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Hello to all our family and friends of St Thomas the Apostle Primary school,
As we come to the end of term, we are encouraged to reflect on our current practices and acknowledge our areas of success and also elements that require further improvement to ensure we are providing the best learning opportunities for all of our students in an inclusive and safe environment.
Over the last few weeks the Peer Mentor Leadership team have been working on ways we can continue to engage in student voice and student agency particularly in relation to the playground.
Student voice, agency, and leadership play a crucial role in enhancing student outcomes and fostering student safety and well-being. It is highly recommended for schools to adopt measures that encourage student participation and collaboration, thereby empowering student voice, agency, and leadership. Here at St Thomas the Apostle, our Peer Mentor team have seen a need to action this and have been brainstorming ways they can capture the ideas and opinions of students.
Using the resource ‘Amplify’, we have explored practical examples and an evidence-based approach to establishing a learning environment that nurtures student voice, agency, and leadership. By utilising such resources, we can deepen our understanding of these essential elements that empower students here at St Thomas the Apostle.
With a focus on student agency, we are continuing to meet our Child Safety Standards. These are the compulsory minimum standards all Victorian schools need to meet to ensure we are well prepared to keep children and young people safe and protected from harm.
Child Safe Standard 3 requires schools to ensure children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously. This standard supports schools to create a culture that values and promotes student participation. This includes:
- informing students about their rights and responsibilities in an age-appropriate way
- recognising the importance of friendships and peer support
- enabling students to actively participate in creating a culture that is safe for them and their peers.
Below are some excerpts from the Peer Mentor team on their thoughts on Student Agency here at St Thomas:
Sanaa: It is important that we can share our school wide expectations so everyone know what to do and can be reminded.
Belinda: It is important for students to feel heard and appreciated.
Olivia: It’s a chance for students to come up with different strategies and ideas to support each other when things are worrying them eg. identifying a friendship seat when we lose our friends on the yard.
Emily: It is about giving opportunity to share the challenges and ways we can improve as a school around keeping everyone safe.
We will keep you updated as we continue to collect feedback from the students about what they need to be safe and empowered at school.
Have a lovely week.
Jen Gulavin.
Deputy Principal Inclusive Education.
When you take note of the theme of the Mass celebrated by the Ephesus Community this week, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking it’s a bit simple. The theme was ‘Love Everyone’. What a lovely theme, you might say? If you asked a young person in year 2, “who do you love?”, you’d expect the usual answers like, “I love my parents”, “I love my brother and sister”, and even, “I love my best friend” or “I love my dog”. But after exploring the scripture from the Mass and listening to Father Denis’ homily, I think the students would have an expanded view of what it means to love everyone.
Father Denis began the Mass by saying that this was Jesus’ greatest statement. It’s a huge thing to say, and yet it is still misunderstood and challenges us today. Jesus asked that we love everyone, and not just the people you prefer to be associated with or prefer to spend time with. He actually asked us to ‘love our enemies’ and treat people who harm us with kindness. Jesus loved the people who had committed unspeakable crimes. Jesus loved the people who were nailing him to the cross for crying out loud. He loved the most hated people of his time, the tax collectors. He really meant what he said, when he commanded us to “love everyone”!
But how do we do this? It’s our understanding of the word love, that sometimes gets in the way. The English language doesn’t help much either. In languages that were used to write the Gospels, or communicate with back in Jesus’ time, they had a different word for the different ways in which we love. It’s unfortunate, in many ways, that we use this one word for so many different meanings. We can love our spouse, we can love our children or we can love nature but in every case we use the word love in a different way. To gain an understanding of the way we use love, as in God’s love, we can learn from St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
If we take the very first sentence – ‘love is patient and love is kind’, Jesus is basically telling us that we are loving our enemies (let’s just call them our less-preferred people) if we remain kind and patient toward them. Let’s say we get cut off on the road when we’re driving. Jesus suggests that instead of getting angry and firing off with an obscenity, that we breathe (exercising patience) and smile (exercising kindness). This is much like the Suzuki Swift advertisement, where an extremely understanding man refrained from profanities when cut off, proclaiming that, “my lane is incredible isn’t it!”
Confirmation
14 July - Confirmation - Retreat 11am - 3.15pm
19 July - Confirmation - Reconciliation (for STAPS) After Mass
Communion
19 July First Communion - Parent Formation Night 6.45pm
26 July First Communion - Parent Formation Night 6.45pm
26 July Confirmation – Reconciliation (for STAPS After Mass)
29 July Confirmation – Confirmation Ceremony 11am & 2pm
08 August First Communion - Parent/Child Workshop 6.45pm
09 August First Communion - Parent/Child Workshop 6.45pm
06 September First Communion – Reconciliation (for STAPS) After Weekday Mass
07 September First Communion - Retreat 11am-3.15pm (all candidates)
09 September First Communion - Mass
10 September First Communion - Mass
16 September First Communion - Mass
17 September First Communion - Mass
INTERSCHOOL SPORTS DAY
at St Peter's West
It was Amazing at St Peters! Everyone in Grade 6 was heavily competing against 2 other schools: St Theresa’s and St Agatha’s. At 9:15 we boarded Simcocks bus and took a 20minute journey to St Peters west (not to be confused with St Peters east next to our school).
After a briefing, we all headed to our sports teams (mine was soccer) and had 5 minutes of warm up time before our matches. When the teams had played 5 or 6 matches, we made our way to the sports hall and (kind of) mingled with the other kids and happily socialised while we ate.
Soon things started to get intense!
St Theresa’s was putting up a good fight in soccer (the St Thomas soccer team were split into two). I was in team 2 and things were going ok until the semi-finals when we had a penalty shootout! Teams went nuts as we all kicked and defended but eventually my team (team 2) lost. But there still was hope, team 1 was still fighting and Adrian scored! By kicking real hard into the goal to win the penalty shootout/grand final just before lunch.
St Thomas had three teams that made it into the grand final, netball, soccer, and newcomb.
Soon after lunch we had an awards ceremony:
Winners
Netball: St Agatha’s
Soccer: St Thomas (yay!)
Touch rugby: St Agatha’s
Newcomb: St Theresa’s
After saying “GG” and “goodbye” to our new mates, we boarded the bus and had a “battle of the buses with bus 1” even though bus 1 won. Today was AMAZING!
By reporter: Jubei Trinh
OUR 2023 PARISH RENEWAL PROGRAM
Welcome to the final week of our Parish Renewal Program – the Parish Commitment Weekend.
Last week we considered our engagement in parish life. How our involvement in parish groups & ministries is central to building parish community – and central to actively living our faith through service to others. This week we turn our attention to parish finances.
WE ASK FOR YOUR MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THE PARISH
What is the current state of our Stewardship income?
- Stewardship remains the major source of parish income
- We have significant financial commitments (see below) and have identified we need to increase Stewardship income from $4,600 to a minimum of $6,000 per week
- This is a challenge – but can be achieved with the support of ALL parish families
What does my financial support pay for?
- Supporting the missionary focus of the parish
- Our pastoral care & outreach Programs
- Meeting the significant loan repayments on our beautiful new church, presbytery and parish land ∙ The operating costs of the parish – staff wages, insurance, utilities etc.
How much should I pledge?
∙ We are asking all parish families to make a meaningful pledge contribution to Stewardship.
Our parish records show the majority of pledges have not been changed in 4+ years – so now is the time to “review and renew” – making them most relevant to our parish circumstances in 2023. How do you use your discretionary income? Is parish support a priority for you? As a simple guide - a daily cup of coffee can cost $4 or $5. One per day can cost $30 per week or $130 per month. How many do you have? Isn’t your parish worth at least a daily cup of coffee?
∙ We unashamedly ask those with the greatest capacity to contribute the most – reserving special thanks for those on restricted incomes whose continued support is very much appreciated
How do I pledge?
∙ Use the Commitment form available in hard copy at all Masses this weekend – Sat 17 & Sun 18 June ∙ Use the Commitment form from your copy of the Program brochure – also on the parish website ∙ Return your completed pledge at Mass this weekend – or to the Parish Office no later than Wed 21 June
THOUGHTS FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Q: Why do you think it is important to support our parish financially through our Stewardship Program?
"Our parish would not exist without your strong and stable financial support. Your support is vital for funding our significant loan repayments, our parish mission & pastoral initiatives, as well as paying our professional parish staff and general operational expenses.”
“It is very simple. Supporting our parish financially helps create a lively parish and pays for all the opportunities and programs that nurture our faith community.”
POPE FRANCIS SAYS
“The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can
feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel."
