Dear Families,

Welcome to a brand-new school year at St Thomas More! We are delighted to welcome back our returning families and extend a special greeting to those joining our community for the first time in 2025. We look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and shared experiences.

As we settle into Term 1, here are a few key reminders to ensure a smooth and successful start:

Welcome to Our Staff

We warmly welcome our teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSOs) back for 2025. Our dedicated team is committed to providing a supportive and enriching learning environment for all students.

Leadership & Administration

Principal - David Hurn
Deputy Principal & Wellbeing Leader - Melanie Langtry
Learning & Teaching Leader - Sonia Mazzei
English Leader - Michelle Rinaldi
Religious Education Leader - Clara Privitera
Learning Diversity Leader - Rita Marcon
Digital Technologies Leader - Kate Mackintosh
Mathematics Leader - Vanessa Cutajar

Staff Coaching & Feedback - Adriana Bonacci
Literacy Support Teacher - Jessica Eyar
Maths Support Teacher - Laura Angiolino
Learning Diversity Support - Nari Kosta
Community Engagement - Lisa Salemme
Office Administrator - Mary Anastasopoulos
Bursar: Maree Gleeson

Classroom Teachers & LSOs

Prep Teachers: Sofica Aitken & Bianca Michienzi
LSOs: Antoinette Frazzetto, Luisa Di Lizio, Danielle Agius

Year 1 Teachers - Chloe Hand, Rebecca Russo & Stefanie Cuschieri
LSOs - Nadia Ferrante, Ange Vassalo

Year 2 Teachers - Rebecca Tong, Charlotte Elliot, Natalie Pennisi
LSOs - Tammy Leos, Carly Rider, Marissa Longo

Year 3 Teachers - Sarah Tarquinio & Christine Polizzi / Lydia Bevanda
LSOs - Jess Vaineri, Clare Denney, Maria Nicolaci, Danielle Agius

Year 4 Teachers - Natalie Pring, Deanna Pannucio, Michelle Crisara
LSOs - Antoinette Matarazzo, Teri Privatera, Isabella Colletti

Year 5 Teachers - Amy Godfrey & Talia Sita
LSOs - Melissa Galea, Belinda Surace, Anne Marie Rustom

Year 6 Teachers - Rita Mancini, Chloe Ciavarella & Courtney Gleeson (Term 1) Tarryn Cehner (From Term 2)
LSOs - Louise Naggiar, Sabrina DiQual, Daniela Attard

Specialist Teachers

Physical Education: Rocky Davidson
Music: Stefanie Cuschieri
Art: Annette Mantello
Language: Adriana Bonacci / Maria Vainieri
Drama: Carolina Ferguson
STEAM: Kate Mackintosh

Additional Staff

Library: Lou Eveston
Maintenance & Cleaning: Spiro Desira
Canteen: Rita Cardamone & Natalie Barrese
Gardener: Kim Ide

Sun Safety & Absences

With the warm weather continuing, a reminder that Term 1 is a SunSmart term. Students must wear a hat when outdoors during Terms 1 and 4. To further protect them from the sun, we encourage families to apply sunscreen before school and provide a small bottle for children to reapply as needed.

If your child will be absent, please ensure you notify the school by 9:00 am via our Absence Reporting Form . This helps us keep track of student attendance and wellbeing.

Before School Supervision

Staff supervision begins with school gates opening at 8:30 am, and students are expected to remain in their designated areas before school starts:

• Prep – Year 2: Junior Green

• Years 3 – 4: Senior Green

• Years 5 – 6: Senior Green

To ensure safety, ball games are not allowed before school. Classes begin promptly at 8:50 am, and any student arriving after 9:00 am must collect a late pass from the office.

Bike Safety

Riding to and from school is a fantastic way to stay active. We encourage students to do so, but it is essential that helmets are worn at all times. For safety reasons, students must walk their bikes once inside the school grounds.

Uniform
Wearing our school uniform with pride is a key part of our identity at STM, symbolising our shared values and commitment to our school community. We ask families to check that uniforms are worn correctly and that all items, including accessories, align with our guidelines. This also means that a combination of school and sports uniform is not permitted. Teachers will be supporting this by monitoring uniforms and ensuring consistency. As misplaced items can be common, please ensure your child’s uniform is clearly labelled.

This term children are expected to wear their hats during play and the 'No Hat No Play' rule. 

Parents are encouraged to apply and/or provide their child with sunscreen on days that require it. 

Hats that are frayed, or curled up or in poor condition will need to be replaced so please encourage your children to look after their hats. 

The following exceptions will be permitted:

Students are encouraged to wear black, school shoes with their uniform (not multi-coloured runners). Only completely black runners will be permitted.

Students should have a maroon, woollen jumper to wear with their summer and winter uniforms. The sports jacket is not to be worn as a replacement for this jumper but the spray jacket will be permitted.

ONLY Grade 6 students are permitted to wear their special Year 6 sports jacket (with student names on it) with their summer and winter uniforms. This is a privilege set aside for Grade 6 students in their graduating year.

School Advisory Council – Expressions of Interest 2025

As you may know, our school—like all Catholic Parish and Diocesan Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne—is now under the guidance of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). Every school is required to have a School Advisory Council, providing parents/guardians/carers with an opportunity to be actively involved in the life of the school.

The School Advisory Council will serve as an advisory body to support the Principal and Leadership team in their decision-making process. At STM, we strongly value the partnership between families and the school, recognising the positive impact this has on student learning and wellbeing.

I am currently seeking expressions of interest from parents/guardians/carers who would like to be part of this Council. Your advice and support will be invaluable in areas such as:

• Strategic direction of the school

• Religious Education program

• Curriculum development

• Enrolments and enrolment policy

• School resources and facilities

• School improvement planning

• Annual Report to the School Community

• Strengthening family partnerships

These are just some of the many ways in which the School Advisory Council can assist in shaping the future of our school. If you are interested in applying, please email me at dhurn@stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au outlining your skills that could assist the school in the above areas. 

Welcome Picnic 

You are invited to come and celebrate the beginning of the school year by attending the St Thomas More Welcome Picnic at Harmony Park in Coburg.

When: Thursday 20th February 2025

Where: Harmony Park 187-195 Gaffney St, Coburg VIC 3058

Time: 5.30pm- 6.30pm

School opening Mass 

All are welcome to attend our whole school beginning of year Mass at 10:00 on Thursday, February 20th.

Refurbished Classrooms almost complete. 

We are expecting for the remaining refreshed classrooms to be complete by February 18. This will mean that some classes that are located in temporary spaces will be able to move into these classrooms. We will provide an updated map to those families and students effected closer to the moving date. 

Parent Year Level Information Night

On Monday 10th February we will be holding a Parent Year Level information night. Two sessions are available to families: 4.30pm - 5.15pm or 5.15pm - 6.00pm. More information regarding this is located below.

David Hurn

Ciao a tutti!

Bentornati e Buon anno!

We are so excited to return to our new year with lots of fun italiano learning planned. Over the next three weeks, students will begin with a recap of last years' greetings and class commands. Please see the language below and see if you can try to integrate some in the home. 

Grazie e arrivederci

Adriana Bonacci and Maria Vainieri

Dear Families,
Welcome back to School! This week, all year levels began the year celebrating WOW Week – the Week of Wellbeing. The focus was on connecting,  building relationships, staying active and practicing mindfulness!  Rather than diving straight into the curriculum, staff took this time to truly get to know students.
Throughout the week (and continuing into next week), students across different year levels have enjoyed picnic lunches together and participated in a variety of exciting incursions. These included:

• Prep & Year 1: Dancing

• Year 2 & Year 3: Exploring the Zones of Regulation through movement

• Year 4: Athletics

• Year 5: Team-building incursion with Supreme Incursions

• Year 6: "Happy, Healthy Minds" incursion with Supreme Incursions

It has been a wonderful start to the year, filled with positive energy and meaningful connections. We look forward to the term ahead!

Kind Regards,
Melanie Langtry 

Scholastic Book Fair and Book Club 

Awards will be published in next fortnight's newsletter.