From the Principal...   

Welcome back to school!

It was fantastic to see our students' smiling faces as they returned to school on Thursday last week. I have heard some lovely holiday stories from the children.

My own holiday was spent at home this summer, enjoying lazy days with my boys and husband! We didn't get away due to the fires, however, we made the most of our time at home and going on day trips. One of the favourite places we visited was ArtVo in Melbourne. I thought I'd share a couple of photos of the fun we had!

Settling in

Congratulations to all our new families and especially our new Foundation students. Everyone has settled in so well! 

Here are some of the things our new Foundation students told me they have enjoyed doing in their first few days...

Alysha said, 'I love colouring in.'

Julie said,'I like going on the monkey bars.'

Shane said, 'I love playing on the playground.'

Jaden said, 'I like to play with the lego.'

Adeline said, 'I love to play with all the toys.'

Welcome also to the new students who joined us last week. It is lovely to have you with us!

Bismeet K in 1C, Chason C-A and Hemowai J in 1B, Erika G, Jerusha P and Kahurangi J in 2OB, Arnold R in 2H, Isha S in 3F, Salvie A in SH, Summer W in SG and Jacob W in SL.

We hope that you all enjoy your time at St Therese's.

Catholic Care Counsellors

This year we have two new counsellors from Catholic Care to join our team. Daylia who will work on Fridays and Claire who will work on Tuesdays. Daylia and Claire will take over from Poly who worked with us in 2019.

If you would like information regarding Catholic Care or if you think your child may benefit from counseling, please contact Rosie Osthmuller or your child's classroom teacher.

From Claire Adkins - counsellor

My name is Claire Adkins, I am a provisional psychologist working with the school counseling program at St Therese’s on Tuesdays this year. I work with children and their families to provide them with support and the skills to manage behavioural, emotional, and academic concerns, together with friendships and social issues. Our counselling and skills group programs are confidential and free of charge to all students. Please feel welcome to drop in to the school if you have any questions.

From Daylia Greenfeld - counsellor

Medications

Thank you to the families who have already provided the school with their child's updated medical plans. It is necessary to have these plans updated annually and includes conditions such as, asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, etc. If you have not already done so, please provide all the updated plans to the front office as soon as possible or at the latest by Friday of this week.

If your child requires medication, the school requires information from a doctor that outlines dosages, etc. Forms are available from the office if required.

Information Evening & Meet the Teacher Workshops

This year, we will be trying something a little bit different in regards to our Meet the Teacher Sessions. Rather than scheduling individual sessions, we are going to hold an Information Session in the Hall for families with children from Foundation to Year Six. At this Information Session, we will share the educational methods and strategies that are used to teach Religion, Literacy, Mathematics as well as Student Wellbeing issues such as behaviour management. We will then break into classroom workshops where teachers are available to answer questions specifically for their learning level. 

Students are welcome to attend the sessions too and then take their parents on a tour of their classrooms.  We hope that this way parents can gain a greater understanding of how learning takes place at St Therese's school.

The event will take place on Tuesday 11th February starting at 6:30pm in the Hall. Everyone is welcome!

Year Six Leadership Roles

This year, we have decided to provide our Year Six students with greater responsibility with greater opportunities for leadership. At the end of the year in 2019, the Year Five students participated in a Leadership Incursion that explained the skills required to be leaders. Now that they are in Year Six they are invited to apply to be on one of the following teams that will lead the St Therese's community. These teams are;

Social Justice Team - This team will work together to organise social justice events to raise money and awareness for St Vincent de Paul. They will be part of the Mini Vinnie group.

Environment Team - This team will learn about the importance of being stewards for our Earth and in particular our oceans. They will take part in the I Sea I Care program and become dolphin ambassadors.

Community Spirit Team - This team will lead the School House events for Mackillop, Mercy and Lisieux. They will organise events to gain points for the School Houses including sporting events.

Communication Team - This team will facilitate assemblies, assist in writing the weekly newsletter, lead school tours for new families and lead the school in learning a Japanese phrase a week.

Year Six students have been invited to write a letter expressing why they think they should be part of one of these teams. We will finalise the leadership roles and present badges to the Year Six students at our next Assembly in Week 4. 

Change to Assembly

Assemblies will now take place each fortnight on Mondays at 3:00pm led by Year Six leaders. Each class has been rostered on to present the Gospel in a creative way. We hope that by holding assembly each fortnight with a class presenting we will encourage more parents to attend. Check the Dates to Remember page to see which class is on assembly!

Heat, Air Quality & Asthma

The devastating bushfires of Victoria and NSW continue to wreak havoc on our nation. As a result, some days we are experiencing hazardous air quality. Please be assured that if we closely monitor the conditions and will keep students indoors if the temperature is over 36 degrees or if the air quality is in the hazardous range.

If your child has asthma or any other respiratory condition, please ensure that their Medical Plans & medications have been updated by a doctor, with an updated photo and are provided to the school. Please continue to communicate with your child's teacher or office staff if your child is unwell and requires Ventolin.

I hope that all have a lovely week as we pray for the victims of the bushfires.

Yours in Christ,

Michelle Bruitzman

Principal

Eternal God,

In wisdom and love 

you created our earth 

to sustain us and give us life.

We turn to you now

in faith, hope and love,

asking you to look with favour

on our fire-ravaged and drought-stricken land.

Strengthen, sustain and give a new heart

to our farmers

and to all who are affected by drought.

AMEN