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Dear Parents and Carers,
For the past three days I have had the privilege of sitting on the registration panel for Holy Spirit Primary School in Nicholls. Every five years, each school goes through this rigorous process. It is carried out by a team from our Catholic Education Office, a government school representative and a principal (or 2) of a school who will be undertaking the process the following year. St Thomas the Apostle school will go through the registration in 2023.
The three days are intense, with the school looked at through the lenses of Catholic Identity and Culture, Staff and Leadership, Excellence in Teaching, Partnerships and Community, and Stewardship and Resources. While my job on the panel was to deep dive in to what is happening in these domains at Holy Spirit, at the same time, I was considering what we do at St Thomas’. It was affirming to note that we are performing well in these areas here at St Thomas the Apostle, especially as we begin preparing for Registration in 2023.
Learning Support Dog
There is a significant amount of evidence both scientific and anecdotal to support the positive use of dogs to provide emotional support to students. We know that the use of dogs to provide emotional support to students in schools has increased significantly in recent years.
We are in the process of exploring the adoption of a dog for St Thomas the Apostle School. There has been conversation about specific breeds and ensuring that we are compliant with all Commonwealth, State and school sector requirements, particularly in relation to animal welfare, legal and financial responsibility and health and safety of all parties. We are researching the dog we will purchase based on breed and temperament.
The purpose of having an Educational Support Dog relates directly to student wellbeing. Benefits include teaching empathy and interpersonal skills that help individuals develop social skills.
We will follow the guidelines in order to comply with relevant legislation including the Companion Animals Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Animal Research Act. In addition, we will meet the requirements of Catholic Education and will seek advice from other schools who have this up and running in their schools community. This includes, St Jude’s in Holder, St Anthony’s in Wanniassa, St Monica’s it Evatt and Holy Spirt in Nicholls.
We are in consultation with a staff member who will be the owner of the dog and facilitator of the dog.
The proposal was presented to the Community Council on Monday night. They whole heartedly and unreservedly endorsed the introduction of a Learning Support Dog for our school. I will keep you up to date as we progress through this process.
Finally, a warm congratulations to our Year 4 students who made their first Eucharist on Wednesday night and thank you to Geoff Ryan our REC and the teachers, Angela Bartkowiak, Georgia Croker, Lauren Jameson and Monique George for making it such a special occasion.
Have a great weekend.
Yours in partnership,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
RE Week 4 - Our Common Home - Connecting with God
27 students celebrated the sacrament of First Eucharist on Wednesday night. It was a beautiful Mass where members from the school, parish and wider community were present to support these wonderful students on their faith journey. The parish community and teachers have been impressed with the maturity, reverence and excitement that students have displayed in preparation to receive this special sacrament. Pope Francis reminds us that “From this Sacrament of love, flows every authentic journey of faith, of communion, and of witness.”
You are invited to 6pm Mass this Saturday to support Lewis Rice as he receives the Eucharist for the first time. Congratulations to the following students on receiving their First Eucharist this week!
Zoë Adcock
Evie Anrath
Leo Backhouse
Winter Chan
Harper Clark
Nixon Dean
Joshua Donaldson
Olivia Dunley
Mikayla Giacomin
Angela Joby
Gwang Kwol
Clyde Lipton
Arthur Lipton
Rufus McNally
Simone Menezes
Vinh Ngo
Elisha Nguyen
Maxwell O’Callaghan
Daniel Nelson
Emily Odd
Sofia Pearman
Georgia Penny
Lewis Rice
Matthew Rozario
Mila Sommariva
Raya Vinco
Hudson Wundersitz
Rodrigo Win
Geoff Ryan
REC
Date |
Event |
Monday 15 August |
Science Week dress up day |
Friday 19 August |
Author Visit - Anna Battese |
Thursday 25 August |
Book Week dress up day |
National Science Week 13- 21 August
Next Monday, 15 August, St Thomas the Apostle is having a Science Day. The theme for Science Week is Glass: More than meets the eye.
As a part of this day, we invite all our students to come to school dressed as scientists. It is sure to be a fantastic day!
On Monday students will participate in a number of activities and Science lessons. Between recess and lunch our teachers have prepared Science lessons to share with their students. In the afternoon our school is going to watch a special live presentation from Street Science. This presentation is called BREAKING POINT: The Way Glass Shatters Matters.
Thank you to Miss Vandenbroucke for organising this show.
If you would like to learn more about the presentation use the link below.
This year’s theme, “Dreaming with eyes open” unlocks a range of possibilities when it comes to planning your book week costume. Dreaming with eyes open is about country, dreaming, and all the things that are hidden but also seen. It allows us to step into our own story and adapt it to our own dreams and ambitions.
If you can dream it, you can be it… (characters from books) Connecting to country... (Australian animals, famous Australians) When I grow up, I dream to be… (doctor, artist, scientist, teacher, football player etc) I dream and imagine worlds of… (aliens, unicorn, fairies etc)
Thank you to Mrs Kelli Rootes for suggesting these great websites to help with costume ideas.
Important Dates for Book Week 2022
Friday 12 August - Orders due for a signed copy of Anna Battese's books.
Friday 19 August and Monday 22nd August - Anna Battese Author Visit
Thursday 25 August - Book Week Parade
Thursday 1 September - Book Week in Schools Performance
Borrowing days for next week
Tuesday 16 August: K-2, 3/4B
Wednesday 17 August: 5/6KM, 5/6KP, 3/4J, 3/4C
Leah Godfrey
Teacher Librarian
(Term 3)
Happy Birthday
to the following students and teachers
who will celebrate a birthday this week
Congratulations to Katrina, Adriano, Jordan and Faith on the birth of
their little son and brother, Luca.
Congratulations to Sophie Patron for her selection in the Under 12 ACT AFL team. Her team competed in Adelaide this week.