It has been a busy few weeks with a number of key school events taking place. Our Year 12 Retreat, Year 7 Camp and Swimming Carnival have all been highlights of the past fortnight, and each event plays an important role in building our College culture. The Year 12 Retreat is a most powerful experience, and I can still recall my own Year 12 retreat here at John Therry. It is one of the key opportunities we have with students to take time out to deeply reflect on our lives, and the feedback from the staff and students in attendance was overwhelmingly positive. The Year 7 Camp provides the opportunity to connect and meet new friends, while also challenging themselves on the many activities at the Camp. I am aware of a number of schools who can longer staff these events and so have stopped running them. We are blessed to have so many staff willing to give up their time to make these experiences possible and I am so grateful for the ongoing commitment and dedication of our staff here at John Therry.

P & F MEETING

We invite all parents to attend our upcoming P & F meeting on Tuesday 19th March (Week 8) at 6:30pm. This is always a wonderful opportunity to receive feedback from parents about issues affecting them or their children and we appreciate all who can come along.

We will be reviewing some new uniform item proposals including a new sport jacket and winter jumper material. We will also explore opportunities to utilise P & F funds to improve the facilties and resources we have for your children so we hope you can be part of this discussion.

PUPIL FREE DAY - STAFF DEVELOPMENT - MONDAY 4th MARCH

A reminder that on Monday we have a staff development day that will focus on the mandatory training for teachers, and programming for new syllabus documents. We understand that there have been a number of days already this term and this can be difficult for parents. We deliberately placed these early in the year to maximise the time teachers have to use what they learn on these days and appreciate your understanding. 

On Wednesday 21st of February, six Year 12 students attended the annual Fast Forward, Future Student Engagement Conference at the Western Sydney University, Parramatta campus. It was very exciting to be on the grounds of one of the world’s best ranked universities. The conference saw 90 schools in attendance, with students that have been part of the program since their induction in Year 9.

Over the course of the day students selected two interactive workshops to participate in that focused on different career opportunities. Workshops aimed to enhance their knowledge of pathways for areas of study into different career choices and allowed students to talk to university staff, lecturers and industry professionals. 

As well as the workshops, there were engaging stalls that provided insight into university life and sporting clubs affiliated with the university such as the Western Sydney Wanderers and the GWS giants. Students also had the privilege to hear from Adjoa Assan, an inspiring speaker, who spoke of overcoming adversity and the importance of self belief and hard work.

A very enjoyable and worthwhile experience for all students.

The opening event for Tamworth Regional Gallery ARTEXPRESS 2024 was held on Saturday February 24^th. It was an absolute privilege to see our 2023 School Vice- Captain Tess McEvoy-King’s work ‘8 Second Rule’ as part of this prestigious exhibition. ARTEXPRESS is an annual series of exhibitions of exemplary artworks created by New South Wales Visual arts students for the Higher School Certificate examination. It was a very prestigious event, featuring various political state members, Artexpress Visual Arts teachers and students from across the entire State. Tess’s Visual Arts body of work; ‘8 Second Rule’ was only one of approximately 200 selected from 8600 students from across the State for this exhibition. Her work drew particular praise from the Director of Tamworth Regional Gallery Bridget Guthrie who played a significant role in this exhibition.  Congratulations to Tess who was also a NSW Distinguished Achiever, achieving a result in the highest Band; (Band 6) in last year’s HSC Visual Arts alongside eight others in her class.

Tess’s Artist Statement; ‘8 Second Rule’

My Body of Work highlights the multifaceted aspects of Australian rodeos. It delves into the intriguing realm of this highly controversial industry. My images express the intertwined theatrical triumphs and tragedies of both beast and rider, showcasing the emotional tapestry of rodeo events. This complexity of emotions, including compassion for animals to the determination of rodeo chasers, is akin to the drama of Ancient Roman Gladiators. The dramatic imagery elucidates the inherent risks and bravery in the events, whilst fostering a deeper appreciation.  It is a catalyst for vital discussions on the inherent risk of bull riding in this industry.

Mr. Peters
Creative Arts Coordinator

JTCC SPORT UPDATE
Term 1 Week 5  

MISA UPDATE:

After a disrupted opening two rounds of the MISA competition, with extreme heat, storms and wet weather, it was good to get the feet on the ground and complete a full round of fixtures.

Our Open Boys Basketball and 7 - 9  Boys Softball have secured two wins from their opening two games to sit on top of the table. Good luck to all teams against Mt Carmel next week.

Round 1 Result:

Round 2 Result:

If you have any questions regarding MISA Sports, please feel free to contact me.

Mr Jamie Cook
cooka01@dow.catholic.edu.au

DIOCESAN AND PATHWAYS UPDATE

Good luck to our 3 JTCC representatives attending the Southern AFL 15’s Trial this Thursday, as well as our 3 girls Touch Teams competing on Friday at the Diocesan Touch Carnival. 

Diocese Tennis Teams Qualifying Event 

This year Diocesan Tennis was early in the school calendar making training & team selection challenging. In true JT spirit we had students put their hands up to represent the College & a special shout out must go to our year 10 Appin girls who once again filled 3 of the 4 spots in our girls’ team. Due to court redevelopments at Beaton Park in Wollongong play was moved to Campbelltown, much to the disappointment of our senior players who have come accustomed to their regular trip down the coast for a day of tennis & Chickos lunch overlooking Wollongong City Beach. 

The girls were unlucky with the draw coming up against the eventual winners St Mary’s in the first round. While the girls were out classed on the court, they should all be proud of the way they represented the College & a special mention must go to Breanna Kelly who led the team in her final year of eligibility. The boys team started strongly, winning their opening match against Magdalene College before coming up against the defending champions ERC who ended up going back-to-back winners. A big thank you to must go out to Jaydan Diamond who led the team at number one in his final appearance on the court for the College & Jordan Truckle who proved sporting ability on the footy field can cross over onto the tennis court. A great day was had by all!

Mr. McKenzie 

Upcoming registrations and closing dates 

Wollongong Term 1 Team Selections and Nomination forms 

• 15’s & Open Boys  & 16’s Girls Rugby League Trials 27 March - students required to nominate: (nomination Closing Date 4 March)
• 15’s & Opens Girls Netball trials 8 April - students required to nominate:  nomination (Closing Date  8 March)

NSWCCC Term 1 Individual Sports Registration via CSNSW Sport & Closing Dates: 

• NSWCCC Opens Volleyball - Trial Date: 5 April Closing Date: 15 March 

• NSWCCC Diving - Trial Date: 4 April Closing Date: 22 March 

Students at John Therry are given the opportunity to represent John Therry at College, Diocesan and CCC sporting events. Important information regarding each of these sporting opportunities are outlined below.

Sporting Pathways Calendar - CLICK HERE 

Term 1 Pathway Opportunities - CLICK HERE 

Diocesan Sporting Opportunities 

This is the main school sporting pathway that is offered to students at John Therry Catholic College. Some John Therry CC Diocesan teams are determined through trials, or a carnival hosted at a college  level (Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming), however some teams are determined by individual trials that students must nominate and register for online. Further information can be found at: https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/ 

NSWCCC Sporting Opportunities 

NSWCCC is another school sporting pathway that is offered to students at John Therry Catholic College. Some CCC teams are determined through qualifying at a carnival hosted at a Diocesan level (Athletics, Cross Country, Football, Rugby League, Swimming, Basketball, Touch Football), however some teams are determined by individual trials that students must nominate and register for online. Students must be currently competing at a representative level in their chosen sport to be considered for CCC team trials.The sports that require online nomination and registration include: 

It is important that online registration is completed before the closing date for each sport. These are outlined on the CSNSW website: https://csnsw.sport 

Online registrations are now open for 2024. Please refer to the information on the website regarding the registration process. Here is a link to assist with sports registration for parents: https://csnsw.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2/topic/65d787c5-0d2a-4699-a63a-25d586b67ba2 

SWIMMING CARNIVAL  - 29th FEBRUARY 2024

The 44th Annual Swimming Carnival was reverted to a Competitors Only and Year 12 event due to the extreme heat conditions. 

Our competitors got straight into the action with the 200 IM and our winners did not disappoint with some seriously good times.

Congratulations to the following students for winning the below events.

200m IM

100m Breaststroke

100m Backstroke

100m Butterfly

100m Freestyle

50m Butterfly

50m Breaststroke

50m Backstroke

50m Freestyle

To add some House competition to the day's events, we introduced a Year 12 and a Year 7-11 Survivor Challenge, where the students had to pass a 5kg water weight the length of the pool and back again.

Murray took out the Year 12 race while Conolly took out the 7-11 race.

Representative Pathway Swimmers

Congratulations to all our student competitor’s for the efforts that were made on the day and to our representative JTCC swimmers who will compete at the Diocesan Swimming Championships on Wednesday 6th March at Corrimal Pool.

12 Years -  Zoe Hawkes, Elissa Tsonis, Balin Crews, Zane Potter

13 Years - Emily Huang, Brooke Southall, Michael Southby, Chris Trompp

14 Years - Isabella Wragg-Leighton, Tayah Maharaj, Darby Crews, Presley Hovanyecz 

15 Years - Jade Isakka, Maddie Giles, Elise Southall, Kobey Thomas.

16 Years - Chelsea Elvy, Caitlyn Single, Damon Hills, Jamie Neilson

17+ Years - Indyana Cotton, Bridget Shearer, Kyle Faber, Diego Martin, Dante Slatter, Kruz Takiari

Pathway Sporting Achievements:

Dante Foweraker (Year 9) - Dante was successfully selected into the NSWCCC Softball U18 Team selected to compete in the NSW All Schools Selection on Tuesday 12th March at Blacktown International Sports Park.  JTCC wishes Dante all the best for the next progression. 

UPCOMING EVENTS TERM 1 2024:

A reminder to check the Compass Portal for upcoming sporting events and their respective closing dates.

You can also access the Wollongong Sport site for more information regarding Diocesan Sport  throughout the year.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/diocesan-sport-news

Yours in Sport,

Mr Jamie Cook & Mrs Georgia Roberts

cooka01@dow.catholic.edu.au robertsg03@dow.catholic.edu.au 

Please find below a link to the latest Parish Bulletin

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