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As we continue through the season of Lent, we are reminded of our call for reflection and transformation through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In a recent zoom meeting with the Bishop and Director of Schools, a group of student leaders was challenged to consider the idea of 'fasting' from their devices and social media as a way to live out their Lenten commitments.

Our faith should be a living faith that responds to the needs of our time, and becoming more aware of the impact of phones and technology on our lives is worth reflecting on. Our phones may 'connect' us with lots more people, particularly through social media, and do provide many benefits. However,  the quality of our connection with others can suffer significantly when we give too much time to being isolated on a screen and not truly connecting with those around us. We are called to be in relationship with others, and perhaps fasting from technology in some way may help open opportunities for greater true connection with the people we share our life with. 

Attendance is something that has been a strong focus for education systems right around the world in recent years, after downturns in attendance after COVID. An interesting report from the UK has shown the significant impact regular attendance has, and the likelihood of students achieving expected standards has a very strong correlation to their attendance levels. Of particular interest was the impact on students improving attendance from the 90-95% range to the 95-100% range. 

At John Therry this is something that we also need to focus on and address. Our attendance average in 2024 was 88%, which averages out around missing one day per fortnight. Missing 1 day per fortnight adds up to 20 days per year, and is lots of learning that is missed that can be difficult to catch up on. The percentage of our students attending more than 90% of the time is 54%, which leaves lots of room for improvement. 

Did you know you can see your child's attendance percentage in the Compass App? This might be worth a conversation to celebrate how well they are going, or look at setting some goals for improvement. In 2025 our current attendance rate is 92% and we have around 65% of students attending at a rate above 90%. I will continue to update throughout the year to help us all be more aware of our attendance rates, and aim to improve these.

I thank the parents who attended our P & F meeting this week. We realise that life is busy and taking the time out to attend can be challenging for many. Parent voice plays a really important part in our College Executive attempting to stay in touch with the needs of our families and the discussion we have are always really worthwhile. Our meetings take place on Tuesday in week 8 each term, and commence at 6:30pm.  This week we provided an update on the master plan that will take place over the next 6-8 years, with the first stage almost certainly a new administration block, Library and classroom area. We will post some images in the near future to share more information about the proposed buildings. Our next meeting will likely have lots more information available and we welcome all parents and friends to attend. 

On Monday, 10th March, a select group of enthusiastic Year 10 students had the incredible opportunity to experience university life firsthand at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The on-campus day provided students with valuable insights into higher education, career pathways and the skills needed for future success.

Students participated in a values-based activity designed to help them explore potential degrees and career options that align with their interests and strengths. Students also participated in an engaging public speaking workshop facilitated by the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Through this session, students built their confidence in communication, learned essential presentation skills and developed their ability to express themselves effectively—an invaluable skill for both academic and professional environments.

Additionally, students had the chance to network with industry professionals and UNSW alumni, gaining knowledge about different study paths, career opportunities and what to expect in various professions.

Overall, the students had a fantastic day immersing themselves in the university environment, gaining practical skills and broadening their perspectives on future career pathways.

On Thursday, 13th March, six students from John Therry Catholic College traveled to the Australian Museum to participate in the Student Climate Leadership Forum. This event brought together young leaders from across the region to engage in discussions and workshops focused on the impacts of climate change and the role of youth in driving meaningful action.

Reflecting on the experience, Year 10 student Anna Zammit shared:

"Five other students and I had the opportunity on Thursday the 13th of March to take a train to the Australian Museum for the Student Climate Leadership Forum. We got to experience talks and workshops to do with the unfortunate events of climate change within our country and the world. We were lucky to meet Kal Glanznig, an amazing climate advocate and politician, who started his journey in Year Ten, like us. It was amazing to be invited to, and we all had a wonderful time, and are excited to implement what we learned within our community."

HSC ONSTAGE EXCURSION 

On February 10th, 2025, students from Year 11 and 12, embarked on an exciting excursion to the Seymour Centre in Sydney to attend the ONSTAGE performances. This annual event showcases exemplary works from Higher School Certificate (HSC) Drama students across New South Wales, featuring a variety of group and individual projects, including performances, video dramas, and script readings.

The ONSTAGE performances did not disappoint, offering a captivating display of talent and creativity. Highlights included powerful monologues, dynamic group performances, and innovative video dramas that left the audience in awe. For many students, this excursion was not only an opportunity to witness the high standard of HSC Drama projects but also a source of inspiration for their own creative endeavors. "Seeing the incredible work of other students has motivated me to push the boundaries of my own drama projects," said one of the college's year 12 students. "It was an unforgettable experience that has given me new ideas and perspectives."

The excursion also provided valuable learning experiences beyond the performances. Students had the chance to explore the Seymour Centre's exhibition of individual projects, which included costume and set designs, promotional materials, and theatre reviews. This exhibition offered a deeper understanding of the diverse aspects of Drama production and the hard work that goes into creating a successful performance. The excursion to the ONSTAGE performances at the Seymour Centre was a resounding success, leaving a lasting impact on all who attended. Thank you to Mr. Hayden and Mrs. Cozzarin for accompanying the students on the day. 

HSC ENCORE EXCURSION 

On February 24th, it was an unforgettable experience for our senior music students as they had the opportunity to witness some of the most outstanding young musicians in the state at the iconic Sydney Opera House. Attending the highly anticipated HSC ENCORE showcase, students were treated to an inspiring display of musical talent from the 2024 best and brightest HSC Music students.

The afternoon featured a diverse range of performances, highlighting the exceptional skill and creativity of this year's top performers. The showcase opened with an electrifying bagpipe performance, setting the stage for an evening filled with energy and passion. From intricate classical pieces to dynamic contemporary works, the program reflected the incredible depth of talent nurtured through the HSC Music course. For our students, this was not just a concert but a valuable learning experience, offering insight into performance techniques, musical interpretation, and the dedication required to excel in the subject. Witnessing these high-level performances firsthand was both motivating and inspiring, reinforcing their own aspirations as young musicians.

Thank you to Mr. Chapman and Mr. Estrada for accompanying the students and making this excursion possible.

HSC ARTEXPRESS EXCURSION

On Thursday March 6th, both Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts classes, escorted by Mrs. Hume, Mrs. Cozzarin and Mr. Peters visited the Art Gallery of NSW to view the ‘Artexpress’ exhibition and Case Study talk. In conjunction with this, the students visited the new North building of the gallery, The Sydney Modern Project.  ARTEXPRESS is an annual exhibition of exemplary artworks created by students for the HSC in Visual Arts. The works represent a broad range of subject matter, approaches, styles and media including painting, photomedia, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, documented forms, textiles and fibre, ceramics, time-based forms and collections of works. ARTEXPRESS represents the high standards and diversity achieved by Year 12 Visual Arts students in New South Wales schools and is a joint partnership between the NSW Education Standards Authority and the NSW Department of Education. 

After lunch, we went to the Sydney Modern Project. This new, open and accessible home for art, is sensitive to the beautiful parkland setting overlooking Sydney Harbour with its huge glass windows and monumental interior space. Students viewed the ‘Cao Fei; My City is Yours’ exhibition. My City is Yours is an invitation into a world of neon, street dance and pop music; a city both familiar and warped, real and virtual. Students entered the immersive, interactive exhibition via a replica 1960s Beijing cinema foyer, and exit through a homage to a popular Sydney yum cha restaurant.  

Thank you to all the students on their exemplary behaviour and teachers who greatly assisted our students on the day. 

Outdoor Table Tennis Now Available!

Great news! Permanent outdoor table tennis tables are now ready for use during recess and lunch. You'll find them in the space between the woodwork room and the gym.

Bats, balls, and a brush for cleaning the tables can be borrowed from the library. Simply collect the equipment crate at the start of your break and return it at the end. Names will be recorded, and if any equipment (except ping pong balls) is damaged, the borrower will be responsible for replacement or repair costs.

Enjoy the game and keep the tables in top shape for everyone!

JTCC SPORT UPDATE - Term 1, Week 8

We’re already halfway through the term and we’ve had some big events in Week 5 & 6. Thank you to all our staff and students involved in the Swimming Carnival, it was unfortunate that we had to revert to a modified carnival due to the weather, but it was the right decision as it was incredibly hot at the pool on Friday. We are approaching the pointy end of our Term 1 MISA Campaign. Good luck to all our teams as they head towards their final rounds and the beginning of some our semi-final games. 

We have an incredibly busy final THREE weeks of term, with lots of Diocese Events, our College Cross Country and our 2024 rescheduled Jack Crawford Games. 

A reminder that all individual pathway nominations for Diocesan Sports (eg. rugby league, netball, football) are on Compass as well as Year group Google Classrooms - please fill out the relevant nomination forms there. 

Round 4 & 5 results of MISA are below. We’ve had some mixed results, and a few of our teams will need to work hard if they intend on making it to the finals.

ROUND 4 

ROUND 5

Swimming Carnival Report 

The 2025 reverted to a Yr 12 and Competitor’sOnly Carnival as the heat soared past  the expected 35 degrees. 138 students were in attendance and competed in the adjusted activities on competitive swimming, Indoor Pool Volleyball, Yr 12 “Parcel” relay, House Biathlon and the last event of of the day, the “Champions of Champions” Race.

Year 12 started the day off strong with high numbers, plenty of cheering and enthusiasm as the serious competitors got stuck into the 200 individual medley and the 100m freestyle events. Some strong performances by Year 7 students Shane Ross (Murray) and Sophia Wragg-Leigton (Ryan) set the tone of the day and could possibly be future stalwarts of their respective houses and for John Therry. 

Two records were broken throughout the day. Congratulations to Isabella Wragg-Leighton of the 15 Girls who broke a record from 2003 (C. Talty 38.94) in a time of 37.94. And congratulations to Sophia Wragg-Leighton of the 13 Girls who broke a record from 2014 (M. Dowse 36.25) in a time of 37.16.

In the Parcel Relay Relay Race - houses were to pass and weighted object the length of the pool, Murray were deemed the winners of this event, as they completed the task without running or throwing the weight down the pool.

The Teams Biathlon event was very competitive. The race consisted of a 50m swim, a 100m run, a return 100m run, followed by a final 50m swim leg. The boys started this annual event with a whitewash of water at the blocks The boys soon disappeared out the gate only for Ryan to return to the pool first followed by Chisholm. Shout out to Shane Ross who competed in the opens race and anchored the team, who enter the pool in third place, and overtook the senior boy swimmers from Chisholm and Ryan to take the win.

1st place Murray, 2nd place Ryan, 3rd Place Chisholm and 4th place Conolly.

The girls race was even more frantic. Ryan was first out of the pool and first to get back with Chelseas Elvy bringing the Ryan girls home in 1st place quite comfortably.

1st place Ryan, 2nd Place Murray, 3rd Place Chisholm, 4th place Conolly.

The Yr 12 Aqua Volleyball event was a standout. It came down to the final serve with Ryan beating Murray in the final by 1 point.

In the final event of the day, our stronger swimmers faced off in a handicapped “Champion of Champions” 50m freestyle event.

Both events were tightly contested with the better students starting 5 seconds off the first swimmer.

Congratulations to Elise Southall (16G Ryan) and once again Shane Ross (13B Murray) on taking out this year's Champions Race.

When it came to the end of the day, there was a standout leader on the scoreboard after some movement back and forth between 1st and 2nd. Sophia and Isabella Wragg-Leighton and Chelsea Elvy accumulated close to 600 points for Ryan between the 3 of them,  so Ryan house members please make sure you thank those girls for their amazing contributions.Please see below our 2025 Swimming Age Champions and our overall point score for our Swimming Carnival.

2025 Swimming Age Champions

Overall Swimming House Points 

Well done to all our competitors and to RYAN house for taking the victory. 

Boys Dio Touch 

AGE GROUP: U13 Boys

On 6th of March, 2025 the Under 13 Boys team proudly represented our school in a challenging competition of Touch Football down at Thomas Dalton Park in Fairy Meadow. 

Out of the nine games played, the JTCC U13’s Boys managed to secure 1 victory and 1 tie, while facing defeat in 7 other games. Despite the challenging outcomes, the team's spirit remained high, and they approached each game with determination and a positive mindset. Though new to the sport, the team displayed remarkable enthusiasm, camaraderie and willingness to learn throughout their nine games.

Some standout performances include Ryan Mckenzie for his speed, outrunning the middle positions of the field. Jack Armstrong alongside Luka Jansz for their coordination in creating scoring opportunities. 

Looking ahead, the boys are certainly capable of adapting to the game and should be proud of their achievements. 

Bottom row (left to right): Ryan Mckenzie, Peter Lambea, Kobi Browne, Bentley Foti

Top row (left to right): Izacg Turaganivolo, Luka Jansz, Jayden Msumba, Frank Hansen, Jack Armstrong

Absent from image: Hayden Choice 

AGE GROUP: U15 Boys

MVP: Kayden Thompson

On Thursday March 6th, 2025 the Under 15 Boys team were met with sunny skies on arrival at Thomas Dalton Park in Fairy Meadow for the Wollongong Diocesan Touch Championships. Having minimal touch experience but maximum enthusiasm the boys were eager to get going and showcase their skills. Congratulations to all of the boys who took part and showed great camaraderie and sportsmanship throughout the day. 

Our results on the day were:

• 1-0 loss vs Holy Spirit
• 3-0 win vs St Joseph’s
• 5-1 win vs Mount Carmel
• 3-3 draw vs Corpus Christi
• 5-1 loss vs St John’s 
• 4-1 win vs Edmund Rice
• 2-1 win vs Magdalene
• 4-2 loss vs Edmund Rice 
• 2-2 draw vs St Benedict’s

A special mention to Kayden Thompson who was selected as a shadow player for the Wollongong team.

Back row(left to right): Keiren Mostyn, Cooper Firman, Lucas Failla, Rico Logai-Lusiano, Dion Kaye, Isaiah Leal

Front row (left to right): Tyler Martin, Lennix O’Dwyer, Kayden Thompson, Kaiden Myers, Elijah Leal

GROUP: Open Boys

MVP: William Shearer

I had the privilege of coaching the Open Boys Touch Football Team that competed at the Diocesan Carnival. Our goal for the day was to play an exciting brand of touch football and to have fun throughout the day. Despite only having sound experience playing touch football, the boys were fast learners and displayed their athleticism and teamwork throughout the day. 

We scored some awesome tries and it was good to see the boys throw the ball around and play that exciting brand of touch all day. The team was led by William Shearer, who set up everything for us in attack and also defence. William was awarded with selection in the Open Boys Wollongong Team for his outstanding performances on the day. William was supported by Mitchell, Cory, Nathaniel, Cohan, Tre-James and Josh. Special shoutout goes to Cohan Timmer, who promised the team he would score 3 tries in our last game. Cohan made light work of this and crossed for 3 tries within the first five minutes. Congratulations once again to William Shearer for being selected in the Wollongong Team and to Tre-James Roberts who was selected as a shadow. Thanks for a great day boys. 

Our results on the day were:

• 2-0 loss vs Holy Spirit
• 3-0 win vs St Joseph’s
• 2-2 draw vs Edmund Rice 2
• 3-1 loss vs Corpus Christi
• 1-1 draw vs St Johns
• 4-0 win vs Mt Carmel
• 3-2 loss vs Magdalene
• 3-2 loss vs Edmund Rice 1
• 4-0 win vs St Benedict’s

Back row(left to right): Cooper Wells, Cory McKay, Mitchell Lane, Benji Vellin, Cooper Tonna, Tamati Wynard

Front row (left to right): Boston Melville, Cohan Timmer, William Shearer, Tre-James Roberts, Nathaniel Leal, Joshua Booth

DIO SWIMMING

A small but mighty team of swimmers proudly represented John Therry at this year’s Diocesan Swimming Carnival held at Corrimal on Monday March 10th. Despite our team’s size, every athlete gave their best effort, making us incredibly proud! 

In addition to individual swims our junior girls participated in the 4 x 50 freestyle and medley relays demonstrating determination and team spirit in both races.

A number of our swimmers had a very busy day with numerous events across all strokes. Congratulations to Sophia Wragg-Leighton 12 Years Female Age Champion with an impressive five 1st placings and to Isabella Wragg-Leighton 15 Years Female Age Champion who had top three placings in all 9 of her events, an excellent performance across the entire day. Shane Ross’s excellent racing across the day placed him third overall in the 13 Years Male Age Championship, also needs to be recognised and congratulated. Congratulations also to Emily Harris for her third place in the Female 13 years 50m Backstroke. 

NSWCCC Championships will be held at Homebush in early April and we wish Sophia and Isabella Wragg-Leighton  the best of luck on their endeavours in the pool as part of the Wollongong Diocese Team. 

Mrs. Ursino

Pathway Achievements

Dante - NSW All Schools U18 Softball

Dante recently represented the College and NSWCCC team in the U18 Softball NSW All Schools selections at Blacktown International Sportspark. 

We are thrilled to announce that Dante  has been selected in the NSW All Schools Team! This is a fantastic achievement, reflecting Dante’s dedication, hard work, and outstanding skills on the field. 

We are incredibly proud and can’t wait to see Dante shine at the next level of competition at School Sport Australian U18 Softball Championships. Keep up the amazing work. Go, Dante! ??

Upcoming Events Term 1 2025:

Diocesan and Pathways update

2025 Sport is well and truly underway.  2025 planning and calendar for representative pathway opportunities are below. 

CEDoW WEBSITE- Event Information, Selected rep teams and Carnival Results 

A reminder to visit our Secondary CEDoW Sports Web current information about events, selected teams and carnival results

INSTAGRAM 

Don't forget to follow the  CEDOW instagram handle: @cedow.sport

Students at John Therry are given the opportunity to represent John Therry at College, Diocesan and CCC sporting events.

CLICK HERE - JTCC PATHWAY INFORMATION

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 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

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