Week 4

Each newsletter, we'll feature a 'Meet the Teacher' section to share exciting information about our staff. To kick things off, we're delighted to formally introduce Mrs. Michelle Rinaldi

Important Dates - Events for Term 2

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TERM 2

MAY

Tuesday 13th - Book Fair begins after school
Tuesday 20th - Book Fair ends before school
Friday 23rd May - School Closure Day

JUNE

Monday 09th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday 10th June - School Closure Day

JULY

Friday 04th July - Last day term 2 - 12.00pm finish. Canteen Closed. Gold Coin Donation - Charity TBC

**'Public Events' are listed on our website under 'News and Events', the link being; https://www.stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au/news-events

On the bottom right hand side there is a blue box with a + symbol. If you have a google account, you can link the 'Public Events' calendar to your own personal Google calendar and keep up to date with the most current events and times.

Please don't hesitate to contact the office if you have any questions.

News from our Principal

Dear Families,

As we settle into Week 4 of Term 2, the colder months are certainly upon us. A reminder that all students should now be wearing their full winter uniform. Please make sure all items, particularly jackets and jumpers, are clearly labelled to help us return them if misplaced. We are seeing a growing number of lost items in our lost property area, so we ask that families encourage children to take responsibility for their belongings.

It’s been wonderful to see students proudly wearing our new STM beanies – they look fantastic and are perfect for keeping warm! Beanies are available for purchase at the office for $22.

We’ve also had a fantastic start to our Parent Helper Program in classrooms this week. A sincere thank you to all the parents who are generously giving their time to support learning – your presence makes a real difference.

I’m delighted to share that our end of Term 1 gold coin donation raised an impressive $482.15 for the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal. Thank you for your generosity in supporting this important cause.

Welcome to Michelle Rinaldi – Acting Deputy Principal
I’m pleased to share that Michelle Rinaldi will be stepping into the role of Acting Deputy Principal at St Thomas More. In addition to this role, Michelle will continue to support Jessica Eyar as Acting English Leader. Michelle is a valued member of our Leadership Team and a great support to me personally. Her commitment, professionalism and care for our school community are deeply appreciated.

Please feel free to contact either Michelle or myself if you require any support, we are here to help.

Australia’s Best Teacher – Nominate a Teacher from STM Who Inspires
At the heart of all MACS schools are the teachers who enable vibrant centres of learning and growth – forming the head, heart, hands and soul of our young people.

This is why we’re partnering once again with the Herald Sun on its Australia’s Best Teachers campaign – a wonderful initiative to recognise and celebrate exceptional educators across our school communities and the profound impact they have in inspiring growing minds to discover futures filled with purpose.

An expert judging panel will shortlist all nominations for entry into Australia’s Top 50 Best Teachers list, to be announced in June.

Nominations are now open to all MACS students, parents, staff and members of the school community.
To nominate a teacher who has made a difference in your child’s life, visit:
👉 https://www.australiasbestteacher.com.au/

Homework Policy
At STM, we are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our Homework Policy to ensure it best supports our students’ development. As part of this review, we are considering research on the effectiveness of homework at the primary level, including findings from John Hattie’s Visible Learning (2009), which suggests a more modest positive correlation between homework and academic achievement at this stage. Please see further details about the policy review included below.

Prep 2026
I have also continued meeting with families of our 2026 Prep students. It’s such a joy to begin these important connections, and I’m pleased to report that enrolment numbers for 2026 are very healthy. A reminder that Thomas Tales will continue this Friday in the library from 9:30am. We look forward to seeing many families there for a cosy morning of stories and connection.

Student-Free Day
Please note that Friday 23 May will be a Student-Free Day, as all staff will be engaged in important Professional Learning in preparation for our MACS School Review, scheduled for Term 3. This review, conducted every four years across all Catholic schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese, is a vital opportunity to reflect on our strengths, set future directions, and ensure we are delivering high-quality learning and teaching. Feedback will be gathered from staff, students, and families, and an external panel will help us assess our progress and identify future goals. We appreciate your support as we prepare for this significant process.

Cross Country
Finally, it’s been fantastic to see our students training hard for the upcoming Cross Country event, which will take place next Thursday, 22 May. We are very proud of their dedication and wish them all the very best on the day.

Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair is currently running in our school library!
Families can browse and purchase books from 8:30–8:50am and 3:20–3:40pm each day.

There’s a fantastic range of titles available for students from Prep to Year 6, and every sale helps our beautiful library grow, with funds going towards the purchase of new books for all to enjoy.

Warm regards,
David Hurn
Principal

Learning and Teaching

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Our school is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our school homework policy to ensure it effectively supports student development. This process includes a careful consideration of the effect size of homework at the primary level, where research suggests a more modest positive correlation with academic achievement (Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement).

Key aspects of this review include:

Review Focus: Examining the impact of homework on primary school students, considering the research on effect size.
Purpose: Recognising that the primary aim of homework in the primary school years is to cultivate essential study habits, such as responsibility and time management.
Teacher Involvement: Teachers are actively analysing current practices and student data to inform the review process.
Parent Partnership: School leadership is consulting with parent representatives on the School Advisory Council (SAC).
Interim Expectation: Daily reading remains a non-negotiable component of student learning. At the moment, students are expected to read daily for homework.
Classroom Connection: In the interim, Teachers may assign tasks directly related to classroom instruction.
Communication: We are committed to keeping parents informed throughout this process.
Collaboration: We are working collaboratively to develop a homework policy that best serves the needs of our students.

Please be assured that all input and research will be carefully considered as we move forward. We endeavour to have a finanlised, school wide Homework Policy in the coming terms.

Sonia Mazzei - Learning & Teaching Leader

Mathematics

Grade 3- Multiplication & Division

Our Grade 3 students have been enthusiastically engaging in a Multiplication and Division unit this term. They have been building their fluency with multiplication facts for 3, 4, 5, and 10, exploring a variety of helpful strategies to achieve automatic recall. The students have also been using the grid method to support them in multiplying 2 by 1 digit numbers. Have a look at some of the wonderful work completed by our Grade Three students.

Mathematics Family Game:
Calling all families!
Have a go at playing the following maths game.

Double or Half?

This is a game for two players.
You will need a dice (1-6 or 0-9), or you could use our interactive dice.
How to play:

Decide on a target number. This is the total that both players are trying to make.
Player 1 throws the dice. They can choose whether to double the number shown or halve the number shown.
Player 2 throws the dice. In the same way, they can choose whether to double the number shown or halve the number shown. Player 2 adds their number onto Player 1's number to make a running total.
Play continues like this with each player rolling the dice, halving or doubling the number, and adding the result onto the running total.
The winner is the player who reaches the agreed target exactly.

Discussion Questions:

Does each player always need to take a turn?
Does it matter if you go first or second?
Are there any particularly good numbers to choose as your target? Why or why not?
What are you thinking about in order to try to win the game?

Share your learning:

Share any discussion points after playing this game via email to vcutajar@stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au
Share any photos of your family playing this game

I encourage families to collaborate and enjoy the process of playing maths games together!

Languages

Ciao a tutti!

I studenti have just completed their first unit for the term, looking at how to express how they are feeling (Years 3-6) and recalling numbers to 10 and asking for classroom objects (preps). It is impressive to see how much they have grown in confidence over each unit. Keep practising at home. Next week, students will complete their mid cycle reflection to set some goals ahead of the next unit in a few weeks.

Grazie e arrivederci,

Maria Vainieri and Adriana Bonacci
TCL team

Community Engagement- STM

Thomas' Tales will return in Week 2 of Term 2, Friday 2nd May 2025 and run until Week 11 (Friday 4th July)

Thomas' Tales Italian Edition Special Event: Week 8 (Friday 13th June) Signora Bonacci will be joining Miss Lou for Italian Story Time.

Year 7 2027 Enrol Now.pdf

Awards

Prep SA

Matheus A - for using his knowledge of heart words and letter/sound correpondence to make excellent spelling attemptts in his writing

Zoe I - for segmenting and blending consonant vowel consonant words when reading

Prep BM

Aiden B - for being brave and asking for help instead of getting upset when he is unsure

Luke T - for using his part-part-whole knowledge to partition numbers to 10

1AM

Claire H - for trying her best while completing tasks and for her enthusiasm towards our concert next term.

Anthea G - for being a superstar at putting her hand up during whole class discussions.

1CH

Peter R - for his excellent work in his use of number ladders and number patterns this week! Your knowledge of number patterns is awesome! You are a superstar!!

Luna G - for sharing her ideas more often in whole class discussions and speaking loudly and with force when sharing her exclamation mark writing! Awesome work!

2RT

Isaac K - For starting Term 2 with a positive attitude toward his learning and sharing his valuable insights and understanding during classroom discussions.

Devika M - For consistently taking pride in the presentation of her work and ensuring completed learning tasks match the success criteria.

2NP

Manny E - For his wonderful effort when completing his adaptation of Alfie's Star. He showed some of his best work and execellently followed teacher instruction. Well done, Manny!!

Bianca M - For her wonderful contributions to class discussion. Bianca has showed how much she loves to share her insightful opinions in class. Keep it up :)

2CE

Xavier C - For his wonderful contributions to class discussion and for sharing his wonderful knowledge. Keep it up!

Jasmine H - For always taking pride in her writing and coming up with some very creative work, especially in her adaptation of Alfie's Star. Well done!

3PB

Jordan D - For your enthusiasm and confident participation in our Family Faith Night. It was wonderful to see you sing with pride.

Jaminah P - For your excellent engagement and participation during our Italian lessons. It has been wonderful to see your confidence grow and that you now volunteer to share your ideas and learning. Brava!

3ST

Harper V - For your positivity in every Mathematics lesson and your impressive knowledge of your 2's, 3's and 4's times tables. Keep up the good work!

Leah L - For your active contributions to all class discussions especially as we began our Matilda unit, sharing your ideas, thoughts and feelings. Keep up the good work!

4NK

John K - for making a great start to the term by taking responsibility for your learning and regularly contributing to class discussions. Well done!

Juliana LZ - for your consistent efforts and dedication during learning time and for bringing a positive attitude to the classroom each day. Amazing work Juliana!

4MC

Jett S - for working hard and confidently during Maths sessions, to practise multiplying by 2s, 5s and 10s.

Grace GK - for using amazing descriptive language when describing a setting, to create imagery in the readers mind. Superstar author!

4DP

Leon W - for continuosly trying in all academic tasks presented to you. You always try so hard! Keep being so resilient and persistent!

Sebastian N - for consistently displaying all of the school values. This not only is evident within your interactions in the classroom with your peers, but also when pursuing an academic task. Keep shining and pushing yourself to do amazing things!

5AG

Juliet W - for being a responsible and patient buddy during our Kindergarten visit. You made great connections with the kids!

Jamie V - for consistently showing all of the school values. You make excellent choices throughout the day and always try your best.

5TS

Angie T - for demonstrating more confidence during whole class discussions and making valuable contributions

Christian C - For displaying increased focus during learning time and for your thoughtful participation during classroom discussions. Keep it up, Christian!

6RB

Noah LM - for your focus and dedication towards your learning and for always giving things a go. Well done Noah!

Brandon M - for consisntently displaying a positive attitude towards learning and for your eager partiticipation during oour classroom discussions.

6CC

Jai R - for showing great dedication to his learning and actively contributing to a positive learning environment through his participation. Keep it up!

Emilia G - for showing exceptional care and kindness towards her Prep Buddy. Keep it up!

6EK

Sienna L - for working extremely hard in class and showing respect to her classmates by allowing them to work without interuption. Well done and Thank you

Lucas C - for demonstrating a resilient and positive attitude to his numeracy tasks. You have shown you are up for a challenge. Keep it up!

Art

Thomas S - for consistently demonstrating remarkable focus and for his creation of a truly amazing bubble art 'artwork'

Drama

Connor C - for beautifully expressing the message and inspiration behind his chosen theme in his ritual mask performance profile, and for his excellent contribution in Drama

Music

Daniel G - for consistently demonstrating the values of Respect and Resilience and enthusiastically participating in Music classes. Keep it up!

Physical Eduaction

Andre P - for consistently demonstrating the values of Respect and Responsibility and showing excellent throwing skills during PE activities

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