Term 4 Week 4 St Thomas' Newsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Girai Wurrung people of the land on which we live and learn. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respects to elders, past, present and emerging.

Prayer - Mission Month

From the Principal

Another busy week ahead with our P-2 students starting their swimming lessons this week. These lessons are run by the trained instructors at the Splash Factory.

This week also leads us into the Melbourne Cup long weekend. The staff will complete their annual CPR update along with other compliance related tasks on Monday 3rd November (School Closure). This break will come at a good time for some in order to recharge for the second half of this term.  

We will have Grade 3S share at assembly this week, last weeks assembly was cancelled due to a funeral. We will have assembly at 2:30pm. This will allow students to walk back to class after assembly and not be rushed.  

Enjoy the remainder of the week 

Matt Uzkuraitis             

News

ASSEMBLY: We will have assembly this week. Grade 3S will be sharing. Please note that assembly will take place at the church on Friday at 2:30pm. Please note the change of time. 

CANTEEN: Our school canteen is up and running. The prices are as follows:

Fruit Boxes: $1

Quelch: 70 cents

LINDA AWAY: Linda Kenna is away at the moment and will return on the 7th November. Please make sure you send any administrative queries to admin@stterang.catholic.edu.au  

Super 8's Cricket

Unfortunately the Super 8's cricket was cancelled today due to the state of the oval at the cricket ground. The organisers will try and reschedule if possible.

Job Advertisement

We currently have a Job Advertisement out for a Learning Support Officer for the 2026 school year. Please find a link below to the ad. Please forward this on to anyone who maybe interested. 

Mission Day - Friday 7th November

Friday 7th November 2025

Mission Day will be on Friday 7th November. We will have a Mass at the Church at 10:30am. This will be then followed by the Mission Day stalls/activities from 11:30 - 1pm at St Thomas'. 

Background

Mission Day has long been a tradition at St Thomas’. October is known as Mission Month. When we talk about Mission we are talking about the work the many missionaries do around the world with people that are less fortunate than us. At St Thomas’ we acknowledge Mission Month through our Mission Day. All money raised in our Mission Day activities will go to Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission is the international mission agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, Catholic Mission forms Australians for mission and raises funds for mission—in Australia and around the world. Catholic Mission operates in over 160 countries to support initiatives in 1,100 dioceses, including remote Australia. Grassroots needs are identified by local Catholics, to give people the opportunity for a full, enriched life—physically and spiritually—regardless of race, stigma, religion or gender. Mission in action happens right now and for generations, to help people immediately, longer term and eternally. We engage in mission when we proclaim our faith through our words, actions and lives. 

What Happens On Mission Day at St Thomas’

On Mission Day at St Thomas’ we start by having a Mass or Liturgy to reflect and acknowledge the importance of the work we are doing and more importantly why we are doing it. 

This is then followed by stalls, games and activities which the students run (with the help of some of our parents). We invite all members of the community whether it be parents, grandparents, parishioners and other members of the community. 

For students in the Junior Area (Prep to Grade 2), they are asked to bring in items such as lollie bags, toffees, toffee apples, iced biscuits, chocolate crackles, cakes & slices etc. These would be packaged up ready to sell on the day for small amounts such as 50c or a $1. We also ask that some parents from P-2 help with manning these stalls. These are only suggested items - you can be as creative as you like.

For students in Grade 3&4, they have been in charge of activities such as face painting, fancy hairstyles, finger nail painting, stalls, activities, 2nd hand stall, guessing games, coin in can, lollies in jar etc.. The students would run these activities and charge a small amount for people to participate. If it was a game of some kind the students would provide a small prize such as a lollie that they would give away.

For students in Grade 5/6 it is very similar to the Grade 3/4 ‘s where they would run stalls, games and activities. 

Other items to note:

-There is also a BBQ that will be run by members of the P&F on the day as well. 

- The students are also allowed to wear casual clothes for the day.  

- Coins are the key for the day so it is important that you have some loose change whilst attending on the day. 

- We also encourage parents to speak with your class teacher or contact the school if you have any questions regarding the day. 

SIMON - PAM platform update

Hi families, this was a letter I sent out this morning regarding the PAM platform being offline. We will keep you up to date with any further updates.

Subject: Update on SIMON Service –Parent Access Module (PAM) Offline

Dear Parents and Carers,

On Friday 24 October, the SIMON service, including access to the Parent Access Module (PAM) and SIMON Everywhere mobile application were taken offline after some unusual login attempts were detected. This involved the unauthorised use of student and staff user credentials to create fake accounts.

St Thomas’ and SIMONSchools take cyber security very seriously. External experts have been engaged to help ensure we take all appropriate action in response to this activity.

From our investigation to date, we do not have any evidence to suggest that any user information held on the platform has been affected, or that any other systems are involved. Should this position change, we will notify relevant parties as required.

Staff will be able to access SIMON whilst logged in at school, however we will be keeping the Parent Access Module (PAM) offline until further notice. This precaution is being taken to ensure the safety and security of all users while we work to further understand this unusual activity and resolve the situation.

As mentioned earlier this morning, if you need to log a student absence during this period, update important medical information or provide consent for an excursion, please contact us directly via admin@stterang.catholic.edu.au or 5592 1925 or email your classroom teacher.

We understand this may cause some inconvenience and appreciate your patience and support as we work to restore full service.

We will be in touch with a further update regarding access to PAM as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Kind regards,
Matthew Uzkuraitis

SWPBS - Uniform Blitz

This term, our school will be taking a proactive approach to the way students wear their school uniform. We believe that wearing the uniform with pride helps to build a strong sense of belonging, equality, and respect within our school community.

Throughout the term, teachers and staff will be reminding students of the expectations around correct and consistent wearing of the school uniform. This includes ensuring that all uniform items meet the school’s dress code, are in good condition, and are worn appropriately each day. This will become part of our School Wide Positive Behaviour (SWPBS) Blitz that we will have. 

We ask for your support in helping your child to meet these expectations. Together, we can ensure that our students take pride in representing our school and uphold the high standards that make our community special.

We have attached the outline of the expectations of what can be worn. As we have a transeasonal approach to our uniform, the summer or winter uniform can be worn on any given day and it can’t be a mixture of the two. Sports uniform is to be worn Thursday unless stipulated otherwise by the school or classroom teacher. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

TERM 4 - Important Dates

TERM 4 DATES

OCTOBER

Monday 27th October - P-2 Swimming lessons

Tuesday 28th October - P-2 Swimming lessons

Thursday 30th October - P-2 Swimming lessons

NOVEMBER

Monday 3rd November - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Tuesday 4th November - MELB CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Thursday 6th November - P-2 Swimming lessons

Friday 7th November - Mission Day 

Monday 10th November - P-2 Swimming lessons

DECEMBER

Wednesday 3rd December - Yr 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner

Tuesday 9th December - Statewide Transition Day

Wednesday 10th December - Xmas Concert

Friday 12th December - Yr 6 Final Assembly 

Monday 15th December - Yr 6 Fun Day 

Wednesday 17th December - Last Day of Classes for students

Thursday 18th December - SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY

Friday 19th December - Last Day for staff 

Birthdays

We say happy birthday to the following students who celebrate a birthday this week. We hope you have a terrific birthday.

Amman Fraz

Audrey Vaughan

Zac Clarke

School TV

Sibling Relationships

Sibling relationships play a powerful role in shaping a child's social and emotional development. For parents and caregivers, understanding the dynamics between siblings is key to promoting harmony at home and fostering resilience. These relationships can be a source of lifelong friendship and support, but they can also be marked by rivalry and conflict if not guided positively. Encouraging young people to value each other's differences, communicate openly and resolve disputes respectfully, helps build strong sibling bonds. By creating a nurturing environment that avoids comparisons and recognises individual strengths, adults can help siblings grow into compassionate, cooperative and emotionally intelligent individuals.

Find out more on the link below:

Community Events

Child Safety Officer