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- Message from the Principal
- Term Dates, Public Holidays and School Closure Dates
- Important Dates Regarding Buses
- SPORT
- Book Week Dress Up - Wednesday 24th August
- PJ's Day - September 9th 2022
- Merit Awards
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education August Newsletter
- Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
- Student reports and Parent/Teacher Interviews Survey
- School TV - Special Report
- eSafety - Free webinar - Popular Apps
- Child Safety Standards
- Second Hand Uniform Shop
- Sion Campus Update
- Community Notices
Our school is a place of faith and learning
Dear parents and families,
Next week, our First Communion candidates will have the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation as part of their preparation for First Eucharist. The celebration will be held in the Cathedral on August 10th, 2022 at 7pm.
We continue to keep Milly, Harvey, Indy and Amelia in our prayers as they prepare to receive their First Communion.
CHILD SAFETY
Volunteer Inductions
It was great to have so many parents complete the volunteer induction sessions and we look forward to them assisting in various school activities. Their paperwork will be processed as soon as possible. We remind those who recently completed their induction to forward their volunteer applications to the front office.
We also remind all those who have completed inductions in previous years to refer to the school website under the Child Safety tab for a list of updated and new policies that fall into the Child Safety space. Please take time to familiarise yourself with them.
Cyber Safety
Just a reminder that photographs cannot be taken of children participating in school activities or events onsite or offsite, without the permission of families, nor can they be posted online.
The school has permission from many families to take photos for school purposes or promotions, however, not for all. We respect the decisions of families not to have their child's/ children's photos taken for various reasons and likewise, we remind our school community to do the same.
Students who bring devices to school such as smart watches and mobile phones are also asked to respect the privacy of others and are not to use the devices at school, whilst on excursions or school camps.
We understand that some children may need to have their phone at school, particularly those who travel on buses or walk home on their own.These items are to be kept in bags and not used during school hours.
We also remind families to be mindful of information or comments shared via social media platforms. You can find our Social Media policy on the school website under the Child Safe tab. The e-Safety Commissioner website also has information about the responsible use of social media.
Assemblies
Beginning Friday, August 12th, we invite our families to our Celebration of Learning assemblies. These will take place in the stadium and begin at 9.10am prior to children attending their swimming lessons. We hope you can join us and encourage you to wear a mask within the stadium, as we have large numbers of children and adults expected to attend.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Athletics will be held at the Dawson St, Little Athletics Oval on August 18th, followed by our Book week celebrations in the following week. Dress up day will be held on August 24th, 2022. The theme for Book week is Dreaming with eyes open….. We encourage children to come dressed as their favourite book character or in line with the Book Week theme.
What does dreaming with eyes open mean book Week?
Dreaming with Eyes Open is about stepping into your own story. It invokes thoughts of ancient times, and of listening to Country as the first storyteller. You can, of course, adapt it to your own dreams and future ambitions.
The whole school will also be travelling to the Cathedral on Monday August 15th, 2022 to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption.
SCHOOL REVIEW
The school will be undergoing a review of its processes on August 30th and August 31st, 2022. Reviewers will be speaking to a cross section of students and parents, visiting classrooms and speaking to teachers and the leadership team. The information gathered will be used to inform future planning for the next four year period.
Lord Jesus.
We leave our school in your hands.
Here, we shall create and discover with your grace.
Teach us how to love and respect.
Bless our teachers, classmates and families.
Amen.
Term Dates, Public Holidays and School Closure Dates
2022 SCHOOL TERM DATES
TERM 3 - Monday 11th July - Friday 16th September
TERM 4 - Monday 3rd October - Tuesday 20th December
SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS 2022
Monday 31st October | Student Free day |
Tuesday 20th December | Student Free day |
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Tuesday 1st November | Melbourne Cup |
Important Dates Regarding Buses
IMPORTANT DATES FOR BUSES
Buses will not run on the following days in 2022
Friday 25th November 2022
Hoop Time Basketball
Congratulations to our Senior boys and girls team who competed at the Sale and District Hoop Time competition last Friday at the GRSC. Both teams did a brilliant job playing together and representing St Thomas’. The girls were beaten in a challenging semi final against St Mary’s Sale and the boys narrowly lost the grand final in a hard fought contest against St Micheal’s Heyfield. Due to the close contest the boys have been selected to attend the Regional Final to be held in Traralgon in October. Thank you to Kristy Glover, Michelle Brady and Quinn Bird for coaching our teams and for the parents who came along to show their support on the day. Today our grade 3 & 4 junior boys and girls will be participating in the Junior Hoop Time Competition.
Athletics
This year our senior athletics carnival will be held at Lions Park on Thursday 18th August (wk 6). Students in grades 3-6 have begun training in readiness for this. All students will have the opportunity to represent their house and participate in the following track and field events on the day:
- Long jump
- Triple jump
- Discus
- Shot put
- High Jump
- 100 & 200m sprint
- 800m
Parents are encouraged to attend. If you are able to help out on the day please email gduffield@sttsale.catholic.edu.au
Congratulations to the following students who received Merit Awards this week.
Merit Awards
Year 1 B - Miss Brown | Holly Kirkland, Atticus Karvelas, Harry Hayman & Arley Murphy | ||
Year 2 A - Mrs Bennett | Mahli Osborn & Skylah Parkinson-Hall | ||
Year 2 B - Miss Cameron | Addison Morelli, Tobias McLaren & Ally Skeen | ||
Year 3 A - Mr Watson | Ava Williams & Amelia Glover | ||
Year 5B - Miss Glover / Mrs Bradley | Kai Boyle & Zoe Eldering |
Student reports and Parent/Teacher Interviews Survey
Dear Parents and Guardians,
A SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of indigenous communities.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.
NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.
This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://sttsale.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-naidoc-week
Schools Project for National Threatened Species Day
National Threatened Species Day was established in 1996 by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust to commemorate the death of the last Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) at Hobart Zoo.
CARE “Concerned Artists Resisting Extinction”, in partnership with Wellington and East Gippsland Shires, are endeavouring to make this day somewhat more than just a fleeting day on the calendar.
This year, in the lead up to Wednesday 7th September, schools in the Wellington Shire are invited to participate in several ways:
- Joining a collaborative art project creating an outdoor installation featuring locally threatened species. Participating students will paint a small wooden threatened species cut-out provided by local arts group, CARE. These will be collected from schools on Monday 5th September and added to mass displays at Lake Guyatt and other locations around Wellington to be viewed on 7th Packs including full instructions will be distributed from 22nd July.
There will be almost 400 cut-outs created across Wellington so we are looking forward to a spectacular display. This project could be completed in Art lessons, in classrooms or as a special activity. Please contact Dawn Stubbs or Sharon Ray with the number of species cut-outs you would like.
- Enter a writing competition inspired by this image of the Biodiverse sculpture from Lake Guthridge. This thought-provoking piece by renowned artist Joel Gailer and Electra McClellan-Greene was installed at lake Guthridge in 2022 as part of a project by Bug Blitz.
Essays from Primary and Secondary students should address themes of biodiversity and extinction.
Word limits are 500 words for Primary students and 1,000 words for Secondary students. Entries will be judged to receive cash and other prizes and be shared with the community at events on the day.
Entries close on Tuesday 30th August.
- Hold a fundraiser to support this project and the Zoos Victoria Conservation Projects. Suggestions include a lunchtime art activity where students donate a gold coin to paint a threatened species, a school community arts afternoon or simply just a casual day.
We really look forward to students participating in this special event and raising awareness about species extinction in Gippsland. Please contact the organisers below for any further information.
Sharon Ray 0429 172 889 sharonr@wellington.vic.gov.au
Dawn Stubbs 0403034337 gallery@australianwildlifeart.com