In a wonderful example of community spirit and togetherness, students from four Blue Mountains primary schools came together recently for a special Mountains Encounter retreat focusing on what they’ve done and can do to help ensure everyone in society has equal rights, opportunities and is treated fairly.
Students from the Faith In Action (FIAT) teams at St Finbar's Primary Glenbrook, St Thomas Aquinas Primary Springwood, St Canice's Primary Katoomba, and Our Lady of the Nativity Primary Lawson gathered at St Finbar's for the afternoon retreat which, over the past few years, has brought considerable benefits to both students, their schools and the wider community.
Students reflected on what they’d learnt throughout the year and their involvement in social justice initiatives such as Project Compassion, food drives and volunteering for Vinnies and Jesuit Refugee Services.
Mountains Encounter, overseen by Lauren Maund, Director of Catholic Identity and Mission, aims to strengthen bonds among students while offering them opportunities to explore their faith through various enriching activities. Students took part in team-building exercises, faith formation workshops, and reflections centered on the Advent season. The main message was to encourage students to embrace their roles in carrying forward Christ’s mission of service and unity.
One of the highlights of the event was the traditional sausage sizzle dinner where students got to share a meal while learning about each other and their different communities in the Blue Mountains.
The retreat was more than just a gathering, it was a demonstration of how schools in the Blue Mountains are living out their faith through action. Their dedication to social justice and building community proves that living your faith can make a real difference in our world.
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Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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22 Jul 2026
Little Learners - School Readiness Program
Little Learners is St Caniceโs Schoolโs fun, free, play-based school readiness program designed for children aged 3.5โ5 years who will be starting school in the next 1โ2 years.
07 Aug 2025
St Canice's Brekky Club
All students are invited to join the St Canice's Brekky Club. Brekky Club will now run on Thursdays โ 7th, 21st, and 28th August.
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25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ Congratulations to our Voice of Youth participants! ๐ Congratulations to all of the students through the Blue Mountains who participated in todayโs Voice of Youth Cluster Finals, held at St Finbarโs in Glenbrook. ๐ค๐ We are incredibly proud to announce that our Year 6 representative, KC, was awarded the Social Justice Trophy for her inspiring speech, โEqual Rights, Equal Future.โ ๐๐ What an incredible achievement, KC! Your passion, confidence and commitment to social justice have made our school community very proud. ๐โจ๐๐
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ Fatherโs Day Celebration โ Thursday 3rd September ๐ Dear Parents and Carers, You are warmly invited to join us for our St Caniceโs Fatherโs Day Celebration on Thursday, 3rd September, from 8:20am โ 9:20am. We look forward to welcoming the special fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and father figures in our studentsโ lives as we celebrate together. We hope you can join us for this special morning! ๐
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25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ Congratulations to our Voice of Youth participants! ๐ Congratulations to all of the students through the Blue Mountains who participated in todayโs Voice of Youth Cluster Finals, held at St Finbarโs in Glenbrook. ๐ค๐ We are incredibly proud to announce that our Year 6 representative, KC, was awarded the Social Justice Trophy for her inspiring speech, โEqual Rights, Equal Future.โ ๐๐ What an incredible achievement, KC! Your passion, confidence and commitment to social justice have made our school community very proud. ๐โจ๐๐
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ Fatherโs Day Celebration โ Thursday 3rd September ๐ Dear Parents and Carers, You are warmly invited to join us for our St Caniceโs Fatherโs Day Celebration on Thursday, 3rd September, from 8:20am โ 9:20am. We look forward to welcoming the special fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and father figures in our studentsโ lives as we celebrate together. We hope you can join us for this special morning! ๐
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ฟ Little Lyrebirds Playgroup is on tomorrow! ๐ฆ Weโd love to see you at Playgroup this week! ๐ Join us tomorrow, Wednesday 26 August, from 9:00amโ10:30am for a welcoming and relaxed space for children aged 0โ6 years and their carers. โจ Indoor & outdoor play ๐ Sensory play โ Morning tea included ๐ A friendly space to connect and play ๐ No cost to attend! Come along, meet other families and enjoy a morning of fun and connection at Little Lyrebirds Playgroup. We canโt wait to see you! ๐ฆ๐ฟ
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐โจ Book Week Parade โ Tomorrow! โจ๐ A friendly reminder that our Book Week Parade is tomorrow, Wednesday 26 August, from 8:45amโ9:15am in the Hall. ๐ญ Come dressed as your favourite book character and get ready to celebrate our love of reading and stories! We canโt wait to see all the wonderful costumes! ๐๐ซ
25 Aug 2026
From Facebook
โ Parent Cafรฉ Meeting โ Tuesday 1 September Our next Parent Cafรฉ Meeting will be held on Tuesday 1 September at 2:00pm, with the option to attend in person at school or online via Microsoft Teams. The meeting will focus on: ๐ Student learning data and progress ๐ Student wellbeing ๐ Tell Them From Me survey results If you have any discussion items or questions you would like included on the agenda, please email them to stcanices@parra.catholic.edu.au by Friday 28 August. The Microsoft Teams link and further information are available via your Compass Parent Portal. We look forward to hearing your feedback and working together to support the learning and wellbeing of our students.
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐๐ถ BOOK WEEK PARADE โ WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST! ๐ถ๐ Book Week runs from Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August, and we are so excited to celebrate with our annual Book Week Parade next Wednesday, 26 August, from 8:45โ9:15am in the Hall! ๐ This yearโs theme is โจ Symphony of Stories โจ. Click here to find out more about the theme: https://youtu.be/wz-psnQnUmQ We encourage our students to come dressed as a character from a favourite book. If they have a copy of the book their character has stepped out of, they are welcome to bring it along too! ๐ Some children love to connect with the theme, some choose to represent age-old favourites, and others like to keep us guessing! As the video suggests, our Book Week Parade is sure to be a wonderful symphony of characters! ๐ญ๐ต Parents, carers and families are very welcome to come along and enjoy the parade with us. Younger siblings are also very welcome! ๐ The Book Week Parade will coincide with Little Lyrebirds, and we look forward to welcoming our Little Lyrebird visitors and their families to this special morning. We hope you can join us for this super-popular annual event as we celebrate the joy, imagination and magic of books! ๐๐ซ #BookWeek #SymphonyOfStories #BookWeekParade #StCanices #LoveOfReading #LittleLyrebirds
13 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ณ๐ฅ Breakfast at St Caniceโs! ๐ฅ๐ All St Caniceโs students are invited to join us in the Hall on Thursday 20 August, from 8:20amโ8:40am, for breakfast together! Weโre also looking for parent volunteers to help out on the morning. If youโre available to assist, please complete the Google Form sent to you via your Compass Parent Portal. We look forward to sharing breakfast, good food and a great start to the day together! ๐ #StCanices #BreakfastTogether #SchoolCommunity #ParentVolunteers
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ WHAT AN INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY OPEN DAY! ๐ What a wonderful morning we had at St Caniceโs! ๐ The weather was kind to us as we welcomed our beautiful school community, along with many new families who came along to discover all that St Caniceโs has to offer. From enjoying a delicious BBQ breakfast together with our students and families, to exploring our open classrooms, meeting our wonderful staff, visiting Little Lyrebirds Playgroup, and taking a tour of our school โ it was fantastic to see our community come together! ๐ซโจ A very special THANK YOU to our generous parent and carer volunteers who gave their time to help make the morning such a success. Your support, enthusiasm and community spirit mean so much to us. ๐ We loved welcoming everyone through our doors and sharing what makes St Caniceโs such a special place to learn, grow and belong. Thank you to everyone who joined us โ we hope you enjoyed the morning as much as we did! ๐ฟ๐ St Caniceโs โ where our community grows together. ๐
11 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ COMMUNITY OPEN DAY โ TOMORROW! ๐ We canโt wait to welcome families to St Caniceโs Primary School Katoomba tomorrow, Wednesday 12 August, from 9:30amโ11:00am! ๐ Come along and experience what makes our school such a special place to learn, grow and belong. โจ Meet our dedicated and passionate staff ๐ซ Explore our vibrant learning spaces ๐ Visit our classrooms and see learning in action ๐ Discover the opportunities available at St Caniceโs ๐ค Connect with our welcoming school community ๐ญ Enjoy a relaxed sausage sizzle with our school community If you know a family who is considering a school for their child, please invite them along! Itโs a wonderful opportunity to see our school, meet our staff and experience the St Caniceโs difference. ๐ Wednesday 12 August โฐ 9:30amโ11:00am ๐ St Caniceโs Primary School, Katoomba ๐ Register today: https://info.parra.catholic.edu.au/open-day/stcaniceskatoomba We canโt wait to see you tomorrow! ๐๐
10 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ Congratulations to our Lyrebird Award recipients! ๐ At St Caniceโs, 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. At our recent whole school assembly, we celebrated a group of students who have consistently demonstrated these qualities and were recognised with a Lyrebird Award. ๐๐ Well done to all the recipientsโwe are so proud of you! #StCanices #LyrebirdAward #LoveLiveLearn
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Stage 1 went down to Katoomba Falls today to explore that the natural and built features of a water environment. We enjoyed the lovely sunshine, the glorious view of the falls and each others company. What a beautiful place we live in!
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
St Canice's proudly celebrate Australian Primary Principals Day and recognise the outstanding leadership of our wonderful Principals. A heartfelt thank you to Ms Miriam Meaney and Mrs Cherie Baddock for your dedication, care and commitment to our students, staff and families. Your leadership inspires our school community every day, creating a place where everyone is encouraged to learn, grow and thrive. Thank you for all that you do to make St Canice's such a welcoming and supportive community. Happy Australian Primary Principals Day! ๐ #PrimaryPrincipalsDay #ThankYouPrincipals #StCanicesPrimary #CatholicEducation #BlueMountains
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
A Wonderful Cultural Exchange at St Canice's! ๐ Today, our Stage 2 and Stage 3 students had the pleasure of welcoming Japanese exchange students to St Canice's. Together, we journeyed around Australia with Grandma Poss and Hush through the beloved story Possum Magic. Along the way, everyone enjoyed sampling some iconic Australian treats, including lamingtons, Tim Tams, Vegemite sandwiches, pavlova and Minties. Every food was a hitโeven the Vegemite! ๐ The Minties, however, brought plenty of laughter, with lots of surprised (and slightly sour!) faces as everyone discovered just how chewy they really are. It was a wonderful afternoon of sharing Australian culture, learning from one another, and building new friendships. Experiences like these remind us of the joy that comes from connecting with others and celebrating different cultures. Thank you to our visitors for spending the afternoon with usโwe hope you enjoyed your time at St Canice's! ๐
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
๐ฏโจ 100 Days Brighter! โจ๐ฏ Today, our Kindergarten students celebrated a very special milestone โ 100 Days of School! ๐ 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. ๐๐ #100DaysBrighter #100DaysOfSchool #StCanicesPrimary #KindergartenMilestone