Principal

Commencement of Winter Co-curricular Activities

At assembly last Friday, the captains of our Winter co-curricular activities were presented to the assembled group.

Captain of Debating - Matthew Svoboda

Matthew has been part of the SPC Debating fraternity since Year 7. During this time, he has grown into a talented debater who speaks with integrity and conviction. He is a passionate third speaker who has developed a distinctive style of refuting the opposition. He is a team player who both challenges and encourages his peers. He takes the initiative in assisting with the organisation and running of training sessions and debates. He is gracious in both victory and in defeat, representing the College to the highest standard.

Captain of Football - Alessandro Romeo

Alessandro has consistently represented the College in his chosen sport with distinction and demonstrated a high level of skill and great sportsmanship. He has represented the College in the 13A, 14A, 15A and 16A teams and was often selected as the captain. He was also a member of last year’s First XI Football team that finished as undefeated ISA Premiers. His confidence, composure and game sense has also been recognised further by being selected in the ISA U16’s and Open teams. Most importantly, he is well-liked by his team-mates, is highly respected by his peers and leads with a calming sense of authority.

Captain of Rugby - Bryn Williams

Bryn has been playing rugby at the College since Year 5 and for club since he was six years old. Starting his high school rugby career in the 13Cs and 14Bs, he worked hard to make his game better with the ultimate goal of making an A’s team one day. This became a reality in the 15s age group, when he made the As for the first time since Junior School. He plays in the back row and his favourite thing about rugby is the contact when he runs with the ball.

Captain of Tennis - Felix Yeung

Felix is an active and dedicated member of the tennis fraternity, stemming back from his early days in the Junior School and continuing through the Senior School. He has a great passion and talent for the games and is a leader of the sport who always offers guidance to the future generations.

I congratulate each and every one of them for their enthusiasm for their sport, their love of competing as a team and the skills they show when they undertake their activity.

Sportsmanship

In chatting with many of the boys who recently toured Japan for Rugby, the question was asked about what cultural aspects of Japanese Rugby really struck them as they toured.

Aside from the immaculate cleanliness of every venue they visited, they described the sportsmanship they encountered. The games were hard and tough but there was zero questioning of the referee, no swearing. The tackles were hard but at the end, Japanese players went up to apologise to those they may have hurt. They bowed in honour and respect to their opponents.

Only last week, a man attacked a referee after a Men’s Premier League football match. The attack on the referee was from a suspended player. Horrific injuries. Speaking about his injuries, his wife said, 'He's got a couple of teeth missing, his jaw is broken in three places, he can't stop bleeding.' The father of four boys told Nine News that he feared he 'was going to die'. As an ambulance treated him for transport to hospital, he covered his face. Why? He did not want his four sons to see his injuries; he didn’t even want them to visit him in hospital. 'They're going to reconstruct his jaw and then later on he needs to go back and get his teeth fixed.'

It is this kind of poor, deregulated behaviour that, left unchecked, can grow in our young people. We want them to grow into men who abhor and reject this kind of conduct.

I believe that our SPC culture, which is amazing, can be improved by adopting some of the practices witnessed on the Japanese tour. Watching games from the sideline, I am occasionally dismayed to hear the swearing of our students, especially to teammates who have made tactical errors. I watch some boys retaliating to their opponents, pushing, shoving, punching after a tackle when tackling is what the game is about! If you’re going to punch someone for tackling you, a necessary part of the game, I’d suggest you switch to a non-contact activity like chess. And yes, I know that there is sledging and that the boys get mad. But when you lose your cool, I can guarantee your team will start to lose its winning edge and focus. Each. Time.

One of my treasured memories is the First XI this year in their grand final game against Bathurst. Batted first. Not well. All out for 86. But no recriminations to one another. A belief that together, they’d try to bowl the opposition out. And they did. At lunch, they were 6 for 58. Positive thinking and good bowling skills meant they won by getting the opposition all out for 78! I will not mention individuals; it was a team effort. Right down to the injured teammates in the stands who barracked, carried water, and just made positive comments.

Sportsmanship is more than just being nice to others. There are a few main qualities that contribute to sportsmanlike behaviour:

Be supportive. If you’re losing, it’s best not to take your disappointment out on your teammates. Being a team player is essential during team sports, where support can mean everything. In a game, players are doing their best, and everyone wants to win. People are more productive and efficient with positive reinforcement, and a few words of encouragement or high-fives can sometimes be all someone needs to get their head back into the game.
Have a positive attitude. Having a negative attitude about the game can bring down the whole team, making competition less fun for everyone. Childish or inappropriate behaviour can dampen the spirit of the game and make players seem immature. Positivity is an important trait, especially when playing team sports.
Be respectful. Whether you win or lose, it’s essential to show respect to others. Avoid being passive-aggressive or insulting your peers over their gameplay. Even if you suspect someone of cheating (which may not necessarily be the case), hurling harsh words at your opponents or teammates can damage your reputation, and the respect others have for you. Whining about calls or arguing with umpires also demonstrates unsportsmanlike conduct. Some people, however, consider trash talk part of the game and have a higher tolerance for it than others—but a general rule of thumb is that as long as it doesn’t cross into personal boundaries, trash talk can be a fun way to ramp up the spirit of the game.
Be willing to learn. If you end up losing, rather than take it out on the opposition, try to learn from your mistakes. For instance, if you make a lot of forced errors during a tennis match, practice returning the balls that made you struggle the most. If you hit a lot of your backhands into the net instead of down the line winners, work on that technique to increase your chances of future success.
Practice self-control. Games can get emotional, but players should always make a conscious effort to control their emotions and focus on the game. Damaging sporting equipment or playing surfaces is a sure-fire way to be a bad sport and can also embarrass your teammates.
Turn up to all the other activities your team is involved in. Training, after match debriefs, afternoon tea, still turning up when you’re injured, are all part of being in a team. If you don’t participate, don’t expect to keep your place on the team. This is not the College being inflexible. It’s the College respecting the majority of boys who do the right thing and want fair selections and a recognition for their efforts.

Winning is not everything. I encourage our young people to exercise good sportsmanship in any co-curricular activity they undertake:

Be a gracious winner. No need to taunt and put down your opponents.
Be a good loser. The main objective is to have fun, keep fit and keep out interests outside of the academic sphere. You may have lost a debate or game but your being active has contributed to your all-round wellbeing and mindfulness.
Shake hands with and honour your opponents. It’s a sign of respect. Even if they are less than respectful to you, you go higher and respect them. It’s disarming and a trait you need to cultivate.
Don’t question the referee. It’s a tough job. Take bad decisions in your stride and focus on being a team, coming back and putting points on the scoreboard.

Traffic Around the College

A warning that some strong, direct language will follow, and it comes from a place of sheer frustration and a last ditch attempt to avoid the ultimate disaster of a student being maimed or killed by a car in the busiest pedestrian part of our community.

From Monday 8 May 2023, any boy dropped off in the wrong place will be put on detention if seen by a staff member. The excuse that “this is where mum and dad dropped me off” will not wash. If such a consequence is given to your son, and you refuse to let him do the detention, then we will need to meet to discuss options for him going forward. Why? Like our staff, I expect parents/carers to be focused on:

The greater good for our community, not the short-term impact a few minutes may add to your busy day.
The safety of our students.
The smooth running of Kiss and Ride.
An abhorrence for “jumping the queue” by doing a right-hand turn into Fraser Street when it is clear that there are cars queued and waiting patiently, respectfully.
Respect for our neighbours, who often find cars blocking or in their driveways.

The Community is on notice and the boys have been reminded in Assembly on Friday:

Drop off in Merley Road and Francis Street is only permitted before 8:00 AM.
Parents are not to drive into the staff car park at Merley Road to drop off or pick up their sons.
After that, the only drop off is Shortland Avenue/Fraser Street Kiss and Ride.
Getting dropped off in side streets after that is a cynical attempt to thwart a carefully organised and safe procedure to be dropped off at school.
In the morning, parents CANNOT turn right into Fraser Street. Drive up to the roundabout at the corner of Francis and Arthur Streets and then come back and queue on Shortland Avenue
In the afternoon, queuing works in the same direction in Fraser/Edgar Streets. Parents who turn down Edgar Street will not be able to collect their sons. They will need to pass the College, turn somewhere, and join the queue. Please do not call your son on his mobile and ask him to disobey the direct instruction of a teacher who tells him to wait.

The staff, including Mr Byrne and myself, are subjected to rude gesticulations and arguments from parents about road rules and what is legal and what is not. We are clear on what is right for our students. Yes – it is legal to drive where permitted, however Strathfield Council wishes us to enforce the Kiss and Ride so that residents are not impacted, and our students are safe.

It isn’t illegal for boys to leave school whenever they want and yet, they abide by the rules we set. The rules we set ensure their safety. Same for parents. For those aggravated by this article, I simply ask that you reflect on what you are implicitly teaching your sons when you flagrantly break our set procedures and then argue with teachers in their presence. It’s a terrible example to set, a bad dynamic and destroys our positive parent-school partnership.

EREBB Congress

A reminder that from Friday 12 May until Friday 2 June, I will be on leave to attend an Edmund Rice Congress in Ireland. Mr Byrne is Acting Principal. You should use the usual communication channels for any issues that arise: wellbeing issues to the class teacher, Director of the Junior School, and the Year Coordinators; curriculum matters to the relevant Head of Department and co-curricular matters to Mr Fochesato. All our staff contact details are on the SPC App and easily located. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

In Memoriam

We keep in our prayers the family of Alexander Hudson (Year 10), who recently lost his grandfather. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything!

**except divide by zero