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Today at assembly we congratulated all Student Leaders for 2024. Whilst all Student Leaders were acknowledged at our assembly, those students who commence their leadership roles as SVC's & Eco Warriors for Semester 2 will be officially presented at assembly in term 3.
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from the Principal ..........
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The glorious return of the much-loved St Thomas Gala was exceptionally well received on Saturday as many came through the gates to enjoy this fantastic event! There was indeed something for everyone to enjoy and we had a steady volume of people across the day visiting stalls, having fun and making generous contributions to our Silent Auction. The children clearly enjoyed themselves at the Sideshow Alley, cleverly designed and hosted by our Year 6 students and teachers. The Art and Craft, Face Painting and Stage performances also provided great attractions. Complimenting all of this, the variety of stalls, the Art Gallery, food offerings and the Bar, all collectively made for a very enjoyable day.
Thank you to all parents for all donations to gala stalls, cakes, books, toys, mystery jars, lollies, mystery bottles, and generous silent auction donations
Our Gala Committee has been working tirelessly since November last year, planning and coordinating every detail. Under the exceptional leadership of Rebecca Vella, and supported very capably by Lauren Waters and Rosie King, I would like to acknowledge and thank our Committee members. Congratulations to you all on bringing together a very successful Gala!
Our Stall Convenors worked impressively across the day as well as the lead-up to ensure the smooth running of their stall, and are deserving of a huge vote of appreciation. We know that ‘many hands make light work’ so we say a heart-felt ‘thank you’ to all those who volunteered on the Stalls, to support sales across the day.
Our incredibly generous Sponsors too deserve a very special acknowledgment: Gold Sponsors – South Coast Shopfitters and Podiatry Services SA. Major sponsors of: NIMBLE Wines, Gaucho’s, MediaNest, Mochi Studio, The Suburban Brew and Monastery Coffee.
For all of you who attended on the day, I extend my gratitude. For the generous contributions from our Staff, I am indeed very grateful. We came together and celebrated as a community, in a spirit of warmth and welcome, and I could not be prouder of what was achieved! So, the question most asked this week has been, “How much did we raise?” Well, we are still finalising the expenses, so the exact amount is still to be determined, but at this stage it looks like we might arrive at a profit of approximately $18 – 20, 000! An absolutely extraordinary achievement! These funds will be directed towards yard improvements and enhancements for the direct benefit of our children’s enjoyment for Sport and play times. So again, my sincere thanks and appreciation to all who contributed towards the success of this event.
Welcome to Ms Gemma D’Angelo who has begun with us this week, as Acting Deputy Principal, replacing Mr Paul Mensforth who is enjoying Leave for the remainder of this term. We also have said ‘farewell’ to Mrs Lauren Adams, who has coordinated our Extra-Curricular/Sport program, with great efficiency and professionalism. We will soon be able to inform parents of the new Administration Assistant in this role.
I encourage attendance at the Cybersafe Families Workshop to be held next Wednesday evening 27th March 6.00pm in the Mercy Hall. This will be a wonderfully informative and interactive opportunity to engage as a family to learn more and discuss how technology is approached and managed in your household. Please come along with your children. Our Year 3-6 students will have a ‘student information’ session next term, where the content will be directed towards their context explicitly.
As you are aware, during this season of Lent, we are focussing on the pillars of Lent – prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It has been wonderful to see our children engaging with Project Compassion through the Water Challenge Relay and learning more about social justice, advocacy and bringing our Mercy Values to life in everyday ways. For your support from home in reinforcing these messages and actions, we are very grateful. As we lead towards Holy Week and Easter, I invite you to join us, if possible, as we gather next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. Our students will lead us prayerfully through the last days of Jesus’ life on Earth, then towards the celebration of Easter, Jesus’ Resurrection, where we will gather together again on Wednesday in Week 10 for prayer. So, if you can take the time, please join us for prayer – you are very welcome!
Belinda Burford
Principal
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From the Deputy Principal
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Dear Families and Friends of St Thomas School
My name is Gemma D’Angelo and I am delighted to be the Acting Deputy Principal for the remainder of this term, while Paul Mensforth is on Long Service Leave.
My educational leadership has been over an extensive period of time and in different contexts, including Catholic Education, Independent Schools and the Education Standards Board.
Already in my first week, it has been wonderful to experience the warmth and engaging nature of this community of students, parents and staff on a daily basis, including at the Gala, and at today’s ride to School Day, Harmony Day and school assembly celebration.
I look forward to building relationships with more children and families in the coming weeks and seeing you at the upcoming Holy Week reflections and Learning Conversations.
Wishing each and every one of you a blessed Holy Week next week.
Gemma D’Angelo
Acting Deputy Principal
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MARCH
Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th
Holy Week Presentations at Holy Cross Church 9.15am
Wednesday 27th
Cybersafe Families Session 6pm
Friday 29th
Good Friday
APRIL
Monday 1st
Easter Monday
Tuesday 2nd
SACPSSA Swimming Carnival
Wednesday 3rd
Whole School Easter Liturgy
St Thomas TERM 1 Calendar 2024.pdf
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Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends
“So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46) Holy Week and Easter
Holy Week holds a profound significance within the Lenten season. It marks the final week preceding Easter, during which we commemorate the crucial events of Jesus' last days on Earth before his resurrection. It is a time for deep reflection on the immense impact of the Resurrection that we celebrate at Easter. Here are the main events of Holy Week:
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday begins our Holy Week as Christ was welcomed by crowds back into Jerusalem. Such love was shown towards Him, yet there were many who were jealous and disbelieved that He was God’s Son. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter. The Triduum is the culmination of the Church’s Liturgical year…
Holy Thursday
The Last Supper
The Triduum begins on Thursday evening with the Lord’s Supper Mass, which was the beginning of the Holy Eucharist. This is the reason we celebrate Mass and marked the sharing of Christ’s body and blood for us all. The disciples were very scared and nervous about the events. This was the last meal Jesus would share with His Disciples and during the meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas. Christ washed the feet of His Disciples and they became the first Priests. As we are co-creators with God, we too must serve one another and work as equals to care for our common home.
Good Friday
The Crucifixion of Christ
On Good Friday, we gather for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion - the events of such sorrow. Christ was betrayed and crucified on Calvary. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals and Jesus was mocked and tortured. Jesus fell three times carrying the heavy cross. Our 14 beautiful ‘Stations of the Cross’ pieces of art work, created by our children, can be seen in our school entrance area.
After Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a tomb. The tomb was sealed with an enormous stone and guarded by Roman soldiers to prevent Jesus’ body being stolen. When Mary Magdalene visited the tomb on Easter Sunday she found that the stone had been moved, and that Jesus’ body had gone.
On Holy Saturday we wait.
Easter Sunday
Christ is alive! We celebrate the Resurrection. Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week-a week after Palm Sunday. The wonderful news that Jesus came back to life and made himself known to His disciples give us great faith, hope and joy.
Sebestyen Maglai
R.E.C.
 Holy Week Invitation 2024.pdf
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Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for every item that you donated, every hour of your precious time that you volunteered, every dollar that you spent and for coming and supporting the school Gala in such a force on Saturday. It was the most amazing day and the smiles on every face was testament to this. The St Thomas Gala has been a part of the school for over 30 years so we knew how important it was to get it back. It’s not just about raising money for the school. It is so much more. It’s about bringing the community together and inviting everyone to be a part of it.
A million thanks again for all your support,
The St Thomas Gala Committee (who certainly enjoyed a drink in the bar at the end of Saturday!)
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DUCK & TURTLE IS BACK AGAIN THESE HOLIDAYS
MONDAY 15TH, TUESDAY 16TH & WEDNESDAY 24TH APRIL
8.30AM - 4.00PM
BOOK NOW AT DUCKANDTURTLEFITNESS.COM !!
Find out more > |
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PALM SUNDAY & EASTER MASS
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Dear Parents,
Photo orders need to be finalised by Monday 1st of April in order to receive them at school by the end of term. Any orders taken after this time will be delivered to your home and will incur a delivery fee.
JRP has a dedicated customer service team that are available Monday to Friday to assist the school community with any ordering queries. We understand that moving to an online model may require some assistance and the team is here to provide you any help that you may need.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 1300 360 115, or via email at admin@jrpgrp.com
Warm regards,
JRP Group
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Please see attached Rocketeers Poster from Camp Australia 
PLEASE SEE THE FLIER ATTACHED FOR PALM SUNDAY AND EASTER MASS TIMES 
Please see flyer attached for Golden Knights Karate including First Month Free
