Welcome to St.Thomas'
Our Vision is to ‘Educate the Whole Child’ and empower learners as global citizens, to be curious, collaborative, creative and critical thinkers, inspired by Christ.
Prayer
Lenten Prayer
Jesus, you spent forty days in the hot, dusty desert, to get ready to do your Father’s work. Help us to get ready for Easter during the forty days of Lent. Help us to forgive others, to say ‘sorry’ and to make peace with everybody. Help us to say ‘yes’ to others so that we can follow you more closely. In this time of Lent, give us generous hearts to become better people. More helpful people. More loving people. Amen.
Important Dates
Wed 12 Mar – NAPLAN (Y3 & Y5) – Writing
Thu 13 Mar – NAPLAN (Y3 & Y5) – Reading
Fri 14 Mar – NAPLAN (Y3 & Y5) – Conventions of Language
Mon 17 Mar – NAPLAN (Y3 & Y5) – Numeracy
Mon 17 Mar – St Patrick’s Day
Thu 20 Mar-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Fri 21 Mar-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Tue 25 Mar – Y6 Solar Car Challenge
Thu 27 Mar-Y4 First Holy Communion Parent/Student Workshop 6 pm
Thu 27 Mar-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Fri 28 Mar-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Mon 1 Apr-‘Djeran’ Season begins
Fri 28 Mar-PP Speech Screening
Wed 2 Apr-Harmony Day Celebrations including PALS Dance Performance
Thu 3 Apr-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Fri 4 Apr-Interschool Swimming Team Training 7:30-8:15am
Mon 7 Apr-Interim Reports available through Seqta (in the afternoon)
Mon 7 Apr-Interschool Swimming Carnival
Tue 8 Apr-Parent-Teacher Interviews KG-Y3
Mon 7 Apr-Interschool Swimming Carnival
Wed 9 Apr-8:45am Stations of the Cross
Thu 10 Apr-Parent-Teacher Interviews Y4-Y6
Thu 10 Apr-PP Speech Screening
Fri 11 Apr-PP Speech Screening
Fri 11 Apr-Term 1 Concludes
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
STRATEGIC PLAN – 2026
This year, we will gather data to create a new school Strategic Plan, led by independent facilitator Fran Italiano. The plan is a dynamic document outlining our current situation, future vision, and actions required to achieve progress. It serves as a roadmap, establishing processes to evaluate outcomes and adjust our direction as needed.
A strategic plan helps us understand:
What we stand for
Whom we serve
What we do and why
It also establishes:
Strategic priorities
Agreement on the school’s future direction
Focused allocation of energy and resources
Engaging stakeholders is key to a successful plan, fostering unity and enabling everyone to work toward shared goals. We value your feedback and encourage you to complete the upcoming online survey.
PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS
In Week 10, we have scheduled Parent-Teacher Interviews online via Microsoft Teams. These interviews provide a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with their teacher. Notifications will be sent when the booking system opens. Please save the dates:
Kindergarten to Year 3 Parent/Teacher Interviews – Tuesday 8 April
Year 4 – 6 Parent/Teacher Interviews – Thursday 10 April
CODE OF CONDUCT
A gentle reminder that all members of the St Thomas’ Primary School (STPS) community are expected to adhere to our STPS Code of Conduct, accessible on our school website.
Children surrounded by positive behaviours outlined in the Code are more likely to cultivate healthy relationships. We uphold the safety of our students by adhering to our Code of Conduct and encouraging each other to do the same. For parents, compliance is a condition of entry to our school premises.
Natalia Thomson
Principal
Code of Conduct Statements
The Code applies to staff, students, volunteers, parents/carers, and guardians as applicable.
You act safely and competently.
You give priority to students’ safety and well-being in all your behaviour and decision making.
You act in accordance with the values of the Gospel as defined in the Code of Ethical Conduct.
You conduct yourself in accordance with laws, agreements, policies, and standards relevant to your relationship with the school community.
You respect the dignity, culture, values, and beliefs of each member of the school community.
You treat personal information about members of the school community as private and confidential.
You give impartial, honest, and accurate information about the education, safety, and well-being of students.
You support all members of the school community in making informed decisions about students.
You promote and preserve the trust and privilege inherent in your relationship with all members of the school community.
You maintain and build on the community’s trust and confidence in Catholic schools and the Church.
You act reflectively and ethically.
You allow students to have a voice in their education, safety, and well-being.
From the Assistant Principal
VALUES & VISION
At St Thomas’ we are fortunate to hold on to our ties to the Presentation Sisters who founded the school in 1908. The values they set for our school, namely Community, Compassion, Truth, Inclusivity and Excellence, are deliberately taught to our students. Our weekly focus over the first half of each term identifies a value a week – no doubt your child has discussed some of these at home (hopefully!). For the remainder of the term, we identify elements of our vision statement (seen at the top of this newsletter post), this week’s focus being Curiosity – a strong desire to know or learn something, often achieved through questioning.
NAPLAN
Thank you for all year 3 and Year 5 parents for assisting your children in the lead up to the NAPLAN tests, which start Wednesday 12 March. While these tests are important, we do not wish to put undue pressure on students and remain open that it is one test on one day reflecting a small snapshot of some things each child has learnt. There are many more important qualities, learnings and gifts that better reflect the amazing child your child is and this should be discussed in a balanced view of NAPLAN.
The testing schedule is below:
Wed 12 Mar – Writing
Thu 13 Mar – Reading
Fri 14 Mar – Conventions of Language
Mon 17 Mar – Numeracy
Tue 18 Mar – catch-up tests as needed for absent students for the remainder of the week.
REPORTS
An outline of the St Thomas’ Primary School Kindergarten to Year Six reporting process is contained below (note Pre-Kindy students do not receive a formal report)
Term 1 Week 10 – Interim reports (available through Seqta)
Term 1 Week 10 – Parent-teacher (online Teams meetings – booking information released soon)
Term 2 Week 10 – Mid-Year reports (available through Seqta)
Term 3 Week 10 – Interim reports (available through Seqta), parent meeting if requested by teacher
Term 4 Week 9 – End of Year reports (available through Seqta)
Heath Nankivell
Assistant Principal
Award Winners
Merit Awards
Weekly Focus Awards
Lent
Project Compassion boxes
Ash Wednesday Mass
Ash Wednesday Mass
Year 6 Project Compassion Launch
Shrove Tuesday
Year 3 Celebrating Lent
Highway Heroes
Term 1 – Sticking Up 4 Me; Beating Bullying & Taming Teasing
Bullying and teasing is a reality in every playground everywhere that there are kids. Children in the upper primary school years are also playing in the Online Playground – often with limited supervision or support. In 5 easy to follow lessons, fully supported with goals, a theoretical overview and coloured teaching resources, this small group or whole class teaching resource targets: the differences between bullying and teasing; the different sorts of bullying – physical and psychological and the differences in teasing behaviours.
There is a practical methodology for the development of TOOLS to create choices for thinking and behaving as well as stepping up to beating bullying and taming teasing. (School Year 4-6 includes activities targeting Cyberbullying and introducing TOOLS to manage this environment safely.)
✓ Identifying Bullying
✓ The PIGS Bullying Choices
✓ Types of Bullying and Straight Talk (KS2 includes cyber-bullying)
✓ Taming Teasing
✓ The Triple A’s 4 Teasing
The Coming of the Colours
In our Music and Dance classes this term, the KG – Year 6 students have been diligently working to create an original piece of theatre, which explores the dreaming story The Coming of the Colours: Jindalee and the creation of the rainbow.
Through the immersion into Aboriginal culture the children have increased and built upon their appreciation of local Noongar language, studied the importance of connecting to country, increased their understanding of history through Aboriginal stories, strengthened their knowledge of Aboriginal music, chants and songs and have applying their learning to create original music ideas for performance, and gained understanding of the importance of Aboriginal storytelling through dance, drama, music and set design.
In the upcoming weeks the children shall be undergoing Aboriginal dance workshops and Aboriginal Art: set design workshops to prepare for the PALS performance.
We invite you and your family to join us for this performance piece on:
Date: 2 April 2025
Time: 2:30pm-3:00pm
Venue: St Thomas’ Primary School – outside steps
We welcome everyone to attend and share in our wonderful Harmony day celebration. Any parent helpers who are able to support us in creating memorable costumes for the children we ask to please contact their parent representative directly to put their name forward.
Nicole Wills
Music Teacher
Supporter Cap
Sports News
SWIMMING CARNIVAL
What an amazing day our St Thomas’ Swimming Carnival was! A massive ‘well done’ to all the students for their sportsmanship, skill and outstanding behaviour on the day. We witnessed many personal best times, and even some records broken – well done to all for the effort you showed during the races.
A huge thank you to our parent volunteers who timed, announced, scored and ribbon-distributed on the day! Thank you also to staff who put in time before and after the event, ferrying equipment to and from school, and for their work during the day in the various roles they performed.
YEAR LEVEL CHAMPIONS:
Y3 Girls Champion – Ruby and Runner-Up Penelope
Y3 Boys Champion – Harry and Runner-Up Oliver
Y4 Girls Champion – Alexandra and Runner-Up Susana
Y4 Boys Champion – Hudson and Runner-Up Sam
Y5 Girls Champion – Billie and Runner-Up Maddy
Y5 Boys Champion – Arthur and Runner-Up Hudson
Y6 Girls Champion – Ruby and Runner-Up Alice
Y6 Boys Champion – Max and Runner-Up Bailey
SPIRT AWARD:
- Winners – Sheridan
OVERALL RESULTS:
- 1st – Forrest – 1230pts
- 2nd – Sheridan – 1226pts
- 3rd – Gittens – 984pts
Jasmine Wallace
Physical Education Teacher
Functions & Events Committee Volunteers, 2025
Thank you in advance for being a part of the Functions & Events Committee for 2025. We greatly appreciate your involvement and look forward to working together supporting our children.
Easter Competition
Get Ready for Our Annual Easter Egg Competition!
Easter may still be a little while away, but it’s time to start preparing for our much-loved ‘Guess How Many Easter Eggs Are in the Jar’ competition!
We are kindly asking for donations of individually wrapped Easter eggs to help fill the jars. If you’d like to contribute, please drop off your donations in the collection box located in the front office.
This fun tradition not only brings excitement to our school community but also helps Mini Vinnies raise money for St Vincent de Paul. Your support will make a difference for those in need this Easter.
Thank you for your generosity – we can’t wait to see the jar fill up! Stay tuned for more details on how to take part in the guessing competition!!
Curriculum Corner - Year 5
Over the past few weeks in Religious Education, we have been exploring how Jesus chose the first leaders of the Church, His apostles, and how he gave them the responsibility of spreading His teachings and mission.
We learned about The Great Commission, where Jesus gave His final instruction to the Apostles before ascending into heaven. To showcase our learning, we created informative posters explaining this important moment in the Church’s history.
We also learned how Jesus’ command continues today through the leadership of the Pope, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. We designed flips books to explore the specific roles and responsibilities of these Church leaders, helping us understand how they guide and serve the faith community today.
Penny Pitcher
Year Five Teacher
School Fees
Please ensure you have returned your payment option advice form to our office. For those families paying in instalments the first instalment was actioned 7 March. If you haven’t returned the form please do so as a matter of urgency.
Should you have any queries regarding your fees please contact Victoria McDonald in our Finance Office: accounts@stthomas.wa.edu.au
St Patrick's Day
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.
