2024 Term 4 - Week 1 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from https://www.hartelwickfederation.org.uk/elwick/prayer/ 

From our Principal

It’s hard to believe there are only 10 weeks till the end of the year, and boy, do we have a busy, yet exciting term ahead.   The information provided in this week’s newsletter is not new, rather to reinforce the importance of ‘being at school.’   Although on the surface the concept of attendance and absentee rates appears to be rather plutonic, there now appears to be much deeper ramifications and lifelong issues concerned with missing school. 

Attendance at school is the foundation of student engagement, learning, wellbeing and achievement. Learning gains, engagement to school and retention have all been strongly correlated with regular student attendance

(http://education.qld.gov.au/everydaycounts/docs/performance-insights-report.pdf) .

Current research and practice indicate that an individual student’s attendance rate of 90% or less is correlated with potential problems for the student – in the short, medium and long terms. Such a rate has been described as Chronic Absenteeism (CA) and needs to be identified and responded to from the earliest indications. Put simply, an attendance rate of 90% equates to the following: 

Ninety percent (90%) attendance (aka “regular attendance”):

• 1 day/fortnight absent
• 1 week/term absent
• 1 month/year absent
• 1 school year/P-9 absent
• almost 1 ½ years instruction lost P-12

The research is clear and extremely concerning, children with less than 90% attendance are:

• achieving lower levels of literacy and numeracy;
• achieve lower performance learning grades/reports;
• reportedly experiencing more problems with peers (ie. poor sense of belonging, peer conflict);
• reporting higher levels of disorganisation and anxiety;
• reportedly experiencing less success in the classroom compared to their peers;
• more likely to experience unemployment, mental health difficulties, not complete Year 12, lower life expectancies and more likely to be involved in criminal activity as an adult.

Chronic Absenteeism in the first term of a student’s schooling has been directly correlated with present and future problems. These findings can be used as a reliable and useful early warning sign for future adverse outcomes well in advance of the analysis of any formal learning achievement data – whether in school or system wide. As such, it provides especially powerful alerts in the early years of a student’s schooling, secondary as well as primary. Studies from both WA and Qld DET, indicate that the younger that chronic absenteeism occurs, the more significant the impact on learning and engagement.

So, at St Thomas More’s, let’s make every day count!! 

Thanks for reading. 

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Student Protection

From our APRE

Welcome back! I hope all our STM Families had a wonderful break and are refreshed and ready to tackle Term 4! We certainly finished last term with a bang, and I am sure Term 4 will be just as fabulous.

Musical Update

I am sure I am not alone when I say I am still riding the LKJ Musical high! I can’t thank our whole school community enough for getting behind this amazing experience and embracing it with such enthusiasm and joy! Thank you to our staff for being so flexible and generous with their time, our parents and families for supporting our students and staff in all things LKJ related and of course to our wonderful students. Working backstage at a show allows you to see it from a very unique perspective. It was a joy each evening to see the excitement and happiness on the faces of the children as they stepped on and off the stage. I thank each and every member of our LKJ Cast for their professionalism and passion.

Of course, I cannot share thanks without acknowledging our wonderful 2024 LKJ Sponsors. Thank you for your financial support of our show this year. Your generosity has meant the world to us and allowed us to share a high-quality show with our school community.

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Platinum Sponsor ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Gold Sponsors ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Silver Sponsor ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Bronze Sponsor ...

The LKJ fun is not over yet either – we have a special LKJ Celebration Assembly this Wednesday at 10:00 am in the STM Sportscentre. All families are most welcome to attend.

I will share some photos from our show in the next edition of the newsletter. Year 4 - Year 6 families, we will also share photos with you in the coming fortnight. I am just waiting to receive all the official photos taken during Show Week! 

Farewell Mr P

Last term, we farewelled our beloved Mr P. Mr Daryl Petzler joined the STM Community in 1998, being a staff member at our school for over 25 years. At the end of last term, we celebrated Mr P’s retirement and looked back on his time at St Thomas More’s. A big thank you to Miss McVeigh and 5 Gold who took on the leadership of our farewell celebration for Mr P with very little notice. You did a wonderful job and I know Mr P was very touched by your thoughtfulness and your kind words. Mr P, we wish you and your family all the best for your move and the new adventures that life has in store for you. You will be sorely missed.

S.T.E.A.M. Incursion

On Thursday, October 10, we welcome The S.T.E.A.M. Show to STM for a special incursion experience. The S.T.E.A.M. Show is an interactive performance that aims to promote positive attitudes to participating in STEAM based activities and foster excitement in children to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths. During the performance, presenters will demonstrate fun and exciting S.T.E.A.M. activities that align with the Australian Curriculum.  

The performance will run for approximately 55 minutes and is designed to entertain students with comedy and song, while highlighting many aspects of S.T.E.A.M.  

Students from Prep, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 will be part of this special incursion. As Year 1 will be off on an excursion on this day, they will unfortunately miss out on this experience.

Please see the letter sent home via the SENTRAL for Parents app for further details, including the cost associated with this experience

Grandparent’s Day

On Friday, October 11 (next Friday), we celebrate our annual Grandparent’s Day at STM. This morning-long celebration will include a Prayer Celebration in the Sportscentre led by 1 Gold from 8:40 am, followed by classroom visits until 10 am. We can’t wait to welcome our wonderful grandparents and those like grandparents to us to STM.

Hike for Homeless

This year, our Service Club have decided to support the Hike for Homeless. Families are most welcome to support Service Club’s participation in this event with a donation. Families can also register and join our STM Team for the 5km hike this year. Below you will find a link that provides you with further details and a link to our STM Page where you can donate and register to join our team.

Term 4 Family Mass

This term, we celebrate our Family Mass in Week 3 during Mission Weekend. Service Club have taken on the role of Mission Ambassadors this year and will be sharing a Mission Weekend Message with the STM Parish on behalf of Mission Australia at the Saturday Vigil Mass starting at 6 pm on Saturday, October 19. We warmly invite all STM families to come and join in this celebration with us.

As the school is leading this Mass, there will be opportunities for the children to lead elements of the Mass including reading, carrying symbols and singing. If your child is interested in any of the above, please reach our via email (Kristin.Byrne@twb.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible.

Socktober

Socktober 2024 is finally here! Service Club will be arranging a special Socktober Kick Off on Wednesday, September 23. If any of our STM parents would like to help out and take on the role of ‘Guest Goalie’ please get in touch via email (Kristin.Byrne@twb.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible.

Our Socktober Kick-Off Day will also include a Crazy Sock Day! Students can come along in their Formal Uniform with their craziest socks for a gold coin donation.

This term is shaping up to be a busy one, so please continue to check SENTRAL for Parents for updates and messages and keep an eye on our social media platforms for updates.

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Miss Byrne's Term 4 Important Dates

From our Sports Dept

Interschool Sport 

Children in Years 5 & 6 will participate in Interschool Sport this term in weeks 4, 5, 6, & 7. The sports for Term 4 are boys touch, girls AFL & mixed volleyball. Team lists have been sent through SENTRAL.  

Girls that have chosen to play AFL will require a mouth guard and a mouth guard form to be signed before they can play. Boys are permitted to wear football/soccer boots if they have them for touch. 

Buses will depart school at 10:30am and return at approx. 2:15pm. Tuckshop will be unavailable at second break for those weeks. 

Children are required to bring a hat, sunscreen, water and food. 

Term 4 Swimming Lessons 

Below is the timetable of swimming lessons for Prep – Year 2. This year we will be using the Glennie Aquatic Centre for our school swimming lessons. Children will be bused to and from their lessons. 

Monday 28th October  

Tuesday 29th October  

Monday 25th November 

Thursday 28th November  

Year 1 – 9:30am-10:15am 

Year 2 – 10:15am-11:00am 

Prep – 11:00am- 11:45am  

Please ensure your child has their swimming costume, towel, and goggles for their lessons and anything else you feel they may require. The Glennie Aquatic Centre will provide swimming caps on your child’s first visit. Teachers will collect swimming caps at the end of each session and will be given back out at the beginning of each lesson. These different coloured swimming caps are vital to the smooth running of the lessons as the different colours will indicate which group your child is in for easy organisation.  

Children will get changed before and after their lesson at the pool.  

Swimwear Guidelines: 

To ensure safety and comfort during the lessons, we request that all students adhere to the following swimwear guidelines: 

• Children should not wear rash shirts or oversized clothes. 

• If wearing leggings or full-body coverings for cultural reasons, they must be skin-tight. 

• No scuba masks are allowed (any goggles brought must not cover the nose). 

• We do not supply loan goggles, so if a child wishes to wear goggles, they must bring their own. 

If there is a problem with your child’s lessons, please speak to their class teacher and they will deal with the concern. Please do not contact the pool directly.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or your child’s classroom teacher.  

2024 Swimming Carnivals – Save the dates 

Senior Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 26th November at the Glennie Aquatic Centre  

Junior Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 3rd December at the TAS Pool.  

Student Awards

Week 9

Amazing work from our Term 3, Week 9 award recipients. 

Term 3 Southern Cross Awards

Well done to our Term 3 Southern Cross Award recipients. We're very proud of you! 

From our Uniform Shop

P & F News

Tuckshop News

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Order via Flexischools App.  If you need help to navigate the App, please feel free to pop into the tuckshop and chat to Jemma or email on jemma@archerscateringandevents.com.au 

Cut off of Online orders...
Order before 3pm Tuesday (for Wednesday), 3pm Wednesday (for Thursday) & 1pm Thursday (for Friday).

NEW Tuckshop Menu

REMINDER - IF YOU CHILD IS SICK, PLEASE CONTACT THE TUCKSHOP BEFORE 9AM TO POSTPONE YOUR ORDER TO THE NEXT DAY!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Westridge Fruit and Vegetables for their continued support with the donation of fresh fruit every week for our students!

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Tennis Coaching