Principal's Message

Dear St Philomena's Community,

Welcome back to what is sure to be a busy and exciting Term 4. I hope you all had a refreshing break and are ready for the final term of the school year.

A huge thank you to everyone for your incredible patience and support throughout our recent building project. It is fantastic to finally be in our new buildings! Our staff and students are absolutely loving the modern, flexible learning spaces, and it’s a joy to see them being used so effectively to enhance learning.

This term, we are delighted to formally welcome back Mr Christopher S to our secondary teaching team. Mr Sims will be with us for the remainder of the year. We also extend a very warm welcome to Mrs Gloria S, who has joined our secondary team as an English teacher. We are thrilled to have them both with us.

It was wonderful to welcome our prospective 2026 Kindergarten students and their families for their first transition session this past Wednesday. The children had a fantastic time exploring our school and meeting some of their future classmates. While the students were having fun, parents participated in an informative session hosted by Mrs O'Neill, with valuable contributions from local Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists. It was a great start to their journey at St Philomena's, and we look forward to seeing them all again soon.

At our recent School Advisory Council meeting, we recognised two of our dedicated members, Mr Chris Hartin and Mrs Samantha Hart, who will be finishing their time on the Council at the end of this year. We sincerely thank them for their wisdom, service, and commitment to our school.

This creates an opportunity for new members to join, and we are now seeking nominations from interested individuals to be considered as representatives on our SAC.

The School Advisory Council (SAC) is a vital parent group that provides a wonderful opportunity for members of our school and parish community to support the mission of Catholic education at St Philomena's. The SAC's role is fundamentally advisory.

Working with myself and our Parish Priest, the members of the Council provide guidance and support to the wider school community. It is a way for community members to participate in a collaborative service through the sharing of wisdom. While the day-to-day leadership and management of the school remains my responsibility as Principal, the SAC advises on important areas such as:

• The school's Catholic identity, ethos, and mission.
• Pastoral care strategies.
• Supporting opportunities for parent engagement in student learning.

If you have a genuine desire to serve our school community and can work collaboratively and constructively with others, we would love to hear from you. Please contact the school office to express your interest or to receive more information.

On Wednesday 22nd October we had the pleasure of watching our very own Leo Tapscott perform in the 100m at Sydney Olympic Park via Livestream. It was a fantastic race to watch in which Leo placed 21st in the state, such a phenomenal achievement!. 

St Philomena’s school is extremely proud of his achievement. 

Yesterday, Friday 24th October, four primary students participated in a trial for the Armidale Diocesan Cricket Team, this is a great opportunity to participate at a higher representative level. We are very excited to announce that Elsie Sullivan was selected into the Dio Team! 

We wish our Year 9 students all the best as they head off on their excursion to Sydney this Monday. We know they will be fantastic ambassadors for our school and hope they have a safe, fun, and memorable trip.

Wishing all our families a wonderful weekend.

Alistair Stewart

Principal