27 November 2024

Last week, our Year 3 and Year 4 students enjoyed an unforgettable excursion to the Spare Parts Theatre to see the heartwarming musical “Hometown.” The show explored the rich themes of belonging and the timeless idea that “home is where the heart is.”

From the moment the curtains rose, students were transported into a world of breathtaking scenes. The stunning set designs depicted an imaginary world with vibrant cityscapes, crafted with such imagination that it felt like the audience was journeying through a different realm of beauty. These visual wonders captivated the students, adding depth and realism to the story of connection and identity.

In addition to the captivating settings, the musical featured the most extraordinary creatures, each with unique characteristics that charmed us all. These imaginative characters added whimsy and magic to the storyline, leaving the children bewildered. The creatures were entertaining and carried important messages about friendship and acceptance.

The performance inspired endless discussions among students about what makes a place feel like home and how the bonds we form with people and our environment shape our sense of belonging.

After the show, the interaction with the cast provided a unique opportunity for students to delve further into the creative processes involved in bringing such a fantastical world to life.

Our excursion to “Hometown” was more than entertainment—it will continue to catalyse creativity and remind everyone of the wonder and warmth of home. A massive thank you to the creative Spare Parts Puppet Theatre team and Sean Tan. We loved the musical and gave it a 10/10! We also encourage everyone to see it, which opens to the public from Monday, January 6, to Saturday, January 25 (10 am and 1 pm daily; no performances on Sundays).

Through the lens: Science at St. Thomas

We had a busy Term 3 in Science. Our Science Understanding strand was Physical Sciences and this got us looking at topics such as light, sound, heat, forces and motion, and electricity. With Science week encouraging us to look at Sustainability, we had an incursion from The Water Corporation, sustainability activities during Science lessons that week, and lots of students who earned prizes for taking part in the activities sent home.

Pre-Primary learned about different ways of moving and got to practise these movements on the playground. Year 1 were very creative when it was time to make their musical instruments using their knowledge of how sound is made and how we hear it. Year 2 used their knowledge of pushes and pulls to rescue my teddy from the bottom of a steep slope by making some wonderful transporters that kept my teddy safe while being transported up the slope. Year 3 learned about how heat is made and transferred, we tested which materials melted when they were heated and we did an experiment to test which material was the best insulator for a jar of boiled water. Year 4 explored forces in detail including taking part in an experiment to test how different magnitudes and direction of a force affected objects. Year 5 delved into discoveries of reflection, refraction, and absorption of light, making their own mirror mazes using their knowledge of how light travels and discovering how optical illusions can make our brains see things that aren’t really there. Year 6 enjoyed learning about electricity, experimenting with a variety of circuits and components and creating their own solar powered circuit.

This term we are studying Biological Sciences, spring is a great time to look at living things as they are beginning to emerge and grow. Pre-Primary are using their knowledge of what plants need to stay alive to grow plants from seeds; they will be using observational skills to see how their plants grow over time. Year 1 have learnt about features of animals and plants and their purposes and are currently watching food colouring travel through the stem and leaves of celery, they will be using their knowledge of different habitats and what animals need to survive to plan and create a habitat for a chosen animal. Year 2 are learning how animals and their offspring are similar and have been looking at their own growth over the years to see how humans develop over their lifetime. Year 3 are learning the difference between living, once living and non-living things and about the products of once living things; they will use this knowledge to classify and group different things based on observable features. Year 4 have learnt about lifecycles and how some animals’ offspring need to go through metamorphosis to look like the parent, they are also growing their own plant to observe the growth of the features of a plant; in the last half of the term they will be exploring different ecosystems and the relationship between living things within an ecosystem. Year 5 have been learning about how living things are adapted to suit their environment and will be presenting a project at the end of the term based on the physical and behavioural adaptations of a living thing that they will choose during their camp at AQWA. Year 6 have been exploring how environmental factors affect living things. They have completed an experiment on how different conditions affect the growth of mould and have devised an experiment on how different conditions affect the growth/survival of a plant.

NRL Clinics

Students in Years 3-6 were fortunate to have an NRL clinic where I was the 150th signed up as a  school ambassador winning the clinic for the students and receiving some NRL equipment for the students to use as well. If your child is interested in NRL the closest club is the Willagee Bears. For any holiday clinics or after school programs please look at https://www.playrugbyleague.com for more information.

Final farewell

As this will be my last newsletter, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support and assistance with our carnivals and all things sport-related during my tenure at St Thomas Primary School. Whether you were volunteering your time as an announcer, recorder, timekeeper or handing out ribbons, cheering from the sidelines or organising collection of equipment or packing it away, your contribution has played a vital role in making these activities memorable for everyone involved.

It has been my pleasure teaching your children over the past 7 years and wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas and all the best.

Mrs Seaman officially signing out!

The Advisory Council met for the last time this year on November 12th. It was an important meeting where a number of key strategic objectives were achieved.

The launch of the wonderful new School St Thomas’ website was one of those critical projects on the agenda. This has been a very important strategic goal of both the school’s strategic plan and the marketing plan. The Advisory Council agreed that the finished product is a credit to the school leadership team and all their hard work.  We all felt, it now represents the school and all that we offer in such a professional and positive light. We also discussed some of the critical success factors for marketing stats for a new website and the school’s website was achieving very strong results.

The second strategic objective was the discussion of the school’s budget and financial plan for 2025. This is a key function and responsibility of the Advisory Council to endorse the financial plan and budget for each subsequent year. This was presented by Daniel Della Vedova (The Advisory Council Treasurer), with the support of the School’s Finance Officer, Victoria McDonald, who was also in attendance for this part of the meeting. The school has to adhere to CEWA’s recommendations in regards to fee increases, and we are required to manage the school financial plan under CEWA’s guidelines, whilst also ensuring that we are meeting the needs of the school’s objectives and goals. The proposed budget was endorsed by the advisory council and it will be reviewed throughout the year.

We received the final Principal’s report, which covers all of the Strategic Pillars of CEWA; Catholic Identity, Education, Community and Stewardship. This allows the Advisory Council to understand the key priorities and matters of the leadership team for the remainder of the year.

Grounds and Maintenance- Trish Coniglio (Chair of the Grounds and Maintenance committee) prepared her final report for the year The committee prepared a plan for 2025 and key priorities, as well as an update on the early years’ playground project. Trish will be stepping down from the AC after 5 years. We thank Trish for all her incredible efforts and energy in Chairing the Grounds and Maintenance Committee and driving so much of the projects to completion throughout her tenure on the Advisory Council.

Early Years Playground- The Advisory Council has been working with Natalia to come up with a playground design for the early years, to create a fun and safe play space. There has been delays due to suppliers taking an inordinate amount of time to revert with a suitable plan within budget, even when followed up constantly. A new company has been contacted and we are now waiting on their feedback. Considerable time and thought has been invested into this project and our objective is to progress with a long-term solution that is cost-effective and meets the future needs of the school. We are extremely grateful to the P&F who have already committed a substantial sum of money to this initiative. The aim is to submit a design plan to the in the coming months, and we envisage that we may need to fundraise in the New Year to support the final cost of this project.

I would personally like to thank all Advisory Council members for another tremendous year of hard work and dedication to the school’s objectives and providing so much guidance and debate in relation to our responsibilities.

I will be stepping down, after 6 years and have great pleasure in handing over the Chairposition to Rebecca Faugno for next year, along with our existing members Paul Whitehouse (Secretary), Daniel Della Vedova (Treasurer) and Frank Di Latte (Chair of Grounds of Maintenance) who will also continue on next year. We welcome two new members to the AC Alex Deng and Stashu Poliwka.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy festive season.