Term 2, Week 4B - Monday 19th May, 2025

What's On This Week

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Last week we enjoyed our strong involvement in the Cowra Eisteddfod with students participating in skits, choir and band. The joy of our students when perfoming on stage was totally evident in their smiles and energy, and it was wonderful to see so many families come along to support their children and friends. Each of the 4 St Raph's performances achieved first place, and we were also awarded the most successful school receiving the perpetual trophy for Choirs. A group of staff and I also joined in the fun, performing our Sister Act song: 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' in the open vocal entertainment session on the weekend.   I am pretty certain we were the comic relief, and because of that we received a Highly Commended. Well done to everyone involved.  We look forward to next week when our dance groups take to the stage.

Last week I was involved in a number of workshops in social media. I thought I knew a lot, but was very surprised, shocked and disturbed. There is an awful lot our students have access to, can be involved with or are exposed to in social media.  As an example there are two prolific platforms aiming to engage our young males, Manosphere and Incel. In the Manosphere realm there are key male figures who are very engaging and influential to our boys: Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson and Chris Williamson, in particular have gained a significant following, and pose extremist views about masculinity. Incel attracts students who are low in their emotional wellbeing, and have developed a language which pertains to its followers. They are very negative and make suicide appear attractive. The message from the experts is that all adults need to be vigilant about what their children are engaging with on social media. These influencers are very available, appear when students are scrolling through the internet, and widely access chat rooms such as in games. The emphasis for parents is to focus on early intervention and education to keep our children safe. 

Next week a group of our Indigenous students and three staff members have been selected to attend the prestigious Indigenous Veterans Commemoration in Sydney. This is a huge honor for St Raphael’s as we are the only Catholic School in Regional NSW to be selected, along with a public and an independent school group. The students received a substantial scholarship to attend the event, and will explore Sydney and engage in city life while on the 3 day experience.  The program involves an educational excursion to the Hyde Park Memorial and museum, followed by the Indigenous Veterans Commemorative Service, which includes a wreath laying, dignitary speeches and a luncheon with State Dignitaries, veterans and representatives from The Veterans Affairs Department. This will be a momentous occasion for our students, many of whom have not travelled beyond the Blue Mountains or been in a plane. This tour is very timely as we prepare to mark our Sorry Day Mass next week. 

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the many helpers from our school community who contributed their time to volunteer at the recent P&F Mother's Day Stall, and raffle sales.  The feedback I received was that many of our helpers were happy to contribute the hour or two, for the joy of connecting with their children and their friends at school, and contribute to the overall community atmosphere of their school.  May I implore all families to consider extending this generous involvement to the School Canteen by giving an an hour or two, once or twice a month to assist with food preparation and Canteen sales.  Our peak times are 11:30am to 1:30pm, however any contribution of time would be gratefully received. Please contact Donna, or the school office, or simply drop in if you have a moment to spare. Your kids would love it!

Have a wonderful week!

God Bless, 

Michelle Deschamps - Principal

From the Desk of the Assistant Principal

What a week of celebration last week with Mother’s Day leading straight into Catholic Schools Week. On top of this we had the announcement of our new Pope Leo XIV. Three momentous and deeply important events in our life at St Raphael's.

Our Mother’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy was a coming together of all that is good within our school and our community. To have so many mothers, grandmothers and significant women being acknowledged for the wonderful and powerful part they play in our school and community was a deeply moving experience. Welcoming these special people into our school and with the small gesture of a bacon and egg roll or croissant being shared made everyone involved feel better for the experience. So thank you to everyone that joined us on this special occasion. 

Breakfast led into our Mass and the opening of Catholic Schools Week. Father Dong was extremely strong in his two prong message of the part that both mother’s and Catholic schools, and in particular St Raphael's, play in developing young people in our school. Through prayer, mass, retreats and the simple way we deal and accept each other everyday, St Raphael’s, as a Catholic School, is able to lay a strong foundation for our students that will enable them to lead richer and stronger lives as a result of their time spent at our wonderful school.

We concluded Catholic Schools Week with our Primary Awards Assembly on Friday where we once again spoke about the unique role that St Raphael's as a Catholic School has in developing all facets of our students. Catholic Schools offer a rich and diverse opportunity for our students to grow and develop who they are or want to be.

Our Annual School Improvement Plan has three focuses and this term we are working on the collective efficacy of our staff to enhance the educational experience of our students. Our Tuesday afternoon meetings are set up to provide opportunities for our staff to work together to gain greater understanding of the new curriculum, assessment and learning. By working together, having an understanding of our role as educators and reflecting on our teaching practice, we achieve greater growth and learning for our students. At St Raphael’s our staff are dedicated to providing a quality educational experience for all our students.

David Wickham - Assistant Principal

Faith, Mission & Learning

Fostering Peace, Healing and Truth in Our Lives

As we journey together in faith, we are called to reflect on the places where peace, healing and truth need to be nurtured, in our homes, our communities and within our own hearts.

In a world that often feels divided and hurried, our children/students look to us as models of kindness and reconciliation. At St Raphael’s, we teach our students the importance of honesty, compassion and understanding, but these lessons take root most deeply when they are lived out in daily life. How do we respond to conflict? Do we seek to listen with love, forgive with sincerity and speak with integrity?

Jesus himself was a healer and a peacemaker. He reached out to the broken, stood firm in righteousness and invited all into God’s grace. As parents and educators, we are invited to follow Jesus’ example, creating homes filled with patience and a school that nurtures respect. 

May we take time this week to ask and reflect

• Where is God calling us to bring peace? 
• Who in our lives needs healing? 
• How can we courageously stand for truth with love?

Let us trust that with God’s grace, even the smallest acts of kindness can be seeds of transformation. 

Gabrielle Bruin - Leader of Faith, Mission & Learning

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Families are invited to a Book Reading by Bishop Brian Mascord, Bishop of Wollongong - a special Jubilee Year of Hope event in the week of Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly.  Get cosy and comfortable with the kids and join this online literacy event aimed at encouraging reading at home. Tuesday 27 May. 7pm – 7.30pm  CLICK TO REGISTER

Key School Notices

Uniform Supplies 

Infants and Primary skirts and tunics/pinafores are now back in stock at Mr Embroidery, Redfern Street.  Senior girls grey stockings are available from Shoes for You, Kendal Street.

School Safety and Parking Offences

As part of Cowra Council’s commitment to ensuring school safety, Council has written to all schools in Cowra Shire area to promote the importance of safety in and around school zones. They have provided the following factsheet outlining some parking offences which can be incurred in the 40km/h school zones during posted school hours. Please take this opportunity to familiarise yourselves with these traffic and parking offences which impact on the safety and wellbeing of our children.

School Photos

Please click  here for important ordering information regarding the ordering process, in particular pre-ordering family photos.  Orders for family/sibling photo must be placed online by 4pm today via www.creativeschoolportraits.com.au

Only family photos need to be pre-ordered online before photo day. 

Individual and class photos are ordered online after photo day using a unique access code which will be issued to each student once ordering opens in early June. 

Unable to order online? Package prices are available  here . If you are unable to order online, please provide the correct money to the school office in a labelled envelope ASAP. Please note no cash can be accepted at the office after photo day has passed.

Any questions? Please contact the Creative School Portraits team on 6342 3070 or email at admin@cspnsw.com.au

Wellbeing & Enrichment

Bronze Level - Positive Certificates

Congratulations to the following students who have reached Bronze Level!

Cohen McLean, Jack Neville, Kymon Collett, Ryder Nelson-Collett, Levi Sciberras, Stewart Overman, Eli Hodder, Maurice Prideaux

Primary Sport

Cross Country

On Tuesday, 6th May, St Raphael's were represented by 11 Primary students at the Coolah Cross Country event. We were greeted with lovely weather conditions, each competitor completing the 2km or 3km walk through to familiarise themselves with the track. Then it was time to race!

Big fields were entered into each event, sometimes with over 100 competitors! Below is how our runners fared:

9 Years and under Girls - Olivia Whitton = 62nd

9 Years and under Boys - Kymon Collett = 62nd

10 Years Girls - Evie Woodhouse = 23rd & Ebony Whitton = 37th

10 Years Boys - Oscar Smith = 27th & Jack Lawrence-Lyall = 57th

11 Years Boys - Archie Stanford = 7th

12 Years and older Girls - Eleanor Duguid = 19th & Rosie Bennett = 20th

12 Years and older Boys - Joshua Randell = 30th & Jeff Max = 40th

With Archie Stanford achieving a 7th placing, he qualifies for the next level, Polding Cross Country at the Sydney Equestrian Centre on Wednesday 11th June. Congratulations Archie and good luck.

Diocesan Rugby Union Trial

Last Friday, St Raphael's sent five boys from Stage 3 to Bathurst to trial for a spot in the Bathurst Diocesan Rugby Union team. From all reports, it was a very strong trial with a surprisingly high degree of skill on display! Well done to Eli Hodder, Rory Rue, William O'Reilly, Campbell Douglas and Archie Stanford on your efforts on the day.  Congratulations to Will on progressing onto the next level, the Polding Trials, to be held later this term in Forbes.

Grahame Statham - Primary Sport Coordinator

Secondary Sport

Ready2Rally Tennis

Our Year 10 girls are fortunate to be involved in Tennis Australia’s Ready2Rally pilot program run by local tennis coach Helen Garratt. This initiative is specifically designed for teenage girls aged 13-17 and is a key priority of Tennis Australia’s Women and Girls Strategy aimed at improving access and opportunities for girls to play tennis. At St Raphael’s Catholic School, the program will be conducted over a 6-week period with each 1-hour session including on-court games and activities, plus healthy snacks and/or drinks each week.

Diocesan Cross Country

The Diocesan Cross Country carnival was held on Thursday 8th May at Lake Canobolas. Well done to Erin (3km), Thomas (4km), Laura (4km) and Cohan (6km) on your performances. Thomas, Laura and Cohan progressed to the NSWCCC Cross Country Championships to be held at the Sydney Equestrian Centre on Wednesday 11th June.

Bill Turner Cup Soccer

Our Under 15 Boys soccer team competed in Round 1 & 2 of the Bill Turner Cup at Botanical Garden Sporting Fields in Forbes on Monday 12th May. Mrs Gallard reported that the boys played well and were unlucky to not win both games losing 4-3 to Red Bend Catholic College and 3-2 to Dubbo College Delroy Campus.

Upcoming Events

Diocesan Teams Tennis - Friday 23rd May (Orange)

Diocesan Basketball Gala Day (Seniors) - Friday 30th May (Bathurst)

Andrew Phelan - Secondary Sport Coordinator

St Raph's P&F

A Huge Thank You to Our Amazing P&F Volunteers!

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful P&F volunteers Lauren Davies, Chloe-anne Rogers, Ashlea Overman, Mary Ewens and coordinator Cel Symons who helped make our Mother’s Day Stall such a special event! From organizing and setting up to helping our students pick out the perfect gifts, your time, energy, and kindness made it all possible.  Your efforts created joyful memories and helped our kids show their love and appreciation in such a meaningful way. We are so grateful for your support and dedication to our school community.

Canteen

Council of Catholic School Parents

The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) are providing a series of very pertinent free, one-hour webinars to support parent carers to be engaged with the schooling of their high school children. Please share this information.

• A Parents Roadmap to Careers and Pathways 4 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here

• Supporting your Child through the HSC 11 June 7 – 8 pm.  Register here

• Parenting Tweens: What kids need to know before the teen years 24 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here 

• Parenting Teens: Staying connected through the teen years 25 June 7 – 8 pm. Register here

It’s Families Week, and to mark the occasion, the eSafety Commissioner has released a powerful new resource for Child and Family Sector professionals. The Online safety and sexual development guidance looks through the lens of online safety at how children grow and mature in sexual literacy and respectful relationships from birth to 18 years. 

Access free resources on protecting children from online harms, including a flipbook, conversation cards, and posters available in a range of languages, or find details of some upcoming webinars that may interest families.

Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know 

Understand the serious issue of sexual extortion and how to support your child if they are targeted. This 30-minute webinar will explain: 

• What sexual extortion is and its potential impacts on young people. 
• Strategies to support and respond to young people experiencing sexual extortion. 
• Encouraging safer and more positive online interactions. 

28 May, 12.30pm  
18 June, 12.30pm 

Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men 

Discover how boys and young men engage online and the risks they face. This 45-minute webinar will help you understand: 

• Social and cultural influences shaping boys and young men. 
• How boys build relationships online and their vulnerability to manipulation. 
• The impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on their identity and behaviour. 
• Practical strategies to build critical thinking and challenge harmful narratives. 

27 May, 12.30pm 
30 July, 12.30pm 

Community Connections