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The vision for St Thomas More's Catholic School is to be a vibrant, positive, and energetic learning community, where every child is valued, and where relationships, the Gospel, and our Josephite charism are at the heart of every aspect of our educational program.
We have high expectations for student learning and student behaviour, and aim to support our students to grow into independent and confident learners, but community-minded contributors to society.
Students are invited into an intimate relationship with Christ. We know we have achieved this goal when our students smile when they arrive at school, and are still smiling when they leave.
SLEEPING THROUGH THE STORM
This past Sunday’s Gospel Reading (12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B) depicts one of Christ’s most famous miracles as he demonstrates his powers over the natural world by calming a storm at sea (Mark 4:35-41).
The setup for the miracle to occur is almost comical in a way. The wind is blowing a gale, the waves have grown so great that they threaten to sink the boat, the Disciples are panicked and desperate to prevent the boat from sinking, the world is in chaos, destruction abounds, and death threatens, yet Jesus is… asleep?
The Disciples wake up their Master to alert him to the danger and their imminent demise, asking why he is indifferent to their plight. And Jesus, responding to the worry of his Disciples, issues two simple commands: “Quiet now! Be calm!’ Ostensibly these words are spoken as instructions to the wind and the sea. But notice that the real miracle here was not Jesus’ manipulation of the atmospheric conditions, but the peace and clarity He brings to the Disciples.
We must remember for whom this passage was written. The Gospel writer, Mark, was communicating this story to an audience who were in the midst of turmoil. The early Christian faithful who were hearing, reading and sharing this story were being cruelly and violently persecuted and oppressed by the Roman officials for their faith in Jesus Christ. Talk about being in the middle of a storm - the world is in chaos, destruction abounds, and death threatens. So, what is the message that Mark gives his readers about how to survive the storm?
“Be calm!”
As chaos reigns around us in our lives, like the Disciples, we too become panicked, we catastrophize, we worry, and we stress, because we cannot control the storm; the wind and the sea will not obey us. But, of course, we cannot control the storm. Christ’s command to be: “Be calm!”, is not to the wind and the sea, but to us. A reminder not to waste our energy on fretting about not being able to control the uncontrollable, but to focus on what we can control… ourselves and how we respond to the situation. And that we must place our trust and faith in God to shield us from the storm around us. Listen again to Jesus’ words, as he rebukes the Disciples, with your own context in mind:
“Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?”
This is why Jesus was asleep; not out of indifference. But because of His steadfast faith and trust in God. That faith allowed him to be calm, and to bring calm to others. In fact, so great was Christ’s trust and faith that God would shield Him from the storm, that He was so calm that he fell asleep in the midst of all the chaos! So may we, as followers of Christ, be models of calm, and bring calm to others in the midst of turbulence and uncertainty, by being steadfast in our faith and trust in God.
Mr Casimir Douglas
Tuesday 25th June, 2024
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
LITTLE GEM PERFORMANCE NEXT WEEK!
Next week, our Early Years - Little GEM Production with TasDance that will be held at Door of Hope on Wednesday 3rd July from 6:00pm-7:00pm in Week 10 of this term. Every student from Kinder-Grade 2 will be involved in the performance.
The concepts that the performance is aiming to bring to life, through the medium of dance, are the the GEM Principles from The Resilience Project: Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness. These three pillars not only form the foundation of wellbeing practices about which our young people are learning, but they also form the framework of the The Resilience Project curriculum.
We are incredibly proud of our students' enthusiasm and hard work and cannot wait to see the final production. It's going to be an event you won't want to miss! To that end, we have also engaged the services of IdeasBanq who have been capturing film and photography of our students' practice sessions with Tas Dance, interviewing the key staff involved, and will also be capturing the event itself next Wednesday night. This footage will be produced as a short film to celebrate and promote this wonderful occasion and achievement of our Early Years students.
Thank you very much to Mrs Leah Wheeler and all the Early Years teaching team for their passion, vision, and energy they are pouring into this project. It will be amazing!
GOSPEL VALUE AWARDS: JUSTICE
Our fortnightly Gospel Values Awards process provides for the nomination and presentation of the Gospel Value Awards for those students who demonstrate, live out, and exemplify the school's Gospel values. For the month of March, the school community is focused on the Gospel value of JUSTICE. Our Gospel Values: Head, Heart & Hands Framework, reminds our students that to show the value of JUSTICE is to be helpful, be fair, be caring.
The following students received a Gospel Value Award at our School Assembly on Friday (28th June), as nominated by their class teacher for exemplifying the Gospel value of JUSTICE:
| Term 2 - Week 9, 2024 | ||
| Archie Tuson | You show the Gospel Value of Justice when you are a caring and helpful friend, and when playing games you are fair and just with all. | Prep Thomas |
| Harper Clarke | For being such a helpful and caring member of our classroom. You always strive to do what is right and are the first to lend a helping hand. Thanks for being you Harper. | Prep More |
| Neve Malthouse | Neve is a helpful and caring member of our class. Neve shows the Gospel value of justice by caring for everyone in our class. Well done, Neve! | Grade 1/2 More |
| Louie Crumpton | Louie takes responsibility for his actions, holding himself accountable for following classroom rules and norms. His commitment to fairness, advocacy, and accountability makes our classroom a better place for everyone. Congratulations, Louie! | Grade 1/2 Saint |
| Jessica Blazley | Jessica is awarded our “Justice” Gospel Value award for always following our school rules, making sure that she is doing the right thing by other people and never leaving anyone behind! Thank you for always thinking of other people, before yourself! We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of others and your commitment to doing the right thing. Thank you Jess! | Grade 1/2 Thomas |
| Lachlan Phillips | For being an advocate for standing up for others and doing the right thing both inside the classroom and in the playground. Keep on being a wonderful role model Lachlan. | Grade 3/4 More |
| Foram Garaniya | For being a fair, kind and compassionate member of our classroom. | Grade 3/4 Saint |
| Phoebe Mellor | For always looking out for others in our classroom and school community. Phoebe is kind, inclusive and never sees a need without doing something about it. | Grade 3/4 Thomas |
| Annika Johns | Annika consistently shows the value of justice through her genuine interactions, patience, kindness and respect towards all her peers and all students across the school. | Grade 5/6 More |
| Romeo Alexander | For his helpful and caring attitude. He never sees a need without doing something about it, even in difficult times. Keep up the great work! | Grade 5/6 Saint |
| Zoe Goldsmith | Zoe is kind and caring to her peers and teachers alike, and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She demonstrates the gospel value of justice in all that she does. | Grade 5/6 Thomas |
These students will also attend the Principal’s Morning Tea next Tuesday (2nd July) in the Josephite Hall during the first break at 10:50am with myself and Fr Jesse.
GRADE 1/2 EXCURSION TO ASHGROVE CHEESE FARM
On Monday our Grade 1/2 students adventured to Ashgrove’s Cheese & Dairy Farm! It was an amazing experience for the students, aligning perfectly with our Technologies unit, “Farm to Plate.”
During the visit, students learned about the fascinating process of cheese-making and had the chance to taste some freshly made product!
They also enjoyed hands on experiences such as gelato and butter making, which they also had the pleasure of sampling!
A massive thank you to the school’s P&F who supported in the funding of this excursion and experience for our students, to the wonderful volunteers who helped out on the day, and to Ashgrove’s Cheese & Dairy Farm for being so welcoming and accommodating!
NETBALL TASMANIA - PRIMARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
This past Friday (21st June), we had two teams of determined and talented students, Grade 5 Girls and Grade 6 Girls, participate in Netball Tasmania's Primary School Championships at the Silverdome.
We wish to congratulate and celebrate both groups of girls for the exceptional manner in which they represented our school, and their outstanding performances on the court.
Congratulations to our Grade 6 Girls team who were crowned as Northern Champions after finishing the tournament undefeated!
Thank you very much to the volunteers coaches, organisers, and referees for giving their time to create this wonderful opportunity for our students!
FINAL GREETING
May the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
God bless,
Mr Casimir Douglas
Principal
The Resilience Project Snapshot 3: Empathy
Working on empathy helps us to identify, understand and feel what another person is feeling. When we show empathy or we do something kind for someone else our brain releases oxytocin. This leads to increasing our self-esteem/confidence, energy levels, positivity and overall happiness.
Whole Family Activity:
Neighbourhood Kindness Challenge
As a family, choose an act of kindness from the list below that you would like to do for a neighbour or family friend. Each family member can select one to commit to, or you can choose to do one together.
Cook them something delicious like a cake, hot bread, or cookies.
Write a note to put in their letterbox thanking them for being a great neighbour or friend.
Design them a Thank You card.
Pick or buy some flowers to deliver to them.
Choose a little plant from your garden to give them.
Make them a gift from things around your house.
Offer to do a job for them, like wash their car or water their garden.
Offer to take their pets for a walk.
Invite them over for afternoon tea.
Invite them on a walk.
Recommend one of your favourite books to borrow and read.
Ask them if they need anything from the shops next time you buy groceries.
Say hello next time you see them, and ask them how their day is going.
Feel free to do more than one and spread the kindness even further!
Report back to each other in one week and share how your acts of kindness were received, and how doing them made you feel.
Family Habit Builder:
Every night at dinner, have each person thank another family member for something they’ve done or said today, or give another family member a compliment.
During this term, students across all grades have been learning about responsible and safe online behaviours. In Kinder, we shared the story Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 which explores some of the common technology experiences of young children and highlights strategies to encourage safe online practices for the whole family. In the early childhood classes, we used the eSafety Commissioner resource Keeping it Sweet Online to examine concepts such as protecting our personal information and dealing with cyberbullying and unwanted contact. Middle and upper primary students have been exploring protective behaviours and strategies including protecting privacy, creating online boundaries to stay safe, making responsible choices and seeking support.
You may like to talk with your child about what they have learned about staying safe online. The eSafety Commissioner website has a collection of excellent resources and webinars for parents and children including tips on managing time online, dealing with cyberbullying and unwanted contact and using parental controls to maximise online safety at home. There is also a family tech agreement that may help engage all members of the family in strategies to promote safe online practices.
Please see the eSafety Commissioner website for more information.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids
Rebecca Thomas
Librarian and Key Teacher - Learning Technologies
The clock is ticking for you to win your class a pizza party!
Our International Joke Day competition closes at the end of the school day on Wednesday, July 3.
It is an individual entry, but the person who can make Mr Douglas laugh the most will win their class a PIZZA PARTY! ?
Entries are open on Padlet NOW: https://padlet.com/STM_TAS/joke_day_24
Find your year level > click + > add your name and class in the subject line. You can add your joke OR even a video/audio recording telling the joke!
The winner will be announced on Friday, July 5.
To attend this session, the parent/guardian of the come and try swimmer will need to complete the form linked below. They can also access this link by scanning the QR code on the poster.
Link to the form:
https://forms.gle/fyTmgtKpFCU5PgnM77