School Vision

St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning, and grow and develop as God intends.

This prayer is for our students making their First Reconciliation on Wednesday, 9 September:

Heavenly Father,
We lift up to You these precious children who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.

Fill their hearts with Your peace and love as they take this important step in their journey of faith.

Guide their minds and hearts as they examine their conscience. Grant them the courage to be honest and the humility to seek forgiveness.

Strengthen them with the grace of this sacrament, that they may grow closer to You and strive to live a life of goodness and virtue.

Bless their families and catechists who have supported and prepared them for this sacred moment.

May they continue to nurture these young souls in faith, hope, and love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dear Parents & Carers,

Staffing Announcement – Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Limited (CEWA)

On behalf of the Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Limited (CEWA), Mrs Annette Morey, I wish to advise that Mrs Susan Milton has been appointed to the short-term Principal position at St Mary’s School, Northampton, for a 12-month period from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027.

While we will certainly miss Mrs Milton’s presence and leadership within our own community during this time, we are confident that the St Mary’s community will be greatly enriched by her experience, commitment, and care. We wish Mrs Milton every success in this role and look forward to welcoming her back in 2028.

Please join us in congratulating Mrs Milton on this wonderful opportunity.

CEWA will commence the process of appointing a short-term Principal for our school as soon as practicable.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we navigate this transition.

A Personal Message

As many of you know, St Matthew’s School and Parish have been my home for many years, both personally and professionally. It is therefore with mixed emotions that I share this news with our school community.

While I am excited about this new opportunity and the experiences it will bring, it is certainly not an easy decision to step away from a community that has played such an important role in my life.

Over the coming months, I look forward to continuing to work alongside our wonderful students, dedicated staff, supportive families, and parish community to ensure that 2026 finishes as a successful and memorable year for St Matthew’s.

Faction Reward

Congratulations, St Matthew’s on reaching your Faction Points award. Wednesday, 2 September (Wk 7) students in Pre-Primary to Yr 6 may wear free dress to school. Well Done!!

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Each year, St Matthew’s School offers parents two formal opportunities to meet with their students’ class teachers to discuss their academic progress, share learning examples, and celebrate growth. This is an essential part of our reporting process, and we strongly recommend that all of our parents book a session with their class teacher.

In Term 3, we are offering 15-minute meetings during the final weeks of term. Information on how to book a slot will be shared with parents on Monday 7 September. Parents will be able to book an interview with class and specialist teachers.

Madagascar Musical Ticket Information

Excitement is building for our Madagascar Musical performances on Friday 6 November!

To provide priority access for our performers’ families, Year 5 and Year 6 families will be able to book tickets from 9:00am on Monday 14 September (Week 9). The remainder of the school community will be able to book tickets from 9:00am on Monday 21 September (Week 10).

To ensure as many families as possible can attend, each family will be allocated a maximum of four tickets in total. Families may choose to book seats for either the 12:30pm Matinee Performance or the 6:00pm Evening Performance, however the allocation is four tickets altogether, not four tickets per performance.

Tickets can be reserved by calling the school office or emailing admin@matthews.wa.edu.au.

Families requiring additional seats may wish to book these  at the dress rehearsal at 12:30pm on Thursday 5 November, where extra seating may be available. These too will need to be booked by calling the school office or emailing admin@matthews.wa.edu.au.

We look forward to sharing this wonderful production with our school community!

Madagascar Thank You

As preparations for our production of Madagascar continue, our staff (especially Mrs Hastie) would like to extend a very special and heartfelt thank you to several members of our school community who have generously shared their time, talents and creativity with us.

A sincere thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for purchasing the headset microphones that will help bring our performers’ voices to life on stage.

We are also incredibly grateful to:

• Gayelle Quartermaine, Mitch Wray and the students from the WA College of Agriculture for the wonderful props they have created for the production.
• Ange Thornton for sewing our backdrops free of charge
• Claire Oakley for painting the backdrops and creating the steak costumes for our Year 4 students
• Jess Westphal for sewing the lemur accessories
• Amy Cunningham for painting the jungle leaves
• Tracey Campbell for sewing the Foosa accessories.

The generosity, creativity and enthusiasm shown by these parents and community members have been truly remarkable. Their contributions have added so much to our production and have helped create a wonderful experience for our students.

Staff Wellbeing Wednesday

At St Matthew’s, our staff lead a number of committees known as Passion Projects, each focused on enhancing different aspects of school life. One of these committees is dedicated to staff wellbeing and has previously organised staff celebrations, mental health workshops, extended break opportunities, and other activities designed to strengthen connections and foster a positive team culture.

The committee has introduced a new initiative called Wellbeing Wednesday. As part of this initiative, staff members are invited to wear denim on Wednesdays for the remainder of the term. This simple gesture aims to promote staff wellbeing, boost morale, and recognise the important contribution our teachers and support staff make to our school community each day.

Change of dates (as printed in Week 3 newsletter)

We would like to apologise for having to change the dates of the following upcoming events. We know many families and community members plan their schedules well in advance, and we regret any inconvenience these adjustments may cause.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make these changes.

Year 6 Information Meeting

Parents and carers of Year 6 students are invited to attend a Year 6 Information Meeting following the Year 6 Assembly on Friday, 23 October.

This meeting will provide families with important information regarding the various activities and events that our Year 6 students will participate in during their final term of primary school. This includes details about end-of-year celebrations, special events, and arrangements for the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony.

We encourage all Year 6 families to attend to ensure they are well informed and able to support their child as they prepare for this significant milestone in their primary school journey. We look forward to sharing this exciting information with you.

First Reconciliation

We warmly invite Year 3 families to enrol their child in this year’s Sacrament Preparation Program for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. This special milestone provides children with an opportunity to deepen their faith and strengthen their relationship with God.

Parents wishing for their child to participate are asked to register their commitment via the school app. Registration is essential for any child planning to receive the Sacrament of First Reconciliation this term.

Please also note these important dates:

Fathers’ Day Events

We would love to celebrate and spoil our St Matthew’s fathers and father-figures:

St Matthew’s Day Talent Showcase

Every year, we celebrate St Matthew’s Feast Day in Term 3. This year, as part of these celebrations, we will be having a Talent Showcase.

This year, as part of our class Music lessons in Week 8 (7 and 8 September), students will have the opportunity to present an item.  Children are encouraged to share a talent of their choice, such as singing, dancing, poetry recitation, gymnastics, magic, mime, playing a musical instrument, or any other performance they would like to showcase. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to build confidence, express their creativity and celebrate their unique gifts and interests.

Following the class presentations, two items from each class will be selected to perform at the whole-school Talent Showcase on St Matthew’s Day, 21 September. Parents will be notified if their child is selected to perform at the showcase. The school band will also perform from the Music loft as part of this showcase. All parents are invited to attend.

Importantly, this is not a competition, but a celebration of the diverse talents, interests and abilities within our St Matthew’s community. We look forward to seeing our students shine and sharing in the many talents that make our school so special.

NAIDOC Gala Day 17 September 2026 (Week 9)

Schools are invited to bring students to learn about First Nations culture and be apart of the NAIDOC celebrations. There will be activities for all ages, from sensory and messy play for younger children to NAIDOC-themed arts, crafts, and interactive activities for older students.

• Years 2 to Year 6 students attending
• Date: 17 September 2026
• Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
• Location: Alby Park, Narrogin (50 Clayton Road)

2027 Three Week Break

2027 Term Dates

Please note the 2027 Pupil-Free days are yet to be decided, however, this will provide parents with an understanding of how the Three-Week break will work.

Performance Assemblies Term 3 and 4

Parish Fundraiser

Important Dates

To help families plan their time, here is a list of important dates for this term. All of these dates are also included in the school app calendar. 

Keep warm,

Susan Milton
Principal