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 Caniceβs Schoolβs fun, free, play-based school readiness program designed for children aged 3.5β5 years who will be starting school in the next 1β2 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 β 7th, 21st, and 28th August.
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22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Can you guess what Stage 1 has been learning about? ππ³π ππ¬π¦ππ¦π‘π¦ Our Stage 1 students have been busy learning, creating and bringing their ideas to lifeβand the results are incredible! π¨β¨ Their amazing dioramas will be on display in our Library this Friday, and weβd love you to come along and take a look. π A diorama is a three-dimensional model or scene that uses miniature figures and objects to create a setting and bring learning to life. Weβre so proud of the creativity, effort and imagination our Stage 1 students have shown in creating these masterpieces! π π Stage 1 families: Parents and carers are invited to collect your childβs diorama and take it home on Friday afternoon. πΈ Keep an eye out for more photos of the final masterpieces coming soon! Can you guess what theyβve been learning about? π€22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
ποΈ A Prayer for Peace ποΈ Yesterday, our whole school community gathered for a special Prayer for Peace around our Peace Pole. The Peace Pole is a wonderful reminder of our shared hope for peace, kindness, respect and harmony in our school, our community and throughout the world. ππ Our students and staff came together in prayer and reflection, sharing a simple but powerful message β may peace prevail on Earth. A very special thank you to Rotary for this meaningful gift and for helping us create a lasting symbol of peace within our school grounds. ποΈ Peace begins with each of us.
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22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Can you guess what Stage 1 has been learning about? ππ³π ππ¬π¦ππ¦π‘π¦ Our Stage 1 students have been busy learning, creating and bringing their ideas to lifeβand the results are incredible! π¨β¨ Their amazing dioramas will be on display in our Library this Friday, and weβd love you to come along and take a look. π A diorama is a three-dimensional model or scene that uses miniature figures and objects to create a setting and bring learning to life. Weβre so proud of the creativity, effort and imagination our Stage 1 students have shown in creating these masterpieces! π π Stage 1 families: Parents and carers are invited to collect your childβs diorama and take it home on Friday afternoon. πΈ Keep an eye out for more photos of the final masterpieces coming soon! Can you guess what theyβve been learning about? π€
22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
ποΈ A Prayer for Peace ποΈ Yesterday, our whole school community gathered for a special Prayer for Peace around our Peace Pole. The Peace Pole is a wonderful reminder of our shared hope for peace, kindness, respect and harmony in our school, our community and throughout the world. ππ Our students and staff came together in prayer and reflection, sharing a simple but powerful message β may peace prevail on Earth. A very special thank you to Rotary for this meaningful gift and for helping us create a lasting symbol of peace within our school grounds. ποΈ Peace begins with each of us.
22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
βοΈ Every morning in Stage 2, our literacy block starts with teacher-guided learning and a trusty whiteboard! Whiteboards are a fantastic learning tool - they encourage every child to participate, makes thinking visible, keep students actively involved and gives them the opportunity to receive instant teacher feedback. π§ β¨ But our whiteboards come with rules too! π I wonderβ¦ does your child know the difference between a 3 Second clean and a Respect clean?
18 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Stage 1 have been learning about food and fibre in Science. Look at our amazing recycled materials rug! We wove it ourselves and are rather proud of our efforts!
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
β½οΈπ New Soccer Nets at St Caniceβs! πβ½οΈ What a beautiful day at St Caniceβs! π 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! β½οΈπ₯ Thereβs nothing better than seeing our students running, playing, laughing and enjoying the sunshine with their friends. βοΈπ A big thank you to everyone who helped make our new soccer nets possible! Let the games begin! β½οΈπ #StCanices #StCanicesKatoomba #SchoolLife #Playtime #Soccer #BeautifulDay #LearningThroughPlay
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π³π₯ Brekky Club β This Thursday 17 September! π₯π³ All St Caniceβs students are invited to join us tomorrow morning for Brekky Club in the Hall from 8:20amβ8:40am. Itβs a wonderful opportunity for our students to enjoy breakfast together and start the day with our school community. π π¨βπ©βπ§βπ¦ 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! π See you in the morning!
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
ππ§ Stage 1 β Keeping Our Waterways Clean! π§π 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 doesnβt end up in our oceans and waterways. ππ One simple way we can help is by choosing food that isnβt packaged in plastic. Many of our students didnβt know about the local co-op food store in Katoomba, so this afternoon weβre going to walk up there and see it for ourselves! π₯π Weβd 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. πΏπ Every little change can make a difference!
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Stage 3 had a wonderful day out! π We enjoyed Be The Witness β The Musical, a beautiful Gospel story bringing the life of Jesus and the journey of St Peter to life through music and drama. π We then had a quick tour of St Patrickβs Cathedral in Parramatta. What a beautiful and peaceful place, rich in history and faith. βͺοΈ A lovely day of faith, learning and fun! π
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Congratulations to our Lyrebird Award recipients! π At St Caniceβs, 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. π Congratulations to all of our Lyrebird Award recipients! π Your kindness, responsibility and purposeful learning make our school community a better place. We are so proud of you! ππ #StCanices #LyrebirdAward #LoveLiveLearn #PBS4L #SchoolCommunity
11 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Celebrating Our Incredible Teacher Aides! π Today, St Caniceβs came together to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible work of our wonderful Teacher Aides! π 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. πβ¨ 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 Caniceβs. πππ #StCanices #TeacherAides #SchoolCommunity #ThankYou #MakingADifference
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
05 Sep 2026
From Facebook
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
π Book Week β 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: π‘ Coming up with an idea β finding inspiration and developing an original concept. βοΈ Building the story β creating characters, setting, beginning, middle and end. π¨ Creating illustrations β considering how pictures can enhance and support the story. π Working with an editor β understanding the importance of feedback and making changes to improve the writing. π Putting the book together β bringing the words and illustrations together to create the finished product. π Testing, changing and improving β learning that authors rarely get everything right the first time and that editing, refining and persistence are an important part of the creative process. π Publishing β 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
πβ¨ A Very Special Thank You! β¨π A huge thank you to Tohby Riddle, our wonderful local author and illustrator, for generously donating a selection of books to our school library! ππ 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! ππ #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 Caniceβs! Our playgroup is open to children aged 0β6 years and their carers, and everyone is welcome. Itβs a wonderful opportunity for children to play, explore and make new friends, while families connect with others in our community. πΏ Every Wednesday | 9:00amβ10:30am π¨ Indoor, outdoor and sensory play β Morning tea included π΅ 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 Caniceβs Primary School