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 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.
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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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03 Jun 2026
From Facebook
📣 St Canice’s Alumni – We Want to Hear From You! At St Canice’s Primary School, we love celebrating the journeys of our past students and the amazing things you are achieving beyond your time with us. We are currently preparing a special “Where Are They Now?” feature to share with our students and wider community. This initiative will showcase where life has taken our alumni, the paths you’ve chosen, and the memories you still hold from your school days. If you are a former student of St Canice’s, we would love to hear from you! 📌 Please complete our Google Form to get involved: https://forms.gle/aSEZEvhKgNz6o9cg6 From classrooms to careers, your stories continue to inspire our current students and community. ✨ Warm regards, St Canice’s Primary School
03 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Today, Taleishah from the CSPD Jarara Team visited St Canice’s to work with a group of students on the design of a Message Stick to celebrate and honour 50 years of NAIDOC this July. Our students enjoyed sharing ideas and learning about the significance of Message Sticks as they created a design that reflects our school community. The St Canice’s Message Stick will be one of many contributed by CSPD schools as part of the celebration of "50 Years of NAIDOC – The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy." We are proud to be part of this special project and look forward to seeing the finished Message Stick exhibited in early Term 3. #NAIDOC2026 #50YearsOfNAIDOC #StCanicesKatoomba #CSPD #JararaTeam
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03 Jun 2026
From Facebook
📣 St Canice’s Alumni – We Want to Hear From You! At St Canice’s Primary School, we love celebrating the journeys of our past students and the amazing things you are achieving beyond your time with us. We are currently preparing a special “Where Are They Now?” feature to share with our students and wider community. This initiative will showcase where life has taken our alumni, the paths you’ve chosen, and the memories you still hold from your school days. If you are a former student of St Canice’s, we would love to hear from you! 📌 Please complete our Google Form to get involved: https://forms.gle/aSEZEvhKgNz6o9cg6 From classrooms to careers, your stories continue to inspire our current students and community. ✨ Warm regards, St Canice’s Primary School
03 Jun 2026
From Facebook
Today, Taleishah from the CSPD Jarara Team visited St Canice’s to work with a group of students on the design of a Message Stick to celebrate and honour 50 years of NAIDOC this July. Our students enjoyed sharing ideas and learning about the significance of Message Sticks as they created a design that reflects our school community. The St Canice’s Message Stick will be one of many contributed by CSPD schools as part of the celebration of "50 Years of NAIDOC – The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy." We are proud to be part of this special project and look forward to seeing the finished Message Stick exhibited in early Term 3. #NAIDOC2026 #50YearsOfNAIDOC #StCanicesKatoomba #CSPD #JararaTeam
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From Facebook
📢 Parent Information Session Reminder Dear Parents and Carers, A friendly reminder that our Parent Information Session will be held this Thursday, 4 June, at 1:50pm. The focus of this session is Building Resilience and Problem-Solving Skills in children. We will explore practical ways to support our students as they develop confidence, independence, and the ability to navigate challenges. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend. We look forward to seeing you there! 📅 Thursday, 4 June 🕐 1:50pm 📍 St Canice's School
01 Jun 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Little Learners – School Readiness Program 🌟 Starting Term 3 | For children aged 3.5–5 years The early years of a child’s life are some of the most important. However, for many families, knowing how to best support their child's development before school can feel overwhelming. Our Little Learners School Readiness Program is designed to help children build confidence, develop essential early learning skills, and become familiar with a school environment in a fun, nurturing, and engaging setting. Through play-based learning experiences, children will strengthen their social, emotional, language, and early literacy and numeracy skills while making new friends and preparing for a successful start to school. Join us as we support your child’s journey towards Kindergarten and a lifelong love of learning.
01 Jun 2026
From Facebook
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From Facebook
31 May 2026
From Facebook
Have a look at the hard thinking Stage 1 have been doing in Maths. We have been learning how to count by 5's and place the numbers on a number line. We worked together as a team to get it all finished. Great job Stage 1!
27 May 2026
From Facebook
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26 May 2026
From Facebook
Little Lyrebirds is on tomorrow at St Canice’s Katoomba Catholic School! 💛 We look forward to welcoming families from 9:00am – 10:30am for a morning of connection and learning.
26 May 2026
From Facebook
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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 💙