Dear Families,

Welcome back to our final term of 2022. I hope many of you managed to have a little bit of a break from the day-to-day and were able to enjoy the little bit of sunshine the term break had to offer. My husband and I were able to start back at our long walks and walked 100km from La Perouse to Manly over the long weekend. We were lucky enough to have a few days of sunshine, which helped with drying out our shoes after the first day of walking.

It is hard to believe that Term 4 is already here. As always, this will be a term full of big events and activities. We were pleased to see that COVID restrictions have continued to ease over the break and will continue to do so over this month. This means we will be able to welcome families back into the school for a range of events and assemblies. Some of the events we have to look forward to are:

• Dance showcase - Wednesday 16 November matinee and evening performance. Save the date!
• Colour Run
• Graduation
• Year 6 water fight
• 3-way conference and parent-teacher interviews face-to-face!
• Parents allowed into assemblies!
• Principal awards in the hall
• Leadership ceremony - passing of the light

While we do not require parents entering the hall to see their children perform to sign in, we still require all visitors to sign in if you are entering the main school building beyond the front office during school hours - yes this includes visitors who are just popping in quickly to have a chat with their child’s teacher. This is a legal requirement for all schools. Any visitor who needs to enter the main school building will need to enter through the Front Office. Please do not come in through the side or back doors, if you do you will be politely asked to walk around the building and to sign in. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Class Allocations for 2022

During this term, we will be finalising our staffing arrangements for 2023. Below is a copy of the ‘Class Allocation Policy’ which aims to ensure there is a fair and just process in allocating students to classes for the upcoming school year.

My firm belief is that teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know all the children in their classes and have a view of the ‘big picture’. However, I invite parents to inform me of anything that you feel needs to be considered, for your own child’s well-being or development.

When forming the class lists the following factors are taken into consideration:

• Gender
• Diverse Learners
• Work habits
• Cognitive ability
• Friendships
• Behaviour
• Health considerations
• Religion (to assist in achieving balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years) and
• Common names

Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Where practical, parental requests based on educational concerns may be considered. At St Thomas Aquinas, we follow these principles and guidelines when considering placement of students each year:

• Every care will be taken to ensure that each child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development
  
  
• Parents who wish to raise concerns regarding the placement of their children in particular classes for the following year, should put the concern in writing and email it to me (Leah.Taylor@cg.catholic.edu.au) by Friday of Week 4 (Term 4 - Friday 4 November). Parents cannot assume that requests from previous years will be taken into account. A new request will need to be made every year
  
  
• Parent concerns will be considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that no definite guarantees can be given regarding parental concerns
  
  
• Where appropriate, advice will be sought from the Classroom Support Assistant, School Counsellor, Chaplain and current Class Teacher during this process
  
  
• Considering all the factors listed above, the current Class Teachers compile class lists from mid-term, Term 4. These are then handed to me to confirm
  
  
• Children will be informed of their class placement for the following school year in December (usually the last week of school) and the opportunity will be provided for them to spend some time with their new class teacher. New students to the school for the following year are invited to attend
  
  
• Throughout this process, after appropriate consultation, I reserve the right to make final professional decisions regarding the placement of children

I look forward to seeing many of you at the various events we will have this term.

Take care and God bless

Yours in Faith