Our Community
The sense of community, family and belonging is of critical importance to the culture of a school. Shared and mutual experience is the conduit of relationships, and our school is engaged in a range of activities both during and after school hours that promote engagement and connection. Please read below the journey of the community of St Thomas More's Catholic School for the 2025 school year.
The 2025 School Year - A Reflection
Written by Mr Casimir Douglas (Principal)
“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”
– Pope Benedict XVI
The purpose of education is transformation. True transformation, however, is not meant to be easy. It is meant to test, to stretch, and to shape the learner; to challenge each child to grow beyond comfort, beyond self-interest, and into the fullness of who they are called to be. The concept of fostering greatness is woven into the very DNA of our Strategic Plan (2025–2030). Every facet of the plan, from each individual objective through to its overarching structure, is designed with the aim of nurturing in every student a healthy sense of personal significance, that “I matter”; to truly know their worth and potential, to find their voice, and to make a positive contribution to the lives of others. The greatness we seek to cultivate at St Thomas More’s is not defined by doing, achieving, scoring, winning, proving, or conquering, but by great kindness, great bravery, great curiosity, great attitude, great focus, great determination, great faith, and great love.
As Mother Teresa once said, “We cannot do great things, only small things with great love.” It is within these small, love-filled moments; in the classroom, on the playground, and in our community, that greatness truly begins to grow. The journey of 2025 for St Thomas More’s Catholic School has not been without its challenges. But without challenge there cannot be growth. I will attempt to capture some of that unique journey of challenges and successes here, in as much as words can emulate experiences.
The central pillar and focus of our school continues to be our faith and Catholic identity, and in 2025 our students participated in: daily class prayer; Monday morning Prayer Assemblies; weekly class liturgies with Fr Vinco Muriyadan and Fr Leonard Caldera; a number of whole-school Masses held in the Church, including the Feast Day of St Thomas More; weekly Christian meditation on Tuesday mornings; multiple Making Jesus Real sessions each term with Mr Davie; raising funds for Project Compassion and Catholic Mission; and celebrating Catholic Education Week with Archbishop Anthony Ireland, our newly appointed Archbishop of Hobart. This year also saw the introduction of liturgical singing led by Mrs Therese Wahl on Monday mornings, which has brought a renewed joy and energy to our whole-school prayer life, as well as a special visit from Andrew Chinn, whose concert once again filled our Church with music, laughter, and faith. These experiences have strengthened our sense of belonging and deepened our shared commitment to living our Gospel values through faith in action.
There were a number of unique initiatives, some commenced and some completed, in the 2025 school year to enhance student learning, celebrate student achievement, and promote the life of the school to the community. This included the implementation of our new Strategic Plan (2025–2030): Fostering Greatness, with its three pillars of Stillness, Tenaciousness, and Kindness now shaping our professional learning, wellbeing, and community partnerships; the continued implementation of Teaching Sprints across all grades to embed high-performance teaching; and the introduction of Grade 4 Camp as an important milestone in student development and independence. The year also brought a renewed focus on positive behaviour through the launch of the Rehearse the Positive Superhero Capes initiative and the introduction of PBS Tokens to recognise students for living our Gospel values in action. Academically, 2025 marked the strongest NAPLAN results in the school’s history, with 91 per cent of Year 5 students achieving Strong+ in Reading, a testament to the commitment and expertise of our teachers, and the engagement and effort of our learners. Our students also excelled beyond the classroom, with our Tournament of Minds team winning the Tasmanian State Title and travelling to Sydney to represent the state at the International Finals, and our Grade 3, 4, 5, and 6 Boys Futsal Teams all winning the Launceston Schools Titles, with the Grade 5 Boys going on to claim the State Championship. Community celebrations also featured prominently throughout the year, highlighted by our Feast Day, where MacKillop House proudly claimed the House Cup, and our annual school disco, which adopted a spooky and spirited Monster Mash theme for 2025, both events capturing the fun, connection, and belonging that define life at St Thomas More’s.
There were also a number of significant upgrades made to the school environment, both aesthetically and functionally. This included the installation of our new Gaga Pit, funded through the generosity of our Parents & Friends Association, which has been enthusiastically embraced by students as a vibrant new play space; the addition of new soccer goals for our senior students, enhancing play and participation during break times; and the construction of new fencing along Campbell Street, improving safety and security for students and families. The installation of the Outdoor Screen and new audio system in the Piazza has further enriched our community gatherings and supported the success of our Monday liturgical singing. The year also saw the removal of the stage in Grade 1/2 Saint to improve learning-space functionality, the replacement of artificial turf in the Kinder playground, and landscaping works throughout the grounds to ensure our environment remains both beautiful and purposeful for learning and play.
As we anticipate the holiday break ahead, and embrace the opportunity for renewal and recreation, I encourage the staff, parents and students of St Thomas More’s Catholic School to use this time to seek stillness and quiet reflection. The rhythm of busyness in our lives tends to persist as we transition from school days into holidays; the season of giving brings with it a season of organising, budgeting, travelling, and buying. Rather than giving in to our preoccupation with the external pressures of agendas, demands, and requests, may we make the time in silence to discover the truth of what drives us from within: the love of God and the love of our family and friends. To finish I would like to express my most heartfelt and sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to the task of educating and forming our students in 2025.
God bless.
Mr Casimir Douglas