It was with great excitement that St Andrews Primary Marayong Year 6 students participated in the entry event of their current Project Based Learning unit.
Four volunteers from the Blacktown State Emergency Services (SES) unit gave generously of their time to explain their role in helping fellow Australians during times of crisis.
The event was inspiring, giving students the chance to meet real-life SES workers. But most exciting was the chance Year 6 had to meet ex-St Andrews Primary student and main SES presenter, Adrian Apalakis.
The students were amazed to meet someone from their school who was truly living a life in service to others in their community.
Armed with their driving question about how Australian citizens can support the SES, and a host of related questions, students learnt about SES Blacktown’s role in emergency situations such as floods, storms and tsunamis.
Through listening and learning about the challenging and rewarding role of an SES volunteer, students were empowered to apply this learning to the activities they will engage in during the remainder of the term.
St Andrews, Marayong, looks forward to welcoming Adrian and fellow SES Blacktown volunteers back at the end of Term 2, to showcase the findings of their PBL unit.
St Andrew's Primary Marayong
www.standrewspsmarayong.catholic.edu.au
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24 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Our social media is one small window into some of the wonderful things that happen across our schools every day. You’ve probably noticed that we’re changing some of the ways we share these stories as we put recent recommendations from the eSafety Commissioner into practice. You will start to see fewer identifiable student images, and more of what happens around them - the work, the creativity, the achievement, the teamwork and the people who make it all happen. It’s a different way of telling the story. But there are still plenty of stories to tell! The safety and wellbeing of our students are always our highest priorities. This approach allows us to continue celebrating the learning, achievements and everyday moments that make our school communities so special, while being thoughtful about how student images are shared online. Our social media may look a little different, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still see some faces from time to time as we work with schools and families to share identifiable images when they help to tell an important part of the story and where permissions have been provided. Our purpose remains the same: sharing the inspiring stories of our 80 school communities across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.21 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Stay Late – Faith in Action On Friday evening, 123 students from Years 4, 5 and 6 participated in ‘Stay Late’, a Faith in Action experience focused on homelessness. A speaker from the St Vincent de Paul Society spoke with students about the statistics, circumstances and realities of life for those experiencing homelessness. Students then participated in ‘The Snowball of Life’ game before being challenged to use a minimal budget to feed a family. Working in teams named after a Saint, students were then tasked with building a homeless shelter using cardboard boxes, string, tape and small pieces of foam and plastic. The evening concluded with students and teachers tying a purple ribbon to our prayer focus homeless shelter as a commitment to pray for, help where possible and respect the dignity of all who find themselves homeless. A huge thank you to Mrs Hyson for organising such a meaningful and reflective experience for our students, and to our staff who gave up their Friday evening for this opportunity.
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24 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Our social media is one small window into some of the wonderful things that happen across our schools every day. You’ve probably noticed that we’re changing some of the ways we share these stories as we put recent recommendations from the eSafety Commissioner into practice. You will start to see fewer identifiable student images, and more of what happens around them - the work, the creativity, the achievement, the teamwork and the people who make it all happen. It’s a different way of telling the story. But there are still plenty of stories to tell! The safety and wellbeing of our students are always our highest priorities. This approach allows us to continue celebrating the learning, achievements and everyday moments that make our school communities so special, while being thoughtful about how student images are shared online. Our social media may look a little different, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still see some faces from time to time as we work with schools and families to share identifiable images when they help to tell an important part of the story and where permissions have been provided. Our purpose remains the same: sharing the inspiring stories of our 80 school communities across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
21 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Stay Late – Faith in Action On Friday evening, 123 students from Years 4, 5 and 6 participated in ‘Stay Late’, a Faith in Action experience focused on homelessness. A speaker from the St Vincent de Paul Society spoke with students about the statistics, circumstances and realities of life for those experiencing homelessness. Students then participated in ‘The Snowball of Life’ game before being challenged to use a minimal budget to feed a family. Working in teams named after a Saint, students were then tasked with building a homeless shelter using cardboard boxes, string, tape and small pieces of foam and plastic. The evening concluded with students and teachers tying a purple ribbon to our prayer focus homeless shelter as a commitment to pray for, help where possible and respect the dignity of all who find themselves homeless. A huge thank you to Mrs Hyson for organising such a meaningful and reflective experience for our students, and to our staff who gave up their Friday evening for this opportunity.
18 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Year 2 had an action-packed day at Plough and Harrow Parklands, exploring the science of pushes and pulls with Ranger Jamie! Students investigated forces through exciting hands-on activities, including racing billy carts, making slime, launching paper rockets and experimenting with soda water bags. It was a wonderful day filled with curiosity, teamwork, scientific thinking and plenty of fun! 🚀🛒🧪 A big thank you to Ranger Jamie for bringing our learning to life!
18 Sep 2026
From Facebook
😂 When one school pet just isn’t enough… Our Year 2 students were doing their very best to persuade Mrs Bond that having just one school pet would simply not be enough. 🐰🐔🐹🐢 Apparently, what we really need is a whole school farm! 🐾😂 Mrs Bond is now wondering how a conversation about one pet somehow turned into plans for an entire animal kingdom! 🤦♀️🤣💙💛🐾
16 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🌟 Kindergarten Liturgy of the Word 🌟 Our Kindergarten students celebrated their Liturgy of the Word, led by Father Kevin, reflecting on what it means to be part of God’s family and “the Church.” 🙏💙 Our students participated beautifully through prayer, Scripture, song and reflection, sharing the message of loving like Jesus did and caring for others. What a wonderful way to celebrate our faith together! ✨
15 Sep 2026
From Facebook
We are pleased to welcome our next guest in the Bishop Vincent Presents series, Kim Daniels, on the topic 'AI, Pope Leo and the future of human dignity’. Kim Daniels is one of the Church’s foremost experts on Catholic Social Thought and its importance in the age of artificial intelligence. A lawyer by training, she served for 10 years as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication until 2026, and during the Synod on Synodality from 2021-2024 was an expert participant and coordinator of the study group that focused on the Church’s mission in the digital age. Learn more and register via parracatholic.org/kim-daniels Places fill up fast, so don’t miss out!
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Today we celebrate the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, father figures and all those who love, guide, encourage and support our children each day. 💕💕 Wishing you a very special Father’s Day! 💙 💙💛
05 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Thank you to our amazing Support Staff across the school! 💙💛 Thank you for the care, encouragement and support you provide to our students every day. Whether it’s a helping hand, a listening ear, a kind word or simply being there when our students need you 🌟 These are just some of the many wonderful Support Staff who make a difference at St Andrew’s every day. We thank you all for everything you do for our children. 💙💛
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
A special thank you to our wonderful school team and parent helpers who volunteered their time at our Father’s Day Stall today! 💙💛 Our students had so much fun choosing their special gifts — there were certainly lots of important decisions to be made! 🎁 Thank you for helping make it such a fun and memorable experience!
03 Sep 2026