From the Principal

~Do all that you do with love~

Dear Families,

Christmas Concert

Once again we were well and truly blessed with the weather for our annual Christmas Picnic and Concert. It was wonderful to see so many families gathering, chatting, eating and playing together prior to the Christmas Concert. Each year we worry that the rain will come and each year we release a huge sigh of relief when it doesn't. We were so busy chatting that not many photos were taken but a few were captured - the children looked magnificent in their costumes and Christmas clothes. It was great to see some parents joining in and wearing their Christmas attire as well, we were certainly filled with the Christmas spirit.

The feedback we received from families last night was that the concert was a great success. The children sang beautifully, filling the hall with confident voices and radiant smiles that warmed every heart. Our news, weather, and field reporters spoke brilliantly, entertaining the audience with their “Tracking Santa” updates and sharing Christmas traditions from around the world. As always, our Foundation students stole the show with their heartfelt Nativity story. There may have been a few teary eyes in the hall, along with plenty of aching cheeks from all the smiles.

We are so proud of every student who contributed to making the evening such a success. I would also like to acknowledge the staff - events such as this don't just happen, it takes a lot of hard work. Thank you to everyone for another successful St Therese's community event!

Staffing News

Last week I shared an update regarding staff members we will be farewelling at the end of the year. I’m pleased to let you know that class groupings have now been finalised and staffing replacements are almost complete. Tomorrow, our Foundation to Grade 5 students will discover who their teachers will be and which classroom they will be in for 2026.

We know this time of year can bring a mix of excitement and nerves. Change can feel challenging for some children, and it’s natural that they may feel uncertain or even disappointed with their class allocation. Please be assured that the process of creating class lists is thoughtful and thorough. It involves far more than balancing numbers — our teachers carefully consider the academic, social, and emotional needs of each child to ensure the best possible learning environment.

If your child comes home concerned that they are not with any of their friends, please know this is not the case. Every student is given the opportunity to nominate peers they would like to be placed with, and we try to ensure that each child has at least one of those nominated friends in their class.

Our grade structure for 2026 is as follows:

Foundation 

FTS - Mrs Malini Tyne and Mrs Liz Szabo 

FO - Mr Andrew Orchard

Grade 1/2 - Juniors

JK - Ms Colleen Kathard

JY - Miss Ha Rin Yoo

JZ - Mrs Qin Zhang

Grade 3/4 - Middles

MB - Miss Samantha Baillie

ME - Mrs Sharon Evans

MS - Mr Sam Sempio

Grade 5/6 - Seniors

SE - Mrs Denise Essa

SJ - Mrs Rebecca Jeffery

SC - Mrs Samantha White

Given the staffing changes that have been previously shared with you, I am pleased to share our Single Subject (Specialist) classes

Physical Education - Mr Carlos Sanchez

Auslan (Sign Language) - Mrs Caitlin Marino

Performing Arts - Terms 1 to 3 Mr Andrew Toomey, Term 4 Mrs Maddie Hastings

Visual and Media Arts - Terms 1 to 3 Mrs Annabel Birtles, Term 4 Mrs Meghan Brockman

Free Public Transport for Under 18s

From Thursday 1 January 2026, people aged under 18 can travel free on all Victorian public transport services. This includes trams, trains, buses and coach services. Previously people aged 5 to 18 years could use a child myki card and buy a concession fare.

To access free travel from January, they must use a new youth myki card and tap the card on and off each time they travel. For areas that do not use myki cards, they must show their myki card to travel free.

More information about the youth myki card will be available later this month on the myki types webpage.

Social Media Minimum Age Legislation

From Wednesday 10 December 2025, new social media age restrictions start.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 establishes age restrictions for certain social media platforms. It requires providers to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 years from having accounts.

Most popular social media platforms will be age restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube.

Importantly, the responsibility will be on the social media platforms, not parents, carers, children or schools, to implement the restrictions.

To help get under-16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.

Enrolment Waitlist

We still have spaces for Year 1 and Year 2 students. There is currently a waitlist for Foundation, Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. If your child is currently in Foundation to Year 5 and you are not returning next year, please notify the school as soon as possible so that places can be offered to those on our wait list.

Felicity Broughton

principal@sttcbourne.catholic.edu.au