St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish Primary School Bowral
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24 Bundaroo St
Bowral NSW 2576
Subscribe: https://stabdow.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: info@stabdow.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 4861 1768

Principal's Message

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Dear Parents and Caregivers

We have been experiencing some recent challenges due to ongoing illness and injuries among our staff members. These unforeseen circumstances have, unfortunately, led to disruptions in some of our classes, but I want to assure you that we have been working diligently to minimise the impact on the children’s learning experience.

Over the past two weeks, several of our dedicated teachers and support staff have been dealing with health-related issues, which has presented unexpected hurdles for our school community. In light of these challenges, our primary focus has been on maintaining a positive and supportive learning environment for our students.

Despite the disruptions, our committed teaching staff has gone above and beyond to ensure that lesson plans are adjusted, and alternative arrangements are in place to deliver quality education to our students. We understand the importance of continuity in learning, and we are doing everything within our means to provide a stable and engaging academic experience.

In addition to the efforts made by our teaching staff, we have sought the assistance of our outstanding casual teaching and support staff to help bridge the gap caused by the absence of our regular staff members. While this has not been a seamless process, it reflects our commitment to overcoming these challenges and maintaining a sense of normalcy for our students.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. It is our priority to keep you informed and involved in your child's education. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value the partnership between the school and our families, and together, we can navigate through these unforeseen challenges.

Thank you for your continued support, patience, and understanding.

Yours in partnership

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Mr Anthony McElhone

Principal

NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION OF DATA

Each year at the commencement of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for students with disability, schools are required to notify parents. This can be done via the school newsletter or in a letter to all parents.

For your assistance, the attached here - Information Sheet for Parents and Carers in Catholic Schools, has been prepared by Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) to distribute to parents.

NAPLAN 2024 Parent and Carer Information

Each year the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is undertaken by primary school students in Years 3 and 5. Students will participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. 

The NAPLAN 2024 testing window is from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March. However we have scheduled the following dates for the administration of the assessments.

  • 13 March - Writing
  • 14 March - Reading & Language Conventions
  • 18 March - Numeracy

NAPLAN is just one part of our school learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. 

In preparation for NAPLAN, our school will undertake activities to help students become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended. 

The public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) is available to see the types of questions, tools and functions used in the NAPLAN tests.

Further information about NAPLAN is available on the NESA website https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/understanding-the-curriculum/naplan/parent-information 

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher or the NAPLAN Coordinator - Mrs Preddey.

2024 School Calendar

The key date of events and celebrations for 2024 can be viewed in our online school calendar. The calendar can be viewed on our school website and via the newsletter.

Upcoming Events

    • 6 March Mark Taylor Shield Cricket Knockout (vs St Therese West Wollongong
    • 7 March 1 pm Lockdown Drill
    • 8 March Project Compassion Fundraiser - Crazy Hair Day
    • 11 March CEDoW Swimming Trials
    • 13 March NAPLAN Writing
    • 14 March NAPLAN Reading & Language Conventions
    • 15 March Year 6 Leadership Program
      • 2:30pm Whole School Assembly
    • 18 March NAPLAN Numeracy
    • 21 March World Down Syndrome Day / Harmony Day
    • 22 March 2:15 pm Evacuation Drill
    • 27 March Year 5 Leadership Program
    • 28 March Holy Week Liturgy & Whole School Assembly
    • 29 March Good Friday
    • 31 March Easter Sunday
    • 2 April
      • 9:15 am Easter Mass
      • 2:15 pm Raffle & Hat Parade
    • 11 April K-6 Cross Country Carnival (at Chevalier College)
    • 12 April 2:30pm 
      • Final day of Term 1
      • 1:30 pm Lunch on the Lawn
      • 2:30 pm Whole School Assembly

    Enrolments for Kindergarten 2025

    We are now accepting enrolment applications for Kindergarten 2025.  The enrolment form is now available online via our school website
    https://www.stabdow.catholic.edu.au/enrol/ 

    Applications should be completed by the end of Term 1.

    Teacher Professional Learning

    At St Thomas Aquinas the staff has an ongoing commitment to professional learning. The staff benefits from attending in-services, in curriculum areas, that assist them in providing quality learning opportunities for the students in their class. The following staff have or will attend professional learning:

    Date

    Staff Members

    Professional Learning

    6 March

    Mrs Robinson

    Safety Intervention Training - Day 1

    8 March

    Mrs Robinson

    Safety Intervention Training - Day 2

    Mrs McFayden

    Religious Literacy Assessment Planning Day

    11 March

    Mr McElhone, Mrs McFayden

    Formation Day with Rev Timothy Radcliffe OP

    12 March

    Mr McElhone, Mrs McFayden

    3-6 Curriculum - Mathematics Day 2

    15 March

    Mrs McFayden

    K-12 REC/Leader of Mission Meeting

    Sports News

    Sporting Opportunities and Pathways in 2024

    There are many sporting opportunities that students of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School have the opportunity to be involved in each year. Sporting opportunities range from fun gala days to competing and progressing through the representative levels in our Diocesan and pathway sports program through to Diocesan, MacKillop, NSWPSSA and National levels. This document’s aim is to show a clear picture of what sporting opportunities are available to the students of St Thomas Aquinas and the process in how to register, trial and participate.

    Parents are encouraged to access sporting information and opportunities on the CEDoW Sport website. All primary sporting event information and dates can be found on the Sport Events > Primary website
    https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/events-primary/.

    CEDoW have recently announced that their sport Instagram is now active at cedow.sport. Please follow for up to date information and sport announcements.

    CEDoW Gala Days

    Gala days are fun, round-robin style days designed primarily for student enjoyment of the sport, participation and for the promotion of exercise and a positive sporting experience.  Each year St Thomas Aquinas participates in the following gala days - Netball Gala Day, Soccer Gala Day and Basketball Gala Day. 

    Most Gala days are open to students in Yrs 3-6 or in age groups from 9yrs and up. Gala days are lots of fun and there are usually many students that wish to participate. In some instances, the school may require to run trials or limit the participants to allocated grades. Eg only Yr 4 and Yr 6. As this will allow students in Yr 3 and Yr 5 to participate the following year.

    As we usually have large numbers of students and many teams participating in each Gala Day we require many parent volunteers to help coach and manage teams on the day.

    Carnivals

    Each year St Thomas Aquinas runs a Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics carnival. These carnivals allow students to compete at a school level and serve as a selection process for Wollongong diocesan teams. Children may progress from school level, to Diocesan, to MacKillop, to NSWPSSA and ultimately national level in selected sports the representative levels. The success of each carnival is dependent on the help of many parent volunteers.