Dear Families,

Term 2 has seen a return to many of the usual school activities including a return to parent volunteers, and community and extra curricular activities at St Thomas Aquinas. I have loved seeing parents back in classrooms helping out with reading groups and providing some one-to-one attention for children as well as coming along to excursions and helping out at school events like our Book Fair. This is such a special community and it is wonderful to begin to see a return of parents in our school. I have particularly enjoyed seeing a return to our wonderful community events, including the Mother’s Day Breakfast and school carnivals.

Students have, once again, been able to take part in representative sport, including the Cross-Country Carnival and gala days.  We look forward to many more of these events throughout the year and to once again seeing you, our wonderful parents and carers at these events. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your efforts and support for our school.

St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleepout
Firstly, I want to thank everyone for your support for the CEO Sleepout. Your fundraising efforts were amazing and we were able to make a great contribution to the work of St Vincent de Paul. At last count, the 162 CEOs who participated in the Canberra event raised a combined total of $1,013,784, with the 8 participants from Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn raising $46,376.

It was quite an experience sleeping outside with just a few pieces of cardboard and a sleeping bag to protect me from the elements. I, like so many, am lucky to have a comfortable bed to go home to each night, but so many in our community do not have that luxury. On Thursday night, we heard from the General Manager of All Bids, Benjamin Hastings. When Ben was a teeager, he found himself without a home and had to rely on friends and acquaintances to let him sleep on their couches. He was lucky enough to have been taken in by a family who helped him to get back on his feet and find a job which he loved. Ben used the CEO Sleepout as a way of raising awareness and giving back.

Survey
The 'Tell Them From Me' survey is now closed. Thank you to all that participated in this. We will use this feedback to help inform the rewriting of our Vision and Mission Statement and writing our Strategic Plan. We will provide additional opportunities for families to contribute to these later in the year.

Term 3 Dates
A reminder the first day of Term 3 is Tuesday 13th July. 

Monday, 12th July, is a pupil free day to support staff with professional learning on our Catholic Education Catalyst journey. Please ensure you have made arrangements for your child/ren as there will be no supervision of students at school on this day. OSHClub will be open and will be taking bookings.

I wish all of you a restful break. If you are travelling, be safe and we look forward to seeing you back in Term 3.

God Bless

 
Leah Taylor
Principal