St Thomas' News
25 July 2019
Prayer for the Performing Arts Festival
God our Father in Heaven
May we always cherish the gifts that surround us, and share our blessings with each other.
May the Word of the Lord give us courage to preach your Word through the creative means of music, dance and drama.
Lord teach us what we should do.
Let our thoughts and actions be guided by your grace, and may your Spirit help us in promoting the Word of the Lord to others.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday 01 August – Year 5 & 6 Incursion
Monday 05 August – P&F Meeting (9am) - all welcome
Tuesday 6 August – Claire Orange Presentation (6:30pm)
Wednesday 7 August – Confirmation Parent/Child Workshop (6pm)
Thursday 8 August – Y3 & Y5 Bishop's Religious Literacy Assessment
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear St. Thomas' Community,
Thank you for the warm welcome you have extended to me as I step into the role of Acting Principal for semester 2. I am thrilled to be able to serve this community, one with such a rich history and prominence in the community. I know St Thomas’ is a wonderful school where children care for one another and truly live the gospel values as this is what children, staff and parents have said in meeting them this week.
I have been spending a great deal of time in the classrooms getting to know the children and speaking to them about their favourite things here at St Thomas’. I have been overwhelmed as the same responses are repeated from Pre Kindy through to Year Six. This confirms that the children feel safe, they care for one another and they have fun when they are learning. This is the measure of a great school.
As a father of three young girls I understand the importance of a strong connection between the school and our parents. You are welcome to contact me if there is anything I can do to support your family.
I would like to thank Mr Justin Tuohy for his support of my appointment to St Thomas’ and for his comprehensive handover of this magnificent school. We wish him all the best as he begins his new adventure at St Denis School in Joondanna. They are very lucky to have such a good leader at their school.
Thank you again for welcoming me into your community and I am excited to be able to serve St Thomas’ Primary School.
St Thomas’ 110th Anniversary
Congratulations to everyone for the fitting celebration of St Thomas’ 110th Anniversary. This once again highlighted the strength of the St Thomas’ community as everyone pitched in to ensure the day was a success. Thank you to the Board, the P&F, Fr Wayne, Parent Volunteers and the St Thomas’ community who supported and celebrated the day with us. . I would also like to extend a special thanks to the staff and children for demonstrating why St Thomas’ has been so strong for 110 years. This was an ideal time to reflect on the school’s Charism, tradition and connection to the Presentation Sisters and an opportunity to celebrate all that makes St Thomas’ so special.
Staff Professional Development Day
On Monday the 22nd of July the dedicated staff at St Thomas’ spent the day reviewing the School Improvement Plan and setting goals for the semester ahead. This allowed the team to audit and celebrate what had been achieved in the first half of the year and map the journey for whole school improvement for terms 3 and 4 directly against the Strategic Plan. Thank you to all staff for your drive and commitment to our school and to ensuring the best for our students and families.
New Families
It is pleasing to see many new families joining St Thomas’. It is important that we welcome new students and their parents and caregivers as a whole community. I know that the strength of St Thomas’ lies in the connection between our families and the school so please join me in welcoming new members of our community.
Mitchell Bristow
ST THOMAS' NEWS
World of Boys
Tuesday, Aug 6, 2019, 06:30 PM
8 Warden Street, Claremont WA, Australia
School Fees
A VERY BIG ‘Thank you’ to those families who have paid their fees. A gentle reminder for those yet to pay their second instalment that they are now due. Please see Julie or Leanne in the Office for any further queries.
Kindy 2020 & 2021
We are currently taking applications for enrolments for four-year-old Kindergarten for 2020 and 2021. Your child must be 4 years of age before June 30 2020 to be eligible for 2020 intake and 4 years of age before June 30 2021 for the 2021 grouping.
Please download forms from our school website for applications. Interviews will be taking place in Terms Two and Three. If you know of any families who may wish to send their child/children to St Thomas’ please ensure you pass on this information.
Thank You's
Keep everyone warm this winter
A big thank you to our school community for your fantastic support of our Mini Vinnies initiative. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity. We have already made a large donation that has helped the homeless people of Perth and will be making another donation next week. A heart-warming thank you for your donations! You have made winter much brighter for the less fortunate in our city.
Earn and Learn
A big thank you for sending in your Woolworths Earn and Learn stickers. We have ordered lots of new sports equipment, teaching resources and games that will benefit the St Thomas’ students. We look forward to them being delivered in Term 4!
110th St Thomas’ School Anniversary pens
These commemorative pens (pictured) were made to celebrate this special occasion. There was one provided for each family. They were handed out on the day. If you did not receive one then please see Julie in the front office.
Thank You
Mrs Sullivan
ICAS Yrs 2 - 6
Entry forms are available from the front office. The signed permission slip and full payment must be submitted by Friday 16 August. Sorry no late entries can be accepted.
Parents are encouraged to visit the UNSW website: www.eaa.unsw.edu.au to gather more background information and to access practice items to help your child prepare for the competition. I have past papers you are welcome to borrow.
I look forward to supporting your child in these endeavours.
Lisa Keatch
School Photographs
Online Ordering System
Our School Photos will be taken on: Wednesday 14th of August
Class Photos/Portraits:
• Every student will have their photo taken, whether they are purchasing photos or not.
• The school has chosen to use the online ordering system. Your child will be given an online ordering instruction slip and a unique student shootkey. Log onto www.msp.com.au and follow the prompts to place your order.
• If you lose your shootkey the school reception will have a copy to quote back to you.
• The expiry date for online ordering is the 20.08.2019. Any orders received after this date will incur a $30.00 archive fee. You can email your order request through to reorders.perth@msp.com.au or call our office on 08 9240 8000.
Family Photos:
• Envelopes can be obtained from Administration.
• Family photos are taken each morning before school.
• Please ensure that your family envelope and payment are handed to the Photographers on photo day.
• If you do not have the correct money we will provide any change needed when photos are delivered to school.
• Family photos cannot be ordered online.
Special/Sports Group Photos:
• If your child is in a Special/Sports photo you will receive a link and password to the online gallery after photo day. You can then view and order if required. Photos will be delivered with the school’s bulk order.
Please Note: Class Groups, Individuals and Family Photos are not available to view online
Sustainability
This term at St Thomas’ the focus of Health Lessons will be nutrition and healthy eating. It is poignant to consider the tips listed below from ‘ switchyourthinking.com’ to consider ways to cut down on kitchen waste in our daily lives.
Top ten ways to cut your household waste
- Refuse plastic bags and remember to bring your own re-useable bags from home instead.
- Rehome. Use op-shops or sites like Gumtree and Freecycle to re-home unwanted household items from clothes to collectables and puzzles to plants.
- Recycle. We all know how to recycle, but some items can be tricky. Batteries, mobile phones, fluorescent lights and old appliances can all be recycled. Visit Recycling Near You or contact your local Council to find out how.
- Rethink how you dispose of rubbish while you are out of the house. Littering is never okay. Take your rubbish with you and dispose of it responsibly at home.
- Rot. About half of the waste we send to landfill can be safely composted at home using a worm farm or bokashi bucket. You’ll be saving loads of greenhouse gas emissions and you’ll get back nutrients that you can use on your garden.
- Return the nutrients from your garden clippings back to the earth by composting or mulching, your plants will thank you and you’ll save money using this natural fertiliser.
- Request your free Switch your thinking ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker for your letter box (available to Perth residents only). In Australia, 8.2 billion articles of junk mail are produced every year. If you’re not reading it, stop receiving it.
- Reduce the amount of chemicals and plastic waste in your home by making your own natural cleaners. Mix one part water with one part vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice for an effective all-purpose cleaner.
- Reuse, not single use. Switch to re-usable water bottles and coffee mugs instead of the throw-away alternative.
- Repurpose. Before throwing it away, think of how it can be put to use a different way. Old clothes and linen make great dusting rags, chipped coffee cups make great indoor plant pots and an old suitcase can even be repurposed as a dog bed!
Fathering Project
Please save the weekend of 24/25 August for the dad’s Fathering Project Bunnings Sausage Sizzle in Claremont. We will need about a dozen volunteers for the day. Further details to follow.
SPORT NEWS
Upcoming Events
St Thomas’ Athletics Carnival – Friday 6 September, UWA Sports McGillivray Oval
Interschool Athletics – Thursday 26 September, WA Athletics
St Thomas' Primary School - Entertainment Books
St Thomas Primary School - Entertainment Books
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St Thomas' Community Partners
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