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.

THE STORY OF THE OLYMPICS

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris have begun! Like many of you reading this reflection, I buckled under the pressure of my own sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), and forked out the expensive subscription to Stan Sports to ensure that I had access to the entire coverage of this quadrennial, multi-disciplined, global sporting competition. Also like many of you reading this reflection, I thoroughly enjoy watching sport. If I should ever be so lucky as to be in control of the remote control for the television at home, sport is the first item on any agenda. And so it has been this past week with the Olympics, I have watched: skateboarding, football, rugby 7’s, judo, gymnastics, BMX, swimming, volleyball, fencing, boxing, basketball, and archery, just to name a few. 

But if you were to ask me why I enjoy the Olympics, watching elite athletic performance is only a minor reason. I watch the Olympics for the spectacle, the drama, the theatre, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and the individual human stories - the story of overcoming the odds, the story of the underdog, the story of the veteran champion’s last hurrah, the story of failing to live up to expectations, and the story of all your dreams coming true. Those stories, those moment live on in Australian cultural folklore: who could forget Cathy Freeman lighting the torch and winning the 200m sprint, Ian Thorpe anchoring the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, Patty Mills putting up 40 points to lead the Boomers to their first Olympic Medal, or the heroics of our very own Launcestonian, Arianne Titmus. 

The Olympics is about the story; of striving for excellence, of human endeavour, of commitment, of sacrifice, of struggle, and of triumph. But the story of the Olympics is bigger than the sports, the athletes, the media, the money or the medals. The real and true story of the Olympics is of unity, solidarity, diversity, and inclusivity. Whilst contemporary media will shelve, sideline, and marginalise this story in favour of more gaudy headlines, the true spirit and story of the Olympics is of the five Olympic values: joy in effort, fair play, pursuit of excellence, balance, and respect. 

As a school, we celebrated the Olympic Games by holding our Olympics Dress Up Day on Friday this week. I spoke to the students at our School Assembly last week regarding the purpose and story of our dress up day, and of the Olympics Games themselves, and it was these five values, the five continents, and the symbol of the Olympic Games themselves that forged the heart of my message. I did not speak about medals, or glory, or fame. And if the one lesson that the young people of our school community learn from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, let it be that the story of the Olympics is one of unity, solidarity, diversity, and inclusivity, and that this is a story that we are all called to live out in our own lives and community. Right here. Right now.

Mr Casimir Douglas

Thursday 1st August, 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

SALUTATION

Grace to you and peace.

BLESSED CARLO ACUTIS - RELIC EXHIBITION

Last week, all our students from Grade 3-6 visited the Emmanuel Centre next door, to view an immersive exhibition focused on Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Carlo was born in London on 3 May 1991 and died in Monza, Italy in 2006 as a result of leukaemia. He was just 15 years old. Carlo had a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist and used his shared passion for technology to create a website that documented approved Eucharistic Miracles. He was quoted saying that the Holy Eucharist was "the highway to heaven". Carlo was beatified in 2020 and is currently in the process of becoming a canonised saint. He is a role model for young people around the world, drawing many deeper into their Catholic faith.

As Bl. Carlo’s canonisation is approaching, a number of countries have participated in a Tour of Carlo’s Exhibition of Miracles, and veneration of a First-Class Relic of his hair. After recently touring schools and parishes in NSW, we too, are inviting the students and teachers of Tasmania to deepen their faith by encountering this Exhibition, and particularly, by having the opportunity to venerate the relic.

For further information on the exhibitions Bl. Carlo produced, please visit the original website he created: http://www.carloacutis.com/

100 DAYS OF SCHOOL CELEBRATION FOR PREP!

Today, we celebrated the 100th day of school for our Prep students! It was a great opportunity to reflect on their progress and celebrate their accomplishments in a fun and engaging way.

The students came to school dressed in their party clothes, created individualised 100 Days of School accessories (including crowns!), participated in a number hunt looking for all 100 numbers, made necklaces made of 100 fruit loops, and shared all the new things they have learned this year, and imagined and drew what they might look like when they are 100 years old, and Mr Rik may have even hung up a piñata for a bit of afternoon fun!

This celebration allows students to see how far they have come and to appreciate their hard work and effort with activities that encourage teamwork, creativity and imagination. It was a wonderful way of celebrating the learning journey of 2024 so far!

OLYMPICS DRESS UP DAY

This Friday (2nd August), we celebrated the commencement of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris by holding our own Olympics-themed dress up day!

Students and Staff were invited to dress in green and gold to show their support for Australia, or dress to show support for a different country they admire, or dress in the relevant attire for their favourite sport. And there was plenty of green and gold, a number of countries from all around the world who were represented, and a litany of different sporting attires, including football, gymnastics, BMX, athletics, basketball as the most popular. 

The purpose of our dress up day, and of the Olympics Games themselves, was not to highlight the medals, or glory, or fame; but to emphasise that the story of the Olympics is one of unity, solidarity, diversity, and inclusivity - in all of its colour and universality.

'FOOTBALL IN SCHOOLS' PROGRAM

Starting this coming Wednesday (7th August), we welcome back Alan Eadie and Chelsea Wing from Football Tasmania to hold the Football in Schools program!

'Football In Schools' is an introductory program, that delivers football in a fun, safe and inclusive environment. It consists of weekly sessions that build skills through progressive football exercises and games and focuses on fundamental movement skills.

Please access the information from the flyer in the images below to learn more.

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 Council have advised that the stretch of road on Abbott Street between Campbell Street to Amy Road will be resealed.  Works are scheduled from 5th August 2024 for 3 days.  Abbott Street and nearby roads will be congested at school drop off/pick up times.  Staff will be at Abbott Street until 3:30pm, therefore a late pickup may make for a smoother journey.

Please do not park in these zones for more than 2 minutes.  These zones are for parents/carers to pull in, pick up their child that is already waiting for their parent/carer, and then for the parent to move on. If the pick up zone is full, please go around the block until a space becomes available, or find a parking space that is not within the 2-minute pick-up zone or on a yellow line.

If your child/children walk from school at the end of a school day to PCYC, a bus stop not near the school or walk home, the student must advise the duty teacher at the gate.  Please could parents email the school stm@catholic.tas.edu.au advising that their child will walk to that destination.  

The Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council recognises the financial costs to Catholic School families when purchasing uniform items for their children each year. We are also aware of the different policies in regards to Uniform in Schools and Colleges across Tasmania. There is also a practicality aspect to uniforms that students are required to wear.
We invite Parents and Carers to complete a survey on the uniform requirements at your school. Feedback will be collated and shared with Catholic Education Tasmania, and then with the wider Catholic School community, including parents.

If you have more than one child, and they attend different schools, we ask that your feedback is based on one school at a time; ie the survey can be completed more than once.

The Survey will remain open until end of July 2024.

Tasmanian Catholic Schools Parents Council – Uniform Survey

Congratulations to Esther Cassidy, Quinn Russell, and Logan Graham who all received 25 St Thomas More's sticker rewards for their positive contributions to our school.