John Therry Catholic College eNewsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

RETURN TO SCHOOL

What a week this has been. The noise, the handball, the hugs, the laughing, the basketball and the joy…. real joy….. of being back at school. It has been somewhat uplifting to see the happiness at catching up with friends and getting back to some routine. However, there are still some restrictions. Teaching and learning in masks has seen some difficulties but the fact that classrooms are full is heartening. Year groups have allotted areas to meet the Government requirements about separating and the students have accepted this well. I hope that more restrictions are lifted as

we move forward.

I would like to thank all parents for the work that you have done over the past three months, in trying to keep your children and their learning as a focus. From those that I have spoken to it has not been easy and in some cases, it has been extremely difficult. Thank you for your care.

YEAR 12 NEWS

Yesterday was a very special day in the life of a school. We saw Year 12 have their

final day before they start preparations for the HSC exams and we also saw the

announcement of the 2022 student leaders. The Year 12 students had a dress up

day as ’what they would like to be in the future’. There was lots of imagination and fun... But none of the students wanted to be a school Principal. Hmmm….

I, like all of the Staff, am extremely proud of this group of young people. The

difficulties of last year's fires, floods and lockdown became a memory as they re-

focussed on school as the year ended. Then the return to lockdown, but not just a

lockdown but 16 weeks of an interrupted life. I wish them all the very best for their

exams.

NEW STUDENT LEADERS 2022

The quality of applicants for leadership positions was extremely high again and all

can be proud that they sought a leadership role. I look forward to this group leading the College through next year and leaving their mark as they go.

NEXT WEEK

As the students returned this week the vast majority of students returned well-

groomed and wearing the full and correct uniform. For some, we saw an array of

varying pieces of uniform and some strange hair and fingernails. Students have been informed that these will be overlooked for this week but will need to be rectified for the start of next week. I thank those parents who support the College in this and seek the support of all as we get back to routine. There has been much written from mental health experts stating that a return to routine is the best way to create a normality that supports mental health.

We were glad to be able to provide students with upgraded toilet facilities on return to school this week. The Shelter Shed toilets were refurbished during remote learning to a more modern facility, using current design thinking around 'open wash zones'. The toilets are all cubicle based for privacy, with the wash zone open to prevent gatherings of students out of site where concerns of vaping, bullying and vandalism can be problems. While it can take some adjustment initially, the vast majority of new school building have used this design and we are very pleased with the quality of the fitout, including high quality touch free handryers.

When a student requires to leave early due to a pre-arranged appointment or matter, we ask that you please advise the office in advance via phone (4645 8100) or email

jtcc-attendance@dow.catholic.edu.au in the morning or on the day prior. This will allow office staff to ensure that the student is ready to be collected at the required time.

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions once you arrive please:

Call Reception (4645 8100) to advise us that you are here and we will send your child out to your car. Please avoid coming into Reception if possible.

OPAL CARD/TRAVEL PASS

Applications for student travel in 2022 opened on Tuesday 12 October 2021. Use this link https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/ticket-eligibility-concessions/school-student-travel to apply for a new pass or update details.

school_travel.pdf

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BERRIMA & PICTON BUSLINES

Students travelling on both Picton and Berrima Buslines must must now have a pass with both operators from 2022. Any applications and updates should be done at https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/ticket-eligibility-concessions/school-student-travel.

Please forward any enquiries to Berrima Buslines on 4871 3211 or Picton Buslines on 4677 1564.

The University of Wollongong would like to invite students to LEARNING LABS, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program, targeting students from Year 7 to 10, who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Wollongong Campus Dates: 12^th – 14^th January 2022

Applications close: Wednesday, 17^th November 2021

learning_labs_1.pdf

learning_labs_1 _pdf 1.31 MB

APPLICATION PROCESS

Students can be encouraged to apply by their school, classroom teacher, subject specialist teachers from school or out-of-school or by their parents. If a school-based professional is identifying a potential student please supply them with a Teacher Nomination Letter
Parents/Guardians/student visit our website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “Workshop Descriptions” section.
Students apply for workshops that are within their current year (ie. Year 4 students in 2021 will apply for the Early Learning Labs- Year 3 & 4). In exceptional circumstances, we are willing to review applicants who would like to try a more challenging workshop.
Parents/Guardians/student (or school if parent/guardian is unable to) fill out the online application form.
One piece of supporting documentation for first time applicants is required that demonstrates their ability (see 'Supporting Documentation' section on website). Please note that the Teacher Nomination Letters can be used as a supporting document.
Learning Labs is registered as COVID-Safe and follows the guidelines set out by the NSW Government here.

We will also have several sponsorship places available for students who identify as Australian Aboriginal/Torres Strait or students experiencing financial difficulty.

For further information about workshops and the application process please visit our website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au.

Bulletin.pdf

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