Newsletter 20th August Term 3, 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.

Dear Parents/Carers

Staffing
John Rouse has given his resignation and will retire from 46 years of dedication to Catholic education at the end of 2025. Personally, it has been an honour for me to work alongside John as a teaching Assistant Principal in my previous time at St Therese’s and now as Principal.
In addition, Donald Paton has resigned from St Therese’s at the end of the 2025 school year and will return to Victoria.
As a result of these resignations, we are now advertising for a third Primary Co-Ordinator to start in 2026.
Kristen Smith (Learning Support Assistant Year 4) has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She has now begun treatment, and we look forward to her making a speedy recovery.  Please keep Kristen and her family in your prayers.
Melanie Faehndrich last week underwent further surgery on her hand.  She will be off work for at least four weeks, and we welcome Mandie Kaluski to the Learning Support teacher role.  
Angela Schneider remains acting Learning Support Co-Ordinator.

Property Work
We have now commenced installation of the sail shades over the two sets of play equipment that we anticipate should be completed in the next 3-4 weeks.
Our totem poles have been completed by Evis Heath outside our administration area. I am grateful for the support of Kristy Healey and Christy Malyon who are working with some of our year 6 Environmental team members to plant under the totem poles in coming weeks. John Rouse is helping us with planting of the beautiful (yellow) Catherine McAuley roses in the gardens outside our administration area. 
In coming months, we also have several other Property projects being undertaken and financed by Catholic Schools. These include the re-laying of the soft fall under the K-2 play equipment, extra blinds in the Catherine McAuley centre, a clean up of the outdoor area near OOSH, a refurbishment of the year 3-4 classrooms and planting and re-laying of gravel and frame borders in our yarning circle area on the back playground.
Under this funding support, the Catholic Schools Property team have also informed us of their intention to re-lay the turf on the back field in the Christmas holidays. It is hoped that with the recent repairs to the school’s irrigation on the back field that the grass will grow more successfully than it has in the past.

FACE Meeting
Thank you to those parents and staff who joined us for the term 3 FACE meeting on Monday night. Our term 4 meeting will be held Monday 10 November at 6pm.

Support for Parents:
Parent Line NSW: Free Telephone Counselling for Parents and Carers of Children
Parent Line NSW is a free telephone counselling, support and referral service for parents and carers with children aged 0 to 18 who live in New South Wales. Parent Line is also an information service for professionals working with children and families. 
Whether you need some help or just want someone to talk to, the qualified and experienced counsellors are available seven days a week to support you.
What Can I Talk to Parent Line NSW About?
The service receives calls from parents, carers and professionals who have questions or concerns about babies, children, or teenagers. Parent Line counsellors can help to support you, offering advice and guidance on concerns such as…

• Child and adolescent mental health
• Friendship issues and bullying
• Social media and increased screentime
• Anxiety in children
• Child and behaviour development
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Support during family separation
• School transitions
• Family violence 

Call Parent Line NSW on 1300 1300 52 to access free and confidential counselling. Open Monday to Friday (9am to 9pm) and Saturday & Sunday (4pm to 9pm).

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.  

Important Security Update for student BYOD Devices
Action is required for students with BYOD Windows 10 devices as Windows 10 will soon no longer be supported by Microsoft.
To ensure your student device security you should upgrade to Windows 11 as soon as possible.
Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 10 will end on 14 October 2025, meaning it will no longer receive critical security updates.
To stay protected and ensure optimal performance, it is strongly recommended that all students with BYOD Windows 10 devices follow Microsoft’s instructions and upgrade to Windows 11 as soon as possible. There is no charge for this upgrade.
Why this matters:

• Windows 10 will no longer receive Microsoft updates after 14 October 2025, leaving devices exposed to threats.
• Upgrading to Windows 11 helps reduce security risks.
• Student Work Protection: Staying current helps safeguard assignments, projects, and personal data.

Ways to install Windows 11 - Microsoft Support

Upgrade to Windows 11: FAQ - Microsoft Support

How do I check what version of Windows am I running?
Select Start > Settings > System, then select About. You then see Edition, Version, and OS Build information.
We encourage all families with Student Windows 10 computers to begin the upgrade process now to avoid last-minute disruptions. If you need assistance or have questions about upgrading, please reach out to the DIAL Co-ordinator Anthony Moore.

Kind regards

Sallyanne Stanbridge
Principal

Principal Awards
The following children will receive a Principal's award at next week's School Assembly, Week 6, Monday 25/8. 2:30pm. Congratulations and thank you, children, for upholding the values and principles of St Therese’s. Please note that these children are unaware that they are receiving this award.
Romeo A, Lily H, Thomas B, Lachlan A, Ella C, Jamie P, Grace O'N, Audrey L, Kailey L and Santiago P

Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator

Assistant Principal's Message

Child Protection Week
National Child Protection Week will take place from Monday 8 September to Sunday 12 September (Week 8).  The 2025 theme is “Every Conversation Matters: Shifting conversation to action”.  During Week 8, we will engage children in numerous activities in class, to give them strategies on how to stay safe and will send out information for parents via Compass.  On Friday 12 September, all children are invited to wear a white T-shirt/top to promote Child Protection Week.  Year 2 are on their excursion on this day, so they will need to wear their full sport uniform for the excursion.

Parent/Teacher Meetings (PT Meetings)
Parent/Teacher Meetings will be held in the school hall next Tuesday 26 August and Thursday 28 August.  If you have not booked in for a PT Meeting, please do so through Compass.  The bookings will close this Friday 22 August at 9:00am.  All meetings are 10 minutes in duration.

Father’s Day Stall
Thank you to the parents that have volunteered to assist with the Father’s Day Stall on Thursday 4 September.  If you would like to volunteer please email me on kaylene.maretich@mn.catholic.edu.au.

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:
Pope Leo has said that ‘to hope is to connect.’ Divisions will come our way from time to time, but unity remains our calling.
Looking at the experience of St Irenaeus of Lyons, who he characterised as being ‘among the greatest Christian theologians’, the pope wants us ‘to understand how beautiful and relevant this hope is.’
Born in Asia and migrating to Europe, Irenaeus is the type of figure who ‘connects East and West.’ Irenaeus signifies the migrant experience, the pope reflects, and ‘reminds us how peoples continue to enrich one another.’
Moreover, Irenaeus shows us how to rise above the worries of his own time. ‘The doctrinal divisions he encountered within the Christian community, the internal conflicts and external persecutions, did not discourage him’, the pope explains. ‘On the contrary, in a fragmented world he learned how to think better, bringing his attention ever more deeply to Jesus.’
As the pope points out, Irenaeus saw how in Jesus, ‘what seems to conflict is reconciled in unity. Jesus is not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us.’
Seeing in Jesus our real hope for unity, the pope therefore encourages us to ‘to remain in him and distinguish reality from ideologies.’ Transcending our present political dividedness we are called to manifest our unity in Christ.

Religious Education

This week’s focus in RE is on Year 1:
In this module students will be exploring how they are part of a bigger family: the Church. They will build 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. This module also introduces students to Baptism as the sacrament of initiation into the People of God.
I had the privilege of visiting all of the Year 1 students gathered together last week to share and discuss about the Sacrament of Baptism and I was so impressed to see and hear how much knowledge the children already have! Well done Year 1 teachers and students.

Stage 3 Religious Literacy Test - On Tuesday 2^nd 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. (Note the change of date: due to a clash of dates with a gala sports day, our school has been given permission to sit this test on the day after originally advertised) 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

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

• 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)
• 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 6
Wednesday 27^th August 2025 Mathematics

Therese Jackman
Primary Coordinator

Grandparents Day
On Friday 24th October (Term 4 Week 2), we will hold our annual Grandparents Day Liturgy. Grandparents will be invited to attend the liturgy which will be attended by the Infants Grades only. Following the liturgy, a light morning tea will be provided for Grandparents that are attending while the students return to their class to have their fruit break. After the morning tea, all classes from Kindergarten to Year 6 will hold open classrooms, where Grandparents are invited to visit their grandchild’s classroom and see the work that they have been up to. PLEASE NOTE – this is a very special community event, and we love inviting Grandparents into our school, however, seating in the hall often goes very quickly. We do ask that only Grandparents attend the liturgy to ensure that everyone can have a place to sit.
We look forward to recognising and celebrating the important part that Grandparents play in the shaping of our students lives.

Liam Ireson
Primary Coordinator (K-2), Sports Coordinator & Year 1 Teacher

News from The Performing Arts Room
Invitation for students to join the Centenary Choir: On Friday 31st October, our school will be celebrating the centenary of St. Therese's. A special day of activities is being planned to mark this incredible milestone, commencing with a whole school liturgy in the morning. We would like to invite students from Year 3 to 6 to be a part of a school choir that will perform at this special liturgy. Rehearsals will be held on Friday mornings before school in the Father Walsh Room and will start at 8.30am. Please see dates below. 
If your child would like to be a part of the school choir, could we please ask you to email Mrs Brymora at your earliest convenience  alina.brymora@mn.catholic.edu.au . We encourage you to start discussing this performance opportunity with your child. Rehearsals start in Week 8.

Save the Date - St Therese's Carols by Candlelight Concert: Our annual Carols by Candlelight Concert is returning. Please pop Wednesday 19^th November into your calendars. More information coming soon.

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.au.

Alina Brymora
Performing Arts Teacher

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

GEM Chats for Home- Emotional Literacy

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

Pick a time and ask everyone to share a feeling they felt during that day. Discuss how they dealt with that feeling and then discuss and share strategies you could use when faced with particular feelings.

Family Activity-Delve Deeper

Working on our emotional literacy gives us opportunities to develop our ability to understand and express different emotions.

When we improve our emotional literacy, we can work towards recognising our own feelings and our ability to manage them. This allows us to cope with different life situations, such as managing conflict, making friends, coping in difficult situations and being resilient when dealing with change.

Classroom Spotlight-Year 5
This week we take a closer look at what Year 5 are learning about in their Resilience Project Lessons.
This week students reflected on character strengths observed within their group, identified their own character strengths and articulated them as positive self-talk statements.
We are learning to identify our own character strengths, as well as use these character strengths in positive self-talk as a positive coping strategy.
We reflected on the following questions in our discussions:

5W
Why is it important to celebrate and acknowledge our strengths?
It is important to celebrate and acknowledge our strengths because it will help us build self-confidence and to improve mental health. Aarohi 5W
So we can recognise those with certain strengths so that they feel acknowledged and appreciated. Olivia 5W
To give our confidence a boost about who we are. Riley 5W
How can positive self-talk help us by celebrating our character strengths when we face difficult situations?
It can keep us motivated. Zac 5W
So we know that there may be things we are bad at but there are still things that we are good at and we can do anything we set our mind to. Olivia 5W
It will help us by building resilience by highlighting inner strengths, enhances our emotional regulation and mental well-being , and anchors you in a growth mindset. Aarohi 5W
What is a positive self-talk statement you wrote? What character strength was it for? 
I treat everyone equally (justice). Zac 5W

I will never give up on a challenge even if it is hard (persistence). Riley 5W
I am curious. Curiosity = wanting to learn or know more about something/someone. Olivia 5W
'I am resourceful -I can find my way forward ' it also touches on hope. Aarohi 5W

5N

Melissa Pyers

Primary Coordinator

Sport

Diocesan Athletics Carnival
On Wednesday the 6th August, 22 students from across grades 3 to 6 competed at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival for 2025. While enjoying a day of sunshine, the students represented St Therese’s with pride and were both respectful and supportive of other competitors. A big congratulations to Isabella G, Mary W, Zara M, Benjamin C, Emilio G, Ashton P and Samuel E for progressing to the upcoming Polding Athletics Championships in September.
Congratulations to all our athletes on your amazing efforts, we are all proud of you!

NSWPSSA Rugby Union, Netball
Congratulations to Jack M (Rugby Union) and Grace O’Nl (Netball) who have recently attended the NSWPSSA Champions events. These students progressed via the Diocesan and Polding sporting pathways. Well done to you both on your phenomenal efforts and achievements! The St Therese’s Community are all very proud of you all!  
We also wish Chase P (Football) the best of luck for his NSWPSSA event held later this month.

Chris Gangemi Cup, St Joseph's Hunters Hill

On the 18th August, 13 students from Years 5/6 travelled down to St Joseph’s Hunters Hill, to compete against some of the best rugby union catholic schools in the state, for the Chris Gangemi Cup. A strong start against St Lawrences Forbes, saw the team come away with a 29-0 victory, which included barnstorming runs and some great defensive efforts across the team. Our next two games included defeats against eventual winners St Matthews, Mudgee and Our Lady of the Sea, Terrigal. The team didn’t let the scoreboard impact them and played their hardest until the final whistle. After finishing 3rd in their pool, St Thereses had one last game against Christian Brothers, Lewisham, which saw them come away with a 24-12 victory to wrap up the day. All students should be immensely proud of their achievement throughout the day, never giving up and supporting one another. A massive thank you to all parents and families who came down to support the children and assisted throughout the day. Congratulations to the following students who participated: Noah B, Liam E, Louis F, Emillio G, Patrick H, Brooklyn L, Chase M, Slade M, Jack M, Kurt P, Ashton P, Zachery W and Benjamin W. A special congratulations to Slade, who was voted players player amongst the team.

Daniel Woods

EALD Teacher

Liam Ireson
Primary Coordinator (K-2), Sports Coordinator & Year 1 Teacher

Canteen

Important Dates

20 Aug - Book Week Dress Up Parade
21 Aug - Year 4 Tennis
25 Aug - Year 1 Assembly 2.30pm
26 Aug  -  Parent Teacher Interviews Main Hall
28 Aug  -  Parent Teacher Interviews Main Hall
01 Sept - Netball Gala
03 Sept - Open Classrooms - Liturgy 9.15am
05 Sept - Fathers Day Breakfast 7.30am
08 Sept - Kinder Excursion Oakvale Farm
10Sept - Yr 6 Sports Day at Trinity College
12 Sept - Yr 2 Tocal Excursion
16, 17 & 18 Sept - LOTUS Fundraiser
22 Sept - Kinder Assembly 2.30pm
26 Sept - LAST DAY OF TERM 3/ Year 3 Excursion Awabakal
14 Oct - FIRST DAY OF TERM 4