Newsletter Going Fortnightly

As mentioned previously, the newsletter will be sent home on a fortnightly basis throughout this term. This will occur during ‘odd’ weeks.

Staffing

Over the past 6 weeks, all Catholic primary schools have been recruiting staff for 2025. This has been a very time consuming task with St Therese receiving over 70 applications. While this certainly added to the workload, it is very reassuring that our school has a good reputation and there is a lot of interest from teachers from within, and outside, the diocese.

During last term, interviews were held for the vacant position of Religious Education Coordinator (REC). This position has been filled by Mrs Louise Sartor. Louise is currently the REC at St Pius X, Unanderra. With Fr Duane being the Parish priest of two parishes, Louise has worked very closely with us on many occasions and will be a good fit for our community. I will take this opportunity to thank Mrs Amy Runko who has filled the role of Acting REC since April this year. Amy has done an amazing job and has proved she is more than capable in fulfilling a leadership role in any school.

Mrs Patricia Staff has accepted another 12 month temporary position at St Paul’s, Albion Park. Trish is an exceptional teacher who has enjoyed the opportunity to work in another school while also being closer to her home and children. We wish Trish all the very best and hope to see her back in 2026.

At this stage, we have had two permanent positions that we needed to fill. AFter the advertising and interview process, we are very pleased to announce that Mrs Kristy South and Mrs Hannah Merrett have accepted the permanent positions. Kristy has done some amazing work which for parents will be very much behind the scenes. As Instructional Coach, Kristy works very closely with teachers to improve teacher pedagogy and in turn, student outcomes. Hannah came to us this year from St John’s in Campbelltown and has proved to be both an excellent teacher and a very committed and supportive member of our school community.

We have also filled quite a number of 12 month temporary positions. These remain temporary as we have permanent teachers on various forms of leave with the right to return. Congratulations to Marissa Di Pietro (Mangos), Jazmin Tikkeros, Theresa Freeman, Kristen Turvey, Nicki Robilliard and Louise Testa who will fill these positions.

Welcome Miss Madison Clarke

Madison will be with us for all of Term 4. For the first 2 weeks, Madison will teach Year 2 Blue while Mrs Thomas has an extended break. From Week 3 through to the end of the year, Madison will teach Year 1 Blue while Ms Pellizzari takes some well deserved long service leave.

Classes for 2025

As has been the case in the past, parents do have the opportunity to contact me if they wish to discuss class placement for 2025. This is not an opportunity to select a teacher but a time to discuss your child’s learning style and/or friendships. While I am happy to discuss issues with parents, no guarantees can be made as we only have two classes available to split students. During the planning process, requests will be considered along with teacher knowledge of students, to come up with the best combinations possible for student learning.

Emails to Staff

All emails to staff should be directed through the school email address: info@stwwdow.catholic.edu.au

Teachers rarely check emails throughout the day and things may be missed. However the school email is regularly checked every day by Louise or Mary-Anne. Urgent matters can quickly be addressed while other matters will be forwarded to the relevant staff member.

Afternoon Pick-Up

At the end of Term 3, we did have council rangers present in Powell St for the afternoon dismissal time. Parents are frequently reminded that it is illegal to block traffic, in this case generally to local residents. ‘Kiss & Collect’ starts at 2.50pm - prior to this time, parents / grandparents should not be blocking traffic on Powell St.