St. Thomas Aquinas Message From The Principal – Newsletter 15 May 2026

From The Principal’s Desk

What a busy two weeks we have had! But we are grateful to be able to
create so many opportunities for our learners to excel in class, in church
and on the sport field. The busier a child is, the less time there is for
mischief. This Saturday is our Open Day and we would like you to bring a
friend to our Open Day. Let them experience what the St Thomas
Aquinas Community is all about.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS
HIGHLIGHT

Ms Mbali Guma

Mrs Guma is a governance and sustainability risk expert. Her key areas
of specialisation are SHE legal compliance and environmental management. She currently has a daughter in Grade 5 at our school, Sandiso and Zano matriculated here.

Ms Zanele Sibisi

Mrs Sibisi is an experienced executive leader with a strong background in governance, risk management and stategic leadership across complex organisations. She has two daughters in St Thomas: Zanele and Nomagugu

On 5 May our school celebrated Edmund Rice Mass.

Edmund Rice was a successful businessman in Ireland. It made him sad to see the poverty around him. He decided to provide an education to young children who didn’t have access to schooling. His desire was that all children should have the best life possible, and that can only happen through quality education.

Edmund Rice’s motto in life was: “Live Jesus in our hearts – forever”. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and that personal encounter and belief in Jesus, transforms our thoughts.

Ascension Day

Grade 4 to 12.

Ascension Day was celebrated with mass in the cathedral for our Grade 4 to 12 learners. St Gabriel’s had an assembly where they blew bubbles and watched the bubbles float in the air. Foundation Phase had a short service in the hall.

Ascension Day

Grade 4 to 12.

Grade 3 learners had a fun time telling their friends about the food that they had prepared themselves.

Our grade 4 to 7 learners had a wonderful time away from school at their various camps.

Teamwork and collaboration were at the order of the day. They acquired essential life skills that will be handy in future.

InterSen Phase hockey

Passing and Dribbling Techiques

On 9 May our InterSen Phase hockey players enjoyed an exciting and memorable hockey clinic filled with learning, teamwork and lots of fun. Experienced coaches taught our players new skills in passing, dribbling, teamwork and technique. The improvement in just one day, was truly impressive.

A grade 6 player commented: “It was an enriching and fun experience. We learned a lot of skills and also had tons of fun. It was an absolutely amazing day”.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the coaches, staff and learners who made the clinic such a success. We are looking forward to see these newly developed skills on display during our upcoming matches and festivals!

Consumer Studies and Maths Literacy

Educational Experiences

Our Grade 12 Consumer Studies and Maths Literacy learners visited Capsicum Culinary Studio for an exciting educational experience. The learners were warmly welcomed by Chef Sbonakaliso and Chef
Lucky, who shared valuable information about studying at the college, cooking competitions and opportunities available at their studio.

The learners enjoyed a hands on kitchen session where they prepared choux pastries, which form part of the IEB PAT for 2026. They learned important techniques and gained practical experience under the guidance of the chefs. The visit also included valuable information about international work opprotunities, including work abroad and on cruise ships through the college’s partners.

Overall. it was a wonderful and inspiring day and our learners gained valuable knowledge and experience in the culinary field.

Knitting Afternoon

Wonderful Colours of Wool

Our moms were invited to a knitting afternoon on 8 May. What a blessed afternoon it was to see the wide variety of colours of wool! Some moms were experts in knitting and crocheting, who quickly taught other moms these skills as well. There was laughter and lots of learning. Moms were treated to delicious muffins, coffee and tea.

The aim of the knitting afternoon is to get as many squares in as possible before the June holidays, so that we can sew them together to make blankets for the less fortunate. Please join us on 5 June at 13:15 for another afternoon. It is therapy for the soul.

You will need:

• 4mm needles and double knit wool
• Cast on 36 stitches
• Knit 64 rows – plain
• Cast off

Emotional regulation

Your ability to notice your own feelings

Emotional regulation refers to having the ability to notice your own feelings, understand them and manage the way the way you react.

This means: learning to calm down when you are angry, cope when you are
disappointed, learn how to wait patiently, express your feelings using words and the ability to recover after being upset.

Emotional regulation develops over time through support, practice, guidance and routines and having adults that care about children and are willing to build a relationship with them.

How to help you child regulate his/her emotions:

1. Feelings traffic light The child use colours to describe how he/she
feels.

• Green – I am feeling calm
• Yellow – I am feeling frustrated/wiggly
• Red – I am angry/upset.

2. Wall pushes:

Let your child push against the wall for 10 seconds. By doing this,the nervous system calms down as they are doing “heavy work”.

3. Simple calm down corner:

Pillow, bean bag, stuffed toy, crayons andpaper to create a regulation space.