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

In late term 3 the school’s finance system will be changing. As a result, the school will no longer be able to support Direct Debit as a way of paying school fees. All school fees will either need to be paid via BPay, EFTPOS or cash. All invoices for school fees will carry a unique BPay reference. While the rollover to the new system is still a few months away, we wanted to make families aware of this change so you can talk to your bank and/or the front office if you are not familiar with BPay and require support.

Please feel free to contact the front office if you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes.

May Birthdays

Ella D, Jesse R, Cooper K, Rohan T, Lorelei M, Clarence G, Alice T, Zahli A, Nikola G, Amelia M, Oliver H, Arianna R, Connor W, Hunter B, Emily L-B, Brooklyn S, Ashan H, Scarlett F, Mayen K, Theresa V, Shaela S, Lyla M, Aston P, Evangeline G, Gabriel T, Tudor C, Chimaobi M, Nuer D

Over the next several weeks students will be introduced to Ngunnawal vocabulary. This week students will be learning "Ngaralda" meaning Sorry. Thank you Miss Evans for continuing our learning of our Ngunnawal Country.

The Chief Minister's Reading Challenge is on now. Students are challenged to read and record 30 books. 

Reading Challenge sheets are due back to the library by 11^th August 2023. Every student who hands in the completed challenge will receive a pick from the prize box. Winning schools will win book vouchers for the library. Challenge sheets can be accessed by clicking here.

The Seasons for Growth program will be offered to students again this year, commencing later in Term 3. The program is designed to support students who are dealing with some aspect of change, separation, loss or grief through small group discussions and activities with a Seasons for Growth Companion. If you would like your child to participate in the program this year, please see the attached nomination form. It is recommended that students who participated last year take a break this year and complete the next level program in 2024.  For more information please contact Mrs Skye McPadden (skye.mcpadden@cg.catholic.edu.au)

Parent Talk newsletter is distributed electronically twice a term by the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP).  The newsletter aims to provide parents and carers with relevant and timely information about developments in education, wellbeing, CCSP advocacy program and significant Catholic news and events.  Find the latest online newsletter here.

We encourage families to subscribe to the newsletter to keep up to date with the latest information from CCSP.

For further information please contact Sarah Rose, Family Engagement Officer on Sarah.Rose@cg.catholic.edu.au or 0447 888 326 or Service Area Leader, Tim Elliott on Tim.Elliott@cg.catholic.edu.au or 0409 042 130.

Winter is well and truly on it's way and with that we start to witness the UV levels dropping. With UV levels considered low (under 3) during the months of June and July we adopt the advice of the Cancer Council ACT and begin our Hats Off period.

From Thursday 1 June (Week 6) hats will not be required on the playground. 

Hats will be on again from August as UV levels start to rise again. 

Read more about UV exposure and the healthy balance for Vitamin D benefits here.

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) is undertaking an evaluation of the school active travel programs, including the Ride or Walk to School, Active Streets for Schools and School Crossing Supervisor programs.

As part of the evaluation, TCCS is requesting school communities to complete a short online survey about their travel habits to and from school. The survey can be accessed through this link or via the QR code below.

TCCS has engaged First Person Consulting (FPC) – a Melbourne-based evaluation consultancy – to manage the evaluation and the surveys. FPC will not be collecting any identifiable information from anyone completing the survey, and all responses will be kept confidential and anonymous.

TCCS appreciates your support to evaluate these programs to continue to enhance the program offerings to schools.

BRAINways Education, in conjunction with Australian Catholic University, is pleased to invite gifted
and talented students of Canberra to participate in

Please view the program information here for July School Holidays sessions. The required Nomation letter can also be found here. 

SPACES ARE LIMITED SO PLEASE BOOK ASAP TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT 

School refusal is a complex issue that impacts a growing number of students and their families around Australia. It can be a challenging experience for everyone involved. 

To help you support students and families who might be struggling with school refusal, we’ve put together a range of informative and practical resources.

To understand more about what exactly school refusal is, including its underlying causes, signs and impacts visite the ReachOut School website here.

Please visit this fantastic resource for many helpful articles.