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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.
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