Principal
Principal's Message
Term 4 is well underway. Over the October holiday period, parts of our external school environment encountered a brush with the mural man! Our local Moree community features much of his work showcasing our town and its businesses. Our school murals are located on the school entry to the admin block, canteen area, BBQ and sports shed. Part of a staged upgrade to our IT network was commenced and new ceiling and lighting was installed in the Kindergarten learning spaces. The Christmas holidays will see the refurbishment of the K-2 toilet block and the start of phase 2 of the air conditioning upgrade.
St Philomena’s was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1898. Mother Aloysius and five sisters arrived in Moree on April 18, 1898. The order of the Sisters of Mercy was founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. Catherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. In 1824 she used her inheritance from an Irish couple she had served for twenty years to build a large House of Mercy where she and other laywomen would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick, dying and educate poor girls. The House on Baggot Street opened in 1827. To give these efforts greater stability, Catherine and her co-workers founded a new religious congregation. On December 12 1831, she and two others professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy. Before her death on 11 November 1841, Catherine founded convents and works of mercy throughout Ireland and England.
Over the recent holiday break, as part of a group of staff from the Armidale Diocese, we were privileged to visit the House of Mercy where Catherine McAuley’s works of mercy commenced. As a catholic, educated by the Sisters of Mercy and leading a school founded by the Sisters of Mercy, this was a very powerful and significant experience, closing the educational Mercy circle for myself.
Today the Sisters of Mercy are in over 40 countries, serving in a multitude of ministries with an ever growing group of Associates, volunteers and partners in Ministry, all continuing in the spirit of Catherine McAuley.
Operational Changes to School Access prior to 8:25am
St Philomena's School is committed to providing a safe environment for all our students when they are in the duty of care of the school.
At St Philomena’s School the inclusive period of supervision (duty of care) for a regular school day is between the operational hours of:
8:25am - 3:20pm or until the last bus leaves for secondary students
8:30am - 3:20pm or until the last bus leaves for primary students
Parents and guardians have responsibility for their children
travelling to and from school
supervising before and after the operational hours of the school
Due to the increased amount of students arriving to the school grounds from as early as 7:45am significant concern from staff for the safety and welfare of unsupervised students is present.
As of Monday 14 October 2019, school entry points will not be open for student access until 8:25am.
Planning for 2020
Our 2020 planning needs information from our parent community. OTHER THAN students in Year 6 and Year 10, if you know that your child/children will not be returning to St Philomena’s in 2020, please complete the form below. We appreciate your early notification.
https://forms.gle/8yxoscqjJCXeq7yR8
DROUGHT RELIEF
At this time of drought which is affecting so many in our community, the school and The Catholic Schools Office are aware that some families may be suffering hardship. Families whose income has been affected by the current drought are asked to contact the Principal to discuss any assistance that the school may be able to offer.
