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Reminder
Last Day of Term - 15th December - Early dismissal 12pm
2023
Term begins (Gr1 -6) - Monday 30th January
Foundation - Tuesday 31st JanuaryToday we celebrate the last day together for classes and this evening we farewell our graduating class of 2022.
These children demonstrate the wonderful gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit; showing joy, love, wonder and awe as they explore their learning and environment.
The prayer pillar reminds us that we need to dedicate time to silence, to reflect, to block out the noise of the world that wants/needs and instead to listen to our hearts and to what God is whispering to us.
We pray that our senior students will take these pillars into their lives as parts of themselves and grow their individual identities from a strong foundation.
Kate
End of an Era!
The Galilee Community (Foundation) led the Mass on Wednesday with some fantastic reading skills. It’s yet another sign of significant learning that has occurred over this year. For most Foundation students, there were little to no reading skills at the beginning of the year. Now, in the last week of school, our youngest students at St Thomas the Apostle, have been able to stand in front of a large audience and read Responsorial Psalms, Prayers of the Faithful and an Alleluia verse!
It’s a magnificent sign because reading is such an indicator of learning on the whole. Congratulations Galilee and for all the achievements of this year. Many thanks to the Bethany Community for hosting the Mass in their classroom space. It was lovely to celebrate the Mass with a large group of people. It is very challenging for us to do whole school gatherings with the sheer size of our school, so it was great to combine the two communities, parents and parishioners for this event.
End of an Era: This will likely be the last Mass we celebrate in the classrooms of our school. We look forward to celebrating in the Church, early next year. Mark this date on the fridge door…Sunday 19th February 1pm. This is the date of the Dedication of the new church. From February 2023 onwards, our learning communities will be able to walk across to the church for Mass and other prayerful gatherings. The parish of St Thomas the Apostle are very much looking forward to the new church, as they will not need to move furniture and set up and dismantle a church space within classrooms at St Peter’s on the weekends. This has been a monumental effort over the ten plus years, since the parish began. Plenty to be Joyful for! (Advent Week 3 theme – see the pink, third candle lit above)
Achievements in 2022
2022 has seen the completion of a range of improvement projects that have supported the environment our students are learning in.
All classrooms are now fully pinboarded which has improved the auditory experience for children, reducing sound and reverberation.
All classrooms have sound enhancement technology to ensure the teacher's voice is able to be heard clearly without it being amplified or loud. Mr O'Rourke has a portable sound system to support his teaching of Physical Education.
Another two communities now have new desks and chairs, allowing children to have their belongings easily at hand in the tub below the desk.
Additional playground space was added through a partnership with St Peter's. This tiggy play area is much used by students who love the extra playground. This extends on the four new playground areas added in 2020/21.
A new shade sail was erected between the admin and Galilee buildings offering sheltered areas for students during playtimes.
The new signage that went up during 2022 has improved the ability of students, staff, families and visitors to locate the appropriate places and to orientate themselves to the school environment. Recent road marking has improved traffic flow and given greater clarity for drivers.
House Athletics for Years 3 to 6 were relaunched at Casey Fields. Our students are developing the skills required to be able to participate with increasing success. The school also joined the Victorian School Sports Association and will begin to offer additional sporting activities in 2023 and onward.
Projects for 2023
We look forward to the opening of the church building in early 2023. To support the parish use of the church and to be child safe there will be changes to the fencing around the school. This will include additional fencing around the basketball area.
The fencing along the edge of Fiorelli Blvd will be removed and reinstalled along Berwick-Cranbourne rd. This will give the front of the school and church a more open and inviting aspect.
The new shade area between admin and Galilee will become the car pick up line waiting area. A new gate and path will be installed to allow children to enter/exit the school.
The front reception area will be refurbished in 2023 to meet child safe requirements. The foyer will open onto the front of the school (rather than tucked to the side), and will offer more space for parents waiting. 3 meeting rooms are planned to support parents and staff needing to discuss student progress.
Students will have a dedicated foyer to communicate with the office, attend sick bay or deliver messages.
We look forward to these improvements which will continue to add to the child safe, exciting learning and play spaces for our students.
Kind regards,
Kate
SCHOOL ORGANISATION 2023
Our school is organised in 7 learning communities. Each community has a lead teacher who is the A class.
Classes are named A through to D (or E) based on their geographic location (working clockwise from the A class). This helps everyone find the rooms easily.
Foundation - located in Galilee Community
00A Bianca Wolverton - Community Learning Leader
00B Ben Dixon
00C Crystal Campoverde
00D Nuwuni Bandara
Year 1 - located in Jerusalem Community
11A Jodie Bawden - Community Learning Leader
11B Emily Stecca
11C To be confirmed
11D Sally Brooks
Year 2 - located in Ephesus Community
22A Rebecca Jeffrey - Community Learning Leader
22B Nimanthi Perera
22C Carmen Pocock
22D Annette Papas
Year 3 - located in Bethlehem Community
33A Gillian Burke - Community Learning Leader
33B Michael Walpole/Connie Paola (Thurs)
33C To be confirmed
33D Shaun Van Dam
33E Susan Boyes
Year 4 - located in Jericho Community
44A Alison Gracie - Community Learning Leader
44B Marcia Samson
44C Esha Blake
44D Kanchan Suri
Year 5 - located in Bethany Community
55A Christine Bellert - Community Learning Leader
55B Nathan Carey
55C To be confirmed
55D Shiromi Wijeratne
55E Christina Nadj
Year 6 - located in Damascus Community
66A Emily O'Kane - Community Learning Leader
66B Steve Clarke
66C Wendy Silvester
66D Alona Naidoo
Specialist teachers
Physical Education - Anthony O'Rourke
Visual Arts - Helina Walker
Japanese - Sensei Barry (Mon-Wed) & Sensei Booth (Thus/Fri)
Sustainability & Stewardship (2-6) - Christian der Kinderen
Oral Language (F-1) - Joanne Peterson
Digital Technologies - Lance Rooney
School Counsellors
Emily Maher
Michelle Caddy
Inclusive Education
Pauline Whelan
NB: We would also like to thanks Mrs Gerladine Power for time at
St Thomas and wish her all the very best in her future endeavours.
15/12/22
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers
Respectful Relationships
At St Thomas the Apostle Primary school, staff uphold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of Catholic education.
Our commitment statement to child safety affirms our commitment to:
- zero tolerance to child abuse
- listen to and empower children and young people
- keep children and young people safe.
Protection of children and young people is based upon the belief that each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and that the inherent dignity of all should be recognised and fostered.
St Thomas the Apostle Primary school is committed to child protection strategies and procedures to ensure the care, safety and protection of all children and young people in our school and safeguarding children and young people against sexual, physical, psychological and emotional abuse and/or neglect.
Issues of consent, sexual assault, and gender inequality are critically important. Our school, in partnership with parents, guardians, carers and Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) has an important role to play in addressing this significant social issue.
Fostering and maintaining respectful relationships with others is a necessary element of a proper functioning society. Developing young men and women who respect each other’s fundamental rights is central to our aim as a school community and the safety and wellbeing of students.
St Thomas the Apostle Primary school utilises a range of programs to help form appropriate interpersonal behaviours and respectful attitudes among the student cohort, consistent with approaches approved by the Bishop of Sale. This includes the Respectful Relationships initiative, which is part of the Victorian Curriculum.
This initiative supports our school to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours and teaches students how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. The whole school approach to Respectful Relationships helps to embed a culture of respect and gender equality across the entire school community.
The resources include age-appropriate lesson plans and activities that help students learn and practice social skills and apply them in a positive way to learning, life and relationships. The resources also include topics on sexual harassment and consent.
St Thomas the Apostle Primary school and DOSCEL takes sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations very seriously, including allegations made by former students. We respond to any disclosures in an appropriate and supportive manner. Any allegations are acted upon quickly by following procedures for responding to allegations of abuse and assault with the support of DOSCEL Secretariat and relevant authorities.
St Thomas the Apostle Primary school and DOSCEL Secretariat will provide support to any current or former students who are victim-survivors of sexual assault. Students attending St Thomas the Apostle Primary school can receive support from Jen Gulavin, the Deputy Principal (Inclusive Education), Emily Maher or Michelle Caddy, our school counsellors.
If you have any questions or concerns, or wish to discuss something that has happened, please contact Jen Gulavin, Emily Maher or Michelle Caddy.
As a parent, guardian or carer, if you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault and needs support, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au.
You can also access help through
- Parentline Victoria 132 289
- Lifeline 131 114
- Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Students can access help through
- Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
- Headspace
All of us must work together to do all we can to address this issue and prevent future harm to any child or young person.
Critically, we must empower the children and young people in our care to participate in what must become an ongoing conversation on the efficacy of existing school Respectful Relationships’ programs, and the priority they are given in schools, and amongst school communities.
Yours sincerely
Kate Dourley
Principal
Our Grade 5 students have had a wonderful week of exepriences .
A visit to DreamCity where children were inspired to learn through fun career activities.
A day of fun and adventure at the Enchanted Maze Tree Surfing and solving giant brainteaser puzzles.
Holidays can be tough for some children
In this 6 minute video, counsellors from Kids Helpline discuss 3 tips for how students can take care of themselves over the holidays:
How to beat boredom
How to care for your emotions
The importance of help-seeking
Following the video, it may be helpful to share some ideas on how to tackle boredom, to revisit their safety hand, identifying up to 5 trusted adults they can turn to during the holidays
Please see below for the video link
https://vimeo.com/770508655/a098f2facc
Have a Safe and Happy Holidays from Kids Helpline
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