Happy Week 4!

It has been a fast start to the term and things are only going to get busier as we race towards the end of the year. We only have 2 weeks until our school fete on the 16^th of November and only 3 weeks until our school musical performance on the 26^th November.

Families Leaving STA at the end of 2019
As planning for 2020 has commenced please advise us in writing, as soon as possible, if your child/children (other than Year 6 students) will not be returning to
St Thomas Aquinas next year.

Class Groups for 2020
While forming class groups we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Every care will be taken to ensure that your child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development.

Much consideration and consultation occurs when forming our class groups. Teachers are highly professional and have the main responsibility for placing their current students in the most appropriate class for next year. Over the next two weeks, the teachers will be observing friendships to assist with class groupings.  

As in previous years, parents are invited to discuss possible friends or people whom their child works well with. Today, I have sent a letter home asking parents and children to name three children with whom they would like to possibly be placed with next year. Please send your child’s requests back to their class teacher by Friday, 8 November 2019. When considering your child’s list, please involve your child in the discussion, ensuring that they have some input into the friends they wish to be with. St Thomas Aquinas guarantees one student from the list, and not  necessarily the first choice.

Confidential concerns should be brought to my attention in writing, by Friday 8th November, even if raised in previous years.  Please email me directly at carmen.myles@cg.catholic.edu.au. General concerns should be raised with your child's teacher. Parent concerns will be considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that no definite guarantees can be given regarding parental concerns. As Acting Principal, I will make the final decision on all class placements. Late requests are very difficult to consider once groups are finalised so please ensure requests are returned on time.

Community Council Meeting Week 3
Last week our School Community Council met on Tuesday night.

Uniform Change:  As part of this meeting the council discussed school uniform and a vote was taken to change from 2 jumpers to only 1 as part of our school uniform.

• Our school jumper will be the maroon polar fleece jumper.  The navy blue polar fleece jumper will be phased out over the next 12 months so please do not purchase this jumper.
• The girls summer uniform, which currently includes the Royal Blue Shorts/Skort/Skirt, will be replaced with the Navy Blue Shorts/Skort/Skirt. This is in line with the boys Summer Uniform Colour.

Savvy have been informed of the change and will continue to sell remaining stock but we encourage you to purchase the maroon jumper which will be worn with summer, winter and sports uniforms for both boys and girls.

It is the hope of the council that this change will help to cut down on costs for families.  We are sourcing sun hats to sell in the front office and will inform you when they are available and their price.

All children are encouraged to wear the correct school uniform at all times. Our second hand uniform shop has many items for sale at very cheap prices if you need to restock or purchase approved uniform items.  There will be a second hand uniform stall at the fete.

STA Musical 2019
A reminder that our school musical will be on Tuesday 26^th November, Week 7.

All students from ELC to Year 6 are involved in our extravaganza which will have a matinee performance in our school Hall at 12noon and an evening performance at 6:30pm to be held at St Francis Xavier College theatre.

Mrs Naomi Wicks our Arts teacher is working tirelessly with all staff to ensure our actors, singers and dancers from the ELC to Year 6 are well practised and prepared for the show. There will be more information to follow shortly outlining arrangements for the evening show at SFX.

ELC Information Night for 2020 Families
Tonight we will be hosting an Information Night in the ELC for new families joining us for the 2020 school year.

The session begins at 6:30pm and will be led by our ELC Director Maribel Cabezas and ELC teachers Carla Drayton and Elle Heenan.

Save the Date
The Kinder 2020 Parent Information Night will be held on Monday, 18th November at 6pm in the Library.  On Wednesday 27^th of November and Wednesday 4^th of December, we will be holding our ELC and Kinder Orientation visits for new students joining us in 2020.

These sessions will run from 9:15am to 11am with students attending both Wednesday sessions. These families should have already received a letter in the mail with details of these days. If you have not, please contact the Front Office.

Parking
Families are reminded to please park legally when they are visiting St Thomas Aquinas for drop off and pick up. This includes not parking on the footpath and median strip next to our oval, not parking in the disabled carpark unless you have a designated permit and Ducklings Childcare Centre have also requested that our parents please do not park in their carpark and walk down to our school as this is causing them congestion with their own families not being able to access a carpark to pick up children from their centre.

Thank you very much to all of the families who are utilising our ‘Drive-Thru’ pick up in the afternoons. This system is flowing smoothly and with the roadworks finished is a very quick process. Staff are able to supervise students and ensure they are safely crossing the road or being picked up. Asking your child to wait at the play equipment or another unsupervised area is not only dangerous but putting us at risk as the students are still under our duty of care.

Temporary Fencing on our Oval
I have been following up with Catholic Education in recent weeks in regards to the temporary fencing on our school oval which was erected in May this year.

Catholic Education arranged for the installation of the temporary fencing as a precautionary measure while our soils are tested. Staff from Catholic Education and  the ACT Government Environment and Protection Authority will visit the school this week to advise us if any further remediation action is required.

I will keep you updated of any developments.

God bless and have a good week,

Carmen Myles
Acting Principal

If you currently have children in Kinder to Year 5 classes and will not be returning to STA next year please advise the office in writing as soon as possible. This assists in our staff planning for 2020.

Please drop a note to the office or send an email to lee.black@cg.catholic.edu.au advising which school your child will attend.

Thank you!

Please note that the school now has an AED and it is located just outside the Principal's Office.

Fete Mates will be sold for $5 outside the canteen this Thursday & Friday after school.

2019 STA Fete Raffle Tickets have been sent home and further books are available from the Front Office. 

First Prize:        $1000

Second Prize:   $500

Third Prize:       $250

Bonus $50 added to your prize money if you are at the drawing of the Raffle, Saturday, 16 November, 1:45pm, St Thomas Aquinas Fete Day.

Happy Selling and look forward to seeing you all on the 16th November, 10am-2pm for the 2019 STA Fete!

National Online Safety are an independent online safety training provider that provide Online Safety training and resources for school staff, parents and children.  It is their mission to educate and empower trusted adults with the information they need to engage in meaningful dialogue between children and young people about the online world, their online activities and the ever-evolving risks that they are exposed to.

This week we look at:    Suggested Apps and Games

Community News is now located on our website.

• In Week 5 Oshclub will be exploring loose parts/ tinkering play. Children will have the opportunity to use loose parts to create anything they like using their imagination. We will also be offering a tinkering experience where children will be able to explore how things work, how they are put together and also using different tools to take apart objects and rebuild them.
  
  
• The last five weeks we have also had a free soccer incursion running, Oshclub organized a coach to come and teach the children a few skills and play some mini soccer games.
  
  
• Oshclub will be appearing at the school fete as well, we will have a stall set up in the market feel free to come visit us and enjoys some games.
  
  
• Oshcub will also be set up in the hall for the Kindy orientation on the 18th Nov, if you would like to enrol or have any questions feel free to stop by and talk with Nicole or Jessica the Coordinator.
  
  
• Oshclub will also be doing a toy drive for Christmas we will update you with further information in the next newsletter.
  
  
• Christmas shut down and Jan 2020 holiday program. We will be operating on Friday the 20th Dec this will be our last day of service before Christmas. We will be shut from 23rd Dec until 6th Jan.  Monday the 6th Jan we will open again with our holiday program.
  
  
• Please remember if your child is starting Kindy in 2020 they’re  able to join us at Oshclub from the start of January including the January holiday program. 

The Children’s Asthma Education Service is available to all children in the ACT and surrounds up to the age of 18. Providing children, young people and their families with initial and continuing support to manage their asthma by Registered Nurse asthma educators.

This includes helping:

• Children, young people and families understand asthma, asthma first aid, how asthma medications work, and when to use them
• Families manage wheezing in the first years of life
• Primary school aged children with symptom recognition and increasing independence
• Teenagers self-manage support and device options.

Please call the Community Health Intake line on 5124 9977 to make an appointment.

If you would like any further information about our service, please visit: https://www.health.act.gov.au/services-and-programs/women-youth-and-children/children-and-youth/childrens-asthma-education

AsthmaNurse@act.gov.au

This month on SchoolTV - Resilience

Resilience is one of those skills that all kids need and should have. It refers to their ability to cope and adapt in situations when confronted with challenges such as adversity, trauma, tragedy, or even stress. It is essential to their mental health and wellbeing as part of their journey to adulthood. It is a skill that can be learned from an early age through the support of an adult role model.

However, being resilient does not mean your child won't experience any difficulties, but it will better equip them to manage those situations. Over-protective parenting can be viewed as being unhelpful towards the building of resilience. Although this may be a natural instinct, potentially experiencing failure is all part of the process. Encouraging children to take healthy risks will help them trust their capacity to deal with uncomfortable situations and increase their capacity for courage.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will gain an understanding of how to support their child’s brave behaviour to help them adapt and build resilience. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month's edition https://staquinas.act.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience

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

Liam N;  Aaron K;  Theodore K; Andrew M;  Amber B;  Farrah A;  Annabelle C;  Rebecca J;  Sybilla F;  Tempest T;  David C;  Kleantha W;  Vanessa C;  Leaniva MH;  Mia O;  Ava G;  Jadyn W;  Angelo F;  Aiden M;  Archer W;  Lachlan B;  Grace S;  Darcy A;  Dante C;  Flynn N;  Spencer S