Newsletter 28th May Term 2, Week 5

Principal's Message

Catholic Identity: In 2025, we will establish pedagogical practices that improve student religious literacy and provide opportunities for encounter with Christ.

Learning: In 2025 we will establish effective and consistent pedagogical practices for all students by all teachers.

Wellbeing: In 2025 we will establish a school-wide common language in Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L) incorporating our Mercy pillars.

Principal’s Conference
Last week I attended the biannual conference of principals from Catholic Schools across NSW which was this year hosted by the Diocese of Maitland- Newcastle in the Hunter Valley. Despite the challenging weather conditions, 350 delegates came together to explore the theme, Living Waters: Leading with hope, Inspiring faith communities.
Keynotes and Masterclasses featured academic input from Yong Zhao, Derek Wenmoth, Lea Waters, Austen Ivereigh, Simon Breakspear, and Daniela Felecki. They covered topics including Wellbeing, Leadership, Educational Transformation, opportunities in an age of AI, and the impacts of change.
Such opportunities offer us the opportunity to reflect on the current educational landscape, to renew ourselves, celebrate what we do well and critique where we are going educationally  

Congratulations to our St Therese’s children
Whilst I was at the conference, St Therese’s hosted Deborah Abela author of ‘The Kindness Project’. She worked with year 5-6 speaking about her work as an author and assisting our children to workshop their own writing.
 It was so heartening for me to hear first-hand from Deborah about how much she enjoyed working with our children, their manners and respect as well as their openness and eagerness to listen, reflect and improve their writing.
And, as this newsletter is being published today, we are concluding three wonderful days with our year 6 on camp. Once again, it has been a pleasure to watch them work together, support each other to step out of their comfort zones and demonstrate respect for self and others. I also want to thank Carly Mortimer, Donald Paton, Melissa Pyers and Therese Jackman who gave up time with their own families to bring the children away to camp. As you can appreciate these events are a lot of responsibility and take a lot of planning. So, I thank them sincerely for doing this for our children.   
In this the year of Hope decreed by Pope Francis such everyday examples, I witness as the leader of St Therese’s indeed make me, so hope filled for our future, with the young people of our school that we are growing as the leaders of the future.

4L Parent interviews
Mrs Leanne Kepreotes is taking Long Service Leave in Term 3 from 28 July- 26 September (9 weeks). Miss Elise Kellaway will teach 4L in her absence.
As she will be away for the school’s Term 3 parent/teacher interviews, Mrs Kepreotes will hold interviews for any interested 4L parents on Monday 30 June 3:30-5:30pm and Tuesday 1 July 3:30-5:30pm. These will be advertised on Compass for bookings.

Staff Professional Learning
Monday 16 June is a PUPIL FREE day, and, on this day, all our teaching staff will work together on our KLA curriculum maps as part of reflecting on the new NSW syllabi and planning an integrated approach to skills-based learning.
This fits directly with our Learning section of the School Improvement Plan regarding the re-visioning of our shared pedagogical practices in 2025.

FACE Meeting
We look forward to seeing you at our FACE meeting from 8:30am on Tuesday 3 June or Zoom if you cannot attend. Following this we celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a liturgy from 9:15am then open classrooms.
The Term 3 FACE meeting is Monday 18 August 6pm.

Smart Watches
As our Mobile Phone and Device Policy states children are expected to hand in their mobile phone from the start of the school day.
The only reason that children are permitted to bring a phone or wear a smart watch is for safety on their journeys walking/riding to and from school.
Children are NOT permitted to use the smart watch or mobile phone whilst at school. Smart watches MUST be on ‘do not disturb’ mode.
The school takes no responsibility for these devices, and for any damage that may occur to them.

Online Safety
Throughout the colder months we often spend more time inside and online gaming can be a part of our activities. The following site gives some wonderful tips about when children play online with other people. Players sometimes can be mean, rude or say some hurtful things and how to deal with it can be confusing. Sadly, bullying can happen in games too. However, there is so much to do, see and explore when playing a well-developed, educational and creative online game. It can be fun to learn new things and to solve problems. The link below is a small clip that explains what children can do should this occur to them while gaming.
 https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids/issues/online-gaming-bullying
Parents need to ensure children are playing age-appropriate games and are always supervised.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Sallyanne Stanbridge
Principal

Assistant Principal's Message

After all the rain we have had recently, it was lovely to see the sun shining today, if only for a brief time.  If any family has been impacted by the recent rains, please reach out to us, so we can look at how we can assist you at this time.  We also prayer for those in our families and across the Diocese that have been affected by the floods.  We thank God that our school has had only minor water damage, that is currently being rectified.  Our back field remains closed until further notice.  While the surface appears to be okay, below the surface there is a significant amount of water.  If students use the field too early, we risk compacting the soil, which will ultimately result in significant damage to the field.  We ask our students to be patient, as we continue to monitor the situation.

PB4L
Our focus for the next two weeks is on demonstrating respect, by allows other privacy in the toilets.  Unfortunately, we continue to have disappointing behaviours in the toilets including: kicking soccer balls at the walls and doors which causes damage, blocking the toilets with food, violating the privacy of others by looking over/under the dividers at students using the toilets, to name only a few negative behaviours.  Please talk to your child/ren about appropriate behaviours, as the same respect of privacy when using toilets at home, is expected at school.  Thank you to Mia and Isaac from 5N that stepped in this morning at the assembly, to speak on behalf of the PB4L Team, who are currently at camp.

Year 6 Camp
We are sure the Year 6 students, teachers, Miss Stanbridge and Ms Jackman are having a wonderful time at camp.  The weather for most of today was good, so hopefully the next two days bring good weather and lots more fun.

Congratulations Tom
We would like to congratulate Tom C (5N) who completed a 21km fundraising walk from Custom’s house to Ronald McDonald House at the John Hunter Hospital, over the weekend.  Tom and his team raised $3000 dollars for the Ronald McDonald Foundation.  Well done Tom, what an achievement.  This is a photo of Tom, his Auntie, Cousin and friends at the end of the walk.

Kaylene Maretich
Assistant Principal

Catholic Identity & Curriculum

Faith Formation: The excerpt below is a beautiful reflection from Dianne Bergant in response to Sunday’s recent Gospel passage (John 14: 23-29) – the Sixth Sunday of Easter:
The new city of God is built on the foundation of the apostles, but on its gates are inscribed the names of the tribes of Israel. These names represent the openness to all nations, races, peoples and tongues. The resurrection of Jesus has radically transformed the way we live together and the way we live with God.
What must we do to be saved? The question put to Jesus centuries ago is still asked today, and the answer is still the same. We must believe and we must love God and love one another. We will be recognised as resurrection people by our active faith and by our unselfish love, not by an exterior mark, regardless of how sacred. This change in requirements for membership does not diminish the rigour of our religious obligations. Rather, it suggests that we may always have to reinterpret the law, for what is appropriate at one time and in one place may be inappropriate in another. With the early Christians, we will need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this very delicate process. This is why the departing Jesus assures us that the Spirit will come to us to teach us all things.
The final gift that Jesus promises to give is his own peace, a peace that he has won by overcoming sin and death. This peace issues from the union that Jesus enjoys with God, a union which we are now invited to share.

Religious Education
This week’s focus in RE is on Year 5:
As Year 5 are still working under the old RE curriculum, they are studying two units this term, ‘Sacraments of Healing' and ‘History: Monotheism’- In the first unit, students will learn about the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick as an expression of Christian compassion and healing in response to suffering and illness. In the second unit, students will learn about the background and development of the three monotheistic religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Prayer, Celebration & Mission
Special Celebrations – On Sunday past (25^th May), we celebrated a lovely Family / School Mass with the parish. It was wonderful to see so many of our families there as part of the Mass, which included a Rite of Commitment for those parents and children preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. At the conclusion of Mass one of our Year 4 students, Pippa W., was baptised into the Catholic faith. It was such a special occasion for Pippa and her family - Congratulations! Some photos from the day are included below:

Social Justice Team & Vinnies Winter Appeal – Our Yr 6 Social Justice Team have displayed great initiative and dedication towards improving our school’s contribution towards this year’s St Vincent de Paul, ‘Winter Appeal’. The students have decided to start a lunch club for those students willing to contribute their time effort and resources in knitting and /or crocheting items to sell at the fundraising stall on Mission Day (4^th July - the last day of term). If this sounds like something your child is capable of and interested in, please send them along with the appropriate materials. This will occur on the days listed below on the flyer and Mrs Barker has generously offered the library as a space to undertake this task. She will also provide tubs for the resources to be stored safely and securely. If this is something you yourself have a talent and interest in, please contact me and feel free to send in any contributions you may be able to make.
The students have also come up with the idea of hosting Hot Milo days – these will occur on the final 3 Fridays of term (20^th & 27^th June and 4^th July). In the name of environmental awareness and sustainability, staff, parents and students are invited to bring their own safe and sealable, re-usable mug from home to the Kitchen in the Main Hall before school (8:45am – 9:10am) to buy a delicious cup of hot milo. More details and reminders to come, closer to the days.
All of this will be in addition to the annual collection of Winter Appeal food items. The Winter Appeal will officially commence next week and so a list of food items per grade will be sent out via Compass then.

Coming Events– The dates below indicate some of the Faith Life and Mission events coming up for the remainder of Term 2:

• Tuesday 3^rd June at 9:30am – Catholic Schools Week liturgy followed by open-classrooms (Main Hall)
• Thursday 12^th June at 6pm - Sacrament of Confirmation
• Thursday 19^th June - Infants Stage Mass (9:30am in the church)
• Sunday 22nd June - Family/School parish Mass (9:15am)
• Thursday 26^th June - Stage 3 Mass (9:30am in the church)
• Thursday 3^rd July - Stage 2 Mass (9:30am in the church)
• Friday 4^th July – Mission Day: Vinnies Winter Appeal (pyjama day)

Luke Smith
Religious Education Coordinator

School Community News

Spelling and Mathematics Bee
Congratulations to Hollie M and Elodie A from Stage 1 who represented our school at the Annual Central Region Maths and Spelling Bees on Thursday May 15^th.
Elodie was selected from Year 1 for the Maths Bee as she proved her speed and accuracy with number during the Year 1 selection process. Elodie did a fantastic job and represented our school with pride!
Our Spelling Bee representative was Hollie M, who survived the knockout round for the Year 2 selection process. It was tough, but Hollie proved her spelling prowess! Hollie too was an excellent ambassador for our school. Well done to both Hollie and Elodie for being enthusiastic and outstanding spellers and mathematicians!

CogAT Testing Term 2
In Term 2, students in Years 2 and Year 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.
It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.
If you have any concerns or questions about CogAT testing, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor, Patricia McNeil (patricia.mcneil@mn.catholic.edu.au) or Leader of High Potential and Gifted Education, Maree Karaka (maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au), for further assistance.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

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.

Wellbeing

What’s News?
We have something special to share with you! Thanks to an independent evaluation by Monash University, it's now clearer than ever that a long-term, whole-school approach makes a meaningful and lasting difference to mental health and wellbeing.
As featured in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald or Brisbane Times, the study found that, after six years, students who participated in The Resilience Project schools saw: 

This is exciting news for St Therese’s- a current partnership school! We are striving to build a resilient school community which makes a big difference in the lives of our students, our staff and our families. We are grateful to be on this journey and share this news.
This independent evaluation is thanks to Dr Roshini Balasooriya, Monash University and Resilient Youth Australia.
Click here to watch a full interview with Dr Roshini and Hugh or read the full report.

Parent Hub
The Hub can be accessed via the secure link below, with no account setup or login required: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/

Imperfects Podcast
Last month, Hugh, Josh and Ryan were joined by Dr Emily to share strategies to help us support our loved ones through challenging times, Courtney Ugle to discuss how she's using her experience with family violence and addiction to empower others, and Danielle Laidley to talk about her experience in living an authentic life. They also had nutritionist and physiotherapist, Simon Hill, to break down diet trends on social media and Hugh speaks to his lived experience with ADHD.

 Classroom Spotlight-Kindergarten
KN
KN students made our very own gratitude glasses to wear. These special glasses serve as a reminder to see and look for joy around us. When we wear our glasses we can see so many things that we feel happy and grateful for. 

Through my gratitude glasses I am grateful for the calming prayer area in my classroom. Isla A
Through my gratitude glasses I am grateful for my friends when they share and help me. Alistair
Through my gratitude glasses I am grateful for my friends being kind and helping each other. Freddie D
Through my gratitude glasses I am thankful for the kindness in my classroom. Lewis 
Through my gratitude glasses I am grateful for my loving friends. Billy 

KW
In the Resilience Project, KW is learning about gratefulness.
We are grateful for our friends who are helpful, kind, sharing and funny!

KL
In KL we have been learning about Empathy and how our friends could be feeling inside. Showing empathy helps you to feel sad with your friend and makes you want to help them feel better.
KL decided that Empathy means being kind and helpful to others when they are sad.

Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator, Pedagogical Mentor and Year 6 Teacher

Sport

Sport Days
Term 2 sport days are:

• Kindergarten - Friday
• Year 1 - Tuesday
• Year 2 - Wednesday
• Year 3 - Wednesday (Week 5-10)
• Year 4 - Friday (Weeks 5-10)
• Year 5 - Tuesday (Weeks 5-10)
• 6N - Tuesday
• 6W - Wednesday
• 6L- Friday

Canteen

Important Dates

30 May - Cross Country
02 Jun - Catholic Schools Week
            - Whole School Assembly 2.30pm
03 Jun  -  FACE Meeting 8.30am
            -  Liturgy 9.15am followed by Open Classrooms
05 Jun - Pop Up Book Shop
09 Jun - Public Holiday
10 Jun - Yr4 Choir Performance Civic Theatre
16 Jun - Pupil Free Day - Staff Professional Development
24 Jun - Central Regional Athletics Carnival
26 Jun - School Photos
27 Jun - School Photos
30 Jun - Band Performance