St. Therese Catholic Primary School, Torquay

School News

Happy Father’s Day!

It has been another very busy fortnight at St Therese, with plenty happening across the school. We finished the week on a lovely note this morning, celebrating our dads and special friends with our Father’s Day Breakfast in the hall. It was wonderful to see such a big turnout and to have the chance to share breakfast together as a community.

A huge thank you to Lib and our amazing Parents & Friends team for putting on such a terrific catered breakfast, and particularly to those who were here bright and early to help with the set-up and stayed to pack everything away afterwards.

The celebrations continue tonight with our Fathers’ ‘Monte Carlo’ Evening at the Torquay Taphouse from 4.00–7.00pm, followed by the footy finals on the big screen. It promises to be a lot of fun, and we are very grateful to Ross and Anthony Tomasiello and their support crew for all the work they have put into organising the evening. I’m looking forward to seeing plenty of you there.

Our Father’s Day Stall was also a big hit on Monday, with the children very excited to choose something themselves for their dads and special friends. Thank you to Shannyn and her team of parent volunteers and senior students for organising the gifts and running the stall. There is something really lovely about giving the children the opportunity to choose their own special gift.

It hasn’t all been Father’s Day celebrations, though! On Monday, our Grade 1 students headed to the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre at Queenscliff. They had a whale of a time (Dad jokes allowed this week!) exploring the beach with their guides and getting up close with real marine life in the aquarium. It is always a fantastic excursion, and our students represented St Therese beautifully.

Last week, our Grade 3/4 students completed their swimming program and did a terrific job navigating a busy week at the pool. Swim week inevitably throws our normal school schedules a little out of kilter, so I am particularly grateful to our staff for their flexibility and for coordinating everything so smoothly.

On a much sadder note, we send our love and support this week to our sister school, St Francis Xavier, Corio, following the sudden passing of one of their beloved teachers, Miss Olivia Slee. We will be supporting their school with some supplementary staffing next week, and we keep their Principal, Mrs Maria Scala, Olivia’s family and loved ones, and the entire St Francis Xavier community in our thoughts and prayers.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Father’s Day to all of our dads, grandfathers and special people celebrating on Sunday.

Josh McElgunn
Principal

Book Week Parade

Last Friday we celebrated Book Week 2026 – ‘Symphony of Stories’. The children certainly embraced the occasion, with some fantastic costumes filling the hall for our parade. A special thank you to Ty, who did a wonderful job developing the schedule, decorating the hall with her displays and compering the parade. It was another terrific celebration in what has been a very packed fortnight.

Religious Education

This term our overarching concept in Religious Education has been: Stewardship.

Living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. Each class has been looking at the world around us – encouraging wonder at the gifts we have been given and also encouraging us to be guardians of these incredible gifts. Every simple action can make a difference, from rubbish free lunch boxes, to caring for gardens, to using keep cups, metal water bottles, picking up litter…the students have had amazing ideas and hopefully implementing them too.

We need to remember that People are part of creation and we are the custodians of our planet in caring for nature and each other.

“It’s the Little things that Matter”

Jan Fagan (Religious Education Leader)

Parish/Sacramental News:

Click the link to see the Parish Newsletter

Parish Newsletter damascusparish.com.au

Wellbeing

A conversation could change a life- Ask, Listen, Encourage Action & Check in.

Thursday September 10 is “R U OK? Day” A day where each of us can make a big difference. The difference is not, of course limited to September 10, but this day is about encouraging us to action and also build our skills in how to do this. Sometimes people just need to be asked, they will speak when they are ready, but having somebody there makes an incredible difference with big and small issues.

We cannot always solve the problem but having someone with you to work through a situation can be the REAL difference.

Don’t forget to check in, be there for others and listen. Sometimes just being heard is enough.

We act with Compassion & Respect & Gratitude

Jan (Wellbeing)

https://lifeed.org.au/ruok-day/

www.ruok.org.au

Pastoral Care

Part of our caring for our community - looking out for others - supporting in times of need is our “Pastoral Care” - intrinsic to our Gospel Values. If you know of someone in need please let one of our team members know. Everything is treated with the strictest of confidentiality. Alternatively, if you are able to help out by sending a meal for families in time of need - please bring it to the office. (Please write ingredients and date on your donation) We are in desperate need at the moment to restock. We hope to really start this up well for next term.

A small act of compassion and kindness that will mean the world to the recipient.

Jan, Kerrie, Liam, Pat or Marisa.

40th Anniversary Celebrations

All past and present staff and families are warmly invited to attend our 40th Celebrations in October. This is a two day event, beginning with a Mass in our hall on Friday 16th October at 9.30am. During the day there will be tours of the classrooms, showcasing students work as well as displays of memorabilia followed by an assembly with presentations from past students.

On Saturday 17th October a ticketed, over 18's, event will be held at Torquay Bowls Club. This is for past and present staff and parents to reconnect and celebrate together. Tickets are available now using this trybooking link https://www.trybooking.com/DOXED

P&F Routley's Fundraiser

The P&F have organised a Routley's Fundraiser for our school.

Order from www.fundraising.routleysbakery.com.au for Pickup Wed 16th Sept, 2pm - 3.30pm School Hall. Right in time for school holidays. Please clearly add your child’s Name and Class.

School Working Bee

We are really excited to be preparing for our 40th Celebrations next term.

We will be running an indoor and outdoor working bee on Friday 9th October from 3.30pm and invite all families to assist us in cleaning up the inside and outside areas of the school.

We will be putting on a sausage sizzle to say thank you to all of our families for assisting.

Please see the flyer for more details.

School TV - Celebrating Father’s Day

A Special Report: Celebrating Father’s Day

For many years now, the role of fathers has changed and evolved. During the industrial revolution, fathers were often considered detached and distant due to working long hours in factories. However, today things have changed dramatically with many dads being celebrated for being sensitive, caring and more hands-on.

Recent studies have shown that children benefit greatly from having fathers who are present and interacting in everyday activities. This has transformed the understanding of how fathers shape children’s lives from the start, challenging conventional ideas of parenthood and gender.

Research also suggests that fathers influence their sons and daughters in different ways, which is especially true during their transition to adolescence. Engaging in regular physical activities can play a key role in influencing children to learn self-control, face challenges, regulate emotions and take manageable risks.

In this Special Report, fathers will learn about the positive impact they can have on their child’s mental health and wellbeing, whilst also ensuring they indulge in a little self-care.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://sttorquay.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/celebrating-fathers-day