Latest News
Staffing for Term 4.
Dear Parents and Carers
There will be few changes of staffing for Term 4 at St Thomas the Apostle School. Mrs Judy Egan will be leaving us (just for Term 4) to be the Acting Assistant Principal at St John Vianney’s, Waramanga. This will be in the interim until Mrs Jo Reed returns to Australia from teaching in Hong Kong and takes up the position from January 2021. Whilst we will miss having Judy here for the term, we know she will be as asset to the St John Vianney’s community and we will look forward to having Judy back with us in 2021.
In Judy’s absence, Mrs Penny Vanzwol will act in the Assistant Principal’s Role and Mr Geoff Ryan will be the Acting REC. Miss Katilin Reedy will take over Judy’s teaching role in Year 3/4 KE on a Thursday and Friday and Mr Mark Bazzana will be working on a Thursday and Friday in Year 5/6 G.
Mrs Rachel Kennedy will be finishing at the end of Term 3 and taking maternity leave. We wish Rachel all the very best as she awaits the arrival of her second child. Miss Georgia Croker will be teaching Year 3/4 K for term 4.
All of the teachers working in these positions for Term 4 are well known to the students as they have all taught here in the past few years. I am thankful to have such competent and caring teachers joining us for the term.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes.
Kind regards
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
Kindergarten Health Checks
Dear Parents and Carers
This is to let all parents and carers of Kindergarten students know, that Canberra Health Services is offering a targeted kindergarten health check concentrating on vision and hearing.
These health checks are performed in clinics at the City Health Centre Mondays and Fridays and there will be appointments most days in the school holidays.
An appointment can be made by phoning the Central Intake Line on 51249977.
Kind Regards
Judy Wilson
A/g CNC
School Health Team
Kindergarten Health Check and Immunisation Programs
The Canteen will be closed on Thursday.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, there will be no canteen at recess or lunch (including Flexischool orders), this Thursday, August 20th.
Year 2 Assembly Video
Dear Year 2 Parents and Carers,
The Year 2 assembly video is now available on the 2PT and 2V Class Teams in the General Channel Posts. To access go to teams.microsoft.com and use the login details provided earlier in the year during remote learning.
Update for families on COVID - 19.
St Thomas the Apostle School and Catholic Education continue to take advice from health authorities in relation to COVID-19. The Catholic Education Office has a team that is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it develops, paying particular attention to local hotspots and organising support for schools where required.
St Thomas' is practicing all safe hygiene practices in line with government advice. We understand that the situation is fairly fluid and we will communicate directly with you should there be any important changes in relation to our school operations in the coming weeks. We remind all families:
· If your child is unwell, they should not attend school.
· Please ensure that anyone who presents with COVID-19 symptoms in your family is tested.
· Parents should avoid routinely entering the school where possible but can attend meetings with teachers where required (physical distancing and hygiene measures still apply).
Should you have any questions in relation to our school and COVID-19, please feel free to contact Naomi or Lynette in the Front Office.
Kind regards,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
It's Christmas in July!
This Friday, the last day of July, we are having CHRISTMAS IN JULY!
Students may dress as if they are coming to a’ Winter Wonderland’, with beanies and scarves and warm winter woollies.
During the day, classes will have some fun winter Christmas activities to do.eg making symmetrical snowflake decorations.
The SRC have put together some fun ideas for the teachers to choose from.
It will be a fun day with lots of learning happening as well.
Wet Weather Pick - up is ON!
Wet Weather Pick - up is ON!
If it is raining at home time.
Dear Parents and Carers
If it is raining today at home time, this will be the procedure for pick up. There will be no parking, it will be drive through only. We will update you at 2:55 as to whether it is normal pick-up or wet weather pick-up.Wet_Weather_Pick_up_for_parents.pdf
Welcome back for Term 3
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome back for Term 3. I hope you have had some down time over the last two weeks and that your children have had a restful break.
With advice changing every day, I have waited until now to give you an update on what restrictions will be in place for the return to school and what we will be doing to ensure we are COVID SAFE. While we are doing very well here in the ACT we feel for those in Melbourne and know that if could so easily be us if we become complacent. Some of the things that we had planned to resume from the beginning of term (eg morning assembly on the stage and Friday morning community coffee) will need to be on hold for a little while longer.
We have received information from Catholic Education regarding Term 3 restrictions.
- Anyone travelling to the ACT from Victoria or a Sydney hotspot location has to enter self-isolation for 14 days after leaving.
- Currently (as of 17 July), ACT Health considers the entire southern state of Victoria to be a hotspot and sites in south-west Sydney
- Anyone returning to Canberra from these three locations is asked to self-isolate for 14 days, even if they do not have any symptoms. The three locations and dates are:
- Crossroads Hotel, Casula– between Friday 3 July to Friday 10 July
- Planet Fitness, Casula– between Saturday 4 July and Friday 10 July
- Picton Hotel, Picton– on Saturday 4 July, Sunday 5 July, Thursday 9 July or Friday 10 July
Unless there is a change in advice from the NSW and ACT Governments the following will be in place from tomorrow, Monday 20 July.
- Morning drop off will remain as a 'Kiss and Drop' arrangement. New signs have been erected over the holidays so it is clear where this area is. If you need to get out of your car to help you children or to get bags out of the boot, please park in the nearby carpark to do this.
- Students will not assemble as a whole school but will go directly to classrooms when the bell goes at 8:55am
- Afternoon pick up will go back to 'normal’ and I encourage those of you who used to park and pick your child/children up from the playground, please return to doing that. For parents who are coming into the school grounds to meet their children at the stage, we ask you to please park behind the RED LINE (this has been repainted) in the carpark. At this stage, extra adults will not be permitted in the school building, so please do not walk into classrooms or breakout spaces.
- We ask that you socially distance in the playground and that you leave once you have collected your children.
- For those using the drive through pickup, all children will on the pavement on the school side.
- In the event of wet weather, we will use the drive through pickup plan we had for Term 2. We will update you on that if and when it is needed.
- Parents are welcome in the front office, remembering to maintain physical and using the hand sanitiser provided;
- Any adult needing to enter the school building, must sign in at the Front Office, for tracing purposes;
- Maintaining the regular hand washing and sanitising practices of students will continue;
- Monday Community Prayer will resume in the church but with only 1/3 of the school attending each week and rotating through a three week roster. Unfortunately until further notice, they will be without parents.
- Assemblies will resume but again, until further notice, they will be without parents in attendance. Performances will be recorded and parents given access to these;.
- Excursions may resume, however we will work with the benefits of this given that many places have limits and restrictions still in place. We will organise more incursions to occur at school this term to support and enhance student learning;
- Preparation for the Sacraments of Penance (Reconciliation) and First Eucharist will continue as previously communicated.
If any student has any kind of illness, even if it is simply a light cold or flu like symptoms, (cough, runny nose, temperature etc) they are required to stay home and must not attend school. If a student is showing any signs of illness, their parents and carers will be asked to collect them as soon as possible
Please ensure your children arrive at school between 8:30 am and 8.55 and note that the end of the school day will resume to being 3.10 pm.
Physical distancing and using hand sanitiser are still a requirement for adults.
I appreciate your patience and supporting us with the easing of restrictions. I know that it continues to be a difficult time for families, with many still dealing with significant challenges. We look forward to moving ahead over the next term to get back to some more normal routines and practices. I again thank you for your cooperation and support over the year so far and I look forward to welcoming all of our beautiful students back for Term 3 tomorrow.
Kind regards
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
End of term thank you.
Dear Parents & Carers
Well we made it! – the end of a semester of schooling, the likes of which we hope we will not experience again.
I know I expressed this in the newsletter yesterday, but I wanted to make sure that you really do know how much the whole staff have appreciated your care and support over this time. We have heard many stories of learning under adversity and triumph over challenges, amidst the experience of Remote learning and the return to face to face teaching. I cannot thank you enough for the trust you have in our school.
I would also like to express my thanks to our incredible staff. They have dug deep in recent months to do all they can to support our students and families. Whilst they are tired and ready for a holiday, they have had many messages from you to thank them for their dedication and care. As the principal of this great school I am grateful for how inspiring they have been and how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful team.
Our students have also been tremendous. Their resilience and willingness to grow and adapt in these challenging times has been inspirational. We love our beautiful children.
I hope everyone can take some time this next fortnight to breath, rest, relax and spend some fun quality time with their family and friends. I sign off for the term more certain now than ever, that the St Thomas the Apostle community and all we stand for and live out, has been experienced fully this semester. Thank you!
Best wishes for a safe and restful school break.
Ursula Jamieson
Principal