Filter Content
Newsletter Week 9
A Moment for Grace
A Prayer for Refugees
God of our Wandering Ancestors,
Long have we known that your heart is with the refugee:
That you were born into time in a family of refugees
Fleeing violence in their homeland,
Who then gathered up their hungry child
And fled into alien country.
Their cry, your cry, resounds through the ages:
“Will you let me in?”
Give us hearts that break open
When our brothers and sisters turn to us with that same cry.
Then surely all these things will follow:
Ears will no longer turn deaf to their voices.
Eyes will see a moment for grace instead of a threat.
Tongues will not be silenced but will instead advocate.
And hands will reach out—
working for peace in their homeland, working for justice in the lands where they seek safe haven.
Lord, protect all refugees in their travels.
May they find a friend in me and so make me worthy
Of the refuge I have found in you.
AMEN
Reports & Learning Meetings - Students invited
Reports will be available via Compass from 3pm today. These, along with the Learning Meetings, should be a celebration of your child’s learning during Semester 1. Comparing reports is not fair on the children as they all have different strengths, weaknesses and they are at different points on their learning journey. Comments teachers make are aimed at supporting future progress and what is most important is that children feel good about themselves personally and as a learner.
We encourage students to become comfortable attending Learning Meetings as the discussion is around their learning. Certainly this should be happening
Staff Spirituality Day - Pupil Free Day
Date to remember: Friday, 27 August
Attendance
Government policy mandates that all students should be at school unless they are sick or on approved leave. On student reports, which be released this afternoon, please take note of the number of days your child has been away. I acknowledge that some children have had illness and other valid reasons but at the same time there have been children absent for reasons such as:
- Birthdays - theirs or a family member’s
- A sibling is sick so child misses a day also
- Parents decided to take child shopping
Please be aware that a regular pattern of absence or late arrival does impact on student learning.
Extended Leave
Any planned leave that exceeds 10 days or more must be applied for by completing a form that is available from the office. If approved, parents will be issued with a Certificate of Extended Leave which justifies the child’s absence.
Generally speaking, students will be asked to complete some form of learning activityduring the absence which they can then share with their teacher and class on their return.
For all information and updates from the diocese, please go to: www.dow.catholic.edu.au/covid19
On Thursday 10th June Year 4 traveled to Holy Spirit College Bellambi to watch the dress rehearsal of Mary Poppins Jnr. The students loved the production and were captivated throughout. It was also great for the students to see cousins, friends, neighbours and ex-students performing their roles exceptionally, whether it was one of the acting roles, lightning design or part of the backstage crew. The Year 4 students were wonderful representatives of St Therese and should be proud of their responsibility shown throughout the day.
Netball Gala Day - 15th June
To celebrate National Families Week CatholicCare is running a five-part webinar series to celebrate family and make the most out of family life. Each webinar will have a different focus.
Family Resilience
Understand what a resilient person and family looks like, and how you can build resilience within yourself and your family.
Family Values
Understand what values are and why they are important. By identifying our family values we can better understand and connect.
Family Connection
With our lives so busy we can struggle to keep connections within our family, learn why connection is important and how to sustain or build family connections
Family Self-Care
Learn why self-care is so important and how looking after ourselves, has a flow-on effect on the whole family.
Family Mindfulness
Learn what mindfulness is and the benefits it provides, not just for ourselves, but also the benefit it has on our family.
For more information and to register visit: https://www.catholiccare.dow.org.au/services-and-programs/family/family-care/courses/national-families-week-webinar-series/
Mini Vinnies
This term the Mini Vinnies Team, will be collecting food donations and raising awareness for the Illawarra Vinnies Van.
Items like
- 2 minute noodles
- Cup of Soup
can be bought in and donated to our Winter food appeal.
Students please leave your donations in your prayer space and the team will collect them next Friday (Week 9 and 10).
Any and all donations are welcome.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
School Birthdays
16 June 2021 - 22 June 2021
Happy Birthday:
Felix Paul, Amelia Bellomo, Mia Sotirovski, Violet Lavulo, Ruby Hogarth, Jonathan Benedich.
Julius Binoy - 6B
Evie Murray - 1B
Lyla Pilon - 5G
Elana Santhosh - 5B
St Therese School Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/westwollongong.sttherese
School Vision Statement
“St Therese Primary School – a dynamic, Catholic community
educating and empowering learners for life’s journey.”
PARISH
KEEPING THE LORD’S DAY HOLY
Join Fr Duane for Sunday Mass live streamed 5pm EVERY SUNDAY from St Therese Church at the St Therese Facebook page at:
Those without Facebook can still view it through this link which will take you to the stream
To view through YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6HKCV4D_a1JMWx0gS7rTw
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge News 2021
Well done - we now have 34 students who have completed their challenge and many other students are nearly done. Congratulations to the following students who have completed their PRC:
Kristian Gacesa KG
Malia Rodrigues KB
Olivia Gacesa 2B
Adele Barila 2B
Sienna Rodrigues 2G
Adrianna Coratella 4G
Tobi Ogunniyi 4B
Students completing the PRC have an extra borrowing session each Tuesday where they can borrow 2 PRC books. There is still time to enter as it finishes in August. Students borrow extra PRC books each Tuesday and they will need their library bag. You get to add 5 books that you have been reading that are not part of the PRC list. Go to the website to search the list of PRC books: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
Happy reading,
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge Team
Mrs Hamilton & Ms Rose
DEWEY AWARDS
The Dewey Awards are back in 2021!
St Therese will be running the Dewey Awards again this year. The Dewey Awards is an in-school writing competition particular to St Therese School, so you won’t find it on Google. This is a great opportunity for our talented students to show their writing skills and produce their own ‘book’. There are two categories - Silver Dewey is for Infants and the Gold Dewey is for Primary Grades 3-6. The winners from each category wins a small trophy and gets their name inscribed on our large perpetual Silver & Gold Dewey Trophies which remain at school. Each student receives a participation certificate. Entries are judged by a panel of anonymous judges. The judges choose 6 shortlisted entries per category and the winning entry is one of these shortlisted books. The winner is announced during Book Week.
Participation in this competition is optional. As such, there will not be time given at school to complete the entry. This must be done in their own time and entries will be due by the end of Week 3, Term 3, Friday 30th July.
Some points to consider;
- Students can produce only one entry, either on their own or as part of a pair. This means that if the student chooses to enter as a pair, they cannot additionally enter individually.
- Maximum of two collaborators per entry including the illustrator.
- The book can be handwritten or typed. It can be as simple as a booklet of A4 pages stapled together, or can be more elaborate.
- If you have collaborated with your sibling across a stage the main author (or the first author’s name) will determine what category it is judged in - Infants or Primary.
- Entries must be original ideas but parents can help with spelling and writing.
While the competition end date is still seven weeks away, weekends and school holidays are a great time to start planning, writing or illustrating. Good luck and we look forward to reading the brilliant, original writing of the fabulous students at St Therese! If you have any questions please ask Ms Rose or Mrs Hamilton.
Happy writing,
The Dewey Awards Team
Calendar Dates 2021
June 2021
25 - Last Day of Term 2
July 2021
4 - NAIDOC Week
12 - Term 3 Commences
August 2021
5 - Year 6 Mass with the Bishop
6 - CENSUS day
10 - 7pm Confirmation Ceremony
11 - 7pm Confirmation Ceremony
15 - Feast of the Assumption
27 - Staff Spirituality Day (Pupil Free Day)
September 2021
7 - Catholic Mission Launch
10 - Christmas Art Entries Due
17 - Last Day Term 3
October 2021
5 - Term 4 Commences
29 - World Teachers Day
November 2021
5 - Year 6 Excursion to Canberra
11 - Remembrance Day
December 2021
3 - Whole School Mass - End of Year Thanksgiving
15 - Last Day Term 4 Students
17 - Last day Term 4 Teachers and Staff
January 2022
26 - Australia Day
27 - Student Vacation (Pupil Free Day)
28 - Term 1 Begins - Student Vacation (Pupil Free Day) - Staff Return
31 - Student Vacation (Pupil Free Day)
February 2022
1 - Students Return
Best Start Assessments commence
7 - Best Start Asessments conclude
8 - Kindergarten 2022 commences