John Therry Catholic College eNewsletter

WHEN WERE YOU LAST CHALLENGED?

In Thursday's Gospel reading, Jesus shows us a very different side to the caring and welcoming person we often think of, healing the poor and spending his time with the outcast. Jesus had no hesitation in calling out hypocrasy of those in charge of the temple, who had allowed it to turn into a marketplace. Jesus was prepared to call out behaviour that was not right, and was prepared to risk it all to do so.

I find these Gospel readings challenging personally, as they call me to reflect on the things that I might do that are outside the standards I would generally expect of myself, and the standards that others would hold me to. And this is a good thing. We all benefit by being challenged to a higher standard, and if we are lucky we have people in our life that do this for us. By reading the Gospels each day I find that I get age old reminders about how we should aim to live our life, from no other than Jesus himself!

Congratulations HSC Class of 2023

Our HSC Examinations concluded last Thursday at John Therry, and our class of 2023 is left with just the Formal as the last event of their formal secondary education. They have approached the examinations with a sense of calmness and quiet confidence in achieving to their potential, and we are incredibly proud of how they have taken on the challenge of the HSC. I would argue that most of the benefits of the HSC are in the process of working hard and striving to do your best, in what is a really challenging experience. The results at the end will hopefully be a reward but regardless of the result, there is so much one can take away from the experience. We have already been notified of some wonderful results in our practical subjects, including Hayley D'Cunha later in this newsletter, and we have further achievements we will be able to publish in future newsletters.

There are lots of wonderful events and activities highlighted throughout the rest of the newsletter. In next fortnight's newsletter we look forward to sharing the Year 11 Major Award winners that were presented at our assembly on Thursday.

Year 7 2024 Orientation Day

On Friday 24th November we have the Year 7 2024 Orientation Day being held at John Therry. We look forward to welcoming our new students to experience the College and support their transition to High School. On the 23rd of November we will welcome parents to the orientation evening where we will outline some key information for their chidlren transitioning to high school.

This year group is currently full with a fairly large waitlist, and we have waitlists now in most year groups. If there are still siblings that have not enrolled, you will need to talk with the school asap as there may not be a position for 2024.

Year_7_Orientation_2023_for_2024.pdf

Year_7_Orientation_2023_for_2024 _pdf 354.63 KB

TERM 4 WEEK 8
Tuesday 28th November	6:30pm P&F Meeting
TERM 4 WEEK 10
Tuesday 12th December	Sports Awards Assembly
Wednesday 13th December	Advent Liturgy
Thursday 14th December	Year 7-10 Presentation Day & JT Superstars
Friday 15th December	Jack Crawford Games (Last day of attendance for students)
TERM 4 WEEK 11
Monday 18th December	PTS Interviews

Congratulations to Year 12 Drama student Hayley D’Cunha for her OnSTAGE Individual nomination. Her individual performance that she presented for her HSC practical Drama examination has been nominated for possible inclusion. OnSTAGE is an annual showcase of the very best HSC Drama performances and individual projects and will be held at the Seymour Centre, Sydney in 2024. To put this into perspective, on average, three thousand students undertake the HSC drama performance exams each year and maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty students are nominated for onstage. It also means that Hayley will have received an excellent mark for her performance.

Hayley’s performance was based on the Tennessee Williams masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire. Her character, Blanche Dubois, is the image of a southern belle. Charming, stylish, collected and strong. But underneath all this, Blanche is hiding a pain that threatens to overwhelm her. She deals with it by focusing her attention on her sister Stella and her troubled marriage to Stanley, an alcoholic WW2 veteran, that is the antithesis of everything Blanche has been raised to see as decent and proper. Hayley collated this monologue herself and worked incredibly hard to make this the best monologue it could be.

Her teacher Mr Hayden said; ‘Hayley has a natural talent for performance, the ability to communicate subtext and connect deeply with the audience, leaving them breathless and affected. I’m incredibly proud of Hayley’s work and as a drama teacher, humbled by this tour de force. Hayley has a bright future in performance and I have no doubt that we will see her on the stage of the Oscars one day, accepting the award for best Actress’.

Congratulations also to the great work done by our HSC Drama teacher Mr Hayden in the short time he had to work with the class. He has been a wonderful addition not only to the CAPA faculty and our school community.

Mr Stephen Peters
Leader of Learning CAPA

This year students studying Food Technology in Year 10 had the opportunity to share their food preparation skills with the John Therry Catholic College community. Students worked in groups to facilitate a Multi - Cultural Food Truck festival. The students involved in this day demonstrated a high level of expertise in food preparation and presentation and worked seamlessly as part of a team. The dishes on offer were-Nachos, Loaded Brownies, Chicken Parmigiana, Pizza, Rice Paper Rolls, Churros, Snack Pack, Loaded Fries and Stir Fried Noodles.

The College had students from Ms Kasteleins Commerce class help with promotion, sales and set up of the day which involved them creating advertising materials, taking payments and helping with the configuration of the food trucks. Mr Macdonald had students studying music singing and playing live music during the event which created an inclusive atmosphere for the college community.

This day couldn’t have ran so well without the support of the additional staff members Mr Jefferys, Mr Joy, Mr Murray and Mrs Sund.

We look forward to running this event annually with students across courses.

On Friday the 27th of October, a group of Year 9 students went to the Kilbride nursing home to create some art with the residents, in preparation for their grandparent's day. We had a lovely time painting with them and created many gorgeous sunsets. Not only did we get to enjoy the art-making process, but we also had the opportunity to speak and bond with the residents, hearing their stories, guidance and wisdom. After painting, we gifted them each a potted plant, which they were very grateful for and excited to have from the Marist Solidarity plant sale. We all found the experience extremely rewarding and left the home with our hearts full. The visit was fulfilling not only for us but also for the many residents we met and talked with. It was wonderful to connect with the residents and to learn about their lives, as it gave some perspective about the generations before us, and what life has been like for them.

- Spencer Turner, Year 9.

On Friday 27th October a group of Year 7 students attended the Game Changers Retreat Day at Marcellin College Randwick.

The aim of the program is for students to learn more about themselves and others through many games that are linked to the young Jesus ‘lost’ in the temple. Focusing on superhero qualities and our role models, they highlighted the importance of ‘paying kindness forward’, especially helping our families around the home in order to follow St Marcellin and be a ‘good citizen and a good Christian’.

A great time was had and upon return and word of mouth more and more students are getting involved and turning up every fortnight, there is even a waitlist for the next event.

Got SWAG?

Student Work and Greatness (SWAG) is your platform for student pieces. In each issue we showcase a sample of student work, from poetry to painting, photography to prose.

Year 8 are currently studying poetry and how it fashions human emotion into the written form.

In their exploration of poetica they have developed knowledge of the unique forms and features of different kinds of poetry, two of which are sonnets and haikus. Please enjoy Year 8's sonnets and haikus on a variety of topics.

JTCC_Welcome_to_Compass_Parent_Guide_Master _pdf 3.54 MB

JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Term 4 Week 5

We are halfway through our Term 4 MISA competition with multiple teams in a great position to end the year with a premiership. It has been a great sporting year at John Therry with the weather blessing us all year around. Our 7-9 Boys AFL Team and our 10-11 Mixed Frisbee team remain undefeated and have put in some outstanding performances in a tough Division 1. There are quite a few teams competing for finals placing over the next few weeks, making these next few games very important for our Term 4 competition. We wish our MISA teams all the best for the remaining games of the 2023 year.

MISA- Term Four - Round 3

Sport	Result	MVP	Short Report
OzTag 7-9 Boys McGrath			Game unfortunately cancelled due to Mt Carmel being closed today.
OzTag 7-9 Girls Albery			Game unfortunately cancelled due to Mt Carmel being closed today.
AFL 7-9 Boys Geribo	vs THAC 112 - 13 WIN	Sullivan O’Dwyer	Great effort from the boys today. The boys scored more goals than behinds which is better than the last few weeks. Skill was much better and backs played better defensively. Mids as always did a great job getting it into our forward line. Goals were as follows: Jayden B. - 1 Sully - 5 Maahir - 4 Moni - 1 Ryder - 3 Noah D. - 2 Zeph - 1
AFL 7-9 Girls Roberts	vs St Pats 13 - 41 LOSS	Nevaeh Metcalfe	It was such a thrill having the opportunity to take the AFL girls today, with many continuing their AFL careers from last year when I had them. I saw great improvement and some solid pockets of play being put together by the girls in incredibly windy conditions. We went into halftime with a strong lead and the girls were supportive of each other with strong defence and on-ball attack from the ruck. St. Pats ran away with the win with a few quick goals in the final 5 minutes of the game, which was disappointing for the girls but they continue to show a strong presence on the field. Special mentions to Ava and Sienna’s on-ball work ethic and Atong and Hannah in defence.
Volleyball 10-11 Boys Williamson			Game unfortunately cancelled due to Mt Carmel being closed today.
Volleyball 10-11 Girls Hynard			Game unfortunately cancelled due to Mt Carmel being closed today.
Cricket 7-9 Boys Chapman	Won 87-49 vs WAC	Kobey Thomas	JT bowled first against WAS and we had them under pressure early on. We took advantage of the early chances and even kept one batting pair to -3 runs. With the bat, JT got the job done comfortably, winning the first three skins. We batted well in partnerships and are improving every week.
Softball 7-9 Girls Joy	vs St Pats Lost 10-3	Alice Stephenson	Round 3 saw JTCC girls take on St Patricks in a tough match fixture. St Patricks have been in phenomenal form, winning all of their games by a significant margin. This meant we had to bring something special to put up a challenge. At the end of the first innings it was clear that they were the stronger side with an extremely skilled pitcher who kept striking out our batters. Despite our best efforts and some fantastic field work, we ended the match in a 10-3 loss. No other team had managed to get more than one run against STP, which further highlights the impressive performance from the JTCC girls. We continue to improve every round and hopefully by our next fixture with this side we can keep the margin tight, if not, maybe even steal a win...
Frisbee 10-11 Mixed Cook	vs OPAC		Game was cancelled due to the high winds. Round 3 will be replayed later this term.

MISA - Term Four - Round 4

Sport	Result	MVP	Short Report
OzTag 7-9 Boys McGrath	vs SBCC Win 7-4	Nathaniel Leal	It was great to see the boys get a game this week after missing out on versing MCCC in week 4. A few Year 7 students missing saw a call up of AFL players who had the BYE. These students lifted for the occasion with Boston and Mahiir banking a try on debut. Sully was solid, making some great runs out wide and setting up a couple of tries for Cooper on the wing. Another outstanding performance from Nathaniel who was so dominant through the middle and with his kick return which gives him the MVP for this week.
OzTag 7-9 Girls Roberts	vs St Pats 4-10 LOSS	Georgina Akol	Only our second game of the term and we were up against a formidable St. Pats side. Despite this, Georgina charged a full field try in the opening minute of the game which was fantastic. St. Pats may have been more structured in their runs but our JT girls held strong with excellent defence. Chloe Donovan was outstanding in defence, consistent with the getaway runners and showing a cool head under pressure alongside Akira. A special mention to Matilda who scored a try in the second half, a great effort as a year 7 student against St. Pats. MVP today goes to Georgina, for a sharp step and two tries.
AFL 7-9 Boys Geribo	BYE
AFL 7-9 Girls Roberts	BYE
Volleyball 10-11 Boys Williamson	BYE
Volleyball 10-11 Girls Hynard	vs St Pats Loss 2-1	Ella Coombs	A very exciting game was played against the St. Pat’s girls with long, intense rallies taking place, especially in the first set. The girls used their three shots but so too did their opponents. They were unlucky to lose this first set. This loss played on the minds of the girls in the second set losing motivation and having the sun in their eyes which was to their detriment. We had time to play a third set that the girls ended up winning to their surprise.
Cricket 7-9 Boys Chapman	vs MAG Loss 0-77		JT played against a very good Magdalene team and batted first. We really struggled with the bat and failed to build any partnerships. This ultimately resulted in a tough loss, however, the boys will be better for the experience.
Softball 7-9 Girls Joy	vs Win via Forfeit vs MAG	-N/A-	Unfortunately Magdalene forfeited this week. The girls trained at Cowpasture Reserve and will look to continually improve for next week.
Frisbee 10-11 Mixed Cook	vs BAC Jt 29 - 2	Riley Oitmann Grace O'Reilly	A hugely anticipated game vs Broughton today to decide who would stay on top of the table. The very talented JT team were more than confident with their abilities, but the Broughton team were very technical, being able to throw backhand, forehand and overhead, on the dime or to running targets. But the Jt team were everywhere, and were soon on the board and eventually led 13-0 at the break and 29-2 at the conclusion of the game. Touchdowns to Grace 6, Garang 2, Adrian 3, Annelisa 4, Riley 3 and Ben 1. MVP’s today to Riley Oitmann 3 touchdowns and 4 assists and to Grace O’Reilly with 6 touchdowns. Go JT.

Students cannot wear their MISA shorts as a part of their school sports uniform. There have been numerous students who have been wearing these shorts during the school day. Students have been informed that they will receive a lunchtime detention if they wear these at school

A few reminders regarding signing your son/daughter out of school during sport time:

Please phone/visit the school office to ensure your son/daughter has been signed out correctly.
Older brothers/sisters cannot sign your child out of school.

If students are not being signed out correctly, it makes it incredibly difficult for staff when they are marking the roll. Especially as students may be travelling off site, it is imperative that rolls are being accurately taken and completed.

Behaviour and Uniform Expectations during sport:

Students are expected to behave appropriately and show respect to their classmates and teachers during sport.
Students are expected to wear the John Therry sports uniform to sport (White socks and athletic joggers).
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.

Sporting Achievements:

“International Footballer on the RISE” - Great news from inside the JTCC football ranks as rising star Maahir Boonzaier will travel to Italy to engage in junior academy trials. Scouts from Torino Fc (Serie A) and Locco FC (Serie B) were recently in Australia and scouted Maahir, when he was representing Macarthur Rams in U14, U15 and U16 competitions. Scouts were impressed how well Maahir performed in both games they attended. Maahir showed maturity in regard to his performance on the field, along with his football intelligence beyond his years. The Scouts were also impressed that Maahir played in an age group above and stood out from the other players. We are thrilled to invite Maahir to further his education in Football and have Maahir train with Torino FC and Lecco FC!

We wish Maahir all the best as trials in late November and early December.

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:

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.

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 cooka01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Mr Luke Bodeker bodekerl01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Look out for our School Plant Sale on Page 6!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tHLd6zlNXVJWuRG4jNLnUbWAY571Hb4W/view

Please find below a link to the latest Parish Bulletin

https://www.olhcrosemeadow.org.au/bulletin/