Principal's Message

Dear St Philomena’s Community,

Welcome back to the first newsletter for Term 4. It has been a busy fortnight here at St Philomena’s. It has been great to walk through our classrooms, observe our young people learning, and see them reconnect for the final term of the academic year.

Even though we are in Term 4, the intensity of learning does not slow down. Our students have been engaging in new units of work and working through the learning process. As parents, it helps to discuss with your children what they are learning in each subject area. As teachers, we aim not only for students to recall facts or remember processes; we also aim for them to utilise new learning in different contexts. A simple example is recalling our times tables. Yes, it is important that we can recall facts, but the ultimate test is using them in different ways; in this context, recalling basic facts to answer worded questions that involve division. Therefore, the key is not just mastering recall, but applying this knowledge in other contexts. So as we progress through this term, please ask your children about their learning, and how that learning will help them in other ways.

This week we welcomed our 2027 kindergarten students for their first transition session. It was wonderful to see them engage with our staff and students, and we look forward to their return on Wednesday.

Our new Year 7 students will be joining us for their first transition sessions. To help them feel comfortable and confident, we will run three half-day transition days in Term 4. The three half days will be Tuesday 3rd November, Tuesday 10th November and Tuesday 17th November.

These half days are designed to help them feel comfortable and familiar with our school setting. They will: Navigate the school, learn the new routines, and get a sense of what a day in secondary school looks like; meet the teachers and staff who will be guiding them in Year 7; explore some of the subjects that will be part of their new curriculum.

At St Philomena’s, the uniform shop will operate differently in 2027. Armidale Catholic Schools has worked with our school to appoint a contractor to manage our uniform shop. Through this process, Alinta has been appointed as this provider. Alinta is currently the provider of most of our uniforms. We will maintain a physical uniform store here at St Philomena’s. They will upgrade the current uniform shop to revitalise the space and make it more inviting. Online ordering and face-to-face sales will be available. As we get closer to the end of the year, we will share with you the extended opening hours and days for the beginning of 2027. Until then, our current ordering processes via Compass or face-to-face will continue.

To conclude my principal's news this fortnight, I would like to draw your attention to a fantastic resource that Pope Leo distributes each month. This is his monthly prayer. This month Pope Leo dedicated his October prayer intention to mental health ministry, calling on the Church to listen without judging and accompany those who suffer without excluding them.

Pray with the Pope: For mental health ministry | October 2026

As a school community, it is important to keep working together, praying together, and doing our best to support our young people through their educational journey.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Kind regards & Best wishes

Alistair Stewart

Principal