2024 Term 3 - Week 1 - Newsletter

Prayer of the Week

Image retrieved from STM College on Twitter | Prayers, Faith inspiration, Inspirational quotes (pinterest.com.au)

From our Principal

Welcome back to the start of Term 3. It is great to see all the students return safe and sound from a well-deserved mid semester break.

Each new term brings with it an opportunity for students to build on previous achievements and to place further attention to areas which may need improving. I also believe that a new term will present further opportunities for our school community to further build on the positive culture that exists here at St Thomas More’s and for our school to continue our quest to provide the best possible educational and pastoral environment for all the children who attend.

Our school strives to develop and express its own unique culture. However, we cannot do this alone. We rely greatly on each of our students and staff members being able to actively contribute to this culture in a positive manner. For this to occur, it is necessary for parents to play a proactive role in their children’s education. Families who choose to place their children in a Catholic school have a responsibility to that school to add to its unique culture and Christian dimension. For our school to continue to operate successfully, it must be able to count on the unity of purpose and conviction of all who belong. I know you will continue to work with us, so your children can grow in confidence, with a love of learning and a determination to be the best person they can be.

One of the most important things you as parents can do to assist the school and the teachers is to ensure you instil great value of school and education. Explain to your child that treating everyone with respect, attending school, being on time, wearing the correct uniform and working hard in school is important to them. They are also important life skills. The value you place on these will be the value your child holds. Primary school is the crucial time to establish values, effective routines and an understanding of the benefits of a consistent and rigorous work ethic.

As you know, here at St Thomas More’s, we place great emphasis on our core school values of Joy, Justice, Hope and Faith.  The staff will continue to support you in reminding students of the importance of these values, together with saying thank you, please, excuse me and to call a person by their name i.e. Mr., Mrs. etc., also to be patient when adults are talking, to learn to wait, to knock on the door before entering, to stand back for adults if there is no room to pass and to hold the door and offer to help.

The teaching and support staff here at St Thomas More’s will do everything we can to help your child to do their best. Let us know if we can support you in any way. Remember, communication between home and school is vital for a happy and productive school year. Your child’s teacher will inform you on the most effective mode of communication. Myself, Miss Byrne (Assistant Principal: Religious Education) and Mrs Wardle (Middle Leader) are more than happy to meet and discuss matters at any stage.

Please keep in mind that in any organisation, problems arise from time to time. A school community is a complex body involving the Parish, Head Office, School Administration, teachers and ancillary staff, visiting specialists, parent groups and students. As educators of children, we understand the concerns of parents and we ask that parents in return understand that the roles of the teacher continue to become more demanding and complex. The education of our students is a partnership.

When an issue arises, please contact the person concerned directly at the earliest opportunity and in the least formal way, i.e. a quick chat before or after school, courteous email or phone call at a reasonable time of day. Following this initial contact and if the matter seemingly cannot be resolved, the Principal or Assistant Principal should then become involved. Please avoid the approach of “going over their head” as all this creates is a feeling of distrust.

Another important point is to keep an open mind about what you hear. We love and cherish our children however it is wise to remember that they can sometimes embellish and misinterpret things. Checking ‘stories’ with those concerned in a courteous manner should resolve any such problems.

I am looking forward to another productive and successful school term. I have always been very proud of the efforts our children put into their schoolwork and their overall exemplary behaviour. Of course, this does not occur by accident or by good luck. The pride students take in their work and how they conduct themselves is a product of great parenting and highly effective teaching. It takes hard work, but the fruits of our labour will be well worth the effort.

Thanks for reading. 

God Bless,

Duane Wann

Principal

Mr Wann Leave

Please be advised, I will be taking leave from Tuesday 16^th July to Wednesday 24^th July for eye surgery.  Miss Kris Byrne will be acting Principal in me absence.  Should you have any questions or concerns during this time, please be encouraged to contact Miss Byrne.

Japanese Host Families Required:

St Thomas More’s Primary School has been invited to welcome and accommodate twenty students from Japan (aged 15-17) on exchange from 24^th August – 3^rd August (10 nights).

Host families will be required to provide all meals, transport Japanese students to and from school, while also providing a friendly home environment for their student.  Supervising adults must be 18 years or over and have a Blue Card.  A payment of $750 will be provided to Host Families. 

We are desperately seeking more support for our St Thomas More’s families to assist with this wonderful initiative.  If you can assist can you please contact Jane Greenhalgh at: jane.greenhalgh@twb.catholic.edu.au

Student Protection

From our APRE

Welcome back for Term 3! I trust all of our STM families had a wonderful break and are feeling refreshed and ready to tackle what I am sure will be a busy term!  

We begin this term by welcoming some new (well … not so new!) faces to our school community! Welcome back to … 

Mrs Dom Haddin, who will be taking over as our Prep Gold teacher for the rest of the year. Mrs Haddin has been a member of the STM community for many years, having been a full-time classroom teacher and a much-loved relief teacher. Welcome back Mrs Haddin! All the best to Ms Nystrom for the impending arrival of her little one this term.  

Mrs Catherine McAleer, who will be taking over as our Teacher Librarian for the remainder of the semester. Mrs McAleer assisted Mrs Heuschele in the library last year for a few weeks and is very excited to cover for Mrs Heuschele while she takes some much-deserved time off in Semester Two. Welcome back Mrs McAleer and enjoy your time off Mrs Heuschele.   

Mrs Eileen McKay, who has taken on the role of our School Officer Administration following Ms Tammy and her family’s relocation over the June/July Holidays. Some of you may recall Mrs Mac from her time at STM in the past, both as a classroom school officer and our office administrator. As we welcome back Mrs Mac, we also say farewell to the amazing Tammy! Thank you for all you’ve brought to our community over the past few years Tammy. I know students, families and staff alike will miss you terribly but join me in wishing you well for your next adventure!   

NAIDOC Week 2024

This week, we celebrate NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC was once the name of the group of people who organised the celebrations but is now the name of the celebration itself. NAIDOC Week is an annual weeklong event held each year, where the culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is celebrated. Students will be learning about NAIDOC Week during the week in class, but the video below will give you a bit of background if you’re not too sure of the origins of NAIDOC Week.  

In addition to classroom lessons, students from Prep – Year 6 will also be participating in a NAIDOC Week Workshop during the week with Stacey Trindal from the Baru Maranga Culture Collective. Stacey’s workshops will focus on Aboriginal Art and Dreaming. Please check the note sent home last term if you would like further information about this incursion.  

On Friday, Mrs Wilson and 4 Gold will help us to conclude our STM NAIDOC Week with a Prayer Celebration from 11:30am in the Sportscentre. Prep to Year 6 students will attend and families are most welcome to come and join us as well.   

Hope – Our Term 3 Value 

This term, we shift our focus to our school value of hope. I feel like we’ve saved the trickiest two values for Semester 2! Thank you to our whole school community for unpacking and embracing our Semester 1 values of joy and justice. Let’s not forget our great work in this space as we forge ahead with the rest of the school year! 

This week, students will engage with lessons in class to introduce our value focus for the term. They will explore what they think hope means and connect the idea of hope to the story of Noah’s Ark. If you’re not too familiar with this particular Bible story, the clip below is a lovely version you can watch as a family.  

Our STM symbol for hope is a dove, this is a symbol that features many times in the Bible as a symbol of hope both in God and in others as well. Students will be creating doves showing how they are going to promote hope this term which will be displayed in the Administration Building from Week 2. 

Green and Gold Dress Up Day 

The Paris 2024 Olympics are just around the corner! STM students and staff are invited to dress in their best green and gold gear on Wednesday, July 24 to show their support for our Aussie Olympic Team. Please make sure all clothes are sun safe, shoes are closed in and hats are wide brimmed. Clothing also needs to be sensible and appropriate for school – no short shorts or bare midriffs. No gold coin donation is required – just show some Aussie pride!  

Musical Update

Our Musical will really kick into overdrive this term! Next week, we begin our whole cast (All of Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6) rehearsals. I can’t wait to see how it will all piece together. Class Sessions and Main Cast Rehearsals will also begin in Week 2. 

Thanks to all the families who have ordered LKJ shirts. Our order was sent off at the end of last term and we expect delivery sometime in the coming few weeks. Just a gentle reminder – students cannot collect their LKJ shirt until it has been paid for.  

LKJ tickets will go on sale in the coming few weeks. We will let families know via SENTRAL FOR PARENTS when tickets are available and how you can purchase them.  

Thank you to our sponsors this year! 

Catholic Education Week 

STM will join with schools across Queensland to celebrate Catholic Education Week in Week 3 this term! We have many special things planned to help us celebrate the week. 

Monday, July 22: Student (Yr 6) vs. Staff Netball Game (can the students beat the staff this year?). Thank you to Mrs Haywood for bravely agreeing to be our chief referee again this year!  

Tuesday, July 23: Catholic Education Week Assembly in the Sportscentre (from 11:15am) where we will acknowledge our amazing staff who have been nominated for both TCS Excellence and Spirit of Catholic Education Awards this year.  

Wednesday, July 24: Catholic Education Week Prayer Celebration led by 4 Red from 11:30am in the Sportscentre 

Thursday, July 25: Year 5 and Year 6 Catholic Touch and Netball Carnival  

God Bless

Kris Byrne

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Platinum Sponsor ...

Thanks to our Lion King Jr Gold Sponsors ...

Miss Byrne's Term 3 Important Dates

From our Sports Department

Athletics Carnival 

Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic athletics carnival last term. The weather was amazing, the children all had smiles on their faces, and it was just such a wonderful day watching everyone get involved.  

Well done to the following children who received age champion and runners up awards from the carnival. 

9 Years Girls Age Champion – Mia C 

9 Years Girls Runner Up – Millicent F 

9 Years Boys Age Champion – Tyrell W & Jett P 

9 Years Boys Runner Up – Nicholas C  

10 Years Girls Age Champion – Aaliyah L  

10 Years Girls Runner Up – Porscha F  

10 Years Boys Age Champion – James O  

10 Years Boys Runner Up – Levi M  

11 Years Girls Age Champion – Audrey T  

11 Years Girls Runner Up – Makayla W  

11 Years Boys Age Champion – Hamish P  

11 Years Boys Runner up – Jonathan W 

12 Years Girls Age Champion – Portia Booth  

12 Years Girls Runner Up – Zoe T  

12 Years Boys Ager Champion – Peter A  

12 Years Boys Runner Up – Jordan D  

Overall House Points 

1st MacKillop = 874 points 

2nd Finbarr = 868 points  

3rd Hall = 777 points  

4th Leonard = 742 points  

Catholic Athletics Carnival 

Congratulations to the 70+ students who have been selected to represent St Thomas More’s at the Catholic Athletics Carnival this Friday 12th July at O’Quinn Street Oval. Parents of these children have been notified via the Parent Portal and have received a paper copy of the information. A reminder to check the Parent Portal to give your child permission and to indicate your travel arrangements. Good luck!  

Central Zone Athletics Carnival 

Information regarding this carnival will be given to selected students early in Week 2.  

 Interschool Sport 

Years 5 & 6 children will be participating in interschool on 2nd August, 9th August, 16th August & 23rd August. Buses will be booked to depart school at 10:30am and will return around 2:15pm. The sports that the children will be involved in are boys rugby league, boys & girls soccer and girls netball. Team lists will be sent out via the Parent Portal. Please check the equipment list below and ensure your child has everything they require for interschool sport.  

Auskick 

Darling Downs AFL will be promoting an Auskick program in Week 1 & 2 in PE lessons. The Auskick program will run from Week 3. Keep an eye out for the flyer that will be sent home this week.  

 Catholic Netball & Touch Carnival 

Years 5 & 6 children will be participating in the annual Catholic Netball & Touch Carnivals on Thursday 25th July. Netball will be played at Nell E Robinson, while touch will be play at Kearney Springs. More information regarding team lists and buses will be sent out through the Parent Portal.  

All Schools Touch 

This year we have 2 teams participating in the Swans Cup competition which will commence next Monday 15th July at 4:30pm. Good luck to both teams.  

Years 3-6 Swimming Lessons 

Swimming lessons for the children in Years 3-6 have been booked at the Glennie Aquatic Centre for the following dates this term:   

Thursday 8th August  

Thursday 15th August  

Thursday 22nd August  

Thursday 29th August  

Children will be bused to and from the pool. A timetable and more information will be sent out through the Parent Portal.  

Year 4 Gala Day 

The Year 4 children will participate in the Catholic Schools Touch Football Gala Day on Tuesday 10th September. They will be practicing and learning the game in PE lessons this term.  

God Bless.

Stacey Hancock

HPE Teacher 

Student Awards

Week 9 (Term 2)

Amazing work from our Week 9 award recipients! 

Week 10 (Term 2)

Well done to our Term 2 Southern Cross Award winners. 

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!

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!

Notice Board

Scholarship Opportunity - Grace Lutheran College

Tennis Coaching.