From the Principal
Michelle Bruitzman
Dear St Therese's Families,
It is with great sadness that we had to close school early. This was necessary as, unfortunately, St Therese's was reported to have positive COVID-19 at the school. This meant that the Year 6 graduation ceremony was cancelled. This was devastating for us all and especially for the students. The decision was not made lightly and was directed by the Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited. The health and safety of the school community is of the highest priority.
The global pandemic has created many challenges for students, families, and their parents. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still a factor in our lives and as much as I wish we could move on from the effects of the pandemic it is still a reality and continues to impact our lives.
Before the Year 6 students left yesterday, we were able to hold a short presentation and farewell the Year 6 students. We were also able to present the three award winners of the Pauline Richardson Award.
Congratulations to the following Year 6 students.
Community Spirit: Oswin Kovatt
Oswin has always demonstrated kindness to all his peers, teachers, and members of the community. He always includes others, speaks respectfully, and always shows courtesy to others. As a Mini Vinnies student leader, he has been engaged in community uplifting activities such as food drives and ANZAC Appeal.
Healthy Eating and Active Living: Declan Maling
Declan actively participates in sports-related activities such as Athletics and has represented the school in these events. His dedication to Athletics has enabled him to win medals and achieve several personal bests. He has also shown leadership skills as a Captain of Mercy House by encouraging others to participate in sports.
Academic Development: Paulette Ruiz
Paulette is a hardworking student who has demonstrated commitment to her learning, both onsite and during remote learning. She ensures that all her work is of quality and continuously uses teacher feedback to improve her learning. She also supports other students in the classroom by sharing her ideas.
The Year 6 students and their families have been provided with their child's certificates and the Graduation video.
THANK YOU
I wish to thank each and every staff member for their dedication and hard work over the past twelve months. They have maintained the learning and teaching programs with incredible enthusiasm to ensure that each student has been afforded the opportunity to continue learning despite lockdowns and remote learning.
The work that has gone into the wellbeing and pastoral care of our families under strain is something that I am particularly proud of and I know you will agree that this continues to be one of the greatest strengths of St Therese’s School.
Finally, I would like to thank each of the students who have been through such a challenging year. They have shown tremendous resilience as they have adapted to the changes that have been made to not only their schooling but to their own lives. They have risen to the challenge with grace and should be very proud of themselves!
The school will reopen to students on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Due to the challenges that we experienced over the year and the disruptions to the building sector, our own building project has unfortunately been delayed. It is anticipated that we will not have a handover to the new classrooms until Thursday, February 3. This means that the children will return to temporary classrooms for the first couple of days and as soon as we have been granted the certificate of occupancy we will be able to move into the new classrooms. I will communicate the location of the temporary classrooms closer to the new school year starting. Please pray that there will be no more hold-ups in the building sector!
Last week, the students and teachers created Christmas Carol videos that we have put together into a Christmas Movie for you to enjoy with your families. It runs for approximately 30minutes and is safely stored on our own ClickView channel. Please click on the link to view the video.
Have a safe, healthy and happy Christmas with your family and friends and I look forward to seeing you in 2022.
God Bless.
Michelle Bruitzman
Principal