Dear St. Thomas Aquinas Community,

I hope this message finds you well as we enter another week filled with exciting events and opportunities for our students and families.

Next Sunday, we have a very special occasion to celebrate—the 50-year anniversary of our Parish! We invite all members of our community to join us for a joyful Mass at 10am, where we will honour this significant milestone. Following the Mass, we will gather in the school hall for a delightful BBQ. This is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community, reflect on our shared journey, and enjoy good food and fellowship. We encourage everyone to attend and partake in the celebrations!

Last week, we enjoyed a fantastic Mission Fete, where we raised both awareness and funds for our Mongolian brothers and sisters in need. It was heart-warming to see our community come together for such a worthy cause. A heartfelt thank you to all families who contributed prizes and supported the event. A special shout-out goes to our Religious Education Coordinator, Meaghan Younger, for her hard work and dedication in organising and running this enjoyable afternoon. Your efforts have made a meaningful impact, and we are grateful for your commitment.

Thank you for your continued support and participation in our school community. Let us look forward to a week filled with learning, celebration, and togetherness.

God bless,

Tim Cleary

We wish to congratulate Mrs Lee Black on her 20 years at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School. 

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

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.

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.

November Birthdays

Andrew M, Regan L, Elizabeth P, Taigh R, Zoe P, Jett B, Niklaus T, Geoffrey F, Cody H, Kuzi m, Piper R, Ava G, Aiden M, Hudson T, Harpreet S, Emily S, Benjamin S, Ella T, Grace S, Mikayla M, Faith M, Isabel P, Darcy A, Daniel K, Georgia B