Whole School Mass - Friday, 27 May @ 11.30am

Next Wednesday is the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians. This is very significant to us as it is under this title that Mary is honoured as the Patroness of Australia. We are very grateful that Fr Duane has been able to make this time available. Parents are very welcome to join us on this special occasion.

Grade Masses

Commencing this week, a grade of students will be attending the usual Friday, 9.30am Parish Mass in the church. It has been quite a long time since this has been able to happen. As this is a dedicated parish mass, students will be there as participants only. Members of the parish will deliver the readings and prayers of intercession. Year 3 will be the first grade to attend which is relevant as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Dates for other grades will be listed in the Dates to Remember section of the newsletter.

BUNNINGS BBQ

Huge thank you to the parents who gave up some time last Sunday to organise and run the Bunnings BBQ. There was a fantastic community feel for the whole day as parents reconnected and a few new parents to the school had the opportunity to be xperience the great culture we have. Thank you also to the parents who just dropped by to buy a sausage ultimately supporting the schools with our resources. We may have the opportunity later in the year to run the BBQ again - it would be fantastic to have a whole lot of different parents who could donate some of their time.

Big Bank Grass Cutting - VOLUNTEER WORKING BEE

No doubt children have come home on probably more than one occasion saying that they have not been allowed onto the Big Bank. This has been the case for much of this year and it is at the stage where the grass is too wet to get the ride on mower onto it and it is too long to allow it to dry out. SOLUTION: As has happened in a number of other schools and public fields, we are calling on parents to come along this Saturday morning with your mower and/or whipper snipper and/or rake for a Working Bee to get the Big Bank area back to a usable, and much loved, space. If you have one or two hours to spare, we would love to see you join in this working bee in what will directly impact every child at St Therese. Some of our senior Year 5 & 6 students may be useful in sharing their raking skills!!!

Before School Care

Uniform Transition

As usual at this time of the year, we experience great fluctuations in the weather. For this reason, students may choose either their Summer or Winter uniform depending on how they feel. Towards the end of May will will set a formal date where everyone will be required to wear Winter uniform. Just a reminder for the boys: If choosing to wear Winter, shirts must be tucked in.

School Photos

School photos are booked for Wednesday, 25 May. All students must be in full Winter uniform.

P & F Pie Drive

Information has already been sent regarding this P & F fundraising event. Once again, thank to the parents who have volunteered to coordinate the pie drive and to those who will do the sorting when they are delivered. Remember, all orders need to be in by Friday, 27 May.

Diocesan Cross Country

Just like our school carnival, this has had to have been postponed and now transformed into a time trial instead of the full carnival atmosphere. The venue has also moved from Nowra to Narellan (near Campbelltown). This is an unfortunate but necessary step to keep all of our children safe. Students selected in the school squad would have received a detailed letter to take home outlining the changes and how they will affect some runners.

Community Fun Day - THIS SUNDAY @ Edmund Rice College

Commencing at 11.30am and going through to around 3pm. Everyone is invited to attend this event. Fr Duane is very keen to bring the community together to celebrate the fact that we can once again gather together. It’s as simple as that. There will be a sausage sizzle but feel free to bring along a picnic lunch. Kids, young and old, will be invited to join in some games and to have some fun. Entrance to Edmund Rice is via Mt Keira Rd.

Athletics Carnival

Monday, 30 May at Beaton Park. The carnival will be a little different this year as we will not be able to run the usual rotations on the centre grass area. While this is unfortunate, Mr Bernardi has still been working hard at organising a carnival that encourages participation from every student. Parent volunteers are required to assist with awarding place getters for the main carnival events. Some other parents will also be required to assist with the more novelty events for Kinder and Year 1.

Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT- Upcoming Free Parent Webinar on Online Safety

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT have arranged to hold a free webinar with the eSafety Commissioner for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years.

The title of this year’s seminar is: Helping Kids Thrive Online.

This Term 2 webinar offers tips on how to support young people to socialise, learn and have fun online in a safe manner. It explains how to access information, use technology safely and navigate new online platforms.

It will cover:

• how to talk to young people about online risks on different social media platforms and games
• how to help young people develop skills to protect themselves when they are online
• where to go for help if things go wrong and how to access mental health support and information through eSafety.

Click here to register.

Who should attend? Suitable for parents and carers of children aged 5-12 years

Date/Time: Wednesday 8 June at 7:30 pm

If you have any questions or require additional resources please contact Clare Dunstan. 

Access the webinar poster here.

Little Learning Labs

The University of Wollongong is inviting our students to, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. They are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Dates: Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 7^th – 8^th July 2022

           Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 4^th – 6^th July 2022

Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)

Applications close: Wednesday, 18^th May 2022

Please know that applications are now open, and workshops fill very quickly.

The University of Wollongong will also have several sponsorship places available for students who identify as Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or students experiencing financial difficulty. 

 For further information about workshops and the application process please visit the website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at

learning-labs@uow.edu.au.

LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS program brochure

National Walk Safely to School Day

Friday 20th May

Now in its 23rd year, National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual event when all Primary School children will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a Community Event seeking to promote Road Safety, Health, Public Transport and the Environment.