Welcome to St.Thomas'
Prayer
EASTER PRAYER
Loving God, As we celebrate the joy of Easter, we give thanks for the gift of Jesus, who brought light to the world through His resurrection.
Bless our school community, our families, and friends, as we walk together in faith, sharing kindness, hope, and love.
Help us to remember that Easter is a time of new beginnings, and may Your presence guide us as we grow in wisdom and compassion.
Amen.
Important Dates
Thu 10 Apr – Y4-6 Parent/Teacher Interviews via TEAMS
Fri 11 Apr – Students final day of Term One
Sat 12 Apr – Mon 28 Apr– School Holidays
Tue 29 Apr– Term Two commences
Tue 29 Apr – Edudance
Wed 30 Apr – ANZAC Day Prayer & Commemorations
2025 Term Dates
TERM DATES:
- TERM 1 – Wednesday 5 Feb – Friday 11 Apr
- TERM 2 – Tuesday 29 Apr – Friday 4 Jul
- TERM 3 – Tuesday 22 Jul – Friday 26 Sep
- TERM 4 – Tuesday 14 Oct – Friday 12 Dec
PUPIL FREE DAYS:
- Monday 28 Apr
- Friday 30 May
- Monday 21 Jul
- Monday 25 Aug
- Monday 13 Oct
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
- Monday 3 Mar (Labour Day)
- Friday 18 Apr (Good Friday)- in school holidays
- Friday 25 Apr (ANZAC Day) – in school holidays
- Monday 2 Jun (WA Day)
- Monday 29 Sep (King’s Birthday)
From the Principal
What an incredible term it has been! I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support. Your dedication to our school community and the wellbeing of your children makes all the difference, and we are truly grateful.
Preparing for Easter
As we prepare for Easter, it’s a time to reflect on the love, hope, and renewal that this season brings. We are especially looking forward to the children from Year 6 leading us in the Stations of the Cross on Wednesday, 9 April, at 8.45am.
Strategic Plan
I would like to thank everyone who has already taken the time to provide feedback for our new school strategic plan. Your input is so valuable in helping us shape the future of our school. For those who haven’t yet had the chance, the survey link will remain active until Friday, 11 April. We encourage all families to participate so we can gather a comprehensive collection of data and suggestions. Your thoughts and ideas are truly valued and will play an important role in our planning process. The survey can be accessed HERE.
Interschool Swimming Carnival Success
A huge congratulations to Miss Wallace, our amazing PE Specialist, and the interschool swimming team for their outstanding success at the Interschool Swimming Carnival. The team’s incredible efforts led to winning the overall competition, and the winning the boys’ trophy—a fantastic achievement! We are so proud of all our swimmers for their hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship. Well done, everyone!
Harmony Day
This term has also been full of wonderful highlights, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mrs Nicole Wills, our Music Specialist. She has worked tirelessly with students from Kindy to Year 6 to create an original theatre performance of the Dreamtime story, The Coming of the Colours –The Story of Jindalee. Special thanks also to Patrycia Spears, the P&F, and all the parent helpers who contributed their time and effort to help with costumes and the setup for this special performance—it was a true team effort and a memorable experience for everyone involved.
I would also like to thank Mrs Lila Gibbs for preparing a moving Harmony Day liturgy, which beautifully concluded our Harmony Day celebrations last Wednesday. It was a special prayer service that brought our community together in reflection and appreciation of our shared values of unity and respect.
Happy Holidays
Finally, I would like to wish all our families a happy and safe holiday. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term ahead on Tuesday, 29 April.
Natalia Thomson
Principal
From the Assistant Principal
INTERIM REPORTS / PARENT TEACHER MEETINGS – KG-Y6
Thank you to parents for your support and participation during the Parent-Teacher meetings. These meetings are to give parents and teachers an opportunity to come together to discuss the academic and pastoral development and progress of each student so far this year, using the Term One Interim Report (available through Seqta) as a point of celebration and future focus. If you have any issues obtaining the Interim Reports, please contact me to assist. If you have any feedback, please send it through directly to me, or via the website section.
SLIP LANE
A reminder to be patient and courteous when using the slip lane. Please do not park in the middle – always move up as far as possible to allow people behind you to safely drop-off or pick-up their child.
ABSENTEES
Thank you for adapting to the change in recording of absent students this year. All parents are asked to use the Absentee Form on our website to inform the school that their child is absent (quick-link at the top of the homepage). Parents are welcome to also email the class teacher to inform them, however teachers (and administration staff) are able see which students are absent online. If you have any issues – please let me know so I can assist.
TERM TWO
With our focus value for 2025 being ‘Community’, we move to ‘A Community of Learners’ being our term focus in Term Two. I look forward to exploring and reinforcing this theme with all students over the term. Next term begins on Tuesday 29 April, well and truly into the Noongar season of ‘Djeran’ which sees a break in the hot weather, and increasingly cooler nights that bring a dewy presence in the early mornings, and cooler southerly breezes.
Heath Nankivell
Assistant Principal
Award Recipients
Merit Awards
Weekly Focus Award
Weekly Focus Award
School’s Solar Challenge
Project Compassion Fundraising
Project Compassion Boxes
Thank you to all families for your support in raising funds for Project Compassion. Please can you send all boxes back to school by this Friday 11 April.
Library News
Term one has been a busy time in the library. The library is open at lunchtime for students to read, draw or play with Lego and given the hot weather we have been experiencing it has been well supported.
Recently, we held a display for Harmony Day, and had a little fun for Easter with some new stories which were shared with PP, Kindy and Year 1 about the Easter Bilby and The Easter Hat Parade. Currently we are displaying books celebrating our brave Diggers in preparation for ANZAC Day on April 25 2025.
We are preparing for the National Simultaneous Storytime on May 21 with an exciting new story.
Thank you to all the families who assist our students return their books on time and in great condition so that everyone can enjoy the St Thomas’ library.
Mrs Sue Vincent
Library Officer
Year 3 HASS
In Year 3, our HASS unit of inquiry focused on the fascinating land features and landforms of Australia.
Students explored the different states and territories, learning about the diverse natural wonders within them, such as Uluru in the Northern Territory, the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, and the Twelve Apostles along the Victorian coast.
We also delved into the deep cultural connections Indigenous Australians have to these landforms, understanding how places like Uluru are sacred and hold significant spiritual meaning. Students researched how these landforms were formed, discovering that Uluru, for example, is a massive sandstone monolith that formed over millions of years through erosion and weathering processes.
To tie in literacy, students embarked on a creative project where they wrote detailed diary entries as if they were explorers traveling around Australia, visiting and documenting the unique natural features they encountered. This not only strengthened their research and writing skills but also provided an opportunity to practice public speaking.
Using the interactive application Canva, students designed digital presentations of their diary entries, adding visuals and creating engaging stories that brought their explorations to life.
This project allowed them to showcase their newfound knowledge of Australian geography and Indigenous history, while also honing important skills in communication and digital design.
Miss Hannah Antulov
Year 3 Teacher
Premier's Reading Challenge
It’s that time of year again to register for The Premiers Reading Challenge! Prizes to be won, certificates earned. Log the books your child reads or for the young ones the books you read to them! Please see website on Poster to register your child/ren. Let’s make this the best year ever!
Mrs Sam Valentine
Learning Support Teacher
Sports News
Interschool Swimming Champions!
A huge congratulations to our Interschool Swim Team for their outstanding achievements at Monday’s carnival! The students gave it their all, and we are incredibly proud to announce that we were awarded both the Overall Champion Shield and the Overall Boys Trophy, an amazing result!
Every student demonstrated determination, teamwork, and school spirit. A big thank you to our wonderful families for your ongoing support, from cheering poolside to early morning drop offs for training. Your commitment helped make this success possible.
Well done to our swimmers, you left everything in the pool, and that’s the greatest achievement of all!
Miss Wallace
Miss Jasmine Wallace
Physical Education Teacher
St Thomas' Supporter Caps
P & F News
Spirit of Arts Festival 2025
The Performing Arts Festival for Catholic Schools and Colleges provides an opportunity for students to share their musical gifts and talents with the community, granting them the chance to perform in a public forum. This process develops confidence, self-esteem and social skills. Participants of the Festival are provided with positive feedback to help guide students to improve and develop their performance technique in a friendly setting.
The Festival is held during Term 3 and students from Years 4 – 6, who study voice and/or play a musical instrument are encouraged to enter.
Participants interested in performing in 2025 are requested to complete the entry form below and return it to school as soon as possible. Please note:
A COPY OF THE SHEET MUSIC MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE ENTRY FORM.
All applications must be returned to the front office no later than Friday 11th April. Parents are responsible for arranging transport and supervision of their children for the performance. The entry fee for this section of the performance $18.00 and this fee will need to be paid to the school before the entry is submitted. You can pay your entry fee to St Thomas’ BSB = 086-006 A/C NO = 467758384 REF: Student Name PAF.
After receiving your application, I will send the rules for your child’s specific section to both you and the music tutors. Please be aware that if your child requires an accompanist or backing music that this will need to be organised by you and your music tutor at your cost. Those using backing tracks are required to bring a suitable and reliable device and speaker to use for the performance.
Mrs Nicole Wills
Music Teacher
School Dental Service, its time to enrol!
Every year Dental Health Services (DHS) offers parents and carers the chance to register their kids for free dental care at the School Dental Service (SDS). The offer is open to every student from the year they turn 5 until their 17th birthday and includes check-ups, fillings, and simple extractions.
Your child will early next term bring home an envelope with an enrolment form, Frequently Asked Questions, and reply-paid envelope from DHS. Just fill in the enrolment form, pop it in the reply-paid envelope, and put it in your nearest post box.
Once we receive your form at DHS our team will register your child and arrange for you to receive an appointment in the mail. If you would like further information on DHS services and the SDS please visit our website: www.dental.wa.gov.au or scan the QR code.
Fundraising for Wheelchairs For Kids
Last year the children got to meet Brother Ollie and his Wheelchairs for Kids charity, Evie in Y4 was really moved by it and so during the holidays she will be hiking Bluff Knoll and raising money for his charity to support him.
Please note, the family are not after donations but thought it was fun to share her link- https://www.mycause.com.au/p/367185/evies-bluff-knoll-hike-fundraising-for-wheelchairs-for-kids
And the awesome thing is, a few Year 4 kids have decided to join Evie and Phil on this hike – including Jack and his mum Louise, Emilia and her dad Joel, Harrison and his dad Brendan and, Ellie with her mum Jane!! and they have all been training on weekends for the past few months.”
https://wheelchairsforkids.org
Great community spirit and a wonderful cause.
Code Camp Term Two
Exclusive to St Thomas’ Primary School Students
Code Camp After-School Coding (Years 3– 6)
After-School Code Camp allows kids to hone their coding skills and keep practising through weekly sessions over the term!
Students will produce multiple games and apps using our exciting online platform Code Camp World!
We have made Code Camp World as accessible as possible so students can truly focus on the fun aspects of coding and carry on their journey at home.
Each week students will choose the features they want to build, and advance their problem-solving skills to build these features using code. They will take ownership over their projects and collaborate with their peers to make awesome apps!
SECURE YOUR SPOT: https://my.codecamp.com.au/course/5349
There are limited spots for this class. Register today! If your child is in Year 2 and has experience coding, please speak with Mr Nankivell about their participation.
Starting Thu, 8 May 2025
You can reach Code Camp on 1300 263 322 or hello@codecamp.com.au for any other info.
Rock Band Term Two
Harmony Day Performance "Waaliny Walkern: The Coming of the Colours"
Our Harmony Day Performance “Waaliny Walkern: The Coming of the Colours” was a beautiful heartfelt celebration of the Dreaming story of Jindalee and the creation of the rainbow.
It was also a wonderful showcase of the children’s learning. Over the course of the Term, the students at St Thomas,’ were engaged in the learning of the local Noongar language, studying the importance of connecting to country, increasing their understanding of Aboriginal history through stories, strengthening their knowledge of Aboriginal music, through the learning of chants and songs and a demonstration of their learning of dance and music, a culmination of weeks of preparing an original piece of theatre; Waaliny Walkern -The Coming of Colours.
Thank you to the CEWA First Nations Team, Levi Widnall, Cheryl Lennox-Bradley for their guidance of the Project, and to staff, parents and the wider community who attended and supported our Performance. It is a true testament to the beautiful supportive St Thomas’ community.
Playgrounds
NO PLAY ON THE PLAYGROUNDS AFTER SCHOOL
A friendly reminder that, for safety reasons, children should not play on the playground before or after school hours.
Music Lessons 2025
Instrumental music lessons are available at St Thomas’ Primary. Children can learn voice, keyboard, piano, violin, drums, guitar and flute. Please contact the school office for a music form if your child is interested in commencing music lessons in 2025.
