Dear St Thomas Aquinas community,

Congratulations to our ELC

I would like to offer my congratulations to our ELC Director Temi and the entire ELC team who underwent an Assessment & Ratings process by government regulators last week. Centres are given very little notice when this process will occur, based on an understanding that early childhood centres would always be operating to a high standard of safety, care and education of children.

The team welcomed the visit, were very prepared and exceptional in their professionalism. The initial feedback has been very positive and we look forward to the outcomes in a few weeks' time. 

Well done Temi and team!

Thank you

Thank you to our students, staff and parents who enabled us to celebrate a wonderful Grandparent's Day last week. Teachers organised plenty of activities for students to share with their grandparents. Thank you to 4 Green who led us through a joyful and prayerful liturgy, being thankful for the grandparents we have in our lives. Our visitors were so warm and kind to everyone. Thank you to the grandparents and other special friends who were able to attend.

Supporting young people's development

Last week we welcomed the My Body, My Life team from the Archdiocese who ran a short program with Year 5 students preparing them for what to expect in puberty. The My Body, My Life team have designed the program in a way that also provides parents with resources to help open up the conversation with their children. Having a values based, life-affirming team to help shape the conversation is a privilege. We hope that it helps set a positive tone for our students as they embark on the next stage of development.

School Visits

This week I am in Adelaide undertaking professional learning and visiting schools. Yesterday I visited two schools.

I visited St Patrick's Special School. It is a Catholic school of 50 students from K-12. Very similar to Cranleigh in Holt, it caters for students with predominantly intellectual disabilities that are the result of various diagnoses and disorders. The needs of every student were highly unique and very, very complex. The passion, dedication and work of the entire staff was exceptional. The students welcomed us warmly. Even though I have significant experience with disabilities, I walked away in awe again of the breadth of human experience beyond our own individual knowledge and understanding.

I also visited Compass Catholic Community. Situated in an an area of Adelaide that experiences high levels of community poverty and school disengagement this school caters for 17-24 year old students who are seeking support from a 'school-like' community to set goals for growth and empowerment and work towards them with the help of teaching and other support staff. Students have often disengaged from traditional school early, or lived out of home, are young parents or experienced unsafe home conditions. Beyond the compulsory age of schooling, at Compass they have the opportunity to work towards completing their schooling, achieve skill certificates and find the support to empower them in navigating the complexities of adult life.

Both schools were a testament to the mission of Catholic education, recognising that being 'made in the image and likeness of God' means that every person has an inherent dignity and deserves to be respected, loved and supported in life's journey.

Again, I was grateful to be part of a community that strives to live these same values.

Thank you.

Matthew Garton

Principal

Unfortunately, we have experienced a safety concern this morning involving our students travelling by bus to school. 

We have been notified by concerned member of the public who witnessed students having to move in between cars to get to the footpath. This was caused by the bus not been able to pull into the designated bus bay out the front of the school as it was full of parked vehicles.  

We understand that parking is limited on the school grounds and the trek from the carpark to the Early Learning Centre for our littlest students can be a chore, but we please ask that the safety of all our student is a priority for all families.

Please note that this coming Thursday we have two busses booked for multiple excursions across the Primary School and ELC. The busses will need access to the bus bay on their arrival at 9am. 

We would be very grateful for your cooperation by not parking in the bus bay during our peak bus drop off and pick up times.  

Library News – Book Week is Coming!

Week 5: August 18–22

Theme: Book an Adventure!

Book Week is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to celebrate the magic of stories and the joy of reading across our school. There are lots of exciting things planned – here’s what to look forward to:

Key Dates & Events

Monday 18th August

Whole School Incursion – “Treasure Hunt”

1:50pm in the hall

A fun-filled show to launch our Book Week adventure!

Friday 22nd August

Book Week Dress-Up Day

All students are invited to dress as their favourite book character!

Costume Parade – 10:00am in the Library

Family Picnic – 11:00am on the oval

Families are warmly invited to stay and share a picnic lunch with their children after the parade.

Thank You for Supporting the Book Fair!

In Week 10 of last term, our school held its annual Book Fair. Thanks to your amazing support, we sold $3,926.24 worth of books!

This means our library has earned $1,177.87 in commission to spend on new books and resources. A huge thank you to all our families for helping to grow our reading community!

Library Reminders

Please ensure all library books are returned each week. Many students have books on reserve, and timely returns help everyone enjoy the stories they’re waiting for.

Happy Reading!

Kristy-Lee Kaden
Library Coordinator

As we gear up to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we’re on the hunt for some school treasures from the past!

Do you have:

• Photos with vintage hairdos?
• Old uniforms?
• Classwork that proves your spelling has improved?
• Trophies, badges, or that mysterious missing recorder from 1989?

We’d love to display any memorabilia that captures the magic of our school's history — the good, the great, and the gloriously embarrassing.

Please drop items  to the front office. Let’s turn back time and relive the memories — cringe-worthy or not!

Because nothing says “celebration” like a class photo with mullets and knee-high socks.

Our spectacular STA Dance Showcase is coming soon — mark your calendars!

Get ready to see our amazing moves, a fun event that you won’t want to miss!

Date: Thursday 14th August 2025

Stay tuned for more details in Term 3

July

Sienna K, Layla H, Alexis J, Isla M, Marko CC, Muhammad ZM, Ava R, Lukas M,
Romeo CC, Hannah M, Ruby T, Lilith P, Benjamin P, Annabelle P, Gibson H, Moses P, Ruhaab J, Leo W, Alfred O, Mary P, Mila M, Sebastian M, Thomas B, Stefford R,
Adam H, Layla L

Basketball ACT’s, Waraa Joeys program is back for term 3!! After a fun, actioned packed term 2.

We are wanting to keep the program going for the rest of the year, and welcome more indigenous families to be a part of the program.

This program is all about fun but also learning the fundamentals for kids 5 -10 yrs old, to help make a push to club level basketball, but also to be with mob and creating friendships.

When – Thursdays, 4pm – 4.45pm

Start date – 31^st of July (8 week program)

Where – Belconnen Basketball Stadium

Price - $45

Register here - https://www.playhq.com/basketball-act/register/969c13