments you would like your child to participate in. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.
ACCESS DETAILS FOR PARENTS
School access code is: QQK865
Your parent page link is:
https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Online payment closes Friday, 1 August 2022
IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the system as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.
Sitting date – St Thomas’ School
Assessments will be administered at school.
- ICAS Science Years 2-6 (Online) 22 Aug -26 Aug
- ICAS Digital Technologies Years 3-6 (Online) 8 Aug – 12 Aug
- ICAS English Years 2-6 (Online) 15-19 Aug
- ICAS Mathematics Years 2-6 (Online) 29 Aug – 2 Sept
Cost per test: $19.25
Parents are also encouraged to visit the ICAS website unsw.global/ICAS to gather more background information on these competitions and to access practice items to help your child prepare for the competition.
Students are welcome to borrow past papers from the school to practice. These will be available to borrow from the Makerspace Room in the Library, from the beginning of Term 3.
Self-Reporting Portal for COVID-19
It is vitally important that parents and caregivers inform the school if your child tests positive for COVID-19. Parents and caregivers can inform the school of their child’s positive or negative COVID result via this LINK.
A friendly reminder to also register your positive RAT result to the WA Health RAT Register on this LINK
Thank you
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