What a spectacular day we had last Friday to celebrate our 40th year of providing quality Catholic education to girls in the Penrith area.
Our Mass, concelebrated by Fr Robert Riedling Parish Priest of Padre Pio Parish and Fr Zvonimir Gavranovic Parish Priest of Luddenham and Warragamba parishes, saw over 1,000 staff and students and over 100 ex staff and students fill the church with prayer and song.
In his welcome, Mr Greg King, our Assistant Principal asked 39 of our Year 7 students to stand up as a visual reminder of that first small group of pioneering students and their teachers. It was certainly a stark contrast to the size of the current day college.
The gospel from Matthew 25:31-40 was proclaimed thoughtfully by Fr Zvonimir with the final phrase “ …when you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me …” poignantly and deliberately spoken in a hushed tone. In his homily, Fr Robert, after congratulating the college for its achievements to date, reminded us that when the reminiscing is all done, the core that will and must remain is our strong Catholic identity, built on the person of Jesus Christ. He reflected on the life of Caroline Chisholm and said that just as she was a woman of great faith, motivated by love of God, that we in turn should use her as a model of the life of love and service to which we are called.
At the end of Mass, Sr Elizabeth from Mt Schoenstatt Sisters of Mercy spoke about her recollections of being part of the foundational years and Professor Margot Kearns, Pro Vice Chancellor of Notre Dame University spoke of the “special quality” that marked out the school from its beginning – she named that quality as the Catholic values upon which the school was built. Special anecdotes were met with laughter from both past and present students.
Each year group created an item for a “time capsule” and wrote a reflection about what they had chosen and why it was significant.
At the very end of Mass, to affirm that the College is still built on the foundation of Christ who was servant par excellence, Ms Bernadette Murray led us in a reflection and acknowledgement not only of what we do, but how many of us are involved in Caroline’s Footsteps – our faith at work - within our school. By the end of the reflection, every girl and staff member was standing.
A sumptuous morning tea followed for our guests and staff, which had been very professionally prepared, by our Hospitality team and their students. From a display of memorabilia, one could hear roars of laughter as 40 year old hairstyles and “those brown socks“ were remembered. Our College leaders hosted tours for any of our guests who had not seen the extent of the growth of the college.
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www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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04 Jul 2025
From Facebook
03 Jul 2025
From Facebook
On Tuesday 24 June our representative dance companies competed at the PDSSSC Dance Competition. All students represented our College beautifully and performed well on stage. The companies included our Pasifika and Bollywood groups, who also recently performed at the Multicultural Day at school. The Lyrical, Hip Hop and Jazz companies also did very well. A special mention to the Jazz company who placed 3rd in a tough section. Our junior soloists also placed in their section, with Makenzie (year 9) in 2nd and Laci (year 7) placing 3rd. @Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
03 Jul 2025
From Facebook
At the midpoint of 2025, we're celebrating a phenomenal milestone - over 400 individual students from Years 7–12 at Caroline Chisholm College have taken part in our careers and pathways opportunities and programs… with more than 1,000 engagements already! From our signature Lunch and Learn Guest Speaker Series to the extensive Discover the Universe Showcases, our students have involved themselves enthusiastically in countless career and future-focused opportunities, including: ⭐ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Senior Students Forum (St Columba's Catholic College) ⭐ Australian Catholic University Step Up Into Teaching (SUIT) & Uni Step Up Programs ⭐ ACS (Australian Computer Society) Big Day In at UTS ⭐ Crazy Ideas College Workshops ⭐ Greater Western Sydney Careers Market (Brett Carter Events) ⭐ NBMLHD Health Inspirations Program ⭐ International Women’s Day Leadership Workshop (IBM and Crazy Ideas College) ⭐ Ready Set Work Program and Career Clusters (Study Work Grow) ⭐ RIEP Childhood Education & Hospitality Workshops ⭐ Try a Career Days at CathWest Innovation College ⭐ Western Sydney University Fast Forward Program ⭐ Personalised careers conversations with our two Pathways Coaches A massive congratulations to our students for showing such dedication, curiosity and enthusiasm. Each engagement helps build your future, and your commitment is being recognised with our exclusive Pathways Accreditation credential, to reward your efforts and help promote your personal career aspirations. We have also seen our students discovering their futures through our Careers Canvas page, including our Year 12s who have been crafting their post school career plans, with access to partner organisations' tools and resources and our careers modules in Wellbeing lessons. Thank you sincerely to the incredible organisations, families, friends and Alumnae of the College who share our vision and have partnered with us, generously giving your time and insights to our students. Your support is opening doors and sparking dreams! We’re only halfway through the year - so stay tuned for a huge Semester 2 full of more opportunities to discover, connect, and thrive!
03 Jul 2025
From Facebook
What an amazing opportunity for our year 10 students to showcase their creative and critical thinking skills at The University of Newcastle's Science and Engineering Challenge! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
03 Jul 2025
From Facebook
📦✨ Thank You CCC Community, particularly Macarthur House as we continue to put faith into action! 🙌 On Wednesday the team from Jesuit Social Service Ignite Store collected all the amazing items donated by our students and staff. Your generosity will go directly to supporting individuals and families in our local community who are doing it tough. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, your kindness is making a real difference. 💙 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
02 Jul 2025
From Facebook
With many of our students aspiring to careers in real estate, this term’s final Lunch and Learn couldn’t have been more relevant or inspiring. We were thrilled to welcome back valued Alumnae and one of the industry’s rising local stars — Kayla Fenech (Class of 2020) — who returned to Caroline Chisholm to generously share her career journey, wisdom and practical advice. Now a Business Development Manager (BDM) at Ray White United Group, Kayla's theme was 'More Than Just Selling & Leasing Homes' and she gave our students an honest and inspiring look into her pathway - from graduation to success - showing just what’s possible with passion and persistence. Her insights into the real estate world and her personal reflections on building a career were invaluable to the big lunchtime audience on hand. Kayla discussed what real estate is really like, different career paths within the industry, a 'day in the life' of a BDM, the skills/qualifications you need and how to get started. Thank you, Kayla for kindly giving back to your school community and helping the next generation imagine what’s possible. We loved having you back at CCC! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
02 Jul 2025
From Facebook
What a moment of pride as we celebrated the achievements of 22 incredible students who have shown true dedication, energy and focus in preparing for their future careers through the Ready Set Work program. This innovative series, developed by Study Work Grow and facilitated by our College’s Pathways Coaches, ran from November to June during lunchtime sessions. It included key modules such as: Workplace Induction, How to Find a Job, Communicating with Employers, Resume Writing & Job Applications, Interview Skills & Mock Interviews and a Peer Mentoring Panel. We were also very fortunate to have generous senior students as volunteers and mentors along the way, who shared their own insights and casual job experiences. We were thrilled to recognise our Ready Set Work graduates with Certificates of Achievement and Program Transcripts, presented by our Acting Principal, Mrs Petrovski, at a special morning tea. Congratulations Ladies — you are now truly ready and set...to go and step into the world of work!
01 Jul 2025
From Facebook
The Junior CCC Rep soccer team played Penola last Thursday in the PDSSSC Thursday sport competition at Jamison Park. With perfect conditions for football, the girls attacked the game with determination and enjoyment despite being down players. Their attack in the first half was terrific putting pressure on the Penola defence and we were unlucky not to score with the teams level 0-0 at half time. The girls played well again in an even matched second half. However, a late goal to Penola saw the team go down 0-1. Despite the loss, the team is showing improvement in every game.
30 Jun 2025
From Facebook
Year 8 Technology students have been busy designing, planning, and constructing their very own bags — and the results are incredible! From fabric selection to stitching the final seams, students have developed practical skills and showcased their creativity. 👏🧵✂️ Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
30 Jun 2025
From Facebook
7TECHB were very excited to visit their garden beds to harvest the vegetables they have grown and maintained for Semester 1. Students harvested their own home-grown carrots, radishes and tomatoes and are very excited to take this produce home to continue cooking healthy meals. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
30 Jun 2025
From Facebook
Year 10 Japanese students recently attended seminars at Macquarie University learning about the exciting pathways that learning Japanese opens up for in the future. Students learnt about short and long term exchanges, how to do well in the HSC, options for studying the language at university, studying at University in Japan, working holidays and the employment opportunities offered through the JET scheme. Congratulations to Keira and Ira who won the Kahoot after our Japanese lunch, bringing home a bag of Japanese snacks! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
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