Dear Families,

What an amazing end to a challenging first half of the year we have had! It is hard to believe that Friday will mark the midpoint for the school year.

Last week, the school was treated to a visit by Tara Cheyne MLA. Tara wanted to meet the students and thank the staff for all of their efforts, particularly during remote learning. She was impressed by the way all members of staff were able to quickly adopt new methods of teaching to deliver lessons into students’ lounge rooms. Staff spoke about the challenges they encountered as they had to quickly adapt to a changing educational landscape while all the while looking for ways to maintain a connection with their students. Tara was very interested to hear about our Zoom/Teams lessons and Zoom assemblies as a way of maintaining this connection.

During this visit, I was able to talk to Tara about how our parent community continued to be involved with the school despite not being able to come into the building and how the staff were overwhelmed with the gratitude expressed by so many of you during this challenging time. We spoke about the way our community, like many across Australia, took the challenges presented by COVID in their stride and just got on with the job as best we all could. We recognised that it was a difficult time for many families who not only had to adapt to remote learning, but to remote work as well, and juggling the competing demands on parents’ time, not to mention the home Wi-Fi!

Last week, I sent out a letter to the community, outlining what the easing of restrictions will mean for us at St Thomas Aquinas.From beginning of Term 3 - subject to government advice:

• Parents/teacher interviews can occur face-to-face, however all adults must adhere to appropriate social distancing and must sign in via the front office
• Parent information evenings can occur in line with government advice around numbers of adults in a given space. All those who attend must sign in
• Volunteers are welcome to begin volunteering at the school once again
• Children will begin to attend the Parish Mass as a grade
• Excursions are able to occur
• Incursions are able to occur
• Pick-up procedures will return to pre-COVID processes, however adults must maintain appropriate social distancing and will not be allowed to enter the school building (unless they have a meeting booked or have made prior arrangements with the school, in which case you must sign in at the front office)
• Student assemblies can occur, however at this stage parents will not be able to attend due to the school technically exceeding number restrictions with students and staff
• School discos can occur with modifications to current procedures so as to adhere to government restrictions

The easing of restrictions also means that many of us can travel over the school holidays. If you are travelling over this break, I wish you a safe journey.

I look forward to seeing you all again for hopefully a less socially restricted second semester.

God Bless

School Fees for Term 3 are now overdue. 

It is critical that school fees are paid as the school has significant financial commitments to effectively meet student needs and to run the school.

You can visit the school and pay at the Front Office
OR
Call the school and pay by credit or debit card.  

In Term 3 we will again be offering the Seasons for Growth program at STA. Seasons for Growth is a peer support program to help children build resilience when they have suffered grief or loss in their life. If you would like information about the program or would like to register your child to participate please contact Mrs Skye McPadden via email skye.mcpadden@cg.catholic.edu.au

Dear Parents and Carers

Please note that students who are late for school (after 9am) must be accompanied to the Front Office by an adult and be signed in by that adult.

If your child needs to leave school during the day, please provide their teacher with a note at the beginning of the day to ensure minimal disruption to the class.  These students must also be signed-out and then signed-in via the Front Office and should only re-enter the school via the Front Office door and not other external doors.

Thank you for your co-operation.

This Friday 3rd July, the Year 6 Social Justice Team are holding a fundraiser for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. For a cold coin donations students are invited to wear their favourite hoodie or beanie with their school uniform. Donations of new blankets, jackets and winter apparel will also be collected.

School Banking will recommence in Week 1 of Term 3. 
Banking will take place on a Friday morning by one of our wonderful volunteers. 
Please have your Dollarmite books to the Front Office by Thursday each week.

Transport Canberra has worked closely with the school community and we are providing increased frequency and additional services for school students across Canberra.

As a new timetable is being introduced, there will be minor changes for all students travelling to and from school on public transport across Canberra from the first day of Term 3, 2020 (Monday 20 July 2020). 

In addition, Transport Canberra has made the following changes:

School special extended to St Thomas Aquinas Primary

• From Term 3, school route 1062 will be extended to make it easier for students from Dunlop and Fraser to use public transport to get to St Thomas Aquinas Primary.
• This service will run in both the morning and afternoon, and stopping at bus bays directly outside the school on Lhotsky St.
• There will be no changes to school route 1062 during Term 2, 2020.

Route information is available here.

All schools, parents and students can find out more about the specific changes by:

• checking the information packs for each school, which are online at transport.act.gov.au
• checking timetables for each route (including school specials), which are online at transport.act.gov.au
• calling 13 17 10.

Should you have any queries regarding your school service or regular route services servicing your school please call 13 17 10.

All orders for Term 2 have been delivered.  

If you have any outstanding items, please contact me via email ksligar@bigpond.net.au

Each week we accumulate a large amount of lost property - uniforms, bags, lunch boxes, hats, hair accessories, pencil cases, drink bottles.

We are often unable to return these items to their rightful owners as they are not labelled with the child's name. 

Please label all belongings clearly in permanent marker.  Items that are not labelled are either disposed of or placed in the clothing pool for purchase.

Community News is now located on our website.

JULY 2020
Congratulations to the following students who will be celebrating their birthday this month:

Archer P;  Mila M;  Sebastian M;  Grace C;  Marlenna K;  Alexis J;  Oliver F;  Abigail S;  Anthony H;  Marko CC;  Lukas M;  Nicholas B;  Natalia O;  Daniel A;  Hannah M;  Ruby T;  Ajah A;  Aiden C;  Nelson D;  Levi T;  Robert M; Angus P;  Addyson W;  Chloe B;  Tazmyn L;  Samuel S;  Thomas B;  Stefford R;  Layla L;  Jacob A