PRINCIPALS REPORT
It has been great to welcome students back to school this week. We commence with around 1080 students, which is the highest enrolment in John Therry's history. This includes 199 students in Year 7, 23 new students across Year 8-11, and we are now at full capacity in every year group to begin the year.
The promise and opportunity of a fresh start is always exciting and brings hope for the year ahead. I have been extremely impressed with the way students have returned to school, wearing the uniform with pride and most importantly, demonstrating great energy and excitement about being together again as a community.
We have emphasised at the beginning the year how much potential each and every student has, the importance of making the most of their opportunity here and achieving their personal best. "High Expectations, High Support and High Accountability" is our mantra in 2025, and we aim to raise the bar for the whole community, with a real focus on our learning.
I have talked to students about how important it is that we challenge them to know what they are capable of, and how we will always do that through a caring and supportive approach. We know that when we do this well, and everyone is held accountable, the student experience improves and they achieve better results.
John Therry is a truly great place to learn and we should always work to ensure we aim to continually improve.
Our Marist and Diocesan theme this year is Pilgrims of Hope, in line with the Jubilee Year in the Church announced by Pope Francis. At the heart of our catholic faith is the call to live out the message of Hope that Jesus taught us.
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given to us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision..” (Pope Francis).
I also love the notion of being a pilgrim; as a community we journey with one another, looking to go further together than we could on our own. It is relationship and community that lie at the heart of John Therry and so our theme this year is most fitting and inspirational for us.
Welcome to new staff
We farewelled a small number of staff at the end of last year and now welcome nine new teachers in 2025 and three new support staff. Three of our new staff are filling newly created positions due to our growing enrolment numbers and the need to support our students. We are blessed to have these outstanding educators join our community and begin the year with a full teaching team.
New Teaching Staff:
Pam Dowd - English
Stepheni Peiris - Maths
Sam Fifita - Maths
Robynne Madengang - Science
Marinda Bond - Diverse Learning
Maree Armstrong Ley - Diverse Learning
Penny Troy - Diverse Learning
Ashik Romy - English / HSIE
Laura Penfold - EAL/D
New Support Staff:
Aimee Payne - Library SSO
Nicole Lauko - LSO
Ashlyn Billings - LSO
We have a range of important events over the next fortnight.
The Year 12 Retreat takes place next week and is a key formation experience for students in their time at John Therry.
Year 7 Laptop bootcamp is on next Tuesday 11th Febraury.
Our High Achievers Assembly for the HSC Class of 2024 takes place on Friday the 21st February and we look forward to celebrating their achievements.
We look forward to these and the many other events that will shape 2025!