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Newsletter Week 5
National Reconciliation Week
27 May - 3 June, 2024
Theme: Now More Than Ever
Dear Creator,
We come before you, with hearts filled with hope and determination. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this beautiful land, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and we thank you for their wisdom, resilience, and knowledge.
We pray for healing in our nation, as we confront the injustices and disparities that have plagued our Indigenous brothers and sisters for too long. We pray for the health professionals who work tirelessly to Close the Gap, that they may be filled with compassion and understanding.
Guide us, Lord, in our journey towards reconciliation and true friendship. Help us to bridge the gap in cultural understanding. Show us how we can each contribute to creating a more equitable and inclusive society.
We lift up those who feel hopeless, especially the families and communities affected by grief. Bring them comfort and peace and help us to support and care for them. With the same hands, we also lift up the young people who are struggling, feeling lost or hopeless. May they find strength and resilience and may we as a community offer them support and guidance towards a brighter future.
We also give thanks for the wisdom and resilience of our Elders, who have carried the stories and traditions of their people for generations. May they be filled with strength and courage as they continue to guide their communities, and may we learn from their teachings and wisdom.
May we be agents of your healing, Lord, working together to build a better future for all Australians, especially our young people. Give us the wisdom to learn from the past, the courage to address the present, and the vision to create a future where all Australians stand together in equality and harmony.
In your name, we pray.
Amen.
Staff Changes
I will be on leave for the next 5 weeks in which time changes to the Leadership Team will be:
- Mrs Dimitra Vezinias - Acting Principal
- Mrs Kristy South - Acting Assistant Principal
- Mrs Emma Thomas - Acting Middle Leader 2
Amy Runko, Bethany Tirchett and Louise Locke will continue their usual roles on the Leadership Team.
Miss Jazmin Tikkeros has been appointed to the Middle Leader 1 position which entails coordinating Sport across the school. Jazmin went through the application and interview process to gain this position.
Finishing up this Friday will feel strange however I know the school is in great hands. It gives others the opportunity over a period of 5 weeks to display their particular gifts and develop their skill set in leading in a Catholic school. I will be returning from the beginning of Term 3.
School Photos TOMORROW!
Individual, class and sibling photos will be taken tomorrow. The idea is that this becomes a memory of their time at St Therese in a particular year. Therefore, students should present as they would on a normal school day as opposed to treating it like a glamour shoot. Long hair should be tied back and definitely no nail polish.
Class Assemblies
Next week we will be restarting Class Assemblies. These stopped during the Covid years but now we are excited to have them back on the agenda. Class assemblies are an opportunity for students to showcase some of the great things that are happening in their classroom for their parents and the other classes across the school. Some grades have opted to work together and will therefore present 2 assemblies over the course of the year. In other cases, classes will present alone which will be one assembly each. Assemblies will be in the hall commencing at 2.10pm. Parents are welcome to attend any of these assemblies. This term, class assemblies will be:
- Week 6 (Friday, 7 June) - Year 1
- Week 7 (Friday, 14 June) - Year 4
- Week 8 (Friday, 21 June) - Year 5 Gold
Staff Professional Development Day - Monday, July 29
As stated earlier in the year, Catholic Schools in the Wollongong Diocese have been granted 8 Staff Development Days each year. So far we have accessed 3 of these days with the fourth being scheduled for Monday, 29 July (Term 3, Week 2). This is a Pupil Free Day. The focus will be on the Environment and, in particular, Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’.
The other planned Professional Development Day are:
- Friday, 27 September - ‘The Berry Street Education Model’ (Day 2)
- Monday, 14 October - ‘Vision for Learning’
- Thursday, 19 December - ‘Educating with a Mission Lens’
- Friday, 20 December - ‘First Aid’ training
Year 6 Camp
Helping Australians have safer experiences online
eSafety is Australia's independent regulator for online safety. We educate Australians about online safety risks and help to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse and intimate images or videos shared without consent.
2024 Student Semester Reports: Parent Resources
CEDoW has developed parent resources to inform parents about the redesigned student academic reports.
The resources include:
WHO DO WE CONTACT?
To assist with the leading of initiatives and the general running of school activities each stage is allocated a leader. For 2024 the following staff have been allocated to the four stages:
Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) Mrs Kristy South & Mrs Vezinias
Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) Mrs Kristy South & Mrs Vezinias
Stage 2 (Year 3 and Year 4) Mrs Amy Runko
Stage 3 (Year 5 and Year 6) Ms Bethany Tirchett
SPORT- Miss Jazmin Tikkeros
Should you have any questions or concerns, your first port of call should always be your child's teacher. Should you require further clarification you can make contact with the Stage Leader.
P & F
Upcoming Teacher Professional Learning Development
Throughout the year teachers have access to a variety of quality professional development opportunities. Casual teachers are employed to cover classes with the teacher ensuring the teaching program and routines are followed.
Week |
Date |
Staff Member/s |
Purpose |
|
5 |
27/5/24 |
Mrs Calvert, Mrs Gilmore, Miss Turvey, Mrs Robilliard |
CLIL Yr4 & Yr1 |
|
5 |
27/5/24 |
Mrs Milner & Miss Shalala |
Report Collaboration |
|
5 |
28/5/24 |
Miss Tikkeros |
Cross Country at Nowra |
|
5 |
28/5/24 |
Mrs Calvert, Mrs Gilmore, Mrs Merrett, Mrs Testa |
Syllabus Planning |
|
5 |
27/5/24 to 29/5/24 |
Mr Bunder, Ms Tirchett, Mr Timpano & Mrs Cameron |
Yr6 Camp |
|
5 |
29/5/24 |
Mrs Milner, Miss Shalala, Mrs Testa, Miss Tikkeros |
CLIL Kinder & Yr3 |
|
5 |
29/5/24 |
Mrs McGoldrick |
Wollongong Environmental Network |
|
5 |
29/5/24 |
Miss McLachlan, Mrs Thomas & Mrs Timpano |
Report Collaboration |
Parent-School Partnership Framework
“We must take note of the changes that have affected both the family and the school, and renew the commitment to constructive collaboration – for the benefit of children and young people” — Pope Francis
Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) strives to create vibrant Catholic communities of faith and learning and believes this is best achieved when there is a genuine partnership between home and school.
The Lighting the Way Together Parent-School Partnership Framework has been developed to support the creation and maintenance of this partnership. It outlines for parents* and school the principles and expectations of the parent-school partnership so that together we can create:
- identifiably Catholic communities, inspired by the person and teaching of Jesus Christ, where all strive to act with hope, integrity, justice and compassion; and
- effective schools which enhance student learning and wellbeing.
The Parent-School Partnership Framework is available in six additional languages to help support you and your family.
The Framework is available in Vietnamese, Hindi, Nepali, Malayalam, Tagalog and Arabic. They are all available for download from the below link:
www.dow.catholic.edu.au/partnershipframework
TO VIEW OUR PARENT PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES ONLY, CLICK HERE
St Therese Catholic School Core Values
Collaboration - Community - Excellence - Inclusion - Respect
Principal's Awards
Christian A C - 2G
Halle A - 4G
Silver Medallion
Spencer D - 4B
Gold Medallion
Zoe W - 4G
St Therese School Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/westwollongong.sttherese
School Vision Statement
“Immersed in faith, pursuing excellence in learning
and the positive wellbeing of all”
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Religious Education News
Reconciliation / First Communion Registration
Registration meetings to receive these Sacraments in 2024 are on the following dates:
- Tuesday 18 June
- Thursday, 20 June
These meetings will be held at 7pm in the St Therese Parish Centre. Attendance at one of these sessions is compulsory.
SPORT
NUTRITION
This week St Therese is participating in the ‘The Big Veggie Crunch & Vegetable’ Week. We have been promoting healthy eating habits and encouraging all students to simultaneously crunch on vegetables!
Try to include a rainbow of fruits and vegetables in your child’s lunchbox this week! It might even be a great opportunity to expose your child to a new type of fruit or vegetable.
Happy crunching and munching!
SWAP IT!
Take a look at this week’s reminder for the ‘Swap It’ Initiative. Check out the tips and tricks below to bust those lunchbox myths:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
NSW Government Student Learning Library
The NSW Government has created a valuable resource to support learning at home in English and Mathematics for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students. Parents and carers are able to access the NSW Government student learning library at the following link:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers/initiatives/nsw-student-learning-library#/
Additionally a video has been created to explain how to access and navigate this resource:
KEEP THE DATE
SCHOOL PHOTOS 2024 - 30 MAY 2024 - FULL WINTER UNIFORM
Extended Leave (10 days or more)
For extended leave for holidays, parents are asked to complete an ‘Application for Exemption from Attendance at School’ form. This is available from the office.
HOLIDAY GROUP PROGRAMS
Family Services Australia is currently recruiting for our upcoming school holiday groups which will be run over the July school holidays.
We will be running the following group programs:
- Tabletop games group suitable for young people aged 13-18 who have an interest in table top gaming, however no prior experience is required.
- Kids social group, suitable for young people aged 8-12 who would like to build social connections with other young people.
- Girls social group, suitable for girls/female identifying young people aged 12-15 who would like to build social connections.
There will be 2 sessions available for each group, so clients can choose if they would like to attend one or both of the group dates and NDIS funding can be utilized to pay for the groups.
If you have clients that would like to register interest or find out more information about this group they can do so via our website (https://www.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT EVENTS
27 to 29 - Year 6 Camp to Stanwell Tops
30 - School Photos - WINTER UNIFORM
5 - World Environment Day
7 - Year 1 Assembly 2.10pm in Hall
10 - Public Holiday - King's Birthday
STUDENT BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays
29 May 2024 - 4 June 2024
Jaxon T - 5B, Nader A - 3G, Eloise T - 3G, Ellie G - 2G, Francine T - 2g, Dev P - 5G.
PARISH INFORMATION
BAPTISMS
For any new requests please contact the Parish Office (email: westwollongong@dow.org.au any time or call 4243 9610 on Tuesdays 9am-3pm).
God bless you all,
Fr Duane
Calendar Dates 2024
2024
May 2024
30 - School Photos - WINTER UNIFORM
June 2024
5 - World Environment Day
7 - Year 1 Assembly 2.10pm in Hall
10 - Public Holiday - King's Birthday
11 - Sacrament of Confirmation 5.00pm and 7.00pm
13 to 14 - Year 5 Excursion to Cockatoo Island
14 - Year 4 Assembly 2.10pm in Hall
17 - Refugee Week
21 - Year 5 Gold Assembly 2.10pm in Hall
July 2024
3 to 10 - NAIDOC Week
5 - Year 1 Gold Liturgy 10.15am in the Church
Last Day of Term 2
22 - Term 3 Commences - Students Return
29 - Environmental Staff Development Day
CANTEEN MENU 2024
ST THERESE CANTEEN
WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS & FRIDAYS ONLY
