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This weekend, we begin the season of Advent. While society embraces the Christmas season and its traditions of gift-giving, which have evolved over time, our Catholic community is called to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. During Advent, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, rejoicing in the hope and joy that Christ brings into our lives.
This season should be a time of joy, shared with family and friends. As we enter this special period in the Church calendar, I wish every member of our community abundant blessings and peace.
On Friday, 22nd November, we hosted our Year 7 2025 Orientation Day—a highly anticipated and exciting event as we begin welcoming the next cohort to John Therry. The students were actively engaged throughout the day and appeared to thoroughly enjoy working alongside our Year 9, 10, and 11 student leaders.
This year, we are thrilled to welcome 200 new Year 7 students from over 30 local primary schools. The evening prior, we had the pleasure of meeting with many parents, some of whom are experiencing the transition to high school for the first time with their child. We sincerely thank each family for placing their trust in us during this important period of their child’s growth and formation.
One of the most meaningful initiatives our community is embracing once again is our Community Christmas Luncheon. This event provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and support those who might otherwise go without during the Christmas season. It offers our students and staff a tangible way to live out our Catholic mission by serving those most in need.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone contributing to this event—whether through fundraising, volunteering, gift-giving, or the many other efforts that make it possible. A special thank you goes to Mr. Ryan Suares, whose dedication and leadership have brought this initiative to life.
Throughout the rest of the newsletter, you’ll find many wonderful achievements from our students at John Therry. I am continually inspired by their incredible gifts and talents, which they share so generously with our community.
We pray that every student at John Therry recognizes their unique abilities and strives to develop them to their fullest potential.
We have recently received concerns from our neighbors regarding road safety around the College during pick-up and drop-off times. Issues highlighted include vehicles exceeding the speed limit and parking in no-parking zones, which can create significant visibility and safety risks.
We kindly remind all members of our community to prioritize safety in and around the school. Please adhere to speed limits, park only in designated areas, and remain mindful and courteous to others. Together, we can ensure a safe environment for everyone.
Our Term 4 P & F Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 3rd December at 6:30pm and we invite all parents to join us in our staff common room (next to our front office). The key focus of this meeting will be reviewing the Master Plan for John Therry and the significant improvement that is planned over the next few years. This is also an opportunity to discuss any other issues or suggestions parents might have about ways we can continue to support students at John Therry. We hope to see you there!
Our JT Wardrobe initiative has won a $5,000 prize in the Sustainable Schools Competition, recognising our ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental change.
The JT Wardrobe is a student-led project created as part of the Year 10 Commerce "Towards Independence" unit. The project focuses on promoting sustainable fashion by collecting, sorting, and redistributing pre-loved clothing. It aims to reduce textile waste, encourage responsible consumer habits, and provide affordable clothing for our school community.
This achievement not only highlights the hard work and dedication of our students but also brings wider attention to the positive impact we’re having on our local community. The students involved in the project were even featured in the Daily Telegraph, a fantastic recognition of their efforts!
We are proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and excited to continue making a difference. This achievement was celebrated during Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, and we look forward to expanding the JT Wardrobe initiative and inspiring others to take action for a more sustainable future.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to work towards a greener, more sustainable school!
Year 10 Research Success in the National Schools Poster Competition
In Term 4, selected Year 10 students at John Therry Catholic College delved into areas of personal interest through the Student Research Project initiative. This exciting opportunity allowed students to explore topics of their choice while applying advanced scientific methods and statistical analyses.
The outstanding quality of some projects led to their submission for judging in the National Schools Poster Competition, hosted by the Statistical Society of Australia. We are thrilled to announce that a John Therry team has been named the 2024 Year 9/10 Division Winners!
Winning Project: “Harmonies and Heartbeats: The Link Between Music and BPM”
Congratulations to Metta Keen, Amali Kumaran, Prabhleen Dhiman, and Iyrene Navin Marcel, who conducted advanced statistical analyses and presented their findings with exceptional clarity and professionalism. The team also included a detailed evaluation of their study’s limitations. Their exceptional work earned them a cash prize of $150 for themselves and another $150 for the school—a tremendous achievement in a highly competitive field!
Special Mentions
We also applaud the efforts of two other John Therry teams, whose projects demonstrated impressive scientific inquiry:
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Project: How does cutting Planaria at different distances from the head affect the rate of regeneration?
Team: Jackson Schulstad, Skye McVerry, and Jake Rambaldini -
Project: The effectiveness of varying hand sanitation products
Team: Anabel Martin, Angel Cicil Boban, Riya Rexin, Joelene Ignacio, and Hemakshi Kesani
These projects showcased creativity, dedication, and scientific rigor.
We are immensely proud of the hard work and innovative thinking displayed by all the students who participated in this initiative. A special thank-you to Dr. Teresa Harris, Science Teacher and WISE Coordinator, for her guidance and support throughout this journey.
Keep up the incredible work in science, Year 10—we look forward to seeing where your curiosity takes you next!
Year 10 Child Studies visited Willow Tree Kindergarten as part of their Childcare Services topic this term. Both classes have two scheduled visits during their double periods in term 4, walking down to the centre to observe and engage with the children.
Our JTCC students met the children and the childcare centre staff on arrival and then the children invited our students to engage in a variety of activities, including Lego, imaginative play, drawing, Christmas activities, playing with trains, playing with toy babies, reading and musical instruments.
We gained valuable insight into the day to day running of a childcare centre and the important work of childcare professionals. We saw how important play is for development and observed all the different types of play.
Some interesting points that our students found were the way children were so “touchy feely” and how somewhat chaotic free play can be. The students enjoyed how excited the children were to have us there in their environment and the connections made in such a short period of time.
The Year 10 students are to be commended for their engagement and they are looking forward to facilitating activities with the children in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday November 19th, approximately 50 Creative Arts students from Year 10 and 11 attended Illuminate 2024- a creative and performing arts showcase shining a light on creative excellence within the diocese of Wollongong with a focus on secondary school Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. This showcase was held at the University of Wollongong Great Hall. It was a great day inspiring our students for their upcoming Stage 6 journeys in 2025 and their own inclusion in this Showcase next year. Applicants had to be successful through auditions for Drama, Dance and Music (video recording) and Visual Arts (photo).
Our school was represented in Visual Arts by Year 12 students: Ben Anderson, Angelica Jeanneret, Lachlan McKellar, Lily Murchie and Chloe Peters. Thank you to all the students for their exemplary behaviour and to our staff who attended and made this possible: Mr Peters, Mrs.Hume, Mr Estrada and Mr Hayden.
JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Term 4, Week 7
As we head towards the end of Term 4, it means that we are heading towards two of our major sporting events of the year. More information is available via Compass.
Sports Assembly - THURSDAY 12th December
Jack Crawford Games - TUESDAY 17th December
MISA - ROUND 5
JTCC got back on the winners wagon securing 5 wins from the 8 matches played in Round 5. There were some close games with the Boys AFL and Boys Cricket winning by the smallest of margins.
This brings some good news as we move into semi-final action next week, which sees six JTCC teams involved in finals action. Winners will progress to the grand final while losing teams will play-off for third and fourth positions.
The season has come to an end for our Girls AFL and Volleyball teams as both teams placed 5th in their competitions.
MISA - ROUND 6
Due to the extreme heat we experienced this week, MISA made a blanket call to cancel all outdoor sports. So our Volleyball and Cricket teams played their semi-finals with great results. The boys volleyball team played 2nd place Oran Park away and came up big, with three of the closest sets all season. JTCC finally won the third set 15-13 to seal the win. Both cricket and volleyball teams will progress to the finals next week along with our Junior Boys AFL and OzTag teams.
Uniform Expectations:
A reminder that as we are in Term 4, the College will be enforcing the College Summer Uniform Policy and requesting all students wear hats at recess and lunch and during all PDHPE and sport lessons. A reminder that students are to wear the appropriate white sports socks [no anklets] and the required sport shorts [not rolled up at the waist].
MISA RESULTS - ROUND 5
|
TEAM |
COACH |
W/L Score |
Match Report |
SPOW |
|
10-11 Girls Volleyball |
Mrs Hynard |
Lost 2 - 1 v BAC |
In our final game of the season, the team started strong, winning the first set convincingly with excellent teamwork and energy. However, momentum shifted in the second set, and despite our best efforts, we fell short in the next two sets. The team showed determination but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure the win. With this result, we narrowly missed out on making the finals. Well done to everyone for their hard work and commitment throughout the season! |
Tuliana Rayawa |
|
10-11 Boys Volleyball |
Mr Williamson |
Won 2- 0 v BAC |
Slow start, but once we found our groove, the game was a bit one sided. Needed the result and to ensure we gained victory in two games in order to move into the semi-finals. Developing gradually with improvement each week that should see a move into the final. |
Will Chanhdara |
|
10-11 Mixed Frisbee |
Mr Bodeker |
Won 29-9 v MAG |
Our best performance of the season! We started the game strong in a must win game against Magdalene. Within 5 minutes we were up 8-0 after some great passing and movement. Our intensity was awesome and the team should be proud of how they stepped up in such an important game. Ava, Jordan, Jorja, Chloe and Tre were instrumental in our performance. With this result we ended up finishing 3rd and will vs Macarthur next week in a semi final. |
Ava Hilton |
|
7-9 Girls AFL 12's |
Mrs Roberts |
Lost 27-6 v MAG |
I was excited when we arrived at the oval as we had 12 girls ready to play, until someone may have forgotten their mouthguard. The girls started fairly strongly and I thought we may have been in contention for a possible win but some lapses in concentration and not marking up on opposition players saw Magdalene run away with the score. A few position switches at half time saw some better defensive play from JT, but unfortunately Magdalene held onto their lead. Despite the loss, I continue to see the girls improve each week, with some excellent marks and strong tackles the highlight of the afternoon. |
Ava Abi - Khattar |
|
7-9 Boys AFL 12's |
Mr Geribo |
Won 55-49 v MCCC |
Oooft that was a tight one! Having now played every team in the comp, Mount Carmel felt they were a chance to start their ascendancy and they certainly came out firing! They kicked the first three goals in the first few minutes of the game and looked very confident going forward. Thankfully, for us, Cooper and Noah C were able to start winning some ball at the back and we could build up play going forward. Some excellent link up play between Sully, Moni and Lennix created a lot of chances at goal and we were able to take a lead into half time. The second half was tight. Each play was short and every ball was hotly contested. Some ill discipline and a couple of bad decisions from us kept Mount Carmel right in it but we were able to hold on for the win. Our goal kickers today were Ryder (2), Sully (2), Deng (3) and Moni. |
Sullivan O’Dwyer |
|
7-9 Boys Indoor Cricket |
Mr Chapman |
Won 32 - 29 v MAG |
JT won the toss and elected to bowl first. This turned out to be an excellent decision as we bowled exceptionally well, taking taking some great catches and effecting difficult run outs. After keeping Magdalene to just 29 runs, this game should have been an easy win. After our first two batting pairs, we were well in front of the game. However, some fundamental errors and poor decisions turned this game on its head. In the end, we had enough class and resilience to get the job done. |
Aidan Cini |
|
7-9 Boys OzTag |
Mr McGrath |
Won 8-7 v THAC |
For what should have been a convincing win, turned out to be a nail biter. Up 4-1 at half time, the confidence may have gotten the better of us. Before we knew it, we found ourselves at 4-4. A few basic errors and a lapse in concentration saw THAC welcomed back into the game. We managed to fight our way back and win by a try. Shout out to Jimmy King for his efforts today, was great in all aspects. Also to the skipper, Will Shearer for keeping the energy through the middle the whole game. A few tries came his way too! |
Will Shearer |
|
7-9 Girls OzTag |
Mr Tran |
Lost 3 - 2 v THAC |
Unfortunately the girls began the game flat and paid the price by going down a try early in the game. Defensive lapses and indecision in attack allowed for THAC to control the game and win comfortably. |
Scarlett Fisher |
|
7 - 9 Girls Softball |
Mr Hatton |
Draw |
After 2 weeks of no games, we managed to field a team only for the umpire not to turn up. Unfortunately the game was nnot able to be played and both teams shared the points. |
MISA RESULTS - ROUND 6 + SEMI-FINALS
Mmost games were cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
|
TEAM |
COACH |
W/L Score |
Match Report |
SPOW |
|
10-11 Boys Volleyball |
Mrs Hynard |
Won 2 - 1 OPAC |
[2] OPAC v JTCC [3] What an exciting and enjoyable semi final. It was such an intense, close game against Oran Park throughout all three sets. In the first, the team were down 10-3 however were skilled enough to come back to win 26 - 24. Too many wayward serves and lack of communication meant a 20 - 25 loss in the second set. The boys had a lead in the third and looked like they would easily take the win however this was slightly stalled by a comeback from the opposition. Luckily the boys made excellent blocks and spikes at critical times within the third to come away with a 15-13 win. They are certainly pumped for the final next week and hope they can bring home the trophy for JT |
Maka Angianga |
|
7-9 Boys Indoor Cricket |
Mr Chapman |
Won 59 - 54 V MCCC |
JT played against Mount Carmel in the playoff match for the Grand Final. We won the toss and elected to bat. We had a steady start and then had a partnership that struggled, which has been a common theme this season. Our last two batting pairs got us out of some trouble and to a score of 59 which is about par. With the ball, it wasn’t looking great early on. The Mount Carmel openers dominated our opening bowlers, getting almost half of the score in the first pair. A great team fightback saw JT claw back the momentum with great fielding. This made both sides nervous and there were silly mistakes from both teams. It came down to the last ball with both teams on 59 runs, and Thomas Elliot came up with a great catch to clutch the win for JT. A great win by the boys. |
MVP: Thomas Elliot |
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
As our 2024 draws to a close, we are starting to look towards our 2025 planning and calendar. In a few weeks we will be producing the 2025 pathways calendar for students to begin planning their 2025 sporting goals.
On Friday the 15th November, Mrs. Roberts and Mr McAllister attended the CDF Sports Awards at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea College, Wollongong. These awards celebrate the major sporting achievements of students across Catholic schools in the Wollongong Diocese.
JTCC finished 5th overall in the Vince Villa Trophy - with points allocated across all sporting events for 2024.
We had a number of students who were recognised for their sporting success in our pathway programs in 2024, and we were proudly represented by the following students:
Laura Augustine - 2025 leadership team - student speaker
Annelise Hall - 2025 leadership team - student speaker - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
Dante Foweraker - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
Zoe Hawkes - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
Adrian Narvais - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
Sullivan O'Dwyer - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
Jackson Schulstad - Secondary Sports Council Medallion
One of the key major awards is the Bishop Mascord Trophy - awarded to the most outstanding secondary sportsman across all of Wollongong Diocese. I am very proud to announce that our own Sullivan O'Dwyer received this award for his achievement in getting named in the U15 AFL All Australian team, against a highly competitive group of finalists.
Please congratulate all these students when you see them!
EXTERNAL SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS
Jazwyn Lyddieth (year 9) was very busy over the weekend of the 24-25th November, participating in the Tag20 Oceania Heritage Cup, representing the Indigenous Sydney Nation. The weather was harsh but the multicultural experience was awesome with respectful comradery and fighting spirit.
The opening ceremony was electric with all nations performing cultural dance and war crys. Jazwyns team fought hard but missed making the finals.
She should be very proud of her efforts over the whole weekend. Well done Jazwyn!
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Term 4 |
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Thursday 5th December- 2025 Sports Selections (Year 8+ 9 students) Sports Assembly - Thursday 12th December (Week 9) - College Hall (rehearsal - Wed 11th December) Jack Crawford - Tuesday 17th December (Week 10) - John Therry Catholic College |
Upcoming NSW All Schools Events
Students at John Therry are given the opportunity to represent John Therry at College, Diocesan and CCC sporting events.
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:
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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 2025. 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
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/student-experience/sport/secondary-sport
Yours in Sport,
Georgia Roberts (RobertsG03@dow.catholic.edu.au)
Please find below a link to the latest Parish Bulletin