Newsletter 4th September 2024 - Term 3 Week 7
Principal's Message
Dear Parent/Carer,
I hope all the fathers, grandfathers and father figures in our school community had a wonderful Fathers Day on Sunday. It was lovely to see so many of you on Friday for the Fathers Day breakfast. While Sunday was the official celebration of Fathers Day, we wanted you all to know how much love, joy, and inspiration you bring to the lives of your beautiful children. When I reflect on my own beautiful dad, a quote that always comes to mind is “My Father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me” (Jim Valvano).
Child Protection Week
The National Child Protection Week message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ is complemented by the theme ‘Every conversation matters’. Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well, and we encourage all families to open conversations with their children. Conversations help us understand issues, work with children to develop solutions, and build social connections of children and young people. Please see the information below, from the Child protection website:
Conversations between:
- children and their caregivers matter (from the very earliest days)
- children and their peers matter
- families with teachers, doctors, and other professionals matter
- friends or neighbours matter
- decision-makers and the communities they serve matter.
And, of course, conversations in the public realm and media matter.
So, this National Child Protection Week we invite you to speak up – and speak together – about what needs to change for every child in every community to have a fair go.
Disco
Thank you to the parent volunteers for supervising at the Disco on Friday night. I know that the children have a wonderful night dancing. The funds raised are being donated to the Story Dogs organisation who are visiting our school and supporting children to enjoy reading confidently.
Art Trail This Friday!!
Join us in celebrating creativity & community in the second St Therese's Art Trail – “It Takes a Village”. The message behind this African proverb is that it takes many people to give children a safe and healthy environment where they have the security they need to develop and flourish. The Art Trail is the perfect way to end the activities for National Child Protection Week where we focus on the theme that “Every conversation matters” and the 2024 message “Every child in every community needs a fair go”.
Every student will be contributing to the trail with each year group creating a tiny village that will be on display around the school. We will have live music from Mr Ward and local favourites, Alfie's Italian & Melt Gelato, are involved too. Alfie's are bringing their pizza ovens down for the first hour and generously donating 150 pizzas - so bring a gold coin donation and grab a slice! Proceeds will go to the school. We are also thrilled to have Melt Gelato on board, who will be serving a selection of their delicious gelato (card & cash payment available). Mr Ward and his Jazz Band will also be performing throughout the afternoon.
The Art Trail will be held on the 6 September, from 3.30pm - 5.30pm.
Kaylene Maretich
Acting Principal
Assistant Principal's Message
Father’s Day Breakfast
The annual Father’s Day breakfast was held last Friday. It was a well-attended event, and it was fantastic to see everyone enjoying the morning and eating the pikelets and bacon and egg rolls. Thank you to all the staff that helped, and we hope all families had a wonderful day celebrating with family last Sunday.
Parent Engagement Group (PEG) Meeting
The Term Three PEG meeting was held last Wednesday evening. Some of the topics discussed were: The Principal’s Report, the new playground near the Fr Walsh room, the School Ball and the potential to lobby local government for a crossing at Portland Place. The minutes from the meeting will be sent out to the community soon. We always value the contribution of the parents that were able to attend, we welcome all parents from the St Therese’s community to attend the Term 4 meeting which is set down for Thursday 14th November.
Professional Development Twilight
Mrs Barker and Mr Moore led an invaluable professional development evening for the staff at St Therese’s last Thursday. The learning revolved around Information Technology and included a session on Assistive technology that was led by Microsoft expert Dan Bowen. Teachers were given a raft of new tools and understandings that they can now use in their planning and teaching. Thank you, Mrs Barker and Mr Moore, for all the work you put into the evening.
Have a great week.
Mark Konik
Acting Assistant Principal
Catholic Identity & Curriculum
Catholic Culture News
Faith Formation
Francis' Focus – Who better to help guide us in the true depth and meaning of our Catholic faith than the charismatic and authentic leader of our Church, Pope Francis. Below Pope Francis helps us to discern between what God really desires for us and calls us to be versus what can often be man-made rules and distortions of this truth:
‘You put aside the commandment of God,’ warned Jesus, ‘to cling to human traditions.’ One of the sharpest lines in the Gospel, this is a watchword for every Christian generation.
‘In today’s passage,’ Pope Francis says, ‘Jesus addresses an important topic for all of us believers: the authenticity of our obedience to the Word of God, against any worldly contamination or legalistic formalism.’
As the Pope suggests, ‘those challenging him seek to strike at the reliability and authority of Jesus as Teacher.’ The religious leaders who questioned Jesus on technical points of ritual had deluded themselves about what was essential.
The Pope points out that ‘Jesus wants to rouse the scribes and Pharisees from the error they have fallen into.’ Christ’s sharp words are intended to turn people from ‘distorting God’s will, neglecting his commandments in order to observe human traditions.’
‘Today too,’ the Pope reminds us, ‘the Lord invites us to avoid the danger of giving more importance to form than to substance. He calls us to recognise, ever anew, what is the true core of the experience of faith, that is, love of God and love of neighbour.’
Religious Education
Year 1 – Topic: Belonging to the Christian Family
In this module students will be exploring how they are part of a bigger family the Church, building connections that contribute to their sense of identity and belonging and an understanding of why and how they are part of the body of Christ. The module also introduces students to Baptism as the sacrament of initiation into the People of God.
Prayer, Celebration & Mission
This section is designed to keep you informed of any important dates coming up regarding our community’s faith-life celebrations and mission activities. Things such as Masses, liturgies, mission days and the Sacramental program will all be included here:
- Week 7:
- Catholic Community Week
- Stage 2 Mass – 9:30am, Friday 6th September in the Church.
- Week 9:
- Stage 3 Mass – 9:30am, Friday 20th September in the Church.
- Week 10:
- Infants Mass – 9:30am, Friday 27th September in the Church.
Luke Smith
RE Coordinator
The photos below capture some of the moments from the previous Sunday’s First Holy Communion (25th August), along with the cakes which we, as a whole grade community, celebrated with back at the school on the Monday.
School Community News
Public Speaking Competition
Each class at St Therese's has been working on the skill of writing and presenting a persuasive speech, a necessary life skill. The standard and quality of speeches has been fantastic with all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 participating with great enthusiasm.
On Monday, a selected finalist from each class presented their speeches on a wide range of topics from dogs being the best pets, or why lunch play should be longer! Mr Konik, Mrs Maretich and Mrs McNeil were the adjudicators, and they were highly impressed with the confidence and speaking skills of the students. Congratulations to the following students from each stage who have been selected to represent our school at the Central Regional Public Speaking Competition:
Early Stage 1- Anna White
Stage 1- Penelope Fisher
Stage 2- Mia Henderson
Stage 3- Anna Olalere
We wish the students all the best for their presentation of their speeches at St James Kotara South on Thursday 12th September.
Mrs McNeil
From The Father Walsh Performing Arts Room
End of Year Carols By Candlelight Concert
It's that time of year again when we start to prepare our students for the Carols By Candlelight Concert. Please pop the following date into your calendars.
Watch this space for the announcement of this year's theme. We can't wait to share with you the amazing and fun songs we prepare for this wonderful school community event.
Aspire Auditions - Registrations Now Open
This year's Aspire production "Disconnected" was a fabulous display of the amazing talent of students within our diocese (with many present and past St. Therese's students amongst the cohort).
Registrations for ASPIRE 2025 auditions are now OPEN for current students from Year 4 to Year 12.
The auditions will be held at the Newcastle Convention and Exhibition Centre NEX, King Street, Newcastle (West City).
To register, please follow the link: http://mn.shor.tn/ASPIREAuditions and complete the online registration form.
The audition application process closes Friday 27 September 2024.
The following link show details regarding the audition process for each ensemble - dance, instrumental, vocal, drama:
2025 AUDITIONS | ASPIRE (mn.catholic.edu.au)
If you require further information, please contact Anne Atkins on 4979-1331 or email: anne.atkins@mn.catholic.edu.au
Aspire has a range of wonderful programs for diocesan students in the field of the Performing Arts. Please take the time to check their website to see what is available. ASPIRE - Catholic Schools Performing Arts (mn.catholic.edu.au)
Kind Regards,
Alina Brymora
Performing Arts Teacher
Year 3 - Awabakal Excursion
In Week 5, as part of our History unit, Year 3 visited the Awabakal Education Centre in Dudley. We learnt about how our First Nations people used the land and resources of our local area to live sustainably and fruitfully from our beautiful local area. We had glorious weather to explore this beautiful part of our local environment.
Poetry Club- Term 3
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Poetry Club in Term 3 at 8am in the library on the Wednesday 18th September
Volunteering
Throughout the year, we welcome all parents/carers to volunteer at the school. To volunteer, you must complete the volunteer's induction. This process can take up to 6 weeks, so you are encouraged to complete this early.
School Fees
Thank you to those families that have been making payments towards their fees. Our preferred payment methods are BPay, direct debit or credit card. If you choose to use CompassPay, please double check the amount before you submit the payment. Refunds can no longer be given for incorrect amounts paid unless your account is in credit.
Wellbeing
What is gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy? Why these?
Gratitude is about paying attention to, and being thankful for, the things we have.
Empathy is about understanding others’ feelings and perspectives and being kind to others.
Mindfulness is about bringing our attention to the present moment and being aware of our thoughts, emotions and surroundings.
Emotional Literacy is about labelling our emotions as we experience them and increasing our emotional vocabulary.
There is a wealth of supporting academic research on the mental and physical benefits of these strategies.
More information can be found on the References & Reading section of our website.
Is there a best time of day to practice gratitude, empathy and mindfulness?
These are strategies that can be practiced any day, at any time of day. If these concepts are new to you, building a routine to practise them can support wellbeing. Picking a time of day – for example first thing in the morning, or after dinner – can be helpful to create a new habit and give structure to your wellbeing journey.
How do I handle reactions and big emotions?
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/wellbeing-hub/handling-reactions-big-emotions-with-lael-stone/
Handling reactions & big emotions with Lael Stone - TRP@HOME Lael Stone, parenting expert, author and presenter, tells us we need to practise emotional literacy, and look at our reactions and big emotions with theresilienceproject.com.au |
Emotional Literacy Snapshot
Did you know …
- There are 27 main human emotions.
- We experience at least 1 emotion 90% of the time.
- And frequently experience positive & negative emotions at the same time.
If you’re interested in learning more about Emotional Literacy check out ‘The Imperfects podcast’. In the below episode, Dr Emily talks about the concept of Emotional Awareness and explains why it’s not only important to identify your unpleasant emotions, but why it's even more important to express them when they arise.
Dr Emily - you are Not Your Emotions
Below is a link to more of ‘The Imperfects’ podcast episodes on The Resilience Project website or you can listen wherever you listen to your podcasts.
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/podcasts/
Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator and Pedagogical Mentor
Sport
Stage 2 Tennis Todd Woodbridge Cup
On Tuesday 20th August, St Therese’s entered 4 Stage 2 teams into the Todd Woodbridge Cup across two venues with Cagney Tennis Academy at Eleebana and Lakelands. Our teams played in doubles and mixed doubles against Independent, Catholic, and Public schools in the Newcastle Region. Our students played with competitiveness, fair play and a positive attitude all day and most importantly, they had a great day in the sunshine, playing tennis, developing new skills and meeting new friends. Thank you for representing our school with pride. Special congratulations to our students who received a Sportsmanship award! Congratulations boys and girls!
Melissa Pyers and Therese Jackman
Primary Coordinators
Canteen
| Mon 9/9 | Tues 10/9 | Wed 11/9 | Thu 12/9 | Fri 13/9 |
Amy Staikos | Alison Sharman | Jacqui Osborn | Sarah Bagnall | Michelle Randall |
| Mon 16/9 | Tue 17/9 | Wed 18/9 | Thus 19/9 | Fri 20/9 |
Leone Nancarrow | Kylie Marten | Erin Kenneally | Luke Wilson | Sarah Hughes |
Important Dates
6Sept - Mass Yrs 3 & 4 9.30am
Art Trail 3.30-5.30
11Sept - Yr 6 Sport Day St Pius
12&13Sep - Inquisitive Minds Incursion
17Sept- Yr 2 Excursion Oakvale Wildlife Park
18Sept - Hunter Valley Grammar Rugby Union Day
20Sept- Mass Stage 3, 9.30am
21Sept - St Therese's Ball
23Sept - Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
27Sept - Infants Mass 9.30am
Last Day of Term 3
14Oct - First Day of Term 4