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28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
📚 BOOK WEEK PARADES ARE HERE! ✨ Our schools have been bursting with colour, creativity and plenty of bookish fun as students and teachers have stepped into the worlds of their favourite stories through Book Week parades and celebrations! 📖 🎭 We’ve loved seeing our school communities bring their favourite books and characters to life through imaginative costumes, creative celebrations and a shared love of reading. Here are just some of the Book Week highlights from our schools so far! Can you spot your favourite character? 👀✨📚 📸 St Patrick's Marist College Dundas, St John's Primary, Riverstone, St. Aidan's Primary School, Rooty Hill, St John Vianney's Primary Doonside, St Nicholas of Myra Primary Penrith, St Canice's Primary Katoomba, St Bernadette's Lalor Park, Holy Trinity Primary School Granville, Cerdon College Merrylands, St Michael's Blacktown South, St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens, St Joseph's Primary School Kingswood
26 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
🎥✨ VET: LIFE CHANGING POSSIBILITIES! What can VET open the door to? These students have the answer! 🚪👏 As part of National Skills Week, students across CSPD took part in the ParraSkills Video Competition, showcasing how VET can build practical skills, inspire career goals and open up new pathways for the future. 🎬 With 21 creative entries from Santa Sophia Catholic College Gables, Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park, CathWest Innovation College Mt Druitt, Nagle College, Blacktown South, St Columba's Catholic College, Springwood, St Pauls Catholic College, Greystanes,Xavier College Llandilo, Maronite College of the Holy Family and Catherine McAuley Westmead, there were plenty of incredible ideas on show! 🏆 Congratulations to Santa Sophia Catholic College on taking out first place, with Maronite College of the Holy Family placing second and Catherine McAuley Westmead taking third. A huge congratulations to all the students who put their skills and creativity into action! 👏 🔗 Find out more about the winning entries here: https://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/whats-on/latest-news/2026/08/26/02/25/parra-skills-video-competition Skills NSW National Skills Week #NationalSkillsWeek #SkillsNSW
26 Aug 2026
ParraSkills Video Competition showcases ‘Life Changing’ VET
Students across Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) brought the 2026 National Skills Week theme, “Life Changing”, to life through the 2026 ParraSkills Video Competition, showcasing the skills, experiences and opportunities available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).
25 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
📚 Want to help your child enjoy reading more? These six simple habits can help make reading something your child looks forward to - building confidence, sparking curiosity and developing a lifelong love of books along the way. (2 min read) 👉 https://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/whats-on/latest-news/2026/08/20/00/07/six-habits-that-help-children-develop-a-love-of-reading
24 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
🐑 WELCOME TO THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL! 🤗 There have been some very cute new arrivals at St Columba's Catholic College, Springwood! The school welcomed its first lambs of the season last week, with a set of twins making their entrance, followed by three more arrivals over the weekend. And there are still at least two more little ones on the way! 🐑 💛 While the lambs may be stealing the spotlight, their arrival marks one of the busiest and most rewarding times of the year for the school’s Agriculture students. Caring for newborn lambs takes commitment and plenty of hard work, with students stepping up to help ensure they receive the care they need. Through experiences like these, students develop valuable hands-on skills, a strong sense of responsibility and a genuine understanding of animal care - all while learning what life in agriculture is really like! 🌱
24 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
🏁 FAMILY FUN HITS THE FAST LANE! St Margaret Mary's Primary School Merrylands has been partnering with The Fathering Project, bringing dads and father figures together for a STEM Speedway track-building afternoon, and what a fantastic success! 🏎️ Using a range of recycled materials, families got creative building their own speedway tracks, with plenty of impressive designs and unique ideas on display. 👏 What a great initiative bringing families, creativity and STEM learning together! 💡
22 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
📚✨ BOOK WEEK IS HERE! Book Week: ‘Symphony of Stories’ kicks off today, and what better way to celebrate than by meeting the talented storytellers behind some of our favourite books? At St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens, students welcomed author Sally Rippin and illustrator Aki Fukuoka, creators of the much-loved Billie B Brown series. Students discovered more about the creative process behind storytelling and illustration, and how characters and emotions can be brought to life on the page. ✏️📖 Over at St Oliver's Primary Harris Park, students met acclaimed Australian author Morris Gleitzman, hearing about his writing journey and the inspiration behind beloved books including Once. 📚 These inspiring visits were a wonderful reminder of the power of a great story to spark curiosity, creativity and a lifelong love of reading. We can’t wait to continue celebrating the magic of reading this Book Week! 🌟📚
21 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
📸 CELEBRATING THE MAGIC OF PHOTOGRAPHY! ✨ The second annual CAPTIVATE Alchemy Photography Competition brought together 100 talented finalists from more than 500 entries across 22 CSPD secondary schools for a wonderful evening of creativity and celebration at Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park. 📷 With seven categories, including two new additions for 2026 - Close Up and AI Enhanced Imagery - students showcased their creativity, unique perspectives and ability to tell powerful stories through photography. Congratulations to this year’s winners! 👏 ⭐ Jack de Groot Prize: Rebecca – St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens, 'Autumn Glow' ⭐ CAPTIVATE Prize: Micaela - St Andrews College, Marayong (Official) , 'These Dreams' ⭐ Place: William - Parramatta Marist High School, 'Abandon' ⭐ Community: Charis – Nagle College, Blacktown South, 'Shared Joy' ⭐ Close Up: Matthew – St Pauls Catholic College, Greystanes, 'Perspective' ⭐ Wildlife: Max – St Columba's Catholic College, Springwood, 'Spider' ⭐ Tomorrow’s Memory: Noah – Emmaus Catholic College Kemps Creek, 'Written on My Brain' ⭐ AI Enhanced Imagery: Lucas – Parramatta Marist High School, 'Fragmented Future' ⭐ People & Overall Winner 2026: Natalie – St John Paul II Catholic College, Schofields & Nirimba, 'Faded Gaze' A huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners, and a special thank you to Caroline Chisholm College staff and hospitality students for helping make the evening such a success for more than 300 attendees. 👏 What an incredible celebration of student creativity and the power of photography to capture a moment, tell a story and offer a new perspective 📸✨
20 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
💛 DAFFODIL DAY 🌼 The Emmaus Catholic College Kemps Creek community added a little sunshine to the school day by wearing yellow accessories in support of Daffodil Day! ☀️ From yellow ribbons to bright accessories, staff and students came together to raise awareness, show their support and stand alongside families impacted by cancer. 🫶 A wonderful reminder that even a small splash of colour can help make a meaningful difference ✨ Cancer Council Australia Cancer Council NSW
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
19 Aug 2026
From CSPD Facebook
CSPD is seeing encouraging signs of improvement in the latest NAPLAN results, with strong growth across a number of schools and year groups. 📚 The results reflect the hard work happening every day in classrooms across the Diocese, alongside CSPD’s continued focus on high-quality, evidence-informed teaching through the Uplift approach and Effective Learning and Teaching Model. As CSPD CEO Jack de Groot said, there are “some great green shoots” emerging from the hard work and precise focus on what matters most in learning. Read the full story for more on the NAPLAN highlights, including standout results from St Matthew's Catholic Primary, Windsor, Our Lady of the Way School, Emu Plains and Bede Polding College South Windsor 👉 https://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/whats-on/latest-news/2026/08/19/01/43/naplan-results-show-uplift-across-cspd-schools
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03 Aug 2026
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