Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

As we move through this busy fortnight, it is encouraging to see our primary and secondary students focused on their learning. This is an important part of the school term, with many assessments taking place across all year levels. Our students are working steadily, and it is rewarding to see their academic growth and progress.

It was also great to enjoy a long weekend last week with the King’s Birthday public holiday on Monday. Since returning, our school calendar has been full of practical learning experiences outside the classroom.

This week, we have a group of students representing our school at the first Wii Gaay Learning Hub for 2026 in Coffs Harbour. This year, the focus for these learning hubs is to create a book titled “50 pages of Deadly”, which will be available for students and teachers across our Armidale Catholic Schools to borrow. During their time at the hub, our students are operating as “Writers in Residence”—clever writers working directly on the drafts of their own pages.

During Science this term, our Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4) students have studied a unit titled ‘From Plant to Pizza’, investigating where and how our food and fibre are grown and processed. To complement this learning, they went on an excursion yesterday, Thursday 18 June, touring the Vitonga Farms Orange Orchard and the Midkin Cotton Gin. On the excursion, Stage 2 explored how plants are irrigated and harvested to become food and fibre. At Midkin, they were shown the processes involved in growing and harvesting cotton, while at Vitonga Farms, they visited the orchard and observed the specific farming practices used to produce oranges.

Looking ahead to next week, our Year 6 students will travel to Narrabri next Tuesday for the Science and Engineering Challenge, where they will apply their problem-solving and teamwork skills to practical activities.

In our secondary years, several of our Year 9 and 10 students will engage in Work Experience over the next fortnight. We wish them well as they enter the local workforce, gaining practical experience in different occupations and exploring future career paths.

Yesterday, during our Secondary assembly, we spoke with students about the idea that education is a gift to be nurtured. We explained that every student has someone in their life who has made sacrifices so they could receive an education at St Philomena’s School. We want our students to take hold of every opportunity available to them so they can grow and achieve their potential.

The assembly was also an opportunity to acknowledge our student community's efforts. A number of our Year 9 and 10 students presented dance items and shared presentations that they recently performed at the Moree Plains Shire Council’s “One Stage, One Community” showcase on June 14.

This focus on character and personal growth aligns closely with the message in Pope Leo's latest encyclical. The Holy Father reminds us that when technical efficiency becomes the sole measure of success, we risk viewing ourselves as projects to be optimised rather than as individuals called to community and genuine relationship. He encourages us to protect the inherent dignity of human life—a quality no machine can replicate. At St Philomena’s, we aim to reflect this teaching by prioritising real relationships, mutual respect and the growth of the whole person.

We have two major events scheduled for the final week of Term 2: our NAIDOC Week celebrations and our K-10 Athletics Carnival.

St Philomena's will celebrate NAIDOC Week in Week 11, running from Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July 2026, under the theme "NAIDOC Week: 50 Years Deadly".

The schedule of events includes:

Monday 29 June: Open Classrooms from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm, followed by the Opening Ceremony at 12:00 pm. Parents and carers are welcome to attend.
Tuesday 30 June: Deadly Australians Research Activity (an in-school student activity only).
Wednesday 1 July: Secondary Touch Football Day against students from Moree Secondary College and the Toni Palmer Shield, in Inverell, for selected Years 3–6 students. A Family Curry Night for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families will run from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with parents and carers welcome.
Thursday 2 July: Culture Day (in-school student activities only). K–10 students will form a flag shape for a drone photograph. Students are asked to wear specific colours for the day: Yellow for K–2, Red for Years 3–6, and Black for Years 7–10.
Friday 3 July: Our K–10 Athletics Carnival and the Deadly Australians Showcase. This is the last day of Term 2, and parents and carers are warmly invited to join us to support the students.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our school community.

God Bless

Alistair Stewart

Principal