Remote Learning

Dear Parents and carers,

Currently being updated...

This page has been created to support parents and carers as we move to remote learning. During this time parents are asked to take on a supportive role while the teachers plan and facilitate curriculum delivery. It includes information about which platforms are used, 'how to' guides, and some tips and suggestions to promote learning at home. In the first instance, students have been given a pack to take home that can be utilised in the first week while the remote learning platforms, timetables and logisitics are finalised.

Our online remote learning tools are based on utilising three main tools: Zoom meetings K-6, SeeSaw for Kinder to Year 2 students, and Google Classrooms for Year 3 to Year 6 students. Below is information to help parents become familiar with Zoom, SeeSaw and Google Classroom, some helpful information in regards to learning at home and links to resources and tools to assist parents and students in these extraordinary circumstances.

Zoom

Seesaw

Google Classroom

Setting Up Learning From Home

Being Ready to Learn at Home

ACT Education - Resources to Support Home Learning

Department of Education - Advice for Parents and Carers

Teacher/Parent/Student Communication

Please consider that remote teaching will place higher demands on teachers and their ability to respond to emails in a timely manner will be limited. If they need to comunicate with you they may call (as an unknown caller) or reach out via email.

All teacher-student communication will occur through either Seesaw or Google Classroom and teachers will provide designated times for answering student questions.

Supporting your children

With such a greater emphasis on online learning, the website for the Office of the eSafety Commissioner is a valuable source of information for adults and children. We suggest taking the time to look through the resources across the whole site, but highly recommend these two specific sections in relation to supporting home learning:

COVID19 Safety information for Parent

eSafety for Parents

Student links and activities

We have added a Learning Resources section to our school website with links for online learning. Many of these require students to log in with some form of credentials. In general, students' school Google accounts allow this and are a safe way for students to access web-based content. There is an array of literacy and numeracy-based resources for Kinder to Year 6, as well as resources spanning the curriculum and sites for those with specific and special interests. Student passwords can be changed using this tool.

Formative Assessment and Feedback

Formative Assessment: refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course.www.edglossary.org

Remote Learning will involve communication between teachers/parents/students on student achievement and progress in order to continue to plan meaningful lessons. This is why we ask that parents and carers provide simple feedback about how their child progressed through the set tasks. This will most likely look like a sort of multiple choice feedback scale. Teachers will provide this via their learning platform.

Latest News

Carols by Sunlight

09 Dec 2020

Carols by Sunlight

Tomorrow, Thursday December 9^th, is our Carols and Sausage Sizzle, this year by sunlight instead of candlelight. We are disappointed that we can’t have our usual family event but we are thankful that the children won’t miss out on dressing up, singing carols, having a sausage and of course, hoping that Santa might pop by.

This is what you need to know:

Children wear sports uniform for shoes and shorts;
They can wear a coloured top or a Christmas top;
Christmas dresses are also welcome;
Children must have their school hat to wear when we are outside, as a Santa hat provides no protection from the sun;
Please have your child wear or bring sunscreen as we will be outside for approx 90 mins;
Children are welcome to wear a Christmas hat when they are inside;
A sausage sizzle lunch will be provided;
Children need to have their own water bottle;

It will be a fun afternoon and we will make sure that we take lots of photos to share with our families!

Ho ho ho

Ursula Jamieson

Principal

Appointment of Assistant Principal from 2021

06 Nov 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

I am pleased to announce that following a panel selection process, Mrs Susan Chant has been appointed as Assistant Principal of St Thomas the Apostle School from the start of 2021.

On behalf of the St Thomas the Apostle community, I congratulate Susan on her appointment and welcome her to our school.

Kind regards

Ursula Jamieson

Principal

Footy Fever Friday

13 Oct 2020

Term 4 is here!

11 Oct 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

Here we go for Term 4! Whilst there are still many restrictions in place to ensure we are as COVID safe as possible, we have a great term ahead with some imaginative thinking going into the planning for the terms teaching and learning and community events. I will keep you informed as we move though the term. Catholic Education will issue an update in line with the ACT Education Directorate but at this stage, everything is the same as it was in Term 3

We look forward to welcoming all our beautiful students back tomorrow morning. It would be so good if we had no one coming in late and that we can all start the day together at 8:55 am

It’s now time to change to the summer uniform remembering that the school hat is an essential part of this. Children without a hat will be confined to play in a shaded area so that are protected from the sun. Hats are available at Savvy and also at the front office for $10. Runners are only to be work with the Sports Uniform and not with the normal school uniform.

The Toilet Makeover is complete and ready for the students to see in the morning. The group of year 6 parents who have worked on this over the holidays have been outstanding. They have spent many many hours painting and creating to make the toilets a pleasurable place to visit. You will hear and see more about this later in the week.

Enjoy the sunshine this afternoon and we will see everyone back at St Thomas’ tomorrow morning.

Kind regards

Ursula Jamieson

Staffing for Term 4.

02 Sep 2020

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

26 Aug 2020

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.

18 Aug 2020

Due to unavoidable circumstances, there will be no canteen at recess or lunch (including Flexischool orders), this Thursday, August 20th.

Year 2 Assembly Video

07 Aug 2020

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.

03 Aug 2020

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!

28 Jul 2020

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.