Principal's Message

Dear Staff, Students, Parents and Carers,

Looking back over the past fortnight (Weeks 5 & 6) our school community has been provided with a taste of 'normality', with a range of normal or typical school events being experienced by our students (obviously with lengthy COVID Safety Plans to accompany them). Some of these exciting events included:

Excursions to Lake Ainsworth (Year 10) and Lake Keepit (Year 6)
NAIDOC Week Liturgy (Including a flag raising and smoking ceremony)
Field trip to Myall Creek (Year 8)
Transition days (2021 Kindergarten and Year 7 students)
Secondary Touch Football Tournament (Year 7 & 9)
Primary Touch Football and Netball Gala Day in Tamworth (Year 3 - 6)

It is with excitement that I announce the permanent appointment of Mrs Katie Sullivan to the St Philomena's Professional Learning Community. Katie will commence her employment with us at the beginning of the 2021 academic school year and brings with her an extensive knowledge and expertise in secondary mathematics (Year 7 - 12). Katie's appointment is part of our strategic school improvement strategy to enhance the academic outcomes for our students in mathematics and will provide additional professional depth and support to Miss Phoebe Lam who has led secondary mathematics over the past two years.

I would like to wish all of our Year 3 - 6 students participating in the Touch Football & Netball Gala Day in Tamworth today, good luck! Thank you to Mr O'Donnell for his organisation of this day. A 6am departure, a day of competition and a 6pm return, makes for a full day of fun and excitement. No doubt all students involved will sleep well tonight.

Congratulations to our Year 3 students that received the sacrament of First Holy Communion on Sunday 15th November. Thank you to Mrs Davison and the Year 3 Leaders of Learning for their involvement and preparation of our students for this special event in their faith journey. Thank you also to Father Abmar for celebrating a very special mass for our students on Sunday.

Throughout 2020, in consultation and with support of the Catholic Schools Office and the St Philomena's School Advisory Council, I have been exploring a number of exciting options for further enhancing the learning opportunities (and physical conditions) for our students at St Philomena's, with a specific focus on our Secondary (Year 7 - 10) area of learning. Commencing in 2021, the current Learning Centre (Library) will be transformed into a Secondary Innovative Learning Centre, providing a modern and contemporary learning environment for our secondary students. In 2021, the transformed learning environment will be used predominantly by our Stage 4 students (Year 7 & 8) in the curriculum areas of English, Mathematics, Religion, Digital Technology, History and Geography. In order to make way for this exciting learning environment, the current Learning Centre, will be relocated to the School's Parish Hall, where it will shortly receive a necessary internal makeover and be transformed into a modern and contemporary learning space for our students. We anticipate that the renovations to the new learning centre will be completed by approximately Week 4-5 of Term 1.

We have also been meeting with an architect from Tamworth regarding an upgrade to our Music Building. Plans and specific details regarding this exciting project are still being finalised, however, some of the improvements planned include:

Recording Studio
Soundproof practice rooms
Modern and contemporary open learning environment
Improved electrical and wiring for enhanced sound and performance
Editing and mixing studio (including specialised IT equipment)

I look forward to sharing approved draft plans with the school community over the coming weeks. All going well with negotiations between the Architect, the Catholic Schools Office and a final approval from the Bishop, we could look to commence the work after the completion of the new Learning Centre in early to mid term 1. I would like to thank Mr Gary McSweeney (Catholic Schools Office) and the members of the St Philomena's School Advisory Council for their support regarding these exciting opportunities for our St Philomena's Learning Community.

God bless,

Jamie McDowall

Principal