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from the Principal ..........
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As we move towards the last part of this term, our classes are well focused on completing units of learning for this semester with the mid-year report being completed by teachers in readiness for distribution in the last week of this term. You will, for the first time, be receiving, this new report format that has been rolled out through all Catholic schools in South Australia using the SEQTA platform. This platform presents differently and so you will notice subtle changes to the appearance of the report and there are also some content changes as well in alignment with system consistencies. At St Thomas we strive to work in partnership with our students and families in delivering a high quality education. This report is underpinned by our Mercy Values of Respect, Integrity, Justice, Compassion and Challenge. Students at St Thomas are empowered to set goals and strive to improve their learning through the lens of our Learner Dispositions of being Creative, Brave, Gritty, Connected and Reflective.
It is important to remember that these mid-year reports are intended not only to report on the achievement to date, but also to provide an indication of how your child is progressing in every aspect of their learning. As always, there is an opportunity to discuss these reports and your child’s progress in the early part of next term, so please be sure to look out for the information to come about Learning Conferences scheduled for early next term.
A highlight on the school calendar for me is our Instrumental Concerts. These were held with great success this week with over 50 children performing on Wednesday evening in the Mercy Hall, to an audience of very enthusiastic and supportive guests. For every performance, given, there was great admiration, support and encouragement. Our students displayed such bravery, pride, and determination to succeed in giving their absolute best. The evening comprised of performances in piano, guitar, voice, drums and saxophone, with the children performing one or two of their prepared songs. The music tutors, Bob, Zac, Ena. Ted, Anthony and Sam have been incredibly generous with their time and efforts and so supportive of our students and school. We are very grateful to them for the important role they play in bringing the gift of music to our students. Mrs Susan Czabayski has a pivotal role in our instrumental program and we are very appreciative of her efforts in coordinating this concert for our school. As I sat watching this concert, I could not help but be incredibly moved and genuinely proud of our school, our students and our music program. Congratulations to all involved!
I extend my thanks to our energetic P & F who are busy preparing our much-loved Quiz night which is sure to be a great success! I look forward to seeing many of you there next weekend, in the spirit of 90’s nostalgia!
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Belinda Burford
Principal
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from the Deputy Principal ............
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“Peace is what every human being is craving for and it can be brought
about by humanity through the child.”
(Maria Montessori)
A school community is a place which draws together the lives of many families and individuals to strive to be the best version of themselves. It is a kaleidoscope of diversity in culture, language, values and story, but all who decide to become part of the community are seeking the same thing- the ideal for their children to strive to reach their full potential.
A Catholic School Community is a very similar place, but is grounded in the shared belief that all people are created in the image of God (we are all like God in the way we relate, the way we create and the way we love); and we are called to love all people and all creation unconditionally- like God. That’s the core of Jesus’ message. Our shared values guide all we do and one of our most important values is peace and non-violence in the world.
So here’s the tough question… Is there a time or place for violence in the world?
There’s plenty of media content that would argue there is! But as a Catholic School Community, our answer is NO- violence is never the answer to any problem.
I’m going to write that again… violence is never the answer to any problem- even when we are angry. This is big stuff.
This is core to our student’s learning at St Thomas. In the way teachers support students’ behaviour and, when there is disharmony, facilitate restorative conversations, the learning is based on our value of peace and non-violence.
But the quality of this learning does rely on all the families and individuals who have committed themselves to be part of this community to teach the same message- that violence is never the answer to any problem.
What we do need to teach is the essential understanding and awareness of our own emotions and the best ways to deal with these feelings. Our young people need to understand that anger is a normal part of our human condition, but it is when we allow the anger to become rage that we make mistakes.
So, let’s take some time to reflect on this big question and our own beliefs, is there a place for violence in our world?
This week’s instalment of Michael Grose’s Building Resilience Series focuses on conflict resolution. If we can better teach the ways we deal with conflict, we can ensure we can better teach the art of non-violence the lives of our young people.
And by our words and actions; and the powerful lessons we teach our young people, we will be making a difference in our world. What greater gift could we give to our children’s children than a more peaceful world?
Go gently,
Paul Mensforth
Deputy Principal
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Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends,
As we have mentioned previously, as part of our social outreach program, the Year 6 students are cooking for Adelaide Day Centre for Homeless Persons in the city during Term 2 and 3.
Each Tuesday morning a group of children are cooking Spaghetti Bolognese in the new building. The food will be distributed as ’take-away’ by the Day Centre each night of the week from May until October.
Students are supplying vegetables and spaghetti. The school is buying beef mince and spices. Also, we are using some vegetables from the school veggie gardens as well.
We use two kilograms or more beef mince, four 500g spaghetti, tomato sauce, onions, red capsicums, bay leaves, Italian mixed herbs and oregano.
This amount of Spaghetti Bolognese is enough for about 16-20 adults.
Adelaide Day Centre are also asking for donation of hats, scarves, gloves, socks, raincoats, warm jumpers, jackets and track pants.
With their greatest need being BLANKETS AND SLEEPING BAGS.
If you would like to donate any of these items, please send them to the school on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Adelaide Day Centre was established in 1985 by Sr Janet Mead, a Sister of Mercy at St Aloysius College. It is a place that supports homeless men and offers the following:
Intensive Rehabilitation Activity Program, which includes gardening, woodwork, crafts, living skills and holistic support.
Information and referral for housing and welfare needs.
Emergency assistance including food, furniture and other material assistance if other services unavailable.
Mobile soup kitchen, which operates every day except Sat from 1st Mon in May to early October, 6.30 pm at Hurtle Square and 7.15 pm at Whitmore Square.
Assistance with Care & Housing for the Aged (ACHA) program offering support for financially disadvantaged, frail, aged people who are homeless or living in insecure accommodation and who are on the Intensive Rehabilitation Activity Program
St Thomas School supports the Adelaide Day Centre through donations raised from the Mercy Day Activities fundraising event, annual Can Drive and cooking Spaghetti Bolognese through two terms.
Thank you for your support,
Sebestyen Maglai
REC
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from Chair of the School Board
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Dear Teacher,
I see you.
I see you waking up, your thoughts immediately sifting through today’s mental to-do list. Oops! You forgot to reply to that email from Anna’s mum again! You remembered that at 2am. Note to self - Must do that as soon as possible.
I see you on the way to work mentally rearranging your classroom seating plan. I see you set up for the day for the next half hour whilst others are still arriving. You then start the task of thoughtfully setting up the day’s activities. A special treat of free painting would make those little faces smile. You run through the timetable. At least, the plan that’s on paper. Let’s be honest, You know there will be spot fires to put out, so you may get just 2 planned lessons done.
I see you heading outside to pick meet your class for the day. How is it only 9am still! Your heart expands as you spot your little crew! Some are excitedly telling you about lost teeth and others are holding their dad’s hand tight not wanting to make the walk across the handball courts. You now are their teacher, their counsellor, their friend.
I see you on your lunch break, which isn’t a break at all. Sprinting to the bathroom before setting up your Maths activities.
I see you, finally back in your classroom, wondering why you ever thought it was a good idea to pull out the paints today. And noting that you only got through one lesson of the plan.
I see you falling asleep on the couch, wondering why you’re so exhausted – then you remember you made thousands of decisions today. As you sleepily wander to bed, you remember that you again forgot to reply to Anna’s mum’s email again!
You’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning.
Dear Teacher, I see you.
And I simply want to say… thank you.
Trish Jarvis
Chair - School Board
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BUILDING RESILIENCE- DEVELOPING FRIENDSHIP SKILLS IN CHILDREN
Michael Grose, a parenting expert, author and former teacher, says, ‘Resilience is the art of staying steadfast in the face of life’s difficulties. It is the ability to bungy-jump your way through life when you experience loss, disappointment and hardship. We all want our children to be resilient. It will help them deal with some of life’s smaller and bigger hurdles.
In his book “Bringing Out Your Child’s Resilience,” Michael suggests that there are 21 attributes which contribute to the development of resilience.
Follow this link to discover all 21 attributes…
St Thomas Resilience Series by Michael Grose- 00 Attributes of Resilience.pdf
We will aim to provide ongoing information and resources on these 21 attributes to support our St Thomas families in the great work of growing their children!
Follow this link to access the seventh attribute… Resolving Conflict….
St Thomas Resilience Series by Michael Grose- 07 Resolving Conflict.pdf
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Hi Everyone,
Thankyou so much for your efforts so far in changing the way you buy and package lunch in your child’s lunchbox. We have one more lunchbox audit left before we announce the winning class of our challenge. Here are some key statistics from our data so far:
We have reduced lunchbox waste from 156 pieces to 90 pieces since we began our education in this area - That’s a 42% reduction in waste so far!
We have had 2 classes with less than 5 total pieces of waste over 3 separate audit days.
We have moved from 0.58 pieces of waste per student to 0.37 pieces per student in the whole school.
We had 8 classes this week with less than 10 pieces of waste and 6 of them had 5 pieces or less.
In short, you’re doing great so thanks for all your support and doing your bit to educate your child for the future over the past few weeks. Let's try and make as many of these changes stick as we can!
I guess the only thing left to say is " But have you got one more small change you could make?”
We will find out next Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Mr Mezzino, The Eco Warriors and the Earth.
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Road Safety and Parking Reminder
An important reminder that Unley Council have changed the parking restrictions around the school. We especially highlight the new restrictions along Angus Street. This zone is now no parking, with a 2 minute set-down period for drop-off and pick-up; and drivers must remain with their vehicle.
We have attached the letter sent home to families a few weeks ago with details to support families in making decisions about which parking space is best for their situation.
We encourage parents/caregivers who will be using the new Angus Street drop-off and pick-up zone to remind their children to wait at the Angus Street gate at the end of the school day.
Let's continue to work together to ensure the safety of the whole community.
 Road and Parking Safety at St Thomas POSTER 2023.pdf
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Online submission opens Friday!
Online submission for projects in Round 1 (Citizen Science, Scientific Inquiry, Science Writing and Multimedia categories) opens this Friday, 9th June. You have until midnight on Friday, 30th June, to submit projects in these categories. Reminder: each project must have its cover sheet uploaded as a separate document. This document has been sent home to students, and instructions on uploading projects are here.
When uploading, it's imperative to remember that you don’t forget to click “finish” between uploading each project!
Programming, Apps and Robotics entries:
Cover sheets, written reports and supporting videos for this category must also be submitted between Friday, the 9th and Friday, the 30th of June, 2023.
Appointment bookings will also open on Friday, 9th June, for the Programming, Apps & Robotics Judging Day on Saturday, 29th July 2023. Please direct your students to the Programming, Apps & Robotics appointment page on the Oliphant Science Awards website to make their bookings. Appointment bookings will close on Wednesday, 26th July, at 11:59 pm, and students need to have submitted the required documents by Friday, 30th June, to make an appointment.
Round 2 Projects:
Entries in all other categories are due for delivery online (where applicable!) between the 24th and 28th of July, then must be physically delivered on Tuesday 1st of August and collected again on Monday 7th of August
Thanks
Chris Rampazis
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St Thomas School and Preschool is offering Code Camp on Wednesdays after school in Term 3!
The Little Coders program is for students in Reception to Year 1 - students discover the basics of coding and take their first steps to becoming a coding superstar via fun, age-appropriate explanations, real-world scenario demos, games and group activities.
The Coding After-School program is for students in Year 2 to Year 6 - students will produce multiple games and apps using the exciting online platform Code Camp World!
Sessions will take place in the school library. For further details and enrolment, please see the below link.
Parents will receive a $15 Early Bird discount if you enrol prior to 30 June using the discount code: AS3-EB-15
 Flyer - Code Camp After-School - St Thomas School and Pre School.pdf
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June
School Holiday Fitness