I hope all of the fathers, step-fathers, foster fathers, grandads, and carers had a wonderful Father’s Day on Sunday. It is always important to take time to stop and recognise the role you play in your child/ren’s lives. Here at St Thomas Aquinas, we know that as the first educators of your children, we work in partnership with you, so thank you for all that you do.

During staff prayer today, we prayed for all of the dads in our community. 

What makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
the majesty of a tree,
the warmth of a summer sun,
the calm of the quiet sea, 

The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagles flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
the depth of family need,
Then God combined these qualities.

When there was nothing more to add,
He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He Called it......DAD

Author: Unknown

Literacy Program
Our kindergarten families may know that kindergarten has been trialling Initialit this term. This program is part of the Macqlit suite designed to teach children to read and write. It is a research-based program and covers all elements of literacy. Next term St Thomas Aquinas will expand the trial to Year 1 with a view to roll the program out to Year 2 at the beginning of next year. Recently, Catholic Education made the decision to roll this program out to all schools in the Archdiocese who have not already embedded a phonics program. It is good to know that St Thomas Aquinas is leading the way for Teaching and Learning across the Archdiocese.

The introduction of Intialit and decodable readers means that Catholic Education will begin to phase out the old leveled readers as a way of assessing reading. The PM levelled readers are used as part of a Whole Language program where students learn to read using predictions based repetition and picture cues. Decodable readers support students to use phonics knowledge to sound out unknown words while also relying on some sight word knowledge. This difference between teaching and assessing using predictable verses decodable texts means that students will not initially achieve the same level of reading success when assessed using a leveled reader. However, they will perform better on a phonics test and ultimately become better readers. For parents and carers who are interested in learning a little more about the science of reading, this interview between Liana Loewus and  Emily Hanford, called ‘What Teachers Should Know about the Science of Reading’ provides a good summary of phonics based programs.

https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2019/03/what_teachers_should_know_about_the_science_of_reading_video_and_transcript.html

Uniform Reminder
Many families may be looking to purchase new summer uniforms ready for Term 4. At St Thomas Aquinas, as at all Catholic schools, we have a strict uniform policy. Some people question the importance of uniforms at school and would prefer the school to focus on other things. We believe that by focusing on uniform we eliminate a lot of unnecessary worry for students and families, so we are able to focus on what is important. Here are just some of the reasons why all ACT Catholic schools insist on a school uniform:

• Uniforms are a great equaliser
• School uniforms promote learning
• They nourish a sense of equality
• School uniforms promote a feeling of community
• They make it easier to get ready for school
• School uniforms improve safety

Families are reminded that the school uniforms for summer are the following:

Boys School: Sky blue polo shirt with school logo and navy dress shorts with navy socks, black leather (or leather like) school shoes.

Girls School: Maroon checked dress or sky blue polo shirt with school logo and navy dress short with white ankle height socks, black leather (or leather like) school shoes.

Sport: Both boys and girls will wear the same sport uniform.  Navy shorts (optional navy netball skirt for girls) and Sky/Navy sports knit shirt with school logo. Year 6 students may wear their Year 6 shirt.  Runners/Gym shoes/Sneakers for sports days only.

For the remainder of this year, teachers will send reminders home if your child is in the incorrect uniform. As of next year, the uniform policy will be strictly enforced. If you are unable to afford a uniform, please contact the front office and we can support you in purchasing the correct uniform.

God Bless