Dear Families,

Many have already booked in a time for Goal Setting. The booking site closed at 3pm yesterday. If you did not get an opportunity to book a meeting time with your child’s teacher, please contact them via email to organise a time to talk. These goal setting meetings are not only a good opportunity for you to ‘meet’ your child’s teachers but for you and your child to discuss what they hope to achieve over the course of this year. This may also be a good time to discuss Personalised Plans for those students who have one in place and specific supports required to aid their learning.

Spelling Mastery
Your children might have been talking to you about a new spelling program St Thomas Aquinas Introduced this year called Spelling Mastery. Spelling Mastery, is a spelling program designed to support students not only with their spelling, but with phonics knowledge. This program, as the name suggests, is a ‘mastery’ program. This means that we would expect that all students should be getting between 80-100% of them correct before moving on to the next concept. In most instances students are getting 100% or very close to 100% in each of their tests. This means that some students may come home saying that the program is too easy. Each child was placed in their group after completing a placement test either last year, or the beginning of this year for those who were new to the school. Teachers do continue to monitor student’s progress throughout the year and if they believe the students need to be moved to another group, will do so. However, if you do have concerns regarding your child’s placement speak to your child’s teacher.

Year 5 & 6 Camp
We have great news regarding Year 5 and 6 camp. Teachers have been able to secure a new date at the same venue, meaning that our current Year 5 & 6 students will be able to experience this wonderful ‘Super Camp’. The new date is at the beginning of Term 3, Tuesday 19th July-Thursday 21st July. The cost will be the same and families will be able to pay for camp over the next two terms. Information about this camp will come out closer to the event.

Thank you for engaging in our ‘Twosday’ fun day. It was lovely to see everyone dressed up and getting involved in a variety of ways. There are a few fun photos included below and on Facebook.

Take care and God bless.

Yours in Faith

Leah Taylor
Principal

RISK OF COVID-19

Through Compass Parent Portal our school will advise you daily when members of our school community test positive to COVID-19. We will inform you about the cohort (group) of students and staff who worked with this group of students who may have had contact with a person who was infectious with COVID-19.

While testing and isolation is no longer mandatory for exposures in school settings, ACT Health has provided advice on testing and isolation recommendations for the community following exposure to COVID-19. If notified about potential exposure, you should consider this information when making decisions for your child and family. 

You are reminded that staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. These include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, extreme tiredness, unexplained chest pain or conjunctivitis (eye infection).

If symptoms occur at any time, you should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test. If a rapid antigen test is positive you/your child should isolate as someone who has tested positive to COVID-19. If you cannot access a rapid antigen test, you can attend a PCR (nose and throat swab) testing clinic.

Advice and further resources are available on the ACT Health website including COVID-19 guidelines and fact sheets for People who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19. Additional resources are also available on the ACT Government website.

The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students are paramount at all times. As such, we will continue to ensure that all necessary health advice is closely followed.

Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely

Leah Taylor
Principal
St Thomas Aquinas, West Belconnen

1 February 2022

Introducing Karthika Thomas

Karthika has been working with children and families for over 2 years now and has completed 1 year at Marymead. She is a qualified Counsellor and her expertise lies in working with children and parents/carers who find it difficult to cope with a range of life challenges. She has worked extensively with families and children who have been through separation, anger and behaviour problems in children, have experiences or are experiencing domestic violence/abuse, trauma, loss and grief, and other related matters within the family system. She is a trauma informed, child inclusive approach trained counsellor, who believes in providing a compassionate, authentic and safe space for individuals to share, explore and enhance their capacity to cope with the many challenges they face. She is also experienced in working with neuro-diverse children and has previously worked as a Behaviour Therapist providing support and early intervention therapy for children diagnosed with ASD, ADHD and other related neurologically diverse conditions.

Karthika is a fun and cheerful person and loves to engage with young children. She likes to establish a rapport and build a trusting relationship with the child and the family, in order to provide the best support possible.

Karthika has a beautiful little child of her own and loves to spend time with her family. She is a trained Indian classical dancer and a Yoga Instructor. She teaches dances and yoga to children and adults. She loves music, dancing, watching movies, reading books, taking long walks and loves dogs.

All kids, parents and staff are encouraged to introduce themselves to Karthika. She is always available for a quick chat. You can also contact her via email (Karthika.Thomas@marymead.org.au). For referrals, parents or carers are encouraged to approach the front office for a referral form and hand over the completed form via email to Karthika or in person at the reception. Karthika is available at the school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. 

	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

Hello and welcome to term one of 2022 to those continuing as part of our community and those new to St Thomas Aquinas this year.

The School Community Council (SCC) would usually have the opportunity to host a “Welcome BQQ” this week, however whilst we are progressing towards returning to some sort of normal there is still a little way to go yet.

At the BBQ I have the pleasure of introducing myself and the SCC and whilst this year I am not able to do it in person I still wanted to take the opportunity to say a few words via the newsletter.

The SCC consists of a diverse mix of parents, carers, teachers and a Parish representative. We come together twice a term to support and challenge each other to ensure the best outcomes are delivered to STA. We strive for a united approach to continual school improvement in our school.

The SCC aims to bring together all members of the school community for mutual benefit, growth and support at STA through:

• Building relationships and making friendships
• Fostering our dedicated staff and their passion for education
• Providing a representative voice for parents and carers
• Organising and hosting key events
• Raising funds both by applying for relevant grants and backing the school fete
• Identifying, researching and supporting the implementation of student focussed projects, made possible by the funds raised.

Parents and carers are an extremely important part of children’s education and the school community as a whole.

The SCC want to promote meaningful participation by all members of our community at STA. Whilst I appreciate that the pandemic and relevant restrictions have limited the school events we have been able to have over the past couple of years, I strongly urge you to inject yourself in our wonderful community whenever the opportunity arises. Take the time to smile and say hello to the new members of our school community and foster the friendships you have made over the years.

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving the community and world better than you found it. Nothing you ever do for your child will be wasted!

Please keep an eye out on the STA Facebook page over the coming weeks for an introduction to all of the members of the SCC members.

I am looking forward to a more involved, social and fun year and look forward to meeting as many of the new families as possible soon.

Kind Regards,

Loryn Reynolds

SCC Chair

• School Fees for Term 1 will be sent home by the end of Week 4.
  
  
• School Fees include operational costs and will now incorporate the following expenses which were previously separate.
  • Book Pack Levy (including software licence fees) of $163 per student and are provided at cost price.
    This fee will be apportioned over the four terms instead of Term 1 only.
• 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.
    
    

On advice from ACT Health, we have cancelled our swimming carnival for 2022. Due to the implementation of these measures School Sport ACT (SSACT) has invited any swimmers who would like to be considered for State Team Selection Trial please follow the link provided for further information.

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.

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.

Community News is located on our website.

Please view the Parish Newsletter - 19 - 20th February 2022

OSHClub provide before and after school care in our school hall.  If you need to drop off your child before 8:30am and pick them up after 3:15pm, we advise that you use the services provided by OSHClub.  Please see information below:

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.

Compass 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. 

The Compass Parent Portal (CPP) is an essential online portal that allows you to interact with your child’s school and access up-to-date information.

Please note that our school will not be using SMS and Compass PAY as we already have other payment options available for the payment of school fees, camps etc.  These options include EFTPOS, BPAY, Qkr and Direct Debits.

You should have received your log-in credentials via email and you will be able to log into the Parent Portal through the Compass App (Android & IOS0 or Desktop).  If you have not received your Compass log-in details, please contact the Front Office.  Only one email per parent/carer is used in Compass.  If you wish to change the email address used by Compass, please change your preferred email address via the Compass Portal or send an email to office.staquinas@cg.catholic.ed.au.

Please note that the Phone App has less functions than the Desktop App. To search for our school, please search for WEST BELCONNEN, not the School as there are many St Thomas Aquinas schools around Australia.  If installing Compass on your phone, please scroll down when searching the school via the suburb to locate our school.

Below are some quick links for parents:

• Information Sheet for Parents
• Visual Guide for Parents
• Downloading the App
• Logging in to the Parent Portal
• Attendance Notes

Further information is available on our Website.  See link below:

Newsletters
Newsletters are sent out weekly.  They can also be found on our website under Communication / Newsletter here. 

FEBRUARY 2022
Congratulations to the following students who will be celebrating their birthday this month:

Aria D; Audrey K; Isaac H; Thomas R; Jack B; Seneca B; August S; Jed G; Nevaeh McD; Jack P; Aditya P;Lily H; Bradley L-B; Jessica R; Skylar W; Jaana C; Eloise W; Abbey T; Jasmin P; Anthony McP; Violet P; Matthew R; Evelyn G; Lu'isa T; Mia P; Lachlan W; Evan L; Savanna H; Annabel L; Maddison G; Oliver T.