St. Therese Catholic Primary School, Torquay — Term 3 · Week 10

School News

END OF TERM 3

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the end of Term 3. It has been another big and busy term, and today we finished it in one of our favourite ways with Footy Colours Day.

The school was full of colour this morning as students came dressed in their team colours and brought along a gold coin donation. At our final assembly, we were also pleased to welcome some of the Torquay Tigers footballers, Lucas, Michael and Tynan (pictured with the students), to St Therese ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Final. Missy Gleeson did a great job with her Mike Sheehan Q&A and we wish the Tigers all the very best. We also send a special good luck to our own Miss McCarthy and Bonnie, who will be taking the court for the Tigers in her netball Grand Final tomorrow. Hopefully there's lots of celebrations tomorrow afternoon!

Looking back, we held our Father’s Day Monte Carlo Night a fortnight ago at the Torquay Taphouse. It was a fantastic night, with a great turnout of dads enjoying some fun and games and the chance to catch up. It was particularly nice to see a mix of new and familiar faces. A huge thank you to Ross and Anthony Tomasiello for the enormous amount of work they put into organising the evening and making it such a success.

This week we have also welcomed parents and grandparents into the school for our Learning Expos. The classrooms have looked fantastic, with displays, projects and dioramas showcasing the students’ learning from throughout the term. We love having families come into St Therese and giving our students the opportunity to proudly share and celebrate their work.

Yesterday also saw us hold our first Inclusion Trophy football match with Torquay College. The idea was simple: anyone who wanted to play was invited, participation mattered more than ability, and everyone got a go. The event also gave us an opportunity to acknowledge the long tradition of people coming together to play games on Wadawurrung Country and to use sport as a way of bringing people together.

Our students did much of the driving themselves, and I particularly thank our Grade 6 boys for their enthusiasm and commitment to making the day happen. Thank you also to Christina Hughes from MACS for sharing her Indigenous perspectives and supporting the students in the lead-up to the game, and to Mr Ross Hibbert and the Torquay College community for embracing the idea and helping us put on such a positive event. Hopefully, we now have an annual tradition on our hands.

Thank you to our students, staff and families for everything you have contributed throughout another busy term. I hope everyone enjoys a well-earned break, some time with family and friends, and perhaps a bit of footy as well.

Have a great holiday, everyone — and I hope your team wins the Grand Final!

Josh McElgunn
Principal

Religious Education

October the First is the Feast Day of our Patron – St. Therese. She was an astonishing young woman who in her short twenty-four years accomplished so much. She is highly regarded by all and is celebrated in the church not only as a Saint, but as a Doctor. Her life was full of sadness and also full of love. Her own suffering at the end gave her the chance to write and express her love for God as well as pray in the convent where she lived a simple life. She implores us all to do all things with love and even though this sounds extremely simple it is a challenge in a world where many seem to thrive on hate and division.

Next term we will be celebrating in a special way as we remember the forty years that she has inspired this school to actions that are based on love. Next Thursday, though, you may have a moment to remember her actual feast day.

“It’s the Little things that Matter”

Jan Fagan (Religious Education Leader)

Parish/Sacramental News

Parish Newsletter damascusparish.com.au

St. Therese Feast Day Mass – October 16, 9.30 in our school Hall. You are all invited.

Wellbeing

It seems like this term has gone by in a flash. Homework for the whole family over the Holidays:

I would like to encourage us all to practise simple acts of gratitude. We ALL have things that impact us negatively and no one can diminish the pain that some people feel, so it is more important than ever to celebrate the little wins.

Meister Eckhart an ancient Mystic Philosopher says: “If the only prayer you said your whole life, is thank you, that would suffice.

Gratitude has that much power not only in prayer but in our ordinary lives. It literally changes your brain- the neural pathways alter and you become more aware of the little moments of joy that do surround us. A walk on the beach, a sunset, the glorious colours on a leaf, a child presenting you a drawing or flower or half eaten biscuit…all can fill us with awe and remind us of the things that bring genuine happiness.

We act with Compassion & Respect & Gratitude

Jan (Wellbeing)

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.

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

Tickets are selling fast so if you'd like to join us, please book ASAP.

Year 6

INCLUSION TROPHY – FOOTY MATCH

This term, we worked with Mr McElgunn to come up with an idea for a cultural inclusion football match.

We wanted to create a game where any student who wanted to play could have a go. You didn’t have to be the quickest, strongest or best footballer. Participation was the most important thing. We wanted everyone who wanted to join in to have the chance to play a game and represent St Therese.

We put the call out and 13 students wanted to play. We then approached Torquay College and they were keen to be involved too.

As we planned the game, we started talking about what inclusion really means. We realised that one of the best ways to include people is simply to give them the opportunity to join in.

People have been coming together to play games on Wadawurrung Country for thousands of years, so gathering together and including others through games is not something new. It is part of a very long tradition on this land.

With Mr McElgunn and Christina Hughes from MACS, we developed the idea of the 'Inclusion Trophy'. Before the match, we visited some of our junior classrooms and read stories about traditional Aboriginal games and the history of Marngrook in the Western District. Christina even lent us her Marngrook ball so we could take it around and show the younger students! It was cool.

The first Inclusion Trophy was played against Torquay College on Thursday 17 September. It was a great game. Everyone got a kick, everyone had fun and we had a fantastic crowd of students, teachers and parents there to cheer us on.

At the end of the game, nobody asked, “What was the score?”

That was because the score wasn’t what mattered.

We just wanted to play.
We just wanted to join in.
We just wanted to belong.

We hope the Inclusion Trophy can become something we do every year and that even more students get the chance to take part in the future.

It is nice to be included, and it felt good to help give other people the chance to play too.

Hugo and Cassius (Grade 6)

School TV - Importance of Connection

In this edition of SchoolTV - Importance of Connection

Strong, supportive connections play an important role in a young person's mental health, wellbeing and development. Feeling connected to family, friends, school and community can provide children and adolescents with a sense of belonging, security and acceptance, helping them feel valued and supported as they grow.

As young people navigate friendships, increasing independence, social pressures and the digital world, maintaining meaningful connections can sometimes become more challenging. Positive relationships and a strong sense of belonging can help protect against loneliness and isolation, while building resilience, confidence and emotional wellbeing.

This edition of SchoolTV explores the importance of connection and offers practical strategies to help strengthen relationships, foster belonging and ensure young people feel supported, understood and connected.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Importance of Connection edition of SchoolTV
https://sttorquay.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/importance-connection-au

Monte Carlo Night

WHAT A NIGHT!

A massive THANK YOU to Torquay Taphouse for hosting the St Therese Monte Carlo Father’s Day Event!

From the moment the doors opened, the atmosphere was unreal. The venue was perfect, the drinks were flowing, the food was fantastic.

And to every dad, friend and member of our St Therese community who came along — THANK YOU!

The energy in the room, the laughs around the tables, the friendly competition and the questionable gaming strategies made the night what it was.

Events like this are about much more than raising funds. They’re about bringing our school community together, meeting new people, having a laugh and creating a night everyone can enjoy.

We couldn’t have asked for a better venue or a better crowd to bring a little taste of Monte Carlo to Torquay!

Thank you Torquay Taphouse, all our amazing sponsors the evening and also those donating generous prizes.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the night such a success.

We know there were a few sore heads, plenty of good stories… and at least a couple of dads still convinced they should have made the Top 8. leader board. Dads ultimately won in the end.

ST THERESE MONTE CARLO FATHER’S DAY EVENT

What a night. What a community. THANK YOU!