Priests, Principals and RECs Forum 16 August 2015
Clergy, Principals and Religious Education Coordinators (RECs) from the Diocese of Parramatta gathered for the annual Priests, Principals and RECs Forum on Thursday 6 August at Rosehill Gardens.
The Archbishop of Vancouver, Most Rev J. Michael Miller CSB, was the keynote speaker for the forum focusing on “Educating for today and tomorrow: A renewing passion”. In his address, Archbishop Miller said Catholic schools play a vital role in the evangelising mission of the Church asking the question, ‘is personal witness to the gospel evident in the life of a school?’.
‘It is more necessary now than ever to make people aware of the responsibility to give witness to Christ and the Gospel,’ Archbishop Miller said. ‘In addition to all the other things Catholic teachers do they have the proclamation of the Gospel at the centre of everything they do.’
‘The best way anyone supports it is by personal witness of life, being a joyful Christian around students and on occasion to share explicitly what makes their own heart sing,’ he said. ‘Teaching is one of the noblest vocations because you touch the minds, the heart, the souls of the next generation.’
The Executive Director of Schools, Greg Whitby, said the visiting Archbishop challenged leaders in their work of Catholic schooling.
‘Archbishop Miller brings an understanding of the universal Church and affirmed our direction of “renewing and adapting”,’ Greg said. ‘In a simple, yet powerful, way he asked the hard questions and laid before our leaders four challenges if they are to truly lead schools that live up to the evangelising mission of the Church.
‘At the heart of his challenge, is the call to act and be Church, not just talk about being Church,’ he said.
Following the forum, clergy from the Dioceses of Parramatta and Broken Bay and the Archdiocese of Sydney, celebrated the Feast of St John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, at a special lunch attended by Archbishop Miller.
Educating for Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion - Archbishop Miller Address.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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💯✨ 100 Days Brighter! ✨💯 Today, our Kindergarten students celebrated a very special milestone – 100 Days of School! 🎉 Over the past 100 days, they have grown in confidence, made new friends, learnt so many new skills, and become valued members of our St Canice's community. To mark the occasion, our Kindergarten class enjoyed a fun-filled day of activities centred around the number 100, with plenty of smiles, laughter and creativity along the way. Congratulations to our wonderful Kindergarten students on reaching 100 days brighter! We can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll continue to achieve throughout the rest of the year. 🌟💙 #100DaysBrighter #100DaysOfSchool #StCanicesPrimary #KindergartenMilestone
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From Facebook
🖤💛❤️ Message Stick – Celebrating 50 Years of NAIDOC ❤️💛🖤 St Canice's was honoured to be selected to create a Message Stick as part of the "50 Years of Deadly" NAIDOC Week celebrations, an initiative inspired by the Jarara Team at Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese. Led by Taleishah, students worked alongside Ms Rose and Ms Dani in a creative workshop where they explored ideas, shared stories and designed a Message Stick that reflects the place we are proud to call home. Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of the Blue Mountains, our students chose symbols that represent the Katoomba region and the deep connection to Country. The Message Stick features the Three Sisters, waterfalls, waterholes, bushland, kangaroo tracks, people and meeting places—all significant symbols that tell the story of our local environment and community. Using vibrant colours and meaningful Aboriginal symbols, our students created a Message Stick that honours the sacred land on which we learn, play and grow. It acknowledges the footprints of the First Nations Peoples who have cared for this Country for countless generations and reflects our commitment to walking together in respect, reconciliation and care for our shared environment. We are incredibly proud of the creativity, thoughtfulness and respect our students brought to this special project. 🖤💛❤️ #NAIDOC2026 #50YearsOfDeadly #StCanicesPrimary #BlueMountains #WalkingTogether #RespectCountry #CatholicSchoolsParramattaDiocese
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💯✨ 100 Days Brighter! ✨💯 Today, our Kindergarten students celebrated a very special milestone – 100 Days of School! 🎉 Over the past 100 days, they have grown in confidence, made new friends, learnt so many new skills, and become valued members of our St Canice's community. To mark the occasion, our Kindergarten class enjoyed a fun-filled day of activities centred around the number 100, with plenty of smiles, laughter and creativity along the way. Congratulations to our wonderful Kindergarten students on reaching 100 days brighter! We can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll continue to achieve throughout the rest of the year. 🌟💙 #100DaysBrighter #100DaysOfSchool #StCanicesPrimary #KindergartenMilestone
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From Facebook
🖤💛❤️ Message Stick – Celebrating 50 Years of NAIDOC ❤️💛🖤 St Canice's was honoured to be selected to create a Message Stick as part of the "50 Years of Deadly" NAIDOC Week celebrations, an initiative inspired by the Jarara Team at Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese. Led by Taleishah, students worked alongside Ms Rose and Ms Dani in a creative workshop where they explored ideas, shared stories and designed a Message Stick that reflects the place we are proud to call home. Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of the Blue Mountains, our students chose symbols that represent the Katoomba region and the deep connection to Country. The Message Stick features the Three Sisters, waterfalls, waterholes, bushland, kangaroo tracks, people and meeting places—all significant symbols that tell the story of our local environment and community. Using vibrant colours and meaningful Aboriginal symbols, our students created a Message Stick that honours the sacred land on which we learn, play and grow. It acknowledges the footprints of the First Nations Peoples who have cared for this Country for countless generations and reflects our commitment to walking together in respect, reconciliation and care for our shared environment. We are incredibly proud of the creativity, thoughtfulness and respect our students brought to this special project. 🖤💛❤️ #NAIDOC2026 #50YearsOfDeadly #StCanicesPrimary #BlueMountains #WalkingTogether #RespectCountry #CatholicSchoolsParramattaDiocese
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Today, our Stage 3 students captivated an audience of Stage 2 students and staff as they delivered their Voice of Youth speeches. Our Year 6 students presented their speeches for the opportunity to progress to the next stage of the Voice of Youth competition across the Parramatta Diocese, while our Year 5 students embraced the chance to build their confidence and develop their public speaking skills in preparation for next year. The variety of topics was inspiring. We laughed, reflected, and at times were deeply moved by the powerful stories, thoughtful perspectives, and creative ideas our students shared. We are incredibly proud of every student who stepped up to the challenge. A special congratulations to our Year 6 candidates and to Mr McCarthy for supporting and inspiring our young speakers throughout the process. Well done, Stage 3! Your courage, preparation and passion were on full display today. 👏🎤✨
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From Facebook
📚 Is your child starting school next year? Or perhaps you're still deciding? Now is the perfect time to begin the conversation and start the enrolment process. We are currently finalising our enrolments for next year and would love to hear from you. Whether you're ready to enrol or simply have questions, our friendly team is here to help. 📅 Register for our Community Open Day Wednesday, 12 August | 9:30 am – 11:00 am Or contact us today to arrange a personalised school tour, learn more about what St Canice's has to offer, or discuss your child's enrolment. We can't wait to welcome your family to the St Canice's community! 💙
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From Facebook
🌟 Check Out What’s Happening at St Canice’s Next Week! 🌟 There’s always something exciting happening across our school community! 📚✨ Here’s a snapshot of Week 3: And don’t forget… 📢 Community Open Day is coming up! We can’t wait to welcome new and existing families on Wednesday 12 August, 9:30am–11:00am to explore our school, meet our staff and discover what makes St Canice’s such a special place to learn and belong. 💙 We’re looking forward to another wonderful week of learning, connection and celebration at St Canice’s! 🌈📚
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From Facebook
❄️ Vinnies Winter Appeal Food Drive 💙 As part of our commitment to supporting our community and living out our Catholic faith, St Canice’s is participating in the Vinnies Winter Appeal Food Drive. Each week, we will be collecting essential items to help support families in need. Students can place their donations in the collection baskets located at the front of each classroom. Members of our Faith in Action Team (FIAT) will visit classrooms each week to remind students of the upcoming collection item. 🛒 Weekly Collection Schedule: 🥛 Week 3: Long-life full cream dairy milk 🐟 Week 4: Small tins of tuna 🥣 Week 5: Soup 🥫 Week 6: Baked beans or spaghetti 🍅 Week 7: Tinned vegetables (especially tomatoes) 🍘 Week 8: Savoury biscuits 🍪 Week 9: Sweet biscuits 🥣 Week 10: Breakfast cereal Thank you to our wonderful St Canice’s community for your generosity and support. Together, we can make a difference and help those in need this winter. 💙 #VinniesWinterAppeal #FaithInAction #StCanicesCommunity
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From Facebook
🎶✨ What an incredible day for our talented St Canice's Harmony and Choir students! ✨🎶 Last Friday, our Harmony and Choir students travelled to Nagle College in Blacktown to perform at the CAPTIVATE Arts Factor Primary Choral Learning Exhibition. Our students proudly performed Beds Are Burning and Rainbow Connection, showcasing not only their beautiful voices but also their confidence and joy of performing. We were especially touched to receive this wonderful feedback from a fellow school: "I just wanted to let you know that your school choir was amazing! Their love of what they are doing certainly shone through their pieces and had me captivated. I am certainly no music expert except to know that I really liked what I heard your young singers present. And your conductor has such passion (and skill) for her craft! It was inspiring. So, please pass on my congratulations to all for a magnificent performance." We couldn't be prouder of our students for representing St Canice's with such enthusiasm and spirit. A special thank you to our wonderful music teacher, Ms Frazer, whose passion, dedication and encouragement continue to inspire our young musicians every day. Congratulations to everyone involved on a magnificent performance! 💙🎵👏 #StCanicesPrimary #CaptivateArtsFactor #SchoolChoir #ProudMoment #CatholicSchoolsParramatta #MusicMatters
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🌿 Community Open Day at St Canice’s Primary School Katoomba 🌿 New and existing families welcome! 💙 Come along and discover what makes our school community so special. ✨ Meet our dedicated and passionate staff 🏫 Explore our vibrant learning spaces 📚 Visit our open classrooms and see our students’ learning showcased 🌟 Discover the exciting opportunities we offer 🤝 Connect with other families in our wonderful community Bring the whole family and enjoy a relaxed sausage sizzle BBQ while getting to know our school, our staff and the St Canice’s community. 📅 Wednesday 12 August 📍 St Canice’s Primary School Katoomba We can’t wait to welcome you, share our learning, and show you what makes St Canice’s such a special place to learn and grow! 💙 Register Today https://info.parra.catholic.edu.au/open-day/stcaniceskatoomba #StCanicesKatoomba #CommunityOpenDay #BlueMountainsSchools #CatholicEducation #Kindergarten2027
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From Facebook
🎉 You're Invited! 💙💛 Our St Canice's community warmly invites all parents, carers and grandparents to join us as we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. 📅 Wednesday 5 August ⛪ Liturgy: 12:00 pm in the School Hall 🧺 Family Picnic: 12:45 pm on the Lower Playground Following our liturgy, we invite you to stay and enjoy a picnic lunch with your child on the lower playground. It's a wonderful opportunity to come together as a school community to celebrate the life and legacy of Australia's first saint while sharing an afternoon of faith, friendship and connection. Please bring: 🧺 A picnic lunch or something special to share with your child. 🪑 A picnic blanket or camp chairs for your comfort. We look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you and hope to see many of our St Canice's families there! 💙
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📚✨ A wonderful morning at Katoomba Library! ✨📖 A small group of St Canice's students enjoyed a fantastic visit to the Katoomba Library's weekly Storytime program with Ms Kate and Ms Sarah. Filled with engaging stories, fun songs and creative craft activities, Storytime is a wonderful free community program held every Wednesday during the school term from 11:00 am – 11:45 am. It's also the perfect activity to enjoy after the Little Lyrebirds Playgroup, which runs every Wednesday during school term from 9:00 am – 10:30 am at St Canice's. Families with children aged 0–5 are warmly invited to come along, connect with other local families and enjoy a fun morning before heading to Storytime at the library. Our students had a fantastic time listening, learning, creating and discovering the joy of books. 📚💙 A big thank you to the wonderful team at Katoomba Library for providing such a welcoming and engaging experience for our community! #StCanicesKatoomba #LoveOfLearning #Storytime #LittleLyrebirds #CommunityConnections #ReadingForLife
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🎉 Welcome Back to School at St Canice’s! 📚✨ Our students are back and ready to jump into another exciting term of learning, growing and making memories together. It has been wonderful seeing our classrooms filled with smiles, conversations and the joy of reconnecting with friends. We’re looking forward to all the learning experiences, achievements and special moments that this term will bring. #StCanicesPrimary #BackToSchool #LearningTogether #OurSchoolCommunity
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📚 You're Invited to Our Final Community Open Day! 🌿 Come and experience what makes St Canice's Primary School such a special place to learn, grow and belong. Join us on Wednesday 12 August from 9:30 am – 11:00 am and discover our vibrant classrooms, meet our dedicated teachers, and see our students' learning in action. Whether you're considering Kindergarten or another year level, our team will be available to answer your questions and guide you through the enrolment process. ✨ Explore our school ✨ Meet our wonderful staff ✨ Learn about our caring community ✨ Find out how to enrol 📅 Wednesday 12 August 🕤 9:30 am – 11:00 am Register now to secure your place. We can't wait to welcome you and show you around! https://info.parra.catholic.edu.au/open-day/stcaniceskatoomba #StCanicesPrimary #CommunityOpenDay #BlueMountainsSchools #FutureStudents #CatholicEducation #Katoomba
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