Filter Content
Born in 1842 in Melbourne, Mary dedicated her life to education and caring for the poor and underprivileged. At 18, she moved to Penola, South Australia to work as a teacher for relatives. It was there that she met Fr Julian Tenison Woods, and together, they started a school for poor children. In 1866, the pair became co-founders of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart - the first religious order to be established by an Australian.
Over the next several years the Order grew and the Sisters travelled the countryside setting up schools, orphanages for abandoned or neglected children and other good works for those in need.
Today, Mary’s legacy continues to inspire people around the world to follow her example of compassion, dedication, and service to others, making a lasting impact on education and social welfare in Australia and beyond.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ANNOUNCEMENT
We were excited to announce in week 4 that after an extensive recruitment process, Mrs Stephanie Phillips has been appointed Assistant Principal at John Therry Catholic College. Mrs Phillips has been in the Acting Assistant Principal position in 2023 and has made a significant impression on staff, students and parents, and we are thrilled to have her continue in this role in a permanent capacity.
A copy of the announcement made by the Catholic Education office is included below.
After a recruitment process, Stephanie Phillips has been appointed to the substantive position of Assistant Principal at John Therry Catholic College, Rosemeadow. Stephanie has held the Acting Assistant Principal position at John Therry since the commencement of the 2023 school year.
Stephanie has taught and led in our diocese since 2006. Stephanie has held the roles of Education Officer, Curriculum and Pedagogy: English within the School Improvement Services - Secondary and Leader of Teaching and Learning at Magdalene Catholic College, Narellan.
Stephanie has completed a Master of Theology from The University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Arts (English/History) from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from ACU.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
On Monday staff were involved in our staff spirituality day, a most important day in our calendar to support staff formation in the Catholic Faith. This year's day was led by the Marists on our 2023 theme 'created and called'. This essentially highlights for each of us that we are each created by God, and so have an inherent dignity and incredible importance. It also asks of each of us what we are called by God to do with our lives, in service of others and to live out our lives to the full. The message is a powerful one for our students, who can often doubt themselves and what they are capable of.
Wellbeing Puppy
The photos above include mum and the litter of pups that our wellbeing dog will come from. We will send out a survey next week for any students with allergies or phobias so that we can support those students. There will be no need to engage with the dog if they do not want to. Volunteer staff are currently completing training modules to learn about the program and how the dog operates within the school community. It is a very strucutured program and the dog will have a timetable of how it spends its day. This is all on lead and controlled so the dog does not wander freely around the school.
The video below explains a little more about the program.
| Week 8 | |
| Thursday 7th -15th September | Year 11 Final Examinations |
| Week 9 | |
| Tuesday 12th September | 6:30pm P & F Meeting |
| Week 10 | |
| Wednesday 20th September | Year 12 Mass and Graduation (invite only) |
| Thursday 21st September | Year 12 Graduation Assembly (student community) |
| Friday 22nd September | Last day of school for Term 3 |
On Thursday night, the 27th of July, the JT Music department hosted a music night of performances from students across all year groups in the school hall. It was an opportunity for students to showcase their talents on the big stage in front of family and friends. There were 13 performances on the night including solo instrumental, vocal and group performances.
In the weeks leading up to the event, students were busy rehearsing, auditioning and refining their acts. The music rooms were buzzing during lunch times with students eager to polish their performances in preparation for the big night.
The day before the show was spent setting up equipment in the hall, doing sound check and final rehearsals. It was a big day for all involved, with Mr. Chapman, Mr. Mathison and Ms. Abela handling the sound and lighting with patience, poise and pure professionalism. The stage crew was made up of VET Entertainment students who were outstanding in their willingness to help. Special mention to Madison Turner of year 12 for her eye grabbing lighting. These students all showed great initiative and gave great encouragement to all of the performers, some of whom were performing on a big stage for the first time!
Show time! The night kicked off with Tiana Giampaolo from year 12 setting the bar high with an energetic performance of Christina Aguilera’s “Something’s got a hold on me”. Tiana then switched roles to become our MC for the night, which she is an absolute natural at. Freya Lamaro from year 12 then serenaded the audience with a beautiful solo piano piece called “To let a good thing die” by Bruno Major. Spencer Turner from year 9 then wowed the crowd with her vocal and keyboard performance “Clean” by Taylor Swift. The night was off to a great start.
Year 10 duo Matilda Giles and Breanna Nichols were next up with their vocal performance of “Air” by Shawn Mendes. Great work girls! They were followed by Kalen Kerswell of year 12 who showed the crowd a blistering version of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Lenny”. Then up next was the talented Damien Desveaux of year 7! Damien was impressive on keyboards playing his version of Queen’s mega hit “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Amazing!!!
Speaking of amazing, Alek Khon Chol of year 12 delivered one of the performances of the night with her vocal performance of “If I ain't got you” by Alicia Keys. Well done Alek. Next up we had another fantastic vocal performance, this time by year 11 duo, Makerita & Gese. The girls were on point with their harmonies and impressive take on Whitney Houston’s “Saving all my love for you”.
Next it was time for year 9 to take over, first with Lilly Avalos on guitar and vocals, playing the melancholic “Oklahoma” by Jack Stuber, then the first group performance of the night being performed by year 9’s Madi Albrow, Kyra Crews and the return to the stage of Spencer Turner. With all 3 girls singing and Madi providing guitar accompaniment, the audience was mesmerised by an acoustic version of Billie Eilish’s “My boy”.
To bring it on home we had Maximo from year 10 performing the Chili Peppers classic “California” on guitar. Max’s solo was one of the highlights of the night! Olivia Resiegh from year 9 showed talent and maturity well beyond her years with her rendition of the stirring “All I want” by Emma Bale”. Last ,but definitely not least was the debut performance from our Junior Band. Made up of students from years 7, 8 & 9, this group, lead by Mr. Estrada, meet each Tuesday afternoon during sport to rehearse and learn songs. The band consists of vocalists Skye McVerry (9), Ignatious Przbylo (7) and Aaliegh Griffin (7), with Cooper Gellel (8) on drums, Mikayla Todoroski (7) on bass and Lilly Avalos (9) on guitar. The band capped off a brilliant night with a show stopping performance of Vance Joy’s “Riptide”.
Thank you especially to our talented Music teachers; Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Chapman and Mr, Estrada, to all the performers and everyone involved in putting this night together. Thank you to all the teachers, parents, friends and family who attended on the night and showed great support to our talented musicians.
Mr. Stephen Peters
CAPA Leader of Learning
The focus of the forum was this year’s Marist theme, ‘Created and Called: a revolution of Love and Tenderness’. Students had the opportunity to explore our Catholic faith with students from a range of Marist schools, and deepend their understanding of the gifts they have been given and our calling to share these with others.
Thanks to Mrs Schnebli for taking our Year 11 students, Vivienne, Isabella and Kaylee to the Hermitage in Mittagong to participate in this wonderful experience.
As a Catholic school, the Year 10 Camp plays a vital role in the Religious Education and Pastoral Program of John Therry. It is an opportunity for the young people of our College to further acknowledge the importance of faith and reflection, whilst simultaneously focusing on developing leadership and teamwork skills. Our Year 10 cohort have spent the last few days on separate sites at the Tops Outdoor Recreation Centre, Stanwell Tops where they participated in activities such as survivor, abseiling, the giant swing, high ropes and cart racing. Students learnt about their personal strengths and worked together to conquer their fears as they approached each activity. During the night time, they examined key role models in their life and learnt about the struggles associated with everyday life and ways to overcome adversity. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful staff who accompanied these students to provide them the knowledge and experience that will last with them for the rest of their lifetime. Well done to all students for their enthusiasm and engagement in their Catholic faith.
On Wednesday August 2nd, the Year 10 Photography and Digital Media class visited Cockatoo Island. This excursion related to our school's Year 10 PDM educational program. Engaging with Cockatoo Island's spectacular and natural landscape, colourful convict past and industrial heritage students participated in creating a short film and take photographs using the new DSLR cameras recently provided by the Parents and Friends Association. The focus for this term’s 'Making' task is film-making. The anticipated outcome for each student will be to create a short film with i-movie or similar application using a set film genre or style. Working collaboratively each student is required to produce a five-minute short film. In a similar role as the ‘Tropfest’ film festival that has a signature item each year, in this task the Signature Item will be ‘MIRROR’. That means ‘MIRROR’ need to be some part of their film. Thank you to all students on their exemplary behaviour and to Mrs. Hume who accompanied us on the excursion.
Stephen Peters
CAPA Leader of Learning
Got SWAG?
JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Term 3 Week 5
With our Term 3 MISA Competition in the final few weeks of the season, we have a few teams in position to finish 1st or 2nd in their respective divisions. Our 10-12 Boys AFL Team are currently undefeated and sit in 1st place in their division. Our 10-12 Boys Cricket team and our 7-9 Girls Soccer team are also in strong positions on the table and have the potential to win a premiership this term.
This Term our U15s Rugby League Boys Team have been competing in a 3 game State of Origin series against Mt Carmel. Students will play games in Week 3,5 and 7 and spend the other weeks of the season in a Training Camp scenario. The competition is currently tied at 1-1 with the deciding game being in Week 7. It has been a great term of rugby league and the students have enjoyed the competitiveness and challenge of the State of Origin Series.
MISA- Round 3, Term 3
|
Sport |
Result |
MVP |
Short Report |
|
Indoor Cricket 10-12 Boys Chapman |
Lost 79-90 vs Broughton |
Matt Maytom |
BAC batted first and their opening partnership started really strong with 42 runs off the first 3 overs. We bowled and fielded well after that, restricting the opposition to just 90 runs. JT struggled with the bat and we couldn’t quite string a good partnership together to bring it home. |
|
AFL 10-12 Boys Geribo |
Won 76-27 Vs Magdaleme |
Coby Hilton |
Not a very good start for these boys. It was very hard to get a full team together as year 12 had trials and year 10 were at camp, lucky there were the same Year 11s keen to help out. Magdalene came out strong, tackling some of our unexpected players to the ground ( miguel ) and scoring the first three goals. Thomas and Riley kept kicking the ball out on the full, giving Magdalene the ball over and over again. The half time whistle went off and the boys ran over to disappointed Geribo, he gave them an inspirational talk as well as Bridget and Ashlee. They went out in the second half and dominated Magdalene winning 76-27 with Coby Hilton scoring 6 goals. Angus also helped out with some strong tackles and great catches. Riley didn’t play his best game today as he kept trying to kick the ball and got the air instead. But other than that the boys worked as a team and came out with a strong win. Undefeated at the moment Written by Bridget and Ashlee |
|
AFL 10-12 Girls Neaves |
Forfeit |
Unfortunately due to Year 12 Trials and Year 10, we were unable to field a team this week. |
|
|
Soccer 9-10 Boys Cook |
Lost 2 - 0 Magdalene |
Emilio Miranda |
The 9/10 Boys Soccer team were down on numbers this week due to Year 10 camp. Thanks to Jeshua, Will and Luke for filling in. The boys were keen for a good result but after conceding a goal in the 5th minute, a few of the boys lost motivation to compete and represent the school, and as such we conceded another goal in the 12th minute, due to lack of communication and commitment. Some foul play from both teams saw several boys yellow carded which reflected the attitudes of the majority. A disappointing result for the boys, which hopefully can be turned around next week against Macarthur Anglican School. Well done to Emilio Miranda who was involved in most attacking plays, combined well with his teammates, created numerous forward opportunities and most importantly, never gave up. |
|
Soccer 7-8 Boys Williamson |
Lost 3-2 vs Magdalene |
Davonne Plaatjies |
Again a frustrating and disappointing afternoon. Despite holding the lead at both 1-0 and 2-1, we succumbed to two late goals as our defensive resolve vanished. We created numerous one on one opportunities but our usually reliable scoring machine was off target. The team was not helped by the correct sending off of one of our central defenders, but with 7 minutes to play and in the lead, we needed to be able to hang on. A change of attitude to focus on the positives and be willing to work for each other is needed to save the season. |
|
Soccer 7-9 Girls Troy |
1-0 |
Darcie Bennett Lillian Wicks |
The 7-9 girls soccer team is a great mix of talent and personality. These young ladies are confident, but not cocky, and love their soccer. Wonderful leadership skills were shown by Darcie, Alice and Jorja, who guided the team to a hard fought 1-0 victory over MAG. JTCC’s defense was outstanding - the backs worked well with Darcie in goals to stop MAG from converting their chances. We went into the halftime break at 0-0. The girls decided to change formation and the strategy worked. Thanks to a super assist from Ava, Jorja kicked the winning goal over the goalies head and into the back of the nets. Great communication and teamwork today, ladies. The game was played clean, hard and with good spirit. Well done! |
|
Netball 9-10 Girls Bulger |
Lost 26-7 |
Mia Drayton |
We knew we would have a difficult game against Mt Carmel today but the JT Team put up a great fight. The half time score was a low 9-3 reflecting the quality and fast pace of the game. Both teams working hard to force errors, take intercepts and secure rebounds. The ball was moved quickly from end to end. It was still either team's game. Unfortunately the second half saw Mt Carmel take a convincing lead. I was very proud of our efforts, the enthusiasm, energy and encouragement shown by all was lovely to watch. A sincere thank you to Ella Carstens, Courtney Doyle, Hannah Epple and Maddison Burke of Year 9, joining the team in place of our Year 10 students who were absent at Camp. Each new team member gave everything they could to try and take the win, their sportsmanship was encouraging and their competitiveness helped to drive our energy levels. A really enjoyable game to watch, despite the final score. |
|
Netball 7-8 Girls Hynard |
Lost 16-10 to MCCC |
Emma Nortey |
It was a fun afternoon in the sun with the Netball girls today. They were keen and enthusiastic to show off their skills on the court and come away with a win. Mt.Carmel however were late to arrive so only three quarters of the game were played. The JT girls played extremely well for the first two quarters with excellent movement around the court and most shots taken being successful. It was only in the last 10 minutes of the game they began to tire and intercepts by the other team were common. A little disappointing the girls lost as I wanted to win for Miss Pedder while she was at camp. Thanks so much to Yr 12 student Kaitlin Kellett for refereeing after sitting her Trial exam. |
MISA- Round 4, Term 3
|
Sport |
Result |
MVP |
Short Report |
|
Indoor Cricket 10-12 Boys Chapman |
Won 104-51 Vs MCCC |
Max Whelan |
JT won the toss and elected to bowl first against MCCC. Our bowlers put MC under huge pressure, however, we didn’t back them up in the field. Despite this, we kept two skins under 10 runs and one solid partnership got the opportunity to 51. Max Whelan with a notable performance getting a hatrick. JT started strong with the bat and then played conservatively cruising to a 50+ run win. |
|
AFL 10-12 Boys Geribo |
Won 53-20 vs MAS |
Marshall Sheehan |
A physical game of AFL saw another dominating win for the senior boys against MAS. A silky midfield consisting of Coby, Noah, Angus and Riley had the ball flowing freely to allow some easy looks up front. A terrifying defensive presence of Marshall, Zac, Miguel and Ben racked up disposals, as well as restricting MAS to 20 points. Goal scorers this week consisted of Coby, Riley, Angus and Denniss (2 each). |
|
AFL 10-12 Girls Neaves |
Loss 27-0 |
Maddie Skinner |
Another week where unfortunately the team played short due to injury and illness. Once again our defence was strong, however we lacked the ability to maintain possession and get the ball to our forwards. It was great to see the girls take more marks and have better movement of the ball through the midfield. Communication is also getting better with the girls understanding positioning more each game. I know a win is just around the corner. |
|
Rugby League U15s Boys Tran/McGrath |
loss 18-0 |
Moni Jnr |
A very disappointing result given the training the boys have had over the last few weeks. We lacked enthusiasm and direction today which saw us lost and confused around the park. Our marker work needs refining as does our ability to put our plays into action come next week. This makes it 1-1 in the series and I have no doubt they we are able to make these improvements in time for our next game |
|
Soccer 9-10 Boys Cook |
0 - 0 Draw Macarthur Anglican School |
Coahn Timmer |
As the season draws to a close, once again the 9/10 Boys MISA team found themselves short on numbers again due to player sickness and injury. Special thanks to Lucas Faila for filling in the backline and well done, as he did a pretty good job against his opposition. A much better effort by the team this week, in a different formation that highlights our strengths. Some great combination play out from the back allowed numerous midfield play against a skilful opposition. We had numerous chances in the final third, corners free kicks and some open play, but we were unable to capitalise on our chances. The scored remained as a scoreless draw, but we get our first point of the year. Our last game of the season against Mt Carmel next wee, fingers crossed we can get the job done and secure one win for the season. MVP: Cohan Timmer - did what he was asked, to the best of his ability and was dominant force in the backline/ |
|
Soccer 7-8 Boys Williamson |
Won 3-1 vs BAC |
Maher Boonzaier |
Well done to the junior boys on their first win of the season. It has taken longer than expected and is hopefully a kick starter to some more promising results. Our first half featured a continuation of missed opportunities, but three quick goals in the second half secured a comfortable win. Congratulations to the goal scorers. Two from our MVP and one from Davonne Plaatjies. |
|
Soccer 7-9 Girls Joy |
Won 1-0 |
Lillian Wicks |
Another day, another clean sheet win for our girls. After a monumental win over tough opponents Magdalene Catholic College last week, JTCC girls took on Macarthur Anglican School (MAS) in a very important fixture. The pressure of the game was handled lightly by the team with a strong start to the game from minute one. Despite some good link up plays, we couldn’t break through on goal. It wasn’t until the second half when young emerging talent, Matilda Lamaro (Year 7), slotted a tidy finish from a tight angle that we were able to take the lead. It seemed as though we had underestimated our opponents with some good chances created by MAS, however, some phenomenal defending kept our defence on lock. A near-immaculate performance in central defence by Lillian Wicks in particular who deserves recognition for her crucial tackles in multiple 2v1 situations where we were exploited. In the end, we came through with a 1-0 win which maintains our unbeaten streak in the MISA comp and carries the JTCC girls team to the top of Division 1. Huge progress from the girls this year! |
|
Netball 9-10 Girls Bulger |
33-8 Won Mt Annan |
Ava Hilton Georgia Bastock |
A fantastic game today for the John Therry Intermediate Netball Team. It was nice to finally have a fukk team and see the girls work together. They were definitely a force on the court today, all players so versatile in their positions on the court, I could confidently ask each one of the team to play in any position and they would try their best and do it well. They implemented great strategies in defence and attack, their communication was impressive. They maintained their intensity for the duration of the game no matter how far in front they were. I was very proud of their teamwork and sportsmanship. A lovely afternoon, Congratulations on your win. |
|
Netball 7-8 Girls Pedder |
34-6 Loss |
The girls played a good game, and tried their best to keep up with a strong team. The girls played a strong third quarter where they saw most of their goals. The aim of todays game was to develop working as a team, and talking to each other on the court to more easily get the ball to the goal circle. |
Students have been enjoying their 7-10 Rec Sport Options and staff have complimented students on their positive attitude and effort during sport time. Students will now be participating in a new sport and are now moving onto their 6th rotation for the year.
Another reminder of the expectations during sport;
- Students are expected to behave appropriately and show respect to their classmates and teachers during sport.
- Students are expected to participate in sporting activities unless they have a note from a parent/guardians stating others.
- Students who are injured and have a note from a parent/guardian are able to complete homework/assessments during Sport time (Sports Detention/Injury)
- Students ARE NOT permitted to have food or drinks on our sport buses. We have had too many students leaving rubbish on the buses.
If you have any issues or questions regarding sport, please email me - bodekerl01@dow.catholic.edu.au.
MISA GOLF 2023
On Wednesday 16th August, John Therry sent five students to Camden Lakeside to compete at the 2023 MISA Golf Championships. Mr Cook and I had the privilege of convening the day and we had 32 eager students ready to test their golfing abilities on a tough Camden Lakeside course. The tournament was split into a Cup (Handicap) and Plate (Scratch) event and we had competitors in both events. Despite not playing at his absolute best, Kobey demonstrated why he is a single handicapper with some great shots throughout the day. Luke, Luke, Xavier and Diego competed in the plate event and despite a slow start, managed to show some good golfing skills and knowledge throughout the day. Unfortunately our students did not finish in the top 3 in their divisions, but they had a great day and it was good to see some eager golfers at John Therry.
 |
|
Luke Isakka, Luke Lipscombe, Xavier Martin, Diego Martin, Kobey Thomas |
 |
|
Luke Isakka & Luke Lipscombe (Year 12) |
U16 Girls NSWCCC Rugby League
John Therry Catholic College recently had two students compete at the U16 Girls NSWCCC Rugby League Championships held at St Marys.
A massive achievement for Bridget Shearer and Annelise Hall to represent the Southern Country area at these Championships.
After the U18s age group debuted at these Championships earlier in the year, the U16s girls NSW All Schools Championships will be held in Port Macquarie in September, which is a strong indicator of the rise of the talent of women in rugby league.
After several tigh fought contests across two days, a massive congratulations to Bridget Shearer who was selected in the 20 women team.
We once again congratulate Bridget and Annelise on their efforts throughout the week and on their representative pathways selections.
Upcoming Events Term 4 2023:
|
Week 1 |
|
Wednesday 11 October - Wollongong Diocesan Super 8 Cricket 7 - 9 Boys @ Dalton Park, Fairymeadow Friday 13 October - Wollongong Diocesan AFL Championships U14 Boys @ Dalton Park, Fairymeadow 7 - 9 Girls, Monarch Oval, Macquarie Fields |
|
Week 2 |
|
Monday 16th October - Wollongong Diocesan Basketball Championships 7 - 9 + 10/11 Boys @ Minto Basketball Stadium 7 - 9 + 10/11 Girls @ Beaton Park, Gwyneville |
|
Week 4 |
|
Monday + Tuesday 30th/31st October - NSWCCC Basketball Championships 9/10 Boys @ Billbergia Indoor Sports Stadium |
A reminder to check the Compass Portal for upcoming sporting events and their respective closing dates.
NSWCCC Teams
Remember that there is a new way to nominate individual sports for NSWCCC. This portal is open now and all students wanting to trial for Southern Country and NSWCCC representative teams are to ensure they register by the appropriate CLOSING DATE.
This information, including registration closing dates can be found on the website:
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.
You can also access the Wollongong Sport site for more information throughout the year.
https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/diocesan-sport-news
SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS:
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,
Mr Jamie Cook Mr Luke Bodeker
Please note the changes to uniform prices that have been sent through to us from Lowes. They have aimed to minimise price increases but are bearing considerable cost increases across all aspects of making the uniforms. The dates below with specials available might be a good opportunity to minimise the imact of some of these increases.
You are invited to a special evening event on 28 August 2023 in Campbelltown with Robert Falzon from menALIVE, as he unpacks practical advice and shares stories that are powerfully important, informative, and instructional for fathering in today’s world.
In an age where there is training to do almost everything, there are so many fathers who are in desperate need of tips and tools to do one of the most important and impactful tasks on earth – Fathering! – and this evening will be a source of great formation and encouragement for dads.
Details:
Speaker: Robert Falzon: Fathering from the Front Line
Topic: Fathering from the Front Line
Date: Monday 28 August 2023
Time: 7 - 8.30 pm
Location: Level 1, Micah House Resource Centre, 35A Cordeaux Street, Campbelltown
Cost: Free
For more information and bookings visit: DOW Raising Fathers Evening.
Please find below a link to the latest Parish Bulletin