2024 Term 1 - Week 5 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

From our Principal

Last week we began the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday begins our Lenten journey. Similar to how the children began their academic year journey by proudly wearing the School’s uniform they identify themselves as members of this School. They carry the School’s message in the actions of their lives and give those with whom they make contact an insight into the School’s behaviour expectations, values and ethos.

We can begin our Lenten journey as a means to reassert the presence of Christ within our lives and not allow the ashes to be simply an outward symbol with no inner significance. Ashes on our foreheads mark us as Christians, as followers of Christ, as the people who carry His message in the actions of our lives, actions that give those with whom we make contact an insight into Christian behaviour. We can enter into the spirit of Lent and focus on an area of our life that needs rebuilding; we can monitor our usual behaviours to check if they are negative or positive expressions of our calling to be a Christian.

Of course, we can simply skip along through Lent, turn up for each day of it but give it no recognition. We can ignore this opportunity to advance our sense of who we are and neglect the occasion on offer to become more compassionate, more tolerant, more courageous or more forgiving.

Our children can begin their new school year in a very positive manner by being prepared with books and materials and wearing their uniform in a manner that indicates total identification with their school. They can participate as fully as possible in the everyday life of the school, including its sporting and cultural activities, and focus on behaving in a responsible, cooperative manner. They can celebrate fellowship with other students by respecting their rights and feelings, whilst following instructions and rules that enable the ordinary conduct of the school. At the end of the year, they can emerge as the beneficiaries of having done their best at all times and having participated enthusiastically in the life of the school.

The alternative is they could choose to simply doodle and dawdle their way through the school year, turn up each day but make little effort at self-improvement. They can refuse any responsibility for their learning, homework and assignments and close their mind to encouragement and motivation. They can neglect opportunities to develop self-esteem, to advance academic skills, to broaden social interactions, to cultivate and absorb Christian values.

From what I have witnessed over the past few weeks the children have chosen to start off the year in a positive manner. The smiles are infectious, the students are getting in and having a go at schoolwork and other pursuits on offer, and that is a very encouraging sign indeed, they are ‘Finding happiness in making others happy’.  Congratulations on a great start to the year!!

Family involvement and engagement is a key feature of Catholic schools. As the first educators of your children, you have a great influence on your children’s learning and development during their school years and long afterwards.  We all know that when parents are involved in their children’s education at home, they do better in school. And when parents are involved in school, children go farther in school and the schools they go to are better. A key element of parent engagement at St Thomas More’s is the Parent Engagement Charter.

The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Parent Engagement Charter emphasises that the partnership between parents and school is key in achieving our purpose of ‘enabling full and flourishing lives’ for children, staff and families.  The Parent Engagement Charter describes what parents can expect and what is expected of them, providing a point of reference for staff and parents as we work together to provide the best possible education for all children and build a community in which everyone belongs, feels valued and can succeed.

I encourage you to familiarise yourself with the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Parent Engagement Charter by accessing the link: ParentEngagementCharter (twb.catholic.edu.au)

Commencing this week, you may notice a change to the school logo on the school website, information and advertising.  Last year, after consultation with the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, St Thomas More’s Primary School (Leadership Team & Staff) and St Thomas More’s Parish and Parent stakeholders (School Advisory Council and P&F) recontextualised our school logo.  The new school logo has both traditional and contemporary significance:

• Traditional cross which was a feature on the previous logo
• Explicit use of the school’s name, St Thomas More’s instead of STM to further promote our identity
• Emphasised the social justice element of the school through the inversed hands of justice, outreach and care. The inversed hands can also be considered, hand in the hand of Christ as we deepen our friendship with him in our school journey

Please be aware, school uniforms with the previous school logo will not need to be replaced or purchased (there will be a transitional process)!

For the benefit of the school community, I will be attending the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Leadership Forum from Tuesday 20^th to Thursday 22^nd February.  In my absence Miss Kris Byrne will act as Principal.

Thanks for reading.

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Afternoon Pick Up Zone

On behalf of St Thomas More’s Parish and St Thomas More’s School, we are kindly and respectfully asking for parents/grandparents to refrain from ‘waiting’ in the St Thomas More’s pick up and drop off zone (Ramsay St entrance) until 2:50pm. 

The reasons being:

• A lack of access to the lined car parks, which are available for your use.
• Congestion is blocking vehicles from moving through the car park
• Work is still being undertaken in the grounds right up to 3pm
• It is a drop off and loading zone not for parking

I understand this may cause inconvenience, however your patience and flexibility in working with the Parish and School would be greatly appreciated.

School Lunches

In recent days we have experienced an increasing number of children visiting the Administration Office seeking food and fruit for lunch.  Although we are happy to support families and children in need, we are also asking families to monitor lunch consumption and have conversations with children regarding eating requirements when at school. 

Grooming Expectations

Please be mindful, hairstyles which draw attention to the individual, including but are not limited to: mullet, scullett, mohawks, tracks, tails, hair colouring etc. are not permitted.

Before School Supervision

Before school duty commences at 8:15am.  Children who arrive at school before 8:15am are kindly asked to sit in the ‘Quad Area’ until teacher supervision commences at 8:15am.

Student Protect

From our APRE

Welcome to Week 5! How quickly have we made it to the halfway point of this term! What a busy two weeks we have had since our last newsletter.  

Thank you to our STM students and families who were able to attend the Project Compassion Launch Mass at the Cathedral on February 11.  

Our Year 6 students in attendance were wonderful representatives for our school. With Lent now being in full swing, so too is our Project Compassion Mission. Give what you can this year to support CARITAS in their wonderful work for those less fortunate than us.   

Lent 

Our 2024 Lenten journey began on Shrove Tuesday this year, with our annual Service Club Pancake Morning. I too join with our Service Club in thanking our STM Community for donating pancake mix to make this morning possible. A big thank you also to the families and staff who were able to help pre-cook our pancakes and to those who also helped sell them during our Pancake Morning. This is a perfect example of servant leadership being alive and well at STM!   

On Valentine’s Day, we observed the official beginning of the church Season of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Prayer Celebration. Students are to be commended on their outstanding participation in this celebration. Everyone used this time wisely to consider what their Lenten journey may look like this year.  

The Season of Lent lasts for 40 days (not counting Sundays), just as Jesus’ trial in the wilderness lasted for 40 days. During Lent, believers are asked to consider how they can enrich their lives through prayer, fasting (giving up something they enjoy) and almsgiving (giving to the poor). I really like Pope Francis’ take on fasting ... 

This Lent, I encourage all members of our community to embrace our theme this year, finding happiness in making others happy, and take up a good deed a day instead of fasting. What a wonderful way to spread joy and happiness in our school community.  

2024 Sacramental Program  

The 2024 Sacramental Program at the St Thomas More’s Church begins soon. Students from Year 4, 5 and 6 are most welcome to join the program this year, which includes Penance, Confirmation and First Eucharist. Further information about the Sacramental Program is available from the Parish Office. You can contact them via email at parishoffice@stthomasmores.org.au  

Although the registration date has passed, if you are interested in your child/ren being part of the program this year, please do reach out.  

Please note that students need to have been baptised to participate in the Sacramental Program.  

Term 1 Value – Joy!  

This term, we focus on our school value of Joy. Our school values at STM are inspired by the life and teachings of 4 people ... Jesus Christ, St Thomas More (the English Saint our school is named after), St Mary MacKillop (co-founder of the order of sisters who started our school and our very first Australian Saint) and St Joseph (the patron saint of the Sisters of Saint Joseph). There are many examples of joy being an important part of the lives of all four of these special people. In the Gospels, we learn that Jesus brought joy to all those He met and helped. Mary MacKillop similarly worked hard to bring joy to the lives of those around her by helping and supporting them. This term we will learn a little more about how joy came to be one of our core values at STM because of the people special to our school.  

As we move into the second half of Term 1, it is important too to consider how joy can be a part of our story as well – collectively as a school community and individually as well. Our Year 6 leaders have done a great job hunting for joy in the playground and I look forward to seeing where they will find joy next!  

Triple M Weather Reporter 

Triple M have reached out to STM in their hunt for students to help present the weather on the radio of a Wednesday morning. Families can nominate students for this special experience using the link below. Make sure you tune your radio to Triple M to see if we have any STM weather reporters!  

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Term One Important Dates

From our Sports Department

Representative Swimming 

Congratulations to all the children who represented St Thomas More’s at the Catholic and Central Zone Swimming Carnivals.  

A special mention to the following students on their results and selection in the Central Zone Team. We wish them the best of luck at the Darling Downs trials.  

Levi M – 2nd 50m Freestyle  

Tyrell W – 1st 50m Back stroke, 1st 50m Freestyle & 1st 50m Breaststroke  

Makayla W  

• 1st 50m Butterfly  
• 1st 100m Backstroke  
• 1st 50m Backstroke 
• 1st 50m Breaststroke  
• 1st 100m Breaststroke  
• 1st 50m Freestyle  
• 1st 100m Freestyle  

Interschool Sport 

Unfortunately, interschool sport was cancelled due to the rain last week. We look forward to sport this Friday. A reminder that children need to pack a hat, water bottle, lunch and their playing uniforms and bring a small bag to carry these items in.  

Draw – Friday 23rd Feb  

Girls Touch – Kearney Springs  

Boys AFL – Concordia (Stephen Street entrance)  

 AFL QLD Visit 

Last week we were very fortunate to have staff from AFL QLD visit us in PE lessons. They took the children through some skills and drills, and some fun AFL games. Everyone enjoyed their visit, and we can’t wait for them to come back at the end of Term 2.  

From our Counsellor

Online Safety: Connect. Reflect. Protect.

This February we review safer internet use, with a particular focus on safe online gaming. As you know, more than ever children are spending time online, engaging socially and using digital technology to gather information.  It’s important as parents that you teach your children how to keep safe and to have respectful relationships online.  Many young people enjoy online gaming, where they play video games with friends on the internet.  Offline gaming usually involves playing games alone or with others in the same room and is usually safer and more ideal for young children. Games can be a great way to improve problem solving and can increase a feeling of social connection and fun. If you decide to allow your child to game online, you need to know what can go wrong online and learn how to protect your children from the risks of cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content. To help parents to become more informed about online safety, the e Safety Commissioner has collated some fantastic resources to help parents to learn about the importance of supporting young people to have safer online experiences. Check out the eSafety website for advice on how to have a conversation with your child about online safety and help them to learn skills to be safe online.  Read eSafety’s article for parents about online gaming: The risks and benefits of online gaming for young people.

God Bless,

Jayne Farquharson

School Counsellor 

From Our Library

From our Student Representatives

We have started our Minute to Win It Challenge! The points stand as thus … 

We had great success with our Pom Pom Plate Challenge. This week the Minute to Win It Challenge will be Card Stacks. Children from Prep to Year 6 (and staff!) are welcome to come along and have a try next week. We will be in the Quad at First Break on Thursday.  

God bless, 

Audrey and Flynn 

From Our Service Club

Service Club have lots of exciting things coming up this term. We started our Kindy visits at Creative Gardens last week and are excited about how these will go for the rest of this term!  

This term, we are hoping to start a LEGO Club. At the moment, we are looking into securing some donations of LEGO and will let you know more about this club when we have heard back about these donations. LEGO Club will be available for children from Prep to Year 6.  

We officially launched our Project Compassion Mission with our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Morning last week. Thank you to all the families who donated pancake mix for our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Morning. We are super grateful for your generosity. Thank you to the families and teachers who cooked pancakes for us and Mr Barnes and the parent helpers who helped us sell our pancakes on Tuesday morning. We raised nearly $150 with our pancake morning! What a great way to start our Project Compassion Mission and Lent! 

Our Easter Raffle starts this week. Tickets are 50c and will be available at Second Break in Miss Byrne’s room each day until we draw our winners in Week 10! Families are welcome to donate Easter Eggs or Easter Items for our Hampers.   

Now that Lent has started, each class has a Project Compassion Box in their room. We encourage you to donate as much as you can during Lent this year! We will collect boxes each Thursday and let you know which class has raised the most money each week at assembly. The class with the most donations each week will receive the special Project Compassion Cross to place in their prayer space for the week. 

Have a great week. 

God bless, 

Isla, Matilda, Grace, Arlia, Indi and James from Service Club  

Student Awards

Well done to our students who received awards in Week 3 and Week 4. Keep up the great work! 

Week 3

Week 4

Music Tutoring

Recipe of the Week

P & F News

Tuckshop News

Exciting news for 2024

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 

NEW Tuckshop Menu

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

From our Uniform Shop

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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