Dear Families,

Yesterday we began our school’s celebration of Holy Week with the ELC students leading the Palm Sunday liturgy. As we prepare for Easter, we think about how God was incarnated into the person of Jesus, a carpenter from a small town who on Palm Sunday was welcomed into Jerusalem like a king. On Thursday, students will reflect on the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, where we not only remember Christ’s sacrifice, but the hope and joy that comes from His resurrection.

I am currently writing this newsletter from Hobart, Tasmania. Carmen Myles, Peter Collins and I have been attending the Teaching Matters conference, a collaboration between Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn and Catholic Education Tasmania. You may remember that last year we had several visits from principals and office staff from Catholic Education Tasmania to look at how we were teaching students at St Thomas Aquinas. The visitors were very impressed with what they saw and invited me to speak with their Principals at the Catholic Leaders day for CE Tasmania. This conference is the culmination of this partnership between CE Canberra Goulburn and CE Tasmania. We have had an opportunity to hear from Australia’s foremost experts in the Science of Learning and to build connections with these experts and other school leaders. I thank Mrs Skye McPadden and Miss Ella Barry for holding the fort in our absence.

Tomorrow we will have our Athletics Carnival. I thank our Sports Coordinator Mrs Megan Thomas, our STA staff and all of the volunteers who make this possible. The weather for tomorrow looks good and I am sure we will all have a wonderful day.

Next week, I will travel to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage with other principals from our Archdiocese. It is an absolute privilege to be able to travel to the land on which Christ walked so close to Easter. I will return to school on Monday the 8th May. In my absence, Mrs Carmen Myles will act as Principal and Mr Peter Collins will act as Assistant Principal.

I wish you all a holy Easter and safe travels if you plan to spend some time away from Canberra.

Take care and God bless.

Yours in Faith

April Birthdays

Chaia L, Indie-Rose H, Ryan S, Riley S, Yuvraj A, Thor S, Harjit S, Charlotte S, Jessica J, Kael S, Parker W, Estelle W, Larra D, Eric H, Tyler D, Zeus B, Anon D,
 Melinda M

Kindergarten Blue & Green will be celebrating 50 Black Tokens with a Class Party on Thursday 6th April 2023. Students are welcome to come in sun smart free dress and will enjoy ice creams during the class party.

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have become aware that some students are consuming ‘Prime Energy Drinks’. Like all drinks containing stimulants such as Red bull or Mother, children’s health can be seriously harmed if consumed. We are aware that some versions don’t contain stimulants, however, our school does not allow energy drinks of any kind. If students bring them to school we may ask parents to collect them from the front office.

We thank you for your cooperation. 

Sacraments

A letter about Sacraments has been sent home to families of Year 4 and Year 6 students who have registered. If you should have received this email and haven't please contact Mrs Skye McPadden - skye.mcpadden@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Project Compassion

Thank you to all our families for supporting this Lenten fundraiser. The Faith Leadership Team raised over $500 last Wednesday at the Chocolate Tombola! It is now time to return your Project Compassion boxes to school, please send them in to the school office. 

ICAS will return to STA this year. We encourage you to consider entering your child in ICAS. This fantastic assessment program allows students to challenge themselves and be recognised for their academic efforts. The assessment is now fully online and sitting dates will commence in Term 3. Learn more by visiting icasassessments.com.

View the 2023 ICAS dates and prices here

Parent ordering closes on 31 July 2023

What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies.  

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.  

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year.   

Learn more about ICAS here. 

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  

1. read about ICAS subjects and prices here 
2. read the terms and conditions here:
3. go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here:
4. enter our school’s access code – EWU442
5. enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment. 

Please note that the ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion.   

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.  

ICAS Results and Certificates 

We will notify you of the date(s) that we run ICAS at the school and when your child’s ICAS results are ready. Once we have received your child’s ICAS certificate, we will send it home with your child. The back of the certificate shows ICAS results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”, that you and your child need to enter the Results Portal

Privacy Collection Statement  

The following information is a privacy notification about how your child’s data is kept private and secure.  

Janison is aware of our responsibility to protect the identity of, and all information relating to, children, and students in general, from disclosure and consequently Janison does not:  

• collect any personal information or data of children other than as required for the purposes of completion of the assessment, test or exam; 
• transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in Australia to any jurisdiction outside of Australia other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in other international regions out of the child’s jurisdiction other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• share any personal information or data relating to children or students with any third parties (other than a third party whose services are necessary for servicing our products, g. print/distribution companies, medal engraving, etc.) except with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• use any personal information or data relating to children or students for marketing purposes. 

Janison may retain personal information and data relevant to a child for their future purposes or for research purposes by Janison for the duration of the school life cycle of the child. However, if you or your child at any time wish to have their personal information or data removed from our systems, they or you may opt out by simply contacting our Privacy Officer at privacy@janison.com.  

We are proud to offer ICAS and look forward to some fantastic results later in the year. 

Please do not hesitate to contact your Classroom Teacher if you have any questions.  

The ACT Government’s Future of Education Equity Fund for the 2023 school year is now open.

The Future of Education Equity Fund provides a one-off, annual payment to low-income families living in the ACT to help cover the costs of education expenses such as school uniforms, school excursions, sport equipment and activities and music lessons.

The following payments are available to those who meet the eligibility criteria:

• $750 high school and year 11 and 12 students
• $450 primary school students
• $400 preschool students attending a preschool attached to an ACT public school.

Applications can be made online and close 3 November 2023.

Information about the Equity Fund is available, and a link to the application form is available on the Education Directorate Website at: https://www.education.act.gov.au/support-for-our-students/financial-and-resource-assistance-for-families

We ask that you share this information with your school communities. The following text and graphic will help you do this.

Apply now for the Future of Education Equity Fund 2023

Apply now for the Future of Education Equity Fund for the 2023 school year. Eligible low-income ACT families can receive one-off payments for financial assistance to help cover the costs of their children’s educational expenses such as sport equipment and activities, music lessons, school uniforms and excursions.

The Fund is open to eligible students enrolled in preschools (attached to a school) through to Year 12 in the ACT. Further information and the online application form is available here.