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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.
ST MARY OF THE CROSS: THE LEADER
A reflection on the Second Reading from the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross, Year B.
The New Life in Christ (Colossians 3:12-27)
“Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other and advise each other in all wisdom.” (Colossians 3:16)
This Monday (8th August), we celebrate the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross. ‘Mother Mary’ is considered the Mother of Catholic Education in Australia. She and Fr Julian Tenison Woods founded the Sisters of St Joseph in the town of Penola in South Australia in 1866. From these humble beginnings, Mary MacKillop would build a religious educational institution that would span countries and centuries and build the legacy of Australia’s first Saint. Mary was at once your typical ‘Aussie-battler’ with an iron will and resilience to match, and a purveyor of the spiritual gifts of faith, service, humility and wisdom.
The Sisters of St Joseph arrived in Tasmania in 1887, establishing their first Foundation and Convent in Westbury. And whilst the order was primarily guided by Fr Julian Tenison Woods in those early years, the charism, qualities and character of St Mary MacKillop have imbued and informed the Catholic educational experience in Tasmania. The most oft attributed quote for Australia’s first Saint is: “Never see a need without doing something about it.” This statement encapsulates St Mary MacKillop’s leadership, and that model was lived by the Sisters of St Joseph in Tasmania.
When appointed to the role of Principal at St Thomas More’s Catholic School, I was thrilled for a great variety of reasons, and among these from a personal perspective, was that my mother, Toni, attended the school from 1960-1972 and was a School Prefect. Additionally, she lived directly across the road from school during those years on Abbott St. In preparation for the role, I read St Joseph’s Island by Sr Josephine Margaret Brady RSJ in order to steep myself in the history, charism and story of the school, to prepare me to lead it in the present and future. The charism of the Josephite order in Tasmania is characterised by simplicity, ordinariness, self-sacrifice, resilience, hardship, the ascetical way of life, and the charism of hiddenness. All of these qualities also perfectly and accurately describe and celebrate the leadership of St Mary MacKillop.
St Thomas More’s Catholic School was founded by the Tasmanian Sisters of St Joseph of the black habit in 1938 under the auspices of Sr Mary Camillus as Principal. There were 15 students enrolled. But the school has now grown to 360+ students, 40+ staff, and a broader group of past, current and future students, parents, friends and volunteers, who each have played, are playing, or will play, a critical role in the rich story of our school in the tapestry of time.
For the St Thomas More’s Catholic School community, we are each called to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the history of our school, and to live the spiritual gifts that have characterised the story of the learning journey; to teach each other and advise each other in our hard won wisdom. Every student, parent, staff member, volunteer, and friend of the school are challenged to follow in the footsteps and leadership of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross; by letting the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home in us, as we each have found a home in St Thomas More’s Catholic School.
Mr Casimir Douglas
Monday 12th August, 2024
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
HOSTING CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK MASS & AWARDS
Our celebrations for Catholic Education Week commenced in earnest last week on Thursday 8th August, the Feast Day of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross. We held a liturgy in Josephite Hall to celebrate the occasion and Grade 6 student, Issy White gave a wonderful performance as St Mary MacKillop for the event.
We were also able to welcome Sr Carmel Jones rsj to the liturgy with us. And I put Sr Carmel on the spot, and asked what advice St Mary MacKillop would give us if she were here today. Sr Carmel gave a beautiful answer to which the children listened intently. I will not attempt to reprise the entirety of the response, but the essence of Sr Carmel's message was that St Mary of the Cross would encourage us to place our faith and trust in God.
The celebrations for Catholic Education Week continued into this week, as we held the Catholic Education Week Mass at our school in Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday (14th August). The Church was filled with students, staff members, parents, friends, from all the Catholic schools in the Northern region, and members of the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office, including Executive Director, Dr Gerard Gaskin. We were honoured again to host His Grace, Archbishop Julian Porteous, who presided over the Mass with the concelebrating Priests from the Catholic Parish of Launceston.
Finally, we hosted Catholic Education Commission Tasmania's annual Recognition Awards on Wednesday afternoon in Josephite Hall. The event celebrates and acknowledges employees, friends, and volunteers in Catholic Education Tasmania ecosystem who have accrued 25 years of service, or have been nominated to receive special recognition for their outstanding service.
At the event, I was presented with the certificate confirming our completion of the School Validation process in 2023. Although just a piece of paper, the certificate is a representation of the tireless work, the generosity, the spirit, and the good will of all those in our community who give to the life of our school.
GOSPEL VALUE AWARDS: RESPECT
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 August, the school community is focused on the Gospel value of RESPECT. Our Gospel Values: Head, Heart & Hands Framework, reminds our students that to show the value of RESPECT is to be kind, be thankful, be positive.
The following students received a Gospel Value Award at our School Assembly on Friday (16th August), as nominated by their class teacher for exemplifying the Gospel value of RESPECT:
| Term 3 - Week 4, 2024 | ||
| Felix Young | Felix you are working so hard on your respectful listening and we are so proud of you. It was wonderful to see the respect and care you are showing to your classmates and the way you look after our class belongings. We appreciate you Felix. | Prep More |
| Charlotte Richards | Respect - Charlotte consistently shows the Gospel Value of Respect through her kind and caring ways of treating others and active listening in class. | Prep Thomas |
| Maxwell Cooney | Max shows the Gospel value of respect by having a positive approach towards his learning and being a kind friend to those around him. Keep up the great work, Max! | Grade 1/2 More |
| Maggie Taylor | Maggie demonstrates the gospel value of respect everyday. She shows this by her active listening, checking in with her peers and teachers and following school expectations and values. | Grade 1/2 Saint |
| Ella French | For being a respectful and kind friend to everyone. She’s always polite to her teachers and treats her classmates with care. Ella shows us what it means to be a great friend and an awesome student every single day. We are so grateful to have her in 1/2 Thomas. Thank you Ella! | Grade 1/2 Thomas |
| Owen Roney | You show beautiful manners in the classroom towards your teachers and peers. You can be relied upon for being respectful and upholding our gospel values with integrity at all times. Keep up the great work Owen. | Grade 3/4 More |
| Ryder Murfet | Ryder is respectful during teaching and learning sessions and has worked really hard on making the right choices when working with his peers. | Grade 3/4 Saint |
| Sam Mannion | For demonstrating the Gospel Value of Respect at all times when whole body listening is expected in the classroom. | Grade 3/4 Thomas |
| Lewis Farrell | Lewis follows the message of St Mary MacKillop- never see a need without doing something about it. When Lewis sees a need he can always be relied upon to do something about it, often taking initiative and doing it because it is the right thing to do. | Grade 5/6 More |
| Dex Cassidy | Dex is a pleasure to teach and exemplifies the qualities of respect in his interactions with his peers and staff members. As a friendly and hardworking student, Dex consistently shows respect and consideration to his peers, creating a positive and inclusive environment in the classroom. Dex listens attentively to others, values their opinions, and works cooperatively with classmates to achieve shared goals. | Grade 5/6 Saint |
| Maxwell Ferguson | For demonstrating the Gospel Value of Respect at all times. Maxwell is a polite, helpful and easygoing member of the class who shows the utmost respect to his peers and teachers. | Grade 5/6 Thomas |
These students will also attend the Principal’s Morning Tea on Tuesday 27th August, in the Josephite Hall during the first break at 10:50am with myself and the attending Parish Priest.
PRINCIPAL'S MORNING TEA
At our Friday afternoon School Assembly last week, there were a number of students who received a Gospel Value Award for demonstrating the value of RESPECT. These students attended a special Principal’s Morning Tea in Josephite Hall this Tuesday (13th August).
We were treated to a smorgasbord of fruit, muffins, and scrolls and we each shared what we are grateful for in our lives, including; the opportunities available at school, family, teachers, sisters, just being able to attend this school, baby brothers and cousins, Mum and Dad, and Cindy Ngamba (first ever member of the Refugee Olympic Team to win a gold medal)! They also shared about their hobbies, interests and dreams which included playing with friends, learning about letters at school, dancing, swimming, drawing, Enlgish, running, soccer, tennis, art and decorating, drama and becoming an actress, netball, Maths, kicking goals at footy, and supporting the Essendon Bombers!
ACCESS VIA CAMPBELL ST ENTRANCE
I wish to remind all members of our school community that the car park on the Campbell St entrance to the school is for Staff and other authorised personnel only. Additionally, parents and children should not be entering the school grounds via the gate in the car park. As this is staff car park and a vehicle access zone, it is not safe for students or parents to be using the staff car park as a pedestrian thoroughfare. Additionally, with the construction occurring in Grade 1/2 classroom, and the increased vehicle traffic through this access point, we have locked the pedestrian access gate from the car park into the school. This is safety measure to ensure that all pedestrian access at the Campbell St entrance is via the gate entering into the ramp, which was designed for this purpose. Thank you for your support and understanding on this matter.
PARENT INFORMATION EVENING - CLEARING THE AIR (VAPING)
The five Catholic Primary Schools in Launceston have banded together to pool the funding from the Parent Engagement Grants provided by the Tasmania Catholic Schools Parent Council, to present a parent information evening with a family education focus on vaping.
Speaking from my recent experience as a Deputy Principal in the secondary school space, this was an emerging and dangerous reality for our young people. Now, a mere 30 months later, this behaviour and drug is rampant in youth culture.
Do not be naive. This will impact every child who enters into the murky waters of adolesence in some way shape or form over the next decade, and potentially beyond. My mantra in all decision-making processes in education is: the best information equals the best outcome. The purpose of the evening is to arm yourselves and your child with the information and strategies your need to stay safe and make positive decisions.
The evening is being hosted in the gym at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School. Please use the following link to RSVP, and read the flyer below for further information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCqFvwaavdp8FVwLxk5ag7VUVaEqMpAxdmPqjpQe5UfAumUw/viewform
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
Congratulations to Toby Matthews, Lachlan Phillips, Amelia Bishop, Aria Rainsford, Roy Singline, Blake Stocks, Kate Viney, Ella French, Tom Speirs, Lekhya Sompalli, Adeline Moore, Hugo McGoran, Julian Foskett, Rosie Fankhauser, Isla Elliott, Bridie Herr, Frankie Crumpton and Nina Carey who received 25 St Thomas More's sticker rewards for their positive contributions to our school.
|
Awarded by |
To |
For |
|
Mrs Hodgetts |
Airlie Dolting |
For adjusting to new school routines and having a go with all learning experiences. Keep up the great work Airlie! |
|
Mrs Hodgetts |
Eden Luttrell |
For her outstanding work on writing an additional chapter for Charlotte’s Web that included correct punctuation for her dialogue. |
|
Mrs Hodgetts |
Ada Amerikanos |
For her enthusiasm and interest in our recent Olympics unit of work, especially researching Jessica Fox. |
|
Mrs Scharapow |
Emmett McInerney |
Well done being a respectful prep student. You are kind to everyone in class, love to help others, and try really hard to do your best work everyday. |
|
Mrs Scharapow |
Daisy Bertram |
Well done on being a WEST student when you welcome others and encourage your friends to be their best. |
|
Mrs Taylor |
Oliver George |
For really stepping up and working hard to stay focused and giving his best every day. Keep up the great work Ollie! |
|
Mrs Taylor |
Kirby Hodgetts |
For your improvement in making sure you are ready and waiting, especially during mat time and explicit teaching. What great steps to being a learner. We are proud of your progress. Well Done Kirby! |
|
Miss McLauchlan |
Nate Pedder |
For his positive, enthusiastic and hard working attitude towards angles in maths |
|
Miss McLauchlan |
Kohan Leggett |
For his growth mindset and positive approach towards our Girl Underground book review task |
|
Miss McLauchlan |
Cruz Atkinson |
For his engaging and insightful contributions to our class discussions in HASS and Religion this term. |
|
Miss McLauchlan |
Archie Woolcoot |
For stepping outside of his comfort zone and performing his ukelele song to the class in music |
|
Mr Davie |
Dylan Johns |
Dylan has shown great insight and engagement in our Four Corners discussions, consistently sharing his thoughtful opinions. |
|
Mr Davie |
Morrison Harmey |
Morrison’s sense of humour brings positivity to our classroom environment. His engagement with work tasks is showing greater commitment. Well done, Mo! |
|
Ms Flynn |
Amelia Birtwistle |
For always being a positive member of the class and focusing on your learning. Keep up the great work Amelia. |
|
Ms Flynn |
Jasbaani Grewal |
For being an enthusiastic member of class and sharing your thoughts in group discussions. Well done Jasbaani |
|
Ms Flynn |
Jerome Yu |
For being a responsible and inclusive member of the class. You continuously strive to complete your tasks and can relied upon for making good choices. |
|
Ms Nichols |
Sonny Raitt |
For being a kind friend to others. Keep making great choices, Sonny! |
|
Ms Nichols |
Catherine Viney |
For challenging herself with her maths learning. Keep it up, Cate! |
|
Ms Nichols |
Huxley Clarke |
For continually making positive choices in our classroom. Well done, Huxley! |
|
Mrs Wheeler |
Pax Walker |
For always being a helping hand in 1/2S. You are always ready to help your peers and teachers with anything in the classroom. Thank you, Pax. |
|
Mrs Wheeler |
Georgie Hodgetts |
For consistently bringing joy to our classroom with her infectious smile and vibrant personality. 1/2S would not be the same without you in it Georgie. |
|
Mrs Chugg |
Tom Speirs |
For his improved attitude and effort in his English and spelling mastery lessons. |
|
Mrs Chugg |
Samantha Wheeler |
For consistently working above and beyond in all aspects of her studies. |
|
Mrs Carr |
Violet Jankowiak |
For the kind and caring way she moves around our classroom. Violet is such a caring friend and helpful classmate. |
|
Mrs Carr |
Nihad Mahmud |
For his excellent sentence writing. Nihad is doing a wonderful job of adding adjectives to his writing to make his sentences interesting. |
|
Mr Farran |
Ester Lun Muan Dim |
For her amazing attitude towards helping others. Ester has a great sense of justice and will always lend a helping hand without being asked. |
|
Mr Farran |
Mason Swain |
For his attitude towards class discussions. Mason is a regular contributor whose input is always well considered and insightful. |
CBCA Children’s Book Week 2024 is being held from 17-23 August. This is a great celebration of the joy of reading and of the wonderful world of Australian children’s literature. The theme for this year is Reading is Magic.
As part of our celebrations St Thomas More’s Catholic School is holding a Dress-up Parade on Monday 19 August. Students are invited to dress as a character from their favourite book and to bring a copy of the book to school.
We will gather together to share our costumes as a school. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we are unable to have parents attend.
Please let me know if you have any questions,
Rebecca Thomas
Librarian
