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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From Facebook
📚✨ 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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From Facebook
🎉 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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From Facebook
📚✨ 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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From Facebook
🎉 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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From Facebook
📚 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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From Facebook
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From Facebook
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From Facebook
📚🦘 Learning, sharing, and building confidence at St Canice’s! Our Stage 1 students proudly shared their learning by reading their information reports on a selected animal to our Stage 2 students. This wonderful activity gave students the opportunity to showcase their research and writing skills while building confidence in speaking and connecting with others. It was fantastic to see our students learning together and supporting one another across stages. Well done, Stage 1! 🌟🐨🐍
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From Facebook
Last week, all students at St Canice’s had the exciting opportunity to participate in a free clinic facilitated by Blue Mountains OzTag. 🏉 Throughout the sessions, students developed important skills including passing, kicking, tagging, teamwork, and communication — all while staying active and having lots of fun! A huge thank you to Blue Mountains OzTag for providing such a fantastic experience and helping our students build confidence, skills, and a love of sport. We loved every minute! ⭐
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From Facebook
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From Facebook
🎉 Huge congratulations to our very own Ms Sally on the incredible achievement of writing and illustrating her very own book, Skyhawk Sam (2026)! 📚✨ Skyhawk Sam follows a young boy named Sam on a journey to find balance — both on his bike and within his family — discovering that true connection means feeling supported, even from a distance. 💙🚲 We are so proud to celebrate the creativity and talent within our St Canice’s community. 📖 Where to buy: Pick up your copy now on Amazon! Congratulations, Ms Sally — what an amazing accomplishment! 👏🌟 #StCanicesProud #AuthorSpotlight #SkyhawkSam #CelebratingSuccess
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From Facebook
27 Jun 2026
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🌟 FREE School Readiness Program – Little Learners 🌟 Is your child getting ready to start school in the next few years? We’d love to welcome you to Little Learners ! 💙💛 Starting Term 3, our FREE School Readiness Program is designed for children aged 3.5–5 years and focuses on building the confidence and skills children need for a successful transition to Kindergarten. The early years are such an important time for learning and growth, and we know that preparing for school can sometimes feel overwhelming for families. That’s why our program provides a fun, nurturing, and engaging environment where children can learn through play while becoming familiar with a school setting. Through exciting play-based experiences, children will develop: ✨ Social and emotional confidence ✨ Language and communication skills ✨ Early literacy and numeracy foundations ✨ Independence and school readiness skills ✨ New friendships and a love of learning Join us as we support your child on their journey to Kindergarten and help them build strong foundations for lifelong learning. 🌈📚 📍 Starting Term 3 👧 For children aged 3.5–5 years 💙 Places available now – come and join the fun! #LittleLearners #SchoolReadiness #StartingSchool #EarlyLearning #stcanices
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From Facebook
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