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

Pupil Free Day

30 Mar 2021

Pupil Free Days 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

RE: Pupil Free Day, Monday 19 April

You will already have been advised by your principal that the first day of term 2, 19 April, will be a pupil free day across all systemic Catholic schools in the ACT.

In order to provide the best possible teaching and learning for every student there is a significant need to support teachers and school staff with professional learning opportunities that better position them to meet the expectations and needs of our school communities and students. Monday 19 April has therefore been set aside as a pupil free day to support the learning and development of teachers and school staff. The first day of school for all students at ACT systemic Catholic schools will be Tuesday 20 April.

Each school will communicate relevant arrangements for opportunities to access out of school hours care where this is required.

Thank you for your understanding and continuing support for Catholic education.

Good wishes

Ross Fox

Director

24 March 2021

Award Presentations.

26 Mar 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

This weeks Merit and Bookworm Awards, as published in the newsletter, will be presented to the students at Morning Assembly, 8:50 am , next Monday March 29th.

Kind regards
Ursula Jamieson
Principal

Harmony and Grandparents Day postponed.

19 Mar 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

Unfortunately the weather forecast for Monday is for a high chance of rain (90%). We are making the decision now to postpone Harmony and Grandparents day, rather than have people travel and prepare for a day that is ultimately cancelled.

We will postpone to Friday next week, March 26^th. We apologise for any convenience this may cause. Although we are disappointed that it won’t happen on Monday, we look forward to it happening on Friday.

Kind regards

Ursula Jamieson

Principal

Compass Parent Portal Information

12 Mar 2021

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) are introducing Compass, which is an online communication tool for parents. St Thomas the Apostle Primary School will be introducing the Parent Portal beginning Monday of Term 2. The Compass Parent Portal is an online portal that allows you to interact with our school and access up-to-date information.

Please read the following information with additional details off the Parent Portal and what it will give you access to. Your login creditentials will be sent to you by the end of Term 1.

Parent Portal Visual Guide

If you have any questions, please contact either Ms Chant or Mr Mooney.

School Photos this Thursday.

09 Mar 2021

Please have your children dressed in Sports Uniform for School Photos this coming Thursday, March 11th.

Year 5/6 Camp 2021

01 Mar 2021

Dear Parents and Carers of our 2021 Year 5/6 class

I am pleased to be able to give you some information regarding the school camp this year. Due to COVID we have moved our usual time for camp in Term 1 to Term 2. We were booked to go to Sydney but we have made the decision not to go to a busy city and to do a country sport and recreation camp instead. We are booked into the Outdoor Pursuits COOBA Camp, from Monday May 3^rd to Wednesday May 5^th. Cooba is situated at Berridale in NSW, about half way between Cooma and Jindabyne. St Thomas’ have attended this camp many times before and it’s always been a terrific experience.

The cost for the camp is $345 and payment is required before the date of camp. Many parents opt to pay in instalments and this can be done by using the Qkr app or speak to Naomi for other options.

More details will be sent home by the Year 5/6 teachers in the next few weeks.

Kind regards

Ursula Jamieson

Principal

Run Sheet for the Swimming Carnival.

26 Feb 2021

This is the order of events for the Swimming Carnival today. It is anticipated that events will begin by 10 am (after all studnets have had their water safety test) and be completed by 1:30 pm. We can't give an exact time for events as they will run continuously over the day.

Last day for canteen tomorrow

24 Feb 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

Tomorrow THURSDAY Feb 25th is the LAST DAY the canteen will be open until further notice. After many year of wondeful service to the school, Paula Papandrea will be finishing up as canteen manager.

The postiion has been advertised and we hope to find a new canteern manager as quickly as possible. Until then, the canteen will be closed.

I apologise for the inconvenience this will mean for some families.

On behalf of the school community I would like to thank Paula for her service and wish her all the best in her new endeavours.

Kind regards,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal

Swimming Carnival Spectators

22 Feb 2021

This is just a quick note to confirm that parent spectators are allowed to attend the Swimming carnival on Friday 26/02/2021 at Stromlo Leisure Centre. Parent spectators will be required to sign in via the COVID app and pay a $2.55 entrance fee.

Hope to see you there.

School Counsellor

05 Feb 2021

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

As part of the pastoral care program for students, St Thomas the Apostle School have access to a Student and Family Counselling service provided by CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn.

This year we have a new school counsellor. We welcome Ima Gina to look after our school in 2021. We have been fortunate to secure extra counselling hours this year. Ima will work on Mondays from 9am -5pm and Fridays from 12.30 -5pm.

A new online referral system will come into place in the future. For now, if you would like your child to access the school counsellor, please ask for a referral form from your child’s teacher. There are no fees to access this service.