In all things Love
As I walk through the yard and classrooms at the start of an exciting school year, I do so with a smile on my face and a heart filled with joy. It is because I have the privilege to witness the children being the face of God and truly living what it means to be a part of Tenison Woods Catholic School.
This year we welcome 32 Reception children as well as Georgia (Yr 4), Reid (Yr 6), Charlotte (Yr 4), Clara (Yr 4), Xavier (Yr 5), Cooper (Yr 5), Camila (Yr 1), Daniel (Yr 2), Chase (Yr 4), Nash (Rec) and Ted (Yr 2) to our wonderful community. We have also been blessed with a number of new staff at Tenison Woods, we welcome Dominique Ellul (Performing Arts), Dariusz Krol (STEM), Dave Molloy (Yr 6), Rhys Johnston (Yr 2), Chloe Bridgwood (Yr 2), Sarah Chandler (Rec), Sonia Eugia (ESO), Catia Montessi (ESO) and Mitchell Saba (ESO). As you can see, we are very lucky to be able to continue to welcome new people and families to the TWCS community.
Our 2023 Teaching Staff are:
Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission: Rita Campbell
Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning: Claire Little
Wellbeing Leader: Courtney Quigley
Classroom Teachers
David Molloy - 5/6WHITE
Heather Docherty - 4/5PURPLE
Rita Campbell - 4/5PURPLE
Gina Margush - 3BROWN
Chloe Bridgwood - 2PINK
Carisa Spencely - 1BLUE
Jocelynne Galichan - 4BLACK
Amelia Scarfo - 1RED
Brooke Flatman - RGOLD
Sarah Chandler - RORANGE
Valleena Machado - RGOLD
Tiana Bergamaschi - 2GREEN
Rhys Johnston - 2GREEN
Specialist Teachers
Italian - Daniela Larritt
Performing Arts – Dominique Ellul
Physical Education – Katie Cummings
STEM – Darius Krol
Our Education Support Officer Team is:
Leticia Crotty
Kelly
Rosemary Ioakim
Ethan Marchioro
Monique Montesi
Sonia Eugia
Catia Montesi
Linda Wooley
Di Dente
Peta Yates
Paula Freer
Enrolment growth
I have mentioned previously that we currently have more students and families enrolled at TWCS than ever before, which is a great endorsement of the beautiful community we have. As we move into 2023, we will be working hard to ensure the interest in our school continues, meaning we are able to maintain our current enrolment numbers, projects and the abundance of offerings. We will be asking for parent/family help in spreading the Tenison Woods name throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods in the coming weeks. Please keep an eye out for how you can help.
Strategic Plan
At the Annual General Meeting in Week 6 this term, we will be launching our new Strategic Plan for the next 3 years. Guided by 5 key elements, the strategic plan will provide our school with a future focused direction of continual improvement.
The 5 key elements are:
- Being bold in our endeavours to provide all with the capacity to be visionary for self, for others, for faith and for the world God desires.
- Being bold in our endeavours to provide all with the capacity to be protectors of self, of others, of faith and of the world God desires.
- Being bold in our endeavours to provide all with the capacity to be innovators for self, for faith and for the world God desires.
- Being bold in our endeavours to provide all with the capacity to be explorers for self, for others, for faith and for the world God desires.
- Being bold in our endeavours to provide all with the capacity to be connectors for self, for others, for faith and for the world God desires.
These will be broken open in more detail during the AGM.
Your Involvement
We are blessed to be a school that is made up of many different cultures, languages and faiths. As parents, your involvement in the school and your child’s education is vital in supporting all to continue to flourish. There are two formal ways in which parents can actively contribute in this way, the School Board and Parents and Friends Committee. In the coming weeks, both groups will be seeking nominations from our parent community to join them.
School Board
Nominations are now open for four (4) available positions as Parent Representatives on the School Board. The School Board is an advisory Board supporting the Leadership of the school ensuring that the strategic direction and financial responsibilities are being met. As we come in to 2023, the School Board will be engaging in two very important processes. Firstly, the implementation of a new Strategic Plan as mentioned earlier. The second, the development of a new Master Plan for TWCS – this is a process of reviewing our current physical buildings and spaces and developing a plan for future building developments.
The School Board meets twice a term in the evening throughout the school year.
Parents and Friends Committee
This week we held our first Parents and Friends Committee meeting. It is a wonderful opportunity for families to be involved in supporting community events, fundraising opportunities and just bringing people together.
At our meeting we formally thanked outgoing Chairperson Jess Rainsford and Secretary Kirsty Miller for the massive effort they both have committed to our school community over the past 2 years. Challenged with COVID in 2021/2022, both Jess and Kirsty were able to continue to organise and provide community events and support for school events such as Shrove Tuesday pancakes, BBQ lunches, Ice-Creams at lunch time, the list goes on. On behalf of the entire community, I would like to publicly thank both Jess and Kirsty for their dedication to TWCS.
At the end of the meeting we were able to formally accept nominations for these roles for 2023/2024. It is with great pleasure that I announce Chris Trewin as Chairperson and Jane O’Donoghue as Secretary. We have lots of new and creative ideas that we look forward to engage everyone in throughout this year. The next meeting is in Week 7 – it would be great to see as many people there as possible.
Learning and Wellbeing
At Tenison Woods, we believe that a child’s wellbeing is equally as important as their academic development. If a child does not have a balanced wellbeing, then their ability to engage in new learning is limited. In 2023, we will be continuing with this commitment through resourcing Courtney Quigley as our Wellbeing Leader and Karlee Cave and Gaby Barendreght as Allied Health professionals working with children, families and staff to ensure we are continuing to lead the way in wellbeing practices in schools.
Hand in hand with our commitment to the wellbeing of all, is our commitment we make to each child and their families about their academic progress. We are continuing to refine our literacy and intervention practices this year as we further embed research-based best practices in literacy. We have also established an intervention program for children with English as a secondary language and a gross motor skills program for the Junior Primary classes. As educators, we will be using 2023 to research and trial best practices in mathematics for Reception to Yr 6, ensuring consistency of practice is evident in each class.
Finally, what a difference a year makes. In Feb 2022, we were navigating a new situation for schools dealing with COVID, learning from home and only having a small number of children at school. Fast forward 12months, and we have a courtyard full of people, meeting each other for the first time and making friendships that will last a lifetime. I would like to say a very sincere ‘Thank You’ to each one of you for the wonderful way in which you advocate for your children, for the way you support both them and the school in ensuring we have a community and school that brings a smile to everyone’s face.
God Bless
Ben
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