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Dear Parents/ Guardians,

YEAR 12 FINISH

This week saw the end of formal schooling for our Year 12 group. The various Graduation events were dignified and memorable. This group of students has left a lasting and positive impression on the school. We hold high expectations that they will do themselves and John Therry proud in their exams. 

I congratulate our student leaders for 2022 on their leadership and commitment to this year group.

STUDENT LEADERS

The major Awards were again a highlight of the Graduation. Distributed after a wonderful mass celebrated by Fr Sarkis, full of symbolism, commitment and strong singing. The major awards for 2022 are as follows: - 

AWARD WINNERS

Feast of St Matthew - Apostle and Evangelist

Matthew the Apostle, also known as Saint Matthew was a 1st-century Galilean and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been despised by his fellow Jews for collaborating with the Roman occupation. 

After Matthew’s encounter with Jesus, he is profoundly changed and invites Jesus for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes and the Pharisees criticised Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." St Matthew reminds us that even those who were considered to be the worst of people could be saved and were welcome to follow Jesus.

It is comforting that Jesus wants to spend time with ‘those of us who are less than perfect’. It is even more encouraging that Jesus actually “calls us” to share in his mission. Jesus knows everything about us (our good points and bad) and still wants and loves us. The challenge for us is to remain open and to allow the revelation of Jesus’s love to grow within us. This requires us to prioritise our relationship with him so that, like Matthew, we encounter Jesus in the realities of our own life.

Rembrandt’s painting depicts an elderly St Matthew who may be pondering the words of the Angel as he reflects on his encounter with Jesus. The pages of his book are crumpled which could indicate that the book may be a journal. Despite the fact that St Matthew appears old in this painting, there is a great energy and wisdom in Rembrant’s portrayal of Matthew which communicates a ‘sense of purpose’ or ‘mission’

As we enter Week 10 of Term 3 and limp toward the pupil vacation period, let’s think about how amazing it is that Jesus calls each of us to be part of his mission. You may be inspired by Rembrandt’s painting to commit to journaling as part of your spiritual practice. Let us ponder our gifts and remember that Jesus refers to us as ‘the light of the world’ (Matthew 5:14).

During the first semester of 2022, the College focussed on the PALS reading and writing strategy. Essentially, students were asked to consider the PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, LANGUAGE and STRUCTURE (PALS) of a piece of writing. This school-wide initiative encouraged students to be purposeful in their writing. Below is an example of the template used by students: 

Now that this has become the common language used in all Key Learning Areas, we have turned our focus to the process of nominalisation. Nominalisation is the process of forming nouns from verbs or adjectives. This grammatical process is crucial in improving the academic writing of our students. In order to familiarise our students with the process of nominalisation, we have been conducting ‘Literacy Conversations’ in our Learning Groups every Monday. Learning Group mentors have been amazing in facilitating these conversations whereby students are asked to change verbs or adjectives into nouns. Below is an example of shifting verbs into nouns.

Wednesday: Reading 

Students have been given the opportunity to read in their Learning Group every Wednesday morning. During this time, students are encouraged to either bring in a novel from home, borrow from the Library or access the Book Exchange. It has been fantastic to see students beginning their day by immersing themselves in literature. All the evidence suggests that strong readers make stronger writers. I want to thank the pastoral team for allowing us to invest in the importance of reading during this time. 

Liz Dadd
Literacy Instructional Coach

Forensic Incursion

“A Case of Conspiracy”

On 12 September, 10.1 and 9.1 Science students engaged in a Forensic Science incursion.  The students were presented a murder case with forensic evidence, suspects and witnesses.  

The forensic evidence presented to students included images of ammunition with markings; fingerprints and handwriting samples; firearm discharge residue clothing samples; and technology evidence.

The students examined the evidence for 1 hour and reported back with who they thought was the killer and what the motive was.  Students were able to correctly determine the killer but they didn’t quite get there with the motive.

Students totally enjoyed their time during the incursion and it appears we may have some budding detectives.

CAPA SHOWCASE EVENINGS

YEAR 7-11 ‘CURTAIN CALL’ SEMESTER 1

The Arts are a mode of expression that transforms thoughts and emotions into a unique form of communication. On Friday June 17^th, the Creative Arts faculty presented ‘Curtain Call’ to the school community. This production played out to a full house with over 300 students taking part either in performance or exhibition. 'Curtain Call #1' was the first of a series of three Creative Arts Showcase events this year, with this showcase having a focus on students from Year 7-12 Semester 1, 2022.

Our aim is to feature performances from both Drama and Music students in conjunction with an exhibition of works from Visual Arts, Photography and Digital Imaging students. It is a celebration of the talent found in both the wonderfully talented students and staff here at our school. Learning through the Arts goes beyond creating more successful students. We believe that it creates more successful human beings. 

On behalf of the Creative Arts faculty I would like to extend a special thank you to the Entertainment class and the school office staff. Without any of you this showcase could not go on. Unquestionably, the support of our Principal, Mr Wayne Marshall, Deputy, Brad McAllister and our Creative Arts staff, make these showcases possible for our students to shine.

HSC CAPA SHOWCASE 2022 TERM 3

On Friday September 2^nd, we had our HSC CAPA Showcase event. This Showcase represents a wide variety of expressive forms from individual performances, group performances and exhibitions of submitted works from Drama, Music and Visual Arts. It was held in two locations; Lower Hall for Drama, 6.-7.00pm, then F block for Music and Visual Arts from 7.15-8.30pm. Both venues were packed.

The sometimes-daunting experience of creating a body of work, performance or project is intellectually rigorous, time consuming and demands a healthy dose of bravery-not to mention a substantial amount of resilience. All skills that are lifelong lessons as students move into their post-school life. It enables students to challenge themselves and embrace areas of creativity that ignite a sense of passion and awe. The enormous value of creating, the important role aesthetics and the significance of expression are all bound up in this same experience.

Our students in Creative Arts know the value of it. They know they can transform ideas into physical representations and as such reflect their capabilities as thinkers, learners and creators. The final result is inspiring and truly worthy of celebration as exemplified in our Showcase tonight. I would like to thank all those parents and friends who attended on the night supporting our students. Thanks to our Creative Arts faculty and in particular our HSC teachers; Mrs. Angela Cascarino (Drama), Mrs. Chantelle Morton (Music) and Mrs. Ashley Hume (Visual Arts). Finally, I wish to congratulate each student for completing such accomplished, sensitive and thought-provoking performances and practical submissions.

YEAR 12 DRAMA GROUP PERFORMANCE DEVISING WORKSHOP

On Friday 1st July, John Therry Alumni, Lana Filies (Class of 2015), returned to the College to run a devising workshop with our HSC Drama class. Lana graduated with a Bachelor of Performance (Acting) from the University of Wollongong (2019) and has worked with professional companies including Milkcrate Theatre who have been rehearsing at Sydney Theatre Company in recent weeks. 

As part of the HSC Drama course, students are required to develop a Group Performance on a topic or issue of their choosing using a range of theatrical conventions and techniques to help tell their story.

Lana, who currently works at Shopfront Arts Co-Op, helped students in the process of refining their performance for their upcoming performance exams. The students all had fun as they worked on creating distinct characters and refining their timing to ensure that their Group Performance is as entertaining as possible. 

We are blessed to have such passionate members of our community sharing their times and talents with our students and wish the Year 12 students the very best with their exams. Thank you to Mrs. Cascarino and Miss Abela for organising this workshop for our students.

‘KINKY BOOTS’ MUSIC EXCURSION

On Friday September 9th, Mrs. Morton, Mr MacDonald and Mr. Estrada took both the Year 10 and 11 classes, as well as a couple of Year 8 to watch the musical theatre production ‘Kinky Boots’ at Parramatta Riverside Theatre. The excursion reinforced the concepts of music, duration, dynamics and expressive techniques in relation to Theatre Music.

Many of the students from had not yet seen a professional musical before. Mrs. Morton commented that watching the student’s faces throughout the show and seeing them with huge smiles, or laughing or checking out the sets was rewarding to see. Furthermore,  a member of the public commended the students on their exemplary engagement and behaviour. To make it even more interesting, alumni Mark Simpson (class of 1997) came over and spoke to the students about the production,  explaining that he was in the Sydney production of the same show.

YEAR 10 PHOTOGRAPHY EXCURSION COCKATOO ISLAND

On Friday September 16th , students from the Year 10 Photography and Digital Media classes accompanied by Mrs. Hume and Mr. Macdonald visited Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, as part of the current unit of work; Locate, Situate, Speculate. The focus for this term’s artmaking task is film-making. At this location, students worked to produce a short conceptual film with i-movie. Other locations on offer included Circular Quay, at the railway stations, on the ferry or on the train.

In addition to an awe-inspiring harbour location, Cockatoo Island provided backdrops ranging from heritage to industrial. The remains of a convict prison, houses dating from the 1840s, cavernous workshop spaces, sculptural cranes and dry docks, all only 20 minutes away from Circular Quay by ferry. Students engaged with this spectacular and natural landscape, colourful convict past and industrial heritage to shoot for both their short films (moving images) and photographs (still images). Students were given a short walking tour of the island by their teachers and given the remainder of time to go to their own site-specific location in groups to get footage for their films. Their behaviour was exemplary. We look forward to their completed films. Thank you to Mrs Hume for organising this excellent experience.

JTCC ALUMNI TURNED FASHION DESIGNER FEATURED IN THOR FILM ‘LOVE AND THUNDER’

Over the years Denisse M Vera creations (62.5k followers) have been featured in print magazines such as Vogue, Grazia, Wild Hearts and Fashion Journal.

Our school community is so proud of the latest achievement of world-renowned Fashion Designer Denisse Marianela Vera, (HSC class of 2007).  Four of her original pieces are featured in the Australian-shot film; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder‘. A crucial part of one the most memorable scenes from the film depicted the four Greek goddesses who flank Russell Crowe’s Zeus in Omnipotence City wearing macramé dresses personally created by Ms Vera through her self-titled design studio.

Denisse felt connected to her natural surrounds and displayed a love of creative arts.  Furthermore, she was inspired by her Motherland, Chile which was where she learnt the art of Macramé. In 2013 Denisse travelled through South America and befriended an artisan who entrusted her with his beloved art. Seven years on, Denisse now sells her Macramé creations worldwide and has become known as the pioneer of wearable macramé.

Denisse has built her business with deep gratitude and respect for her craft which flows through her blood from her native Araucano lineage and Chilean Background. Her ongoing dream is to keep the art alive and to raise the profile of her work and that of her fellow artisans.

Thank you to all the Music teachers; Mr. Mayes, Mrs. Morton, Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Estrada for all their contributions to make the excursion possible.

Mr Stephen Peters

CAPA Leader of Learning

The 2022 Catholic Mission World Mission Month Appeal, was celebrated at a Diocese of Wollongong school launch at St Thomas More Catholic Church, Ruse. Students and staff from every school across the diocese gathered in music and prayer, with Bishop Brian Mascord, Peter Hill, Director of Schools; Fr Brian Lucas, Catholic Mission National Director, to pledge their commitment to the annual school appeal and kick goals against poverty.

Kiara Jakobsson and Pratha Chauhan (Year 8) discovered that children in Ethiopia had to construct their own sporting equipment. In particular, the soccer ball, created from plastic bags and socks knotted together. Kiara and Pratha enjoyed the experience of learning more about Mission Month and meeting with Bishop Brian Mascord. Thank you to Ms Elizabeth Ursino for supervising and transporting the students to the launch.

JTCC SPORT UPDATE -  Term 3,  Week 9 & 10

Term 4 - YEAR 7 SWIM SCHOOL 

JTCC Carnival Awards - Assembly Week 10

At the year 12 graduation assembly the house carnival trophies were awarded. These were based on the four  school carnivals - starting with the Jack Crawford in Term 4 of the previous school year. In 2021 Murray managed a strong finish to claim the overall trophy, but Ryan house started the 2022 season off strongly, winning Jack Crawford in December last year. Connolly won the 2021 Swimming Carnival, whilst Murray claimed victory in both the Cross Country and Athletics last year. 

Swimming - 2022

Cross Country - 2022

Athletics - 2022

Spencer Trophy for Champion Sporting house for 2022

Well done to Murray house for claiming back to back sporting house championships. The tally now re-sets, ready for Jack Crawford in Term 4. Will Murray’s reign continue? A reminder - participation in these carnivals is integral - every point counts. The position of your house on the leadership ladder for each carnival is directly linked to attendance and participation on the day. 

Final Standings - MISA term 3

Week 8 saw a number of our MISA teams play off in minor and grand final matches in so damp conditions. Teams finished their Term 3 season with a great cumulation of hard work across the term  and the majority of our JTCC  teams had a win, with the U15 boys Rugby League, Senior Boys AFL and 7/ 8 Boys Soccer teams returning victorious as MISA Champions for term 4.  Final standings for JTCC are below. We are coming a close second behind MCCC in the overall champion school standings, with only 40 points between us. Fingers crossed a strong finish in our Term 4 competition sees us lay claim on the MISA Champion School victory. 

Current Overall MISA standings 

NSWCCC Athletics 

The following students represented Wollongong Diocese at the NSWCCC Athletics Championships and did exceptionally well. Please see their results below: 

• Maka Angianga - 13 Boys - Shot Put - 10th
• Chaise Attard  - 14 Boys - Shot Put - 5th, Discus - 3rd
• Dominic Baker (T/F 37) - 12 - 15 Boys MC Ambulatory  100m - 5th, 800m - 5th, Shot put - 3rd, Discus - 4th 
• Allyssa Barry -16 Girls - Javelin - 4th 
• Coby Hilton - 16 Boys - 100m - 2nd,  200m - 1st
• Serafina Logai-Luisano - 14 Girls - Shot Put - 10th 
• Xavier Martin - 17+ Boys - Javelin - 5th 
• Tom Augustine - 17+  Boys - Discus - 8th 
• Brooklyn Osborne - 14 Boys - High Jump - 1st
• Elyse Stonebridge - 14 Girls - Discus - 7th 
• Deng Deng - 12 Boys - High Jump - 2nd 
• Khloie Wolf -  12-14 Girls 1500m Walk - 8th 

UPCOMING EVENTS

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)

SACRAMENT OF FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2022

This Sacrament will be celebrated on Sunday 13^thNovember, 2022 (and 20^th November ONLY IF NEEDED). 

It is available to all children in Year 3 or above who have been baptised and have received the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). If anyone who has NOT made their First Holy Communion in the last 3 years due to COVID, but have made their First Confession, they can do so this year.

If you wish your child to make this Sacrament you MUST attend the first lesson for this programme on Saturday 15^th October, 2022 commencing at 4.15p.m. Please bring a copy of your child’s full birth certificate, and if they were not baptised in Rosemeadow Parish, a copy of their baptism certificate.

Children will participate lessons in the St. Joachim Parish Hall. A decision on parent’s meetings will be made later depending on covid restrictions at the time. This is the last opportunity for you to enroll for 2022. NOTE: If you will be enrolling at the first lesson, then please arrive at 3.45pm to the Parish Hall before the lesson to complete the paperwork. The program fee of $25 is also payable at the first lesson. Thank you. 

PLEASE NOTE : Since we anticipate increased numbers this year, there will be an extra opportunity to enrol on Saturday 8 October in the Martha Room (access via the Quiet Room in the foyer) at 5.30pm prior to the Vigil Mass.

Please find below a link to the latest parish bulletin