Dear St. Thomas Aquinas Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with the joy of the season. As we continue our journey through the school year, I want to take a moment to share some reflections from the recent Archdiocesan Principal’s meeting that I attended.

During our gathering, we were reminded of the profound importance of listening to the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and work. This call to attentiveness is crucial, especially as we strive to deepen our conversations about our vocation—not just as educators, but as disciples of Christ. Each of us has a unique role in leading our students toward a meaningful relationship with God, and it is essential that we embrace this responsibility wholeheartedly.

We discussed various ways to nurture this relationship within our school community. This includes fostering an environment where faith is integrated into all aspects of learning, encouraging our students to explore their spirituality, and providing opportunities for them to engage in service and outreach. By embodying the principles of our faith in our everyday lives, we can inspire our students to do the same.

This Friday we will be participating in the Mission fete to support Catholic Missions around the world. This day is more than just a fundraising event, it is also a time to bring the student community together for this special event. I thank families for sending items for students to purchase, without your generosity, none of this could happen. Mission fete “hands” can be purchased via the Compass Parent Portal app under the Events tab.

As we move forward, I encourage each of you to reflect on your own vocation and how you can contribute to this mission. Whether through classroom activities, participation in school events, or simply through the way you interact with our students, your efforts make a significant impact on their spiritual growth.

In staffing news, we will sadly be farewelling our Teacher Librarian Mrs Rachael Hind at the end of this year. Rachael will be moving to St Jude’s in Holder. Rachael has worked as our Teacher Librarian for over 2 years and in this time, we have seen such a fabulous growth in students utilising our library. The library has transformed into a colourful and wonderful learning space for all to enjoy. I wish Rachael all the very best.

Finally, it is hard to believe we are already into Week 3 of Term 4. We hit the ground running this term. I wish to give my sincere thanks to Mr Peter Collins who took on the role of acting Assistant Principal for the past two weeks while Mrs Carmen Myles took some well-deserved leave. I am grateful that Mr Collins was able to step into this role successfully and seamlessly. We welcome back Mrs Myles, who is ready to take on what Term 4 has to bring! 

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our school community. Together, let us strive to listen to the Holy Spirit and guide our children on their journey of faith.

Blessings

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

Congratulations to the following students who represented STA at the Readers Cup on Friday, 25 October 2024. 

Readers Cup is a quiz format for students in Year 5/6. Students read 5 novels and are quizzed in teams of 4.  It was a delight to have these wonderful students represent STA.

Students are introduced to new Ngunnawal vocabulary weekly. To match our Ngunnawal word, Mrs Wang is also introducing the matching Chinese word to increase our culture learning. Special thanks to Miss Evans & Mrs Wang.

You may have noticed an alert in Compass from MSP Photography regarding ordering school photos. Please note that this is an opportunity for ordering additional 2024 school photos and gifts as we lead up to Christmas. You do not have to order now for 2025. We apologise for any confusion caused. We have advised MSP Photography and requested that future correspondence is directed through the Front Office. 

Kindergarten Health Checks were carried out at school last Term. If your child missed their check up, catch-up appointments are available at City Health Centre, 1 Moore Street Canberra City on the second floor.

Appointments can be made by ringing Community Health Intake on 51249977.

If you have any questions, please contact the School Health Team office on 51241585.

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

The Sustainable Canberra Expo is a family-friendly event for ALL Canberrans!

There will be face painting, colouring in and a scavenger hunt for children, along with cooking demonstrations, EVs on display and an array of stallholders with information for householders who are interested in sustainable living.

The Sustainable Schools Program team will be there, and you are invited to vote for the People’s Choice award in the Sustainable Steps Poster Competition.

Come along to EPIC this Saturday 2 November between 10am and 4pm.