Term 2 - Week 10 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

A prayer in honour of the Feast Day of St Thomas More this week! We hope good humour finds all members of our STM community as we begin the last week of Semester One! 

Image retrieved from https://www.scross.co.za/2019/07/st-thomas-mores-prayer-for-good-humour/ 

From our Principal

Congratulations to everyone on a very successful Athletics Carnival last week. Excellent organisation from Stacey Hancock, with the support of all staff, created an event that provided a positive experience for our students. The cooperation of the students enabled the day to run extremely smoothly. Thanks to all of the parents who were able to attend the carnival, especially those who offered their assistance.

This week we keep Deacon Nathan in our prayers as he makes his final preparations for his Ordination to the Priesthood which will happen this Saturday. We have all enjoyed Nathan’s presence at the school & at school events during Semester 1. He often assists with reading groups in classrooms as well as being present in the playground. We look forward to his continuing involvement following his ordination.

Thanks to all staff, families & students during Semester 1 for your hard work & cooperation. I hope everyone enjoys some down time over the break & return to school refreshed.

God Bless.

Mr Michael Cash

Principal

School Renewal and Improvement Process (SRIP)

Part of the renewal process for Toowoomba Catholic Schools includes a formal review process that occurs every few years. Our last review at STM was in 2018 and many areas of strength and areas for development were identified. The full report from the 2018 review can be found on our school website or you can email the office to ask for a copy to be shared with you.  

This year we will once again be undergoing a whole-school review. Part of this process involves reflecting on the previous findings and the big-ticket items that have come about because of these. Over the next few newsletters, we will share four of these big-ticket items with you.  

If you would like to be part of the 2022 review process, we want you! Please contact the school office to register your interest.  

Social Justice and Action - Student Voice 

Our 2018 review found that members of the STM community at the time were invited on many occasions to share their ideas and have their voices heard through a range of platforms, including the P&F, School Board and various surveys. It was noted in 2018 that the school generally looked beyond itself and engaged in a range of outreach activities, but the panel encouraged the school moving forward to carefully consider these outreach experiences and ensure that all members of the community were able to participate in some way and that all outreach experiences were reflective of school culture, vision and mission. 

To further engage the student body in outreach experiences, the school has made great growth in collecting student voice over the past few years. The most obvious way this is done is through our Year 6 led Service Club, which with the support of the APRE leads the fundraising, awareness and community action each term. The school still chooses to support Vinnies and CARITAS, but Service Club now work in a way that helps make the links between the school's participation in these fundraising efforts and school culture, vision and mission more obvious. Service Club have also introduced the school to new outreach experiences in the past few years based on their interests and the needs of the local community including Socktober, Jeans for Genes Day and Hike for Homeless.  

The past few years have also seen the introduction of a Kindy Outreach program, which involves both staff and students working with our three local kindy classes to support the children in readiness for Prep; and heightened awareness of Social Justice issues in the school community which resulted in the establishment of both a Year 5 Social Justice Club and a Staff Social Justice Committee. Unfortunately, neither of these groups gained much traction and are no longer active in 2022 but they provided a good example of how to engage more members of the school community in leadership around social justice issues. 

Teaching and Learning – Reading Improvement Strategy and clarity around classroom teaching and learning 

Back in 2018, the Reading Improvement Strategy (RIS) was still in its infancy but was perceived by members of the school community as worthwhile, having a positive impact on both how reading is taught and student progress. Students also noted a difference in how reading was being taught. Elements of visible learning could be seen in the implementation of the RIS, providing both teachers and students will clarity around the intended learning for each lesson. This was mainly evident in the use of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria (LISCs) to frame lessons. The review panel suggested STM continue developing the RIS and visible learning practices at STM moving forward.  

RIS is part of the expected practices at STM and has been embedded in school culture. Classes from Prep to Year 6 engage in a variety of reading experiences on a weekly basis including whole class reading, guided reading groups, and individual reading time. Teachers have fine-tuned the feedback process around these reading experiences using LISCs to ensure they are able to give students feedback that is targeted and relevant to their learning.   

Over the past few years, the collective understanding of staff and students around LISCs themselves have developed. Staff have gained a deeper understanding of the purpose of LISCs and have worked on using cognitive verbs to help make LISCs clear and concise. Both staff and students have explored diverse ways of both crafting and using LISCs in the classroom, which has enabled not only teachers to give feedback, but students to engage in peer and self-assessment as well.  Currently, LISCs are used across all Key Learning Areas at STM.  

From our APRE

In putting together the newsletter this week, I had the opportunity to spend some time reflecting on the semester that's been. We have had moments of incredible sadness this semester at STM, as well of moments of fun, joy and laughter. Our STM school community is one that is founded on love and respect, which was clearly evident in the community spirit that shone so brightly this semester in the midst of our shared grief.  As I share my happy memories from this semester, I encourage all STM families to say an extra prayer for Tanisa and the Norbu family this week and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. 

COVID meant we had to rethink how we presented our leaders with their leadership badges this year. It was lovely to invite Deacon Nathan to come and bestow a special blessing on our leaders in Term One in a low-key outdoor celebration. 

We had a HUGE group working with Mr Briffa, Ms McVeigh, Mrs McGovern and I in their preparations to receive their sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion this year. It's always a privilege to work with families to support our candidates on their faith journey. 

Harmony Week was a great chance for us to reflect on our diverse STM school community and celebrate that together everyone belongs. Our Hallway of Hearts has really brightened up the admin building and is a lovely visual representation of our wonderful STM school community. 

I am lucky enough to work each week with our exceptionally enthusiastic Year 6 leaders who are part of Service Club. They have set a great example of servant leadership this term and I can't wait to see what else they have in store for STM in Semester Two!

This term we celebrated Under 8s Day with our Prep, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 children. It was a great chance to celebrate the littlest people in our school community and a wonderful chance for the children to mingle and support each other as they participated in a range of fun activities!

I'm not going to lie ... the prospect of putting together a school musical that features all 400 of our students in some way was slightly terrifying! But I can now confidently say - this is a show you won't want to miss! It's been an absolute pleasure working with the children and teachers this term to put together class numbers that will feature in our show. Tickets will go on sale early next term, but mark September 14 and 15 in your calendar now!

Of course, it's the STM students, families and staff that make STM such a wonderful place to be! This semester there have been plenty of opportunities for networking within the community with our Cross Country, Athletics Carnival, Mad Food Incursion, Majeda Visit and Mamma Mia trip to name just a few! If I put a picture up of every highlight, it would take you all holidays to get through it! 

Farewell Miss Sore 

This week, Miss Sore begins her maternity leave in preparation for the little bundle of joy that is due to arrive later this year. I am sure the whole school community joins with me in wishing Shae and Charlie all the best as they prepare to welcome their first child. We can't wait to meet the little one when they arrive!

In farewelling Miss Sore, we warmly welcome Miss Emily Candale to our STM family. Emily will be teaching 4 Gold for the rest of 2022. Emily will be spending some time this week getting to know 4 Gold and the rest of the STM community before officially starting in Term Three. If you see Emily around the school during the week, make sure you make her welcome!

Vinnies Winter Appeal

We are a bit late starting our Winter Appeal Drive due to my busy schedule over the past few weeks, but our appeal is now up and running. Each year, STM proudly supports the Vinnies Winter Appeal, helping Toowoomba families in need. Over the next two weeks, I encourage families to donate what they can to help those in need. You might like to send in...

Report Cards

Our Semester One Report Cards this year will be distributed via the Parent Portal later this week . If you have yet to start using the portal, it is vital that you make the move to doing so in the next two weeks. If you need any assistance at all accessing the portal, feel free to contact our wonderful staff in the office and they will be more than happy to help you however they can. 

Over the course of this semester, teachers have been gathering evidence of learning for each learning area for each of our students. This process involves gathering, analysing and reflecting on multiple sources of evidence to make an informed judgment about what students know, understand and can do.  

Assessment in the classroom can come in many forms. It can either be … 

• Diagnostic (assessing prior learning) - pre-tests and work samples. 

• Formative (assessing for learning) - observations, group work, individual conferencing, ongoing work samples. 
• Summative (assessing of learning) - tasks, assignments, presentations.

In Week 10, families will receive Semester 1 Report Cards for students from Prep to Year 6 via the Parent Portal. This Report Card is a culmination of your child’s academic achievement throughout the semester, as well as a snapshot of their spiritual and social development. It is just one way of communicating information about student achievement, effort and behaviour.  

The Australian Curriculum is written in such a way, that there is an ‘Achievement Standard’ for each year level for each subject area. It is this Achievement Standard that we report against. The standards are written as a statement of what a student is aiming to achieve by the end of the school year for their year level. A student receiving a ‘C’ standard indicates that they have met this standard, that is, that their work demonstrates a conceptual understanding of the concepts covered and that they can apply this knowledge and skill in familiar situations. Simply speaking, a ‘C’ standard indicates that your child is able to do what is expected of them for their year level. 

To move beyond a ‘C’ standard, a student must demonstrate that they are developing sophistication of conceptual understanding, with a strong application of skills, and that they are beginning to transfer their knowledge and skills to new situations (B standard). For an A standard, students must demonstrate the excellent application of skills and be readily applying the knowledge and skills to new situations. 

Similarly, a ‘D’ standard does not constitute a fail but indicates that a student is continuing to develop their understanding of the expected curriculum, and may be able to demonstrate some of the elements within it, whether with support or inconsistently. A rough outline of these standards is provided below.  

In each KLA, students also receive an effort achievement level. This level is derived by the level of application and study habits during that particular KLA. Please see the table below for the effort achievement scale.

Matilda Jnr Update

Details of costumes for our Year 4 - 6 classes and our main cast have been shared with our families. With the exception of a few main cast costumes which still need to be confirmed, these will not change now. Please remember if you don't have the items needed at home, please let Mrs Deb or myself know before going and buying anything new as we may have things here you can borrow.  Please note that students can wear parts of their STM uniform as their costume. 

Week 10 Rehearsal Schedule

Week Beginning June 20

Just a reminder that if children cannot make their singing sessions after school, with Mrs Skinner, Mrs Skinner needs to be contacted directly to arrange an alternative time.
You can reach her by email at Elizabeth.Skinner@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you to all members of our STM community for your support, dedication and hard work this semester. Have a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone back and ready for more fun and learning in Semester Two!

God Bless.

Miss Kristin Byrne

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Ordination of Deacon Nathan

Dont forget to wear your BEANIE!

From our Sport Desk

Athletics Carnival Results 

Wow! What a wonderful day we had for our athletics carnival! It was great to see smiling faces, friendly cheers and good sportsmanship from everyone. A massive thank you to all the parents, students and staff that helped throughout the day.  

Age Champion Results 

9yrs Girls  

Age Champion – Audrey  

Runner Up – Eva  

9yrs Boys 

Age Champion – Frankie & Jonathan   

Runner Up – Hamish

10yrs Girls 

Age Champion – Harper   

Runner Up – Amelia 

10yrs Boys 

Age Champion – Jordan   

Runner Up – Harrison  

11yrs Girls  

Age Champion – Remeeka   

Runner Up – Gloria 

11yrs Boys  

Age Champion – Chriswin 

Runner Up – Xavier 

12yrs Girls  

Age Champion – Jorja   

Runner Up – Namiya 

12yrs Boys  

Age Champion – Etycas 

Runner Up – Ayaan

Overall House Points  

Term 3 Interschool Sport 

Interschool sport will resume in Term 3. If your child is playing soccer, they will require skin pads to play. We have a limited amount at school that students can borrow. If your child is playing rugby league, they will require a mouth guard to play. Head gear is also encouraged.  

A reminder that a hat and water bottle are essential for your child to participate in interschool sport.  

Swimming Lessons – Term 3 – Years 4-6  

Below is the timetable of swimming lessons for Year 4 - 6 for Term 3. Please ensure your child has their swimming costume, towel, cap and goggles for their lessons and anything else you feel they may require. Boardshorts are not acceptable for swimming lessons as they hamper improvement. They do not need sun shirts as they are inside for lessons. Swimming caps are compulsory for both swimming lessons and the swimming carnival at the end of the year.   

Absences 

If you are aware that your child will not be participating for an extended period of time due to medical reasons or a family holiday, please contact your child’s teacher immediately.  

If there is a problem with your child’s lessons, please speak to their class teacher and they will deal with the concern.  

COVIDSafe Initiatives Pertaining to the School Program 

• Children and School Teachers are not permitted to attend the DLSA if they have experienced cold or flu like symptoms within the previous 72 hours or have visited a Covid-19 Hotspot within the previous 2 weeks. The DLSA reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone who we feel are exhibiting symptoms. 
• Anyone entering the DLSA Facility 18 years and above will be required to provide a Health Declaration/Contact Tracing log. 
• No parents will be permitted to attend the lessons. 
• Everyone must wash their hands using hand sanitiser provided when entering and exiting the facility.
• School program participants need to minimise the need to utilise the facility change rooms. We require the swimmers to arrive with their togs on underneath their school clothes. (Children will get changed into their togs underneath their uniform before heading over to their lesson) 
• Any personal belongings left behind will be passed onto the school teachers in the following group if possible, otherwise lost property items will be discarded. 

PLEASE NOTE – SWIMMING WILL COMMENCE ON THE FIRST DAY BACK IN TERM 3. 

God bless,

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher 

From the Library

Book Week Theme Heads Up

This year the Book Week theme is “Dreaming with Eyes Open”.  So, for our Book Week dress up day, students can come dressed as something they dream of doing or would like to be. Some examples include:

• Playing netball for Australia
• Flying to the moon
• Climbing Mount Everest
• Becoming a doctor, painter, mechanic, chef.
• Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef.

The students will also need a book to accompany their outfit so it might be a non-fiction book the moon, netball or the Great Barrier Reef.

From our Service Club

Our Vinnies Winter Appeal is in full swing. Each classroom has their own basket that they can fill with donations. You can bring in … 

You can bring these in right up until the end of term.  

We will be having a Beanie Day this Wednesday as part of our celebrations for the Feast Day of St Thomas More. St Thomas More was a really kind man, who showed care for everyone, including those who were in hard times. We are inspired by his example to have a Beanie Day to help the homeless in our community. Bring along a gold coin and you can even donate your beanie at the end of the day if you would like. 

Prep had their visit with Olive last week. There is still lots of rubbish everywhere. We all have a responsibility to look after our school and it’s up to everyone to pick up any rubbish they see. We will be doing another rubbish audit this week and we will let you know how we go. We hope to see improvement everywhere.  

Have a great week. 

God bless.  

Makenzie, Olivia and Aimee from Service Club 

Water Bottle?

Are you missing a water bottle?  Collect from Student Entrance

Lost...

Are you missing someone from your household?

This well loved unicorm is missing her family

We will keep her safe and warm in the front office until her family can be found.

Please call if you have any information 4591 3900

From our Tuckshop

Open every Friday.  Please place your childs order through FlexiSchools by 12pm Thursdays and please supply a Paper Bag for your childs order.

Awards

Great work from our Week 9 award recipients! 

Have you filled out your enrolment forms?

From OSHC

Make sure you are registered for Vacation Care during hte school holidays. spaces are filling fast.

Department of Transport and Main Roads

Dear Parents, carers and staff

In partnership with Arup and Zwart Transport Planning, the Department of Transport and Main Roads is gathering insights from parents, carers and staff about bicycle and scooter parking at schools across Queensland. If you would like to contribute your experiences and assist in improving bicycle/scooter parking at schools, we invite you to complete the following online survey by Friday, 24 June 2022 - Bicycle and scooter parking at schools survey for parents, carers and staff.

From our Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop will be back to normal hours this term.

Monday: 8:15am - 8:45am

Wednesday: 2:45pm - 3:15pm

Friday: 8:15am - 8:45am

Email orders are encouraged. You can email your orders through to thouniform@twb.catholic.edu.au

Needs some uniform alternations?

A hem taken up?  A skirt taken down?  Some buttons adjust on a shirt?   Give Mrs Fix It a ring and see if she can help.   

From our P&F

If you can't make it in person, you can attend via Zoom.

Care and Concern committee

Earlier this year our P&F started a Care and Concern committee. The idea of the committee is to provide short term help for STM families in their time of need. This might include when a parent or child or staff member is sick and requires meals, transport or just a supportive hand. It also includes supporting our families in times of grief. We already have a number of volunteers but would love some more so if you would like to join our team of volunteers or even just find out more, please contact Kylie Haywood (kyliehaywoodbusiness@gmail.com).

If you or your family are requiring support, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school leadership team or P&F team and we will discretely and respectfully work with you and your family to provide support and care.

Have you ever wondered what information you should be sharing with your child's teachers? How to help your child through a transition at school? How to build a great relationship with their teacher?

The Catholic School Parent's QLD Parent Engagement website has some great quick reads for parents and teachers to help create a positive and rewarding school journey.

Read them here: https://www.parentengagementcspa.edu.au/

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!

Parish News

Important Dates to Remember for Term 2

Looking for a Part Time Job?

There is always someone there to help.