St Thomas More School Newsletter - Amazon S3...Parents must know what their children are doing on their phones and machines. This does not mean spying. This means continually reminding

Upcoming

Events

Friday 19 October Parent Support Group

Gathering 9am

Tuesday 23 October Xavier College Visit

Years 4 to 7

Wednesday 24 October Indigenous Cultural Artist

in Residence Program Years 4 to 7

Thursday 25 October

R - Year 4 SACA Cricket Clinic (at school)

Thursday 1 November

Headspace Presentation to Year 6/7s

Future dates to

remember:

Friday 30 November Sports Day

Friday 14 December

Student Free Day.

St Thomas More School

Newsletter Term 4 Week 1 Thursday 18 October 2018 Website: www.sttmore.catholic.edu.au Email: [email protected]

St Thomas More School recognises and acknowledges that we are living on traditional Aboriginal lands and we offer our respect and appreciation to all Aboriginal people.

St Thomas More School

50 Yorktown Road

Elizabeth Park SA 5113

PO Box 2002

Elizabeth Park SA 5113

Telephone: 8255 1699

Fax: 8287 0241

OSHC: 8255 1626

0409551699

Principal

Mr Joe Blefari

Deputy Principal

Mr Shaun O’Leary

APRIM

Mrs Sonia Kilmister

Dear Families,

Increasingly schools are dealing more and more with cyber bullying issues occurring away from school.

Although cyber bullying may be occurring away from school inevitably it impacts on the lives of children and

staff here at school in which case we are obliged to respond to best support the wellbeing of all concerned.

Many of the incidents we are dealing with are avoidable. Parents must know what their children are doing on

their phones and machines. This does not mean spying. This means continually reminding your child/children

that they should not post anything online which could cause offence to someone reading the material. This is

about being a ‘good’ person online and offline. It means reminding children that all online posts can be

traced. It means knowing exactly what they are doing online. It means encouraging them to inform you if

they are aware of anything untoward online, whether they are involved in it or not.

I am also writing to remind you to keep your children cyber-safe and mobile safe. Some students participate

in on line activities that they would not do in the real world. They think they are invisible and at times even

anonymous. All on-line activity and phone activity can be traced.

Some parents think that if their children are home using a computer or phone they are safe and not in

danger. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your child could be placing him/herself in unsafe situations

from your family home. I would like to remind you, that to legally belong to social networking sites like

Facebook one must be aged 13 or over. For some sites, the age is even higher.

I would like to offer you this advice:

Make it your business to know what your child is doing online. Teenagers (and preteens) are likely to

take the position that their online activities are their business. But parents have a moral, as well as

legal, obligation to ensure that their children are engaged in safe and responsible behaviour—

including online behaviour.

Keep the computer/phone in a public place in the house. Periodically check on what your child is

doing. Find out who his/her online friends are.

Help your child distinguish between three kinds of personal information:

Personal contact information. Name, address, phone number, and any other information

that could allow someone to make contact in the real world. This information should be

shared only in secure environments, when absolutely necessary, and with your

permission.

Intimate personal information. Private and personal information should only be

discussed with a relative, close friend, or professional. This information should never be

shared in online social networks or through public communications such as chat or

discussion groups.

Principal’s Report

Personal interest information. Non-intimate information about interests and activities. This kind of

information can generally be safely shared on social networking sites or communication environments,

including blogs, personal Web pages, chat, and discussion groups.

Be sure you know the online communities your child participates in and know his/her usernames in these communities.

Review his/her public postings, including his/her profiles, Web pages, and blogs. Discourage active involvement in the

kinds of environments that promote excessive self-disclosure of intimate information and rude behaviour. Your child

may object and claim that these postings should be considered private. A child who makes this argument simply does

not understand. The material posted on these sites is not private—anyone can read it. If your child is uncomfortable

about your review of the material, then this is a good clue that the material should not be posted.

Be up front with your child that you will periodically investigate the files on the computer, the browser history files and

buddy lists, and his/her public online activities as well as his/her mobile phone log.

Be alert to secretive behaviour. It’s a danger sign if your child rapidly switches screens as you approach the computer or

attempts to hide online or phone behaviour by emptying the history file.

If your child has engaged in unsafe or inappropriate behaviour, the most appropriate consequence is the use of

monitoring software and consistent review of all public and private online activity.

This year is certainly a very unique one as it will be the first and last time that both our Year 6 students and Year 7

students will be graduating from primary school at the end of the year. As has been the case in previous years, we

are committed to ensuring that each of the graduation experiences are special and memorable, and most

importantly that both our Year 6 and 7 students feel appreciated and enjoy these occasions.

To ensure these celebrations are meaningful to our students we have invited their input and feedback before

finalizing what they look like. Some celebrations involve the Year 6 and Year 7 students being together, whilst

others will be separate. Based on previous experiences and student and parent feedback we have decided on the

following;

First Celebration - Graduation Dinner

The Year 6 students and Year 7 students and their families will have their own separate Graduation Dinner. The

Year 6 dinner will be held on Monday 26th November from 6:00-7:30pm. The Year 7 dinner will be held on

Tuesday 27th November from 6:00-7:30pm.

We will all meet at The Village Tavern where the students will sit together to share a meal with their families and

teachers. They will have the opportunity to socialize and order food and drink.

Page 2

Year 6 & 7 Graduation

Second Celebration - Year 6/7 Excursion

This will occur on Monday the 10th December. It will include a session at Flip Out followed by a movie at

Reading Cinemas in Elizabeth. Children will be dismissed from school at approximately 1:30pm on this day so that

they can prepare themselves for the Graduation Liturgy that night. Children will be able to wear casual clothes

that day so their sports uniform will be clean for the Liturgy.

Third Celebration - Graduation Liturgy

This will be held here at school in Jubilee Hall on Monday the 10th December at 6:00pm (children must be here

by 5:30pm). This Graduation Liturgy is a special ceremony where we will acknowledge and thank our graduating

Year 6/7 students for their wonderful contribution to our school community. Following our Graduation Liturgy we

will have a light supper in Jubilee Hall. All families are encouraged to bring a small plate to share. Year 6’s to bring

savory and Year 7’s to bring sweet.

Because of the additional student numbers there will be some changes to the Graduation Liturgy format from

previous years. The dance will now be performed at assembly in Week 6 Term 4 and the children’s photo story

will appear at the graduation dinner instead. There will be a short movie at the Liturgy with the students

explaining their highlights and fondest memories of their time at St Thomas More instead of individual students

speaking on the night. We look forward to these special occasions and commemorating our student’s and

families’ time at St Thomas More School.

As we head into Term 4 and the weather begins to improve it is important to consider school attendance and

punctuality. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between attendance and achievement. Those

students who are in attendance are more likely to experience success at school. Did you know?

Missing one day a week of school from Reception to Year 10 means missing two years and one term of

schooling.

Being half an hour late to school each day from Reception to Year 10 equals missing one year and one and

a half terms of schooling.

Patterns of attendance/absence are set up in the early years of schooling.

Students who are frequently absent from school are over represented in the juvenile justice system.

Poor attendance makes it difficult for students to form positive relationships with their peers.

Research shows that students who are often absent from school are likely to earn less than their peers as

adults.

(Source: Information for Parents/Caregivers- Attendance Improvement Package)

The Term 4 school calendar has been included in this week’s newsletter and will be uploaded onto our school

website. There is certainly many learning experiences and extracurricular activities taking place. Please make note

of our pupil free day occurring on Friday 14 December.

Yours sincerely,

Joe Blefari

Principal

School Attendance

Page 3

Term 4 School Calendar

Deputy Report

Page 4

Returning to a Familiar Environment

It is great to be back at St Thomas More this term after spending Term 3 at Antonio Catholic School, Morphett

Vale. I very much look forward to returning to my role of Deputy Principal supporting staff, children and families

be the best they can be while meeting the challenges of daily life.

It has been pleasing to see our children return to school after the recent holiday break refreshed and settled. At St

Thomas More we talk a lot about our School Norms; Respect Each Other and the Environment, Treat Each Other

Equally, Work as a Team, Act in a Safe Way and Strive for Excellence. Children have been busy putting our School

Norms into practice. This has been evident through their engagement in the learning opportunities presented to

them throughout each day and the way they have been interacting with each other both in the classroom and

school yard.

On Wednesday May 9 Jill Gallio from the Office for Renewing Parishes joined our staff meeting to talk to teachers

about the Parish Renewal Initiative, an initiative of the Adelaide archdiocese which commenced in 2016. The

purpose of Jill’s visit was to engage with our school to foster a deeper awareness and dialogue around the renew-

al initiative. The initiative is based around the Renewing Parishes document which outlines eight Gospel charac-

teristics of a healthy, vibrant and renewing parish. In this instance, the word parish is used in its fullest sense,

inclusive of schools, pastoral councils and other catholic communities. In the last two newsletters of Term 2 I

provided information around the first four Gospel characteristics. Below is a breakdown of the fifth and sixth

Gospel characteristics.

5. The parish community is visibly engaged with those who experience poverty and need, and with those at the

margins of society and church. Pope Francis has said: “Here I repeat for the entire Church what I have often said

to the priests and laity of Buenos Aires: I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been

out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own

security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a

web of obsessions and procedures” (The Joy of the Gospel, par. 49). We need to be a Church that constantly

witnesses to mercy. We need to take the risk of acting for justice. Our parishes will need to go out to both their

own members in need, including those who are old, isolated, sick, and those who are in need in their neighbour-

hoods and in the wider world. Pope Francis tells us that he wants “a Church which is poor and for the poor” (The

Joy of the Gospel, par. 198).

6. The parish witnesses to God’s love for all the creatures of Earth. When the community gathers for Eucharist,

we bring the whole creation with us. We pray at the beginning of the Third Eucharistic Prayer - “All you have

created rightly gives you praise.” Pope Francis says: “Joined to the incarnate Son, present in the Eucharist, the

whole cosmos gives thanks to God. Indeed the Eucharist itself is an act of cosmic love” (Laudato Si’, par. 236). He

tells us that we are all called to ecological conversion (Laudato Si’, par. 217), and this is a challenge in our parish

life. School and parish can participate together in this conversion, and witness to it, in their use of resources, like

water and electricity, and in many other ways, such as by using solar power, recycling, supporting community

gardens and tree planting.

Catholic Identity: Parish Renewal Initiative

Deputy Report

Page 5

Curriculum

In this newsletter I have included two mathematical tasks which you might like to have a go at with your child/

children. Mathematics is one of our core learning areas here at St Thomas More School. Your support at home in

Mathematics helps to create a positive attitude towards this area of learning. If you would like ideas on how to

help your child, please come and see either myself or your child’s classroom teacher.

This week’s Mathematical tasks:

Reception to Year 3

I drew a shape with 3 sides. What might my shape look like?

I drew a picture using only circles and squares. What might my picture have looked like?

Years 4-7

The Year 4 students said they were going to mark out a soccer pitch. Write down the instructions they need to

follow.

A shape has at least two sides 5cm long and at least two sides 10cm long. One angle is 90 degrees, one angle is

less, but the rest are more. What might the shape look like?

Happy inquiry.

Reading is also a core learning area here at St Thomas More School. Children develop their reading skills,

knowledge and understanding by reading regularly. At St Thomas More School regular reading at home forms a

major part of homework set each evening. Why not create regular timeslots throughout the week whereby all

electronic devices in the home are turned off and members of the family spend 15 minutes reading together.

Happy reading.

Gratitude is being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen. It is an appreciation for what is valuable

and meaningful to oneself. It is a sense of wonder and energy which can flow onto others. Gratitude is felt in

different amounts and expressed in different ways by different people. Gratitude is a choice, a journey, a habitat,

a way of life.

“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labours of others, living

and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiv-

ing.” Albert Einstein.

When we demonstrate gratitude for what others have done for us, the feel good chemical dopamine is released in

the brains of both the person displaying gratitude and the person whom the gratitude is directed at. In a sense

everyone wins.

“By cultivating gratefulness, we are freed from envy over what we don’t have or who we are not. It doesn’t make

life perfect, but with gratitude comes the realisation that right now, in this moment, we have enough, we are

enough.” Robert Emmons, 2007.

As a Catholic school, by nature St Thomas More has a culture of gratitude. Through prayer and religious ceremony

we often give thanks to God for what we have been given. Through our outreach programs (Moore St Mission,

Project Compassion, St Vincent De Paul Society and many other important charities) we experience giving to those

in need. Our children are taught to give thanks for and be appreciative of all the things their families do for them.

Positive Education and Gratitude

Deputy Report

Page 6

Safety in and around School Pick Up/Drop Off Points

A friendly reminder to ensure that for safety reasons, you park outside of the yellow lines adjacent to the school

crossing and away from the school driveway at the front of the school when picking up/dropping off children.

Drivers are also reminded that the disabled parking spaces at the front of the school are reserved for those with a

disability. Alternative parking before and after school (along with school access) is available along Shillabeer Road.

As a school community we are seeking your support in following the parking regulations in place outside of the

school.

Working in partnership with you to keep our children safe.

Shaun O’Leary

Deputy Principal

APRIM

Dear Families

Welcome back to Term 4, Week 1! I hope your children all had a restful break over the holidays

I would like to thank Leah Williams for taking over my role throughout the last two terms. Leah initiated some amazing social

justice work within our school and Parish community which was sincerely appreciated. Through her programs, she made deep

connections between the Parish and our school and enabled our community to contribute generously towards those in need. I

learned a lot working alongside Leah and was grateful for her skills and knowledge around special needs children. We are

certainly going to miss her presence here at school, but hopefully she will return to work with us again one day.

It is always a special occasion when a child celebrates the Sacrament of Confirmation and it is the result of a lot of learning about

the Sacraments and the traditions of the Catholic Church, over a period of time within the Parish and school community that

prepares students for this important step in their lives.

As you would know, three of our students, Hamish and

Angus Bell and Andrew McIlroy were confirmed late last

term and two weeks later, went on to experience their

First Holy Communion.

I would like to congratulate Hamish, Angus and Andrew

for celebrating this special Sacrament of the Eucharist

and wish them all the very best on their ongoing faith

journey in the Catholic Church.

Father Pat said he was very impressed by the knowledge

that this particular group of children showed as they

were able to answer all questions related to their

sacramental journey

As part of the ‘Renewing Parishes’ Program, there will be several members from the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide visiting St

Thomas More School on Tuesday 13th November at 2.15pm, to view our school as part of the Elizabeth Parish community. This

visit is part of a larger vision for the region with the purpose of reviewing and renewing our Parish communities. More

information about this visit will be given later.

Kind Regards

Sonia Kilmister

APRIM

Page 8

Thank you Leah!

Sacramental Program: First Holy Communion

Parish Pastoral Visitation

Page 9

Sport News

OSHC School Holiday fun

Page 7

Week starting 15 October

Term 4 Commences

Indigenous

Cultural Artist in Residence

Program Years 4-7

Parent Support Group gathering 9am

Week starting 22 October

Xavier

College Visit Year 4 - 7

Indigenous Cultural Artist in

Residence Program Years

4 – 7

Year 4/5 CK Mass 10.15am

Reception to Year 4 SACA Cricket Clinic

at School

World Teacher’s Day

Week starting 29 October

Indigenous Cultural Artist in

Residence

Year 4/5G Mass 10.15am

Headspace presenting to

Year 6/7s

All Saints Day

Whole School Assembly led

by all Year 4/5s 9am

All Souls Day

Week starting 5 November

Principal Tour 10am

Melbourne

Cup

Year 4 to 7

Excursion to the Shedley Theatre

- Shrek the musical by St

Columba College

School Board Meeting 7pm

Catholic Schools 4 -7

Netball Carnival

Elizabeth RSL President Mr Trevor Sloan and Mr Joe

Walker Remembrance Day talk 10am

ACE

Graduation 11am

Remembrance Day

Week starting 12 November

Parish

Pastoral Visitation

Reception to Year 3 Mass

10.15am

2019 Receptions

Transition Visit and Parent Information

Session 9 – 10:50am

Year 5 -7 SAPSASA

District Summer Carnival

Week starting 19 November

Whole school Assembly –

Farewell Mrs Elliott 10.30am

Year 6/7

Economics Afternoon 1.30 -

2.30pm

Whole School Assembly led by Year 6/7s

9am

2019 Receptions

Transition Visit 9 – 10.50am

Week starting 26 November

Year 6 Graduation Dinner on Monday

26th November from 6:00-7:30pm –

The Village Tavern

Whole School Celebration of Christmas Performance

2-3pm Jubilee Hall

Year 7

Graduation Dinner on

Tuesday 27th November from 6:00-

7:30pm. The Village Tavern

Sports Day

1st Sunday of Advent

Week starting 3 December

Principal Tour

10am

Whole School End of Year Mass 10am

Volunteers

Morning tea 11am

School Board

Meeting 6.30pm

2019 Receptions

Transition Visit 9 – 11.30am

Year 6/7

Graduation Liturgy

Practice

2nd Sunday of Advent

Week starting 10 December

Year 6/7 Excursion to Flip Out and

Movies.

Year 6/7 Graduation Liturgy 6pm Jubilee Hall (Children

must arrive by 5.30pm)

Last Day of Term 4 3pm

Finish

PUPIL FREE DAY

Happy Holidays!

3rd Sunday of Advent