In a wonderful example of community spirit and togetherness, students from four Blue Mountains primary schools came together recently for a special Mountains Encounter retreat focusing on what they’ve done and can do to help ensure everyone in society has equal rights, opportunities and is treated fairly.
Students from the Faith In Action (FIAT) teams at St Finbar's Primary Glenbrook, St Thomas Aquinas Primary Springwood, St Canice's Primary Katoomba, and Our Lady of the Nativity Primary Lawson gathered at St Finbar's for the afternoon retreat which, over the past few years, has brought considerable benefits to both students, their schools and the wider community.
Students reflected on what they’d learnt throughout the year and their involvement in social justice initiatives such as Project Compassion, food drives and volunteering for Vinnies and Jesuit Refugee Services.
Mountains Encounter, overseen by Lauren Maund, Director of Catholic Identity and Mission, aims to strengthen bonds among students while offering them opportunities to explore their faith through various enriching activities. Students took part in team-building exercises, faith formation workshops, and reflections centered on the Advent season. The main message was to encourage students to embrace their roles in carrying forward Christ’s mission of service and unity.
One of the highlights of the event was the traditional sausage sizzle dinner where students got to share a meal while learning about each other and their different communities in the Blue Mountains.
The retreat was more than just a gathering, it was a demonstration of how schools in the Blue Mountains are living out their faith through action. Their dedication to social justice and building community proves that living your faith can make a real difference in our world.
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Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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09 Jun 2026
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How can you help your child learn at home without stress, conflict, or overwhelm? Join CSPD’s Learning Outcomes team for a practical parent session focused on simple, realistic ways families can support learning at home, from primary through to secondary school.
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19 May 2026
From Facebook
How fortunate are we at OLN to witness such a wonderful diversity of play during our lunchtimes. From imaginative games and creative collaboration to sport, conversation, problem-solving and quiet moments of connection. Play is where friendships grow, confidence develops, and learning comes alive.😊 “We used to believe that schools built brains. Now we know that it is play that builds the brains that school can then use.” — Dr. Gordon Neufeld At OLN, we celebrate the joy, creativity and belonging that play brings to our community each day.
19 May 2026
From Facebook
👏 We're excited to see NINE of our primary schools recognised by The Sydney Morning Herald among the top NSW schools achieving the biggest gains in maths and literacy growth! These outstanding results reflect significant growth across the five NAPLAN domains of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy ✨ Congratulations to: St John's Primary, Riverstone, St Anthony's Primary, Girraween, Our Lady of the Nativity, Lawson NSW, Bethany Catholic Primary School, Glenmore Park, Holy Spirit St Clair, St Patrick's Primary School Blacktown, Good Shepherd Plumpton, Trinity Primary School Kemps Creek and Holy Family Primary School, East Granville. Read the full story, featuring beautiful photos from Holy Family Granville 👉 https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/revealed-top-160-nsw-primary-schools-for-maths-and-literacy-growth-20260513-p5zwjx.html
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19 May 2026
From Facebook
How fortunate are we at OLN to witness such a wonderful diversity of play during our lunchtimes. From imaginative games and creative collaboration to sport, conversation, problem-solving and quiet moments of connection. Play is where friendships grow, confidence develops, and learning comes alive.😊 “We used to believe that schools built brains. Now we know that it is play that builds the brains that school can then use.” — Dr. Gordon Neufeld At OLN, we celebrate the joy, creativity and belonging that play brings to our community each day.
19 May 2026
From Facebook
👏 We're excited to see NINE of our primary schools recognised by The Sydney Morning Herald among the top NSW schools achieving the biggest gains in maths and literacy growth! These outstanding results reflect significant growth across the five NAPLAN domains of reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy ✨ Congratulations to: St John's Primary, Riverstone, St Anthony's Primary, Girraween, Our Lady of the Nativity, Lawson NSW, Bethany Catholic Primary School, Glenmore Park, Holy Spirit St Clair, St Patrick's Primary School Blacktown, Good Shepherd Plumpton, Trinity Primary School Kemps Creek and Holy Family Primary School, East Granville. Read the full story, featuring beautiful photos from Holy Family Granville 👉 https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/revealed-top-160-nsw-primary-schools-for-maths-and-literacy-growth-20260513-p5zwjx.html
15 May 2026
From Facebook
St Vincent de Paul reached out to let us know that they are running short of snack packs to keep up with demand. A call went out to our teachers, and in their VERY generous OLN spirit, donated enough items to make over 40 snack packs to be dropped off today. Whilst the Winter Appeal is our main Vinnies donation drive, please consider this as an optional extra for the remainder of the term. Items from the list will be greatfully accepted and can be placed in the baskets provided at the front gate at drop off time. Many thanks for your ongoing support for our community. 🥰 #olnisthebest #gracioushearts #CommunitySpirit
14 May 2026
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06 May 2026
From Facebook
Today, we celebrated the mums and mother-figures in our lives in the lead up to Mother’s Day this Sunday 💐 Thank you to everyone who joined us for bacon and egg rolls, our Mother’s Day liturgy, and classroom visits. It’s wonderful to be part of such a close-knit community that comes together to celebrate these special moments. A special mention to our amazing staff for cooking, serving, and supervising—many of whom are mothers themselves. We truly appreciate all that you do! #olnlawson #cspd2026 #bluemountainsprimaryschool
06 May 2026
From Facebook
🧶 The OLN Knitting Club kicked off last Thursday! We’re taking on a meaningful challenge—knitting 25cm x 25cm squares that will be stitched together into warm blankets for those in need this winter. ❄️ Proudly supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, one stitch at a time. 💙 If you’d like to get involved or contribute, we’d love to have you join us! #faithinactioncspd #cspd2026 #bluemountainsprimaryschool #olnlawson
05 May 2026
From Facebook
🏀 Huge weekend for Isabella and Sophia! They travelled to Griffith to compete in the Basketball NSW Waratah Western Junior League, representing the Blue Mountains Magic. The team finished 1st on the ladder and won their qualifier to reach the final. They narrowly went down 20–26 on Sunday, but played an incredible game. In their very first season, this is a massive achievement — so proud of them! 💙👏
04 May 2026
From Facebook
Last week, our Faith In Action Team came together to prepare a variety of fresh sandwiches, which were delivered to the Vinnie’s bus. 🥪 Through this small act of service, we were able to support members of our community who are doing it tough. Thank you to everyone involved for your time, care, and generosity—it truly makes a difference. #faithinactioncspd #olnlawson #cspd2026
01 May 2026
From Facebook
What a fantastic day at our Stage 2 Futsal event! ⚽️ Our boys finished a strong third, showing great teamwork and determination throughout the day. The girls delivered an incredible all-OLN final, with both teams playing with skill, spirit and sportsmanship. In the end, the Light Blues came away with the win—well done to all involved! A huge thank you to all our players for displaying resilience, teamwork and pride in every game. And to our amazing parents—your support, encouragement, and help with the teams made the day run so smoothly and created such a positive experience for everyone. Proud of you all! 💙 #olnlawson #windowintolearning #cspd2026 #futsal
01 May 2026
From Facebook
This week, Stage 3 participated in an online digital workshop Inspiring Student Leaders. This was led by Dr Stephanie Smith and gave the students an opportunity to think about how they can help others, how they can give back to their community, how they would like to grow as a leader and the leadership qualities that they already have.
29 Apr 2026
From Facebook
A Happy birthday to all these wonderful children who celebrated their birthdays in March and April. We all hope they enjoyed their special day.
25 Apr 2026
From Facebook
Today, our students proudly took part in the ANZAC March in Lawson. It was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the importance of freedom, community, and the sacrifices made—both past and present—to protect these values. Our students represented OLN with great pride and reverence. Lest we forget. #olnlawson #anzacday
24 Apr 2026
From Facebook
In the lead up to ANZAC Day tomorrow, our Year 6 students took part in a writing competition run by Lawson Combined Services, reflecting on what this important day means to them. Students from across local schools submitted thoughtful and moving pieces, and we are incredibly proud to share that one of our students, Amy, was awarded the trophy today. Amy had the opportunity to read her writing to the school and has been invited to share her piece with the wider community at the ANZAC service in Lawson tomorrow. Congratulations, Amy—we are so proud of you and the way you have honoured the spirit of ANZAC Day. You are warmly invited to join us in representing our school at the service tomorrow. Please see Compass for full details.
20 Apr 2026
From Facebook
✨Today, our staff spent a meaningful Formation Day on the beautiful grounds of St Columba’s Catholic College. We were blessed with the opportunity to pray, sing, learn, and reflect alongside staff from our neighbouring primary schools. It was a truly uplifting experience that strengthened our sense of community and shared mission. ✨ We can’t wait to welcome back all our students and families tomorrow as we begin Term 2 filled with faith, hope, and love. 🎉📚🙏