Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers, 

Hasn’t this term flown? It’s hard to believe that we will soon be starting term Four.  

Thank you to our amazing Parents and Friends Group for all their work planning, setting up and running the Father’s Day breakfast and children’s gifts. It was a lovely way to start the day and the inclusion of the “Football” zone outside was a lot of fun (Thank you Mrs Laverty!)

STAFFING UPDATE

We are in the process of organising our staffing for 2026. Mrs Maria Etheridge has advised that she will be taking up an exciting opportunity to teach a special education class in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory at the end of the year. We will thank her for her time at St Thomas at a special assembly at the end of the school year.

As a result of this we have a vacancy for  a STEM teacher. This STEM teaching position has been advertised on SEEK so please spread the word to anyone you might know who would be interested in joining the St Thomas team! 

SION BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE

I am sure there are a lot of wonderings about the newly announced building project so I have included some of the frequently asked questions that I have been asked.

What is the project timeline?

Restoration of the convent will commence in September 2025 with a planned completion of February 2027. The new building works are anticipated to start in October 2025.

When will St Thomas Primary School move?

The St Thomas’ Primary School relocation to the new Our Lady of Sion Catholic Primary School is planned for the beginning of first term 2027. Contingency plans will be in place should the project face unexpected delays.     

Why is St Thomas Catholic Primary School being re-named?

The Our Lady of Sion Convent has been a cherished landmark in Sale since 1893, symbolising faith and education. The new school will be named Our Lady of Sion Catholic Primary School to honour the Sisters of Sion’s contribution to Catholic education in the area, including their establishment of St Thomas Primary School 50 years ago. The school’s move to the site, in many ways, symbolises a return to its spiritual roots, celebrating our community’s history and honouring the legacy of the Sisters and St Thomas. 

What history will be retained of St Thomas Primary School?

Every effort will be made to honor and maintain a connection to our St Thomas’ history. Building this connection starts with a commitment for the new Foundation to Year 3 learning neighbourhood building to be known as the St Thomas’ Centre. 

In coming weeks and months we will be working with the school community to identify other opportunities to preserve and reflect the St Thomas’ history on the new school site.

What will happen to the St Thomas school old site?

Alongside the development of the former Convent site, the Cathedral Parish will begin a Parish Master Planning process. This will include the development of a Conservation Management Plan for the Cathedral and consider future uses of the current school site at Gutheridge Street.

The masterplan will support the parish’s mission and the Cathedral’s role as the Mother Church of the Diocese of Sale. It will help shape a clear vision for the parish communities, backed by sustainable infrastructure and financial resources, ensuring the precinct continues to serve as a base for service, mission, and faith formation. 

This planning aligns with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan Framework and the vision developed through the Diocesan Assembly of being more Christ-centred, synodal and mission-driven.

How will the school manage the transition to a new name?

The transition from St Thomas to Our Lady of Sion provides our community with an exciting opportunity to develop a new visual identity that honours our St Thomas’ history and recognises our new direction as Our Lady of Sion. 

As a school we will engage with the school and parish community to capture a wide range of views and perspectives to inform the design of this new visual identity which will include a new school logo and possible uniform changes.

When will new school uniforms be available?

Changes to the school uniforms will be developed as part of a community consultation to inform the design of our new visual identity. It is expected that new uniforms will be available when we move into our new school however it is important to note that a transition arrangement will be in place to allow families to continue to wear their St Thomas uniform until such time as it needs to be replaced.    

What will happen to St Thomas uniforms that families currently have?

Transition arrangements will be in place that allow families to continue to wear their St Thomas uniform until such time as it needs to be replaced.

 Will there be significant alteration to the convent building in the refurbishment process?

The convent building is recognised for its heritage significance which means there are strict planning controls that direct preservation and revitalisation of this much loved Sale landmark. While the heritage of the building will be preserved, some areas of the building will be adapted for re-use as a contemporary education facility. Experts completed a Heritage Impact Statement 

as part of the council approval process and it noted the project as a good heritage outcome that acknowledges the history and enhances the significance of the place.   

Will the whole site be in keeping with the convent i.e. will the new building be sympathetic to this?

A purpose built learning neighbourhood building - to be known as the St Thomas Centre - has been architecturally designed to be sympathetic to the heritage significance of the site.

Is ‘The Avenue’ to be retained?

The avenue is an iconic element of the Sion convent grounds which leads to the ‘Heart’ of the school. While age and disease has required work on some of the trees, the Avenue is to be retained and will provide a welcoming path for the parent/student as they enter the school. The Avenue is also the site of the “Sion Walk”. The Sion Walk will be a reflective journey along the Avenue evoking the charism of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion.

The St Thomas walk will also meander through the Avenue, reflecting the journey of the St Thomas school.

Will there be improved traffic management?

Experts developed a traffic impact assessment report as part of the planning process. The report included a local parking survey which found the road network had significant capacity to cater for increased school traffic.  

It is expected traffic management will be improved over the current St Thomas school sites; the new school site is bounded by four road frontages: Raglan, Codrington, Raymond and York streets. Each road frontage has unrestricted parking access, although York St is a busy highway and will most likely be used by visitors. 

How congested will the traffic be at pick-up and drop-off times. (The streets around Sion site can get very busy at peak times). 

Traffic engineers have undertaken an assessment and noted that there is significant parking capacity for the entire day - including pick up and drop off times. 

The report also noted the school has good access to public transport. Bus pick up and drop off will be on Raglan Street, reducing congestion at other collection points.

What sort of assembly/sporting facilities will be provided?

An outdoor active play space will be created with an undercover hard court space for all weather use. 

The beautiful convent chapel will be an inspirational and prayerful space for our students to gather. Additionally a school hall and gymnasium is planned as part of stage two building works.

Will the students have more or less play space?

A range of different age appropriate playground spaces and outdoor learning environments have been designed to foster creativity and innovation in our students. There will also be playing fields, covered hard courts and other passive play spaces.  

While the overall size of the site is smaller than the Gutheridge road site,  the new fit-for-purpose play spaces will be a significant improvement over existing facilities. 

HOW CAN I RECEIVE PROJECT UPDATES:

•       Regular updates can be found on the Diocese of Sale Catholic education Ltd (DOSCEL) website School Projects page at: https://www.ceosale.catholic.edu.au/news-and-events/our-lady-of-sion-convent-redevelopment-project

Jodie Ware