Centenary Celebrations - A Heartfelt Thank You

As our Centenary celebrations continue, I want to extend my gratitude to our entire school community for your incredible support and enthusiasm. The recent events have been a true reflection of the spirit and legacy that define St Therese School.

The Centenary Mass on Friday was a joyful celebration of 100 years of inspiring minds and embracing faith. Our students, staff, former staff, past students, and parish community gathered with Archbishop Patrick O’Regan to honour our Dominican heritage and look with hope to the future. We were especially delighted to welcome so many Dominican Sisters, the Honourable Senator Don Farrell (old scholar) and his wife Nimfa, whose presence made the day even more memorable. We were honoured to receive positive feedback from the Chair of South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS), Mr John Neate, who congratulated us on a wonderful Mass, describing it as a great celebration of the continuing story of a school so obviously alive and important to so many people.

The response to the Historical Display has been nothing short of overwhelming, with over one hundred visitors sharing stories, memories, and admiration for the rich tapestry of our past. Saturday’s Historical Tours and Exhibition were also a highlight, with Sr Maureen O’Connell, Melissa Fairlie and Christine Garnaut generously sharing their knowledge and memories of the school and its many changes over the years - including the various places the St Therese statue has stood. It was heartwarming to see friends, teachers, students and families reconnect and share their stories.

The presence, energy, and contributions of so many current and past students, staff and families made this milestone truly unforgettable. A special thank you to the staff of St Therese for your help and support in bringing our Centenary events to life - it has been a wonderful celebration of our school community over the past 100 years.

Next Up: Gala Dinner – Saturday 18 October Join us for an evening of celebration at our upcoming Gala Dinner. Details and booking information soon to be released on SZapp.

Little Way Day - 100 years in the making - Monday 20 October. A day of activities for the children as we celebrate St Therese feast day. Families are welcome to join us for whole school prayer followed by market stalls and games from 9:00-10:45am.

Let’s keep the momentum going as we celebrate 100 years of excellence, connection, and community.

Positive Behavioural Interventions and Support (PBIS)

Walk and Talk Update – Tier 1 Success at St Therese School

On 24 June 2025, St Therese School proudly completed its Tier 1 PBIS (Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports) Walk and Talk, led by Carol Jarell and Margaret McCarthy, with our Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) System Coach. We are pleased to report we scored 100% on our PBIS teaching, strategies and support.

Our Behaviour Expectations – The Big 5

Students are consistently reminded and supported to:

1. Listen to teachers
2. Walk at school
3. Keep hands to themselves
4. Show respect to everyone
5. Use the 5Ls (Look, Listen, Learn, Lead and Love) and WBL (Whole Body Listening) strategies

These expectations are clearly posted across classrooms, staff rooms, and specialist areas.

What We Learned

• 100% of staff confirmed they have taught the Big 5 expectations this year.
• Students and staff confidently recalled the expectations.
• Rewards systems are active and effective—students receive tokens for positive behaviour, contributing to both class and whole-school rewards.
• Behaviour data is regularly analysed and used to guide improvements.
• Staff are consistently reinforcing positive behaviour, both in and out of the classroom.

What’s Next

To keep improving, we are:

• Supporting staff with feedback strategies to strengthen PBIS teaching.
• Pre-teaching behaviour expectations for special events like musicals, sports days and excursions.
• Upskilling staff to better record behaviour data using SEQTA (online Learning Management System)
• Launching Tier 2 supports with a “Check-In Check-Out” system for selected students.

Celebrating Our Wins

• Positive behaviour is visible and celebrated across the school.
• Reward systems are working well—students love earning tokens.
• Staff and students are united in promoting respectful and safe behaviour.
• Our new recess/lunch routine for 2025—play first, then eat—is a hit!

In Term One 2026, we will share our PBIS Handbook with families to strengthen the home-school connection.

Thank you to our dedicated PBIS leadership team, Carol, Caroline, Olivia, Carrie and our whole staff for creating a safe, respectful, and engaging learning environment for all students.

How do Real Schools strategies support PBIS at St Therese School?

They help our students, staff and families build strong relational cultures and restorative practices that align with PBIS principles.
Here’s how Real Schools contributes to PBIS success:

Restorative Practice Integration

• Real Schools emphasises restorative approaches to behaviour, which complement PBIS by focusing on repairing harm and restoring relationships rather than punitive punishment.
• This helps our staff meet PBIS goals like reducing problem behaviours and improving social-emotional outcomes.

Data-Driven Cultural Change

• Facilitators work with our staff to evaluate data, guide cultural transformation, and implement evidence-based strategies.
• These efforts support PBIS’s emphasis on measurable outcomes and continuous monitoring.

Professional Learning & Leadership Development

• Real Schools offers workshops and coaching for educators and leadership teams to build capacity in managing behaviour and fostering positive environments.
• This aligns with CESA PBIS training goals, which include leadership team development and tiered intervention strategies.

Partnership Model

• Partnering with Real Schools gives us access to ongoing support, resources, and strategic planning to embed PBIS principles deeply into our culture.
• Our approach at St Therese school ensures that PBIS isn’t just a program—it becomes part of our school’s identity.

You are Invited: REAL Schools Parent Engagement Session

Join us for an inspiring and interactive session, with our Real Schools Expert Facilitator, Jemma, designed to strengthen the partnership between home and school. Let’s work together to support our students’ growth, wellbeing, and success.

Date: Tuesday 28 October 2025
Time: 6PM– 7PM
Venue: St Therese School

What to Expect:

• Insights into our Real Schools approach and how it supports student wellbeing
• Practical strategies for positive parenting and behaviour support

Feedback from the previous session

Parents have appreciated the real-world strategies, the non-judgmental space, and the chance to connect with other families.

More details will be posted to SZapp soon. Let’s continue building a strong, supportive school community together.

Wishing all our families a safe and happy term break and we look forward to seeing you back fully restored for a fantastic term four.

Dee-anne Peters
Principal

Centenary Gala Dinner, Saturday October 18 - have you saved this date?
Preparations are well underway for the Centenary Gala Dinner and tickets will soon be on sale for you to purchase. We are so excited as it will be a fantastic evening with raffles, a silent auction, music, dancing and more throughout the evening. This event will bring together families, old scholars, and friends of the school to celebrate our 100-year history and our hopes for the future. More information to come very shortly. We still need more donations of high-quality items for either our silent auction, raffle basket, door prizes, wine, chocolate, beauty products, gift vouchers, etc. If you have any questions, please contact cjarell@sts.catholic.edu.au 

Sacramental Program

Preparation is underway for our sacramental candidates to receive their first communion. Families are actively involved through parent evenings, parish celebrations, and ongoing learning activities ensuring the children experience these sacraments with a strong connection to both school and parish life. On Sunday 14 September we held a workshop and mass to prepare our students for their first communion on November 9 at 6pm in the St Therese Church. We have already had some enquiries from families interested in enrolling in the 2026 program and there will be an information session in Term 1 next year for families who would like their child to be a part of the 2026 Sacramental Program.

Parish Partnership

Our school continues to work closely with Emmaus Parish and they provide a range of supports to us. Parishioners have expressed excitement and pride in celebrating our centenary milestones together. Father John, Carmel White and Deacon Shane O’Dea have been an incredible support with planning and preparation for the Centenary Mass with the Archbishop.

We are also deeply grateful for the continued pastoral leadership and support of Father John. His presence at liturgies, sacramental preparation, and within the daily life of the school strengthens our Catholic identity and parish-school partnership. Fr John recently spent time with our students to help prepare them for our upcoming Centenary Mass by talking about the different parts of the mass and the meaning behind symbols and rituals that are used through the mass.

Recently our school hosted the Parish’s Family Fun Time evening. It was a fantastic night and provided families with an opportunity to share and enjoy time with other families and get to know members of our parish.

Growing Deep

Our school is one of several CESA schools that is participating in the “Growing Deep” program which uses a specially designed framework to guide strategic planning, faith formation and curriculum development as we take steps to deepen and further enhance our school’s Catholic identity and embed our Dominican and Catholic values into everyday practice.

ReLAT

Over the last few weeks the Year 3/ 4 Teachers have been working with their Year 4 Students to prepare them for the Religious Literacy Assessment Tool (ReLAT) test. Students had a practice session in Week 8 and the test occurred this week on Monday. ReLAT Data helps us to ensure that we are delivering a high-quality Religious Education curriculum and supporting students to develop both knowledge and lived faith.

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation has begun (September 1 to October 4) and we have celebrated across the school with prayer, reflection, and practical action. Students have been encouraged to connect their faith with ecological responsibility and care for creation. Several incursions have been arranged with Bunnings to grow vegetables in the Community Garden.

Laudato Si – Student Agency

Our Laudato Si-Student Agency group have reached their Planning for Impact and sustainability stage. They have just launched a Bin Label Competition with our students to hopefully raise awareness of correct recycling and waste practices, while giving students a sense of pride and ownership.

We have been fortunate to work alongside sustainability educator Jeremy Gramp from Green Adelaide as a mentor. Jeremy has guided staff and students in deepening their ecological understanding and implementing practical initiatives for change.

Our LS-SA Students are showing a strong ownership of sustainability and care for our common home via their awareness campaigns and the impact they hope to have that will improve the use of our bin system and more sustainable practices in our community.

Carol Jarell
APRIM & Wellbeing Coordinator

Watch this space for more news about our exciting drama production 'Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat' to be held 19-20 November at the Goodwood Theatre & Studios!

Please visit your SZapp calendar to view the performance dates, in particular to note which evening/s your child will be on stage (click on the event title in the calendar to pop-up further information).

Tickets go on sale next term - save the date!

Our Specialist Drama Teacher, Anne Tymukas would like assistance from any parent, caregiver, or family member that can sew. Please email atymukas@sts.catholic.edu.au if you can help.

Costume information: all students are required to have black pants or leggings, and a black t-shirt.

Please keep an eye on Seesaw and SZapp for more information over the coming weeks.