St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School Ruse eNewsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week during our Ash Wednesday liturgies, we were reminded that Lent is a time for saying extra prayers. By praying for ourselves, each other and our world, it is a great way to prepare ourselves throughout Lent for the season of Easter. Currently in our local community, our state, our country and our world there are many people suffering and facing challenges: we can pray for the members of the St Thomas More School and Parish community who are sick and particularly those coping with Covid-19. We can pray for those in our state who have lost their homes and possessions during the recent floods. We pray for the people living in countries who are experiencing war, especially the people of Ukraine. We should always remember our fellow human beings in our prayers.

Thank you to all families for your cooperation and adaptability with the operation and non-operation of the school over the past few days. Last Monday night some of our buildings became flooded. The carpets and anything on the floor in the School Office and the Library were damaged by water. There were other rooms in our school also affected by the extreme weather. During these past few days workmen have been onsite moving furniture and fixing leaks so as to make the school environment safe again. The carpet in the Office building and Library are going to be replaced in the coming weeks.

During the next few days ten Rapid Antigen Tests will be sent home with each child for you to use when needed. Please remember that if your child tests positive, please notify the school and NSW Health and isolate for seven days. Close contacts must also isolate.

Recently our teachers made themselves available for the Meet and Greet interviews. Thank you to those who were able to participate in these Zoom meetings. If you missed the opportunity to speak with your child’s class teacher and would still like to do so please contact them directly or through the School Office to arrange a meeting. St Thomas More School works in partnership with parents for the learning and wellbeing of each student.

Enrolling now for 2023
The enrolment period for 2023 has opened. If you have a child who is to start Kindergarten in 2023, please collect an enrolment form from the School Office or access the electronic form on our school website. The enrolment period closes on Thursday 7th April and interviews will be conducted early in Term 2. Please spread the word about our great school.

NAPLAN 2022
Parents and Carers of Year 3 and Year 5 students are reminded of the following important dates for NAPLAN 2022.

Students will be involved in some practice tests between 21 March - 8 April. One of the main aims for the practice sessions is to test the school’s capacity with the technological demands during NAPLAN.
10 May: Year 3 Writing Test
10 - 11 May: Year 5 Writing Test
10 - 20 May: Reading Test / Conventions of Language Test / Numeracy Test

In the coming weeks Year 3 and Year 5 will be notified of the specific date for each of the tests.

World’s Greatest Shave and St Patrick’s Day - Thursday 17th March |
Next Thursday 17th March, all children are asked to wear casual ‘mufti’ clothes to school. The children might like to wear a splash of green in their mufti clothes in recognition of St Patrick’s Day. In wearing mufti clothes children are asked to make a donation to the World’s Greatest Shave. The school will collect the money and donate it to the Leukaemia Foundation. During the day, some staff members will shave their heads to raise funds for this great cause. Any parents wishing to donate directly to the Leukaemia Foundation and add to the tally from St Thomas More School please access the following link. We all know someone or have known someone affected by cancer. Every little bit supports research where we all hope for a cancer free future. #worldsgreatestshave

STM’s goal is actually $5000 Let's go STM!

http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/STM

Monday 21st March is Harmony Day
Harmony Day is when we celebrate and are thankful for our cultural diversity. We are lucky to live in a country with many cultures living and working together in harmony. The colour for Harmony Day is Orange. On Monday 21st March children are asked to wear a splash of orange to school as part of their uniform. For example, the children may like to wear orange socks, orange cap, orange hair ribbons or orange t-shirt as part of their uniform for the day. Please note that this is not a mufti day. No donation is required. Later in the year we aim to hold a “STM Harmony Day” full of activities and opportunities to celebrate our wonderful multicultural community.

Wash Hands

Social Distancing

Stay Safe

Philip Barrington

PRINCIPAL