FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents, Carers, and Friends of St Nicholas’,

First Reconciliation and Eucharist  

This weekend is a milestone occasion for our Year 3 students as they receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. They have spent the last few weeks preparing diligently, and you can feel the excitement in the air for our Masses this Saturday night and Sunday morning.

I would like to thank our wonderful Year 3 teachers—Kellie Whitbread, Lauren Fisher, and Elissa Cameron—for guiding the students so beautifully through their preparation. A huge thank you also goes to our AP/REC, Amanda Scott, for her incredible oversight and coordination. And finally, thank you to Fr. Chris, who will be celebrating these special Masses for us over the weekend. Please join me in wishing our Year 3 students the very best for the Masses over the weekend. 

Exhibition of the Blessed Saint Carlo Acutis 

This week our school has had the immense privilege of hosting a truly unique faith experience: the St. Carlo Acutis Travelling Exhibition.

Born out of a vision by Bishop Peter Murphy, this pilgrimage brought the inspiring story of the world’s first millennial Saint directly to our K-6 students. Carlo Acutis was a modern, tech-savvy teenager who loved computers and web programming, but who ultimately used his everyday talents to turn his focus toward God. Our students found him to be a wonderfully relatable role model for faith in the modern world.

Throughout this week, classes visited two reverently transformed spaces, hosted by the enthusiastic team from the Immaculata Community:

• The Auditorium: Students explored the vibrant exhibition detailing St. Carlo’s life, digital projects, and incredible works.
• The Seminar Room: This space was transformed into a sacred, peaceful environment for student reflection and Adoration, where many students experienced beautiful moments of quiet prayer.
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A Special Note on the Relic: The Bishop’s tour resources remarkably include an actual relic of Saint Carlo. While we enjoyed learning about his legacy through the exhibition last week, the relic itself will be arriving at St. Nicholas Church a little later this term for our Year 5 & 6 students to visit.

It has been a beautiful week of spiritual growth, and we are so proud of how reverently our students engaged with this special event.

Visit from Armidale Catholic Schools Director Regina Menz 

Yesterday, we were lucky enough to receive a visit from our Armidale Catholic Schools Director, Regina Menz. It was an absolute pleasure to conduct a Learning Walk with Regina, showcasing the incredible work happening across all of our calm and productive learning spaces. A particular highlight was visiting Kindergarten, where our youngest students eagerly shared their knowledge about the different materials used to build houses.

Have a wonderful week, 

Peter Flynn