From the Principal

~ Do all that you do with love ~

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of St Therese's Primary School,

What a week it has been! We have finally been able to occupy the Junior Learning Neighbourhood. The Junior Learning Neighbourhood will house the Foundation, Year 1, and Year 2 classes as well as LOTE. There is a kitchen and project space as well as the Junior Library. The students were so grateful to move into their new learning spaces. The delivery of the new furniture was delayed and we hope that that will all arrive in the next couple of weeks.

Such an achievement doesn't happen in isolation. I would sincerely like to thank each and every staff member and student for their patience and support during the building phase of the building project! I am sure you will agree with me that the wait was worth it and I cannot wait until I am able to welcome the parents into the school to tour the new learning spaces. For now, I have included some happy snaps of the students in their new classroom spaces.

Some comments from the F-2 students about their new learning spaces.

• I love the colours on the walls
• I love the kitchen
• I just love everything
• I am so happy in my new classroom

Student Voice

This year, a focus for the staff and students will be to develop Student Voice. When we talk about Student Voice we mean the ability for students to clearly articulate what they are thinking to their peers and teachers. Having excellent communication skills is key to successful learning and positive wellbeing and this is an important area of growth for St Therese's school. 

In 2022, all classes have started the year by implementing Democratic Class Meetings. These meetings are facilitated by the classroom teacher in all classes from F-6 and provide the opportunity for the students to voice any concerns they may have. During these meetings, students have the opportunity to think about their school experiences and practice articulating what they are thinking and feeling and then work together to solve any problems that may arise. In this way, students are given ownership of their actions and will feel empowered to make a difference at school to their learning and wellbeing.

Recently, I had the good fortune of joining a Year 2 class meeting where we discussed the school-wide expectation of RESPECT and how this related to using the student toilets. The students identified that sometimes students can be silly in and around the toilets and play with the soap and water and this can cause others to feel uncomfortable. They then talked about possible solutions to solve this problem and came up with the idea of creating posters that reflect our school rules that could be displayed in the classrooms. 

Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2022

As part of Catholic Education Week 2022, Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd (DOSCEL) seeks to recognize individuals in Catholic schools who have achieved excellence in one or more of our two core educational purposes:

• Inspiring Faith 
• Inspiring Learning

Staff and students are invited to nominate a member of staff for one of these awards. The criteria is outlined in the attachment. 

If your child would like to nominate a staff member, please email me at principal@sttcbourne.catholic.edu.au for a nomination form.

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead and I leave you with this reflection written by Fr Michael Tate.

Fish in the Sea of Divine Life

Peter was a fisherman. Jesus had been brought up in a carpenter's household. Jesus tells Peter when and how to fish. This gets under Peter's skin. He tells Jesus a few facts of life about night fishing on the Laake of Gennesaret. But, he gives in to this landlubber's directive and casts out the nets and hauls in a very good catch.

Jesus wants to come into the rhythm of our ordinary workday lives. Surprising things may then happen. You may be commissioned by Our Lord Jesus Christ to become  'fishers of men', fishers of human beings. But don't fishermen fish the fish

 out of the sea and kill them?

Is being caught up in the net of Christianity to be a deadening experience? Having this in mind, St Luke used a word for netting fish for an aquarium. We who have been caught up in the net of Christianity are meant to be more alive than ever, 'fully alive'. The best analogy I can think of is the stranding of pods of whales, thrashing around in the shallows, barely existing, doomed unless saved. People go down and put slings under them and haul them into deeper water.

We could pause a moment to thank God that we have been guided into the life-giving waters of baptism, and for the strength to help others swim into the Oceanic depths of Divine Love. ~ Fr Michael Tate