Dear Families,

Wow, what a week we’ve had! It was wonderful to start the week with our newest
St Thomas Aquinas Primary students. The orientations are continuing with small groups of our 2022 ELC students being welcomed for a visit to the ELC playground over the next few weeks. While this is not the way we had hoped to hold our orientations, we are grateful that we will at least be able to give our youngest students an opportunity to have a look around the ELC and meet the teachers and educators.

We were also treated to a visit by Her Royal Highness, Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho of the Kingdom of Tonga. The Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox welcomed Her Royal Highness to our school, before taking her for a tour and then through to awaiting Year 3 students.  The students had many questions about Tonga and what it was like to be a princess. We were treated to Tongan music and a traditional dance by one of our very talented students, Lu’isa. Her Royal Highness gifted the school with two copies of a book titled ‘A Little Seahorse in Love’ which is written in both English and Tongan.

It was disappointing to have to defer the Colour Run last Friday due to the rain. We have rescheduled for this Friday and hope that the weather might hold out. If we are unable to hold the Colour Run on Friday, we will try our best to book a new date with BFirm sometime in the last few weeks of December.

School Fees 2022
Careful consideration has been taken in reviewing the fees for 2022 to continue to support our school’s requirements, while keeping increases manageable and fair for families in the current economic environment. I can now advise you that in 2022, our fee for a single student will be $844 per term (excluding Building Fund).  This is an approximate $5 increase per week.

Our fee combines Tuition and School levies and the increase will help us to keep pace with rising salaries and costs, to ensure our school continues to deliver the quality education for our students that you expect.

Starting in 2022, and continuing over the next three years, sibling discounts for tuition fees will be reduced. This will help to reduce overall fee increases.

A detailed breakdown of information regarding school fees for 2022 is provided here. This includes proposed changes to the sibling discount.

As always, if fees create financial concern for you, I would encourage you to make an appointment with me to discuss how we can help. Any discussion regarding fees is strictly confidential. If you have any questions regarding school fees for 2022, please feel free to contact me.

Semester Two Reports
Semester Two student reports will be accessible through the Compass Parent Portal only. Please note the school will not be printing and providing paper copies for families. It is therefore essential that you have downloaded and activated the app using your individual log in provided. If you are yet to activate the link or need support, please contact the Front Office.

Parent Teacher Conferences
I know many parents and carers have taken the opportunity this week to speak with their child/ren’s teacher about learning this year. As you would be aware, there will be no written comments on reports this semester. We hope that by having an opportunity to speak with the teachers before reports are released, you will gain greater insight into your child’s learning and discuss strategies for supporting or extending their learning in 2022.

Take care and God Bless

 
Leah Taylor
Principal

	Chair: Vice Chair: Treasurer: Secretary: Fete Committee: Parent Representative: Parent Representative: Teacher Representative: Teacher Representative:	Loryn Reynolds Amelia Swinbourn Kirsten Clark-Drance Natasha Williamson Stacey Campbell Max Urack Aurora Lukass Kayla Larkins Michael Prosper
Please contact the SCC via email:  sta.school.community.council@gmail.com

Our SCC is comprised of members in our school community.  We meet twice each term to make decisions and have input on a wide range of topics with the aim to improve STA.

The SCC met on 23 November 2021 and discussed a range of topics including:

• New ELC building status
• PFAS remediation
• Christmas Carols community event
• IT equipment
• Mission & Vision
• SCC Colour Run
• Secondhand Uniform Shop
• Replacement Basketball/Netball Rings

Christmas Carols Community Event 

We are excited to be holding our first (hopefully annual!) STA Christmas Carols event this year. 

When:    6pm, 8 December 2021

Where:   STA oval

What:      Picnic - bring a blanket/chairs and dinner

Food:       Batty for Coffee will be selling coffee, Donut Factory will be selling donuts
                 and Tropical Sno will be selling snow cones on the night.  Yum!

Classes have been working on learning Christmas carols so join us for this much-anticipated end of year celebration!

All SCC members are available to bring suggestions, questions and issues to our meetings so if you have something to raise, please approach one of our friendly representatives.  If you don’t know anyone on the SCC or aren’t comfortable approaching an SCC member directly, we encourage you to email the SCC inbox:  sta.school.community.council@gmail.com

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.

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.

Borrowing has concluded for this year, please have a look around at home and return any books that are outstanding.

Thanks for your help!

Do not touch, pick or eat any wild mushrooms!  

Death Cap mushrooms are deadly. They grow in the Canberra region during autumn and at different times of the year. 

Please keep children and pets away from wild mushrooms. 

If you think you have eaten a Death Cap mushroom, go straight to a hospital emergency department, even if you do not feel unwell. 

More information on Death Cap mushrooms can be found at https://www.health.act.gov.au/about-our-health-system/population-health/fact-sheets

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

Please note that parents/carers are required to enter Absence Notes via Compass and not SZapp. SZapp is no longer used by the school and will be disconnected.

Instructions on how to add an Aattendance Note and the Compass Guide are attached below.

Thank you to OSH for the lovely Christmas gift to our STA staff.

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.

The combined Year 5 and Year 6 Camp will be held from Monday, 21 March 2022 to Wednesday, 23 March 2022 at Fitzroy Falls Conference and Adventure Centre.  The approximate cost will be $450 per student.  Further details will be forthcoming.

Community News is located on our website.

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

Grace G;  Nathaniel E;  Benjamin R;  Heath M;  Henry W;  Zayne K;  Layla A;  Bieber L; Makayla J;  Piper N;  Awuol A;  Alexis D;  Anneliese L;  Cooper M;  Flynn O'G;  Kasper S-B; Oscar D;  Flynn S;  Georgia W;  Jade J;  Alena G;  Tomislav M;  Madeleine S-P;  Aurelius F;  Jurell C;  Alexander D;  Anthony S;  Gemma Mc;  Ryan B;  Orry L;  Bonnie P;  Gabriel F;  Jonathan E;  Isabelle G;  Adrian S