St Anthony’s Picton primary students feel the need – the need for speed! They’ve jumped into the F1 in Schools competition for the first time with full gusto, matching it with high school teams from across the state to collaborate, design, build and race the fastest Formula 1®​ Cars of the Future.

Read about the teams' impressive performances at the recent NSW State Finals, taking the competition up to students five years their senior.

VET students at John Therry Rosemeadow are reaping the benefits of the school’s many industry connections and partnerships – enjoying direct on-the-job experience and other valuable encounters to build their practical knowledge and skills, and expand their career options.

It’s every TAS, VET and trades student’s dream – multi-million dollar, modern facilities to learn skills, design and practice your craft; tailor-made training spaces for a range of specialities, state-of-the-art equipment and the highest quality resources, all at your fingertips for the best possible learning and outcomes. New major upgrades at St Joseph’s Albion Park now provide this potential for its students, all right at school.

Public speaking is something that many people are afraid of undertaking. According to research, it tops our biggest fears, and is one of the world’s most common phobias – but it isn’t a concern for the students who attended this year’s Catholic Development Fund Diocesan Public Speaking grand final - an annual competition which challenges students to develop communication skills, confidence, motivation and knowledge sharing.

A reminder for people to be vigilant about their health and take precautions as the air quality across NSW may be affected by the extensive smoke from ongoing bushfires.

Information on managing bushfire smoke haze health risks and the things you can do to reduce your chances of being affected.

In a society where we are exposed to an avalanche of images every day – be it online, through television or social media – a striking photograph can still cut through the clutter, revealing to us something in our world we’ve been missing. John Therry Rosemeadow students have risen to this challenge, producing remarkable visuals to win 'Champion Photography High School' at this year’s Macarthur Nature Photography Competition.

The decision has been made to REOPEN St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Milton tomorrow (Tuesday 3 December) for those students who can access the school without any impediment.

However, we are respectfully asking that families who live in bushfire affected areas south of the school, such as those between Termeil and South Durras to avoid all non-essential travel including transporting children to school.

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of busy school life at St John the Evangelist Campbelltown now lies a beautiful raised green space, surrounded by paved gardens and splashes of vibrant colour. Logs, rocks, mats and pillows all decorated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designs and artworks provide a fitting tone for the school's new yarning circle and serene garden area, which was officially opened this week.

For the past two years, Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong’s annual Lighting the Way Faith and Learning Recognition Awards have celebrated excellence, passion, dedication and commitment. This year’s event – which took place at the Campbelltown Catholic Club – was no exception.

As guests arrived at the venue, it was filled with conversation and laughter - amongst a group of the most outstanding leaders working in the Diocese of Wollongong.

In a competition where fast cars are the name of the game, students at Magdalene Catholic College, Narellan are going from strength to strength in their bid to design, construct and race the best Formula 1®​ Car of the Future in the prestigious international F1 in Schools competition.

Read how our three Magdalene teams fared at the recent State Finals.

On 15 November the Diocesan Sports Council staged the 23rd Annual CDF Sports Awards to recognise the outstanding achievements of students from primary and secondary schools across the Diocese. It was a fitting culmination to a busy sporting year and a positive advertisement for the pathways and structures available to our students and teachers. 

 PHOTOS OF ALL AWARD WINNERS BY CATEGORY

A song about happiness, a short story about a golden piano, and a painting inspired by a Dubstep song that filled the artist with a “pulse of enjoyment” – these are some of the talented artworks produced by primary and secondary students from Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW).

Catholic Schools NSW's latest 'Teacher Feature' stars Ms Toni Sillis, Principal of Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School, Fairy Meadow. The three-stream school opened in 2012 – an amalgamation of the former St Francis Xavier’s and St John Vianney’s schools. The school also has a Learning Support Centre for students with special learning needs. 

We spent #OneMinuteWith Toni to ask her about her educational background and her aspirations as principal of Good Samaritan.

Eight Year 12 students from across the Diocese of Wollongong have been celebrated at this year’s Bishop's Student Excellence Awards for their outstanding schooling achievements and contributions – praised for exemplifying the best of Catholic education in a young adult about to graduate from school.

INSIDE: View our photo gallery and listen to audio of each student's citation, read out at the ceremony by their principal.

Cushioned lounges, areas for audio recording and ‘charging cupboards’ for gadgets – these are some of the highlights of a renovation makeover at St Pius X Catholic Primary School in Unanderra which has excited students and teachers alike.

The new facilities provide modern and ambient spaces where students are able to learn in a diverse range of settings that incorporate flexible classrooms with breakout areas extending to airy outdoor zones.

Please be advised that the NSW Rural Fire Service State Operations Command has issued a Total Fire Ban Order for the entire State of New South Wales, from 00:01hrs Monday 11 November 2019 to 23:59hrs Wednesday 13 November 2019.

One of those precautionary measures, based on that advice means that the Director of Schools, in collaboration with the principals, has decided to officially close eight of our schools for tomorrow, Tuesday 12 November. Please see inside for more information.

St Francis Catholic College, Edmondson Park was very pleased to welcome members of the local Bunnings Warehouse team to the school last week to help students and staff learn about all the different herbs and veggies now growing in their gardens. The school community is now skilled up and ready to look after its new and improved horticultural setup.