Dear Members of the Community,

I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your wonderful contributions to our upcoming fete on Saturday, March 23rd. Your support and dedication have truly made a difference, and I am confident that this year's event will be a tremendous success.

Once again, thank you for your incredible contributions to our upcoming fete. Your support is invaluable, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it all unfold this Saturday.

Students in Years 3 and 5 commenced NAPLAN testing this week. Again, I would like to reiterate that NAPLAN should not cause students stress or angst. It is simply only one measure of assessment across the nation. If your child is absent for one of the test sittings, there will be an opportunity to catch up on Thursday or Friday this week.

This Thursday is Harmony Day.  The students and staff will celebrate the diversity of our community by acknowledging and listening to stories of ‘those who come from distant shores’ to make this multi-cultural Australia a special place to live.

During the Lenten season, the students at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School have been focusing on the values of empathy, compassion, and service. These values are at the core of the Lenten season, and the students have been actively participating in activities that promote these values. Through charity work, prayer sessions, and Lenten sacrifices, the students have been encouraged to understand and empathize with the needs of others, show compassion towards those who are less fortunate, and engage in acts of service to make a positive impact in their community. These values help foster a sense of gratitude, kindness, and selflessness among the students, aligning with the spirit of Lent and preparing them for the celebration of Easter.

As we move closer to Easter, I encourage all our students to continue practicing these values, not only during the season of Lent but throughout the year. Easter is a time to celebrate new life, hope, and resurrection. Let us remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us and renew our commitment to leading lives of service and love. 

Easter is a special time in our liturgical calendar, and we are looking forward to celebrating it as a school community. Please watch out for announcements regarding our scheduled activities.

May this Lenten season be a time of spiritual growth and renewal for everyone in our school community. Let us remember the real reason for the season and continue to keep the spirit of Easter alive in our hearts.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to St. Thomas Aquinas Primary School. Let us all look forward to a joyful and meaningful Easter celebration.

God bless

Tim Cleary
Principal

Archbishop Prowse with Father Tim Radcliffe

March Birthdays

Zeke F, Molly W-S, Levi W, Sofia A, Sebastian C, Darcy R, Isaac R, Mary G, Aseem H, Jayson T, Ava M, A Salhotra, Krystof M, Sophie W, Ellie H, Johnathan H, Layne M, Frances H, Cameron C, Amboz B, Zara B, Chelsea R, Ashlyn T, Kupakwashe M, Sofa A, Archie W, Maxine M 

Students are introduced to new Ngunnawal vocabulary weekly. Special thanks to Miss Evans for continuing our learning of our Ngunnawal Country.

Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s Cultural Diversity. It is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. On Thursday 21st March 2024, we encourage all students to dress in their cultural attire or the colour orange. Remember to be sun smart with no singlet tops and enclosed foot wear must be worn. 

Students are welcome to bring cultural items to share with their class. This could be food, photos, decorations etc. Please ensure any food treats are clearly labelled with ingredients and are nut free. 

Let's come together with our wider community to celebrate our diversity. 

ICAS will return to STA this year. We encourage you to consider entering your child in ICAS. This fantastic assessment program allows students to challenge themselves and be recognised for their academic efforts. The assessment is now fully online and sitting dates will commence in Term 3. Learn more by visiting icasassessments.com.

What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

To learn more about this year’s exciting ICAS competition, visit: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/)

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  

1. Read about ICAS subjects and prices here:  
2. Read the Privacy Collection Statement below.
3. Read the terms and conditions here: 
4. Go to the Parent Portal to sign up to chosen subject areas here:
5. Enter our school’s access code –TNQ609
6. Enter your child’s details, select the subject areas your child would like to participate in, then proceed to payment.  

Please note that the ICAS subject areas shown for selection are at the school’s discretion.   

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.  

ICAS results and certificates
All assessments will be conducted online, at school. We will notify you of the date(s) that we will run ICAS assessments, and when your child’s ICAS results are ready. Your child’s ICAS certificates will be delivered to school. Once we have received them, we will present them to your child to bring home. The back of the certificate will show your child’s ICAS results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”. - Use these to enter the Results Portal. 

Privacy Collection Statement  

The following information is a privacy notification about how your child’s data is kept private and secure.  

Janison is aware of our responsibility to protect the identity of, and all information relating to, children, and students in general, from disclosure and consequently Janison does not:  

• collect any personal information or data of children other than as required for the purposes of completion of the assessment, test or exam; 
• transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in Australia to any jurisdiction outside of Australia other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• transfer any personal information or data obtained during the delivery of assessments, tests or exams conducted in other international regions out of the child’s jurisdiction other than with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• share any personal information or data relating to children or students with any third parties (other than a third party whose services are necessary for servicing our products, g. print/distribution companies, medal engraving, etc.) except with the specific consent of the person, or his or her parent or guardian; 
• use any personal information or data relating to children or students for marketing purposes. 

Janison may retain personal information and data relevant to a child for their future purposes or for research purposes by Janison for the duration of the school life cycle of the child. However, if you or your child at any time wish to have their personal information or data removed from our systems, they or you may opt out by simply contacting our Privacy Officer at privacy@janison.com.  

We are proud to offer ICAS and look forward to some fantastic results later in the year. 

Please do not hesitate to contact your Classroom Teacher if you have any questions.  

Catholic school families are invited to enter a treasure hunt competition being run by Catholic Schools Guide. The winner will receive $2000 worth of school fees, and runners up will receive Roblox vouchers.

We invite you to share this with families.

Details: catholicschoolsguide.com.au/competition