Kindergarten students at Our Lady of the Rosary Primary performed the gathering song, A Cross of Stars
Events were held across the diocese of Parramatta on Friday 8 August in honour of the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
Canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 17 October 2010, Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s Feast Day was marked with liturgies, family events and social justice fundraisers at a number of schools and the Catholic Education office.Students, staff and families from St Mary MacKillop Primary School in South Penrith celebrated mass at St Nicholas of Myra to remember and acknowledge St Mary MacKillop’s important work.
Students travelled to St Nicholas of Myra Church to join the Feast Day Mass and were treated to hundreds of green and yellow helium balloons decorating their classrooms on their return. In the afternoon, students came together to make a coin trail with donations going to the St Mary MacKillop Institute in East Timor.
Our Lady of the Rosary Primary, St Marys was founded by Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1880. Students celebrated a moving liturgy to celebrate the inspirational life of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. By bringing the letters written by Mary MacKillop to life, students were encouraged to learn from her example by working, learning together and caring for others particularly those in need.
Staff at the Catholic Education office, Parramatta gathered for a liturgy with Sr Rosie Drum MGL reading the letters of Mary MacKillop and leading a prayer asking for guidance and care for students, staff and school communities.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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11 Oct 2026
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ONE LAST TERM FOR 2026. LET’S MAKE IT AMAZING! The countdown is on! We’re ready to welcome our Holy Family community back for a fantastic final term of learning, celebrations and making memories! There’s so much to look forward to, and we can’t wait to see everyone back! Term 4, we’re ready for you! ✨29 Sep 2026
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Once again, we're inviting you to design our next Catholic Outlook Magazine front cover! Last year's competition was won by Samantha, with her beautiful entry "The birth of our Saviour", with several others who were highly commended. All ages are welcome. Let your artwork reflect the true meaning of Christmas during this Special Year of Saint Francis. Submit your entry by Friday 6 November 2026 via parracatholic.org/artcomp Let's make this Advent and Christmas season a canvas of faith and joy together!
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11 Oct 2026
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ONE LAST TERM FOR 2026. LET’S MAKE IT AMAZING! The countdown is on! We’re ready to welcome our Holy Family community back for a fantastic final term of learning, celebrations and making memories! There’s so much to look forward to, and we can’t wait to see everyone back! Term 4, we’re ready for you! ✨
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Once again, we're inviting you to design our next Catholic Outlook Magazine front cover! Last year's competition was won by Samantha, with her beautiful entry "The birth of our Saviour", with several others who were highly commended. All ages are welcome. Let your artwork reflect the true meaning of Christmas during this Special Year of Saint Francis. Submit your entry by Friday 6 November 2026 via parracatholic.org/artcomp Let's make this Advent and Christmas season a canvas of faith and joy together!
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Celebrating 40 years of Voice of Youth and the power of student voice
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27 Sep 2026
From Facebook
2027 CSPD Primary Sport TEAM Registration Form (Expression of Interest) - Sport Trials (Basketball, Cricket & Tennis) - Session 1 (November 2026) AFL (Boys & Girls -trials in early 2027) Expression of Interest (EOI) Nominations are now open for students wishing to trial for the 2027 Parramatta Diocesan Primary Sport Teams. Parents and guardians are invited to complete this Expression of Interest (EOI) form for their child to be considered for selection trials. Please note: Submitting an EOI does not guarantee attendance at a trial. All nominations are subject to school approval. 1. Sports Currently Open for Nominations The following sports are accepting nominations for the 2027 Parramatta Diocesan Teams. Cricket – Boys & Girls (closing date 26 October 2026) Basketball – Boys & Girls (closing date 5 November 2026) Tennis – Boys & Girls (closing date 5 November 2026) AFL – Boys & Girls (closing date 28th January 2027) Cricket, Basketball and Tennis trials will be held in November 2026. AFL trials will take place in early February 2027. 2. Upcoming Nominations – Term 1 and Term 2 Trials Nominations for the following sports will open on 23 November 2026 and close on Friday, 5 February 2027. Trials will be held during Term 1 and Term 2 of 2027. Hockey Football Netball Rugby League Rugby Union Softball Touch Football 3. Student Eligibility and Selection Criteria Students nominated for diocesan trials must demonstrate an above-average to high level of skill in their chosen sport. Students should have experience playing in regular competitions outside of school. For some sports, representative playing experience may also be required. Year Level Eligibility Students must generally be in Year 5 or Year 6 in 2027 to be eligible for nomination. Students entering Year 4 in 2027 who demonstrate exceptional skill and ability may also be nominated. This is open age and will compete against Year 5 & 6 students for the following sports: Hockey Softball Tennis Touch Football All nominations must meet the eligibility and selection criteria for the relevant sport. 4. School Approval and Trial Selection All Expressions of Interest are subject to approval by the student's school principal and sports coordinator. Each sport has specific eligibility and selection criteria that schools must follow when considering nominations. Submitting an EOI does not automatically qualify a student to attend a diocesan trial. Schools have final discretion over which students are approved to attend. Students selected by their school will receive the relevant Parramatta Diocesan Team trial information directly from their school. 5. How to Submit an Expression of Interest Parents and guardians may complete this form on behalf of their child. A separate EOI form must be submitted for each child and each sport. Once all required information has been completed, click SUBMIT to register your child's Expression of Interest. https://forms.gle/22MBb12d7cZgeTzo8 6. Additional Team Sports (MacKillop level only) – CSNSW Sport Portal Nominations for the following sports will open in early 2027 and must be completed through the CSNSW Sport Portal: Diving Golf Netball – Boys Rugby 7s – Girls These sports are not included in this EOI form. 7. Further Information For further information about eligibility, nomination requirements or selection trials, please contact your school's sports coordinator. Important reminder: This registration is an Expression of Interest only. Participation in Parramatta Diocesan Team trials is subject to school approval.
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Congratulations Holy Family on achieving your whole school reward for Term 3! 🎉🏆 Students celebrated today with a session of Putt Party! ⛳️ It was wonderful to see all our students using their grit and teamwork to cheer each other on as they completed different themed courses. 👏 This day was to celebrate the way the students have worked hard to live safely, learn daily and love respect while navigating such a busy term. 🌟📚 Keep up the good work Holy Family! 🙌✨
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💻🔐 Learning to Be Safe Online! 📱🌐 Today, Stage 1 students took part in an engaging Digital Safety incursion, exploring how to stay safe, respectful and responsible when using technology and navigating the online world. 🛡️✨ Students learnt about making safe choices online, protecting their personal information and recognising situations where they may need to ask a trusted adult for help. 👩🏫💬 It was a valuable and interactive day, helping our students build the knowledge and confidence they need to become safe and responsible digital citizens! 🌟💻
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🌏 Global Environments | Year 6 🐚🌿 On Tuesday, Year 6 embarked on a hands-on “Global Environments” excursion to Clifton Gardens, exploring how climate, vegetation and human impact shape our world. 🌱🌊 Throughout the day, students discovered the cultural and ecological importance of World Heritage sites and learned how deeply humans depend on natural environments for essential food and resources. 🌍💚 Students put their learning into practice through a range of hands-on experiences, including building beach shelters 🏖️, trying hand-reel fishing 🎣, experimenting with waterworks 💧, and catching bugs 🐛 to investigate local biodiversity. It was a fantastic day of learning, exploration and discovery! 🔎🌿🌊
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Year 2 has been exploring time in Maths! ⏰ We looked at clocks 🕰️ learning how to read o'clock, half past, quarter-to, and quarter-past times. 🕘 Halfway through, we switched gears! ⚙️ Now we are looking at the duration of different events ⏱️ and will be exploring a calendar 📅 to countdown to different events... we might start with working out how many school days until the holidays!! 🎒➡️🏖️ 🎭 Year 3 Drama Literacy 🎭 During Drama Literacy, Year 3 explored the idea of accidents through the familiar story of Humpty Dumpty 🥚✨. Students used their bodies to embody different types of accidents, thinking creatively about how each situation might look and feel. They then explored the emotions of shock, determination, terror and pride 😲💪😱🌟, using facial expressions, body movements and poses to communicate each feeling — all without saying a word! 🎭👏
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Heavenly Father, You entrusted Your Son Jesus to the care of Joseph, an earthly father. Bless all fathers and father figures as they care for their families. Give them strength and wisdom, tenderness and patience. Support them in their daily work, and let Your face shine upon them with grace and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏻 Wishing all the special men in the Holy Family community a happy Father’s Day⭐️💙⭐️
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From Facebook
💙 A special morning celebrating all the incredible people who take on the role of a father in our children’s lives! 💙 We started our morning with a delicious Father’s Day Breakfast, bringing our school community together for smiles, laughter and precious moments shared with the special dads, grandfathers, stepdads and father figures who mean so much to our students. 🍳☕️👨👧👦 We then gathered for a beautiful Father’s Day Mass, giving thanks for the love, guidance, support and encouragement our dads and father figures provide each day. 🙏✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make our morning so special. 💙 Happy Father’s Day to all our amazing dads and father figures! 🌟💙 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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🐠🦘 Year 2 Goes WILD! 🐊🐧 Today, our Year 2 students headed off on an exciting adventure to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo! 🌊🦁 From discovering incredible underwater creatures 🐟🐢 to getting up close with some of Australia’s amazing wildlife 🦘🐨, our students had a fantastic day of learning, exploring and making memories together! 💙✨ What a WILD day for Year 2! 🌏🐾🎉
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Celebrating Our School Community, Safely 💙 You may begin to notice some changes in the way we share photos of our students on our public social media pages. We love giving our families a glimpse into school life and celebrating the learning, achievements, friendships, faith experiences and special moments that make our community so wonderful. However, as technology continues to evolve, particularly with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and the ways images can be accessed, altered and shared online, we are becoming increasingly mindful of how we share identifiable images of our students publicly. Our students’ privacy and online safety must always come first. Don’t worry, our socials aren’t disappearing! We will continue to celebrate all the wonderful things happening across our school, from learning and sporting achievements to liturgies, excursions, performances and special events. You may simply notice fewer full-face or individually identifiable photographs of students appearing on our public social media pages. 📱 Families won’t miss out! More photos and special moments will be shared directly with our families through Compass, providing a more appropriate space for us to celebrate and share our students’ experiences. The way we share may be changing, but there will certainly be no shortage of wonderful things to celebrate. 💙 Thank you for supporting us as we continue to navigate an ever-changing digital world while keeping the safety, privacy and wellbeing of our students at the centre of our decisions. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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💛 Support Staff Appreciation Week 💛 Today we celebrated our amazing support staff and the incredible difference they make every day. From supporting learning and navigating big emotions to offering encouragement and care, they are such an important part of our Holy Family community. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🎶📚 A SYMPHONY OF STORIES! 📚🎶 Today, our school was filled with characters, creativity and a whole lot of BOOK WEEK MAGIC! ✨📖🎭 In celebration of Children’s Book Week 2026 and this year’s theme, ‘Symphony of Stories’, our students brought the pages of their favourite books to life! 🌟 Just like a symphony brings together different instruments to create something wonderful, stories bring together different characters, voices, adventures and ideas to create a world of imagination. 🎶📚💫 From magical creatures and courageous heroes to much-loved storybook characters, our school was certainly making some beautiful literary music today! 🧙♀️🦸♂️🐻📚 A huge thank you to our wonderful families and staff for helping make today such a special celebration of the joy of reading. 💛 🎶 Every story has a voice. Every book has an adventure. Together, they create our Symphony of Stories! 📖✨ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese