Dear Families,

Thank you for a wonderful start to the year! We’ve had so many exciting events throughout the school, and your support always ensures their success. It has been fantastic to see so many families engaged in our school activities, and we truly appreciate your involvement in making STM a vibrant and welcoming community.

A friendly reminder that Friday, April 4, is the deadline for Prep 2026 enrolments. If you have a child eligible for Prep in 2026 and haven't yet completed the enrolment process, please ensure all necessary paperwork is submitted by this date. We have loved meeting prospective families during our enrolment tours, and we look forward to welcoming new students into our community next year.

As we wrap up the term, please note that school will conclude tomorrow at 12:00pm, and the canteen will be closed. We will also be supporting the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal with a gold coin donation via CDFPay. Students are welcome to wear casual clothes, and we encourage everyone to participate in this meaningful initiative. Your contributions will help make a difference in the lives of children in need, and we are grateful for your generosity.

To celebrate the season, we will be holding our Easter Parade tomorrow morning, beginning with a short liturgy at 9:15am. This is always a highlight for the students, and we look forward to seeing their creative Easter-themed outfits. Our Easter Raffle will also take place, and we wish everyone the best of luck! Thank you to our wonderful parents and staff who have helped organise these events, it is always special to bring our community together in celebration.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rebecca Russo, who will be starting her Leadership journey as Wellbeing Leader at St Christopher's Primary School in Airport West. Her dedication to the students at STM has been invaluable, and she will be greatly missed. We thank her for the positive impact she has had on our school community and wish her all the best in this exciting new role.

We also thank Courtney Gleeson for her contributions in Year 6TC during Term 1. She has been a wonderful support to the students, and we wish her all the best at her new school. In Term 2, we warmly welcome Ellen Kennedy, who will be taking over the class. We are excited to have Ellen join our team and look forward to the great work she will do with the students.

Throughout the term, we have continued to showcase our school to prospective families through our 2025 school tours, and we are grateful to all families who have attended our Learning Showcases. Your presence enriches the learning experience for our students, and we love sharing their progress and achievements with you. These opportunities allow our students to take pride in their learning and celebrate their hard work.

A big congratulations to our Year 6 Softball players, who competed in their Grand Final this morning. Representing STM in sports is a great achievement, and we are incredibly proud of their teamwork, effort, and dedication. We commend them for their hard work and for making it this far in the competition! It was a very close, competitive  game and the girls displayed great sportsmanship. They finished the game Runners Up with the score being 25-24. 

As technology continues to play a significant role in our children’s lives, it is essential that we work together to support safe and responsible online behaviour. With increased access to digital platforms, social media, and gaming, children can be exposed to various risks, including inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online interactions that may not always be safe.

We encourage all families to regularly monitor their child’s online activity, set appropriate boundaries, and have open conversations about respectful and responsible digital behaviour. Teaching children about online safety, privacy settings, and the importance of treating others with kindness in digital spaces is crucial in fostering a positive and secure online environment. If you need support or resources on online safety, we recommend visiting the eSafety Commissioner website (www.esafety.gov.au), which provides valuable information for parents and caregivers, or reach out to Kate Mackintosh our ICT Leader.

I would like to inform you that Friday, May 23 will be a student-free day as our staff will be engaged in important Professional Learning in preparation for our MACS School Review, which will take place in Term 3.

The MACS School Review is an essential process that occurs every four years for all Catholic schools under Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). It provides an opportunity to reflect on our school’s strengths, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for the future. The review includes feedback from students, staff, and families, as well as an external panel that evaluates our school’s teaching and learning practices, leadership, and overall school culture. On May 23, our staff will be working collaboratively to assess our progress, align our practices, and ensure we continue to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.

As we approach the end of the term, we encourage families to take some time to rest and enjoy the Easter break. It has been a busy and rewarding term, and we hope the holidays bring you joy, relaxation, and time spent with loved ones.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter!

David Hurn
Principal

Buongiorno!

What an amazing term 1 we have had learning italiano. We are excited to announce that we are joining Miss Lou in the Library next term to run Italian story time sessions with each class. Signora Bonacci can't wait to share her love of Italian storybooks from Italia! 

Grazie to all of those who completed our feedback form. We invite all grade 1-6 parents to please take 5 minutes to complete this reflection form. This information is not only invaluable to us, however, will be supporting the continued work of the MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools) Languages Team. We will use this information to inform our future direction for teaching and learning of Languages at St Thomas More.

We are already looking forward to returning after the break to expand our vocabulary and confidence speaking Italian. Please see below for next term's Italian vocabulary.

Adriana Bonacci and Maria Vainieri

Interactive Read Aloud

Year 5 students were on their feet and thinking critically during our recent Interactive Reading session! By partnering up and actively engaging with the text Frank's Red Hat, by Sean E Avery, students explored character motivations, predicted upcoming events, made inferences and formulated their own questions. 

Together we made conclusions about the author's message and overall text themes:

• • The story emphasises the importance of not giving up on your ideas and talents, even when faced with criticism or lack of appreciation.

  • Frank's determination to pursue his creative vision, despite the reactions of his fellow penguins, is a central theme.

  • The book encourages readers to embrace their unique qualities and to value those who are different.

  • It shows that sometimes the people that least expect to like something, may end up being the ones that like it the most.

  • The story shows how important it is to find the people who appreciate your unique talents.