On Tuesday 5th March the SRC and Colour House Captains attended the GRIP Leadership Conference at Homebush.
The theme of the conference was The People Pathway. The theme reminded us that before there were all the things of the modern world that we take for granted, there were people. People have always and will always matter. In every community there are leaders and we were reminded that our community had chosen us to be leaders.
The day was very busy and very enjoyable. During the day we participated in a number of activities designed to develop our understanding of what leadership is about. The first activity was called ‘Like a Leader’. In this activity we needed to work with student leaders from other schools to get to know interesting things about them. By doing this activity we learned that we need to go out to all people and not just the people that we know. It taught us about the importance of new friendships and also gave us an insight into what kind of person the other leaders were.
We learned about the importance of character. Character is the qualities that make a particular person different to another.
There are 4 core character traits of a leader
- Confidence with humility
- Others focused
- Reliability
- Empathy
We learned about how leaders need to make a contribution to their community. There are many ways to make a contribution including sharing our strengths, setting the example to others by doing tasks that aren’t the most enjoyable and having a sense of enjoyment about being a leader.
GRIP stands for Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity and People. They taught us how to lead others in the correct way and gave us many things that we will take back and influence students at St Matthews. Our thanks to the GRIP Team who presented, Mrs Williams and Mrs Finch for allowing us to enjoy a brilliant experience.
Having spoken with the students who attended they all agreed that the event was a great experience and one that they believe future student leaders at St Matthew’s should have the chance to attend. My own thanks to Mrs Williams and Mrs Carissa Finch for accompanying the student leaders to this event.
Tim Vane-Tempest | Principal
St Mathews Primary Windsor
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11 Nov 2026
From Facebook
🌺 Remembrance Day 2026 🌺 Today we joined Windsor RSL Sub Branch to commemorate Remembrance Day 2026. It was a reflective experience that we were able to share with members of the local Hawkesbury community. 🌺 Lest We Forget #RemembranceDay2026 #LestWeForget #WeWillRememberThem #RemembranceDay #HonourAndRemember #WindsorRSL #HawkesburyCommunity #StMatthewsWindsor #FaithInAction #BeTheLight09 Nov 2026
From Facebook
♟️ ♟️ Checkmate! A fantastic day of Chess! ♟️♟️ Some of our Year 5 and Year 6 students put their strategic thinking, problem-solving skills and patience to the test at today’s inaugural Chess Gala Day! It was wonderful to see our students thinking several moves ahead, challenging themselves and demonstrating fantastic sportsmanship throughout the day. There were plenty of clever moves, close games and exciting moments along the way! Congratulations to all our students who represented St Matthew’s so proudly. We are incredibly proud of you! #StMatthewsWindsor #ChessGalaDay #Checkmate #StrategicThinking #ProblemSolving #CriticalThinking #Sportsmanship #StudentAchievement #LearningThroughChallenge #LetYourLightShine
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11 Nov 2026
From Facebook
🌺 Remembrance Day 2026 🌺 Today we joined Windsor RSL Sub Branch to commemorate Remembrance Day 2026. It was a reflective experience that we were able to share with members of the local Hawkesbury community. 🌺 Lest We Forget #RemembranceDay2026 #LestWeForget #WeWillRememberThem #RemembranceDay #HonourAndRemember #WindsorRSL #HawkesburyCommunity #StMatthewsWindsor #FaithInAction #BeTheLight
09 Nov 2026
From Facebook
♟️ ♟️ Checkmate! A fantastic day of Chess! ♟️♟️ Some of our Year 5 and Year 6 students put their strategic thinking, problem-solving skills and patience to the test at today’s inaugural Chess Gala Day! It was wonderful to see our students thinking several moves ahead, challenging themselves and demonstrating fantastic sportsmanship throughout the day. There were plenty of clever moves, close games and exciting moments along the way! Congratulations to all our students who represented St Matthew’s so proudly. We are incredibly proud of you! #StMatthewsWindsor #ChessGalaDay #Checkmate #StrategicThinking #ProblemSolving #CriticalThinking #Sportsmanship #StudentAchievement #LearningThroughChallenge #LetYourLightShine
09 Nov 2026
From Facebook
🏀 ⛹🏼♂️ Stage 2 and 3 Basketball Gala Day ⛹🏼♀️ 🏀 On Friday our students represented the school with pride, showing great sportsmanship, teamwork, determination and plenty of enthusiasm across the court. A huge congratulations to all of our players for their efforts throughout the day. We are so proud of the way they supported one another, encouraged their teammates and gave it their all! A big thank you to our wonderful parent helpers, coaches and supporters who helped make the day such a success. Well done, everyone! 🏀👏🏼 #StMatthewsWindsor #BasketballGalaDay #Teamwork #Sportsmanship #SchoolPride #GivingItYourAll #SafeRespectfulResponsibleLearners #LetYourLightShine
31 Oct 2026
From Facebook
🌎 👨🏫 Happy World Teachers’ Day! 👩🏫 🌎 Today we celebrate and acknowledge our wonderful teachers and the incredible work they do each and every day. Thank you for your dedication, passion and commitment to our students, not only in the classroom but across our entire school community. Your care, encouragement and willingness to go above and beyond make such a difference in the lives of our students and families. We are incredibly grateful for everything you do to help our students learn, grow and shine! Please know that not all of our wonderful teachers are pictured, but every single one is valued and appreciated. #WorldTeachersDay #StMatthewsWindsor #ThankYouTeachers #MakingADifference #LetYourLightShine #OurSchoolCommunity #BeTheLight
08 Oct 2026
From Facebook
🧱✨ LEGO Club Showcase! ✨🧱 In Week 10, our LEGO Club students proudly showcased their incredible LEGO creations at our LEGO Showcase! Students had the opportunity to share their creations with the school community and explain the inspiration behind their imaginative builds. It was wonderful to see the creativity, problem-solving and enthusiasm our students brought to their projects, and to share their amazing work with our school community! #StMatthewsWindsor #LEGOClub #LEGOShowcase #Creativity #Imagination #ProblemSolving #CriticalThinking #STEM #StudentLearning #LetYourLightShine
06 Oct 2026
From Facebook
🙏🏻 ✨ Year 5 Emmaus Encounter ✨ 🙏🏻 Our Year 5 students had a wonderful opportunity to participate in an Emmaus Encounter, connecting with wisdom figures from our wider Church community. Across four sessions, students shared stories, asked meaningful questions and listened to the experiences, faith and wisdom of people from a different generation. Through prayer, conversation, activities and reflection, students explored how listening to others can shape our ideas, perspectives and understanding. This beautiful experience reminded our students that the Church is more than a building—it is a community of people who journey together in faith. #StMatthewsWindsor #EmmausEncounter #Year5 #FaithInAction #FaithCommunity #LearningTogether #BeTheLight #CatholicEducation
01 Oct 2026
From Facebook
🌎 🌿 Year 2 Excursion to Brewongle 🌿 🌎 Our Year 2 students had a fantastic day of outdoor learning at Brewongle Environmental Education Centre, bringing their Geography unit on natural and human features of places to life! Students participated in hands-on activity stations where they learned about the environment, the Hawkesbury River and local animals. They also enjoyed a bushwalk and dip-netting, discovering and investigating a variety of water creatures. It was a wonderful day of exploration and discovery, helping our students develop a greater appreciation for our local environment and the importance of caring for it. #StMatthewsWindsor #Year2 #Brewongle #OutdoorLearning #Geography #LearningBeyondTheClassroom #HawkesburyRiver #LocalEnvironment #EnvironmentalEducation #NatureExplorers #SafeRespectfulResponsibleLearners #BeTheLight
29 Sep 2026
From Facebook
💡 🧠 Simmons Collective Challenge Day 🧠💡 In Week 8, our Simmons Collective students enjoyed an exciting day filled with STEM, problem-solving and critical thinking! Students participated in a range of hands-on challenges designed to encourage creativity, collaboration and logical thinking. Working together, students designed and built a projectile, testing and refining their ideas along the way. They also took on a Sphero coding challenge, programming their Sphero to navigate around obstacles. Students put their Computational Thinking skills to the test through a range of critical-thinking questions, breaking problems into smaller parts, identifying patterns and using logical steps to find solutions. It was a fantastic day of thinking, creating, coding and problem-solving, with our students embracing every challenge! #StMatthewsWindsor #SimmonsCollective #STEM #STEMEducation #ComputationalThinking #ProblemSolving #CriticalThinking #Coding #Sphero #Collaboration #Creativity #FutureReadyLearners #SafeRespectfulResponsibleLearners #LetYourLightShine
28 Sep 2026
From Facebook
28 Sep 2026
Celebrating 40 years of Voice of Youth and the power of student voice
Six Year 6 students from 58 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) Primary schools came together at St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens on 22 September for the Voice of Youth Grand Final, showcasing their public speaking skills through a series of thoughtful and engaging speeches.
27 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🌿🌊 Kindergarten Explores the Hawkesbury River 🌊🌿 This week, our Kindergarten students enjoyed a walk to the Hawkesbury River at Windsor as part of their Geography learning. Students explored our local area and discussed what makes the river special, how people use it and the important ways we can care for and protect our local environment. A wonderful opportunity to connect our learning with the world around us! #StMatthewsWindsor #Kindergarten #Geography #HawkesburyRiver #LocalLearning #LearningBeyondTheClassroom #CaringForCreation #BeTheLight
27 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🏅⭐️ The Cassidy Award ⭐️🏅 In 1835 James and Esther Cassidy were the first educators and staff of St. Matthew's Primary School. By 1838 100 children had been educated by them at St Matthew's Primary School. Their efforts laid the foundation for Catholic education in the region. To honour the memory and work of James and Esther Cassidy, the first staff of St Matthew's, each year on St Matthew's Day we recognise the contribution and commitment to excellence of one of our staff members. A tradition that recognises the importance of our staff and the value of their presence. The Cassidy Award recipient is selected by all staff members nominating who they believe meets the criteria of the award. The award recognises an outstanding individual who exemplifies the mission of St Matthew's Primary School, Windsor, in the Parramatta Diocese, while demonstrating excellence in their role. This award is open to all staff members, teachers, administrators, support staff, and other personnel. The recipient of the award shows exceptional dedication to their work and a remarkable ability to contribute positively to the school community, including students and their families. We would like to Congratulate Karen Brand on receiving this award today and thank her for all she does for the St Matthew's community 💙💛 #StMatthewsWindsor #CassidyAward #StMatthewsDay #CatholicEducation #CatholicSchools #ParramattaDiocese #StaffExcellence #SchoolCommunity #CelebratingOurStaff #FaithInAction #LetYourLightShine
24 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🕯️ ✨ Community Prayer – Term 3 ✨🕯️ We would like to thank our wonderful community members who joined us for Community Prayer throughout the term. Your presence and participation have made these gatherings a special time of prayer, reflection and connection. This morning, we gathered for our final Community Prayer of the term, reflecting on Saint Matthew and Mr Cassidy, the founder of our school, and the importance of showing kindness, sharing our light and letting our light shine brightly in the world. To celebrate St Matthew’s Day, each attendee received a special St Matthew medallion as a small reminder of our shared faith and the message to let your light shine. Thank you to everyone who has joined us this term. We look forward to continuing our Community Prayer gatherings next term! #StMatthewsWindsor #CommunityPrayer #StMatthewsDay #SaintMatthew #FaithInAction #LetYourLightShine #Kindness #SchoolCommunity #CatholicEducation #FaithCommunity
23 Sep 2026
From Facebook
⛪️✨ St Matthew’s Catholic Church Feast Day ✨⛪️ On Sunday, a small group of our school choir proudly represented our school community at the St Matthew’s Catholic Church Feast Day, alongside their families, Ms Horley, Mrs McGee and Mrs Burke. Our students gathered with parishioners to sing songs and celebrate the Feast of Saint Matthew, sharing in the joy of faith, community and fellowship. It was a beautiful celebration of our shared faith and the strong connection between our school and parish community. #StMatthewsWindsor #StMatthewsDay #FeastOfSaintMatthew #FaithInAction #SchoolAndParish #CatholicEducation #Community #LetYourLightShine #StrongerTogether
23 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🎤 🏆 Voice of Youth Grand Final 🏆 🎤 Today, our Year 6 students proudly travelled to support Priya as she competed in the Voice of Youth Grand Final, where she spoke passionately about the importance of empathy. Priya delivered a wonderful speech and was named Runner-Up among the six finalists! We are incredibly proud of Priya and this outstanding achievement. She is the first student from St Matthew’s to compete in the Voice of Youth Grand Final, making this a very special milestone for our school community. Selected from more than 2,600 students across the Diocese, Priya represented St Matthew’s with confidence, courage and pride as she competed against five other finalists. Congratulations, Priya! Your voice, passion and commitment have truly made us proud. You certainly let your light shine! #StMatthewsWindsor #VoiceOfYouth #PublicSpeaking #StudentVoice #Empathy #Leadership #LetYourLightShine #ProudMoment #StMatthewsProud #CatholicEducation #CSPD #Year6 #WindsorNSW