Newsletter 1

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome back for the start of the 2026 school year! It was a privilege to see our students and families return refreshed and eager after the holidays. The interactions between old friends and new were very positive as all went about finding their new classrooms. What is characteristic of our school and pleasing to witness, is the way that new students, families, and staff are welcomed and made feel comfortable by our existing students, families and staff and the way that all go out of their way to say hello and take the time to help others. This is noticeable in the school grounds and in the classrooms. Congratulations to all and wishing you a fantastic and successful year ahead.

As we begin the year, there are two ways to ensure that our children have the greatest opportunity of experiencing success. One of these is a strong partnership between home and school. If each child understands and witnesses that the home and school are on the same team and are committed to their growth and development, they will be more positive about their learning and more likely to succeed. Secondly, if we each have high expectations of our children, they are more accountable to the home and school and they raise their standards to meet what is being asked of them. This applies to attention to tasks, homework, uniform and presentation, respect towards others and the way they represent themselves, their families and their school.

Our Parent Information Evenings are scheduled for next week in classrooms.

• Monday 9th February Years 2, 4 and 6
• Tuesday 10th February Years 1, 3 and 5
• Wednesday 11th February Pre-Primary

This is a great way to find out about the year ahead, show your child that you believe their learning is important and an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers.

Supervision is provided for students from Year 1 to Year 6 before school from 8.10am and after school until 3.20pm. If arriving at school before 8.30am, children are requested to sit in the central courtyard area until teacher supervision commences. Please ensure students are not on-site unsupervised outside of these times unless participating in an organised activity. Students involved in organised activities are to be supervised by parents if they fall outside of supervision times. Parents with children in Kindergarten are required to accompany their child to the classroom in the morning from 8.30am and collect their child from the class teacher at the end of the school day. Students in Pre-Primary are required to be brought to the classroom from 8.30am and collected in the afternoon. Alternatively, they may use the drive through on Barradine as outlined in communication sent by Pre-Primary staff. All school play equipment is out of bounds before and after school. Little Buckets provides before and after school care

services on site. Their details are available on our school website on the following link: https://whitfordcatholicps.wa.edu.au/wcps-families/out-of-school-hours-care/ 

The school website is a great source of information and includes details on school history, learning, the many extra-curricular activities we offer, uniform expectations, and a range of policies such as the Code of Conduct, Student Code of Conduct and more. The school calendar is also available on the website under WCPS Families. This calendar will include the most recent updates.

This year marks 180 years since the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Australia. Next Wednesday morning, we will celebrate our Frayne faction feast day with a Year 1-6 mass and free dress for students in Frayne. Students will then join their buddy class to learn about Ursula Frayne. Our Frayne faction is named after Ursula Frayne. In 1846, in the early days of the Swan River Colony, Ursula Frayne arrived from Ireland leading a small group of Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy had been founded fifteen years earlier in 1831 by Catherine McAuley. Their mission was to educate and support the poor and most vulnerable. At WCPS, Frayne is associated with our school values of Faith and Excellence.

The following is a timeline of significant events in Ursula Frayne’s life:

• Born Clara Mary Frayne in Dublin in 1817
• She was trained in Dublin by Catherine McAuley and became a professed Sister of Mercy on the 25 January 1837, taking the name of Sister Mary Ursula.
• Bishop Brady invites Sisters to travel to Perth, Australia. Ursula volunteers and sails for Western Australia via the Cape of Good Hope on the ship ‘Elizabeth’. She arrives in January 1846 after a hundred and thirteen-day journey (nearly 4 months).
• Mother Ursula Frayne opens the first Mercy school on the 2nd February 1846 with planks, bricks and packing boxes as furniture.
• Ursula and the Sisters of Mercy then established a boarding house, and in 1847, built a convent. The building still stands today at Victoria Square, Perth (Mercedes College).
• After being invited by Bishop Goold, she sails east in January 1857, arriving in Melbourne on March 6 (a two-month voyage).
• The Academy of Mary Immaculate opens in 1857, only 6 weeks after Ursula’s arrival in Melbourne. It offered young middle-class women an education in English, French, Music and Drawing.
• She opens a House of Mercy in 1860 to provide a home for young, unemployed and unprotected females.
• She took charge of the newly founded St Vincent de Paul Orphanage in 1861.
• By 1863, the Academy of Mary Immaculate had a boarding and day school for young ladies, a middle school for children of poorer means, and an infant school.
• Ursula passed away in Melbourne in 1885.

At the beginning of the term, our Year 6 students will meet in their leadership ministries. They will also commence the process to be considered for House Captain, Dance Captain and Music Captain positions. We will also discuss their leadership of the student body and how they will not only strive to live our school values personally but also focus on developing these in others. Our school values underpin our behaviours, aspirations and interactions.

OUR VALUES

Whitford Catholic Primary School is a Christ-centred and child-focused community. We live our mission through the following values:

Faith

We believe in God, self, and each other.

We are active participants in our Catholic community.

Excellence

We strive to do our best in everything we do.

We demonstrate pride in ourselves, each other, family, and school.

Service

We aim to live like Jesus in our actions and words.

We work together to care for and help others.

Trust

We build strong and cooperative relationships.

We value the contributions and ability of others.

Community

We create an environment where everyone feels safe and can thrive.

We are inclusive and foster a sense of belonging.

On February 11, our parish will host the Sacramental Parent Information Night for parents and carers of students who are making the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion or Confirmation this year. Sacramental dates for this year are:

Sacramental Enrolment Masses 2026

Sacrament Enrolment Weekend (all masses except Saturday 8:00am) 14 February & 15 February

Parent Child Workshops 2026

Confirmation Parent/Student Workshop 12 May | 5pm OLM

First Holy Communion Parent/Student Workshop 4 August | 5pm OLM

First Reconciliation Parent/Student Workshop 21 October | 5pm OLM

Retreats 2026

Confirmation Retreat 7 May | GYM

First Holy Communion Retreat 26 August |GYM

First Reconciliation Retreat 21 October | GYM

Sacramental Dates 2026

Confirmation Commitment Mass (all masses except Saturday 8:00am) 2 May & 3 May

Sacrament of Confirmation 30 May | 6.30pm OLM

Sacrament of Confirmation 31 May | 10am OLM

First Holy Communion Commitment Mass (all masses except Saturday 8:00am) 25 July & 26 July

Sacrament of First Holy Communion 29 August | 6.30pm OLM

Sacrament of First Holy Communion 30 August | 10:00am OLM

First Reconciliation Commitment Mass (all masses except Saturday 8:00am) 17 October & 18 October

Sacrament of First Reconciliation 29 October | 6pm OLM

Please inform the school office in writing if anything has changed over the holidays regarding any student medical situations or needs. Families with medical action plans will also need to review these and provide the office with updated copies.

Interviews for 2028 Kindy places will occur during the term. There is significant demand for places at Whitford Catholic Primary School, so please ensure that if you or someone close to you is intending to send their child to our school in 2028, they have completed and submitted an application form.

I look forward to working collaboratively with you this year for the benefit of our students.

Best wishes and God bless