Dear Students, Staff, and Parents,

As we embark on the fourth and final term of the year, I would like to extend a warm welcome back to each of you. I hope that everyone enjoyed a restful break and is ready to embrace the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in the coming weeks.

During the holidays you may have had the opportunity to visit Floriade and you may have seen our wonderful display of Gnomes that represented each class including the ELC. It was a pleasure to attend an award ceremony at Floriade where St Thomas Aquinas was awarded an achievement award for outstanding painting. The gift card presented will be used to go towards our new vegetable gardens. Our Gnomes have made their way back to school and will become a part of our school gardens.

It is also a time when we begin to find out about teacher and family moves. If you know you will be leaving us, please let the front office know by completing the form detailed further in the newsletter as soon as possible. We are beginning to fill up in some year levels and will be starting waiting lists. It will be wonderful if we could alleviate the anxiety of these families on the list as soon as we are able.

It is that time of year, when we are beginning to look at class lists. Please read the information regarding the school’s policy provided in this newsletter and let me know as soon as possible of any requests for 2025. On that note, while we have not allocated all teachers to their classes for 2025, we have locked in our kindergarten teachers. I am pleased to let families know that Mrs Kelly Scanlan and Miss Ella Barry will be teaching kindergarten in 2025.

I am also particularly pleased to welcome two new members to our school community: Tom Overs and Sinead Ahern, who will be joining us as Classroom Support Assistants. We are excited to have them on board and look forward to the positive impact they will have in supporting our students and teachers.

I would also like to take a moment to express our gratitude to Peter Collins, who will be acting as Assistant Principal during Carmen Myles’s absence on long service leave for the next two weeks. Thank you, Peter, for stepping into this role and for your continued dedication to our school.

Term Overviews will be sent home with families by the end of this week and will be available to view on the website by next week. These give families insights into your children’s learning over the term and important dates to remember.

In other news, I wish to inform our community that Ross Fox, the Director of Canberra/Goulburn, has resigned from his position. We are grateful for his leadership and the wonderful service he has provided to our schools. His contributions will be remembered, and we will have the opportunity to farewell and wish him all the best in his future endeavours later this term.

The St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary on Sunday, November 10^th. Please refer to details to follow in this newsletter and please remember to register. I hope many of you can join us in this celebration.

A special thank you to Katie Walsh-Smith & Stacey Campbell who will be joining me and attending the Archdiocesan Assembly at St Christopher's Cathedral this weekend.

I would like to remind everyone that all children are required to have a school hat. Children who do not have a hat will need to remain in the covered areas and will not be able to play on the oval or tar area. Please ensure that your child has a hat with their name on it. Hats can be purchased at the front office.

As we move forward into this term, let’s continue to support one another and work together to create a positive and enriching environment for our students. Here is to a fantastic term filled with learning, growth, and success!

God bless,

Tim Cleary

Class Allocations for 2025

Any requests received after Friday 8 November 2024 will not be considered

During this term, we will be finalising our staffing arrangements for 2025. Below is a copy of the ‘Class Allocation Policy’ which aims to ensure there is a fair and just process in allocating students to classes for the upcoming school year.

We believe teachers are in the best position to decide a child’s placement because they know all the children in their classes and have a view of the ‘big picture’.

However, parents are invited to inform Mr Cleary of anything that you feel needs to be considered, for your own child’s well-being or development.

When forming the class lists the following factors are taken into consideration:

• Gender
• Diverse Learners
• Work habits
• Cognitive ability
• Friendships
• Behaviour
• Health considerations
• Religion (to assist in achieving balance between classes, especially in Sacramental years) and
• Common names

Ideally, we aim for an equal spread of both positive and challenging characteristics. Where practical, parental requests based on educational concerns may be considered. At St Thomas Aquinas, we follow these principles and guidelines when considering placement of students each year:

• Every care will be taken to ensure that each child is placed in the best situation to enhance learning and social development
  
  
• Parents who wish to raise concerns regarding the placement of their children in particular classes for the following year, should put the concern in writing and email it to our Principal  (tim.cleary@cg.catholic.edu.au) by Friday of Week 4 (Term 4 - Friday 8 November). Parents cannot assume that requests from previous years will be taken into account. A new request will need to be made every year
  
  
• Parent concerns will be considered during the process. It must be clearly understood, however, that no definite guarantees can be given regarding parental concerns
  
  
• Where appropriate, advice will be sought from the Classroom Support Assistant, School Counsellor, Chaplain and current Class Teacher during this process
  
  
• Considering all the factors listed above, the current Class Teachers compile class lists from mid-term, Term 4. These are then handed to Mrs Taylor to confirm
  
  
• Children will be informed of their class placement for the following school year in December (usually the last week of school) and the opportunity will be provided for them to spend some time with their new class teacher. New students to the school for the following year are invited to attend
  
  
• Throughout this process, after appropriate consultation, the Principal reserves the right to make final professional decisions regarding the placement of children

October Birthdays

Sophie K, Ayla T, Harrison R, Elizabeth H, Mia W, Marine T, Evie P, Ruhani P, Benjamin G, Alana B, Lara K, Kuir K, Lucas S, Mateo CC, Amelia W, Lilah W, Christina R, Ivy M, Manyuon C, Lily G, Matilda A, Tyler H, Jayden P, Heath L, Luke M, Jamyang L,
Harrison B-S, Arleth MT, Ayla M, Harold M, Daniel N

Congratulations Sophia from 4 Green on her achievements during the holidays at the Australian Jump rope Championships with Jazzy Jumpers.