Winning students from St Canice's Primary
Senior Constable Jayne and Constable Graham demonstrated rescue equipment
Teachers and students tried out tactical operations equipment
Participating students with their posters
Students from St Canice's Primary, Katoomba have been recognised for their support of the anti-bullying message with a special visit from the NSW Police on 21 March.
St Canice's was selected as the winning school for the Year 6 poster competition organised by the Blue Mountains Police in support of the National Day Against Bullying and Violence.
The NSW Police Tactical Operations and Special Rescue teams visited St Canice's giving students the opportunity to talk to the Police officers, tour the vehicles and see demonstrations of rescue equipment
Senior constable Chris Jayne used the 'jaws of life' to cut a car door in half. Students were delighted to tour the Bear Cat tactical operations vehicle using the manhole, ] flashing lights and sirens.
Youth Liaison Officer for the Blue Mountains local area command, Senior Constable Michelle Jancso, thanked students from St Canice's for supporting the initiative.
'All of the entries were outstanding and it is great to see that students are promoting a bully-free culture,' said Michelle.
The winning entry was designed by Year 6 student Alan Chalbhagam-Raphel and features a strong message about the nature of bullying and the ways it can be addressed.
St Canice’s Principal Mark Geerligs said the school community strives to provide an environment where children feel happy, nurtured and are engaged in their learning.
'We focus on building respect, both for others and ourselves which is important for building relationships,' said Mark. 'By saying "no way to bullying" we are encouraging respect every day.’
The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence is an annual event in which students all over the country are encouraged to ‘take a stand together’ against bullying and violence.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
⚽️🌞 New Soccer Nets at St Canice’s! 🌞⚽️ What a beautiful day at St Canice’s! 💚 Our students are loving our upgraded soccer nets, adding even more fun to playtime and giving our budding soccer stars the perfect place to practise their skills! ⚽️🥅 There’s nothing better than seeing our students running, playing, laughing and enjoying the sunshine with their friends. ☀️💛 A big thank you to everyone who helped make our new soccer nets possible! Let the games begin! ⚽️🙌 #StCanices #StCanicesKatoomba #SchoolLife #Playtime #Soccer #BeautifulDay #LearningThroughPlay16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🍳🥐 Brekky Club – This Thursday 17 September! 🥐🍳 All St Canice’s students are invited to join us tomorrow morning for Brekky Club in the Hall from 8:20am–8:40am. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to enjoy breakfast together and start the day with our school community. 💛 👨👩👧👦 Parent volunteers wanted! We would love some parent/carer helpers to assist with Brekky Club on the morning. If you are available to lend a hand, please complete the Google Form in your Compass Parent Portal. We look forward to sharing breakfast and a lovely start to the day together! 🌟 See you in the morning!
MORE NEWS
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
⚽️🌞 New Soccer Nets at St Canice’s! 🌞⚽️ What a beautiful day at St Canice’s! 💚 Our students are loving our upgraded soccer nets, adding even more fun to playtime and giving our budding soccer stars the perfect place to practise their skills! ⚽️🥅 There’s nothing better than seeing our students running, playing, laughing and enjoying the sunshine with their friends. ☀️💛 A big thank you to everyone who helped make our new soccer nets possible! Let the games begin! ⚽️🙌 #StCanices #StCanicesKatoomba #SchoolLife #Playtime #Soccer #BeautifulDay #LearningThroughPlay
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🍳🥐 Brekky Club – This Thursday 17 September! 🥐🍳 All St Canice’s students are invited to join us tomorrow morning for Brekky Club in the Hall from 8:20am–8:40am. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to enjoy breakfast together and start the day with our school community. 💛 👨👩👧👦 Parent volunteers wanted! We would love some parent/carer helpers to assist with Brekky Club on the morning. If you are available to lend a hand, please complete the Google Form in your Compass Parent Portal. We look forward to sharing breakfast and a lovely start to the day together! 🌟 See you in the morning!
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🌏💧 Stage 1 – Keeping Our Waterways Clean! 💧🌏 Stage 1 have been investigating ways we can all help keep our waterways clean and protect our environment. Today, we watched a video featuring an inspiring young man who is an ambassador for the Great Barrier Reef. He shared an important message with us about reducing our use of plastic so it doesn’t end up in our oceans and waterways. 🌊🐠 One simple way we can help is by choosing food that isn’t packaged in plastic. Many of our students didn’t know about the local co-op food store in Katoomba, so this afternoon we’re going to walk up there and see it for ourselves! 🥕🍎 We’d love families to continue the conversation at home. Perhaps you could make a purchase in an unpackaged form and encourage your child to think about how small changes can help reduce plastic waste and protect our beautiful environment. 🌿💚 Every little change can make a difference!
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Stage 3 had a wonderful day out! 🎭 We enjoyed Be The Witness – The Musical, a beautiful Gospel story bringing the life of Jesus and the journey of St Peter to life through music and drama. 🙏 We then had a quick tour of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta. What a beautiful and peaceful place, rich in history and faith. ⛪️ A lovely day of faith, learning and fun! 💙
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Congratulations to our Lyrebird Award recipients! 🌟 At St Canice’s, our Positive Behaviour Support for Learning (PBS4L) program is an important part of who we are as a school community. Our students are encouraged to Love Selflessly, Live Responsibly and Learn Purposefully, with these values nurtured and celebrated every day by our dedicated staff and students. This morning at our whole-school assembly, we were delighted to recognise a wonderful group of students who have consistently demonstrated these values through their actions, choices and interactions with others. 🌟 Congratulations to all of our Lyrebird Award recipients! 🌟 Your kindness, responsibility and purposeful learning make our school community a better place. We are so proud of you! 👏🎉 #StCanices #LyrebirdAward #LoveLiveLearn #PBS4L #SchoolCommunity
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Celebrating Our Incredible Teacher Aides! 🌟 Today, St Canice’s came together to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible work of our wonderful Teacher Aides! 💙 Our Teacher Aides make such a valuable contribution to our school community each and every day. Their patience, kindness, encouragement and dedication help our students to feel supported, confident and ready to learn. 📚✨ From supporting learning in the classroom to building meaningful relationships with our students, their impact reaches far beyond what we see each day. Thank you for everything you do! We are so grateful for the care, compassion and commitment you bring to St Canice’s. 💐👏💙 #StCanices #TeacherAides #SchoolCommunity #ThankYou #MakingADifference
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From Facebook
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From Facebook
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
📚 Book Week – From an Idea to a Published Book As part of our Book Week celebrations last week, Ms Sally worked with our students to explore the exciting process of writing and publishing a book. Ms Sally was able to share her own experiences as an author, drawing on her knowledge of writing and publishing her own books. This provided our students with a wonderful opportunity to learn what happens behind the scenes when a book is created. Students explored the many stages involved in bringing a book to life, including: 💡 Coming up with an idea – finding inspiration and developing an original concept. ✍️ Building the story – creating characters, setting, beginning, middle and end. 🎨 Creating illustrations – considering how pictures can enhance and support the story. 📝 Working with an editor – understanding the importance of feedback and making changes to improve the writing. 📖 Putting the book together – bringing the words and illustrations together to create the finished product. 🔍 Testing, changing and improving – learning that authors rarely get everything right the first time and that editing, refining and persistence are an important part of the creative process. 🚀 Publishing – discovering how a completed manuscript becomes a published book that can be shared with readers. The students were encouraged to see themselves as authors and creators, learning that every great book begins with an idea and develops through creativity, persistence, collaboration and a willingness to make improvements. We are very grateful to Ms Sally for sharing her experience and passion for writing with our students and for giving them an authentic insight into the journey of becoming a published author. What a wonderful way to celebrate the magic of stories and the joy of reading and writing during Book Week!
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
📚✨ A Very Special Thank You! ✨📚 A huge thank you to Tohby Riddle, our wonderful local author and illustrator, for generously donating a selection of books to our school library! 📖💙 We are so grateful for your kindness and generosity. Our students love exploring these wonderful stories and illustrations, and we are thrilled to add them to our growing library collection. Thank you, Tohby, for helping us inspire a love of reading and storytelling in our students! 🌟📚 #ThankYou #LocalAuthor #LocalIllustrator #LoveReading #SchoolLibrary #StCanices
29 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Dear Families, A friendly reminder that we host our free Little Lyrebirds Playgroup every Wednesday morning here at St Canice’s! Our playgroup is open to children aged 0–6 years and their carers, and everyone is welcome. It’s a wonderful opportunity for children to play, explore and make new friends, while families connect with others in our community. 🌿 Every Wednesday | 9:00am–10:30am 🎨 Indoor, outdoor and sensory play ☕ Morning tea included 🎵 And often our wonderful Ms Frazer and students join us for a special sing-along! If you know a family with young children who might enjoy joining us, please feel free to pass this information on. We would love to welcome them to Little Lyrebirds! Warm regards, St Canice’s Primary School
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
📢 Week 7 Information Dear Parents and Carers, Please see the attached information for the upcoming Week 7. We hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 🌟 Thank you for your continued support of our St Canice’s community. 💙
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26 Aug 2026
From Facebook
📚✨ Symphony of Stories – Book Week 2026! ✨📚 “A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket.” — Dolly Parton 📚🌸 Today, St Canice’s came alive with the magic of books as we celebrated Book Week with our wonderful theme, “Symphony of Stories.” 🎶📖 Our students and staff embraced the joy of reading, bringing their favourite book characters to life in a spectacular parade! From colourful costumes to creative characters, it was wonderful to see our school community celebrating the stories that inspire, delight and spark our imaginations. 🌟 A huge thank you to our families for helping make the day so special. ❤️ Every story has a rhythm, every book has a voice, and together they create a beautiful symphony of stories! 🎵📚 #BookWeek2026 #SymphonyOfStories #StCanicesKatoomba #LoveReading #BookWeek #StoriesBringUsTogether
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Congratulations to our Voice of Youth participants! 🌟 Congratulations to all of the students through the Blue Mountains who participated in today’s Voice of Youth Cluster Finals, held at St Finbar’s in Glenbrook. 🎤👏 We are incredibly proud to announce that our Year 6 representative, KC, was awarded the Social Justice Trophy for her inspiring speech, “Equal Rights, Equal Future.” 🏆💙 What an incredible achievement, KC! Your passion, confidence and commitment to social justice have made our school community very proud. 🌏✨👏🌟