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- Principal's Address
- ENROLMENT PERIOD CLOSES THIS FRIDAY
- What's on at STA
- STA Parish Information
- 5 Green
- Wear it Yellow - Wednesday 29th May 2024
- Ngunnawal Language
- Library News
- National Simultaneous Storytime
- Religious Education
- E-Safety
- STA STAY SAFE
- Year 6 Enrolment Reminder - Last Days!
- Tournament of Minds (TOM) - Years 5 & 6 Expressions of Interest
- Story Dogs
- Koala Playschool - Enrolling now
- Birthdays - May
Dear Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with the spirit of joy and gratitude. We would like to acknowledge the significance of Reconciliation Day, which we celebrated yesterday. It was a time for reflection, forgiveness, and unity as we came together as a school community to honour this important day in our nation's history. Tomorrow, we continue our acknowledgement of our First Nations People by participating in Wear it Yellow Day. We encourage students to wear yellow tomorrow and bring a gold coin donation in support of our First Nations Children.
As we continue our journey through the liturgical season, we find ourselves late in the month of May. This month holds a special place in the hearts of Catholics as we dedicate it to our beloved Mother Mary. May is traditionally known as the month of Mary, and it is a time for us to deepen our devotion to her and seek her intercession in our lives. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, holds a unique role in our faith, and she continues to guide and protect us with her motherly love.
It has been so wonderful to see so many new babies being welcomed into the world and becoming a part of our community. There have been many excited siblings amongst our students brimming with delight at the welcoming news of a new baby brother or sister. We offer our blessings and prayers to all mothers- especially our new mothers and mothers to be.
During this month, we encourage all students and families to engage in prayer and reflection, seeking the guidance and blessings of Mary. We will be organising special prayer services and activities throughout May to honour our Mother Mary. We invite you all to participate and experience the beauty of this devotion.
In addition to our focus on Mary, we also have a busy month ahead of us. Our dedicated teachers and staff are working tirelessly to provide a nurturing and enriching learning environment for our students. We are grateful for the support of our parent community in making these events a success.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in creating a vibrant and inclusive learning community here at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School. May God bless you all abundantly.
Yours in Faith,
Tim Cleary
| WEEK | DATE | EVENT |
| 5 | Wed 29/05 | Wear it Yellow Day |
| 5 | Fri 31/05 | Confirmation Retreat - Year 6 |
| 5 | Fri 31/05 | 2025 Enrolment period closes |
| 6 | Tues 04/06 | Sullivan Shield (NRL) - Year 3 - 6 |
| 6 | Fri 07/06 | Assembly hosted by Year 3 |
| 7 | Mon 10/06 | King's Birthday Public Holiday |
| 7 | Wed 12/06 | Tennis ACT Wally Masur Cup - Year 5 & 6 |
| 7 | Thur 13/06 | Confirmation Mass at 6pm - Year 6 |
| 7 | Fri 14/06 | ACT Cross Country |
| 8 | Tues 18/06 | SCC Meeting at 6pm in the Library |
| 8 | Wed 19/06 | ACT Touch Football Gala Day - Years 5 & 6 |
| 8 | Thurs 20/06 | Netball Gala Day - Years 5 & 6 |
| 8 | Fri 21/06 | Assembly hosted by Kindergarten |
| 9 | Tues 25/06 | 3 Way Conferences - information to come |
| 9 | Wed 26/06 | 3 Way Conferences - information to come |
| 9-10 | 26/06 - 04/07 | Lamont Book Fair |
| 9 | Thurs 27/06 | Netball Gala Day - Years 3 & 4 |
| 10 | Fri 05/07 | Principal Awards Assembly & White token celebration |
| Parish Priest | Father Gerard McCormick |
| Parish Secretary | Sharon Greaves |
| Telephone | 02 6258 1563 |
| charnwood@cg.org.au | |
| Address | 23 Lhotsky Street CHARNWOOD ACT 2615 |
| MASS | TIMES |
| Monday to Friday | 9:30am |
| Thursday - School Mass | 9:30am - one grade each week |
| Public Holidays | 9:30am |
| Saturday Vigil | 6:00pm |
| Sunday | 9:00am Children's liturgy is held during the school term. All families are welcome to attend. |
SACRAMENTAL DATES
Confirmation - Thursday 9th May.
Formation Session for Parents and children - Thursday 9 and 23 May—6:00pm
Presentation Masses Weekend of 11th and 12th May 2024
Sacrament of Confirmation Mass Thursday 13 June 2024 —6:00pm
If you have a child eligible to receive the Sacraments, please contact the parish office for further information: charnwood@cg.org.au
5 Green has had an incredibly busy start to the year. From NAPLAN to Rostrum, Athletics Carnival to cross country, there has been plenty to keep us busy.
This term we have been diving into the books ‘Black Cockatoo’ and ‘Dirrarn’ in English. We have had some really interesting discussions about what life is like in different parts of Australia, as well as discussions about how race can impact how we are seen in this world. Mrs Sippel showed us pictures of different places in the Kimberly’s to help us connect with the setting from our story. We have loved seeing how different life is in the northern parts of Australia compared to life here in Canberra. We’ve also loved seeing some of the different animals and learning some of the language of the Jaru people who live in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Term 2 saw us present our first Rostrum speeches. Students worked hard to write and present a speech to the entire year 5 cohort. We had speeches about medical rights, Earths magnetic field, anti-bullying and how exhausting it is to be a kid! We laughed and we learnt from each other. Overall, the year 5’s did a fantastic job for their first time.
In preparation for Reconciliation Week, 5Green completed an artwork that represented the ways we meet together to learn and share from each other. We had some great discussions about what it means to listen and learn from the wisdom of First Nations People and the ways that their understanding and connection to country can have a positive impact in modern Australia. Last week we also got to take part in some Indigenous games for Reconciliation Week. We played a few different games and learnt how to work together as a team. We also learnt that AFL has its roots in an Indigenous game called marn-grook.
Our focus in Religion has been learning about Pentecost and the Fruit of the Spirit. We created zines that reflected what we have learnt about the events of Pentecost Sunday and how this led to the growth of the modern church. We also created some beautiful artworks focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit.
In Science we have been exploring the ways that molecules and atoms work together. We have also learnt about the Periodic Table of elements and what all the different symbols and numbers on it mean. We learnt that elements were either created by the Big Bang, by stars or Supernovae. We are looking forward to learning more about this over the term.
Students are introduced to new Ngunnawal vocabulary weekly. Special thanks to Miss Evans for continuing our learning of our Ngunnawal Country.
Congratulations to the winners of National Simultaneous Storytime Colouring in Competition:
ELC: Archie W
Kindergarten: Hazel A
Year 1: Ava R
Year 2: Anna D
Year 3: Mary P & Adeline B
Year 4: Lars S & Adam H
Prizes will be distributed this week.
Happy reading,
Mrs Hind
St Thomas Aquinas took part in the National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday 22nd May 2024
Religious Life at St Thomas Aquinas
Ordinary Time
We have ended the Easter season and entered the season of ‘Ordinary Time’. This is represented by the return of our green prayer cloths in prayer spaces. Ordinary Time lasts for the rest of the Church year – with it ending with Advent and the new Church year.
Reconciliation Week Whole School Prayer
Thank you to Mr Collins, Mrs Kaden and 3 Blue for your memorable prayer celebration last Friday. The smoking ceremony was particularly special and a great focus for our Reconciliation Week celebrations.
Parish Life - Sacramental Programs
Confirmation
Thank you to all the families who participated in our second formation session last Thursday. It was wonderful to share our thoughts around the Holy Spirit and how we are supported in living out our faith.
Confirmation Retreat
All of Year 6 will participate in a retreat learning about the sacrament of Confirmation and the important role the Holy Spirit plays in the lives of believers. This special day will be this Friday, 31st May. Students may come in free clothes and will be provided with a pizza lunch and some snacks for morning tea. More information has been sent on Compass.
Sacrament of Confirmation Mass Thursday 13 June—6:00pm
At St Thomas Aquinas we are continually teaching our students about digital and online safety to help them become knowledgeable digital citizens. Each week we will be posting online safety tips to help parents and families build your knowledge and open discussion with your children at home.
Tips that will help your children stay safe online
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Explore together — Explore games that your cildren are participating in. Children could ask you or a trusted adult to play new games or apps with you at first.
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Stay close by — when using a phone, tablet or computer, make sure you are nearby so you can get help if you need it.
Bonus tip — discourage device use alone in bedrooms.
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Ask before you download, install or buy anything — check first.
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Keep your personal information private — Have open discussions surrounding giving out your address, which school you go to, phone number or passwords. Find out more.
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Check your privacy settings and talk about what to share — make online accounts private and talkabout the kinds of photos and information that is OK for you to share online.
Find out more in The eSafety Guide.
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Cyberbullying — It's important that children know to talk to their parent or trusted adult if they receive a mean message, or a message that is mean about someone else. Their actions should be to try not to respond and don’t forward it.
Telling an adult should be their first action. tips on what to do.
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If you see something online you don’t like — Let your children know that you do want them to show you or a trusted adult immediately. Find out more.
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If someone you don’t know sends you a message or you receive a message that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe — Let your children know that you do want them to show you or a trusted adult straight away. Find out more.
- Only ‘friend’ or add people you know in real life — remember that not everyone online is who they say they are, so have discussion around not accepting friend requests or followers you don’t know.
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Don’t meet up with online friends — It is best to keep ‘online friends’ online.
A gentle reminder for all our Year 6 families that the current enrolment period ends on Friday, 31 May 2024. Please ensure you have lodged your enrolment application for Year 7 2025 prior to the end of the period. You may be required to have supporting documentation with your application and as such we urge you to not leave the application process until the last day.
Tournament of Minds (TOM) is open to all Year 5 & 6 students. Please visit the link below to view information on dates and requirements as well as the Expression of Interest From.
May Birthdays
Ella D, Jesse R, Cooper K, Lorelei M, Charles M, Declan W, Jack P, Gurnoor K, Alice T, Zahli A, Nikola G, Amelia M, Arianna RM, Oliver H, Connor W, Emily L-B, Brooklyn S, Ashan H, Scarlett F, Nate N, Mayen K, Toby N, Theresa V, Shaela S, Ryan P, Lyla M, Aston P, Evangeline G, Isaac P, Gabriel T, Tudor C, Chimaobi M