From the Principal

~Do all that you do with love~

Dear Families,

You will have received email invitations over the last few weeks to participate in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Survey. The purpose of this is to assist us in better understanding how our Catholic Identity is expressed in work and practice here at St Therese's. Thank you to those families who have already completed the survey, your time is much appreciated.

If you have not yet completed the survey, I would appreciate it if as many parents as possible can do so. The survey is only available through the project website and can only be completed online. Please refer to the attached Survey Instructions for Parents which provides login details and instructions. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Whole School Athletics Carnival

We certainly picked a warm day for our Athletics carnival last week. By the time all of the events had finished, we had a lot of tired children and we're sure they all slept well that night. I think it's fair to say the staff did too and a few Zooper Doopers helped to cool the teachers down before their professional learning meeting after school.

Thank you to the parents who came along and joined the fun, your presence is always appreciated be it as a volunteer assisting with running some of the sporting events or as part of the cheer squad in the stands. 

The hard work and support of all of our staff is also appreciated - it's one of those rare days when everyone leaves the school, all hands on deck to ensure the children have as much fun as possible.

Harmony Week

It has been a huge week for our community and I am so grateful to all of our staff and parents for making it happen. We started the week with Kaboom Sports in our new Family Groups. These multi-age groups allow students to spend time together, getting to know each other and celebrating the special occasions at our school.

Well done to some of our Grade 6 Leaders who supported their groups and led with enthusiasm, we think you did a great job and can see that you take your leadership roles very seriously indeed.

On Monday afternoon, Middle B led our assembly and our new FIRE Carriers were commissioned by our exisiting FIRE Carriers. FIRE stands for Friends Igniting Recognition through Education. To be a FIRE Carrier is to exercise an important leadership role in the school community. FIRE carriers are students and teachers that share a passion for learning about Aboriginal culture and history and are committed to sharing this knowledge and promoting reconciliation within and beyond the school community.

Harmony Day was celebrated in style today. To witness the staff and students gathered on the playground, most wearing traditional cultural dress or something orange, was so very special. When I talk about our school during school tours with prospective parents, I am proud to share that we represent over 35 countries and cultures from around the world and that 75% of our students come from an English as an Additional Language background. To see our students proudly showing who they are and where their family originate from has cemented Harmony Day as one of my favourite days of the year.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of food that our generous families donated, much of it homemade and all carefully labelled to support our students with particular dietary needs and allergies. We had enough for staff and students to have seconds - there will be many full tummies this afternoon.

When you do visit next time, I do encourage you to take a moment to view the whole school display we created. Our staff and students all represented to show our beautifully diverse community.

Enrolments 2027

Believe it or not, our enrolments for 2027 are now open. If you have a little person due to start school next year, our enrolment packs are ready. If you have friends or family members looking for a primary school, please encourage them to come and visit us. Our Enrolments Open Day is on Monday 23rd March.

Canteen

Our upgrades are almost complete and Mrs Beshara is looking forward to moving out of the hall kitchen back into the canteen. Lunch orders are proving extremely popular at the moment and we are now reaching out to ask for some assistance. If any of you would be interested in volunteering to help out on a Monday or Wednesday, please complete the Google Form here. Please note, all volunteers are required to complete our Volunteer Induction process. This is currently under review and we are aiming to make it easier for you!

Thank you for an amazing week!

Kind Regards,

Felicity Broughton

principal@sttcbourne.catholic.edu.au