Dear Parents, Carers and members of our St. Thomas the Apostle school community,

Welcome to Week 3 of Term 2.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to us aboutthe great mystery of God sharing his life withus: I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:1-8).

The vine is a special tree, where the distinction between the trunk and the branches is more difficult to make out than in other trees: God shares his own life with us. We spend time in wonder and thanksgiving, asking to be worthy of such grace.

Fr Denis spoke at Mass on Wednesday with the Foundation community about how important it is for Jesus to have us as his branches to enact his love by the way we treat others. Jesus cannot carry out the work as the vine without us bearing the fruit and living the gospel message.

Last week we sent out a special edition newsletter launching our school wide expectations of SAFETY, RESPECT and LEARNING. These three key words, depicted as logos around the school, promote and instil for our students, staff, families and wider school community how we should treat others as Jesus did. These expectations are linked to a whole school approach to positive behaviour support.

Research demonstrates a well-established link between student engagement, behaviour and academic achievement (Angus et al., 2009; Hart, 2014; Hattie, 2012; Marzano & Marzano, 2003). The whole school approach to positive behaviour support focuses on continuing to build and develop a positive school climate, which has been found to be the most significant impact on student outcomes (Hart, 2014). 

All members of the school community have a significant role to play in supporting a whole school approach to positive behaviour. Where all members work collaboratively, each child and young person has the opportunity to fully participate, engage in the process of schooling and become a successful learner.