Term 4 Week 5 St Thomas' Newsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Girai Wurrung people of the land on which we live and learn. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respects to elders, past, present and emerging.

Prayer

From the Principal

Today the staff completed their CPR update which they do annually along with some other compliance measures such as anaphylaxis briefing and asthma training. 

We look forward to Mission Day this Friday. We will hold all the stalls and activities on the basketball court. As always we invite parents, grandparents and any members of our school community who would like to come and join in the fun. Students can wear casual clothes on this day.

Finally, we appreciate your patience with the PAM platform being down. It is still not operating. There is an update below which outlines when it might come back online.  

Enjoy the remainder of the week 

Matt Uzkuraitis             

News

ASSEMBLY: We won't have an assembly this week due to Mission Day on Friday. 

CANTEEN: Grade 3S to attend our weekly Wednesday Mass. It will start at 10:30am. We invite any parents or parishioners to attend.

Job Advertisement

We currently have a Job Advertisement out for a Learning Support Officer for the 2026 school year. Please find a link below to the ad. Please forward this on to anyone who maybe interested. It closes this Wednesday.

Wannon Water Competition

Congratulations to Ruby Fidge, Harriet Conheady and Kira O'Keeffe who were all winners in the Wannon Water National Water Week poster competition. 

Congratulations to these students and all who participated in the competition. 

Mission Day - Friday 7th November

Friday 7th November 2025

Mission Day will be on Friday 7th November. We will have a Mass at the Church at 10:30am. This will be then followed by the Mission Day stalls/activities from 11:30 - 1pm at St Thomas'. This will take place on the school Basketball Court.

Background

Mission Day has long been a tradition at St Thomas’. October is known as Mission Month. When we talk about Mission we are talking about the work the many missionaries do around the world with people that are less fortunate than us. At St Thomas’ we acknowledge Mission Month through our Mission Day. All money raised in our Mission Day activities will go to Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission is the international mission agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, Catholic Mission forms Australians for mission and raises funds for mission—in Australia and around the world. Catholic Mission operates in over 160 countries to support initiatives in 1,100 dioceses, including remote Australia. Grassroots needs are identified by local Catholics, to give people the opportunity for a full, enriched life—physically and spiritually—regardless of race, stigma, religion or gender. Mission in action happens right now and for generations, to help people immediately, longer term and eternally. We engage in mission when we proclaim our faith through our words, actions and lives. 

What Happens On Mission Day at St Thomas’

On Mission Day at St Thomas’ we start by having a Mass or Liturgy to reflect and acknowledge the importance of the work we are doing and more importantly why we are doing it. 

This is then followed by stalls, games and activities which the students run (with the help of some of our parents). We invite all members of the community whether it be parents, grandparents, parishioners and other members of the community. 

For students in the Junior Area (Prep to Grade 2), they are asked to bring in items such as lollie bags, toffees, toffee apples, iced biscuits, chocolate crackles, cakes & slices etc. These would be packaged up ready to sell on the day for small amounts such as 50c or a $1. We also ask that some parents from P-2 help with manning these stalls. These are only suggested items - you can be as creative as you like.

For students in Grade 3&4, they have been in charge of activities such as face painting, fancy hairstyles, finger nail painting, stalls, activities, 2nd hand stall, guessing games, coin in can, lollies in jar etc.. The students would run these activities and charge a small amount for people to participate. If it was a game of some kind the students would provide a small prize such as a lollie that they would give away.

For students in Grade 5/6 it is very similar to the Grade 3/4 ‘s where they would run stalls, games and activities. 

Other items to note:

-There is also a BBQ that will be run by members of the P&F on the day as well. 

- The students are also allowed to wear casual clothes for the day.  

- Coins are the key for the day so it is important that you have some loose change whilst attending on the day. 

- We also encourage parents to speak with your class teacher or contact the school if you have any questions regarding the day. 

Classroom Awards

SIMON - PAM platform update

Hi families, this is the latest update regarding PAM

Subject: Update on SIMON Service –Parent Access Module (PAM) Offline (Term 4 Week 5)

On Friday 24 October, the SIMON service, including access to the Parent Access Module (PAM) and SIMON Everywhere mobile application were taken offline after some unusual login attempts were detected. This involved the unauthorised use of student and staff user credentials to create fake accounts.

Staff have been able to access SIMON whilst logged in at school, however we will be keeping the Parent Access Module (PAM) offline until further notice - potentially until next Monday 10th November. This precaution is being taken to ensure the safety and security of all users while we work to further understand this unusual activity and resolve the situation.

If you need to log a student absence during this period, update important medical information or provide consent for an excursion, please contact us directly via admin@stterang.catholic.edu.au or 5592 1925 or email your classroom teacher.

We understand this may cause some inconvenience and appreciate your patience and support as we work to restore full service.

SWPBS - Uniform Blitz

TERM 4 - Important Dates

TERM 4 DATES

NOVEMBER

Monday 3rd November - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Tuesday 4th November - MELB CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Thursday 6th November - P-2 Swimming lessons

Friday 7th November - Mission Day 

Monday 10th November - P-2 Swimming lessons

DECEMBER

Wednesday 3rd December - Yr 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner

Tuesday 9th December - Statewide Transition Day

Wednesday 10th December - Xmas Concert

Friday 12th December - Yr 6 Final Assembly 

Monday 15th December - Yr 6 Fun Day 

Wednesday 17th December - Last Day of Classes for students

Thursday 18th December - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Friday 19th December - Last Day for staff 

Birthdays

We say happy birthday to the following students who celebrate a birthday this week. We hope you have a terrific birthday.

Arlo Black

Cassidy Meade

Lexie Williams

Georgie Mellington

School TV

Sibling Relationships

Sibling relationships play a powerful role in shaping a child's social and emotional development. For parents and caregivers, understanding the dynamics between siblings is key to promoting harmony at home and fostering resilience. These relationships can be a source of lifelong friendship and support, but they can also be marked by rivalry and conflict if not guided positively. Encouraging young people to value each other's differences, communicate openly and resolve disputes respectfully, helps build strong sibling bonds. By creating a nurturing environment that avoids comparisons and recognises individual strengths, adults can help siblings grow into compassionate, cooperative and emotionally intelligent individuals.

Find out more on the link below:

Community Events

Child Safety Officer