Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week has been an exciting one for us at St. Philomena's as we had the pleasure of hosting a number of visits from several staff members of the Catholic Schools Office. Their presence has brought a fresh perspective and valuable insights to our school community.

On Monday, we welcomed Miss Eli Simpson, Subject Matter Expert Strong Teams and Student Agency, who has been collaborating with our Year 10 students on developing a robust and sustainable process for incorporating authentic 'student voice' into shaping school improvements. I would like to express my gratitude to our Year 10 leaders for their maturity, active participation, and honesty in this new and valuable initiative. Their efforts align strongly with the Diocese of Armidale Living Well, Learning Well framework and the student survey conducted by our students in year 5 to year 10 earlier this term.  Miss Simpson is also working with the Year 10 students from Holy Trinity School, Inverell as part of a 'System of Schools' initiative involving student voice/agency.  Miss Simpson will continue to collaborate with our students throughout the rest of the year and will share her findings towards the end of the academic year.

Additionally, we were honored to welcome Mr. David Condon, Acting Director of Schools from the Diocese of Armidale. This marked David's first visit to St. Philomena's, and he was thoroughly impressed by the high levels of student engagement demonstrated across all grade levels, from Kindergarten to Year 10. Mr Condon commended our school for effectively implementing system initiatives, which are visibly and deeply embedded within our curriculum. As a result, our students have shown significant growth in their learning outcomes.

We are proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together as a learning community. These achievements would not have been possible without the support and dedication of our wonderful staff, students, and parents. Let us continue to work collaboratively to create an environment where every student can thrive and reach their full potential.

Attached are two letters regarding the demolition of the 'Parish Hall' (as a result of flood damage to the foundations) and the necessary removal of one of the fig trees located at the Boston Street entrance (which has caused damage to underground utilities associated with the school).  For more details please see the attached letters.

I would like to wish all our families a safe and relaxing long weekend.  Enjoy your time together as a family.

God bless

Jamie McDowall

Principal