Lincoln Ashmore is excited for his first day at Kindergarten. Photo: Melissa Stevens.
With the summer school holidays coming to an end, many children are getting ready to head to school for the very first time.
Whether it's feeling proud or a little scared, dropping your child off at school for the first time is guaranteed to bring on a mixed-bag of emotions for every parent.
For Toongabbie local parents Blake and Leanne Ashmore, sending their eldest child Lincoln to kindergarten at St Anthony's Primary Girraween will definitely result in a few tears.
"It's exciting and it's emotional, it definitely went really quick but also slow at the same time," Leanne said.
We're excited for [Lincoln], just the opportunity to make new friends.
It's a full circle moment for the Ashmore's, with both parents having attended St Anthony's Primary Girraween when they were children themselves.
Now, Blake and Leanne are looking forward to Lincoln making new memories at the school they both loved going to.
"We love that it's a family school and they've been very welcoming from the start, you just feel the warmth when you're there. We didn't really think of going anywhere else," she said.
"I felt like it was a really good school, there's teachers that were there that really impacted my life to this day," Blake added.
Although the Ashmore's know the school well, it still feels daunting getting Lincoln ready to send him off to 'big kids school' for the first time.
Fortunately, knowing who his teachers will be has helped to ease some of the stress.
"We've already been for some orientation sessions, where we've met [Lincoln's] teachers, and it's just put him at ease knowing that he's going with people that he knows now and that he's familiar with," Leanne said.
But children and their parents aren't the only ones full of nervous excitement for the first day back, with St Anthony's Primary Girraween Principal Patricia Reilly saying teachers are also looking forward to welcoming students back.
"We're a bit like the kids, teachers have started to get butterflies in their tummy with the excitement for the first day," she said.
Reilly acknowledges the first day at school for new students is always the "most difficult" moment for parents, but promises them their children will be okay.
She advises parents to look at the resources their children's school has given them to help make the first day a bit easier. "Teachers are there to teach your children whatever they need to know, so don't be anxious about what [children] do or don't know, that's our job," Reilly said.
Parramatta News
An independent news service covering the Parramatta and Cumberland Local Government Areas.
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13 Oct 2026
From Facebook
❤️ Thank You Mrs Reilly ❤️ As a school community, we would like to take a moment to thank Mrs Reilly as she prepares to finish her time as Principal of St Anthony’s at the end of 2026. Over the past four years, Mrs Reilly has been an important part of our St Anthony’s story. Through her leadership and dedication, she has helped guide our school community, supporting our students, staff and families along the way. St Anthony’s is more than just a school; it is a community built on faith, learning, connection and belonging. We thank Mrs Reilly for the part she has played in shaping our community and for the time, care and commitment she has given to our school. As we reflect on her time at St Anthony’s, we are grateful for the memories, the milestones and the contribution she has made to our school. Thank you Mrs Reilly for being part of our St Anthony’s journey. We wish you all the very best and every blessing for the future. From the St Anthony’s Primary School Community ❤️25 Sep 2026
From Facebook
💙 Mercy Day 2026 💙 What a beautiful day of celebrating our Mercy spirit and community! 🌟 We began the day with a beautiful liturgy led by our wonderful FIAT group, providing a special opportunity for our school community to come together in prayer and reflection. Our Year 6 students then brought plenty of excitement to the day with their fantastic market stalls! 🛍️🍭 Thank you to our Year 6 students for all their creativity, enthusiasm and hard work. We ended our Mercy Day celebrations with the Mercy Cup, with MacKillop taking on our teachers! 🏆🏐⚽️ What a fantastic way to finish the day! A huge well done to our teachers on their Mercy Cup victory! 👏🎉 Thank you to everyone who helped make Mercy Day such a wonderful celebration of our community, our faith and the spirit of Catherine McAuley. 💙 Happy Mercy Day! 🌿✨
Latest News More news
13 Oct 2026
From Facebook
❤️ Thank You Mrs Reilly ❤️ As a school community, we would like to take a moment to thank Mrs Reilly as she prepares to finish her time as Principal of St Anthony’s at the end of 2026. Over the past four years, Mrs Reilly has been an important part of our St Anthony’s story. Through her leadership and dedication, she has helped guide our school community, supporting our students, staff and families along the way. St Anthony’s is more than just a school; it is a community built on faith, learning, connection and belonging. We thank Mrs Reilly for the part she has played in shaping our community and for the time, care and commitment she has given to our school. As we reflect on her time at St Anthony’s, we are grateful for the memories, the milestones and the contribution she has made to our school. Thank you Mrs Reilly for being part of our St Anthony’s journey. We wish you all the very best and every blessing for the future. From the St Anthony’s Primary School Community ❤️
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.
25 Sep 2026
From Facebook
💙 Mercy Day 2026 💙 What a beautiful day of celebrating our Mercy spirit and community! 🌟 We began the day with a beautiful liturgy led by our wonderful FIAT group, providing a special opportunity for our school community to come together in prayer and reflection. Our Year 6 students then brought plenty of excitement to the day with their fantastic market stalls! 🛍️🍭 Thank you to our Year 6 students for all their creativity, enthusiasm and hard work. We ended our Mercy Day celebrations with the Mercy Cup, with MacKillop taking on our teachers! 🏆🏐⚽️ What a fantastic way to finish the day! A huge well done to our teachers on their Mercy Cup victory! 👏🎉 Thank you to everyone who helped make Mercy Day such a wonderful celebration of our community, our faith and the spirit of Catherine McAuley. 💙 Happy Mercy Day! 🌿✨
22 Sep 2026
From Facebook
🤸♀️ A HUGE congratulations to Camille! 🏆 We are so proud to celebrate Camille’s incredible achievement at the National Clubs Gymnastics Championships, where she placed 1st in Trampoline Gymnastics and was crowned Age Champion! What an amazing accomplishment, Camille! Your hard work and dedication have certainly paid off. We can’t wait to see what you achieve next! 💙🎉
04 Sep 2026
From Facebook
💙 Celebrating Our Dads & Father Figures 💙 What a wonderful morning celebrating the amazing dads, grandfathers and special father figures in our St Anthony’s community! Our Father’s Day Breakfast was a beautiful opportunity for families to come together, share some special moments and celebrate the important people who love, guide and support our students each day. 💙 Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the morning so special. We wish all of our dads, grandfathers and father figures a very Happy Father’s Day! 💙 #FathersDay #StAnthonys #SchoolCommunity #BetterTogether
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Loving God, Be close to all those caught in the devastation of the floods in Nepal and Tibet. Comfort those who have lost loved ones, strengthen those waiting anxiously for news, and guide rescuers and emergency workers as they search for survivors. Give courage to displaced families and compassion to communities offering shelter, food and care. May those who are missing be found, and may those who mourn know they are not alone. God of mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
📚🎶 Book Week 2026 – Symphony of Stories! 🎶📚 Our students had a wonderful time bringing their favourite book characters to life at our Book Parade! 📖✨ As part of our whole-school focus on building vocabulary, students were also asked to bring along a Tier 2 or Tier 3 word that described their character. It was fantastic to see so many creative characters and rich vocabulary on display! 🌟 Thank you to our wonderful students and families for helping make our Book Parade such a special celebration of reading! ❤️📚 #BookWeek2026 #SymphonyOfStories #BookParade #BuildingVocabulary
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
11 Aug 2026
From Facebook
06 Aug 2026
From Facebook
⚽ Stage 2 Soccer Gala Day ⚽ Following the cancellation of the Diocesan Stage 2 Soccer Gala Day, our Stage 2 students enjoyed a fun and successful St Anthony's Soccer Gala Day, ensuring everyone still had the opportunity to experience the excitement of a soccer tournament. The morning was filled with teamwork, determination, encouragement and plenty of smiles. Congratulations to all of our teams for displaying great sportsmanship and giving their best throughout the tournament. 🏆 Tournament Results 🥇 1st Place: Team 5 (McAuley) 🥈 2nd Place: Team 7 (MacKillop) 🥉 3rd Place: Team 4 (McAuley) A special congratulations to Andreas (Year 3), who was awarded the Sportsperson Award in recognition of his outstanding sportsmanship, leadership and encouragement of others throughout the day. He was a wonderful example of what it means to compete with respect and integrity. Thank you to our staff and student referees for helping make the morning such a success. It was wonderful to see our Stage 2 students enjoying friendly competition, building new friendships and creating lasting memories together. ⚽💚💛💙❤️ #LearningUplifts #Stage2Soccer #Sportsmanship #Teamwork #StAnthonys
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
⚽️ Stage 3 Soccer Gala Day ⚽️ Our Stage 3 students had a fantastic day at the Soccer Gala Day! All three teams represented our school with pride, demonstrating excellent teamwork, determination and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day. Across the competition, our teams celebrated a few wins, fought hard for some draws and learned from a few losses. Most importantly, they encouraged one another, played with respect and gave their best in every match. Well done to all of our players for the wonderful way you represented our school. We are so proud of you! 👏⚽️