Dear Parents and Carers

“Music that evokes the darkness of our lives but which at the same time elevates a listener’s emotions by transcending that darkness remains with me because it is exactly this ability to launch the heart in the face of despair that I find astonishing in certain singular people I meet.”

Barry Lopez, Horizon

I have used this wonderful quote from the great American writer Barry Lopez because it speaks to me less about the music he is referring to (although I agree with everything he has written) and more about people he has met, and I hope you have met, that bring hope into our lives. We all need such people. We need them because all of us are vulnerable, at times in our lives, to give way to the temptation to despair. Our faith teaches us that we have every reason to hope, especially when things seem hopeless. Indeed, St Paul called hope one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and love. This week, our community celebrates two striking and shining examples of hope. On Friday afternoon at 6pm, Deacon Alex Osborne is being ordained a priest at St Christopher’s Cathedral. All families are invited. A brave and courageous act and one that speaks of hope, faith and love. Alex’s ordination sustains us all, in many and varied ways. Equally momentous is Jessica Neubeck’s wedding on Saturday. Jess is marrying her finance, Michael, and again, it is statement of faith in a rapidly changing and fast-moving world. I am sure you join with me in wishing Jessica and Michael, and Deacon Alex, the very best for all their futures.

Book Week
Last week we celebrated Book Week, a week that especially highlights the gifts of books and the gift of reading. All classes chose one of the nominated Australian Book Council books and created a display outside the front of their classrooms. Our annual Book Week character parade took place on Tuesday and was, as always, a marvel of ingenuity and creativity. My thanks to all staff for their support and to Steph Noack for coordinating our activities. My thanks to all parents too for their work in preparing their children’s costumes.

Catholic Schools’ Soccer and Netball Carnivals
The ACT Catholic Primary Principals’ Association has been discussing the future of the Catholic Schools’ Soccer and Netball carnivals.  After much discussion, and with much regret, the decision has been made that this year is the final year for the ACT Catholic School Soccer and Netball Carnivals.  This decision was carefully considered and was made unanimously at the recent ACT Catholic Primary Principal’s Meeting.

Although these are great community days and have been going for many years, the huge workload on staff, increasing costs, complexity of indemnity and insurance, and a lack of volunteers to assist, has necessitated the decision to no longer host these events.

Schools are rostered on to coordinate, run and volunteer these events and are run, entirely, by the host school, irrespective of the school size. Parents volunteer on the day and staff work all weekend on these events. In the past few years, some executive staff have worked nearly fulltime in the lead-up to pull off these carnivals, along with many staff who commit their time to support the planning and preparation, all of which is impacting on the teaching and learning agenda of the host school. 

ACT Principals acknowledge that there may be some parents and students disappointed by this decision, however, we have agreed that the future of hosting and leading events such as these is untenable.

This year, Holy Rosary Watson will host the final ACT Catholic Schools' Netball Carnival.

Student Movie Night
A reminder that Friday week sees our Semester 2 Movie Night take place. These nights are always very popular and are a great family night. Please note that a flyer has gone home and features in this newsletter. My thanks to Kathleen Martin for coordinating the event.

K – 2 Swimming Lessons
A reminder too that swimming lessons begin in two weeks (beginning on Monday September 9) for students in K – 2. These lessons are compulsory and part of the curriculum. A note was sent home last week to all K – 2 parents. My thanks to Susan Magyar and Lee Black for coordinating the lessons.

Relief Teachers and Split Classes
At the recent School Community Council meeting, the topic of relief teachers and split classes was discussed. Individual parents have also approached me about this subject. I hope to clarify some basic procedures in the school.

Terms 2 and 3 are notorious for sick teachers, as all work places would experience. 2019 has been particularly trying as there appears to be quite an extraordinary lack of relief staff available. This is a situation that all schools are currently experiencing, both Catholic and Government. It has been a topic of discussion at principal meetings, and recently, the executive of the Principals’ Association met with Catholic Education staff. In this, St Thomas Aquinas is having the same experience as all other schools. We have taken unusual steps in booking relief teachers weeks ahead, even if we have been unsure if we need them, just to ensure that we have them if need be. Be assured that the school takes all steps to find relief staff. Classes are split only as an absolute last resort. In some cases, school executive, including me, have taken classes so that they avoid being split. The situation should improve as we approach Term 4, as the weather warms up and 4^th year graduate teaching students become available for relief work. Please contact me directly at school if you have any further queries.

Learning Journeys and Publication Week
A reminder that this week we are holding our Learning Journeys and Publication Week. Learning Journeys provides all parents from K – 6 with the opportunity to visit their child’s classroom and see the wonderful work and learning that their son or daughter is engaged in. Classrooms are open until 6pm tomorrow and 5pm Wednesday, with before school visits also possible between 8.30 – 9. I encourage all parents to visit their children’s classrooms and discuss with him or her their learning. This week is also Publication Week. All students in the school have published pieces of writing on display in the library. Again, I encourage you to visit the library and engage with your children’s writing and with the writing of their peers.

Communication
Good communication is the hallmark of any effective organisation or community, and we are constantly striving to improve our practice in this important area. I have had some conversations with parents regarding communication ‘platforms’ in the school and which one is the most reliable.

In summary, you are probably familiar with the following platforms, all of which perform to varying levels the service of communication. They are:

• Emails
• School Website
• Szapp
• Facebook
• Class Dojo

For the sake of clarity, emails are used by the school as the primary source of communication, as well as Szapp, an app that can be downloaded. The instructions can be found here. The school website is upgraded automatically when Szapp is used, so again, the primary forms of communication are emails and Szapp.

Facebook and School Dojo are used primarily as tools of promotion e.g., promoting the work of students, upcoming events, and the like. Class Dojo cab be described as a closed class Facebook and is used for similar purposes. That said, both Facebook and Class Dojo do fall into the ‘communication’ category, by virtue of their role in promoting events. I would not, however, rely on Facebook or Class Dojo. I would rely on emails and/or Szapp. Please contact me at school for any further clarification.

Progress in Spelling
This year, the staff at STA have identified that spelling is an area that we can improve in, as a whole school. Accordingly, our literacy coach, Petra Hastings, has been working with all teaching staff on our spelling practice. We have seen some significant growth from Term 2 to Term 3. I encourage all parents to contact their child’s teacher for any further clarification, or to find out how they (the parents) can support the work of the school at home.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns
Principal

Transport Canberra has advised that School Route 1048, which is used by Melba Copland Secondary School, can be used by students from St Thomas Aquinas.  Please note this is not a school bus dedicated to St Thomas Aquinas students.

The morning service is scheduled to arrive at the Charnwood Shops stop (4206) at 8.21am and the students will have to cross the road, via the children’s crossing.

In the afternoon, the bus is due at approximately 3.24pm at stop 4205 (near Fire Station).

Please see information here:  School Bus Route 1048

AUGUST 2019
Congratulations to the following students who will be celebrating
their birthday this month:

Aisling O;  Molly O;  Mason M;  Joshua L-B;  Oscar C;  Toby B;  Skylar F;  
Blayde O;  Liam B;  Maitri J;  Eleni M;  Will M;  Tyler E;  Lily P;  Lachlan B;  Summer P;  Tyler F;  Vrishab G;  Aarush D;  Alexander B;  Sea C;  Michelle C; Tyler E;  Atticus W;  Toby U;  Matilda P;  Sophia H;  Liam W.

Community News is now located on our website.