Dear Families,

As we approach the end of term, it is a good time to pause and reflect on all that we have shared and achieved together. As a school community, we have experienced so many whole-school and year-level events, including Masses, camps, fundraising efforts, swimming, and of course, a great deal of learning.

I am really pleased with the overall behaviour of our students and the way they have committed to our school rules, as well as their positive approach to classroom routines and expectations.

As always, our challenge is to continue striving to be better and not rest on our laurels. Next term, we will continue to emphasise the importance of regular attendance. Learning is difficult when students are not at school consistently, and it can be very challenging to catch up on missed learning.

We will also continue to focus on the importance of being people of integrity in the school yard. At times, students can treat playground games such as football, soccer, netball, basketball, or downball as though they are professional competitions. However, sledging, excessive physicality, and put-downs have no place in life at St Therese’s.

All games are expected to be played with fairness, respect, and an understanding of the rules. Our expectation is that students follow these guidelines, include others, and demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times.

This is our final newsletter for the term, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and encouragement throughout the term. I wish you and your family a safe, happy, and holy Easter period and holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday 21st April, ready for another great term.

Evacuation Drill tomorrow - 26th March

Tomorrow (Thursday) we will be having an evacuation drill throughout our school. We will practice our safety procedures during an emergency to ensure everyone is kept safe. Classroom teachers will discuss this with students and if you think it's something to be addressed at home also, please do so.

NAPLAN

Congratulations to all our students who participated in NAPLAN. We certainly had a few technical issues (theirs's not ours), but our students showed resilience, confidence and a positive attitude to the whole experience.

Year 6 Camp

Congratulations to our Year 6 students on a fantastic camp. The staff at the camp commented on our students' beautiful manners and 'have-a-go' attitude. A HUGE thank you to the staff who attended the camp: Kate, Olivia, Courtney, Ali, Taylor, Cobi and Trent for the energy, enthusiasm, acrobatics on the giant swing, and time away from your loved ones.

School Hours

Please note that the schoolyard is unsupervised before 8:30 am. There are still many children on the grounds prior to this time and there is no teacher on duty.

For the safety of your children, I ask that they are not dropped off at school before 8:30am.

Mobile Phone and Smartwatch Reminder

A reminder to families that all ‘smart’ devices, including mobile phones and smartwatches, must be handed to teachers first thing in the morning when students arrive at school. These devices are then securely stored for the duration of the school day and returned to students at dismissal time.

This practice supports a focused learning environment and aligns with our school and diocesan policies. We appreciate your ongoing support in reinforcing this expectation with your children.

Easter Raffle

Thank you for all the donations so far and for the ticket purchases. Amazing effort!

Please keep them coming if you can.

The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday Evening and Winners announced at 2:20pm on Thursday 2nd April!

You can purchase tickets on MySchoolConnect via this link: St Therese's Primary School Raffle

With Easter fast approaching, preparations for our annual Easter Raffle are beginning. This is always one of the students’ favourite events and brings great excitement across the school community.

To make the raffle a success, we are hoping to have approximately 50 prizes. We would be very grateful for any donations of Easter eggs, chocolates, or Easter craft items that could be included in our prize hampers. Your generosity helps make this event special for the students.

Principals Award

People of Peace

Althea, Cora and Amelia set up a cupcake stall, selling 40 cupcakes to their neighbours, raising $159 for Caritas, making the Project Compassion appeal visible to those outside our school community.

2027 Foundation Enrolment – Existing Families

It is hard to believe we are approaching 2027 enrolment time. If you have a child starting Foundation in 2027, please visit our website and complete the Enrolment Enquiry tab. Having this information from existing families gives us an early indication of how many places we will have available for new families. Please attend to this at your earliest convenience.

Click here:Enrolment Information - St Therese's Primary School Bendigo

Learner Diversity