A Message from Mr David Cashman, Principal

St. Thomas’ is an inner-city school on the east side of Brisbane.  As one of 136 affiliated systemic schools in the Archdiocese, our emphasis is education for the whole child in the Catholic Christian tradition.  This means that we value the uniqueness of each person and strive to provide opportunities for their development throughout their individual learning journeys – spiritually, emotionally, socially, psychologically, academically, physically and culturally.

Our school, which commenced in 1929, is an integral part of St. Thomas’ Catholic Parish.  Since separating from East Coorparoo in 1927, this parish has been served by the Missionary of the Sacred Heart Priests.  The school was started by the Good Samaritan Sisters, who remained teaching here until 2004. In living out our faith justly and with compassion for others, St. Thomas’ continues to reflect the charisms of both of these Orders.

While passersby would notice that St. Thomas’ is a visually appealing and well resourced school, with attractive buildings and grounds, our most notable characteristic is our community.  St. Thomas’ is renowned for being friendly, vibrant and welcoming; with supportive and involved parents/caregivers and a commitment to providing a safe, engaging and enjoyable learning environment.

Thank you for visiting our website.  We trust that in learning more about our community you will recognise, as we do, why St. Thomas’ is “a heart for mind and spirit”.

Important Dates 25th June Volunteer Induction 8.40am School Office --- Fete 'Thankyou' Morning Tea 9.30am 26th June Term 2 concludes 13th July Staff Professional Development (Pupil Free) Day 14th July Classes resume for Term 3 See Also Important Dates Sporting Events Term Dates

Latest News

Amidst the fete and all that everyone has on in their busy work and family lives, thank you to both parents/caregivers and staff for your engagement in the Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Feedback has once again been most positive and each family should be fully aware of their child’s/children’s achievements and identified areas for development, as we continue to work together in partnership in supporting our children on their individual learning journeys.

As we approach the end of another exciting and rewarding semester at St. Thomas’, a little light relief to share, and one of the reasons why we enjoy being teachers and parents!

Out of the mouths of babes:-
A Prep teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." Without looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "Honour thy Father and thy Mother”, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat, again, one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white?" Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

The children were lined up at camp for lunch. At the head of the table was a large bowl of apples. Next to the bowl was a sign that said:-  "Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

On the first day of school, a Grade One student handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, "The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents."

While working for an organization that delivers lunches to the elderly, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds.  The various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs, unfailingly intrigued her. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered,  "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"

A little girl had just finished her first week of school. "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk!"

God bless AND GO THE MIGHTY MAROONS!

Building & Library Fund Contributions Thank you to all those families who have contributed to the Voluntary Building and Library Funds over the past financial year.  Your tax deductible receipt will be issued early in Term 3, so please don’t submit your tax return until you receive this.  If you would like to contribute, or just make an additional payment this financial year, please call the office before the end of the week.                  Hoops4Kids A fun 6 week skill development basketball program for boys and girls aged 5-8 years will commence on Wednesday 29th July.  For more information please collect an application form from the school office.  The program is run by Narelle Fletcher, Former Women’s National Basketball League Player and Australian Opal WNBL Life Member. P & F News In last week's newsletter I was remiss in not thanking the boys from Villanova College for assisting us with setup and cleanup over fete weekend. The boys were polite and worked diligently doing whatever was asked of them. Also, I neglected to thank the St Thomas' children who embraced the theme of the fete with fun and enthusiasm. The success of the fete for a school the size of St Thomas' never ceases to amaze. However, there are a number of examples where people had to work on a stall way beyond their allocated shift. If you came along and enjoyed the fete; if you are happy for your children to share in the benefits achieved from the money raised; if you are a part of the wonderful St Thomas' community; I encourage you to consider assisting in your special way with the fete when it comes around next year.  Again a huge thank you to all of you who made the fete such a great success in so many ways. Thankyou Morning Tea Just a reminder about our thank you morning tea.  To those who made sweets, to all those who helped at our working bees and to the ladies who assisted on the staff on fete day, we’d like to invite you to morning tea at 9:30am tomorrow (Thursday 25th June) at Bernadette’s home. Swine Flu The Australian Government has moved our response to the H1N1 influenza (human swine influenza) from delay to contain. Click on the links below for more information on frequently asked questions. Frequently Asked Questions - General Frequently Asked Questions - Parents & Carers

Beaut Behaviour Box A “very well done” to our winners from last week’s Beaut Behaviour Box draw for positive playground behaviour: Luke (Prep P), Lawrence (1P), Tara (3M), Grace (3M), Adrian (2NJ), Joseph (1P).   Enjoy those iceblocks!! Holiday Ideas If you are looking for something to do during the holidays, enjoying the great outdoors, this could be just the ticket!  The Brisbane City Council have organized a great day for children to explore the environment. Kids Big Day Out Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha Sunday 12 July 9.30 am – 2 pm Planned activities include Q150 Hide & Seek, Flipside Circus Workshops, Geckoes Wildlife Presentations, Bat Car Brisbane, Clay Play & Tree Art, Roving rainforest stilt walkers, Ikebana for kids, Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games. Come dressed as your favourite rainforest friend. This is a FREE event! Parish News Little King’s Movement Congratulations and a big thank you from the Little King Movement for the Disabled. This year's annual collection from St Thomas' Parish including the School, Parish and Chinese Community returned a record amount, and your generosity is to be commended.                                       St Thomas Parish Family Camp Lake Ainsworth Caravan Park – Pacific Parade Lennox Head NSW. 19th-26th September 2009 (1st week September school holidays) All are Welcome to join us for this annual event. Powered and un-powered sites and 2 Deluxe Cabins still available. It is essential for you to advise us if you have already booked to secure our Group Booking and Discount. For any further enquiries contact Kay and Paul – 3398 2963 or email: pfbenterprises@bigpond.com as soon as possible.

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