Newsletter 6th August Term 3, Week 3

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.

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
“Father, may your name be held holy,
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test”’                                                  Luke 11:1-13

Dear Parents/Carers

Next week (15 August) our pupil free day will be an opportunity for our staff to gather for our annual faith formation day. As Catholic educators it is important for us to take time for prayer, to engage with the scriptures and to nurture our own faith. This year as we have adopted the year of hope as our focus (as Pope Francis decreed) our day will focus on the theme of One call One mission: Pilgrims of hope.

Working Together
We are stronger as a school community when we work together, and that parental input enriches the work that our staff undertake in supporting all students to thrive.
I welcome the opportunity to hear from parents and carers directly, whether it be with compliments, constructive ideas on how you think the school could approach things differently or, even grievances. By coming to me in the first instance, often I can work more swiftly if there are areas of immediate concern or, even support you to deliver your ideas to the broader school community. 
If you do want to reach out to me, please email me at sallyanne.stanbridge@mn.catholic.edu.au 

FACE Meeting
You are invited to our term 3 FACE Meeting on Monday 18 August at 6pm in the Catherine McAuley Centre. Children are welcome to attend.
If you have any questions with notice for this meeting, please send these to admin@newlambton.catholic.edu.au by this Friday 8 August.

Parents and Carers Webinars
Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life. To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage.
A snapshot of Term 3 webinars is included below. More information about these webinars, including links to register, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/ 

Please note, the webpage will be updated regularly with news of additional webinars and you can visit the site at any time.  

Principal Leave
In this our jubilee year of hope, I will be travelling on the Diocesan pilgrimage ‘in the footsteps of St Paul’ to Greece, Turkey and Rome, with Bishop Michael and our director of schools Jacqui Wilkinson. I will be on leave from Wednesday 24 September (term 3 week 10) and will return to school Tuesday 14 October (term 4 week 1). Please see Kaylene Maretich our Assistant Principal in my absence.

Funding for Catholic Schools
Recently there has been much public discussion around the Australian Government's model of funding schools. Catholic Schools NSW have put together some data to explain how government funding for non-government schools—such as Catholic and Independent schools— supports your right to choose the best educational environment for your child while also reducing costs for Australian taxpayers.
Using the most recent data, the report outlines how funding these schools through a mixed education model reduces pressure on public education resources, with savings of up to $6.88 billion annually. The report highlights how school choice benefits families and the broader community alike.
To read more, find the report here: Money invested, Money Saved - July 2025 - Adobe cloud storage.

Safeguarding Information for Parents
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has an absolute and abiding commitment to promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children. As a parent sending your child or children to a Diocesan school, you should be aware of your rights and obligations in protecting your child and all children in our schools.
St Therese’s has implemented a Safeguarding Promoter to ensure that our families are provided with information about the schools’ approach to safeguarding children and its compliance with the Church and State child safe Standards. Kaylene Maretich our Assistant Principal currently takes this role.
The Children and Young Person’s (Care and Protection) Act 1998 In NSW we can report certain information to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). If we are concerned for one or more of the children in the school, we can discuss our concerns with a teacher, Assistant Principal or Principal.
We can report our concerns to the Child Protection Helpline (Ph. 132 111, 24 hrs/7 days) if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm and our concerns are current.
Risk of significant harm may occur from a single act or omission or to a series of acts or omissions. When determining how serious your concerns for a child may be, always consider whether that child has any particular risk factors, including:

• age, the younger the more dependent
• physical disabilities, developmental delays or medical conditions
• social isolation
• culturally diverse background
• diverse sexuality and gender
• nobody looking out for the child they could depend on.

It is better to be safe than sorry, so if uncertain, talk to a staff member at the school. As parents you are entitled to contact the Office of Safeguarding directly about any concerns you have about the safety, welfare, or wellbeing of a child or if you are concerned that the school isn’t addressing allegations of reportable conduct or abuse. (Ph. 4979 1390 Mon-Fri).       

Rights of the Child
As with all peoples, children have human rights across the full spectrum of civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights.
Because children are recognised as having inherent needs and dependencies, they also have rights. Both the Commonwealth of Australia and the Vatican (Holy See) ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 1990, this is the central international instrument that underpins both Australia’s and the Church’s approach to safeguarding children.
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s child friendly summary of children’s rights state that children.

1. be treated fairly no matter what
2. have a say about decisions affecting them
3. live and grow up healthy
4. have people do what is best for them
5. know who they are and where they come from
6. believe what they want
7. privacy
8. find out information and express themselves
9. be safe
10. be cared for and have a home
11. education, play and cultural activities
12. help and protection if they need it.

Sail Shades
On 15 August we will begin installation of new sail shades over the two sets of play equipment. Weather permitting the work will be completed by the end of term. I sincerely thank the hardworking parents who worked so hard and have contributed greatly to the money for this project through the ball in 2024.

Aspire 2025
It was so wonderful to see three of our children (Maeve, Jerome and Lucy) in the diocesan Aspire production ‘The rise of Bozz’ last week. They are to be commended for their commitment to the many hours of rehearsals. I know how much the Year 5, and 6 teachers and children enjoyed the show and seeing our St Therese’s children performing!
Auditions are now planned for the 2026 production so please see information in this newsletter for further details

Sallyanne Stanbridge
Principal

Assistant Principal's Message

Student Wellbeing
Bullying No Way: National week of action
The National week of action against bullying is 11–15 August 2025.  This week provides an opportunity for schools to create a shared understanding about bullying behaviours and share their bullying prevention policies and strategies.  The 2025 theme is 'Be bold. Be kind. Speak up.', which acknowledges that it takes courage to achieve change, and that bullying prevention is everyone's responsibility. In our St Therese’s community, we want a place where everyone can belong, a place that celebrates everyone, and where bullying is never accepted.  We encourage students to be bold, kind and take a stand to support others being bullied.  Parents and teachers are there to support children and young people learn how to behave in a positive way.
Throughout the next two weeks, we will send out information regarding bullying to raise awareness and provide resources for families.

What is bullying?
Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening. Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records). Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
This term we are focusing on the Mercy value of Inclusivity.  Our current focus is on being inclusive by inviting others to join in our games and group tasks in class.  Thank you to Tansy T, Zara A and Santiago P for sharing how they have been inclusive at the assembly on Monday morning.

Upcoming information sessions and webinars for parents and carers
Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life.  To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage.  A snapshot of Term 3 webinars is included below.  More information about these webinars, including links to register, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/.  Please note, the webpage will be updated regularly with news of additional webinars and you can visit the site at any time.  

Summer Uniform
The official change over to the summer uniform is Monday 1 September.  The weather can be changeable, so we ask parents/carers to ensure children are in appropriately dressed for the weather, while also ensuring students are in the school uniform.  An increasing number of students are wearing hoodies and branded clothing that is not part of the school uniform.  A reminder also that no student is permitted to wear makeup to school.

Father’s Day Stall
Our Father’s Day Stall will be held on Thursday 4 September from 9:30am in the hall.  We are looking for parents/carers that have some time to assist with the running of the stall.  The cost of the Father’s Day gifts has been added to school fees, so on the day of the stall, children will pick a gift from the stall, they do not need to bring any money on the day.  Children will come to the stall with their siblings to avoid “double ups” in gifts.  If you are able to assist with the stall, please email kaylene.maretich@mn.cathlic.edu.au.

Grandparent’s Day
Please save the date for Friday 24 October, when we will celebrate our beautiful Grandparents with a liturgy and morning tea.  More details will be sent in the coming weeks.

Kaylene Maretich
Assistant Principal

Catholic Identity & Curriculum

Faith Formation - 'Leo's Lens': The excerpt below, written by Nick Brodie, is a summary of Pope Leo XIV's reflection on Sunday's Gospel message (The parable of the rich man with a good harvest) and his challenge to adapt our approach towards evangelisation:
In our life as disciples,’ Pope Leo says, ‘we can always risk falling into a rut, a routine.’ Feeling too comfortable, we can adopt ‘a tendency to follow the same old pastoral plans without experiencing interior renewal and a willingness to respond to new challenges.’
The history of the Church, the pope reminds us, is a story of adaptation. He encourages us to look for apostolic ‘openness to change, to new events, encounters and concrete situations.’
The first apostles showed us the way. We should, Pope Leo says, try and recapture ‘their readiness to consider new approaches to evangelisation in response to the problems and difficulties raised by our brothers and sisters in the faith.’
‘We need to ask ourselves’, he says: ‘Who is Jesus Christ for us today? What place does he occupy in our lives and in the life of the Church? How can we bear witness to this hope in our daily lives and proclaim it to those whom we meet?’
‘If we want to keep our identity as Christians from being reduced to a relic of the past,’ the pope suggests, then, ‘as Pope Francis often reminded us, it is important to move beyond a tired and stagnant faith.’ We are not called to be hoarders of piety, but givers of hope.

Pope Leo wants us to keep in mind that ‘authentic wisdom has more to do with recognising the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data.’ Reflecting on rapid advances presently being made in Artificial Intelligence, the pope encourages everyone to engage in ‘serious reflection… on the inherently ethical dimension of AI.’
While acknowledging that AI has ‘extraordinary potential to benefit the human family’, he notes that it ‘also raises deeper questions concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society.’
Generative AI particularly ‘raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty,’ he says. It risks affecting ‘our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality.’
While we need not turn our backs on technological progress, we should regularly pause and reflect on what real progress means. Whatever use we make of AI, if it takes us away from being attentive to truth and justice then something is awry.
As the pope reminds us, ‘tools … draw much of their ethical force from the intentions of the individuals that wield them.’ Each of us, therefore, should reflect on when and how and why we use AI. Does it help us attend to Christ, or subtly guide us away?

Religious Education
This week’s focus in RE is on Kindergarten:
This module introduces students to God the Holy Spirit as the third way of knowing God. The Holy Spirit is presented as an equal part of the Trinity with God the Father and the Son. Students will pose and respond to questions about the presence of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. They will learn about the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles at the time of Pentecost and ways that the Spirit is God’s presence in the world today. Students will also be introduced to symbols and signs of the Holy Spirit and the special gifts of the Holy Spirit that help to strengthen people’s relationship with God.

Stage 3 Religious Literacy Test - On Monday 1^st September, our Year 6 students will undertake the Diocesan Religious Literacy Test which assesses their religious literacy knowledge from across many of the units taught in both Yr 5 & Yr 6. The test is divided into 3 sections: Section 1 - Multiple Choice (covering content taught in the Yr 5 units), and Section 2 & 3 - Short and Longer Answer responses (with a deeper focus on 2 specific units cover so far in Yr 6). We wish these students well as they prepare for and undertake this test later in the term.

Prayer, Celebration & Mission
NAIDOC Week Celebration – Last Monday, 28^th July, our school community gathered in the Main Hall to celebrate the richness and beauty of our country's Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander culture with a special NAIDOC Week liturgy. Our celebration was enriched by the presence and performance from Uncle Alex Nean, accompanied by Will and Jordy. Uncle Alex spoke to us about the importance of maintaining respect and acknowledgment for indigenous culture. Jordy then performed a mesmerising traditional dance to the song by Archie Roach, "Watching Over Me", followed by some didgeridoo (yidaki) playing by all three men. The liturgy concluded with students exiting the hall through a traditional smoking ceremony.
The men were accompanied by Evis Heath, who gave a reflection upon this year's NAIDOC Week theme: 'The Next Generation - Strength, Vision & Legacy', helping us also to reflect on the timeless wisdom and truth inside of his beautiful artwork, 'Generations', that hangs proudly in our Catherine McAuley Centre.
Throughout the remainder of the week our ATSI teacher, Mr Brown, spent time talking to each class about indigenous culture and artefacts as well as students having the opportunity to engage in traditional indigenous games.

Coming Events– The dates below indicate some of the Faith Life and Mission events coming up for Term 3:

• Friday 15^th August - Staff Spirituality Day (pupil-free day)
• Sunday 17^th August - Family/School Mass (9:15am - St Therese's Church)
• Sunday 31st August - First Holy Communion Mass (11am - St Therese's Church)
• Wednesday 3^rd September - Catholic Community Week Liturgy & Open Classrooms (9:30am - Main Hall)
• Wednesday 3^rd September - Diocesan Diverse Learner's Mass (5pm - Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton)
• Friday 12^th September - Stage 2 Mass (9:30am - St Therese's Church) * Note: Change of date from that previously advertised
• Thur/Fri 18 & 19^th September - LOTUS Education Foundation fundraiser
• Friday 19^th September - Infants Mass (9:30am - St Therese's Church)
• Friday 26^th September - Stage 3 Mass (9:30am - St Therese's Church)

Luke Smith
Religious Education Coordinator

School Community News

ICAS Assessment Schedule:
Date of each ICAS Assessment in Term 3:
Term 3 Week 4
Wednesday 13^th August 2025 English
Term 3 Week 5
Tuesday 19^th August 2025 Science
Wednesday 20^th August 2025 Spelling
Term 3 Week 6
Wednesday 27^th August 2025 Mathematics

Therese Jackman
Primary Coordinator

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.

Kinder Art

Book Week Celebrations 2025 - Wednesday 20 August
This year we will again be celebrating literature and the magic of books with a storytelling day.  On this day teachers will be taking their 'storytelling' chair into the playground and children will have an opportunity to hear teachers read their favourite story aloud. Children are placed in groups, with each group having the chance to hear 3 different storytellers.
We are asking students and staff to come to school dressed as their favourite character and will hold a parade at the end of the storytelling so that we have an opportunity to see all of the wonderful costumes. The storytelling will commence at 9.45am and we anticipate that the parade will be at approximately 10.30am. Families are welcome to join us for the morning to enjoy the storytelling and parade.

Lynette Barker
Teacher Librarian

Congratulations 
We wish Lucy C and Phoebe M-B the very best of luck as prepare for their performance at the Wakakirri National Story Dance Festival next week. Wakakirri is a nationwide initiative for Australian schools that provides a platform for students to express their thoughts, ideas, and aspirations through the art of storytelling and dance. Inspired by the belief that great stories can inspire change, Wakakirri is designed to promote student engagement and well-being in schools through the creation and performance of captivating Story-Dances. Congratulations girls for your inclusion in this incredible dance experience at the Newcastle Exhibition & Convention Centre on 14^th August.

2026 ASPIRE Auditions
Registrations for ASPIRE 2026 auditions are now OPEN for current students from Year 4 to Year 11.
The auditions will be held at the Newcastle Convention and Exhibition Centre NEX, King Street, Newcastle (West City).
To register, please follow the link or scan the QR code:  http://mn.shor.tn/ASPIREAuditions and complete the online registration form.
Applications to Audition close on Friday 26 September 2025. 
Further details regarding the audition process for each ensemble are attached.
If you require further information, please contact Anne Atkins on 4979-1331 or email:  anne.atkins@mn.catholic.edu.auLorem 

Alina Brymora
Performing Arts Teacher

Wellbeing

GEM Chats for Home-  Gratitude

Parent Hub- Mindfulness  
Head over to our Parent Hub to find out more how to embed Mindfulness at home with Martin from The Resilience Project, using the following link (scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click ‘Mindfulness’ for the video):
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/

Every night at dinner, have each person talk about their favourite thing about that day.​
Family Activity-Delve Deeper
Practising gratitude helps us to be thankful and appreciate what we have in our lives, rather than focussing on what we don’t have or what we want.
Try practising gratitude with your family with our family activity.

Classroom Spotlight-Year 4
Year 4 students love the lessons from the Resilience Project. We made Gratitude Board Games and played them with our friends. GEM Chats (whilst making shapes with play dough) encourage us to discuss our feelings and are fun too! We have been learning about the science of our brain and how it is important to use the Cortex part of the brain to regulate our emotions. This is helping us to understand ‘think before you act and speak,’ an essential lifelong skill. Enjoy our photos!

Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator

Sport

Canteen

Important Dates

15 Aug - PUPIL FREE DAY - Staff professional development
20 Aug - Book Week Dress Up Parade
21 Aug - Year 4 Tennis

                Year 3 Excursion

25 Aug - Year 1 Assembly 2.30pm
03 Sept - Open Classrooms - Liturgy 9.15am
05 Sept - Fathers Day Breakfast 7.30am

08 Sept - Kinder Excursion

10Sept - Yr 6 Sports Day at Trinity College

12 Sept - Yr 2 Tocal Excursion