Why choose our school?
St Therese’s Catholic Primary School Denistone is a small school with a big heart. We are a close community of learners, engaging students with a high-quality curriculum. Our teachers track the learning progress of every child and know them as individuals which delivers academic, social justice and co-curricular opportunities for all.
We have a beautiful connection to our Mercy heritage and live out our Catholic values. In partnership with our parents and parish we provide the guidance, challenges and experiences to prepare children for an exciting future.
Principal’s Message
WELCOME TO ST THERESE’S – A SMALL SCHOOL WITH A BIG HEART
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our beautiful school. We look forward to working collaboratively with you in developing your child spiritually, socially, physically, culturally and intellectually. Our learning framework is centred on the belief that we are all Active and Successful learners.
St Therese’s is built on a foundation of strong community, vibrant faith and educational values. Our small, inclusive community-focused school offers a quality Catholic Education from Kindergarten to Year 6. The school was established and opened in 1951 by the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta. Since then the school has flourished and become the amazing place that it is where we nurture a love of God, self, others and learning.
Our school is embedded within the faith -filled and Christ-centred parish of St Therese. Together we nurture your child’s personal faith in an environment of prayer, celebration and belonging. We work closely with our Parish and Priest, celebrating masses, sacraments and other special events together. We acknowledge the values and traditions of the Mercy Sisters and they are embedded within our school values and are lived out each day.
As a small school with a big heart, the students, parents, and staff are very proud of our school as we provide a secure, happy and faith-filled environment where all members are supported to be the best person they can be by following the example of Jesus Christ.
Our leadership and staff are committed to providing quality education that ensures we are all active and successful learners by meeting the diverse needs of the students across the school, within the classroom and with extra curricular activities. These include specialised programs for Literacy and Numeracy support and as a Newman’s Gifted school we cater for our gifted students.
Wellbeing is important at our school as it is integral for learning, personal growth and restoration. Wellbeing allows us to thrive in education, relationships and our own identity creating a harmonious foundation for growth.
I hope you enjoy browsing our website and Facebook page that highlights all the things that contribute towards making our school a place of Faith, Friendship and Learning.
Joanna Camarda
Principal
History
The school was opened in 1951 with an enrolment of 40 children and was conducted by the Sisters of Mercy (Parramatta congregation). The first classrooms were in the church of St Therese, which served as a school during the week. In 1952, a new church-school was built.
By 1968, St Therese’s had their highest enrolment of 197 students – girls from Kindergarten to Year 6 and boys from Kindergarten to Year 3. The gradual increase of government funding from the late 1960s allowed for the employment of more lay teachers, so that in 1969 there were two nuns and five lay teachers. In 1974, the parish farewelled the Sisters of Mercy and appointed the first lay principal. Another change in the late 1980s was the provision of primary school for boys to Year 6.
In 1992, an amphitheatre was erected on the site of the old presbytery and during 1996 the whole school community was moved to St Michael’s School at Meadowbank, while an extensive program of refurbishment and building occurred. The new school building was blessed and opened in 1997.
St Therese’s Catholic Primary School Denistone is a Catholic community committed to nurturing a love of God, self, others and learning.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to:
- Promote our Catholic faith through celebrating, praying and learning
- Affirm the dignity of each individual by respecting and acknowledging one another through nurturing relationships
- Foster learning by providing experiences which are challenging, motivating and engaging.
OUR MISSION
Inspired by our beliefs and our school motto ‘Live by Truth and Love,’
St Therese’s Catholic Primary School is enlivened by the teaching of Jesus Christ within the traditions of the Mercy charism. We aspire to instill the values of compassion, respect, excellence, justice and option for the poor as we commit to a holistic approach to education. We recognise the uniqueness of each child to reach their full potential in a mutually respectful environment.
OUR SCHOOL-WIDE PEDAGOGY
St Therese’s offers a school-wide pedagogy that is:
- ENGAGING – where students experience success as active, involved learners.
- COLLABORATIVE – where students challenge and support one another, developing relationships and working together.
- EVALUATIVE – where reflective thinking and constructing timely feedback guides learning.
- INNOVATING – using multi-modal learning recognises individual learning styles and different ways of thinking.
St Therese’s Denistone
Parish Priest: Rev Roberto Castillo
A: 440 Blaxland Road, Denistone NSW 2114
P: (02) 9809 2925
W: www.sttherese.org.au
E: admin@sttherese.org.au
Mass Times
Saturday: 9.00am, 6.00pm
Sunday: 8.00am, 9.30am
