Dear St. Thomas Aquinas Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with the joy of the season. As we continue our journey through the school year, I want to take a moment to share some reflections from the recent Archdiocesan Principal’s meeting that I attended.

During our gathering, we were reminded of the profound importance of listening to the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and work. This call to attentiveness is crucial, especially as we strive to deepen our conversations about our vocation—not just as educators, but as disciples of Christ. Each of us has a unique role in leading our students toward a meaningful relationship with God, and it is essential that we embrace this responsibility wholeheartedly.

We discussed various ways to nurture this relationship within our school community. This includes fostering an environment where faith is integrated into all aspects of learning, encouraging our students to explore their spirituality, and providing opportunities for them to engage in service and outreach. By embodying the principles of our faith in our everyday lives, we can inspire our students to do the same.

This Friday we will be participating in the Mission fete to support Catholic Missions around the world. This day is more than just a fundraising event, it is also a time to bring the student community together for this special event. I thank families for sending items for students to purchase, without your generosity, none of this could happen. Mission fete “hands” can be purchased via the Compass Parent Portal app under the Events tab.

As we move forward, I encourage each of you to reflect on your own vocation and how you can contribute to this mission. Whether through classroom activities, participation in school events, or simply through the way you interact with our students, your efforts make a significant impact on their spiritual growth.

In staffing news, we will sadly be farewelling our Teacher Librarian Mrs Rachael Hind at the end of this year. Rachael will be moving to St Jude’s in Holder. Rachael has worked as our Teacher Librarian for over 2 years and in this time, we have seen such a fabulous growth in students utilising our library. The library has transformed into a colourful and wonderful learning space for all to enjoy. I wish Rachael all the very best.

Finally, it is hard to believe we are already into Week 3 of Term 4. We hit the ground running this term. I wish to give my sincere thanks to Mr Peter Collins who took on the role of acting Assistant Principal for the past two weeks while Mrs Carmen Myles took some well-deserved leave. I am grateful that Mr Collins was able to step into this role successfully and seamlessly. We welcome back Mrs Myles, who is ready to take on what Term 4 has to bring! 

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our school community. Together, let us strive to listen to the Holy Spirit and guide our children on their journey of faith.

Blessings

Tim Cleary