Diocesan News
Spirit Of Catholic Education Awards
Nominations are now open for the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2025.
Please nominate outstanding staff, students and volunteers across our Diocese for an award!
Nominations close: 11th April, 2025
2025 Students as Authors Writing Competition
The 2025 writing competition is now open for all students in the Diocese of Armidale Catholic Schools. The competition celebrates students and their creative writing talents across four age based categories.
Winning entrants will have the opportunity to work with illustrator, Trish Donald, to develop their story into an ebook published for an audience of 250,000 Catholic education students across 15 Diocese. Please promote the competition with your school community and support students to enter. Entries close Friday 30th May.
ACS Primary & Secondary Swimming
On Friday, 28th February, students from Primary and Secondary participated in Armidale Catholic Schools Primary and Secondary combined Swimming Carnival in Gunnedah. Two hundred and eighty-eight students from the majority of our primary and secondary schools competed. We had many children break their personal best times, compete with big smiles and display fantastic sportsmanship throughout the day.
We had a few students break the Armidale Diocesan Swimming records:
St Xaviers Gunnedah Jnr Girls Relay 2:33.95
Josh Spinks - Boys 200IM 12-14yrs 2:42.00
Josh Spinks - Boys 100M Breaststroke 12-13yrs 1:26-62
Abbey Trewern - Girls 17yrs 100m Breaststroke 1:26.76
Abbey Trewern - Girls 17yrs 200IM 2:46.71
2025 Champion & Runners Up
Junior Boy Champion: Lewis Mainey
Junior Boy Runner-up: Jimmy Fitzgerald
Junior Girls Champion: Belle Nichols
Junior Girls Runner-Up: Matilda Ramien
11 years Boy Champion: Wyatt Shorter
11 years Boy Runner up: Banjo Fitzgerald
11 years Girls Champion: Zara Correy
11 years Girls Runner Up: Pippa Wark
Senior Boy Champion: Edward Carolan
Senior Boy Runner-up: Alex Bijnens
Senior Girls Champion: Georgia King
Senior Girls Runner-Up: Sara Scott
2025 Secondary Champions
17+ years Girl Champion: Abbey Trewern
16 years Boy Champion: Lachlan Gurney
16 years Girls Champion: Lily Stewart
15 years Boy Champion: Cooper Whitton
15 years Girls Champion: Tahnee Steele
14 years Boy Champion: Edward McCann
14 years Girls Champion: Caitlyn Costello
12/13 years Boy Champion: Josh Spinks
12/13 years Girls Champion: Hannah Akinyemi
Carnivals like this only happen with a village of helpers—there are way too many to mention. Thank you all for your contributions to making the carnival a huge success.
The Armidale Diocesan Primary Swim Team will travel to the Sydney Aquatic Centre in Homebush on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025, to compete in the NSWCPS Swimming Championships.
The Armidale Diocesan Secondary Swim Team will also travel to the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre in Homebush on Wednesday, April 2nd and Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, to compete in the NSWCCC Swimming Championships.
A full report of results can be found by <<CLICKING HERE>>
ACS CAPA grant information
As most of you may be aware, in 2018 Armidale Catholic Schools introduced the new support of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) grant that is available for all Primary and Secondary schools. The CAPA grant is a funding model that provides opportunities for schools or outside programs to design experiences that extend our young people's learning in this curriculum area. Further information can be found through the staff portal under the Mission & Learning Central; Curriculum; Creative Arts. Many examples on the CAPA website provide creative ways to implement this CAPA funding initiative into your school. Please feel free to get in contact with Heidi Hardaker hlebrocq@arm.catholic.edu.au if you have any further questions or requires upport throughout the application process.