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Our school is a place of faith and learning
Our school is a place of faith and learning
Dear Parents and Families,
Child Safety
Thank you for your co-operation as we settle back into our regular schedules at the end of the day. Gates open at 3.10pm for Foundation students, their siblings and Country bus students. All other students finish at 3.15pm. Visitors arriving in the morning are reminded to scan the QR code for contact tracing purposes. All visitors are reminded to social distance.
We do remind all families when using the “Kiss and Drop Off Zone“ to please check the road signage as to where it is appropriate to park in the morning and afternoon. When using the zone, there is a two minute window to stop, drop and go. There is provision for parking, but not within the “Drop Off Zone” during specific hours.
As we begin to settle back into familiar routines, we hope to open the school canteen for over the counter sales in Term Two. We will begin with one day a week to ensure we can maintain a roster for the term.
We will be calling for volunteers and currently, only those parents who have completed the Volunteer Induction session and who hold a current Working With Children Check will be able to assist in the canteen. We will work towards providing a Volunteer Induction Session for the families who may have missed out last year and for our new Foundation families in the very near future.
Prior to the Canteen opening, there will be a brief revision of responsibilities for those rostered for Term 2. A slip calling for canteen helpers will go out within the next fortnight.
The P&F is also keen to have a Hot Cross Bun Day prior to the end of term. Once details are confirmed, order forms will be sent home to families.
We thank families who have provided items for the Easter Egg Raffle. Donations can be placed in a container located at the Office foyer.
Food at School
We remind families that children are not to share food at school. We have a number of children with specific and severe allergies and need to be mindful of the risks of sharing food or children handling items after eating. We encourage all children to wash their hands before and after eating.
With this in mind, families are to contact their child’s classroom teacher if intending to bring food items into school for birthdays. Prior contact needs to be made with the school so that teachers can make appropriate arrangements for children with allergies within their class and relevant families can be notified of the food choice. This year, we ask that individually wrapped/packaged items are brought to school and given to teachers in the morning. These will be distributed at an appropriate time by the teacher.
Parent Access Module
Please know that we are moving to use PAM (Parent Access Module) as our main online communication platform for parents. Letters went home to families earlier in the term explaining how to register. If you have not already registered, we encourage you to do so promptly to ensure you have access to permission slips, daily messages and absentee notifications. Please contact the office if you require assistance. We would like all families to have set up their PAM account before Thursday, April 1st 2021 (the last day of term), as we will be using PAM for student reports.
ECSI: Enhancing Catholic Identity Survey.
Information went home this week, inviting families to participate in the Enhancing Cathoilc Identity Survey. You can access the survey online until April 1st, 2021.
Sacraments
We have a number of children receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we keep them in our prayers as they complete their final workshops and preparations. The Sacrament will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 23rd 2021 at the Sale Cathedral.
We remind parents who have enrolled their children to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation that the first parent workshop will be held next Tuesday, March 9th 2021 at either 4pm or 6pm at the cathedral. Please contact Jenny Fitzgerald at the Presbytery Office if you wish your child to receive this sacrament.
Holy Week
Children in Year Five are preparing to role play the Stations of the Cross in readiness for Holy Week which falls in the last week of Term One. Holy Week recalls the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, before His resurrection on Easter Sunday. All students will participate in this Holy Week liturgy service.
As we continue to prepare for Easter during this Lenten season, the children have been reminded to focus on using kind words instead of hurtful words when learning and playing with others.
2021 SCHOOL TERMS
TERM 1 Monday 1st February 2021 - Thursday 1st April
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Term 1 | Monday 8th March - Labour Day |
Friday 2nd April - Good Friday | |
Monday 5th April - Easter Monday |
SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS
Term 1 | |
TERM 2 - Monday 19th April - Friday 25th June
TERM 3 - Monday 12th July - Friday 17th September
TERM 4 - Monday 4th October - Thursday 17th December
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2021
BUSES
Monday 8th March Labour Day Holiday NO BUSES RUNNING
Thursday 1st April Last day of term 1 Buses leave at 2.20pm instead of 3.20pm
Monday 19th April First day of Term 2
Friday 11th June Student Free Day NO BUSES RUNNING
Monday 14th June Queens Birthday NO BUSES RUNNING
Friday 25th June Last day of term 2. Buses leave at 2.20pm instead of 3.20pm
Monday 12th July First Day of Term 3
Friday 17th September Last day of term 3. Buses leave at 2.20pm instead of 3.20pm
Monday 4th October First Day of Term 4
Tuesday 2nd November Melbourne Cup Day NO BUSES RUNNING
Foundation CB | Charlotte Cormack & Max Lock |
Foundation MP | Cleo Avery |
Grade 1JB | Lilly Bigham & Gus McLay |
Grade 1MI | Aria De Visser & Lyla Matheson |
Grade 2MB | Amelia Glover & Taj Schuback |
Grade 2MG | Lexi Avery & Poppy Fowler |
Grade 3AP | Ella Wheeler & Oliver Bateman |
Grade 3JW | Maddi Mizzi & Jaxon McCormick |
Grade 4BG | Mason Lucieer & Jack Jellis |
Grade 4KG | Akshay Panwar & Angelina Ryan |
Grade 5CG | Hamish Scott & Erin Clapton |
Grade 5MC | Milly O'Brien & Lachie Arnup |
Grade 6BL | Axl Jones & Chanelle Caruana |
Grade 6PB | Emily Evans |
Swimming
Congratulations to our team of swimmers who endured very cold and windy conditions at the Sale and District Swimming Carnival on Tuesday morning. You all did an amazing job representing St Thomas in and out of the pool. Thank you to our support crew of parents who came along to watch and to Alison Heffernan, Natasha Dihood and Christine Nikalojew for fulfilling our school duties on the day. This Tuesday we have a team of 22 students who will be competing at the SSV Wellington Division Swimming Carnival. Individuals and relay teams who finish 1st or 2nd will qualify for the Gippsland Regional Championships to be held on Thursday at the Sale Swimming Pool. Good luck to all of our swimmers.
New PAM (Parent Access Module) Roll Out - link and information
New PAM (Parent Access Module) Roll Out
PAM is an innovative parent-controlled electronic medical form for our school. It’s an electronic version of the paper-based forms we previously completed for excursions and camps. It provides parents with the opportunity to update medical information promptly and accurately while providing the school with instant access to the emergency information provided by you. We use the PAM app in the best interests of the children whilst also reducing the burden on parents to fill out the same information on multiple forms throughout the year.
Parents can use a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone to enter details including:
- Student absence - entered via ‘Parent Notified Absences’. This is our preferred method, as we are phasing out the Szap app
- Emergency contacts
- Medical contacts
- Medical checklist, including asthma, allergies, seizures, diabetes
- Notes and other care instructions from parents
- Parent teacher interviews
- Student reports
- More features will be introduced later in the year
St Thomas’ Primary School will initially also use PAM as a tool to send parents permission forms and notifications.
Please note that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their child’s medical and contact details are up to date and complete. In the event of an emergency the school staff will rely on the information provided via PAM.
We recommend that you add the PAM website to the home screen on your mobile device which will then display as an App. For instructions on how to do this and more, please access the PAM Parent Instruction Manual.
To access PAM, please click HERE and enter your login credentials to proceed to your account.
If you need your login credentials or a password reset, please contact our reception officers on 5144 1332 or reception@sttsale.catholic.edu.au.
St Thomas' Annual Easter Raffle 2021
We are happy to announce the annual Easter Raffle is back up and running for 2021. The P&F Committee kindly ask that donations be brought to the office by Friday 26th March 2021. Raffle tickets will go home with students next week. In past years we have had many prizes to be won.
We thank all families for there donations.
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
27/28 March, 2021
Sat Feb 27 5.30pm St Mary's Cathedral Bishop Gregory Bennet
Sun Feb 28 9.30am St Mary's Cathedral Fr Jithin Anto
9.30am St Rose of Lima – Rosedale Bishop Gregory Bennet
5.30pm St Mary's Cathedral Dean Peter A Bickley
SECOND WEEK OF LENT
Mon Mar 1 NO MASS
Tue Mar 2 9.30am St Mary's Cathedral – Sale Fr Jithin Anto
(Professional Standards Meeting)
3.15pm Royal Freemasons- Aged Care Dean Peter A Bickley
Weds Mar 3 CLERGY REFLECTION DAY – WARRAGUL
5.00pm Holy Hour – Mass followed by Rosary-
St Mary's Cathedral Fr Jithin Anto
Thu Mar 4 11.00am St Thomas' Class Mass Dean Peter A Bickley
5.00pm Serra Mass – Cathedral Fr Jithin Anto
Fri Mar 5 11.00am St Mary's Cathedral Fr Jithin Anto
(Followed by exposition – Reconciliation available )
Sat Mar 6 9.30am St Mary's Cathedral Dean Peter A Bickley
(Reconciliation available after Mass through to 10.30am )
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World Day Of Prayer : Vanuatu : - Theme Build a Strong Foundation
Host Church is : St Paul's Anglican Cathedral
Dean Sussanna Pain, warmly welcomes parishioners of all
Churches. The World Day of Prayer commences at 7.00pm.
There are a number of opportunites for the churches of Sale to
come together in shared prayer - this year 2021, these are
- World Day of Prayer : Friday March 5, 7.00pm- St Paul's.
- Ecumenical Service of Shadows ( St Mary's Cathedral,'21) Wednesday Mar 31, 7.00pm.(please save the date)
- Walk of the Cross : Good Friday from St Mary's Cathedral 10.30am April 2, visiting Uniting Church, Salvation Army and stopping at the Park across from St Paul's Anglican Cathedral
- Anzac Day each year – at the War Memorial
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Daer Parishioners
Please keep in your recognised space of reference at home this list for Lent and Easter
Lent and Easter Timetable
Let us not forget Holy Hour each Weds of Lent : 5-6pm Rosary – Expositon-personal prayer. Final Blessing - Cathedral
Mar 1 (Mon) 1.30pm Stations of the Cross - St Rose of Lima – Rosedale
Mar 5 (Fri) 6.00pm Stations of the Cross - St Mary's Cathedral
Mar 10 (Weds) 10.30am Stations of the Cross - St Patrick's Stratford
Mar 12 (Fri) 11.00am Mass with Anointing – Expositon- Reconciliation – Cathedral
Mar 23 ( Tue) 6.00pm 1st Reconciliation : Parishioners to join in - Cathedral
Mar 25 (Thur) 6.00pm 1st Reconciliation : Parishioner/Briag/Stratford- at St Patrick's
Mar 26 ( Fri) 6.00pm Stations of the Cross - Cathedral
Mar 31 ( Wed) 7.00pm Service of Shadows - Cathedral
Apr 1 7.30pm Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper - Cathedral
( Washing of Feet – Altar of Repose - (Stay with me-watch with me)
Good Friday
April 2 9.30am Stations of the Cross - Cathedral
9.30am Stations of the Cross - Rosedale
9.30am Stations of the Cross - Stratford
10.30am Ecumenical Walk of the Cross – From Cathedral- To St Paul's
3.00pm Celebration of the Passion of the Lord _ Cathedral
Holy Saturday
April 3 7.30pm The Easter Vigil - Blessing of Fire, Procession of Paschal Candle
EASTER SUNDAY TIMETABLE
April 4 9.30am Cathedral, Stratford, Rosedale
11.15am Seaspray
Be an eSafe kid: Being an upstander
A live Virtual Classroom webinar that explores how a small action (posting a photo) can cause harm.
It looks at the ways students can be upstanders and support their friends online.
By participating in this webinar students will:
- use a case study to explore how being an upstander can help a situation
- learn how to be upstanders
- recognise the harm that can be caused by cyberbullying.
Please note: We request that teachers register their classes for these webinars. Individual student registration will not be accepted, as connections to the online platform are limited. Schools can register for any open session hosted by eSafety or a session hosted by their school jurisdiction.
Open sessions available to all State, Catholic and Independent schools
Session time: (AEDT)
- Monday 15 March 2021 at 9.30 to 10.15 am
- Monday 15 March 2021 at 1.30 to 2.15 pm
- Wednesday 17 March 2021 at 9.30 to 10.15 am
- Thursday 18 March 2021 at 11.30 to 12.15 pm
- Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 9.30 to 10.15 am