Term 2, Week 6B - Monday 2nd June, 2025

What's On This Week

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Thank you for the Qualtrics feedback, One continued parental concern raised is the absence of a school hall and the primary playground. We have great news regarding the primary playground, as it will be renovated in the Christmas holidays. The company involved is unable to do the renovations until the weather is very hot and they have a period of access to complete the works. Regarding the hall, we are assured by CEDB Facilities that it is a priority, and involves enormous planning, stakeholders, and financial obligation. 

Thank you for the wonderful feedback regarding the Administration office area. We have one more step to go with making sure that no threatening intruder can have direct access to our students. The renovations whilst providing essential access for wheelchairs and prams, have also improved the safety of our students. 

Last Friday I had the utmost honour to attend the Indigenous Veterans Anzac Ceremony in Hyde Park with 6 of our students, Mr Colemane, Mr Chris and Mrs Hubber. It was a significant experience for our students, some of whom had never been on a plane, ferry or beyond the Blue Mountains. Our school is the only Catholic School in NSW who were invited as guests of honor. This acknowledgement is a tribute to the extent of cultural appreciation, acceptance and inclusivity that is highly evident in our school community.   

Last week we hosted the Rotary Breakfast - an event we look forward to each Term. This is a privilege for our staff to serve those who give so much to our community. Our students are continually supported by Rotary through scholarships and our Seikei Student Exchange Program. They are such amazing people who give so much to our community. 

Have a wonderful week!

God Bless, 

Michelle Deschamps - Principal

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal

Welcome to another edition of the St Raphael’s School Newsletter. Obviously, communication is very important to our school and we try to be as transparent and accommodating as possible. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide information to our school community not only about what is happening in the school but also to provide a gateway into what we believe in and what our culture is at St Raphael's Catholic School.

Our Annual School Improvement Plan has a focus of enhancing our school culture so that we become a first choice school in our community. As a school, we recognise that a positive and strong culture of high expectations and opportunities grants our students the keys to success. It provides our staff with a workplace that is nurturing and thriving. We are constantly looking at ways to provide this enhancement of culture and the main priority has to be a learning environment that allows students to learn in a safe and challenging environment. We want our students to be motivated to succeed and to feel that St Raphael’s is a welcoming school. 

This has been witnessed in a number of ways over the past week. The interactions between staff and students through preparation and performance in the Eisteddfod has fostered positive relationships and a strong work ethic as everyone realizes that only by working together and working hard will success be guaranteed.

We started this week with a mixed Fast 5 Netball competition from Year 7 to Year 12.  I say mixed because not only was it male/female but staff and mixed years were all involved. The laughter and good natured sportsmanship made everyone in attendance (which was the majority of the secondary school!) smile and want to share the different experiences.

We are interviewing prospective new enrolments for Year 7 2026 this week and this is an important process for our school. Each student who wants to join St Raph's has taken part in a number of experience days and agrees to our school expectations. We welcome all students and families who share our beliefs on providing a quality education for all. We make no apologies for our high standards as we believe that by maintaining our standards students will rise to the occasion as they experience what we do here at St Raphael's. This continues into school behavioural expectations from Kindergarten to Year 12 where we have processes in place that we believe ensures that St Raphael’s is a school of choice.

David Wickham - Assistant Principal

Eisteddfod Excellence

Fast 5 Netball

Faith, Mission & Learning

A Message of Peace: Inspired by Pope Leo 

Bishop Michael reminds us of the enduring message of Pope Leo. He is quickly becoming a pope known not only for his strength and leadership but also for his unwavering hope for peace among all people. 

Pope Leo discerns that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice, compassion and faith in God's guiding hand. This echoes the powerful words of Scripture, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.’ (Matthew 5:9)

May we use Leo’s wisdom and be inspired to:

• Be agents of reconciliation in our homes, schools, and communities.
• Pray and act for justice, knowing that true peace is built on fairness and dignity for all.
• Embrace Christ’s peace in our hearts, and share that peace generously.
  

Let us continue to follow in the footsteps of those, like Pope Leo, who are planting seeds of hope and unity through faith, courage and love.

Gabrielle Bruin - Leader of Faith, Mission & Learning

Year 6 Research Task on St Thomas

Administration

Scholastic Book Club

A reminder that Book Club orders are due (online or order form and money dropped into the school) by this Friday 6th June. 

School Photos

Individual Student Shoot/Access Keys for the ordering of School Photos will go home with students tomorrow, with online orders open from 3rd June till 17th June.  If you have any ordering questions or issues please contact CSP directly admin@cspnsw.com.au or 6342 3070.

Optional Extra for Secondary - Student ID Cards

When placing orders for school photos, Secondary families will now have an additional option to select (if you wish)...Student ID cards.

These cards will be printed with your secondary child’s 2025 school photo, their name and date of birth.

Student ID cards can be used as proof of age, as well as proof of being a student, and will enable secondary students to purchase student rate tickets to movie cinemas, as well as concession ticket pricing when travelling on public transport.

From the Library

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The 2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun in the Library. All students from Year 2-4 will be completing the challenge during their Library Lessons. If there are any students in Year 5 or above who wish to complete the challenge this year, please see Miss Pearce or Mrs Scott in the Library and we can add you in.

Infants Library Books

Our Infants students certainly love borrowing a book each week from the Library to enjoy at home. They do this either during their designated Library Lesson each fortnight or during a short Library Lesson. To ensure this continues to happen easily and smoothly, we ask that all Infants (Kinder-Year 2) return their books in their Library bags to school every Monday.   Many thanks

Library Opening Times

The Library is open from 8:30am-8:50am and 1:30pm-1:55pm Monday-Thursday. All students K-12 are welcome to come to the Library at these times to borrow books, read a book, complete activities and play games in a quiet place. 

Nicole Twohill-Scott - Librarian 

Infants & Primary Curriculum

Year 1 has been diving into a book study of The Great Rabbit Chase by Freya Blackwood – a heartwarming narrative about a cheeky rabbit who escapes and leads a group of characters on an unexpected journey. As we explored the story, students discovered how narratives include problems and resolutions, and we worked together to create a class story map. Taking this one step further, the children designed their very own story maps in the form of board games! They combined their knowledge of the story with measurement skills to accurately space out the game paths, adding key features and events from the book. It’s been a wonderful way to blend literacy, creativity and numeracy in a fun and meaningful way!  

Tayla Harding and Jodie Colemane - Year 1 Teachers

Wellbeing & Enrichment

Bronze Level - Positive Certificates

Congratulations to the following students who have reached Bronze Level!

Austin Thomas, Azariah Lal, Ryder Muddle

Secondary Sport

Secondary students at St Raphael’s Catholic School had another busy couple of weeks on the sporting fields. For a small school we produce some amazing athletes experiencing success at local and representative level.

Our Year 10 girls continue to enjoy the Ready2Rally tennis program run by Helen Garrett and Tennis Australia and our elite athletes continue their hard work in the school Fitness Centre as part of our High Performance Training Program run by Ryan Downing from RAD Gym.

Diocesan Basketball Gala Day (Senior Boys)

On Friday 30th May, our senior boys basketball team traveled to Bathurst for the Diocesan Basketball Gala Day held on the indoor courts at Charles Sturt University. The boys were matched up against much larger schools in James Sheahan Catholic School (Orange), St John’s Catholic College (Dubbo) and Red Bend Catholic College (Forbes). Our boys put up a good fight in all games showing they belong at this level, but were unable to come away with a win. Along with demonstrating impressive skills on the day, the boys teamwork, positive attitude and support of each other throughout the day could not be matched. Well done to Samuel Tydd, Layne Horton (Year 9), Deakin Horton (Year 11), Seamus McCormick, John Van Rheede, Jack Campbell, Will Campbell, Lucas Bryant (Year 12).

NSWCCC Netball Championships

Emma Tremble (Under 15s) and Laura Price (Opens) represented the Bathurst Diocese at their respective NSWCCC Netball Championships at Penrith Valley Regional Sporting Complex on Thursday 29th May and Friday 29th May. Having two girls from St Raphael’s Catholic School playing at this level is a major achievement. Well done Emma & Laura!

NSWCCC Soccer Championships

Laura Price represented Southern Country at the NSWCCC Soccer Championships. The championships were held over two days on Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th May at Valentine Sport Park in Glenwood. Well done Laura!

Upcoming Secondary Sport Dates

Diocesan Teams Tennis Gala Day - held at Orange Ex-Services Tennis Complex on Friday 6th June 

NSWCCC Cross Country Championships - held at Sydney international Equestrian Centre on Wednesday 11th June 

Diocesan Soccer Gala Day (Opens) - held at Jack Brabham Park Soccer Fields on Thursday 12th June 

Diocesan Netball Gala Day - held at Orange PCYC on Friday 25th July

Andrew Phelan - Secondary Sport Coordinator

Duke of Edinburgh Award 

On Sunday 18th & Sunday 19th May our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award team embarked on their first overnight hike in Nangar National Park. On Day 1 the students climbed Mt Murga carrying all of their required equipment including tents, stoves, clothing, water and food. They retreated to Terrara Creek Campground where they set up their own shelter and cooked dinner before swapping stories and trying to keep warm around the fire. On Day 2, they were treated to bacon and egg jaffles cooked on the open fire by Mr Phelan, packed up camp and climbed Mt Nangar. Well done to Imogen Longhurst, Samuel Tydd, Oliver Tydd, Patrick Twigg, Sam Kollas, William Allan, Dominic Bryant, Layne Horton, Joshua Morrison and thank you to Mrs Cassandra Bennett for her support on another great hike. 

Year Excursions 

Secondary students at St Raphael’s Catholic School embark on annual year excursions. These are valuable educational experiences that offer students opportunities for personal growth, skill development and enhanced social interaction, all while being away from the classroom environment. They foster confidence, resilience and independence, whilst also creating lasting memories and deepening connections with peers. The dates for upcoming camps are as follows:

Year 7 Camp - held at Lake Burrendong Sport and Recreation Centre on Thursday 4th & Friday 5th December 

Year 8 Camp - held at Borambola Sport and Recreation Centre on Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th October 

Year 9 & 10 Camp - held at Teen Ranch Cobbitty from Monday 30th June to Friday 4th July 2025

Canteen

Council of Catholic School Parents