Filter Content
- Principal's Welcome
- Communication with Parents
- Finance Matters
- Medical Policy and Information
- Uniforms
- Dates for 2021
- School Hours / Late and Early Arrivals
- Drop-Off and Pick-Up Arrangements
- Procedure for Visiting the School
- Food and Drink
- Subway and Canteen Services
- Parking
- School Banking
- OSH Before and After School Care
- Music Bus
- STA Parish Information & Rosters
- Bus Timetables
- Community News
Dear Families,
Welcome to 2021. I hope you all had some opportunity to rest and spend time with family and friends over this break. I know some of you may have had to quickly change plans for Christmas, or had to make mad dashes back to Canberra, before borders closed. I know our family Christmas looked very different from the one we planned only a few months earlier. That said, I hope that like us, you were still able to make the most of the sunshine.
We officially welcome Mr Peter Collins (Year 5), Mr Scott Troldahl (Year 1) andMs Bronwyn Neuth (ELC) to St Thomas Aquinas. Some of you may have already had a chance to meet them and I know everyone in our community will make them feel welcome.
I look forward to welcoming our new ELC and Kindergarten students on Monday and Thursday for the end of the week ELC class. I know this can be daunting for some, especially given we cannot have parents in the classroom as we usually do. I hope parents of these children will be able to join us for ‘tea and tissues’ in the hall from 9.30 on Monday.
Today, teachers and Classroom Support Assistants are participating in a System-wide training day in the Science of Learning. This System initiative is the result of many years of analysing best practice for teaching from around the world. Initialit, a program rolled out in Kindergarten last year, is part of this initiative. Over the coming months, staff will delve deeper into the Science of Learning and develop an understanding of what this looks like in classrooms. While we know we have great teachers here at St Thomas Aquinas, we are always striving to do even better and we are excited to be continuing this journey.
We had further relaxations to COVID restrictions and have been able to reintroduce some activities, albeit in a slightly modified form. These are as follows:
- Parents can come on site, including for morning assembly provided adults socially distance.
- Visitors who are entering the school building beyond the Front Office will need to continue to sign in. You will not have to sign in if you are staying at the Front Office area to, for example, pay fees, pick-up a sick child or ask a quick question. We will have to limit the number of adults in the front reception to 4 people at a time to comply with social distancing requirements.
- ALL visitors must enter the school building via the Front Office.
- Parent volunteers are permitted and must sign-in at the Front Office. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you would like to help out. All volunteers must have a current WWVP card.
- Children will be dismissed from their external doors, or in the courtyard, for those classrooms without an external door.
- Car Park drop-off and pick-up will continue as per last year. Many families seemed to appreciate this so we thought we would keep it going.
- We will be allowing one family member to attend their child's assembly. You will need to arrive early to sign-in and be seated before the assembly begins.
- Awards will be given out at Friday morning assemblies in even weeks so parents can be present for these awards.
I urge families to check the ACT COVID19 site https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/, especially if you are travelling. If you have been in a hotspot, you are required to isolate for 14 days. We will continue to send any child home with cold and flu-like symptoms and request that you take your child to have a COVID test. Children will not be allowed to return to school while they are still displaying symptoms.
2021 will bring with it a lot of change for St Thomas Aquinas. Remediation of the oval has commenced and you may have already seen additional fencing marking out the whole area. This initial work will be followed by the rest of the oval later in the year, so the school will finally have the play areas returned to the community. We will also see the building of our new ELC commence and hope this work will be completed by the end of the year. We expect to see earthworks commencing as part of both of these projects in the coming weeks, and I will keep you updated about the progress. The playground is being moved to the other side of the school to make way for the ELC building. This was delayed a little, but we should have this in place and covered over the next few weeks.
Yours in Faith
Leah Taylor
Principal
Schoolzine is our preferred form of communication. Teachers may also use other forms of communication for their own class. If you are not receiving regular communication, please check with the Front Office and your child's teacher to ensure that we have the correct contact details. When receiving information from Schoolzine it will be received in three different forms.
- You will receive an email which comes from Schoolzine, not Outlook. If you are expecting correspondence from the school and have not received it in your inbox, please check your Junk Mail, Trash, Bin, Promotion Folder or Other Folder first and then contact the school.
- You can receive it via SZapp on your mobile phone. We would appreciate all families installing this App on your mobile phone as it is an easy way to disseminate information. SZapp installation instructions are below. We will be forwarding the password via email shortly. As the password changes regularly, please email office.staquinas@cg.catholic.edu.au to obtain the current password if it has changed.
You can also send your child's school absences through this App.
- Non-confidential information can also be found on the front page of our website here, under the blue box/tile labelled "Latest News".
Newsletters
Newsletters are sent out weekly. They can also be found on our website under Communication / Newsletter here.
- School Fees for Term 1 will be sent home by the end of Week 2.
- School Fees include operational costs and will now incorporate the following expenses which were previously separate.
- Book Pack Levy (including software licence fees) of $125 per student and are provided at cost price.
This fee will be apportioned over the four terms instead of Term 1 only.
- Book Pack Levy (including software licence fees) of $125 per student and are provided at cost price.
- Specific excursions costs, such as Years 5 and 6 Camps, will also appear on your school fee statement in Term 1, however this fee must be paid prior to camp as per the Camp Note.
- STA is moving towards being cashless.
- Credit or Debit Card payments can be made over the phone or in person via our EFTPOS machine.
- Payments can also be made via BPAY.
- QKR
Our school has introduced Qkr!™, a mobile phone payment app designed for Australian schools, delivering an online credit card payment solution for parents.
Please install Qkr on your phones as over the next few weeks and next year we will be introducing items to purchase via this system. Please find below Qkr Installation Notes and Parent Tips.
- Credit or Debit Card payments can be made over the phone or in person via our EFTPOS machine.
Medical Policy and Information
Early in Term 1 you will receive two important forms:
- Student Information Checklist - these printed forms will be sent home for each student - please check that all the details are correct and return to the school asap.
- Medical Information and Consent Form - 2021 - This form must be completed by a parent/guardian for each student.
- Depending on your child's medical condition, we may require you to complete additional forms which can be found here.
- An individual health care plan must be developed, and approved by a qualified medical practitioner, for any student:
- diagnosed with severe asthma, type 1 diabetes, epilepsy or anaphylaxis
- diagnosed as being at risk of an emergency, or
- who requires ongoing administration of health care procedures.
- Any medication that is provided to the school must have an expiry date of 2022, where possible. We understand that some medications have a short expiry date.
At St Thomas Aquinas, as at all Catholic schools, we have a strict uniform policy. Some people question the importance of uniforms at school and would prefer the school to focus on other things. We believe that by focusing on uniform we eliminate a lot of unnecessary worry for students and families, so we are able to focus on what is important. Here are just some of the reasons why all ACT Catholic schools insist on a school uniform:
- Uniforms are a great equaliser
- School uniforms promote learning
- They nourish a sense of equality
- School uniforms promote a feeling of community
- They make it easier to get ready for school
- School uniforms improve safety
Families are reminded that the school uniforms for summer are the following:
Boys School: Sky blue polo shirt with school logo and navy dress shorts with navy socks, black leather (or leather like) school shoes.
Girls School: Maroon checked dress or sky blue polo shirt with school logo and navy dress short with white ankle height socks, black leather (or leather like) school shoes.
Sport: Both boys and girls will wear the same sport uniform. Navy shorts (optional navy netball skirt for girls) and Sky/Navy sports knit shirt with school logo. Year 6 students may wear their Year 6 shirt. Runners/Gym shoes/Sneakers for sports days only.
This year the uniform policy will be strictly enforced. If you are unable to afford a uniform, please contact the Front Office and we can support you in purchasing the correct uniform.
At STA we have a NO HAT/NO PLAY policy. STA now sell school hats at the Front Office. We have them in Small, Medium and Large and they cost $15 each. They can be purchased via BPay, Eftpos or Qkr
2021 | TERM BEGINS | TERM ENDS |
Term 1 | Monday, 1 February 2021 | Thursday, 1 April 2021 |
Term 2 | Tuesday, 20 April 2021 | Friday, 25 June 2021 |
Term 3 | Tuesday, 13 July 2021 | Friday, 17 September 2021 |
Term 4 | Tuesday, 5 October 2021 | Friday, 17 December 2021 |
Public Holidays 2021 | Dates to be Observed |
New Year's Day | Friday, 1 January 2021 |
Australia Day | Tuesday, 26 January 2021 |
Canberra Day | Monday, 8 March 2021 |
Good Friday | Friday, 2 April 2021 |
Easter Saturday | Saturday, 3 April 2021 |
Easter Sunday | Sunday, 4 April 2021 |
Easter Monday | Monday, 5 April 2021 |
ANZAC Day Public Holiday | Monday, 26 April 2021 |
Reconciliation Day | Monday, 31 May 2021 |
Queen's Birthday | Monday, 14 June 2021 |
Labour Day | Monday, 4 October 2021 |
Christmas Day | Saturday, 25 December Monday, 27 December 2021 |
Boxing Day | Sunday, 26 December Tuesday, 28 December 2021 |
School Hours / Late and Early Arrivals
School Hours | 9:00am - 3:00pm |
Lunch | 11:00 - 11:40 |
Recess | 13:30 - 14:00 |
Mass | Thursdays, 9:30am |
Assembly | Fridays, 12:45pm - Even Weeks Only |
Please note that there is no supervision before 8:30am and after 15:15pm, unless the school has been notified of an emergency.
Students who need care outside these hours are able to use the services of OSHC (Outside School Hours Care). For legal and safety reasons, children should not be on the school premises before 8:30am and must depart the school grounds as soon as they are released from school, unless they are attending our OSHC facility, ELC or are involved in a school arranged activity such as school sports training.
STUDENT ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES
Please note that it is a legal requirement for schools to keep attendance records of students, and records of student late arrivals and early departures from school.
Students Arriving Late for School
- It is preferrable that all students arrive at school by 9:00am to ensure that they have greeted their friends and teacher, been marked off rolls, and are abreast of their daily activities. Whilst we understand that this is not always possible, for many reasons, this is an important part of the day for all students.
- Students arriving at school after 9.00am must enter via the Front Office with their parent /guardian who are required to complete a Late/Early Slip which is then presented to their teacher.
- Please do not drop-off your child off on the black top as this is a safety issue after 9:00am.
Students Leaving Early from School
- No child is permitted to leave the school grounds during school hours without a teacher/parent/guardian.
- If you are aware that you are picking your child up early on a particular day, please advise their teacher or the Front Office by providing a note or sending an email in advance. Teachers are often unable to view their emails during class time.
- Parents wishing to collect their child early must report to the Front Office where they will sign the child out by completing an Early/Late Slip which is then forwarded to the class teacher.
- Please do not pick up a student between 2:45pm and 3:00pm unless it is an emergency. The Front Office and classrooms are generally very busy at this time and locating and calling students over the class phone, or the school speaker, is disruptive for all.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Procedure for Visiting the School
STA will be following all health and safety advice provided by ACT Health and Catholic Education regarding COVID-19. Please note that our conditions of entry may change depending on COVID-19.
All parents, guardians and visitors, who visit STA during school hours, must enter the school via the Front Office, hand sanitise, and Sign-In. Please do not enter the school if you are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or have returned from a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days. Please do not enter the school via any other door and please do not park on the black top after 9am for safety reasons.
If you wish to have a meeting with your child's teacher, please email the teacher directly to arrange a suitable time, and they will meet you at the Front Office, once you have completed sign-in procedures.
Your cooperation is much appreciated.
Please remember that STA is a NUT-FREE school.
All students are required to bring a drink bottle, labelled with their name, to school on a daily basis.
Please ensure that your child/children have sufficient healthy food in their lunch boxes:
- Fruit for their fruit break in the morning.
- Healthy sandwiches, fruit, salads, health meal options for their lunch break.
- Fruit and/or snack for recess.
Thank you for your cooperation.
CANTEEN
The Canteen is open from Wednesdays to Fridays - for the first 10 minutes of each break. We sell a limited selection of healthy canteen approved chips and ice blocks.
SUBWAY
Parents and staff are able to place Subway Orders Online. Click on the link below to place an order and payment as well.
Cut-off time is 9:15 AM for same day delivery.
Call on 02 6259 9101 to place your order after this time
Subway Lunch Orders can also be made, via Subway Envelope, at school. Subway envelopes, including cash, need to be placed in the Lunch Order Subway box, located outside the Front Office, by 9:30am on the day before the lunch is required. For example, if you would like a lunch order on Wednesday, the lunch order needs to be manually submitted by Tuesday 9:30am.
Here is a sample of the Subway ordering envelope. Envelopes are available from the Front Office or the classroom.
For the safety of our students, staff and parents please adhere to the following:
- Please park in the designated school parking zones or across the road in the rear car park of the Charnwood Shops
- Please do not call children across unsafe areas of the school. It is best to come and pick them up and escort them.
- Please do not park in the school's bus stop or on the road in front of the school. The fines from ACT government for parking in this area are hefty and it is policed often.
- Please do not park on the black top (netball courts) after 9am. This area is used by students after 9am and is a safety risk after this time.
- Please do not park in the two Disability car parks outside the front of the school unless you have a disability permit.
- After 3pm, please do not block traffic by stopping in non-designated car park areas in the car park at the front of the school.
School Banking occurs on Wednesday mornings. Please hand in Commonwealth Bank Books to the Front Office by the Tuesday of each week.
The Music Bus is a wonderful music program that many of our students are already enjoying – a brilliant and cost-effective way for students to get fun and specialist music lessons without parents having to travel all over the area after school.
If you’re interested in your child having music lessons through The Music Bus, check out their website at www.themusicbus.com.au or call 1300 168 742.
STA Parish Information & Rosters
Parish Priest | Father Tom Thornton |
Parish Secretary | Debbie Hoffman |
Telephone | 02 6258 1563 |
charnwood@cg.org.au | |
Address | 23 Lhotsky Street CHARNWOOD ACT 2615 |
MASS | TIMES |
Monday to Friday | 9:30am |
Thursday - School Mass | 9:30am - one grade each week - tba |
Public Holidays | 9:30am |
Saturday Vigil | 6:00pm |
Sunday | 9:00am Children's liturgy is held during the school term. All families are welcome to attend. |
Community News is located on our website.