22 May 2024

Mary Help of Christians
This Friday, we celebrate the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. Mary, Help of Christians is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The establishment of this feast has an interesting history and holds a unique place in the Catholic history of Australia. Mary, Help of Christians is also the Patroness of Australia. Join us in honouring her significance and the deep roots of this celebration at Mass this Friday 24 May at 9am in the Church, led by our Year 4 students.

Mother’s Day Morning Tea
It was wonderful to see so many parents at the Mother’s Day Morning Tea on Friday, 10 May, following our Mother’s Day Mass. A big thank you to our P&F for organizing an amazing event and preparing delicious homemade treats. We also appreciate the Men of St Thomas (MOST) for their assistance in serving the morning tea. It was truly special to see everyone come together to celebrate the mother figures within our community.

Interschool Cross Country
Congratulations to our Interschool Cross Country team, which competed on Monday against other Catholic schools in the region. A big thank you to Mrs. Seaman for preparing the students and organizing the event. The results were incredibly close, and our talented students demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship and support for one another. Well done, team!

National Reconciliation Week – May 27 – June 3
Next week is National Reconciliation Week (NRW). It is a time dedicated to building positive, respectful relationships between Australians and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ culture. Throughout the week, we learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. This years’ theme ‘Now more than ever, the work continues,’ reminds us of the importance of connection and respect for all.

Founders Day Celebrations: Wednesday 26 June
This year, we commemorate 116 years since St. Thomas’ Primary School was founded in 1908. Please join us for Mass at 9 am on Wednesday June 26, at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Claremont, as we celebrate St. Thomas’ Feast Day and honour the founders of our school, the Presentation Sisters. The enduring commitment of the Presentation Sisters to our school’s values of simplicity, hospitality, compassion, and justice is a cherished legacy. The Mass will be led by our Year 6 students. After Mass, students will participate in a day of celebration with their buddies.

LifeLink 2024
This year marks the 25th anniversary of LifeLink, a Catholic schools’ educational and fundraising initiative aimed at raising awareness about the real ‘need’ in our community. Students are encouraged to show support and compassion for those in need. To celebrate, we will be hosting ‘Crazy Sock Day’ on Thursday 6 June. Students are invited to wear crazy socks with their uniforms and bring a gold coin to donate to LifeLink. Let’s come together to make a difference!

May God bless your week

(Full 2024 term dates at the end of this newsletter)

REPORTING
A reminder that ‘mid-year’ reports will be shared through Seqta for all Kindergarten to Year Six students on Monday afternoon 24/6. If you require Seqta access, please contact:

ABSENTEE
Please communicate when your child is absent from school as soon as possible, and your child’s teacher. While a phone call is good to advise us, we require advice in writing for our records. Thank you.

Advisory Council Meeting 3, 7 May 2024 Report
The Advisory Council met for the third time this year on 7 May. We were fortunate to be joined by Sister Catherine Warner, who led us in a session on faith formation with a focus on compassion, as one of the school’s core values and the focus value for this year. Sister Catherine drew some thoughtful and inspiring connections between the teachings of Nano Nagle, the history of St Thomas’, and the way this carries into the school’s present-day values and teaching principles.

Malini de Silva presented the P&F report outlining the wonderful activity of the P&F team. including its collaboration with the Men of St Thomas group in running a very successful Golf Event and Mothers’ Day morning tea and gift stalls. We also heard about the P&F’s exciting work on upcoming events, including plans for the Arts Show.

Marketing, raising the visibility of the school and exciting updates in train for the school website were early on the agenda. Members were invited to provide feedback for the CEWA Advisory Councils Terms of Reference review which is currently taking place. We also had an update on repair of the verge and potholes on Melville St.

The Principals’ Report gave insight into the many wonderful events and activities at the School. We welcomed Natalia back from her participation in the CEWA Principals’ Renewal Course, and thanked Heath for his superb leadership as Acting Principal while Natalia was away. It was wonderful to hear about Natalia’s journey on the Camino, and the parallels with life’s journey and the school focus on compassion.

We received Finance and Grounds & Maintenance updates, with opportunity for questions and discussion. The Risk & Audit Report shows expenditure and revenue tracking well against budget. Grounds & Maintenance has been progressing an updated design proposal for the early years playground, in consultation with early years teaching staff. We also discussed possibilities for regular grounds work around the school.

We are looking forward to a busy and engaging few months ahead.

Interschool Cross Country Carnival Monday 20 May RESULTS
On Monday 20 May, 36 students represented the school in the Interschool Cross Country Carnival at Lake Gwelup Reserve, Karrinyup. Students ran as a team in their respective year group and competed against seven other Catholic primary schools.

The students tackled the course with great enthusiasm giving everything they had. This year St Thomas’ came 2nd overall and 3rd most improved school in 2024 based on our results from the previous year, where we narrowly closed the gap between Holy spirit by only 20 points difference. I congratulate them not only on their results but also on the student’s fantastic behaviour and sportsmanship they displayed on the day.

Thank you to the following parent volunteers: Susan S, Angela J, Angelika C, Carin P and Liz D for your assistance as a course marshal on the day. Also to Mr Nankerviell and Miss Antulov for supervising the team and supporting them while running the course.

Congratulations to these students who were placed in the top four in their respective year group:

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 Boys winning overall in their year group and to the Boys placing first overall.

Congratulations to all the runners as these results reflect an awesome team effort which occurs at training and on the day. I am super proud of you all 🥹

RUNNING CLUB YEARS 1-6
Starts on Thursday 23 May 12 at Rowe Park at 8am – 8.15am, all years 1-6 are invited, however it is not compulsory. Parents are required to attend if their children are in Years 1 and 2. We also require parents on the course to supervise the children and assist with walking children back to school for running club to continue.

If the weather is poor, I will send an email out either the night before or first thing in the morning.

There will be no running club on Thursday 13 June due to the Winter Carnival.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We need one parent to assist with each team on the day. If you are able to come along and assist, please email.

We need one parent for the following teams: 1 x Netball, 2 x Soccer, 2 x AFL

SCHOOL SPORT WA – STATE SCHOOL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL
On Thursday 16 May Charlie J (Year 5) competed in the State Schoolboys Cross Country event where is trialling to make the State team. We wish Charlie all the best where he will complete in another event in June.