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from the Principal ..........
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This part of the term has reflected such a burst of energy and activity with both learning and extra-curricular involvement. We have enjoyed a successful Touch Football Carnival, a wonderful Father’s Day Stall and Raffle, generously led by our P & F, Reception and Year 3 excursions to the Road Safety Centre, a native animal incursion in our Preschool, as well as a choir preparation day for our Catholic School Music Festival Choir. In addition, our Parent-Initiated Sport teams have enjoyed their last round of official games, with both netball and soccer rounding off their season. We are looking forward to the Mercy Cup Soccer Friendly coming up this weekend, which will be a great event, raising funds and awareness for Catherine House. This week sees our Debating Green Team compete in the Semi Final and we wish them well in this important competition. It is a great achievement that they have made it to this stage. If they are victorious, they will go through to the Grand Final Debate held at Parliament House next weekend, at a televised event. Good luck Green Team! This weekend will also see our Year 4-6 teams competing in Tournament of Minds at Adelaide High School and we wish these teams all the very best in their events. They have been working very hard to date and are to be commended on their efforts, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.
All of these wonderful extra-curricular activities are reflective of our dynamic learning community. I have immense pride in what our school community is achieving, in every aspect. One only has to look at a typical, ordinary week in our school to see the many great things that are unfolding daily. The high quality teaching programs, the enormous efforts given by our teachers and support staff, through to the rich extra-curricular offerings, coupled with regular parent connections and community spirit. All of this underpinned with our Catholic Identity, Mercy Values, and close relationship to the Emmaus Parish. Each Tuesday Mr Mensforth runs highly successful school tours where all of this is visible to our guests. These tours are not staged or scripted. These tours demonstrate the real gold that is found at St Thomas. Then, each week I have been enrolling new students, whose families have enjoyed their tour, and many have heard great reviews of St Thomas from our existing families. This is a highlight of my week, meeting our new children and families who are so excited to join this community, to belong and to contribute.
There is no doubt that our community is thriving. For this I am thankful to OUR STUDENTS, who show up every day with a readiness to learn, to try their best and to be part of this community. I am also thankful to OUR STAFF who ALL give over and above what is required. Their generosity, capacity and commitment is present in abundance. I am thankful to YOU ALL, our parents, and extended community members, who contribute positively to our school and culture. Your time, input, support and care help to build and sustain our school’s strength.
As with everything in life, some times things just don’t go according to plan. And sometimes things need some time, patience and effort to work through. One example for us right now is the Church car park! You will have received a letter from me this week, that is the result of a number of complaints we have had about safe and respectful use of this space. We are so incredibly fortunate to have use of this car park and I urge you to please read this letter and adhere to the requests within.
Save The Date:
You are invited to our upcoming Parent & Student Workshop on Cybersafety, being held here at school on Tuesday 26th September at 6pm. Our guest presenter from Cybersafe Families will run a very engaging, interactive and most informative session on:
Online and offline activities – striking a balance
Screen time management
Gaming
Parental advice around appropriate games
Bullying – strategies to manage, ways to get help, support networks
Social Media – tips for safety
Friendships online and offline
Managing devices at home – writing some family guidelines
Please note, this is a FAMILY WORKSHOP where students attend and are seated WITH their parent/s to listen, learn and discuss together these important topics. Please read the flyer by following this link... CF Family Workshop 2023.pdf; and RSVP to indicate your attendance at this event. We hope to see many of you there!
Wishing you all a great week!
Belinda Burford
Principal
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from the Deputy Principal ............
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The importance of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and INDEPENDENCE.
Developing personal responsibility and independence are essential to the role of parents, and in turn the role of educators in schools. Our mission is to see our children become ‘thriving people, capable learners and leaders for the world God desires.’ We want them to find themselves and find careers that are fulfilling and use their gifts. We want them to be able to stand on their own two feet and make good decisions. We want them to be able to contribute to the community and build strong family networks. That’s what parenting is all about- teaching our kids to be able to step out of the nest and fly.
So how do we do we get there?
It all happens in all the everyday moments, decisions and opportunities we create in the midst of our children’s story. They say it takes a village to raise a child; so we get there with the shared wisdom of elders and connection to others within ‘our community.’ We get there by working in strong partnership.
Within our school, we are constantly developing opportunities for our learners to develop personal responsibility and independence. Our Reception students learn to pack and unpack their bags independently. Our Year 3 students learn how to care for and manage their laptop. Our Year 6 students dedicate a great deal of learning in further developing their leadership and personal responsibility as they prepare to take on their next chapter of learning. Every day, in large and small ways, our teachers design opportunities to foster this learning.
Our behaviour education at St Thomas is also founded on the importance of acknowledging our own responsibility for the choices we make. We all make mistakes, but what is important is what we learn from these mistakes, how we repair relationships and make things right.
Sometimes this can be hard work, because mistakes can make us, and our young people, feel ashamed. And, in the midst of these uncomfortable feelings, there is always a danger of placing the blame or fault on others. Dr Donald Nathanson’s theory of the Compass of Shame can be very helpful in understanding the ways we, as humans, manage shame in our lives. Rather than accepting the shameful feelings and considering what we can do to grow in a situation, many of us quickly move in one of the four compass directions in an attempt not to feel the shame or engage in the potential growth it can offer.
Unmanaged feelings of shame can, and very much do, impact negatively on our own, and our children’s, positive personal growth. It blocks movement forward and prevents us seeing the possible realities (often painful to realise) in our habits, behaviours and actions. Better understanding our own and our children’s natural response to shame and taking the time to acknowledge why we are feeling these feelings can, and very much does, open the door to new ways of being.
(Follow this link to access more information about Nathanson’s Compass of Shame… St Thomas Compass of Shame Information Sheet.pdf)
Acknowledging these feelings of shame and taking personal responsibility for our actions are the first steps in making things right and helping us learn better ways of being in community. Our mistakes then become part of growing us into the best version of ourselves- the person we were created to be.
So today, I would like to acknowledge and thank our parents and families for their strong partnership this year. The stronger our partnership in supporting our young people to develop their personal responsibility and independence, the greater the impact of this learning.
Let’s keep this partnership strong!
Some ways of continuing to build independence and personal responsibility include…
-Having students carry their own school bag
-Using checklists or visuals to support independence in getting ready before school
-Tasking children with roles in the family, like setting or clearing the table
-Supporting children in taking responsibility for negative choices and provide natural consequences which support this learning
-Offering strong support in managing feelings of shame, without excusing or justifying negative behaviour choices.
Go gently,
Paul Mensforth
Deputy Principal
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SEPTEMBER
Friday 8th Pupil Free Day
Friday 15th
Mercy Day
Monday 18th
Market Monday (after school)
Thursday 21st
Year 1 excursion to SA Museum
P&F Disco
Tuesday 26th
Family Cyber Safety Workshop
Friday 29th
SPORTS DAY
St Thomas TERM 3 FAMILY Calendar 2023.pdf
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MERCY DAY 2023
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends,
Our school will celebrate Mercy Day on Friday 15 of September 2023.
The Sisters of Mercy were founded by Catherine McAuley in Ireland to care for the sick, the dying and the poor. Today, the Sisters of Mercy continue to make present the mercy of God through their work with the poor, the distressed and the sick.
We will start our celebration at 9.00 am with a liturgy in the church. Between recess and lunch, each class will be organising different activities or selling various items in class stalls. After lunch, classes are learning more about the work of the Mercy Sisters and organising ‘justice activities’ in the classrooms.
Children may bring money on the day max $5.00 (preferably gold coins) to buy something or play game during activity time. The older students or ‘Buddies’ will escort and help the Early Years students around the school to be fully involved in the activities.
Mercy Day is a fundraiser to support the Mercy Sisters’ charities especially Catherine House and Moore Street Day Centre here in Adelaide.
If you would like to learn more about the Sisters of Mercy and their work, you can visit the following links.
https://institute.mercy.org.au/
https://catherinehouse.org.au/about-us/
https://sacommunity.org/org/201373-Adelaide_Day_Centre_for_Homeless_Persons_Inc.
MERCY DAY 2023
Friday 15/09/2023
9.00-Whole school liturgy in the church
11.30am-12.30pm
CLASS ACTIVITY
Reception Classes Lolly bags stall
Year 1 Classes Cupcake stall
Year 2 Classes Lucky dip stall
Year 3 Classes Bracelets and keyring making
Water bottle bowling game.
Year 4 Classes ‘Socktober’ soccer
Year 5 Classes Mini Golf game
Glitter tattoos
Year 6 Classes Haunted house
1.45 pm – 2.40 pm
Buddy Class activities
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from Chair of the School Board
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The “lasts”
Dear Jasper,
It’s almost Term 4. I am mindful there are less “lasts” now.
It’s coming to an end - your last year of Primary School. From day one of Term One, there have been many “lasts”. Your last first day of Primary school, last school photos with your brother, your last dress up book week parade (PS – you went out with a bang mate).
And I know there is more to come – and not just school related.
The “last” Primary School Sports and Mercy Days.
The “last” sounds of you and friends on the trampoline outside.
The “last” after school request of “I’m hungry” being replaced by complete silence.
The “last” of shopping in the toy section for your birthday present.
I know you know me, and understand I cry at the littlest things. I cry when our goalie misses a penalty shootout, I cry when I go to community prayer and see you dancing with your mates to the liturgy songs. I cry at Market Monday.
Let’s keep it real, I cry at the end of Lego Masters each week.
But, as the “lasts” become smaller, the window of “firsts” becomes bigger. And I am already seeing them now. First big school camp, first new uniform try on, first subject selection. My favourite – the “first” stack of bikes in our front yard marking territory that the BMX bandits and glimmer of independence has arrived.
The “lasts” are now scattered with the “firsts” - And the tears become less frequent. I guess that is part of this process as primary school comes to an end.
You, and all your year level, have jumped at every opportunity that has been presented this year. You have tried it all, not missed a beat. How lucky we are to be watching this growth.
Trying these things means you are ready – for that next step. You are ready to see what the big world has in store for you.
So, thank you – for giving me and Dad all these “firsts” and giving me and Dad all these “lasts.” I promise you we will soak up each moment of every “last” and get excited for all the “firsts.”
But please, keep that wonderful pile of bikes on my front lawn each weekend. And just remember, look at Dad in the Graduation Mass, not me.
Love Mum
Trish Jarvis
Chair of St Thomas School Board
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Catholic Schools Parents SA - Event
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Event for Parents – Helping children and teenagers respond to friendship difficulties and bullying – Wednesday September 20, 6.00pm at St Mary’s College, Adelaide (online and in-person)
Hosted by Catholic Schools Parents SA, this workshop presented by Madhavi Nawana Parker, Director of Positive Minds Australia, will help parents and carers identify the difference between bullying and social clumsiness, whilst also providing practical and constructive ways for young people to cope with confidence and resilience. Register via the CESA Registration Centre.
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All bookings are now open for these school holidays at duckandturtlefitness.com
Qualified local teachers encouraging kids to be more active since 2015.
See you out there! 💪🏼🦆🐢
Find out more > |
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Goodwood Indians Little League Baseball
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Mortlock Park - Sturt Avenue, Colonel Light Gardens Friday nights from 5.30pm - 6.45pm
20th Oct - 24th Nov 2nd Feb – 23rd Feb Ages 3-7 (3 year olds must be accompanied by Parent/Guardian) Cost includes 10 sessions, T-shirt & Cap. I ChiId $80 2 Children $75 each 3+ Children $70 each Registrations close Sunday 10th September Goodwood Indians Little League - GameDay Registration (mygameday.app)
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Please see vacation care flyer attached from Camp Australia
Rocketeers Mission XI Flyer.pdf
