Dear Parents and Carers,

What does the word ‘Gratitude’ mean to you?  

According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘Gratitude’ means the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.  What do you truly appreciate in your life?  How do you show Gratitude in your life?  It is so easy to take all of our blessings for granted.  We need to challenge ourselves to display Gratitude for all those people and circumstances that we encounter in our daily lives.  This is a most important concept that we wish to instil into our children and students in our Catholic school.  We have so many opportunities in our lives to express our Gratitude - do we seize every opportunity to do so?

Experts in this field suggest to make a ‘Gratitude List’. It is a great way to calm the nerves, soothe the soul and remind yourself daily of the things that truly matter.  It's enjoyable but also useful to make a gratitude list, and it can help to give you relief from worry and provide you with a sense of purpose.

Some further tips include:

• Think of one thing to be grateful for each day and quickly add to the list. A good prompt is: "Today, I am grateful for...".
• Use breathing to remain calm whenever stressed or upset.  
• Keep the gratitude list up-to-date. The things for which you are grateful will change over time and that is as it should be, for you change as well.  
• Some days will be harder than others to feel gratitude; that's okay, just stick with it and keep looking for something to be grateful about.
• Surround yourself with people who are also grateful and who are inspiring. Their gratitude and excitement will rub off on you.

Thank you to all in the STM community for a wonderful School Athletics Carnival yesterday.  For the first time in many years we were blessed with perfect weather.  Congratulations to all children for their efforts and fine display of sports-personship.  Everyone tried their best and true St Thomas More spirit was shown.  Congratulations to all winners, particularly to those who broke many school records.  A huge thank you to the parent helpers and to all the STM staff for their efforts throughout the day which ensured a very successful day for everyone.  A special thanks to Mrs Augustine and Mrs Carran for their fine organisation and coordination of the day.  Congratulations to the 2023 winners -  the MacKillop (Gold) team.  

The final 2023 results are:

First = Mackillop Gold House
Second = Polding Blue House
Third = Chisholm Red House
Fourth = Marcellin Green House

2023 Champions
Junior Girls = Mia (Year 3)
Junior Boys = Lenny (Year 3)
Senior Girls = Narla (Year 6)
Senior Boys = Adrian (Year 6)

Semester 1 Parent / Teacher Interviews
During Week 10, Semester 1 parent/teacher interviews will be conducted.  You will soon be able to book through Compass a time with your child’s teacher for the interview.  All children in Years 1-6 are encouraged to attend the interview with their parents, making it a parent/child/teacher interview.  This provides an opportunity for an open conversation between parents, child and teacher in regards to the learning achievements and needs of the student.  We understand that all students may not be able to attend the interview for a variety of reasons, but their attendance is highly encouraged.  Semester 1 reports will be sent home on Friday 23rd June.  

Mufti Day for STM Fete
Students may wear mufti clothes to school on Friday 9th June and bring to school a donation for the STM Fete.  

Late Arrivals 
There is quite a large number of students in our school who are regularly late to school each day.  Parents and carers are reminded that school officially starts at 8.30am each morning.  It is understandable that on the odd occasion something may occur to prevent you from being at school on time, however a regular late arrival is very disruptive to the learning of all classes.  We aim to get the children into class as soon as possible each morning after the 8.30am bell has sounded so that learning may commence.  Thank you to the students and families who are always at school and on time to commence their learning each and every day, 5 days a week.  

Best wishes for the coming week,

Philip Barrington 
PRINCIPAL