Dear Families,

Last week, I had an opportunity to speak with each teacher about their goals and students learning. I meet with teachers each term to discuss student learning, but also to talk about teacher learning. As you are all aware by now, teachers at St Thomas Aquinas have adopted a more explicit approach to teaching and many are using scripted programs to teach English and Mathematics. We have started to see a shift in student learning and many teachers last week spoke about how much students have learned in only a term. I am very proud of the work teachers are doing in this space and how dedicated they are in ensuring students are provided with the very best opportunities to learn.

Some of you may be aware that Mrs McPadden will be taking leave for the remainder of this term and then will be attending World Youth Day in Portugal in Weeks 3 and 4 of next term. Mrs Megan Thomas will be stepping into the REC role during Mrs McPadden’s absence. Mrs Snow will provide release in 6 Green for two days per week from next week, until the end of the term. I thank Mrs Thomas for taking on this role and welcome her to the leadership team and I also thank Mrs Snow for her willingness to step in wherever needed.

I had the pleasure and great challenge of judging the Rostrum Speeches for the Year 5 and 6 finalists. All 12 of the finalists spoke incredibly well and it was clear that they had all carefully researched and practiced these speeches. Unfortunately, we can only send one student forward to the next round. Congratulations to Abby S in Year 6 who gave an entertaining and informative speech about ‘Going Back’. I wish her all the very best in the next round of competition.

Next week a survey link will be sent to families via COMPASS. This is our annual survey to support decision making going forward. It is really important that as many families as possible complete this survey so that we can gain a full picture of how things are going here at St Thomas Aquinas. Please let us know what is working well and what you would like to see change so we can use this information moving forward.

While it is still a few weeks away, 3-way and parent-teacher conferences will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 9. These conferences are a wonderful opportunity to look at your child’s learning and discuss goals and plans moving forward. For some students, these meetings will also include a discussion about Personalised Plans and goals for Semester Two. These conferences will be held ahead of Semester One reports going home in Week 10. Information on how to book appointments will be sent to families via COMPASS in the coming weeks.

Take care and God bless