The Season of Advent began on December 1. That weekend, the first candles in Advent wreaths were lit in our churches, symbolising the start of a time of spiritual preparation for Christmas. 

Advent is a time of waiting. As human beings, we are no longer very good at waiting. We want everything now, immediately - We Google the answer, pay for what we want instantly online and stream the song the minute it is released… These days, there is no sense of anticipation, no need for patience, no need to wait -  just instant gratification.

In the past, waiting was a necessary part of life; Those of you who are old enough to remember having to use encyclopedias, the joy of shopping with layby and the excitement of waiting for the new album from your favourite band to appear in the local music store will appreciate just how much things have changed in recent times.

We seem to have lost the art of just waiting for things with patience and grace… of taking our time with things. At this time of the year in particular, we can feel like we are ‘running out of time’ to get everything done before the looming deadline of Christmas arrives. We feel an increasing sense of urgency as we try to squeeze more and more into the remaining days of the year… always feeling like we are in a hurry. Surely there is another way!

As we approach the end of the school year, perhaps we can pause to ask ourselves whether or not in all this busyness, we sometimes run out of time for the things that really matter. During Advent, we have a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with a different way of looking at time - God’s time - time to linger and be with those we love; time to pray and reflect on the year that has been; time to be generous and loving to all those we come in contact with. 

I pray that this Season of Advent as well as the joy of Christmas bring you and your family peace, space and time to celebrate that which deeply matters. For those of you who are heading away during the holidays - please travel safely on our roads. I will be looking forward to seeing you all fresh and rejuvenated at the start of the 2025 school year.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your loved ones in this special season.

Angela Myles | Executive Principal

Celebrating Excellence - Secondary Awards Ceremony 

Last Thursday at the Secondary Awards Ceremony we had the opportunity to reflect, recognise and celebrate the academic and cocurricular achievements of our students. We also formally farewell our Consultant to Schools Mr Vince Connor who has supported all schools in the Bathurst Diocese over his 22 years in the role. Well done to our leaders Ruby, Connor, Grace and Tom for leading the evening and to Year 11 Music students for the fabulous performances.

Congratulations to all award recipients especially those who were recognised with a major award:

Happy & Holy Christmas 

It has been another  busy year and everyone is getting excited for a much deserved rest. As we close for another year I would like to thank all the wonderful staff at our secondary campus who work tirelessly to support our students. Whether it's the beautiful office staff, support staff or teachers - their work is very much appreciated and truly makes St Matthews a wonderful place to learn and work. 

A letter via email will be emailed to families this week with some key dates for the first 2 weeks of school - as we hit the ground running with some big events very early in Term 1. Please refer to this email for ‘save the date’ information.

I wish all our families a happy, holy and peaceful Christmas and restful holiday. I look forward to working in partnership with you all in 2025.

Merry Christmas,

Blaney McCarthy-English | Head of Campus - Secondary 

End of Year Mass

On Monday, we celebrated our final Mass of the year, marking the 3rd week of Advent in the spirit of Joy. It was a meaningful way to conclude the year, featuring inspiring readers from our 2025 Student Leadership Team, an outstanding choir, and a heartfelt reflection song, Light of the Lord by Lauren Daigle, beautifully performed by Sophie Letham.

During the Mass, our Vinnies Student Representatives, Amity Chapman and Sophie Stewart, presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Mrs. Angela Myles. This certificate acknowledges the incredible generosity of St. Matthew’s families in donating food to help create Christmas hampers to support the most vulnerable in our community.

Christmas Hampers

Our Year 9 Vinnies Group, along with a handful of dedicated Year 10 students, have been working tirelessly to prepare hampers and beautifully decorate the baskets for delivery to members of our community. On Tuesday, our Vinnies students and 2025 Leadership Team helped deliver these hampers. It was a truly meaningful experience, allowing students to witness firsthand how much joy a simple hamper can bring to someone’s day. 

A heartfelt thank you to all St Matthews families for their generous food donations, making this initiative possible.

Whiddon Visits

Over the past four weeks, a group of Year 10 students has been visiting Whiddon Mudgee Pioneer, engaging in a truly rewarding experience. This initiative gave students the opportunity to connect with residents they might not ordinarily interact with, creating meaningful connections and lasting memories.

• Week 1: Students met the residents over a lovely lunch.
• Week 2: They helped spread holiday cheer by putting up Christmas decorations.
• Week 3: Students assisted with a high tea, escorting residents to their tables and ensuring the event was extra special.
• Week 4: They helped residents write Christmas cards to send to their families.

Each student has come away deeply grateful for the chance to meet and learn from these remarkable individuals, making this a truly enriching experience for all involved.

From the Mission Team, we wish you all a joyful Christmas and a safe, happy holiday season.

To finish off a successful 2024, Year 7 History students have concluded their studies of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas with a cooking class.

Each class had the opportunity to assemble their own burrito, with a smaller combined group from all classes invited to cook nachos with Mrs Grech. This was a fantastic way to recognise those students who have shown commitment and enthusiasm for their History studies and demonstrated the St Matthews Way in 2024.

A heartfelt thanks to Mrs Grech for running the cooking class, and to Mr Pietrzak for organising this opportunity in the closing weeks of the year.

Mrs Thorn, Mr Pietrzak & Mrs Grech | Year 7 History Teachers

Yet again, Year 7 excelled in composing imaginative, insightful, humorous and brave poetry to demonstrate the writing skills they have developed over their first high school year.

They are to be congratulated for their sustained effort and commitment to sharing their ideas.

Here are some samples of their blackout poetry.

Maria Starick and Lauren Allsop | English Teachers

To finish off their current unit of study, ‘Changing Places’, Year 9 Geography students teamed up to learn about a country, identify its push and pull factors, and then attempt to “sell” it as a destination to a group of Year 7 ‘migrants’.

The competition was fierce, with three groups from each class progressing to a final pitch, and a tie-break requiring two rounds of voting. Ultimately, Kyrgyzstan emerged victorious and took home the much-coveted prize (a box of Favourites chocolates). This turned out to be a serendipitous occasion for Ms Presland, whose class took out the prize on her last day at St Matthews.

Congratulations to Matilda, Sienna, Isabella and Maggie for their engaging, news-style presentation that took out the win.

It was fantastic to see the creative sides of our students in our Geography classrooms. We saw singing, dancing, acting, rapping, podcasting and drawing from a wide range of students, who all enjoyed their projects and should be proud of their efforts.

Thanks to Ms Presland and Mrs Thorn for organising this project, and to Mr Hull for his assistance in creating our ‘worked example’ - what a great way to finish off the topic.

Mr Pietrzak, Mr Hammond, Mrs Thorn & Ms Presland | Year 9 Geography Teachers

Thank you to the St Matthews singers, dramatists and artists for their entertaining performances and art displays last week at the showcase evening.

The audience was full of energy, praise and support for the Performing and Creative Arts. Congratulations to the Drama, Music and Art students on such a positive and successful event.

Kirsty Skinner | CAPA Coordinator 

We are now taking names for next year for private tuition lessons in various instruments. Lessons are offered by accredited musicians either during the day (Years 2 – 6) or after school.

The school has several instruments available for hire for beginners at $75 per term.

Instruments (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone) are recommended for students according to their physical size – usually late Year 4 or Year 5. Starting earlier than that usually results in bad habits, mostly due to holding the instrument incorrectly.

Please email me (g.tipping@bth.catholic.edu.au) with an indication of your interest or if you have any questions. 

Gavin Tipping | Music Teacher 

Thank you for Supporting or Canteen during 2024.

Flexi Schools is the St Matthews Catholic School preferred way to Order from our Canteen.

Lunch Order cut off time is 9am. Ordering can be placed the night before or even days in advance.

If parents are experiencing issues with Flexischools there is a Helpline you can contact Direct by phoning 1300361768 8am-12pm

Please ENSURE to UPDATE your Childs New Class Details to ensure a much easier delivery pick up in the New Term.

If you have missed the cut off time please call the school and we will try to make sure a lunch can be ordered and payment over the phone can be arranged.

A range of hot food and daily specials is also avaliable at first and second break to purchase over the counter but with limited quanties so it is always best to place your lunch order.

We wish our Families, Students and School Staff a Very Happy and Holy Christmas and look forward to serving you in the New Term of 2025.

Mary Holdsworth | Secondary Canteen Manager