Dear Families,

This week some of our Year 4 students will be making their First Eucharist. We have had to change the way we usually celebrate First Holy Communion this year so that we can accommodate as many family members as possible. First Eucharist is usually celebrated with the rest of the Parish, as it marks the time when our students become united in a special way with Christ and with our Catholic community. Many see Communion at that time when we are reminded of the Last Supper, where Jesus shared His last meal with His friends, and so too, this is a time when the children will share this moment with their families and friends. It is also a time when they physically encounter Christ and say they want Christ to be part of them and part of their lives. I wish all of First Communion candidates the very best and invite all of you to pray for them this week. 

Lord Jesus Christ, bless the children coming forward to receive
Holy Communion for the first time.

May this day be the step toward a life-long love of the Eucharist. 

Give them a hunger for this sacred food so that they turn to
you for comfort, guidance, and wisdom as they grow into full discipleship. 

Thank you for their innocence and goodness.

May their hands, extended in anticipation of your body and blood,
inspire all of us to cherish this sacred Sacrament.

Amen

Mission Fete
I would like to thank so many of you for supporting the Mission Fete. We managed to raise $1700 for the Good Shepherd Sister’s Kindergarten Centre. We had a number of families who generously paid for students who were not able to afford to purchase a hand for the day, and others who gave an additional donation for the missions. Your generosity meant that every single student at the school was able to take home a toy, a lollie bag, a book, get a tattoo (only temporary), and enjoy the festivities. Thank you also for donating the items. The Mission Fete is a unique feature of the
St Thomas Aquinas calendar and demonstrates the generosity and care our community shows for those less fortunate than ourselves.

School Fee Remission for those affected by the Lockdown
A reminder that we are able to offer financial support to those families who have been adversely affected by the most recent lockdown. If you lost work or had reduced hours as a result of the lockdown please contact the Front Office as you may be eligible for a fee waiver for Terms 3 and 4.

Take care and God Bless

 
Leah Taylor
Principal

Parent Teacher Conferences for 2021-Term 4 will be held from Monday, 29 November to Wednesday, 1 December 2021 via MS Teams.

Compass Bookings open on Monday, 22 November at 8:30am and will close on Friday, 26 November at 12 noon.

Bookings are strictly for 15 minutes.  If you require further time, please organise a separate conference with your child's teacher.

Qkr installation instructions are included in this Newsletter.

Please find below information regarding the BYOD iPad Program for Year 5 in 2022.

This information is also available on our website under Forms - ICT.

In this current climate, students should not attend school if they are showing any cold or flu-like symptoms. If your child has vomiting or diarrhoea, please do not send them to school for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have ceased. 

As a school community we all understand the difficulties of having a sick child, but please do not send your child to school if they are ill or if they have not fully recovered from an illness.  Keeping a child at home, when they are not well, not only helps them recover more quickly with rest, but it also prevents the spread of illnesses in the school community.

Also, if contacted by the school, please pick up your child up as quickly as possible in order to reduce stress for your child.

Dear Parents and Carers

If your child/ren is leaving St Thomas Aquinas at the end of 2021 please advise the school in writing.  This does not apply to students in Year 6 this year.

Attached here is the Student Transfer Notification form which needs to be returned to the school by 10 December 2021.

The AWS Girls’ Tech Day will take place from Saturday, 13 November to Monday, 13 December 2021. The virtual event is designed to inspire and motivate girls and young women ages 8 to 24 to develop and pursue their interests in technology. Participants can explore coding, robotics, cloud computing, problem solving and more through keynote speakers, hands on learning sessions and fun activities. Registration is free of charge for students, educators and youth leaders with an interest in technology. Please contact Karen Ruppert, RTO Manager (Karen.Ruppert@cg.catholic.edu.au or 0419 354 895) for more information.

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP) invite parents and carers to join the eSafety Commissioner’s education and training team for a free live webinar on Monday, 22 November 2021 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. The webinar will provide parents and carers with strategies to assist young people and their mental health when engaging in an online environment. The webinar will cover topics such as:

• What to do about accidental exposure to content about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.
• Using games, apps and social media to support mental wellbeing.
• The pros and cons of digital mental health platforms.
• Strategies for young people to support friends online.

Interested parents and carers can register their participation online by completing a brief registration form. Please circulate the webinar flyer to your school communities via your school newsletter. For more information, please contact Sarah Rose, Family Engagement Officer (Sarah.Rose@cg.catholic.edu.au or 0447 888 326).

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 we will be introducing items to purchase via this system.  Please find below Qkr Installation Notes and Parent Tips.

The following items can now be purchased:  School Hats;  Second hand Uniforms; Canteens; Camps; School Fees and Year 6 Shirts.  Credit Card payments can still be made over the telephone and via the Front Office.

School Terms

Public Holidays

The STA Swimming Carnival, for students in Years 3 to 6, will be held on Friday, 25 February 2022. 

Notes will be sent home in Week 1 of 2022 and will need to be returned by Friday 11 February 2022 - Week 2 of 2022.  Please note that late notes cannot be accepted due to the tight timeframe.

Community News is located on our website.

NOVEMBER 2021
Congratulations to the following students who will be celebrating their birthday this month:

Andrew M;  Amber B;  Farrah A;  Annabelle C;  Rebecca J;  David C;  Jewel J;  Leaniva M-H;  Mia O;  Ava G;  Jadyn W;  Aiden M;  Archer W;  Harpreet S;  Ella T;  Grace S;  Carys S;  Mikayla M;  Faith M;  Isabel P;  Darcy A;  Dante C;  Spencer S; Obie I;  Taigh R;  Kuzivakwashe M;  Amity W;  Benjamin S;  Samuel C.