Choosing the right education for your child is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
As parents, carers, or grandparents you have a choice — and the right — to offer your child the best education available.
The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle proudly hosts some of the best schools in Newcastle, Maitland, the Hunter and Upper Hunter, Lake Macquarie and Manning regions.
Catholic schools offer a unique educational experience that forms the child or young person as a person of integrity, compassion, faith and wisdom. Catholic schools also work closely with their local parish to enhance in students a capacity to make sense of their world, to make judgments and to recognise the uniqueness of others within a faith community.
Each school has a supportive community of teachers, parents, carers, P&F committees, clergy, parishioners, and support staff who work together to focus on students; encouraging success, promoting discipline, supporting creativity and instilling compassion. This means Catholic schools don’t just teach religious studies, they seek to develop spirit, mind, body and character and cultivate Gospel values that support lives filled with joy, endeavour and hope in the future.
Each Catholic school has a commitment to focusing on each individual child’s ability, offering a unique array of educational, creative, sporting and formation opportunities for students.
Finally, Catholic schools offer peace of mind to parents; knowing they’ve made the right choice and the best investment for their child’s future. It is because of this and the many opportunities available to students that we believe a Catholic education is the right choice to make.
WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE ST THERESE’S?
OUR CATHOLIC FAITH AND TRADITION
With a Catholic identity as its foundation, St Therese’s Primary School, New Lambton, aims to recognise individual worth and seeks to promote Gospel values through all aspects of school life. The school is committed to fostering these Gospel values that emphasise the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and physical development of the individual. It is an aim of the school to maintain an identity inspired by the work and spirit of the Sisters of Mercy who founded the school in 1925. St Therese’s reflects the wider parish Gospel values of social justice and reconciliation, engendering Christian values and principles. As a Catholic school, we strive to develop an understanding and a commitment to our Catholic faith by being proactive in our mission of bringing Christ’s message into the hearts and lives of all.
LEARNING IN A TECHNOLOGY-RICH ENVIRONMENT
St Therese’s has incorporated the use of technology across all key learning areas to meet the needs of contemporary learners in a 21st-century environment. Our 1:1 learning environment allows students to utilise tablet devices and other forms of technology to experience learning in an engaging and stimulating environment. We take time to program learning experiences that have technology embedded within them and endeavour to design lessons that include the contemporary dimensions of collaboration, real-world problem solving, innovation, self-regulation, skilful communication, knowledge construction and personalised learning. A key program developed by the staff at St Therese’s is “Learning in a Technology-Rich Environment”. This program is integral to the school’s development plan and focuses on the growth of technology and information skills for all students. St Therese’s fosters student creativity through the development and implementation of Kindergarten to Year 6 initiatives, where students are encouraged to bring their own devices to learn in the classroom.
WE MAKE CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKERS
St Therese’s provides a number of enrichment opportunities for students to extend their learning experiences, enabling them to reach their full individual potential. Through the use of technology, visible thinking routines and the integration of critical thinking skills within our programs, students are given opportunities to develop their core strengths and are encouraged to become lifelong learners. All students have the opportunity to experience STEM programs and to develop their skills with the use of the latest technologies. We focus on play-based education for the early years and have strong support systems in place for students with occupational, music and speech therapy needs. We value the development of all students in the core areas of literacy and numeracy. This encompasses gifted programs, support program for our students with additional needs, as well as ensuring the core population of our students receive effective and innovative learning experiences.
SOCIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES
St Therese’s has a strong focus on social justice and providing students with the opportunity to contribute to their local community through a wide range of events and activities. Visitation to local aged-care centres, participation in sacramental programs, attendance at community commemorative services and celebrations, involvement in mission days, Mini Vinnies group, and Sing-Out Loud with our elders in our community, ensures students develop a sense of belonging to and responsibility for their local community as citizens. Students are also encouraged to consider the needs of those outside our school community on a global scale. Among other outreach programs, St Therese’s sponsors 88 young girls in Laos as part of the Lotus Foundation to support the educational needs of those less fortunate.
OPPORTUNITIES IN MUSIC
Music at St Therese’s is recognised as a strength, adding great richness and energy to our school community. We share a passionate commitment to not only engaging the students in a range of experiences and developing their talents, but also instilling in them a life-long appreciation for the arts and providing them with a balanced, well-rounded education. We offer a variety of opportunities to engage in musical groups and experiences. Students from Kinder to Year 6 are offered a comprehensive music program. All classes across the school have music lessons with a specialist music teacher; they are involved in activities where they perform, listen and organise sound using instruments ranging from the voice, percussion, recorders, boomwhackers, ukuleles and drums. The music program is further enriched by instruction in groups such as the Primary Concert Band, Musical Theatre Group, and Year 6 Rock Band; these groups perform at school functions throughout the year. Rotating interest groups held during recess once a week include Infants Music Sing Club, Primary Music Sing Club, and Senior Music Technology Club. Private music lessons are offered on site by external educators in piano and guitar. Students have the opportunity to see live performances by visiting world renowned performance groups such as Musica Viva and Opera Australia.
The unique talents of our students are further celebrated through:
- An annual Kindergarten Christmas play
- Year 2 performing indigenous songs at a special Harmony Day assembly
- Year 3 and Year 4 performing at a biennial school concert celebrating music, dance and drama
- Auditioning and performing in the yearly diocesan Aspire productions
- Year 6 singers attending a choral workshop at St Pius X High School in Adamstown
- Year 5 and Year 6 attending the yearly diocesan high school performance Diosounds as well as Aspire at the Civic Theatre
- Performing at a biennial Carols by Candlelight concert.