PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Parents/Guardians,
A GREAT TERM 2
As we come to the end of Term 2 I realise that a great deal has been achieved at John Therry by both the students and Staff. Quality teaching and learning is taking place and we move to the formal reporting period that will reflect this. The Staff have been very busy marking assignments and classwork in preparation for these.
We have also been through some very sad and draining times where the community has come together and provided support for those who needed it. The floods, fires, covid and flu have all placed strain on families. I was particularly impressed by the care and respect shown by the students to each other in such times. Truly, John Therry is a special community and it is in the tough times that we are tested.
NEW P&F EXECUTIVE
Thank you those parents who were able to attend the P&F meeting last week.
The new P&F Executive for 2022/23 is:-
- President – Mrs Marion Augustine
- Vice President – Mrs Nicola Medrano
- Treasurer – Mrs Melinda Cohr
- Secretary – Mrs Melissa Bertie
The P&F meets on the Tuesday of Week 8 each Term from 6.30 – 7.30pm in the Staff Lunchroom. All are welcome to attend.
HALF YEARLY REPORTS and P/T/S INTERVIEWS
I ask that all parents read the Half Yearly Reports of their children and discuss the contents with them. Whilst schools have changed dramatically since you attended, research is clear that students with parents that take an interest in their child’s learning and progress, perform better.
We also have the opportunity to discuss the reports with the Staff in the first week of Term 3. These discussions should be in two halves. The first describing where your child is presently in their learning journey and the second discussing ways forward to improved results.
Year 7 to 10 Interviews will take place on Thursday 21st July from 3:30-7:30pm in the school Hall. Online booking information will be sent out when reports are released and we hope to see you throughout the evening.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SPORTS TEAMS
We have enjoyed another Term of sporting success in the MISA (Macarthur Independent Schools Association) competition. While all teams played well and several finished as runner up in their respective competitions, we congratulate the competition winners.
- 10-12 Boys Rugby League (Div 1)
- 10 - 12 Girls Indoor Cricket (Div 1)
- 7 - 9 Boys Basketball (Div 1)
- 7 - 9 Girls Basketball (Div 2)
Additional results:
- 2nd place overall - 7-9 Boys Hockey (Div 2)
- 2nd place overall - 11-12 Boys Football (Div 1)
- 3rd place overall - 7-9 Mixed Frisbee (Div 1)
- 4th place overall - 11-12 Girls Netball (Div 1)
- 4th place overall - 10-12 Boys Softball (Div 1)
- 6th place overall - 10-12 Girls Football (Div 1)
More is in the sports section of the Newsletter.
I wish all students and their families a wonderful and safe holiday break.
We Are Family
‘The spirituality of family love is made up of thousands of small but real gestures.”
Amoris Laetitia, 315
As the official Year of the Family comes to an end on 26 June we are reminded by Pope Francis that in fact, “The family is an adventure, a beautiful adventure!”
For better or for worse, our experience of family has shaped each of us, providing us with a lens upon the world in which we live. At times our lens is crystal clear providing us a solid vision through which our experience of family has allowed us to flourish. At other times this lens is obscured providing a fragmented world view when our experience of family has fallen short. The ‘adventure’ that Pope Francis refers to includes both the highs and the lows and is reflected through the Paschal Mystery - the anticipation, uncertainty, agonising anxiety and depths of utter despair through to the triumphant rising and endless hope.
Many of our most transformative experiences of family shape who we are, often not during the highs and lows but rather through the ‘ordinary’ daily rituals that we live out. The fast-paced nature of family life can cause a level of immunity that prevents us from being present to the sacramentality of the ‘ordinary’.
Family routines create hidden sacramental moments with the perfect example hidden in plain sight - the humble family meal. No matter what the cuisine or time of the day, it’s in the gathering that we experience what it means to be ‘blessed, broken and shared’.
Research tells us that when children enjoy regular meals with their family they do better at school, display less anti-social behaviours, are more successful in their relationships with peers and the list goes on.
In the classic Australian movie, ‘The Castle’ there is a humbling and powerful resonance in the family meal scenes. The gratitude shown by the father, Daryl Kerrigan along with the children towards their mother Sal’s cooking is still referenced today:
Daryl: “Darl, what do you call this?”
Sal: “Sponge cake”
Daryl: “What’s that on top?”
Sal: “Icing sugar”
Daryl: “Boys why would you go out to dinner when this keeps turning up, night after night?”
This iconic Australian film reminds us through this humble family meal scene that gathering around the table is an opportunity to be blessed by one another’s presence, a time to break open conversation through the breaking of bread as well as share with one another how we are feeling, what matters most and sometimes to make peace when family life is complex.
When we stop and take note of all sacramental moments we can understand that it is in the everyday that God is fully revealed. Let us all appreciate and be present as we experience the ‘adventure’ in all sacramental and Eucharistic moments.
How do you show your appreciation to members of your family and be present to experience the adventure?
“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
Mother Teresa