Only 2 more sleeps until our Spring Fair Day! This Saturday from 10:00am-2:00pm, there will be lots of activities, food and fun to be had – so we hope to see every family coming along!

Rest assured, with Mr Wylie away on camp, our school is still in safe hands! The staff has activated ‘Operation Keep Calm and Carry On.’ We’ve even got a cardboard cutout mask of Mr. Wylie to supervise the undercover area in the morning! Don’t be surprised if you hear it reminding students to walk, not run! So, while he’s on Rottnest Island making friends with quokkas, know that everything here is under control… mostly!

Tomorrow, the school will join together with the parish community to celebrate All Saints Day – a traditional holy day of obligation. Whilst it is no longer celebrated as a holy day of obligation in Australia, we feel, as a Catholic school community, it is important to still teach our students about the saints and celebrate the life and example they gave to us. St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first saint, who is connected to our school through the involvement of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart is a great example of how we remember to ‘never see a need without doing something about it.’ I am sure the Year 6 class, who will lead us in this Mass tomorrow will do an amazing job.

Tomorrow we celebrate World Teacher’s Day – a day to recognise the hard work, commitment and love our teachers demonstrate to improving education outcomes for each of our students. As a Principal, I am very blessed to have a staff who are dedicated, caring and really great people to work with…which makes our school such a wonderful place to be. I would like to thank each and every staff member who works at St Thomas More for the way they work so hard to make a positive difference in the lives of every child here. Great job! Thank you too, to the P&F for organising an amazing Morning Tea for the staff to enjoy tomorrow…I know they are very excited!

It was so wonderful to see the children dressing up as their favourite book character yesterday, to celebrate Book Week. I was super impressed with how many students (and teachers) got involved with this. A huge thank you to the parents for supporting your children with this. With the theme of ‘Reading is Magic, it is a good reminder for us of the importance of reading and using our imagination. Our Book Fair was a great success, and I thank both parents and students in supporting this. The sale of these books helps the school to purchase new books for our library.

A very warm welcome back to all our students and families for our last term of the year. As I visit each of the classrooms, I can already see the students engaging in their learning and getting ready for the end of the year. As always, this term will be an incredibly busy and industrious time of the year for staff, students, our P&F and School Advisory Council.

With the holidays just around the corner, I hope everyone takes the chance to rest and recharge, knowing that the time we give to ourselves helps us bring our best energy to those around us.

Thank you to all those parents and family members who came along to our Learning Journey afternoon. It was wonderful to see so much engagement between the children and their parents, explaining the learning that has been taking place over the term. We feel it is a great opportunity for parents to see their child’s work and for the children to really begin to take responsibility for their learning. I appreciate the work the teachers put into their rooms to ensure the children’s work was displayed so creatively.

Thank you to all the parents who came along to our Colour Run last Friday afternoon and stayed for the Sundowner after school. It was a great afternoon, with the P&F doing an amazing job not only organising the Colour run, but also the food and raffle after this event. The Pulled Pork and Beef and gravy rolls were delicious!! It was wonderful to see so many parents stay afterwards for the Sundowner and congratulations to those who won the raffle hampers. A special thank you to Rowena Metcalf and her amazing team of P&F parents for all their work behind the scenes. You are all a Godsend! Thanks too, to the mums and dads who helped out on the day, sorting the dye, cooking the food, throwing the dye and running with their kids. This was truly a fantastic community event! I hope all dads, grandads, uncles and significant men in the lives of children had a great day on Sunday.

This term, our focus has been on the school value of respect. Students have been encouraged to strengthen their relationships, both in the classroom and on the playground. Throughout life, we are regularly reminded of areas where we can grow, and this term has provided opportunities for students to reflect on their behaviour with others. We have seen growth as they work towards fostering more positive, respectful relationships. These experiences are valuable lessons that will help them navigate challenges and build stronger connections throughout their lives. Thank you for your continued support in reinforcing these important values at home.