STM NEWS | Term 1, Week 1, 2026

What a hot start to the year we are experiencing. As temperatures continue to sit in the high 30s, please ensure your child comes to school with a refillable drink bottle. Chilled water is available throughout the day for refills. Students should not bring cordial or other sugary, energy, or sports drinks to school.

A reminder of our Hot Weather Policy: when the temperature exceeds 36 degrees, students will remain indoors for play breaks and Physical Education lessons. They will be supervised in classrooms by our teaching staff and co‑educators. All classrooms are equipped with refrigerated air conditioning to keep students comfortable throughout the day.

The safety of our students and community is one of our highest priorities. To support safe drop‑off and pick‑up, teachers are on duty at the front gate, assisting with safe use of the school crossing on Yorktown Road and the entry gate on Shillabeer Road. Families are asked to follow all road rules to ensure everyone’s safety.

In 2026, we will introduce an additional safety measure by closing the pedestrian access gate leading onto Yorketown Road. The gate will remain unlocked for families needing access to the office and can be opened using the ‘pool’ latch. As Yorktown Road is very busy, we ask families to ensure the gate is closed behind them when entering or leaving.

Morning gates open at 8.30am and close at 8.45am. Students arriving after this time must enter through the Front Office, collect a late pass, and be signed in by a parent or guardian (if available).

In the afternoon, gates open at 2.50pm. To minimise disruption to teaching and learning, families are asked not to be on site before this time. Staff are on duty from 3.00pm. Students not collected by 3.20pm will be taken to Out of School Hours Care, and families will incur the associated fee.

We also ask students and families not to enter the school grounds through the Front Office, as this is a small and busy space.

Our Family/Teacher Meet & Greet will look a little different this year. Families will have the opportunity to meet teachers during Week 3 on Wednesday 11 February. This evening is a wonderful chance to connect with your child’s 2026 teacher and learn more about the year ahead.

Good communication with families is very important to the successful running of our school.

To ensure the effectiveness of our messages to you, please take note of the following:

Email | St Thomas More School will continue to communicate with you primarily through email. From time to time, you will receive a “Broadcast Email” about upcoming events or other important information. As we roll out this new type of message, it is vital that we have your most up to date email address. If you have changed your email recently, please let the front office know.

Seesaw | Seesaw is used for classroom and teacher communication. To connect successfully to your child’s Seesaw account please access the instructions found on our website under Seesaw.

Qkr! | Qkr! is our payment platform. To successfully pay for canteen orders, uniform orders, excursion, and extra-curricular events please follow the instructions on our website under Qkr!

School Calendar | We encourage you to regularly check our School Calendar via our website.

Facebook | Our school Facebook page can be referred to for news and celebrations! Connect and follow facebook.com/StThomasMoreElizabethPark/

You will have received some information recently regarding the fruit fly outbreak in the Elizabeth area. St Thomas More is in what is called the ‘Red’ Zone. Please refer to this link for further information regarding the movement of fruit and the restrictions regarding ‘home grown’ fruit and vegetable. All shop bought fruit is not restricted.

Over the summer holidays, our landscaping and the final stage of our building works have progressed remarkably.

The transformation across the site is becoming more visible each day, and it has been wonderful to watch our long‑awaited playground begin to take shape. This new space is already adding a sense of vibrancy and anticipation to the school grounds. The front of the Hub, along with the new link connecting the Office, St Mary’s building, and the Village, is really coming together beautifully. These improvements will not only enhance the flow of our school environment but also create inviting, functional spaces for students, staff, and families. We are eagerly looking forward to opening these areas for use very soon.

Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm as we move closer to completing this exciting stage of our school’s development.

Welcome to 2026 – and what a hot start it has been!

It has been wonderful to see the children’s faces this week around the school catching up and enjoying the first few steps as new class communities. This year, I will continue to bring you updates on all things RE. I will be providing you with a Gospel focus each newsletter with a wondering question you might like to discuss at a family mealtime on in the car on the way home. I will also include updates regarding our ‘Be You’ theme for this year that our staff across both STM and SMM engaged in last week in preparation for our students starting this week.

Gospel summary for Parents and Families – Matthew 4:12–23
In this passage, Jesus begins His public ministry after hearing that John the Baptist has been arrested. He travels through Galilee, bringing light and hope to people living in fear and uncertainty. Jesus calls His first disciples—ordinary fishermen—and invites them to follow Him and share His mission. They leave everything behind and respond with trust, showing us that God often calls us during our everyday lives. Jesus then begins teaching, healing, and proclaiming the Good News, revealing God’s closeness to all people.

Wondering Question: I wonder how Jesus might be calling our family to bring light, hope, or kindness into the world this week?

“Be You” Theme

This year, our theme Be You invites us to celebrate the God‑given uniqueness of every student, family, and staff member. Scripture reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and that in Christ “there are many parts, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Even though our school community learns and works across two sites, we remain united as one family in Christ. Every act of learning, kindness, creativity, and service—whether big or small—helps our school community grow and flourish.

When each of us offers our gifts for the good of others, we live out Paul’s teaching that “the body does not consist of one part, but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:14). Be You calls us to a Christ‑centred sense of belonging: many hands, many gifts, one body, one purpose. This year, students will explore this theme in liturgies, activities, classroom learning, and special events. We encourage you to join us at home by celebrating your child’s God‑given gifts and praying for our community as we learn to be fully ourselves—together.

Throughout the year students will engage in this theme in various ways, theme days, liturgies, and learning in the classroom that is led by our wonderful staff. We encourage you to engage in this theme also at home and invite you to discuss the ‘Be You Family Conversation Question’ or pray the ‘Be You Prayer for Parents and Families’ for our community in our journey to become authentically ourselves as individuals and as a flourishing community.

Be You Family conversation question: How can each of us use our special gifts — big or small — to help our family, our school, or someone in our community feel cared for and included?

A Be You Prayer for Parents and Families

Loving God,
Thank you for creating our children with purpose, dignity, and unique gifts.
As they grow in Your love, help them to know they are wonderfully made
and that they have a special place in the Body of Christ.
Guide us as parents to nurture their strengths,
celebrate who they are,
and support them as they discover the gifts You’ve placed within them.
May our homes and our school community work together as many parts of one body—
united in love, compassion, and hope.
Amen.

Beginning of Year Staff Mass and Commissioning

As part of our week 0 preparations, we joined with staff members from St Mary Magdalene’s, Catherine McAuley, Compass Catholic Community and St Patrick’s Technical College to begin our year with a beautiful sense of unity and purpose as staff gathered for our Beginning of Year Mass and Commissioning. Coming together in prayer allowed us to pause, reflect, and ground ourselves in the mission that guides our work with students and families. During the commissioning, each staff member renewed their commitment to serve with compassion, respect, service, justice, hospitality and courage—values that shape the heart of our community. It was a meaningful way to begin the year, reminding us that our work is both a privilege and a shared calling.

Sacrament Program 2026

Please be aware that you can now enrol for the 2026 Elizabeth Catholic Parish Sacrament Program. The Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. If your child is 8 years of age (or older) and you would like them to be involved in the program for 2026, please contact Melissa Musolino or Edna Dumbrell at the Elizabeth Catholic Parish.

Elizabeth Catholic Parish

Please click on the link to access the parish bulletin to find out about events happening within the Elizabeth Catholic Parish (Bulletin – Elizabeth Catholic Parish)

Check out our school calendar for updates.

As we step into the 2026 school year, we are filled with a genuine sense of excitement and anticipation for all that lies ahead. Our community is already buzzing with energy, curiosity, and hope – signs of a year that promises to be both enriching and deeply rewarding for every student and family. Please never hesitate to come over for a chat – your presence, your questions, and your partnership are always welcome. Together, we will continue building a school where every child feels known, valued, and supported.

Thank you for the trust you place in us each day. We are all looking forward to the year ahead and to shaping our future together.

STM Leadership Team
Belinda Bennett, Vicki Rubino, Melissa Musolino, Michael Clifford, and Matt McGinty