Term 1, Week 8B - Monday 24th March, 2025

What's On This Week

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Ove the past week St Raphael’s has wholeheartedly embraced the Cowra Festival of International Understanding, featuring India as Guest Nation! We are delighted that St Raph's is the school of choice for many Indian and Sri Lankan families new to Cowra, and we loved the opportunity to learn about Indian culture directly from our students and their families. The artworks that our infants and primary classes contributed to our Eye Spy Beauty shopfront window display were amazing, and the vibrancy of our Festival Parade entry was outstanding and so well supported! We welcomed Bollywood dancers to the school, and had strong representation at the Festival dinner and carnival, with our Indigenous Cultural Sharing Group and Dinawan’s Connection; and our School Choir both performing with enthusiasm, skill and cultural reverence.  We are very proud of you all. 

It is the Indian Cultural Experience organised by our students across K-12, with their families that remains a highlight for me, and all participants. Together with the support of  Ms Beecher, our students and their families worked together to immerse infants and primary students in a variety of workshops and stations over the course of the day where students experienced culture, geography, very yummy food, language, dance and craft. A huge thank to our families and students for sharing your culture with us. This was a huge highlight for us as a school community!

This Friday evening our Year 10 Seikei student arrives from Tokyo, Japan. We are thrilled to welcome Saya-San to our school for a year of immersion. Our secondary students are super excited to meet Saya-San and share with her our Australian culture, and in turn learn about Japan. This exchange program has been going for 55 years and is the oldest student exchange in Australia, so we are privileged to have this opportunity. Our Emma Haslam, currently on exchange in Japan is having an amazing time, learning Japanese daily and seeing and experiencing many highlights in Japan. 

This Saturday and Sunday we will be celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the Seikei Exchange at the Japanese gardens with dignitaries from Japan, and many past Seikei Exchange students. We are thrilled to be an integral part of our Cowra relationship with Japan. 

St Raphael's is certainly making it's mark as an inclusive school, committed to fully immersing itself in the wonderful cultural experiences on offer. 

On a sobering note, I would like to take the opportunity to remind parents to ensure your children are aware of stranger danger. There have been some incidents in the media at Victorian schools whereby there have been some suspicious people, and vehicles trying to pick up students. We need to take notice of this and ensure our students are safe. We will be talking to Secondary and Primary about stranger danger in each respective assembly on Monday. 

Have a fabulous week!

God Bless, 

Michelle Deschamps - Principal

Festival Fun!

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Faith, Mission & Learning

Who was St Raphael?

Firstly, St Raphel’s name means ‘God has healed’, reflecting his role as a healer and protector. 

We consider Raphael important because of his association with healing - both physical and spiritual. His healing abilities extend beyond the individual to broader communities, representing restoration and transformation. He healed those who were suffering and offered protection and guidance. By helping people in need, Raphael’s work can be seen as a form of advocacy for the marginalised, something we take very seriously here at our school. 

Raphael is a symbol of hope for many because he represents divine intervention during times of difficulty or illness. For those who are struggling with physical ailments, emotional pain or spiritual crises, Raphael is often called upon for support. People see him as a source of comfort, healing and protection. 

His importance comes from his ability to provide hope in difficult times and his role in restoring balance to those who are struggling with pain, illness, or emotional distress. Through his symbolism, Raphael encourages the belief that no one is beyond help and that healing, restoration and hope are always within reach.

Here, we are proud to resonate with St Raphael. As a school, we strongly believe in the dignity of all people and how we can serve others to ensure this dignity remains in our local community. 

Gabrielle Bruin - Leader of Faith, Mission & Learning

Project Compassion

In alignment with the Lenten call to almsgiving, Caritas Australia has launched Project Compassion 2025 with the theme “Unite Against Poverty.” Students are taking cash donations in class, and an alternative option to donate is available online and via the QR code provided. Every dollar we raise will help to create real and lasting change for vulnerable communities around the world! Thank you for standing with St Raph's, as we Unite Against Poverty through Project Compassion this Lent https://fundraise.projectcompassion.org.au/o/st-raphaels-catholic-school-cowra

Key School Notices

Wear Blue for World Autism Day - Wednesday 2nd April

World Autism Awareness Day is an international observance dedicated to raising awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and promoting acceptance, inclusion, and support for individuals with autism. This day is an opportunity to educate the public about the challenges and strengths of those on the autism spectrum, to celebrate the contributions of individuals with autism, and to advocate for greater understanding and acceptance within society.

St Raphael’s will raise awareness and show support as a whole school by wearing blue accessories on Wednesday 2nd April 2025.

Kindergarten Drop Off Times

From Monday 17th March (Week 7) onwards,  Kindergarten student arrival and departure times will be as per regular school bell times (8:50am Fruit Break / 9am Primary Lines to 3:10pm) Regular School Bell times are 8:50am - 3:10pm

To complete the transition to school process, Parents are now asked to say goodbye to their children at the top of the driveway. For the remainder of the term, a staff member and some guardian angels will be at the gate ready to meet the kindy students. The Guardian Angels will then accompany them to the primary playground. We ask parents to talk to the children regarding the new drop off routine to prepare them for the final transition to school.

Secondary Wellbeing

Man Cave & SEED Workshops for Years 7-12

As you are aware, our young people go through many changes and experiences as they are growing up. At St Raph's we aim to support our students through their journey so they have a positive outlook and experience. 

Last year we secured some funding to offer both our boys and girls, a unique day to separately explore some of the challenges and experiences young people face. 

Secondary boys will attend the  Man Cave workshop and the Girls will particpate in the  SEED workshop. Year 11 and 12 will have their day on April 1st, Years 9 and 10 April 2nd and Years 7 and 8 April 3rd. The boys will be located in the Parish Hall and the Girls in the St Brigid's Hall. 

The SEED workshop will explore respectful relationships, friendships, positive self talk, being media wise and managing stress. The Man Cave workshop will explore boys health and emotional intelligence, healthy relationships, healthy masculinity attributes, attitudes and behaviours, societal views and mental health. 

Both programs are reputable with very positive reviews from student groups. We are hoping our students have the same wonderful experience. 

We look forward to conversations your children will have with you about the workshops, and we will share their sentiments in our newsletters. 

Secondary Sport

Secondary Athletics Carnival

The St Raphael's Secondary Athletics Canival is to be held on Thursday 10th April 2025. All students are to arrive at River Park by 8:50am for roll call. The carnival will commence at 9am. At the end of the carnival all students and staff will walk back to school in time for the normal school bus service. Students will not be allowed to leave the carnival at any time unless a parent is physically present and informs their homeroom teacher. School sports uniform or house colours must be worn.

Events to be held on the day are 100m, 200m, 800m, Shot Put, Discus, Javelin, Long Jump & High Jump. Students must nominate for these events in homeroom by Friday 28th March. If your child wishes to participate in the 400m they must arrive at River Park prior to the commencement of the carnival for an 8:30am start.

A canteen will be running at the athletics carnival for Secondary students.  Please find attached the Athletics Carnival order form for Secondary - 10th April.  Hard copies are available at the school office OR order on the FlexiSchools App now.  Orders MUST be in by Friday 4th April. 

If you want canteen food on the day of your athletics carnival you MUST order! Only lollies and drinks will be available for purchase at the Athletics Carnival canteen.

If you are available to assist with timing races, measuring throws or jumps or even raking the long jump pits on the day  please contact Mr Andrew Phelan a.phelan@bth.catholic.edu.au.

At the end of the carnival a team of students will be selected to represent St Raphael's Catholic School at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival in Dubbo on Thursday 21st August 2025.  A number of factors will be considered when selecting the team to represent St Raph's including places in each event as well as qualifying times and distances.   

Swimming

Our annual school swimming carnival was held on the 17th February at Cowra Aquatic Centre and saw students take part in a number of competitive and novelty events. 

Age Champions for the day were:

13s Patrick Dyer & Ada Duff

14s Thomas Phelan & Charlotte Dyer

15s Oliver Tydd & Emma Tremble

16s Neil Duguid and Sophie Phelan

17s+ Mathew Graham & Laura Price

Fastest Swimmers - Neil Duguid and Emma Tremble

Winning House - Kilbreda with 308 points

From the carnival a team of fifteen students was selected to represent St Raphael’s Catholic School at the Bathurst Diocesan Swimming Championships at Dubbo Aquatic Centre. Those students were Ada Duff, Holly Mitchell, Olivia Finn, Patrick Dyer, David Kang, Max Osborne, Ned Osborne, Charlotte Dyer, Claire Phelan, Thomas Phelan, Max Holmes, Sophie Phelan, Neil Duguid, Owen Holmes & Mathew Graham.

On the back of some brilliant performances, Neil Duguid (50m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke & 100m Backstroke) and Patrick Dyer (200m IM, 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke & 100m Backstroke) were selected to represent the Bathurst Diocese at the NSWCCC Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre later this term. We wish them all the best for this event!

Golf

David recently attended the NSWCCC golf selection trials at Tuncurry Golf Club. David was successful in making the NSWCCC Team and will now compete at the NSW All Schools Golf tournament in Dubbo later in the year. Such a great achievement for a Year 7 student. Well done David!

Internal Sport

During school sport lessons, Year 7 students have been fortunate to participate in a 3 week lawn bowls program at Cowra Bowling Club. Under the instruction of club coaches students have learnt the basic techniques and strategies used in the sport of lawn bowls.

During school sport lessons, Year 9 Girls have also been fortunate to participate in the Ready2Rally program at Cowra Tennis Courts. Under the instruction of local tennis coach, Helen Garratt, the 6-week program is specifically designed for teenage girls aged 13-17 and is a key priority of Tennis Australia’s Women and Girls Strategy.

High Performance Training Program

Run by Ryan Downing from RAD Gym, the High Performance Training Program is back in full swing for 2025. Participating students have represented at a high level in their chosen sport including athletics, swimming, golf, soccer, netball, squash, cross country and touch football.

Cricket

Karly attended the NSWCCC Cricket selections at Lance Hutchinson Oval, Riverwood earlier in the term. The trials were held over 2 days. Karly played in 4 games in total and played well with bat and ball in all games. 

Soccer

Laura attended the Bathurst Diocesan Soccer trials in Bathurst. Laura was successful in being selected to represent the Diocese at the Southern Country trials to be held later in the term. The Southern Country trials will include players from the Bathurst, Canberra/Goulburn and Wagga Wagga Diocese.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Our Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award participants took part in an optional one-day hike in Blue Mountains National Park. The group hiked along Grand Cliff Top Walk, from Gordon Falls to Scenic World Katoomba, utilising public transport to and from the hike. 

Mr Andrew Phelan - Secondary Sports Coordinator and Duke of Edinburgh Award Coordinator

Primary Sport

Primary Athletics Carnival

St. Raphael’s School will be holding their Primary Athletics Carnival in Week 10 on Wednesday 9th April down at River Park. Throughout sport lessons this term, all students have trialled in the disciplines of shot put, discus, long jump, high jump and running races. This is a compulsory school day, so all students are expected to turn up in their house colours, ready to compete and “have-a-go!’

A canteen will be running at the athletics carnival for Primary students.  Please find attached the Athletics Carnival order form for Primary - 9th April.  Hard copies are available at the school office OR order on the FlexiSchools App now.  Orders MUST be in by Friday 4th April. 

If you want canteen food on the day of your athletics carnival you MUST order! Only lollies and drinks will be available for purchase at the Athletics Carnival canteen.

Infants will be joining us throughout the middle session of the day, playing some novelty events and having a running race on the big track. Infants parents are encouraged to come along and cheer their chargers on.

Carnivals like this require lots of help from our parents. We ask that if any parent or guardian could spare some time, we would love to have them there as a timer, place judge, etc. The teachers will be running the field events, but we will need parents to help with the track events. If you are able to help, could you please leave your name at the school office and Mr. Statham will be in contact.

Rugby League Gala Day

This Thursday, 27th March, St. Raphael’s School will be sending two teams to compete at the annual Rugby League Gala Day. A name change has happened this year, moving from the Russell Richardson (Year 3 +4) and David Peachey (Years 5 + 6) Cup, to acknowledge Liam Henry (Years 3 + 4) and Isaah Yeo (Years 5 + 6). As time has gone by, the younger children were unaware of who Richardson and Peachey were, so as we are part of the Penrith Panthers catchment area, it was decided to replace them with two current footballers from our region, with Henry from Blayney and Yeo from Dubbo. 

If you get a chance, come down to River Park on Thursday and see our boys wearing the green and gold, representing our school. Good luck to these two teams.

On a side note, I would ask parents to familiarise their children with past names like the great Mick Cronin, Steve Ella, Brett Kenny, Peter Sterling and Ray Price, just to name a few, so that these names are not lost on the younger generation coming through!

“In football, if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards fast!” (Jack Gibson - Super Coach)

Winter Sports Trials

On Friday of this week, 28th March, we have 14 students from Years 5 and 6 heading to Bathurst to trial for positions in the Diocesan teams of Netball, Rugby League and Soccer. We wish them all the best as they compete for positions against students from across the Diocese. Play hard team!

Cross Country

On the Thursday of Week 9, all Primary students (Years 3 to 6) will be doing a cross country trial for Sport between recess and lunch. All students will participate over the 2km distance on the day, however, the older students, should they make it through to the next level at Coolah early next term, will be over the 3km distance. If students are unable to “jog” the 2km, they will still be expected to walk the distance. Everyone in Years 3 to 6 has two legs and a heartbeat, so this is part of our regular sport lessons.

“Running well is a matter of having the patience to persevere when we are tired and not expecting instant results.” (Robert de Castella - Australian Marathon Champion)

Paul Kelly Cup - AFL Gala Day

On Monday, 31st March, we have a Stage 3 team entered in the annual AFL Gala Day being held at River Park. This team is made up of Year 5 + 6 girls and boys and allows them to ‘dip their toes’ into a sport that they don’t get the opportunity to participate in very much. We wish Miss Lynch and her team of “aerial pingpongers” all the best.

Primary Diocesan Swimming Carnival

We had 10 Primary swimmers head to Dubbo last week to compete against all the other schools in our Diocese. Lots of great swims and personal bests. Sadly, no one progressed onto Homebush for the next level, however, it was indeed a great achievement to reach this level. Congratulations to all of our swimmers and thank you to our parents and guardians for taking our swimmers safely to Dubbo and back.

Mr Graham Statham - Primary Sport Coordinator

Administration

2024 Year Book

The 2024 Year Book is now available for allocation - 1 per family (as enrolled in 2024).  Students who are the eldest or only child enrolled at St Raph's are invited to collect their family's 2024 Year Book from the school office at their earliest convenience. 

Lost Property

Thirsty, anyone?  A collection of student drink bottles has made their way to the school office and would love to be reunited with their owners! If you recognise any of these items as belonging to your child, please ask them to come to the office to collect their lost (and found) property. 

2025 School Fees  - Instalment #1 Now Overdue

School fees have been generated, and statements sent out on 28th February 2025, with first instalments now overdue (unless you have a payment plan or direct debit in place). Payment options are listed on your statements. 

For your convenience, we offer the option of paying via direct debit. This is a handy set and forget option to ensure your school fees are paid off in full by the conclusion of the school year. If you wish to set this up, forms are available at the school office.

Additionally, account holders who hold a Concession or Health Care Card may be eligible for a discount on their account. Please contact the school to discuss this option further.

Should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au

Canteen

School Canteen Closed for Primary and Secondary Athletics Carnivals

Please note that Canteen will be CLOSED at school on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th April to accomodate the Primary and Secondary Athletics Carnivals.    

Council of Catholic School Parents

Tell us about your experiences as a Catholic school parent

We value every parent's thoughts and opinions!

CCSP would like to know how involved/engaged you feel you are in your child's learning at a NSW/ACT Catholic school, how connected you feel in your child's school, and your thoughts on how schools could enhance family-school partnerships.

This data informs our parent learning program and provides us with valuable information about how our dioceses and schools are engaging with families.

Thank you so much for taking time out to give us your feedback.

Please click the link to go to the survey:

https://ccsp.schoolzineplus.com/survey/71

Community Connections