Dear Families,

Last week I attended the Catholic Leaders’ Day and Principal meeting. It was wonderful to hear from experts in the Science of Learning, including Professor Pamela, Simmone Pogorzelski and Reid Smith. All three speakers reaffirmed the journey we are currently on at St Thomas Aquinas with regards to the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. Director of Catholic Education, Ross Fox also highlighted some of the success we have experienced here at St Thomas Aquinas including the dramatic improvement we have seen in infant literacy levels. It was lovely to have the work of our staff showcased and for them to be acknowledged in this way. I am so proud to lead a school with such dedicated educators who work so hard for all of our students.

Late Students

Now that parents are allowed into the school, we will be requiring students who are late to be signed in by an adult. If your child arrives late or needs to leave early, you will need to accompany them and sign them in or out on the COMPASS Kiosk at the front office.

Registration Report

Last term St Thomas Aquinas participated in the 5 year cycle of Registration and School Improvement. A panel of seven Catholic Education Canberra & Goulburn staff members analysed the school’s policies and procedures. These panel members engaged with our staff, students and selected parents to give commendations and recommendations in the areas of Catholic Identity and Culture, Staff Capacity and Leadership, Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Partnerships and Community and Stewardship and Resources.

The process was an extremely positive experience and a summary report can be found here. Recommendations from this report will support the school with the writing of the Annual Improvement plan later this term and inform future strategic plans.

Class Allocations for 2023 - LAST WEEK

Thank you to those families who have already emailed me regarding 2023 class requests.

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 particular 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 Teacher 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

Take care and God bless

Yours in Faith