After 33 years of Principal leadership, 29 of those in the Diocese of Parramatta, St Canice's Principal Mr Mark Geerligs has made the decision to retire at the end of the 2019 school year. The School would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution Mark has made as a Catholic educator and leader.
Beginning his teaching career in 1981, Mark became a Principal in only his seventh year as a teacher when he accepted the role of Principal of St John’s Catholic Primary School Trangie in 1987. In 1991, Mark was appointed Principal of Our Lady of the Nativity Primary Lawson. In 1996, he was appointed Principal of St Finbar’s Primary, Glenbrook and Our Lady of the Rosary, St Mary’s in 2003. Mark has been the Principal of St Canice’s since 2014.
Mark is a caring, supportive and faith-filled leader. In each of his leadership roles, Mark has built strong and enduring connections with the school community. He is a passionate educator who has always sought out opportunities to enrich the students’ learning, whether that has been within the school or in the broader community.
Mark has championed the role of the creative and performing arts in enhancing students’ learning. He is widely recognised for the many exceptional projects he has led in the school and the Blue Mountains community. The creative and performing arts could have no stronger advocate.
Mark has made a significant difference to the lives of young people in the schools he has led and served. He is a relational and inclusive leader who sets high expectations of students and encourages them to be the best they can be.
The St Canice's school community is keen to acknowledge Mark’s work and achievements in months ahead. The process of recruitment for a new Principal of St Canice’s will commence shortly.
Finally, we wish to express our appreciation to Mr Geerligs for the support provided for Catholic schooling as, together, we give witness to the Gospel that enriches the lives of our children and the communities in which we live.
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22 Jul 2026
Little Learners - School Readiness Program
Little Learners is St Canice’s School’s fun, free, play-based school readiness program designed for children aged 3.5–5 years who will be starting school in the next 1–2 years.
09 Jun 2026
Helping Your Child Learn at Home - Practical strategies every parent can use
How can you help your child learn at home without stress, conflict, or overwhelm? Join CSPD’s Learning Outcomes team for a practical parent session focused on simple, realistic ways families can support learning at home, from primary through to secondary school.
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21 May 2026
From Facebook
🏃♀️🌄 Celebrating Our UTA Superstars! 🌄🏃♂️ We are so proud to celebrate the outstanding efforts of our school community at this year’s Ultra-Trail Australia — Australia’s premier trail running event, set in the stunning Blue Mountains. With events starting from the iconic Scenic World in our beautiful town of Katoomba, we had staff, parents and students take part across a range of distances. What an incredible achievement! 👏 Erin took on the UTA22, battling mud, mist and rain — and smashed her goal by finishing 44 minutes faster than expected! 👏 Robert conquered the UTA50 and shared that it was an amazing day with amazing people. 👏 Our very own Ms Sarah completed the UTA100 — an extraordinary feat — made even more special as she was joined by her children crossing the finish line, with cheering crowds making it all worthwhile ❤️ 👏 A special mention to Harriet and Clara, who ran in the Kids UTA and crossed the finish line with plenty of energy still in the tank! Congratulations to all who participated — your determination and spirit are truly inspiring! 💙
20 May 2026
From Facebook
📚 Student Led Conferences – Bookings Now Open! Bookings are now open for our upcoming Student Led Conferences, taking place next week on Tuesday 26th May and Wednesday 27th May. These conferences are a wonderful opportunity for your child to share their learning journey, celebrate achievements, and reflect on their goals with you. 🖥️ Bookings can be made via your Compass Parent Portal. We encourage all families to secure a time that suits them. We look forward to seeing you there!
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21 May 2026
From Facebook
🏃♀️🌄 Celebrating Our UTA Superstars! 🌄🏃♂️ We are so proud to celebrate the outstanding efforts of our school community at this year’s Ultra-Trail Australia — Australia’s premier trail running event, set in the stunning Blue Mountains. With events starting from the iconic Scenic World in our beautiful town of Katoomba, we had staff, parents and students take part across a range of distances. What an incredible achievement! 👏 Erin took on the UTA22, battling mud, mist and rain — and smashed her goal by finishing 44 minutes faster than expected! 👏 Robert conquered the UTA50 and shared that it was an amazing day with amazing people. 👏 Our very own Ms Sarah completed the UTA100 — an extraordinary feat — made even more special as she was joined by her children crossing the finish line, with cheering crowds making it all worthwhile ❤️ 👏 A special mention to Harriet and Clara, who ran in the Kids UTA and crossed the finish line with plenty of energy still in the tank! Congratulations to all who participated — your determination and spirit are truly inspiring! 💙
20 May 2026
From Facebook
📚 Student Led Conferences – Bookings Now Open! Bookings are now open for our upcoming Student Led Conferences, taking place next week on Tuesday 26th May and Wednesday 27th May. These conferences are a wonderful opportunity for your child to share their learning journey, celebrate achievements, and reflect on their goals with you. 🖥️ Bookings can be made via your Compass Parent Portal. We encourage all families to secure a time that suits them. We look forward to seeing you there!
19 May 2026
From Facebook
✨ Little Learners is Back at St Canice’s! ✨ We’re excited to welcome back Little Learners starting Term 3, running every Wednesday! If you have a child who will be ready for big school next year or the year after, we warmly invite you to join us. It’s a wonderful way for children to build confidence, make new friends, and become familiar with school life. Even better — Little Learners will run at the same time as our Little Lyrebirds Playgroup, so if you have younger children, you’re more than welcome to come along too! We can’t wait to see you there 💙
19 May 2026
From Facebook
Last week, St Canice’s had the pleasure of welcoming exchange students from Japan into our school community ✨ Our Stage 2 and Stage 3 students came together for a wonderful day of cultural sharing and connection. Students enjoyed playing traditional Japanese games, creating origami, making paper planes and even racing them! It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from one another, build new friendships and celebrate different cultures. To mark the occasion, St Canice’s proudly presented our new friends with gifts of books from local authors 📚 Thank you to everyone involved in making this such a special and memorable experience!
18 May 2026
From Facebook
☀️🍞 Brekky Club at St Canice’s! 🍎🥣 A great start to the day happens here at St Canice’s with our Brekky Club! Students are welcomed to enjoy a healthy breakfast, connect with friends, and settle into the school day feeling nourished and ready to learn. It’s a calm, friendly space where everyone is supported—because a good breakfast helps set up a great day of learning and wellbeing. 💛 A big thank you to our staff and volunteers who help make Brekky Club such a positive part of our school community. We look forward to seeing you bright and early at our next Brekky Club on Thursday 11th June! 🌞
18 May 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Congratulations to our Lyrebird Award recipients! 🌟 At St Canice’s, our Positive Behaviour Support for Learning (PBS4L) program is an integral part of who we are as a school community. Our students strive to Love Selflessly, Live Responsibly, and Learn Purposefully, and these values are nurtured and encouraged every day by our dedicated staff and students. Today we celebrated a group of students who have consistently demonstrated these qualities and were recognised with a Lyrebird Award at our assembly. 🎉👏 Well done to all the recipients—we are so proud of you! #StCanices #LyrebirdAward #LoveLiveLearn
14 May 2026
From Facebook
Our Year 4, 5 and 6 students have enjoyed spending time visiting local early childhood centres in our community. Through reading stories, engaging in play, and building meaningful connections, our students have shown kindness, leadership and care for younger children. These visits have been a wonderful opportunity for students to develop confidence, communication skills and a sense of community while creating special memories together. We are so proud of the positive relationships they are building and the joy they bring to others. 💛📚
14 May 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to all of our students who competed at the Diocesan Cross Country yesterday! 🏃♀️🏃♂️ We are so proud of your determination, sportsmanship, and the way you represented our school throughout the day. A fantastic effort by everyone involved — well done on your achievements and for giving your very best! Thank you also to our staff, families, and supporters who helped make the day such a success. 👏
14 May 2026
Music, art, movement: why creativity matters more than you think
Did you know creativity is one of the biggest predictors of how well children do in school and in life?
11 May 2026
From Facebook
📚 Enrolments for 2027 are now open at St Canice's Catholic Primary School! A welcoming and inclusive K–6 Catholic school where every child belongs 💙 ✨ Now FEE FREE!* ✨ Small class sizes with personalised learning ✨ Contemporary learning spaces ✨ Passionate teachers using the latest technology ✨ Supporting every child to grow through love and learning Located in beautiful Katoomba, St Canice’s nurtures students to reach their full potential in a caring community. #InclusiveEducation #StCanicesKatoomba #CatholicEducation #Katoomba #BlueMountains #PrimarySchool #NowEnrolling #FeeFree #InclusiveEducation
04 May 2026
From Facebook
What a fantastic day for our Stage 2 boys and girls at the Futsal Gala Day! A huge congratulations to all students who competed with enthusiasm, skill and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day. It was wonderful to see teamwork on display, determination in every match, and a genuine respect for opponents and officials. A special mention to our amazing parent supporters—your cheering and encouragement from the sidelines made such a positive difference and helped create a great atmosphere for all involved. Well done Stage 2, you did yourselves and the school proud! 🏆
04 May 2026
From Facebook
St Canice’s students proudly marched in the ANZAC Day parade in Katoomba, showing respect, courage and community spirit as they honoured the service and sacrifice of our ANZACs. We are so proud of the way our students represented the school with such dignity and pride. 🌺
30 Apr 2026
From Facebook
On Thursday, our FIAT (Faith In Action Team) gathered for the first time this term. 💛 Together, we spent time in prayer, giving thanks and reflecting on how we can continue to make a positive difference in our school community. The company was delightful, the conversations meaningful… and of course, the cupcakes were absolutely delicious! 🧁 We look forward to all that FIAT will bring this term as we continue to put our faith into action. ✨
29 Apr 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Is your child starting school in 2027? 🌟 Enrolments are now open at St Canice’s Primary School! In an exciting move to support families, St Canice’s is fee-free because we want families to choose the right education for their children without money being the deciding factor. At St Canice’s, excellence in education is at the heart of everything we do. From engaging classroom learning to enriching outdoor experiences, students thrive in a supportive and inspiring environment. 🌿 Set in a world heritage-listed location 🎶 Weekly music lessons & Conservatory of Music access 🏀 Spacious outdoor play areas, sandpits & basketball court 🤝 Strong community focus with inclusive programs St Canice’s is more than a school — it’s a place where children grow, belong, and flourish. 📞 Book a tour today: 4780 6800 📧 Email: stcanices@parra.catholic.edu.au ✨ Discover the difference at St Canice’s ✨
22 Apr 2026
From Facebook
🍂 St Canice’s is back for Term 2! 🍂 As the leaves begin to change and the air takes on that crisp autumn feel, we’re excited to welcome our students and families back for another wonderful term of learning and growth. Wishing everyone a great start to Term 2! 🍁