STM NEWS | Term 1, Week 7, 2025

Regular school attendance is vital for children’s learning, well-being, and future success. Frequent absences disrupt cumulative learning and can impact educational outcomes.

Late arrival and early pickup’s also impact learning and we remind families of the importance of creating regular routines and habits to set them up for the future.

The Legal Requirement Under the Education and Children’s Services Act 2019, school attendance is mandatory for children aged 6 to 17. Parents are legally required to ensure their child attends school regularly. Failure to comply, without a ‘prescribed reason’ or approved exemption, may result in legal consequences for the parent.

Attendance Concerns Habitual non-attendance is defined as 5-9 absences per term, while chronic non-attendance is 10 or more. Parents must provide valid reasons for absences, late arrivals, or early departures. The school monitors attendance and uses data to identify trends and concerns.

School Practices

• Accurate attendance recording is crucial and reported to government and Catholic Education South Australia (CESA).
• Parents must notify the school of absences by 9:00 am. Unexplained absences are followed up promptly with an SMS, your response is vital.
• Persistent unapproved absences trigger a formal process, including family meetings and collaboration with social workers when necessary.

By ensuring regular attendance, families support their child’s learning, well-being, and legal obligations. The school is committed to working in partnership with families to address barriers and promote positive attendance habits.

Last week, our students participated in the Classroom Pulse Check-In survey.

This survey provides a quick and simple way for schools to check in with students about their experiences at school. It focuses on key areas such as learning, relationships, belonging, and well-being. By asking students a few questions each term, we can better understand how they are feeling and identify any social, emotional, or learning needs. Working proactively to support students and improve their overall school experience is essential for fostering effective learning.

Student responses are thoughtfully analysed, and if any concerns arise from the survey, the school will reach out to parents directly. This initiative reaffirms our commitment to ensuring every student feels valued, supported, and fully engaged in their learning journey.

At our school, respecting the privacy and safety of students is a top priority. To maintain a secure environment, we kindly ask parents and visitors to refrain from taking photos or videos of students during school activities or on school premises.

This guideline is in place to protect the privacy of all families and ensure the safety of every child. Some families may have personal, legal, or other reasons for not wanting their child photographed or recorded.

We deeply appreciate your support in fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive community for everyone.

We have been experiencing an increase in the number of students and families walking through our front office space during the mornings and afternoons. A gentle reminder to please use the gates on Yorktown Rd and Shillabeer Rd for entry to our school grounds before 8.45am for student drop off and from 2.45pm for student pick up. Entry to the front office is for families wishing to speak with our front office staff and for students arriving after 8.45am. We thank you for your support with this matter.

To ensure the safety of everyone and particularly during the peak times of before and after school where there are many students and families on school site, we ask that bikes and scooters are walked across school grounds.

Please remind your children about this very important safety requirement.

This week and next, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in NAPLAN assessments.

We understand that this can be a challenging time for some students, and we want to reassure our community that we are fully committed to their wellbeing during this period.

To set all students up for success, we’ve carefully planned strategies such as incorporating brain breaks and adjusting timetables. These measures are designed to help students stay focused and engaged without feeling overwhelmed.

Thank you for your continued support as we guide our students through this important milestone.

This week our year Reception to Year 2 classes participated in a swimming program at the Gawler Starplex Swimming Complex. Learning to swim is a very important life skill to have, particularly in Australia where swimming is part of our lifestyle. It’s vital that children learn water safety skills and have basic skills to enable them to be safe in water. This week the children enjoyed the experience of swimming lessons, and many have shown a growth in confidence. We would like to thank all our volunteers for your attendance and support of our students and staff. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated as it enables opportunities such as this to be provided for our students. A very big thank you also to Connie Carter, our lead teacher for this event, for her exceptional organisation and preparation ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone.

As a community we farewell Ms Alex Merit (front office) and wish her all the very best for her maternity leave. We look forward to meeting Alex’s little bundle of joy and sharing in this wonderful occasion. While we farewell Alex, we welcome Noleen Norton, Leanne Lazaridis and Mary Lazzarino to our Front Office team. Many of you have already met these wonderful ladies and we hope you will make them feel very welcome in our school community. This week we also welcomed Lydia Mogilin to our co-educator team. We trust that her experiences at St Thomas More are fruitful and rewarding.

Congratulations to our Student Leaders for 2025!

At St Thomas More School we know our Student Leaders will set an example for their peers and promote a positive and inclusive learning environment.

When students are given the opportunity to lead it has been shown that they learn valuable skills helping them in their academic and professional careers. As leaders they will learn to:

• work cooperatively with others
• solve problems
• make decisions
• build on their confidence
• develop pride in their ability
• develop their skills

We’re proud of our Student Leaders and know they will reach their potential this year.

The building project is progressing beautifully and remains right on track!

The steelwork and frame are now taking shape, giving us an exciting glimpse of the finished structure. It’s been amazing to watch the progress unfold. Meanwhile, the decking area outside our junior primary classrooms is nearly complete, and it won’t be long before our students can enjoy this fantastic new space. The addition of new toilet facilities is also a welcome upgrade that will benefit everyone. It’s an exciting time for our school community!

Stay tuned for more updates as they progress.

Throughout the school term we have the opportunity in our weekly classroom prayer to stop reflect and celebrate the patron Saints.

Saints provide us with a guide as to how to live out our faith. Students learn that Saints are people who love Jesus and share his love with others. This term we take time to think about St. Patrick and St. Joseph.

We celebrate the feast of St. Patrick on March 17. St Patrick was a faithful follower of Jesus. At an early age, St. Patrick chose to work in the service of God and to bring the message of God’s love to the people of Ireland.

We celebrate the feast of St Joseph on March 19. St Joseph was the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. According to the earliest Christian traditions, he was a carpenter. The Gospel of Matthew calls St Joseph, “a righteous man,” meaning he was an observant Jew who obeyed God’s law.

Harmony Day

As a school community, we come together to celebrate Harmony Day this year on Wednesday March 19. Created in 1999 to celebrate unity and diversity, Harmony Day was originally an Australian celebration but is now marked worldwide. Harmony Day is all about respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. The colour of Harmony Day is orange and the theme is EVERYONE BELONGS.

Click here to see more information about Harmony Day.

40 Days 40 Items

We are now in the season of Lent, which is a time for us to prepare ourselves for Easter. It is a time to stop and reflect. It’s a time to think about the people we are becoming and how we can make a difference to the people around us. It’s a time for us to pray, to do good deeds and to give to others in need. Lent is like a journey and as we journey through Lent, we want to focus on how we can make a difference to those around us.

At St Thomas More we are focusing on giving to others through the 40 days – 40 items challenge. Each day of Lent, we invite you to remove one item from your house that you no longer need and put this into a garbage bag. At the end of the forty days, place your bag in the St. Vincent de Paul bins in the STM School foyer and share the items with someone who can really use them.

If you would like to join us, you can collect a garbage bag from the front office.

Elizabeth Catholic Parish

Please click on the link below to access the parish bulletin to find out about events happening within the Elizabeth Catholic Parish.

Bulletin – Elizabeth Catholic Parish

Sacrament Program | Information Session

The Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. If your child is 7 years of age (or older) and would like to be involved in the program for 2025, we invite you to attend an information session on Friday April 4 at 6pm in St. Thomas More Church, 19 Laverstock Rd, Elizabeth North.

During this past week, our 3/4 KJ class group has been exploring the season of Lent and its deep significance in the Catholic calendar. They have learnt that Lent is a time for reflection, sacrifice, and growth in faith.

The children have shared thoughtful reflections about what Lent means to them, with many emphasising the importance of kindness and compassion. As part of our Lenten journey, the students have also made their own Lenten promises. Each child has chosen something meaningful to give up or do more of during this season.

We are so proud of the students for their thoughtful reflections and the positive changes they are making in their lives during this sacred season. We look forward to continuing this journey together as we prepare for Easter.

School Calendar and Key Events

Our school calendar can be accessed here. Please continue to refer to this calendar for all important dates including:

• Extra-Curricular Events and Carnivals
• Assembly’s and Masses
• Religious Feast Days
• Community Days and Events
• Pupil Free Days and Public Holidays
• Learning Conversations
• …and more!