2025 Term 4 - Week 2 - Newsletter

A Prayer Grandparent's Day

From our Principal

Welcome to our first newsletter of our final term of the 2025 school year.  As we all know and can appreciate, Term 4 is fast paced and while plans and preparations are underway for our 2026 school year, our immediate focus is to finish the 2025 in a strong, focused and positive manner. 

Pilgrims of Hope – Saints of Italy Pilgrimage

Over the school holidays, I had the privilege of attending the Great Saints of Italy Pilgrimage with 16 other pilgrims, including Bishop Ken Howell and our Toowoomba Catholic Schools Executive Director, Dr Coughlan.

Every 25 years, the church proclaims a holy year and not only is Italy a land of charm and beauty, it is also a land made rich by its colourful history of saints.

From the bustling streets of Rome to the peaceful hills of Assisi, we walked in the footsteps of men and women who dedicated their lives to God and serving others.

One of the most moving moments of our pilgrimage was celebrating mass with Bishop Ken in a chapel with the tomb of St Francis in the Basilica of St Francis. In the stillness of this chapel, we reflected on St Francis message of peace, humility and love for all God’s creation.  His life reminds us that we don’t need wealth or power to make a difference – just a heart open to love and service.

In Rome, we explored beautiful churches and learned about saints like St Peter and St Paul, who bravely shared the Good News even when it was difficult.  Their courage encourages and reminds us to be brave in our own faith and to stand up for what is right.

The opportunity to walk through the 4 holy doors, only opened every 25 years during a jubilee year at 4 or Rome’s Basilicas – St Peter’s , St John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul was a pilgrimage highlight and something that I probably won’t experience again in my lifetime.

Another highlight for me in Rome, was definitely having the opportunity to gather in St Peter’s Square with 50 000 other people from all around the world to hear and see Pope Leo. The excitement and anticipation of seeing and hearing him was palpable.

The silence when Pope Leo addressed the crowd was truly moving and he gave us all a message of peace and hope and to look after humankind and to pray the rosary especially in these times of conflict and social unrest.

Through prayer, learning and moments of quiet reflection, this pilgrimage reminded us to grow not just in knowledge, but in spirit.  We all returned home with a deeper appreciation for our faith and a renewed desire to live out the values the saints have taught us:  kindness, compassion, forgiveness and joy.  These are a direct alignment with our values here at St Thomas More’s that we live through our daily interaction with one another.

I would like to extend a very big thank-you to Donna Barlow who so capably led the school in my absence at the end of last term and last week.

Photo 1 – chapel with the tomb of St Francis

Photo 2 – St Peter’s Square – Vatican City

Photo 3 – Holy Door at St John Lateran

Photo 4 – Pope Leo – St Peter’s Square

School Pick Up Reminders

I am yet to meet a school leadership team who would flag afternoon school pick up as their daily highlight.  On the contrary, this is often described as the most hectic and stressful time of the school day.  Our aim is to always dismiss our students in the safest and calmest way possible and in order for this occur, we must constantly remind our community of the expectations with regard to the afternoon pick up.

At St Thomas More’s, we are fortunate to have 2 designated collection points  - one off Ramsay Street and the other in South Street. It is essential that all students know their afternoon pick up arrangements – where and by whom as they can spot their car far quicker than staff. It is the expectation that if the child/ren you’re collecting from Ramsay Street are not at the gate to be collected, that you drive on and come around again.  It is backed up traffic that can’t move that causes the biggest traffic risk and  frustrated drivers than often make irrational decisions. We have to remember that members of the general public are trying to get from A to B also.

We are hoping to have some new council signage on our South Street pick up area so it can be signed as a drop off and pick up zone at designated times during the day. We require council permission in order to do this.

It is essential that our prep parents who park in the South Street zone to collect their child/ren in the afternoon are only parked temporarily.  If there is a need to talk to other parents or the teacher, we ask that you park elsewhere, so South Street can be an area to pull in, the teacher on duty will then have the child/ren ready to get in the car from the kerbside and then we ask the drivers to leave promptly.

From next year, we will have a visor name card to display as the car pulls in so we can locate your child/ren quickly to keep the traffic flowing freely.

Also a reminder that ideally are children are to be collected by 3.15 so staff can attend to their own professional and personal commitments.  TCKC is available for after school care for parents who are unable to collect their child/ren within this timeframe.

Grandparent’s Morning

We are very much looking forward to welcoming our grandparents on Wednesday morning to our liturgy in the Sportscentre at 8.40am followed by visiting our open classrooms

Until after the holidays……God Bless!

Louise Pfingst
Principal 

From our APMI

Celebrating Faith, Family, and Tradition at STM

October is traditionally known as the Month of the Rosary, a time when Catholics around the world are invited to reflect more deeply on the life of Jesus and Mary through this beautiful form of prayer. The Rosary is a powerful spiritual tool that helps us meditate on the mysteries of our faith, and in this month, we especially honour Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast day is celebrated on October 7th.

To mark this special time, our Year 5 and 6 students will be creating a Living Rosary on Thursday 16th October. This prayerful experience will be led by Father Brian and held on the bottom oval near the Sportscentre at 11:30am. We warmly invite parishioners and parents to join us in this moment of reflection and community. Please remember to bring a hat and water bottle.

We are also very excited to celebrate Grandparents’ Day on Wednesday 15th October. The day will begin with a Liturgy led by 3 Blue in the Sportscentre at 8:40am, honouring the love, wisdom, and presence of our grandparents in the lives of our students.

Following the Liturgy, grandparents staying for Open Classroom Visits will be asked to sign in at the tables in the Sportscentre. Their eldest STM grandchild will escort them to their classroom and then, if applicable, to their siblings’ classrooms.

At 10:15am, we invite grandparents to return to the Sportscentre for tea, coffee, and a treat. Grandchildren are welcome to join them and bring their lunch boxes. Grandparents are also welcome to bring a treat to share with their grandchild/ren if they wish. We anticipate students will head out to play around 10:30am. For grandparents visiting students in Years 3–6, the lift will be available for those who require it. Please allow extra time for parking, as it will be busy. A reminder that the zone outside the school on South Street is a 5-minute loading zone.

A massive thank you to all parents who contributed photos and videos for our Grandparents’ Day movie. Your support has helped us create a beautiful tribute that we know will be cherished by our community.

We look forward to sharing these special moments with you all.

God Bless

Donna Barlow 

Assistant Principal Mission & Identity

2025 School Priorities

At the commencement of every school year, the teaching staff gather to consider and develop priorities for the year. For 2025, the focus of our practices will centre on the following:

2025 Theme:

2025 School Goals:

Before School Supervision

Before school duty commences at 8:00am. Children who arrive at school after 8:00am are asked to pop their hat on and head up to the Top Oval for supervised play.

Process for Late Arrival, Early Departure and Collection Areas:

This is a valuable opportunity to remind families of the requirements pertaining to late arrival to school and early departure from school. Our aim is to safely account for all students while minimising disruption to teaching for the staff and learning for the students.

Late Arrival

• a student is considered to have arrived late any time after the 8.30am bell on a school day.
• all students arriving late must sign be signed in by a parent, family member or themselves. Children then transition to the classroom by themselves.

Early Departure

• a student is considered to have departed early any time before 2.55pm on a school day.
• Parent/Guardian to call, email or present to the School Administration Office to inform School Administration Staff their child/children will be departing early and offer the reason for the early departure.
• the School Administration Staff will contact and advise the Class Teacher of an early departure and request for the child/children to present to the School Administration Office at a prescribed time.
• Parent/Guardian to collect child from School Administration Office and sign child out.
• Parents/Guardians are not permitted to attend the classrooms and withdraw children directly.
• Parents/Guardians are not permitted to visit the classrooms between the hours of 8:30am and 2:55pm. This is to avoid disruption to teaching and learning. Should there be a need to visit a classroom or drop something off to a child/children, this can be arranged through the School Administration Office.

Collection Areas for Families (End of School Day)

As part of the afternoon end of school day collection of children, parents/guardians are always invited and encouraged to collect children within the confines of the school in places that do not disrupt teaching and learning.  In doing so, we respectfully ask families to wait in the following areas:

• Drop Off/Pick Up Area on South Street (outside the Prep collection area)
• The Quad Area (the collection of children in Years 1, 3 – 6)
• The seats outside of the Year 2 classrooms (Year 2 children).

Communication Protocols

St Thomas More’s Primary School recognises and respects the right of employees to disconnect from work and not respond to work-related electronic communications outside of designated hours. St Thomas More’s Primary School staff will reply to electronic communication within the hours of 8.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Where contact is made outside of this span of hours, employees will respond within two working days of the employee’s next designated working day considering weekends, leave, other non-working days, vacation periods and holidays.

Student Phones

Student mobile phones are to be signed in at the School Administration Office each morning and collected at the end of the school day.  Children are not permitted to text or make calls from phones or smart watches during the school day.

If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact any of our Student Protection Officers...

Katie Hargrave : katie.hargrave@twb.catholic.edu.au

Trish Wardle : patricia.wardle@twb.catholic.edu.au

Clare Wilson : clare.wilson@twb.catholic.edu.au

Jayne Farquharson : jayne.farquharson@twb.catholic.edu.au

Louise Pfingst : louise.pfingst@twb.catholic.edu.au

From the Sports Dept

Term 4 Swimming Lessons Prep – Year 2 

Below is the timetable of swimming lessons for Prep-Year 2. We will be using the Glennie Aquatic Centre for our school swimming lessons. Children will be bused to and from their lessons. 

Monday 13th October 

Tuesday 14th October  

Monday 20th October  

Tuesday 21st October   

11:15am-12:00pm Year 2 Classes 

12:00pm-12:45pm Year 1 Classes 

12:45pm-1:30pm Prep Classes  

Please ensure your child has their swimming costume, towel, and goggles for their lessons and anything else you feel they may require. The Glennie Aquatic Centre will provide swimming caps on your child’s first visit. Teachers will collect swimming caps at the end of each session and will be given back out at the beginning of each lesson. These different coloured swimming caps are vital to the smooth running of the lessons as the different colours will indicate which group your child is in for easy organisation. Children will get changed before and after their lesson at school. Please pack a pair of thongs/crocs/slide on shoes for travelling to and from the pool.   

Swimwear Guidelines: 

To ensure safety and comfort during the lessons, we request that all students adhere to the following swimwear guidelines: 

• Children should not wear rash shirts or oversized clothes. 

• If wearing leggings or full-body coverings for cultural reasons, they must be skin-tight. 

• No scuba masks are allowed (any goggles brought must not cover the nose). 

• We do not supply loan goggles, so if a child wishes to wear goggles, they must bring their own. 

If there is a problem with your child’s lessons, please speak to their class teacher and they will deal with the concern. Please do not contact the pool directly. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher. 

Interschool Sport 

Children in Years 5 & 6 will participate in Interschool Sport this term in weeks 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. The sports for Term 4 are boys touch and mixed volleyball.   

Boys are permitted to wear football/soccer boots if they have them for touch. 

Buses will depart school at 12:20am and return at approx. 2:15pm. Tuckshop will be available at second break (12pm) for those weeks, however the tuckshop would appreciate not ordering hot food for this break.  

Children are required to bring a hat, sunscreen, water and food.

Swimming Carnivals – Save the date 

Senior Swimming Carnival  

• Tuesday 2nd December  

• Glennie   

• 8yrs-13yrs  

Junior Swimming Carnival  

• Wednesday 3rd December TBC (still waiting on confirmation from TAS)  

• TAS 

• Prep-Year 2 

All Schools Touch  

We wish the following children in our mixed touch team the best of luck as they prepare to compete in the SWQ Primary All Schools Carnival and the QLD Primary All Schools Carnival over the next few weeks.  

Jonathan, Christian, Hamish, James, Ryan W, Tion, Elliemay, Ruby, Licynta, Addison, Millicent and Aaliyah.  

Stacey Hancock 

HPE Teacher 

From our Uniform Shop

P & F News

Join meeting using this link...  P N F Meeting - October 13 | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

Tuckshop News

Opening Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Order via Flexischools App.  If you need help to navigate the App or to adjust your order, please feel free to pop into the tuckshop and chat to Jemma or email jemma@archerscateringandevents.com.au 

Cut off of Online orders...
Order before 7am for Wednesday and Thursday orders.  For Friday orders, please order by 1pm Thursdays.

Tuckshop Email:  jemma@archerscateringandevents.com.au 

NEW Tuckshop Menu

REMINDER - IF YOU CHILD IS SICK, PLEASE CONTACT THE TUCKSHOP BEFORE 9AM TO POSTPONE YOUR ORDER!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Westridge Fruit and Vegetables for their continued support with the donation of fresh fruit every week for our students!

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