Prayer for National Reconciliation Week
Loving God, We thank You for this land and for the First Peoples who have cared for it for generations. Help us to listen, to learn, and to walk together with respect and kindness. Guide our hearts to be open, our words to be gentle, and our actions to bring peace and understanding.
May we be people of hope and unity, living Your message of love each day.
Amen.
Important Dates
Please remember dates of events can be subject to change
- Fri 29 May – Pupil Free Day
- Mon 01 June – Public Holiday
- Tues 2 June – Edu-Dance Lessons
- Tues 2 June – Y4 E Challenge Have Sum Fun Comp
- Wed 3 June – Y5 Parish Mass
- Thu 4 June – Y5 Retreat
- Fri 05 June – School Disco (PP – Y6)
- Mon 08 June – Gathering 8:40 am
- Mon 08 June – Y4 E Challenge Have Sum Fun Comp
- Tue 09 June – Edu-Dance Lessons
- Wed 10 June – Life Link
- Wed 10 June – Y4 Parish Mass
Pupil Free Day - Friday 29 May
Tomorrow FRIDAY 29 MAY the school will be closed for a pupil free day. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 02 June.
Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe and enjoyable extra long weekend.
From the Principal
National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) commences this week and is a time for our school community to reflect, learn and grow together. This year’s theme, “All In,” reminds us that reconciliation is everyone’s responsibility, we all have a role to play.
At school, students take part in meaningful activities that help them understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their cultures and their important place in Australia’s story. Being “All In” means giving our best in all that we do, listening carefully, showing respect for Country, and working together with kindness and inclusion. This connects strongly with our school focus on excellence, where we encourage every student to strive for their personal best.
We have seen this spirit of “All In” in action at our recent Cross Country Carnival. Students demonstrated determination, perseverance and teamwork, supporting one another, celebrating effort and showing pride in their achievements. Just as in reconciliation, being “All In” means participating fully, encouraging others, and working together towards a shared goal.
Reconciliation is something we live every day, not just for one week. We aim to build a welcoming and inclusive community where everyone feels valued and where each of us contributes to a culture of excellence and respect.
At home, families can also be “All In” by talking with their children about what they are learning, encouraging effort and perseverance, and modelling respect and understanding for others.
In being “All In,” we continue to grow as a respectful, inclusive and caring community.
Tomorrow FRIDAY 29 MAY the school will be closed for a pupil free day. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 02 June.
Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe and enjoyable extra long weekend.
Merit Awards
From the Assistant Principal
Educating the Whole Child: Manners Matter!
At St Thomas’ Primary School, we often speak about educating the whole child, nurturing not only academic growth, but also the hearts, habits, and values that shape who our students become in the time from Pre-Kindergarten to the end of Year Six. In a fast-moving world it is easy to think of school being about academic achievement and performance, yet we know that character matters just as much. Maybe more. A major element of ‘character’ lies something simple, timeless, and profound… manners.
Manners are far more than polite words or social formalities. They are the everyday expression of our values. When we say ‘please’, we are demonstrating respect. When we say ‘thank you’, we are showing gratitude. When we say ‘sorry’, we are acknowledging responsibility and empathy. When we say ‘excuse me’, we are recognising the dignity and presence of others. These small phrases carry great weight, being the building blocks of positive relationships and inclusive communities. I have enjoyed working with the Year One – to Year Six classes on this very topic today.
As a Catholic school, our commitment to manners is deeply connected to our Gospel values. As the significant adults in children’s lives, we teach and model these behaviours, helping to shape young people who are not only capable learners, but thoughtful and considerate people. This is not a new message. St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, who was teaching in the mid-1800s, reminded us of the same truth with her enduring words: “Never see a need without doing something about it.” Her call to action remains as relevant today as it was over 150 years ago. Compassion, our focus value of the past fortnight, begins with awareness, but it is brought to life through action—and often, those actions start with simple, respectful interactions. They remind us to slow down, to listen, and to put others before ourselves.
We have seen many wonderful examples of this in our recent school life. Whether it’s students encouraging one another during events like Cross Country, showing gratitude towards staff and volunteers, or working together respectfully in classrooms and on the playground, these everyday moments matter. They are evidence that our values are not just spoken, but they are lived. In the end, manners are about intention, not perfection. In a world that can be busy and challenging, manners are the special way we choose to get along, and just possibly lift one another up.
Heath Nankivell
Assistant Principal
School Disco
YOUNGER YEARS PP – Y2 (3 classes) | DISCO 4.45pm – 5.30pm | Entry SIGN IN | Pizza & Drink Serving | SIGN OUT
All will take place in the younger years area via Pre-Kindy gate entry, Melville Street entry.
All will take place in the undercover area via main gate – College Road entry.
Water Corporation Incursion
Laudato Si’: Be the Change You See
On Thursday 21st May, the Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students all participated a day of solving the world’s problems. Last week was the international celebration of the anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’. It asks us to care for the Earth and protect all living things.
Using this as our springboard, the students were given a choice of problems to research and develop solution to. Using the Design Thinking process, we empathised with the problem, ideated and then developed and improved our solutions. The students were also challenged to include some ‘fun’ in their idea- inspired by the Volkswagon ‘Fun Theory’. See a list of the BRILLIANT ideas below
Conveyor Belts for Trees: Trees that transport to areas showing lower levels of oxygen
Uniscoop: A unicorn shaped creature with a tail that scoops ocean rubbish with its tail
PET: A plastic eating bacteria to be bred in the ocean where rubbish gathers
Water Waste Soaker: Water filtration system that rewards saving nd recycling water, awarding winners with $50 off water bills
Tree Festivals: to raise money for give away sapplings in the local area
Trash turtle: a life size robotic turtle that senses and collects ocean rubbish without scaring or harming sealife
During the day the students also coded the Sphero robotics to move around the room and then answer the true or false questions about the natural environment. We also created seed bombs to plant in our gardens at home.
The day culminated with a Spogomi Challenge- A litter collecting competition. The three factions were given gloves and a bucket and had 5 minutes to collect as much rubbish as possible from the playground. In the end Sheridan ‘picked up’ the win with a whopping 1.4kg of rubbish from a seemingly tidy playground! Well done Sheridan!
National Simultaneous Storytime
National Tree Day
National Tree Day art
Red flowering gum Corymbia ficifolia
Red flowering gum Corymbia ficifolia
Red flowering gum Corymbia ficifolia
National Tree Day art
National Tree Day art
National Tree Day art
Wizard of Oz - Drama Production
Sports News
In Physical Education, students across all year levels have continued to show great enthusiasm, teamwork and effort during lessons and sporting events.
Please enjoy some photos from the day below.
As we move into Week 7, our Year 5 and 6 students will begin preparing for the Winter Carnival taking place in Week 10 on Friday, 26 June. Students will compete in either soccer or netball against other local schools. Our Year 3 and 4 students will also continue developing their soccer and netball skills over the coming weeks.
Students from Kindy to Year 2 are continuing to develop their fundamental movement skills through a variety of activities and modified soccer games during PE lessons.
Jasmine Wallace
Health & Physical Education Teacher
Perm-A-Pleat Mid-Year Closure
Perm-A-Pleat Schoolwear mid- year closure
Please note that Perm-A-Pleat Schoolwear will be closed for mid-year break in July.
Closed: Friday10th July 2026
Reopen: Monday 27th July 2026.
Home Deliveries
Last ordering day for home deliveries is Wednesday 1st July 2026.
Deliveries to School office
Last ordering day for consolidated school deliveries is Tuesday 30th June 2026. (term finishes 3rd July).
Run For a Reason
2026 Term Dates
TERM DATES:
TERM 2 – Tuesday 21 Apr – Friday 3 Jul (11 week term)
TERM 3 – Tuesday 21 Jul – Thursday 24 Sep (10 week term)
TERM 4 – Monday 12 Oct – Friday 11 Dec (9 week term)
PUPIL FREE DAYS:
Friday 29 May
Monday 20 Jul
Monday 24 Aug
Friday 25 Sep
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
Monday 1 Jun (WA Day)
Monday 28 Sep (King’s Birthday)- in school holidays
