Staffing

Last Friday, it was announced that Mr Andrew Edwards has been appointed to the permanent role of Assistant Principal at Nazareth Catholic Primary School in Shellharbour. Andrew has been acting in this role for the past two years and has obviously proved himself very capable. Andrew will be a big loss to us here at St Therese but we wish him well in this significant role. Andrew’s role as Middle Leader at St Therese has already been advertised which we hope to fill next week.

Last week we interviewed for the vacant Kindergarten teacher position and were very impressed by the quality of the applicants. I can announce that the successful candidate is Miss Natasha Muir. Natasha has worked at TIGS and St John Bosco, Engadine having Kinder experience at both schools. Natasha will do a few casual days at St Therese over the next few weeks which will be a great opportunity to make some connections and to become familiar with our school routines.

Church Car Park - Closed next week

From next Monday, the church car park will not be available as the final stage of installing the automatic gates is completed. This work will probably take three days, depending on the weather. Please be aware that this will create additional stress on the nearby roads and parking.

Extended Absence

A new Attendance Policy has been released by the Catholic Education Office in keeping with updated School Attendance Legislation. Extended Leave is now referred to as Extended Absence and is for periods of leave longer than 5 days. This leave is no longer “Approved” by the Principal however the reasoning for the absence is either Accepted or Not Accepted. If the absence is not accepted and the absence still takes place, it will be recorded as an Unjustified Absence.

Minor Head Injuries

Further updates in Compass now allow for minor injuries to the head of a student be relayed to parents via SMS. These injuries are assessed as usual in the office and if deemed ‘minor’, an SMS will be sent. As usual, if deemed more significant, a parent will be contacted via a phone call. This process will free up a lot of time for office staff having to look up phone numbers and individually call parents. By minor injuries, we are looking at a soft ball bouncing on their head or lightly bumping a head on another child’s shoulder. If there is a significant bump on concrete or other hard surface, or head clash with another student, parents will always be contacted via phone.

Congratulations -Dobby’s Sock is going to Nationals

Alice (Y5) and Nia (Y6) along with Abbey and Summer (ex St Therese now Y7) recently competed in the regional FLL (First Lego League) robotics competition as part of a team called Dobby’s Sock. This is where they create robots with lego and program them to complete a predefined course full of challenges. They did very well, getting an award for Engineering Excellence. They came 3rd overall (out of 36 teams) and will now compete in the National Championships in 2 weeks in Sydney

Additionally one of the boys teams called the Black Hamsters also contains two St Therese boys - Nathan (Y6) and Adam (Y5). While the boys did not place high enough to go through, they did a fine job with their robot.

Christmas Season

As we are getting close to the Christmas Season, I would ask that students do not start bringing in Christmas cards until December. Could I also ask that families talk about the reason behind the giving and receiving of cards / gifts during this time. From a school perspective, we often see the smiles and joy at this time but we also see the hurt when someone feels left out or a card is rejected. Encourage children to write something meaningful  apart from “To …, Merry Christmas from …”

Swimming Carnival @ University of Wollongong (UOW) Pool - 11 February, 2025

Next year we have booked the pool at Wollongong University for our school swimming selection trials. The change of venue was brought about by the limited availability at Unanderra with school teams required by February 17. This selection trial is open to all children turning 8yrs to 12yrs in 2025. As the pool is quite different at the university, I would strongly suggest that parents take children to the uni pool over the Christmas holidays to familiarise them with the pool and to check that they are competent in swimming at least 50 metres. Freestyle events start at 8yrs while all off strokes (backstroke, breaststroke & butterfly) start at Juniors (all children 10yrs and younger).

Christmas Eve Mass

6pm at Edmund Rice Hall (NOT TIGS), Tuesday, 24 December. This is a message Fr Duane has asked us to start advertising early as it is a significant change to the normal routine.

eSafety Commission: Free Webinars for Parents and Carers

 

Supporting healthy technology use as your child transitions into high school.

This webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences.

It's suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.

• Thursday 28 November, 12.30 pm AEDT

Register here.

eSafety 101: How eSafety can help

• Wednesday 4 December, 12.30 pm AEDT

Register here.

 

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.