St. Thomas More Primary School Mount Eliza

“Committed to excellence in Catholic Education”

ST THOMAS MORE’S CATHOLIC

PRIMARY SCHOOL

PARISH PRIEST FR JOE TRUONG

PARISH HOUSE ADDRESS 313 CANADIAN BAY RD

MT ELIZA 3930

PARISH HOUSE TELEPHONE 9787 7777

SCHOOL ADDRESS P.O. BOX 240, MT ELIZA

SCHOOL TELEPHONE 9787 7788

EMAIL ADDRESS stmmtlza@stmmtlza.catholic.edu.au

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MRS MARTINE VERHAGEN

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL MR CHRIS TODD

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION MRS AMANDA SHANKIE

LEADER

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE MRS MELANIE SAYERS

OFFICERS MRS DANIELLE O’CONNOR

WELCOME TO ST THOMAS MORE’S SCHOOL

St Thomas More’s is a Parish School, committed to the teaching of the

Catholic faith and the provision of quality programs, which fosters the spiritual, academic, social

and emotional development of each child.

The school is situated in a beautiful rural setting. It comprises six learning areas,

a gymnasium and an administration centre and caters for approximately 300

students, from Mt Eliza and neighbouring communities.

The staff of St Thomas More’s is highly skilled and dedicated to the ethos of

Catholic education. Collaboration, respect, integrity and innovation are

values promoted throughout the school. The curriculum is broad and varied and

recognises the individuality of the students in terms of talent, readiness and

learning needs. Specialist areas include Performing Arts (Music, Dance, Drama), Visual Arts,

Physical Education, STEM, Outdoor Education, Library and Japanese programs.

St Thomas More’s prides itself on its care of each student, ensuring programs

meet the needs of each individual child.

Parents and staff work in partnership, united in a spirit of mutual support and

encouragement for the benefit of all our students.

The school is open and friendly and invites active participation of parents and extended

family members in the many religious, educational, social and fundraising activities

that it conducts throughout each year.

Your family is warmly welcomed to our school. We look forward to working in partnership

with you as your child begins their learning journey at STM.

St. Thomas More Catholic Primary School

OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

OUR ASPIRATION

OUR KEY VALUES

Respect

Value individuals and accept differences; listen to others; use positive language

Collaboration

Share ideas and responsibilities; co-operate and support one another

Innovation

Contemporary learning; risk taking; creative thinking; showing initiative

Integrity

Pride in self, learning and community; confidential; prompt; organised

Mt. Eliza

St. Thomas More Primary School aspires to be a nurturing Catholic school that builds respectful rela-

tionships based on Gospel values and is committed to excellence in education.

In our parish school community, we model the teachings of Christ through compassionate and positive

relationships. We provide a sense of belonging and develop brave learners, spiritually, socially and

academically.

Passionate learners, acting justly within society.

TEACHING AND LEARNING STATEMENT

At St Thomas More’s, we believe that children learn most effectively when:

they feel happy and secure

they are confident that they will be successful learners

they are learning at their own rate and readiness levels

they view mistakes and risk taking as part of the learning process

they are able to observe good modelling from teachers and peers

there are challenging and purposeful learning opportunities

there is an atmosphere of mutual respect and co-operation

We believe that teaching is most effective when:

gospel values are modelled by the staff and community

there are challenging and purposeful learning experiences

there is focussed teaching, engaged learning time and high

expectations

there is encouragement for effort and achievement

there is a range of learning options provided, which accept differences

in children’s development and abilities

there are opportunities for children to be active in the learning

process

a wide range of resources are available

there is a strong partnership between parents and teachers

new educational initiatives are examined and implemented, if

appropriate

exemplary teaching practice is always the goal

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Schools depend on the support of the parents in almost every aspect of their operations. St Thomas More

is no exception. We invite and encourage involvement of parents in a variety of structured activities,

ranging from support in the classroom to general maintenance working bees. The school has an

enthusiastic Parents Association that plays a vital role in promoting the social development of the school

family and in the raising of funds so necessary for the school.

The Parents Association meets regularly to develop, plan and review social and fundraising activities.

It contributes to the input of the Parish Education Board, through its board representatives.

CHILD SAFETY

St. Thomas More School is a Child Safe School. As our school takes child safety very seriously,

volunteers are required to have a valid Working with Children Check, to have read the STM Child Safe

Policy, and to have read the STM Code of Conduct and Volunteer Procedure.

Our volunteers are integral to the school experience for our students and provide an important link to the

wider community.

FEE STRUCTURE

The fee structure is determined after evaluation of the budgeted expenditure and estimation of the level

of grants for the year.

The fee structure is family based but a per student levy is also charged to recognise direct expenditure

by the school on behalf of each student. The levy covers such items as stationery, curriculum materials,

most sporting activities and excursions.

The focus at St Thomas More’s school will always be,the provision of a strong combination of

academic, pastoral and social development for the students in our care.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE

A Camps, Sports and Excursion Allowance is payable to holders of:

Commonwealth Pensioner Health Benefit Card

Commonwealth Health Care Card

Commonwealth Health Benefit Card

Applications are made at the beginning of year to assist with the cost associated with camps

and excursions.

A Conveyance Allowance is payable to families who live more than 4.8 km from their nearest

Catholic School.

ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The basis of all the teaching at St Thomas More’s is the teaching of the Catholic Faith,

under the guidelines of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and the Parish Priest. Parents are regarded

as the first and most important educators of their children in faith. The staff at St Thomas More

continue to nurture the faith of the home. Parents are invited, and expected, to participate in the

faith experiences provided by the school e.g. class liturgies, sacramental programs.

KEY LEARNING AREAS

The curriculum at St Thomas More’s follows the guidelines developed by the Department of

Education and Training in Victoria, which provides a framework of the scope and sequence of each

learning area.

Key Learning Areas include:

ENGLISH

MATHEMATICS

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGIES

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

THE ARTS

LANGUAGES—Japanese

HUMANITIES—History, Geography, Economics, Business, Civics & Citizenships.

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

LIBRARY

Students attend library sessions on a fortnightly basis and books can be borrowed regularly for take

home reading.

TECHNOLOGIES

St. Thomas More’s provides a range of technologies to enhance the learning of our students. These include

desktop computers, chrome books, iPads, digital cameras and electronic whiteboards.

Children attend a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) class each week.

PERFORMING ARTS

Students from Prep to Year Six participate in specialist Performing Arts classes weekly for one Semester.

From Year Four, children have the opportunity to join the choir or ensemble groups. Senior Level students

also participate in our School Musical once every two years.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

A skill based sports session is held on a weekly basis for students at each year level. As many

varied activities as possible are offered to the children. Class teachers also provide additional

opportunities for physical exercise in group or individual activities.

INTER-SCHOOL SPORT

Senior students have the opportunity to compete against other primary aged children in the local area.

PERCEPTUAL MOTOR PROGRAM

Junior Level students also participate in a P.M.P. program. The program enhances skills required

for reading and writing, by developing fine motor skills including hand/eye, hand/foot coordination,

locomotion and balance. This program relies on the ongoing support of parents to assist on a regular basis.

PARENT PARTICIPATION IN CLASSROOMS

Teachers are always looking for an extra pair of hands. Parents or grandparents can assist us in a variety

of ways. Some of these may include:

typing or conferencing children’s stories

classroom helpers program

hearing reading

special projects – cooking, excursions, art etc.

library tasks

If you would like to help in any way, please see classroom teachers.

BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE PROGRAM

Camp Australia manage a ‘Before and After School Care’ Program at St. Thomas More School.

The Before School Care program operates from 6:45am to 8:30am and the After School Care program

operates from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm in the Multipurpose room.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND HOME

It is vital to this important partnership that the lines of communication between school and

home are open and honest. The school attempts to maintain this through:

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS

A newsletter explaining current activities and upcoming events is available each fortnight via the

Schoolzine app. This is a vital link in communication, especially for working parents.

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parents are invited to discuss their child’s progress at any time during the year. An appointment

may be made through the class teacher. To prevent disruption to classes, please avoid conversation

with the teacher during lesson times. There are official parent/teacher interviews held at mid-year.

REPORTS

A written report on each student will be sent home at mid year and the end of each year. The report

details your child’s progress and should not be used as the basis for comparison with other children.

DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS

The Seesaw app is used to share students work with parents each week. This digital portfolio allows

parents to share in their child’s learning on a regular basis.

CLASS LETTERS

At the discretion of individual teachers, class newsletters or magazines may be sent home or made

available digitally. These may relate to current themes, topics or upcoming events.

PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS

At the beginning of each year, an information evening is conducted to inform parents of the program

structures, expectations and routine of particular classes. Parents also have the opportunity to share

information about their child.

PRINCIPAL

The Principal is available, by appointment, to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your

child. Any private information is held in strictest confidence.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the office on 9787 7788 if you have any further questions.