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Dear Parents/ Guardians,

EFFECTIVE LEARNING – STUDENT AND PARENT FOCUS.

All schools spend time analysing the results of the HSC, NAPLAN, PAT and other external testing in order to review teaching practice and look for improvement. Both at John Therry and within the Diocese this is occurring. In recent months I have attended a number of Principal’s forums where we have discussed some significant questions.

• What does effective teaching and learning look like?
• What does effective, engaged learning look like?
• How do I know that effective teaching and learning is taking place in my school?

The result of this was to have a closer look at my role as the Principal of the College in ensuring quality education takes place. A further series of discussions led to questions being asked around the responsibilities of all that are involved, from the Principal to the Coordinators to all Teaching Staff - in the ownership of generating quality student learning results.

As a result of this my thoughts have taken a turn, and I have been pondering the question of just what an effective learner looks like. In fact, I discussed this with my Year 10 class last year. I was astonished by their insights and answers. They clearly knew what an effective learner looked like – even if they were not one themselves. They discussed the qualities, attitudes, traits and skill development of these students. We then discussed how we could all move towards becoming better learners. We discussed what a successful HSC student looked like, what a successful Year 10 student looked like and why some students only ‘switched on’ when they entered senior school (Years 11 and 12). It was a wonderful discussion and one that I encourage you all to take up with your child.

So a further question goes out to ALL parents – what does an effective parent look like? When we see successful HSC or NAPLAN student’s we need to also look at the home life and support that these students receive. How do parents support their child’s learning so that they may achieve at their best?

Many parents tell me that they used to be able to assist their child with homework but not anymore as they move upwards through school. But what can you still do to support? Perhaps, at times we are too busy to find time to reflect upon these questions. But time will also pass quickly and if we do not address these questions now our children will be out of school and moving on with their lives.

So, what sort of EFFECTIVE PARENT do you wish to be? Below are some thoughts from a parent who had two students at the College – one turned out to be a high performing one and the other struggled with learning. Remember, these are the reflections of one parent and may not work for all. But worth a read.

Tips for parents during Year 12 HSC year- from another parent

• Always offer the support of buying any resources they may need: pens, books, excel books, study books, essay writing books etc.
• Attend Career Expos with your child: They are a fabulous way of helping your child decide on their career path and they have many great free study lectures and talks on many of the HSC subjects.
• Take advantage of the HSC lectures that are held at Narellan and Campbelltown libraries: The study lectures are fabulous and cheap, around $10 - $15 each, they include many subjects, and usually send head lecturers who are very involved in the HSC marking and exam structure. Book early to avoid disappointment. A great way to find out the structure and expectations of each subject, and to hear another point of view.
• Don't put any pressure on your child with career expectations: Your child should be the one who is responsible for their future career. It is essential that they are happy in their chosen career path, in order for them to succeed, as they will be working for many years.
• Don't nag your children to study - ever !!!!!! They know what they have to do, and will usually do it, without you constantly saying "you should be studying". As the mother of a Dux, and another child who struggled in the HSC, I never ever told my children to study, and they both got into the course and university that they wanted to. My children said that they both valued this during Year 12. There will be enough pressure put on them from the school.
• Let them still have their hobbies and or sports, but not too many. This gives them enjoyment, friendships, happiness and aids in stress release.
• Visit a bookstore a few times during the year: They have lots of great HSC resources, and it is a silent motivator !!
• You don't need to take time off work during the HSC exam time, unless you want to; Just provide lots of healthy food, and a well stocked pantry. You'll find that the children are coming and going all the time anyway, or going to the library for study sessions.
• Finally, lots of prayers and positive support. Lovely little "I'm proud of you and all your efforts" notes, throughout the year will also do wonders !!

This Friday we  will be farewelling our Year 9 Coordinator, Mrs Veronica Monahan, as she heads off on her well earned Maternity Leave.  John Therry wishes her all the best for her impending bundle of joy!

Any questions or concerns regarding Year 9  can be directed to her replacement Mr Mitchell McGrath on 4645 8100.

On Thursday 7th April we have an opportunity for parents and carers of students in Year 7-10 to meet with teachers and discuss their progress during Term 1. Student Interim Reports will be uploaded to Compass on Tuesday 5th March March to discuss at these meetings. 

Details for the interviews are listed below.

Thursday 7th April - Zoom meetings - 4pm-7:30pm 

 The instructions for booking these interviews will be be sent out via email on Monday 28th March. (Please note that the bookings will incorrectly state the 21st March for the interviews. The timeslots are correct and will take place on the 7th April. We cannot change this without deleting all of the bookings unfortunately).

Year 11 and 12 students will have an opportunity to meet teachers mid next term on the 23rd May after their half yearly reports have been distributed.

This is an important opportunity to celebrate achievements and discuss how each child can progress and improve with their learning and we hope to see you there.

As part of our College focus on reading for purpose, we have employed the PALS reading strategy across all KLA areas. The acronym PALS stands for PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, LANGUAGE and STRUCTURE. It is a useful pre-reading strategy whereby students are able to make predictions about the text in front of them. More significantly though, it is a powerful post-reading tool where students are asked to consider questions about why the piece of writing exists, who the piece of writing was written for, what language choices were made and how the piece of writing is structured. Below is an example of how we are using PALS to prompt students and build their capacity to read for purpose:

Literacy along with numeracy are the fundamental building blocks of academic success. As Barack Obama once said “Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.”

Liz Dadd - Literacy Instructional Coach

We have been advised by Lowes that there are some stock issues at present that will be resolved shortly. Please see the advice below. Also note that we have now signed of on the Girls Pants as part of the uniform and Lowes are working to get these into stock as soon as possible. We will update as soon as more is known about expected timelines.

Pullover - There are stocks of size 14, 16 and 18 that will be shipped direct to the store when they arrive. The other size sizes are still under production, and will be some time away.

Tracksuit Jacket - Arrived last week and stock is being sent to the store as soon as possible.

Blazer – There has been an issue with the embroidery on the pockets. We are having all stock sent back to the supplier to fix this issue. We are hoping they will be back in store late next week.

JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Week 9

Finally, a beautiful sunny Tuesday!  Great results for our MISA teams this week with some dominant wins from our boys basketball, volleyball and Oztag. Some sports go into finals next week - good luck to all our teams. The JTCC Cross Country carnival event is live  - students can ‘opt in’ to the event on Compass. 

A few general reminders:

• Students who missed out on MISA or , there are many future opportunities to represent JTCC, keep an eye out on the Sport Bulletin Board in the A-block corridor and on the Compass Newsfeed. 
•  A reminder that consent for all sporting events must be given via the Parent Portal on Compass. Please ring the school if you have issues logging in or accessing Events. 
• A number of Diocesan events have been postponed or modified - please see the updates below. 

Congratulations

Congratulations to all our students who attended the Diocesan Touch Carnival on Thursday. These students will now represent the Diocese of Wollongong at the NSWCCC Touch Selections to be held at Nelson's Bay on Tuesday 29th March (Travel day Monday 28th March) We wish the selected athlete's all the best at the next level. 

• Bridget Shearer - 15 Girls 
• Ella Fisher - Open Girls 
• Kaylah Marshall - Open Girls 
• Tess McEvoy - King - Open Girls 
• Luke Denniss - Open Boys 
• Riley Oitmann - Open Boys 
• Noah McKenzie - Open Boys (shadow)

Diocesan Swimming Carnival 

On Friday the 18th of March John Therry sent their best swimmers down to Corrimal pools for the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. Going into the day with optimism and high spirits our small team tried their best showcasing some of our elite athletes at John Therry. Some new strong swimmers joined the JT swimming team but unfortunately were out paced by some strong swimmers from other schools. Good performances by both Riley Galea and Indyanna Cotton saw them finish mid-pack in some of their respective races. Our two strongest competitors Shontelle Cage and Tayah Maharaj swam like sharks and Tayah managed several podium finishes. Some of our athletes narrowly missed out on going to CCC with some being only seconds behind the winners. A huge congratulations goes to Tayah Maharaj who fortunately made the CCC swimming carnival coming second in the 50m freestyle and placed 3rd overall in her age division. A special shout out to Shontelle Cage who was competing in her last Dio swimming carnival after years of continued success in the pools for JT.  A tremendous effort by the team and especially Tayah whom we wish all the best of luck at the NSW CCC Swimming Carnival.

Rugby League - Boys 

John Therry students are often recognised for their sporting ability across the Diocese, particularly in Rugby League. It is so hard to pick a team to trial for Diocesean events as we are spoiled for choice with our talent. On Wednesday the 23rd of April we took 17 of our u15’s and Opens students to trial for the upcoming Southern Country Trials in Wagga. As usual, John Therry students represented the school exceptionally well, showing great sportsmanship and enthusiasm throughout the day and a genuine love for the game.

Our u15’s students were up to the challenge, trialing against 50 other students for a position in the team. Filipe Penuve, Cooper Tonna, Braiden Wilkinson, Chayse Davies, Jordan Truckle, Cole Worden, Jerome Gargoles, Fin Mckevoy-King, Chaise Attard & Riley Ayres must be commended for their efforts on the day. Each student tried their best in what was a challenging day for all. We were fortunate enough to have 3 students from the u15’s selected for the Southern Country Trials - Cooper Tonna, Jerome Gargoles & Chaise Attard. Congratulations to all of our u15’s players on the way in which they handled themselves on and off the field.

Our Opens students should also be applauded for their efforts -  it was brilliant to watch these players excel on the day, showing off their amazing talent . Our students have so much potential in this game of Rugby League and that was evident from the kick off. We only sent 7 students to the trials (Marshall Sheehan, Zac Morheb, Noah McKenzie, Brendan Thomas, Dechlan Gunning, Riley Oitmann & Ben Mostyn), with 4 students making it to the next level. Congratulations to Zac, Noah, Dechlan & Riley on their selection to the Southern Country trials. 

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these students on the sporting field!

Mr. McGrath 

UPCOMING

Our Diocesan calendar has been heavily impacted by wet weather, seeing cancellations and postponements for a number of diocesan events. An individual selection trial will be held for Diocesan touch instead for the nominated boys, whilst the girls selection will be a ‘paper trial’ only.  Team meetings, trials and training will be held soon, students are encouraged to read the Compass Newsfeed. Students who have been selected in teams already for Tennis and Boys Touch Football should have received their permission notes on Compass. No permission = no participation.

 NSWCCC Teams

*There have been a lot of NSWCCC Event postponements - please go to the website to keep up to date with these. 

Remember that there is a new way to nominate individual sports for NSWCCC. This information, including registration closing dates can be found on the website:

https://csnsw.sport/

Please note that some sports are selected by individual trials, and these can be held throughout NSW. Individual nominations require students to make their own way to and from selections. 

Selection in the following sports: Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, Touch Football, AFL (Boys) and Football are done through the Wollongong Diocese carnivals by way of representing John Therry at these respective carnivals.

Selection in the following sports: AFL (Girls), Baseball, Basketball, Cricket – Girls,  Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League, Rugby, Softball, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball will need to be done via individual nomination and selections.

If your child has had an outstanding high level  sporting achievement outside of school, we would love to hear from you. Please email me so we can celebrate  their achievements with the JTCC community. 

Yours in Sport,

Mrs. Georgia Roberts 

(RobertsG03@dow.catholic.edu.au)

As a result of the recent severe weather in many parts of NSW, some mosquito-borne illnesses have begun to appear in areas of the state.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has recently been identified in commercial piggeries in locations in NSW. NSW Health is working to better understand the full extent of JEV in NSW. Local infection risks are likely highest among:

• People working at and/or living close to piggeries which have tested positive for JEV.
• People who engage in outdoor activities (e.g., camping, fishing, hiking) near significant mosquito populations, particularly near waterways.

The mosquitoes that transmit JEV are most active at dawn and dusk and into the evening.

Schools and their communities should be aware of mosquito bite preventative measures they can take to prevent JEV and other mosquito-borne diseases:

• Cover-up with a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt and long pants when outside.
• Apply mosquito repellent to exposed skin.
• Take special care during peak mosquito biting hours, especially around dawn and dusk.
• Remove potential mosquito breeding sites from around the home and screen windows and doors.
• Take extra precautions when travelling or camping in areas with a higher risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

For more information refer to NSW Health’s Mosquitoes are a health hazard fact sheet and Japanese encephalitis fact sheet.

Please find below a link to the latest parish bulletin