Dear Parents and Carers,

This Sunday, 1st December is the beginning of a new liturgical Church year on the first Sunday of Advent.   Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas.  Advent means 'Coming'. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.  Many people across the world will begin to decorate their homes with lights and decorations; many will place a Christmas tree in a prominent and special spot.  These actions are a sign of preparing for the wonderful event called Christmas.

• The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolises Hope with the “Prophet’s Candle” reminding us that Jesus is coming.
  
  
• The 2nd Sunday of Advent symbolises Faith with the “Bethlehem Candle” reminding us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

• The 3rd Sunday of Advent symbolises Joy with the “Shepherd’s Candle” reminding us of the Joy the world experienced at the coming birth of Jesus.

• The 4th Sunday of Advent symbolises Peace with the “Angel’s Candle” reminding us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

Our ‘End of Year Whole School Movie Day’ at Events Cinemas Macarthur Square is being held on Friday 13th December.  The information and permission note regarding this event will be sent to you through Compass.  Please look out for this notification in the coming days.  All students are invited to this exciting event as a way of celebrating and acknowledging all of their hard work during the 2024 school year.

We will say goodbye at the end of the year to the following staff members who will not be returning to St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School in 2025:

• Mrs Joanne MacFetters who is retiring from Catholic education after 39 years of service.  
• Miss Maddy Pussell who has a classroom teaching position at St John the Evangelist Catholic Parish Primary School Campbelltown.
• Ms Lana Turner who has a School Support Officer position at St Justin’s Catholic Parish Primary School Oran Park.
• Miss Isabel Kassianou who has a classroom teaching position at Narellan Vale Public School.
• Mrs Emma Carran and Mrs Katherin Jeffs will return to St Thomas More School  as relieving classroom teachers.

In 2025 we welcome back Mr Jason Harrison back to our staff.  All 2025 staffing positions will be printed in a special newsletter for the year on Monday 16th December 2024.  Children will be introduced to their 2025 classroom teacher on ‘Promotions Morning’ on Monday 16th December.

Your child’s Semester 2 report will be sent to you via Compass on Friday 13th December 2024 (Week 9).  Should you wish to discuss your child’s report with the class teacher you will need to contact the School Office to arrange a time to meet with the teacher during Week 10.

St Thomas More End of Year Concert
Thursday 12th December 2024
7.00pm 
Mary Sheil Centre
St Patrick’s College Hall

The P&F will be selling a sausage sizzle from 5.00pm at STM
EFTPOS or cash - no preorders
There will be a raffle drawn on the concert night  (more details to come)

If your child is not returning to St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School Ruse in 2025, could you please notify the School Office as soon as possible.   There is a ‘School Leavers’ form that needs to be completed. 

Best wishes for the coming week,

Philip Barrington 
PRINCIPAL

VOLUNTEER/VISITOR SIGN IN SYSTEM

Important Update: New Visitor Management System for School Sign-Ins

** ACTION REQUIRED FOR ALL PARENTS WHO WORK AS A SCHOOL VOLUNTEER **

We are excited to announce the implementation of a new Visitor Management System designed to streamline and enhance the safety and efficiency of signing in all CEDoW schools. This system will change the way parents and visitors sign in, ensuring a smoother and more secure process.

Important Steps for All Parents:

1. Token for Onboarding Process: If you have previously provided the school with your Working With Children’s Check number you will receive an email with your token via email shortly. If you would like to start volunteering, please click on the link provided below to complete the new onboarding process.
   https://apps.dow.catholic.edu.au/vms/onboarding/new

1. Clearance for Volunteering: Once you have completed the onboarding process, you will receive clearance from the Child Protection team from the Catholic Education Office, allowing you to volunteer in our schools.
2. Quick Sign-In App: To make the sign-in process even simpler, we have introduced a quick sign-in app available for download from both the App Store and Google Play Store. This app will allow you to sign in quickly and efficiently whenever you visit the school.

• https://apps.dow.catholic.edu.au/quicksignin

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we transition to this new system. Our goal is to ensure the safety and security of all students, staff, and visitors. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Thank you for your continued support.

SCHOOL FEES

Our school relies heavily on the payment of school fee accounts. A reminder to any families who still have a balance remaining on their fee account to ensure all agreements and instalments are met before the end of year. Should you have a remaining balance which won't be finalised before the end of year please contact our school office for a confidential conversation to reach a payment agreement. Year 6 leavers may have their student iPad held at school should the fee account not be finalised due to non payment or agreements not met.

Thank you to the families who have met their fee commitment during the year and paid the year fees.

2025 fees will be billed during January 2025 and are due payable within 30 days or to be paid by instalments during the same school year.

The fees for 2025 are outlined in the below document:

Year 6 Student Reports

A reminder to our parents that they will only be able to access their Year 6 child’s reports until Friday 20th December 2024. After this date, you will no longer have access to your child's details at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School via Compass. Please ensure that you take the time to download any reports from Compass that you would like to keep a record of prior to this date.

2025 Calendar