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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.
SOUNDING THROUGH
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.” (1 Cor 15:49)
The Pauline Epistles have been, and continue to be, the foundation of Christian theology and ethics. His letter provided advice, answered questions, and delivered guidance for the early Church community on what it meant to be ‘Christian’; a person of Christ. He covers all aspects of community life: social, theological, ecclesial, and educational.
In St Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, he responds to queries from members of the early Christian community about the nature of the resurrection of the body. In the passage quoted above, St Paul teaches that we must move beyond the limited thinking of the corporeal nature of our person, and understand the essential and inherent spiritual nature of our person. The physical and the spiritual are inseparably connected.
My use of the word ‘person’ above is quite deliberate. The word is derived from the Latin ‘persono’; meaning ‘to sound through’. Thinking of the ‘person’ in these terms shifts our understanding of the fundamental nature of our being. The spiritual sounds through and moves through our physical being, our person. In and out. God is present here and now, sustaining and enlivening all creation.
St Paul’s message: everything is spiritual.
Indeed, the sacred is present in the mundane. Bread is so common as to be ubiquitous; yet it forms the most holy of Eucharistic symbols. The name of God as given to Moses in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew language is written as YHVH. The letters are pronounced yud, hey, vav, hey. In many Hebrew traditions the name isn’t even spoken as it is considered so sacred, so mysterious, so holy. Indeed, they understood the nature of the words themselves to be breathing sounds. The name of God, an incantation of the sacred, uttered in every human breath. In and out. The most mundane, monotonous and involuntary of human actions reveals the spiritual.
And even as Moses encounters the burning bush, alive and alight with the presence of God, he removes his sandals. For the thought of tarnishing this holy ground with his profane footwear was an unconscionable act. But what St Paul is calling us to in our journey of faith is to understand that the ground wasn’t just sacred in that moment. It was always sacred. The ground didn’t change. It was Moses that changed, his eyes opened to the spirituality of all creation. It was not just this bush that was on fire with the presence of God. Every bush is on fire with the presence of God.
For us to recognise and see the presence of God alive in creation, it is not the bush that must change, it is we that must change and open our eyes to see the sacredness in everything. If we were to truly embrace this way of being, how might it affect our connection to the world, to each other, and to ourselves? Might we be more loving, more compassionate, more patient, more forgiving, more present, more connected, more open, more vulnerable, more alive?
I pray that we may open our persons to the sounding through of the spirit present in all creation; in every bush, in our daily bread, in the hug of a loved one, a delicious meal, a shared laugh, and in every single breath of life.
Mr Casimir Douglas
Sunday 18th August, 2024
SALUTATION
Grace to you and peace.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
I am pleased to share that we have fifteen students from Grades 3-6 receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday evening at 5:00pm at Sacred Heart Church. We are blessed to have His Grace, Archbishop Julian Porteous, to confer the Sacrament. Please join me in congratulating the following students on reaching this sacred milestone on their Sacramental journey:
BOOK WEEK CELEBRATIONS!
Book Week was an enchanting celebration at our school this year, with the theme "Reading is Magic" bringing the wonder of books to life for students and staff alike. Throughout the week, classrooms buzzed with excitement as students explored magical stories, participated in reading challenges, and engaged in creative literary activities. The theme inspired everyone to discover the spellbinding power of reading, and it was wonderful to see the enthusiasm for books spread across the school.
The highlight of Book Week was undoubtedly the Dress Up Day on Monday 19th August, which featured a spectacular Costume Parade that morning. Students arrived at school dressed as their favorite book characters, from wizards and witches to mythical creatures and classic storybook heroes. The parade was a delightful display of creativity and imagination, with each student proudly showcasing their magical costumes. It was a truly memorable event that captured the spirit of the week and reminded everyone of the joy and wonder that reading can bring.
MAKING JESUS REAL @ STM
Making Jesus Real (MJR) forms part of the students’ Religious Education program from Prep to Year 6. It is also integral to our school's ethos, fostering a sense of community. MJR is centred on the belief that we can bring the message of Jesus alive daily through our chosen actions and living out the Gospel values. It is a practical way of bringing the Christian faith into our everyday lives. MJR provides a common language and approach accessible to students and staff.
Why do we choose to have MJR at St Thomas More’s Catholic School?
- MJR develops our relationship with Jesus.
- We are Jesus’ disciples today.
- MJR is not a program at St Thomas More’s but a way of life - Christ's way.
- We do this through the MJR catchy/common language, which connects with both children and adults.
- MJR assists in developing happy, well-rounded, resilient children who recognise the goodness in themselves and others.
- We try to be more like Jesus daily by living out the Gospel values.
This week, Mr Davie led an impactful MJR (Making Jesus Real) session with our Grade 3-6 students, where we reflected on the inspiring performances at the Paris Olympics. We focused on Australian athletes Ariarne Titmus and Jemima Montag, celebrating their remarkable accomplishments and how they exemplify the MJR values of Determination, Positive Attitude, Belief in Yourself, Sacrifice, and Teamwork. Through our discussion, we explored how we, too, can live out these values, Dream Big like these athletes, and achieve anything we set our minds to if we believe in ourselves. These athletes truly embody what it means to be MJR people.
We also challenged ourselves to reflect on our day and ask ourselves, “Where was the Spirit of Jesus in my life today?”
Live Jesus in our hearts.
- FOREVER -
WINTER WONDERLAND DISCO - TONIGHT!
It's time for our students to put on their dancing shoes and dress up in their best Winter Wonderland themed gear, because it's time for the Winter Wonderland Disco!
The perennial event is an annual favourite for parents and students alike, and is a valuable fundraiser for our fantastic Parents & Friends Committee who do a power of work in organising this fun and energetic evening each year.
Please find the flyer for the event with all the important information below. I look forward to sharing this event with our school community this evening!
PARENT INFORMATION EVENING W/ SUE LANGLEY
Please find attached below a flyer for our Positive Psychology for Productive Parenting Practices parent information evening with CEO and Founder of the Langley Group, Sue Langley.
This is a free event that we strongly encourage all of our parents to attend. Please access the link or QR code in the flyer to register your attendance. Places are limited!
Sue is global wellbeing speaker and thought-leader in positive psychology. She is an expert on the practical application of emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience. The evening is an opportunity for parents to explore positive parenting practices to be the best parents we can be to help our children be happy, resilient, and succeed in life. If you wish to learn more about Sue Langley's work, please access the following link: https://langleygroup.com.au
This event is a collaboration between the six Catholic Schools in Launceston, and has been funded by the parent engagement grants made available by the Tasmanian Catholic Schools Parents Council. It is being held at St Patrick's College on the evening of this coming Tuesday 27th August, 2024.
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 Oliver George, Edie Eiszele, Daisy Bertram, Esther Cassidy, Benji Rak, Zoe Newton, Olivia Pooley, Eleanor Viney, Jessica Blazley, Murphy McInerney, Payton Massey, Freya Attard, Judd Conroy, Hugo Artis, Edward Wahl, Florance Mattern, Eve Crosswell, Isabelle Coombe, Braxton Bonner, Mikey Burgess, Piper Roney, Lilou Hommel, Archie Padgett, Neve Malthouse, Claire Bassett and Ella Burgess who received 25 St Thomas More's sticker rewards for their positive contributions to our school.
Please could you notify the school via email: stm@catholic.tas.edu.au if your child/children will not be returning to St Thomas More's Catholic School in 2025. Please note that 10 weeks notice is required under the Terms of Enrolment.
STM staff and students have spent a wonderful week celebrating Book Week. CBCA Book Week aims to promote reading and to celebrate quality Australian children’s literature and has done so successfully for the past 79 years. The theme this year was Reading is Magic.
We held our fabulous Book Week Dress-Up Parade on Monday and we had a great time dressing as our favourite book characters and sharing our creations with our friends across the school. We looked at the shortlisted and award-winning books during our Library lessons, voted for our favourites and participated in our very exciting Book Week Quiz. Prep and Kinder students created some beautiful reading crowns and wands inspired by the Book Week theme.
Click here to see a short montage of our celebrations.
What a wonderful way to celebrate Book Week!!
Rebecca Thomas
Librarian
This weekend a number of STM students along with students from other schools will be making their Sacrament of Confirmation with Archbishop Porteous on Saturday afternoon here at Sacred Heart Church, Newstead. Please keep these candidates in your thoughts and prayers as they continue their faith journey.
