Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta students had the opportunity to shine when the Captivate performing and creative arts program recently hosted its 10th Anniversary Showcase at Quaycentre, Sydney Olympic Park.
The show combined a spectacular musical ensemble of 165 students, backed up by the 1000-student primary choir and 190-student secondary choir singing songs such as One Dream, Come Back to the Sea, Keep your Lamps Trimmed and Burning and River Run Free.
This was complemented by a dance ensemble of 382 dancers who kept audiences enraptured. There was also a secondary drama ensemble of 90 students and a student ‘spoken word choir’ comprising 80 students from four primary schools.
One of the highlights of the performance was the use of puppetry and props to reflect the showcase’s storyline. The impact of the puppets was dramatic, guiding the audience through show’s theme of ‘creativity’: from the igniting of the creative spark, through to creative play, creative block, creative flow, and finally creative genius. The show’s finale was a stunning performance of Rihanna’s Diamonds in the Sky.
Captivate director Mark Hopkins said that for many students involved, it was their first major public performance.
“Others were consolidating many years of practice, rehearsal and performing, honing their skills for HSC practical examinations in the coming weeks or auditions for specialist post school arts study pathways in the coming months.
“Captivate is the program by which all students, regardless of prior experience or the location of their school, can access specialist learning in the arts.
“With a constant stream of research documenting evidence of the cognitive and social benefits of arts participation and learning, it is vital that such learning is part of each child’s education.”
St Andrew’s Primary, Marayong acting Principal Kim McDonald described the show as a rewarding experience for all those involved.
“Students have been rehearsing since February, both during recess and lunch breaks and also at formal off-site rehearsals with other students in the Diocese as well as during the school holidays,’’ Mrs McDonald said.
“This level of collaboration and creativity has provided opportunities for students to express themselves in a unique way. We are so proud of the students and thank them for their commitment, enthusiasm and persistence over such a long period of time.”
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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30 Jul 2026
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30 Jul 2026
From Facebook
👭👬Friendship is one of life's greatest gifts.👭👬 Today, on International Friendship Day, we celebrate the kindness, compassion and joy that friendship brings to our school community. Whether it's including someone in a game, offering a helping hand, or simply sharing a smile, small acts of friendship can make a big difference. Here's to the wonderful friendships that help our students learn, grow and shine every day. 💛💚 #BelongToSomethingGreater #cspd2026 #100yearsofcatholiceducation #learningisfunatstpatsparramatta #catholicschools #learningisfunatStPats #InternationalFriendshipDay #StPatricksParramatta #GrowingTogether
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From Facebook
🕰 Way Back When Wednesday 🕰 This week we're travelling back to a time when flannelette shirts were in fashion, CDs filled our shelves, and a cheeky little pig stole hearts around the world! 🐷🎶 🥖 A loaf of bread cost around $1.70 🥛 A litre of milk was about $1.20 ⛽ Petrol was around 72 cents per litre 🎵 Australia's biggest home-grown hit was "Tomorrow" by Silverchair 🎬 One of the biggest movies of the year was Babe Can you remember this year? Were you starting school, raising a family, or perhaps singing along to Silverchair on the radio? 💚💛 The year was... 1995! Share your favourite memory from 1995 in the comments. We'd love to hear what you remember most! #BelongToSomethingGreater #cspd2026 #100yearsofcatholiceducation #learningisfunatstpatsparramatta #catholicschools #learningisfunatStPats #cspd #WayBackWhenWednesday #StPatricksParramatta #1995 #MemoryLane
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24 Jul 2026
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23 Jul 2026
From Facebook
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21 Jul 2026
From Facebook
📚🎶 Borrowing Brings Stories to Life 🎶📚 There is always something exciting happening in our library! Each week, our students look forward to borrowing with Mrs O'Dwyer and Ms Pope, whose passion for books inspires a love of reading across our school. Together they create wonderful opportunities for students to discover new stories, explore their imaginations and develop a lifelong love of reading. This term is especially exciting as we look forward to Book Week, with special author visits, engaging library activities and our much-anticipated Book Week Parade. This year's theme, "Symphony of Stories," reminds us that every book has its own unique rhythm, voice and melody. As you begin thinking about costumes for the parade, we encourage families to look beyond simply wearing mufti and choose a favourite book or character that celebrates the joy of storytelling and reading. A heartfelt thank you to Mrs O'Dwyer and Mrs Pope for all they do to make our library a place where every story can be discovered, shared and celebrated. We can't wait to see our Symphony of Stories come to life during Book Week! #BelongToSomethingGreater #cspd2026 #100yearsofcatholiceducation #learningisfunatstpatsparramatta #catholicschools #learningisfunatStPats