Term 3, Week 6B- Monday 25 August, 2025

What's On This Week

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Last week I attended the National Catholic Educational Conference in Cairns. With so many Catholic Principals across Australia in attendance, it was a timely reminder of the value of Catholic Education for our students. 

As you consider the educational journey for your children, from Kindergarten through to Year 12, we believe it's important to look beyond just the academic year. Education is a journey that shapes individuals for life, and Catholic schools are committed to educating the whole person to support the development of well-rounded individuals who will succeed, be happy, and confident throughout their lives. Recent comprehensive research sheds light on the significant, lifelong advantages associated with attending a Catholic school.

The pioneering study, "Lifelong Benefits of Catholic Schooling," utilised data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. This unique survey tracks a large, representative sample of Australians over their lifetimes, collecting data on a wide array of areas, including economic wellbeing, personal health, and community participation. This allowed researchers to investigate the long-term impact of attending a Catholic school on various post-school outcomes.

The research was conducted by a highly qualified team at the Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) at Victoria University, led by Mr Andrew Wade, who has over 20 years of experience in public policy analysis and research in education.

What makes these findings particularly compelling is the rigorous methodology employed. The study carefully controlled for various personal and family characteristics, such as parental educational attainment and occupation types, to isolate the average effect of Catholic schooling from other influencing factors. This means the findings accurately reflect the impact of Catholic schooling itself.

The research identified "positive average Catholic school effects" across numerous post-school outcomes. After accounting for other factors, attendance at a Catholic school was found to have a positive influence on many aspects of life. Compared to individuals who attended government schools, people who attended a Catholic school were found, on average, to experience the following significant benefits (many of which also hold true in comparisons against those who attended an independent school):

• Labour Market Outcomes:

    ◦ More likely to be employed (with 99% confidence compared to government school attendees, and 90% confidence compared to independent school attendees).

    ◦ Earn higher wages (a wage premium for Catholic school attendees compared to government school attendees, estimated between 4% to 11% across various models).

    ◦ More likely to be working in an industry or sector that directly benefits the public (99% confidence for industry, 95% for sector compared to government; 90% for both industry and sector compared to independent school attendees).

• Health and Wellbeing:

    ◦ Have higher life satisfaction (90% confidence compared to government school attendees, and 95% confidence compared to independent school attendees).

    ◦ Have better general health (99% confidence compared to government school attendees).

These findings underscore the profound and lasting impact that a Catholic education can have on your child's future. It's an investment not just in academic achievement, but in developing confident, compassionate, and successful individuals ready to contribute positively to society.

God Bless, 

Michelle Deschamps - Principal

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal

I have been asked by numerous people since I arrived at St Raphael's at the beginning of 2024 what is it like having Infants/Primary students. Coming from a larger secondary school, I must confess to some trepidation about how I would cope or handle 5 and 6 year olds when my experience has been with teenagers up to 18 years old.

The answer I always give is simple, I have been blessed with a gift. The gift being witnessing and experiencing the sheer joy of learning.  I walk into these K-6 classrooms and I am overwhelmed with what they are achieving, I am amazed at the constant sincere welcome, I am astounded by their growth and progress. It is a blessing I have been given and one I enjoy every single day at St Raph’s. This gift and joy is only possible due to our Infants/Primary teachers who deliver amazing lessons and whose care and devotion to our students is something to behold. St Raphael’s continues to provide a quality education across all the years and this is no more evident than in our junior school. 

Speaking of blessings and joy this will continue this week with our annual Book Parade on Wednesday 27th August. I know the Infants/Primary staff and students are pumped! This is a big event for us and parents and the community are more than welcome to come along and witness the parade and the amazing costumes that will be on display. The parade is across the entire school and I must admit to feeling a little dubious to how this would be received by the secondary students but they are also primed to participate. Each homeroom has been preparing and getting ready, making sure their costumes and outfits are set to stun the audience with their care and attention to detail. Once again St Raph’s celebrates who we are in its own unique style.

We spoke to Year 12 students today after they have come back from their trials. We congratulated those students who had done well and had put in the hard work but we also spoke about it is never too late to improve. Just like the Wallabies at Ellis Park a fortnight ago whose first half was not good and were down by 17 points. The Wallabies gathered themselves at halftime, prepared a plan for the second half and then implemented that plan that led them to victory. The same could be said for our Year 12’s, if they have not gone as well as they thought now is the time to gather themselves, put a plan in place and then act upon it. If they do this then success will follow. It is never too late.

David Wickham - Assistant Principal

Senior Leaders for 2026

It was with great pleasure that last week the Senior Leadership group was chosen for 2026. The students excelled in their written application and then interview and it was incredibly difficult discerning who would be finally selected. Each student was spoken to regarding the process and the details and demands of the different positions. The School Leadership Team look forward to working with Captains and Prefects and watching them grow and develop into leaders over the next 12 months.

School Captains for 2026

• Cohan Howden
• Jolene D’Anastasi

Prefects for 2026

• Deakin Horton
• Hannah Fahey-Doolan
• Beth Kollas
• Zoe Doorey

Faith, Mission & Learning

The Brigidine Sisters

Towards the end of Term 3 we will be celebrating our school’s heritage. So I thought it was important to spread some information about our Brigidine heritage. 

As a proud Brigidine school we strive to uphold the educational and spiritual values of the Brigidine charism. We endeavour to uphold St Brigid  as a model of faith and love, and to maintain the Brigidine motto, and that of our school, ‘Strength and Gentleness’.

We at St Raphael’s are committed to justice, equality, and care for people in need because of St Brigid. St. Brigid of Kildare, was known for her hospitality, generosity and dedication to the well-being of others. She established communal religious life for women, and her monastery at Kildare was known for its religious and practical contributions to the community, including farming, craftwork and care for the poor. 

Brigid is also celebrated for her role as a peacemaker, a healer, and a spiritual guide, and she is considered a powerful symbol of Christian womanhood. The Brigidine sisters draw inspiration from the life and legacy of St. Brigid who was known for her hospitality, generosity, and dedication to the well-being of others.

Heritage Day is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate what we have always been, a strong school community supported by the Brigidine motto of ‘Strength and Gentleness’ by raising much needed funds for various charity organisations. As a community we need to follow in St Brigid’s footsteps. “St Brigid was a woman of healing who cared for justice, equality, peace and reconciliation”.

While I have your attention, could you please take 5 minutes of your time to fill out this survey - this is purely for our understanding of the Religious context of our school.

Gabrielle Bruin - Leader of Faith, Mission & Learning

Key Notices

Parent Engagement

Please find below a link to the first edition of the Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst (CEDB) Parent Engagement (PEN) Newsletter for 2025.  This newsletter aims to share information with Principals, parents, carers and families within the Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst schools and will be published twice yearly.  A special thank you to the parents who have offered to be a parent engagement link, either through your P & F or your school’s Parent Reference, Engagement or Cultural Advisory Group.   Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst eNewsletter

Library News

Book Week Parade

It’s finally here ... Book Week 2025! The highlight will definitely be our annual Book Week Parade. The parade will take place this Wednesday @ 9:30am on the Infants Playground if the weather is fine. A wet weather plan has also been devised if necessary. All parents, grandparents and friends are welcome to join us for the parade. Tea and coffee will be available in St Brigid's Hall from 8:45am for parents and families joining us for this exciting event.

Book Week Activities

There are lots of other activities happening in the Library this week for Book Week. Today we kicked off Book Week with Story Time with Hazel. Hazel read the Wobbly Bike which was the winner of the Early Childhood Book of the Year. We also had the Semi Finals of our Stage 2 & 3 Chess Competition. Congratulations to the following students who played their Semi Finals last week and today.

Stage 2

• Oscar Bryant
• Ava Woods
• Penny McColl
• Albert Harris

Stage 3

• Hamish Carman
• Joseph Finn
• Michael Zhang
• Eleanor Duguid

Oscar and Albert will now play the Stage 2 Final and Michael and Hamish will compete in the Stage 3 Final. Both will be held tomorrow.

There will also be plenty of other Book Week Activities happening each day at lunchtimes during this week.  Students are encouraged to drop in and join in the adventure!

Nicole Twohill-Scott - Librarian

Primary Sport

Todd Woodbridge Cup Tennis

Our Stage 2 Number 1 team, totalling eight players, progressed through to the next level of the tennis competition from our Cowra day earlier this term. They will now play at a semi-finals day in Forbes on Monday 8th September.

Our Stage 3 teams had their day postponed due to the wet weather, and will now play on Wednesday 10th September, here in Cowra. Keep training future tennis stars!

Diocesan Athletics Carnival

Last Friday, we had 20 Primary students head off to Dubbo for the Diocesan Athletics Carnival. At the time of writing this, the final results have not been sent out, so we are not 100% certain of who is progressing to the next level. Stay tuned to the next newsletter where results will be published. 

Primary Sport Choices - Weeks 6-10

Starting this Thursday, all Primary students will begin their five week Sport program from the choices made earlier this term. Students from across Years 3-6 will be heading off to Tennis, Touch Footy, Soccer, Park Run and Netball. As the weather is slowly warming up, it would be a great idea to bring a hat along to wear. We look forward to hearing how these sports go. 

Grahame Statham - Primary Sports Coordinator

Secondary Sport

Diocesan Netball 

The St Raphael’s Catholic School netball teams (Stage 4, 5 & 6) participated in the Diocesan Netball Gala Day at Orange PCYC on Friday 25th July. All teams played well on the day and enjoyed competing against students from other schools from within our Diocese. 

Diocesan Athletics

The Secondary Diocesan Athletics Carnival was held in Dubbo on Thursday 21st August. St Raphael’s Catholic School sent a strong team of twenty-one students to compete in a range of track and field events. Well done to the following students who will be representing the Bathurst Diocese at the NSWCCC Athletics Championships to be held at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre (SOPAC) later in the term:

• Laura Bennett (800m)
• Josh Morrison (400m)
• Toby Morrison (100m, 200m, Javelin)
• Sophie Phelan (Shot Put, Discus, Javelin)
• Thomas Phelan (Javelin)
• Laura Price (200m, 400m, Triple Jump)
• Hunter Robins-Sirol (100m, 200m)
• Sam Tydd (Triple Jump, Long Jump, Javelin)
• Karly Woods (High Jump, 100m, 200m)

Congratulations to the 16 Years Girls (Laura Bennett & Sophie Phelan) for winning the Point Score Championships for their age group.

Upcoming events

• Diocesan Basketball Gala Day (Stage 4 & 5) in Bathurst on 29th August
• Netball NSW Schools Cup Region Final (Stage 4 & 5) in Orange on 4th September
• Donna Lane Shield (Squash) in Parkes on 12th September
• NSWCCC Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park on 15th September
• Diocesan Rugby Union Gala Day in Mudgee on 25th September

Attendance, Wellbeing, Curriculum & Enrichment

Infants and Primary - Tissues Required!!

Tissues have been well used and our class supplies have dwindled. Our students are asked to bring in a box of tissues per term. If you haven't already done so, please send a box of tissues to school with your child to renew our essential classroom supplies. Thank you for your support.

K-6 Assembly this Friday

1 Green will be performing at this weeks assembly which will be held on Friday 29th August at 2pm. Can all students in 1 Green please wear their sports uniform on Friday. The students are all very excited about their performance and we warmly welcome all of our parents and friends to come and watch our assembly item. We can't wait to see you there.

Infants (K-2) Sport

Starting this Thursday, 28th August, K-2 Infants Students will participate in a tennis program with coach Helen Garratt for sport.

This new activity will take place every Thursday for the rest of the term.

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their sports uniform on Thursdays instead of the regular sport day.  Thank you for your cooperation. We are excited for this opportunity for our infants students.

Scholastic Book Club

Issue 6 of Scholastic Book Club has gone home with Infants and Primary Students, with orders due online or handed in to the School Office by this Friday 29th August.

Teen Mental Health Matters

When: Monday 8th September, at 6pm

Prior to our next scheduled P&F meeting, St Raphael's will be hosting an information session focusing on teen mental health. Nicole Prendergast, from The Black Dog Institute, will be presenting the session via ZOOM.  Parents are warmly invited to attend. 

Silver Level

Tyrel Darcy-Turton, Millie Hudson, Ava Levis, Abram Manu, Sarah Piloiu, Joseph Chalker, Cohen McLean, Archie Reid, Henry Stanbridge, Ruby Carney, Evie Noble, Henry Stock, Luke Wright, Michael Harrison, Evie Oliver, Jacob Todd, Phoenix Vincent,Charles Cooley, Myles Kerr, Marty Rue, Mia Thompson,Jimmy Ball  Jack Lawrence-Lyall, Thomas Medway, Ava Woods, Lucy Bryant, Charlotte Graham, Albert Harris, Lachlan Hong, Madison Smith-Scott, Piper Tindall, Stella Frazer, Alex Kelly-Shepherd, Sebastian Rowlands,Jack Thompson, Jack Smith, Jack Barac, Hamish Carman, Vivienne Graham, Sarah Langfield, Ruby Louttit, Jade-Lily Moriarty, Phoebe Porter, Lochie Sykes, Madeline Wiegold, Gerry Yappas, Harrison Chalker, Nicholas James, Charlie Sims, Noah Campbell, Jimmy Smith, Angus Ousby, Savannah Bates, William Buik, Olivia Edwards, Jarreau Emseis, Trinity Green, Joshua Randell, Henry Rowlands, Beau Tremble.

Canteen

Council of Catholic School Parents

Our Catholic Faith Handbook

CCSP have recently updated the Our Catholic Faith handbook for 2026 – it’s a very popular guide to Catholicism because it’s easy to read. Resources and Links for Families: https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/faith-formation

NURTURING STRENGTHS: UNLOCKING YOUR CHILD’S POTENTIAL

Presented by Beyond

For parents of Years 3–6 primary school

This webinar empowers parents to recognise and nurture their child’s unique strengths and talents, guiding them toward greater confidence, motivation, and resilience.

Parents learn how to observe their children’s natural abilities, encourage self-expression, and create hands-on opportunities that align with their interests.

Wednesday 10 September

12.30pm – 1.15pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Online safety basics

We can help our children safely navigate the online world by taking some basic steps to reduce the risks.

Our support and guidance can give our children the knowledge to make sound decisions online and the confidence to ask for help when they need it. 

The eSafety Commission have released the following guidelines to assist: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/online-safety-basics

Community Connections