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- Reflection
- Principal's Message
- STM Achievers
- St Thomas More's Cup - Term 1 Winners
- Launceston Competitions - Class Poems
- Information sessions for First Eucharist and Confirmation
- National Simultaneous Storytime
- Parking reminder
- Save the date!
- Kinder Enrolments for 2022 closing soon
- Student Absences
- Emergency Practice
- Parish Bulletin
- Vinnies CEO Sleepout
- Community Notices
Pentecost brings the Easter season to a close, celebrating the fullness of the Spirit and the great gathering of nations. The plan of salvation has been brought to its conclusion. The Risen Lord is exalted in his rightful place next to God and has sent his own Spirit to fill the earth with God’s power. The world is charged with divine energy; it needs but a spark to ignite it with life and excitement.
If this has all really happened, why does our world look the same? Why is there so much religious and ethnic rivalry? Why do we continue to make distinctions between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, woman and man, distinctions that favour one at the expense of the other? Why is there so little peace, or comfort, or solace? Why do we refuse to forgive or to be reconciled? Is Pentecost merely a feast that we celebrate in red vestments? Has the face of the earth really been renewed?
The answer is yes! Resoundingly, yes! The Spirit has been poured forth and works wonders wherever human hearts are open to its prompting. The earth is renewed each time rivalries are resolved, distinctions are recognised as merely expressions of diversity, peace is restored, comfort and solace are offered, and forgiveness is granted. We are immersed in the vigour of the Spirit of God; all we have to do is open ourselves to it and the reign of God will be born in our midst.
© Dianne Bergant CSA
Dear Families,
What a glorious day we have had for our Cross Country today, our children have been
training weeks for this event. It was also great to see so many of you here to watch and cheer on our children. One of the things that makes St Thomas More’s special is our school’s spirit and our students caring nature which was so evident today in the each of them supported each other. It is so great to see. Well done Chisholm house who won the STM Cross Country Trophy.
Last Sunday Elizabeth, Ester and Mary were baptised at St Francis of Assisi Church Riverside. I wish to congratulate and welcome the girls into our Catholic faith community.
We have been selected to draft a scope and sequence for ACARA as part of the new curriculum review - we are one of 52 schools within Australia who have been selected for the project. The project will involve our teams reviewing our current Scope and Sequence using the new Australian Curriculum. This project is a great opportunity for our school to review and consolidate all the curriculum work we have been doing over the last few years.
Over the past few weeks I have highlighted our school rules, and I would now like to share with you the ideology of our school’s whole behaviour management, being a Positive Behaviour School, or PBS. The primary objective is to teach students the right behaviours. We work on a 6:1 positive/negative comment ratio and all consequences serve as a way for students to reflect on their behaviours and have strategies to improve their behaviour.
Positive Behaviour
As a whole school we acknowledge students for correct behaviour. On the playground this is done through our student acknowledgment system, and in classrooms, staff have the opportunity to use a variety of strategies to acknowledge correct behaviour, which could include praise, stickers and awards.
Student Acknowledgement System
Staff give students STM stickers if they see the student modelling the correct behaviour. Every student has a sticker book in their classroom where they store their stickers. When a student reaches 25 stickers they inform the office and a postcard is sent home acknowledging their behaviour. If a class collectvely reach a goal number, then the class receives an activity to acknowledge their efforts. Activities are decided collaboratively between the teacher and students.
Negative Behaviour
Behaviour as with anything we do at school must be taught, and students who display negative behaviours need to be taught the correct behaviours rather than just punishing them. Our team use multiple strategies to teach and model appropriate behaviours, and where possible, negative consequence are an act of restoration and learning for the child.
For further details on how this is implemented please visit our website.
God bless,
Shayne Kidd
PRINCIPAL
Congratulations to Emily, Mikayla, Asher, Ellie, Pipper, Romeo, Billi, Rubi and Nicholas, who have received 25 stickers in their Student Acknowledgement booklets! These stickers are given to students displaying positive and respectful behaviour in the playground. They are a great role model for others. Well done!
St Thomas More's Cup - Term 1 Winners
This year we commence a House points system to acknowledge the collective effort of individual and House groups, by awarding the House with the most points each term with the St Thomas More's Cup.
House points are collated from the number of school stickers earned by students. The school stickers are earned by being role models and examples of our school rules in our playground - Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be a Learner. House points can also be earned by Houses at the whole school assembly for being respectful audience members.
Congratulations go to Chisholm House, winners of the cup for Term 1!
Launceston Competitions - Class Poems
The results for Class Poems are in!
National Simultaneous Storytime
On Wednesday 19 May, students and staff at St Thomas More’s participated in the National Simultaneous Storytime with a shared reading of Give Me Some Space! By Philip Bunting. We watched NASA astronaut Dr Shannon Walker read the book from the International Space Station with over one million people all around Australia and New Zealand. What a great way to share the joy of reading!
Rebecca Thomas
Librarian
Please remember to take notice of signage around Abbott and Campbell Streets, especially during pick up and drop off times.
- Do not park across yellow lines, or driveways
- No parking areas are not for parking - regardless of whether you remain in your car
- Students can be picked up between 3pm to 3.20pm. It is often busy right at 3pm, please either find appropriate parking and walk to the school gate, or come slightly later as parking becomes available.
Your assistance in this matter is appreciated.
Kinder Enrolments for 2022 closing soon
If your child is absent from school, parents/caregives are requried to contact the school by using the Compass App, telephone (6337 7200), or email (stm@catholic.tas.edu.au) prior to 9.30am on the day of absence.
Please note the Absentee option on the SchoolZine (SZapp) is in the process of being phased out, and we ask you to familiarise yourself with the alternate notification options.
Please contact the office if you have any queries.
This term we will hold an unannounced emergency practice with staff and students, to test our response to a potential scenario that staff identify a threat warranting the school go into lockdown (opposite to evacuation).
Like for fire evacuation drills, we recognised the worth to test this process. We have plans in place to make this practice as least disruptive as able. If you have queries you are welcome to call our Safety Officer Simon Natoli on 0400 105 476.
Attached you will find our parish bulletin for Pentecost Sunday (22/23 May 2021). Every best wish and blessing,
Fr Mark Freeman
St Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout
About Me
I’m a mum, of Ada, who attends STM Prep. Currently I’m an Associate Teaching Fellow at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), with a work history in youth development, specifically in school to work transitions, which has seen me in communities from Groote Eylandt to the Tasman Peninsula. Every community I have worked in across Australia has struggled with homelessness. I have volunteered for twenty years through various community initiatives, currently as a Board Member at Karinya Young Women’s Service. Karinya Young Women’s Service work with young women in housing distress aged 13-21 years of age. They also provide tenancy support to young mums and dads learning life and family skills to maintain a secure home. More information can be found here: http://www.kyws.org.au/
This year I’m raising funds to sleepout on June 17th with a team of colleagues from University College, UTAS. The CEO Sleepout is an annual event to raise money for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of finding themselves without a safe place to call home. Every dollar we raise goes to Vinnies’ not-for profit services, which include food, accommodation, education, counselling, employment, and health programs. I’ll be joining business, government, and community leaders across Australia in sleeping out. Our goal is to ensure that Vinnies’ vital services can stay up and running – meeting the increasing demand due to COVID-19, job losses, sky-rocketing energy prices along with other social and economic pressures keep homelessness on the rise.
About Vinnies
- The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded by a 20-year-old student named Frederic Ozanam in 1833. Frederic and his friends put their faith into action by alleviating the suffering in the slums of Paris.
- Our founder showed that determined individuals can make a difference in the lives of others, and we carry on this vision today. Vinnies has close 2 to 50,000 members, volunteers, and staff across Australia, helping people to overcome homelessness, poverty, domestic and family violence, addiction, and other forms of hardship.
- We offer “a hand up” to those in need; respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny
If you want to help, even in a small way, donations can be anonymous and tax deductible: CEO SLEEPOUT - Lisa Amerikanos
If you would like to chat about Launceston’s housing situation or assist in any other way to local homelessness, I’m more than happy to chat: lisa.amerikanos@utas.edu.au 0419 511 335.