St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School Ruse
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6 St John's Road
Campbelltown NSW 2560
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Email: info@stmdow.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 4625 6561

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last Friday we celebrated our school and parish feast day - the feast of Saint Thomas More.  The focus of our feast day Mass this year was to acknowledge the wonderful community in which we all belong, which is also known as the Body Of Christ.  

At our special whole school Mass I was given the privilege of saying a few words during Mass.  Here is a selection of some of my words.

We can then go on to say that the St Thomas More Ruse community can also be called the Body of Christ.  All working together in cooperation. The Body of Christ in our community consists of many parts.

  • Students and Children:  A major part are the students and children - who live their lives each day learning and having fun with family and friends in a safe environment.
  • Father Michael:  Another important of the Body of Christ in the St Thomas More Ruse community is Fr Michael.  Fr Michael is our Parish Priest and chief of our community. It is through his support and love of this community that we can function and live and work with each other.
  • Parents:  The parents and carers in our community are a vital part of the Body of Christ in Ruse.  This group provides love and support for everyone in the community and it is with their wish for a great Catholic School for their children that our community would not be able to function adequately each day in all that we do.
  • Parishioners:  All of the parishioners of St Thomas More Ruse are a most important part of the Body of Christ.  The parishioners support each of us through their prayers, hard work and leadership, particularly in all of their organisation and leadership in the sacramental programs.
  • Staff:  The staff of our school are also an extremely important part of the Body of Christ located in Ruse.  Through their professionalism, their love and care of the students and their ability to look after everyone plays a vital role in our community.

So all of us present here today, and those who could not be with us for a variety of reasons are all most important parts of the Body of Christ.   The Body of Christ in St Thomas More School and Parish all work together in cooperation because of our love and support of each other and our great devotion to Jesus and his commandment to love one another.  

We are the Body of Christ and we work together and we do it with cooperation   

In the last newsletter I outlined the importance of ‘Gratitude’ (being thankful).  As this is the last newsletter for Term 2 2019 we say thank you to:

  • the students who have given their best efforts to their work and achieving their learning goals.   Many students have had a very successful term of learning which is reflected in their Semester 1 report.  Reports are being sent home on Friday.  
  • the staff for all of their hard work and professionalism this term, especially at this busy time of assessing and reporting.  Staff work tirelessly in catering for the needs of all of the students in their care.
  • the parents and carers for the support given to the life of our school, particularly through your attendance and assistance at our school events.   
  • those parents who came along to the COMPASS presentation last Monday.  For those who were unable to attend, you will soon receive your personal login details and instructions on how to download the COMPASS app.  COMPASS is the new online parent, student, staff portal that will soon replace Sentral and Skoolbag. 

This term has been  a challenging term for many families in regards to sicknesses and illnesses.  May the coming Winter holiday break be an opportunity for everyone to have a rest and get rid of all those colds and flus.  

We look forward to seeing you at some of our school activities in Week 10 - the parent/teacher/student interviews, Grandparents Day and the Athletics Carnival.

Early next term our school is participating in a Cyclic Review.   Cyclic Review is an external validation of our school’s improvement journey.  An external team from Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong will review, affirm, challenge and endorse our work.  Students, staff, parents and priest will be involved in the process. Cyclic Review Day is Wednesday 31st July (Week 2 Term 3) in which the Review team will be present in our school to visit classes, talk to members of our school and  review our documentation.

Best wishes for the coming week,

Philip Barrington 
PRINCIPAL