
Students in Sydney's west will be joined by a furry friend to help with return to school anxiety.
Yale, a guide dog Labrador, has been trained as a wellbeing dog and is the newest employee at Trinity Catholic Primary School in Kemps Creek.
The therapy dog was brought in to help ease students and teachers back into the new term.
It's hoped Yale will help relieve any nerves after the past two years of disrupted schooling due to COVID-19.
"We decided to get a dog as part of one of the strategies in our return to school after COVID-19," Principal Cathy Hey said.
"We thought it would be really good for the students wellbeing and staff wellbeing in terms of improving attendance and in terms of making people feel good about being at school."

Yale will be used as part of a "reward system" where students will be able to opt to spend time with him if they're achieving their goals.
Students at the school are already ecstatic about the new employee.
"It's very exciting," one student told 9News.
He will live with one of the teachers but will be brought into school every day to act as a calming influence on students.
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29 Oct 2026
From Facebook
๐โจ Celebrating World Teachersโ Day โจ๐ Today, our staff gathered for a special morning tea to celebrate the incredible gift of teaching ahead of World Teachersโ Day tomorrow. This yearโs theme, โShine a Light on Teachers,โ recognises the many ways teachers inspire, support and empower students every day. We are grateful for the dedication, care and commitment of our teachers, who nurture learning, faith and wellbeing in every student. Thank you for the positive impact you make on the lives and futures of our children each and every day. ๐ Please join us in celebrating and thanking our teachers this World Teachersโ Day!28 Oct 2026
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๐งฆ Socktober Fun ๐ Our students had a wonderful time celebrating Socktober by wearing their crazy socks creating their very own sockballs! โฝ๏ธ Through this fun and engaging activity, students not only enjoyed getting creative but also learned about the importance of helping others and showing kindness to those in need. We were also delighted to have Father Peter join us, sharing in the excitement of the day and supporting our students as they learned about putting their faith into action. ๐ Experiences such as Socktober provide meaningful opportunities for our students to put their faith into action by supporting others. ๐๐ By supporting organisations such as Catholic Mission, our students develop a deeper understanding of social justice and what it means to live out our Catholic values through compassion, service, and care for others. We are so proud of our students for embracing this opportunity and putting kindness into action! ๐งฆโจ Thank you for your support in helping make a difference. ๐๐