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.

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.

On Sunday, 15 of our Year 6 students received the Sacrament of Confirmation in a very special Mass. Celebrated by Fr Tony Chiera and Fr Mat, the students were given the gifts of the Holy Spirit and they became fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Fr Tony specially congratulated these students for making this decision and standing up in the community announcing this commitment to others. We are certainly very proud of these students and pray that the Holy Spirit remains with them throughout their lives.

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Wylie back to school after his well-deserved System Leaders Renewal Leave in Italy and Croatia. We hope he enjoyed his time abroad and feels refreshed and inspired.

It was a pleasure to accompany some Year 5 and 6 students to Our Lady of Mercy College in Australind for a STEM Showcase.

The new semester has begun with great enthusiasm and energy from all classes, from our Three-Year-Olds to our Year Six students!