Principal

“Championing young people in a digital world”

On Tuesday 12 November, we were delighted to host Daniel Principe to speak to our parents/carers about championing young people, especially boys.

Daniel unpacked research from Professor Macnamara (UTS) who has analysed over 2,000 mass media portrayals of young men, finding that 75% of those images portrayed young men as:

• Villains
• Aggressors
• Perverts and
• Philanderers.

With such negative tropes and no challenge to these portrayals with healthy male images, boys are tending to default into these stereotypes. Daniel then looked at male sexuality and the impact of pornography on their young developing minds.

Daniel’s advice for How should I talk to my child about sex, relationships, and consent?

• Ask them their opinion. Young people like having their thoughts respected. They also like knowing something and having something to share with you that you may not know.
• Convey sex and desire as normal in the context of your own values. Curiosity about our body, sexual feelings and how it all works is natural.
• Let them know they can come to you with questions and if you don’t know that you will look into it and get back to them.
• Remember your own challenges with puberty and relationships and think of what may have helped you (recognising the culture has changed).
• Talk soon and have ongoing conversations rather than a one off big “sex talk”.
• Use teachable moments when children ask a question or if they hear something on the TV or radio.
• If your child asks you a question, ask them what they know about the subject already? What they think? What made them think of this question?
• Make it general or about people they know: what have people at school said about ____? What do you think about _____ that happened?
• Get to know the people in their life. Talk about these people openly and ask questions so that your child can feel comfortable doing the same. Have these people round, make home a place where they can hang out and then head out together.
• Use the media to make it relevant. Ask your teen’s opinion on something happening on social media, in the news, in a new movie, or on a popular TV show. You could even watch an episode with them and ask follow up questions.
• Share your own experience or story. This makes it real and humanising or tell a story with permission about someone else’s experience.
• Talk about care and being a good friend or partner, not just about rules or behaviour. This tells your teen that you trust them to make good choices and look out for others.
• What might they do if? Asking them what they could do in a scenario. This then gives you the chance to affirm their problem-solving skills and perhaps make a suggestion they may now be open to.
• Reassure them they can always contact you or knock on your door anytime, even at 3:00 AM, no matter how bad they think it is!
• Champion them. Make it clear you want them to flourish! Be committed to that in word and deed.
• Our culture. What do we celebrate? What stories do we tell? Who are our heroes? What do we value?
• Role models. Choose your heroes wisely. Start with a template for a good man (good human) and identify good character in people in their world. Notice it. Celebrate it. Model it ourselves.
• Their friends. Choose friends wisely. Get to know their friends. Make home a welcome and open space for them to come round.
• Healthy masculinity. Talk to them about how a good man acts. How they make others feel. They aren’t just good ideas but good for them as young men and their relationships.
• Engage their hearts. Have empathy for the challenges they are facing. This won’t create a victim mindset. It can be a catalyst for them to see the challenges other people are facing and have empathy for others too.
• Engage their minds. Help them to see and ask questions about the messages they receive from the culture around them. Why are they selling you these products and ideas? Who is benefitting? How does it impact them?
• No free dopamine. Help them find things that make them feel good and feel good about who they are. Achieving their goals, enjoying healthy habits, and learning new skills.
• Grounded confidence. In whom they are and who they are becoming.
• Challenge culture. Help them be upstanders and set an example for others.
• Soft skills. You need them. It will help you succeed in life, business, sport, teamwork, friendships, and relationships.
• Rites of Passage. Boys need to be initiated into manhood. As much as it is possible, we all need to play a role in making space for boys to prove themselves to themselves by displaying virtue and overcoming challenges. Otherwise, boys will seek the approval of other uninitiated boys to prove they are” real” men.

We will continue to work with Daniel Principe as a critical friend and our learnings are that this should commence in Year 5 because this is now the age where the boys are subject to online, inappropriate material and media marketing.

Br Berg LCD Scoreboard Campaign  

We truly appreciate each parent/carer, student or community member who has donated money towards the scoreboard campaign after a recent edition of the Especean. On behalf of the boys, I thank:

Some of our recent donors asked that their donation remain anonymous. 

We are inching closer to our target which currently stands at:

With our recent Parents’ and Friends’ donation of their fundraising for the year, $55,000, we have now reached a fundraising total of $89,317.37! We still need to raise $110,682.

We would love to have the scoreboard installed for the start of the 2025 school year.

All donations are tax-deductible, so if you could see your way clear to donate something towards this worthy cause, you can do so at:

https://asf.org.au/projects/st-patricks-college-strathfield/br-berg-lcd-scoreboard-breen-oval. 

Parents’ and Friends’ Committee 2025

In a recent edition of the Especean, I asked for expressions of interest for the Parents’ and Friends’ Committee positions. I appreciate all the parents who volunteered to take up a position or who convinced someone else to come forward. The only position that had no volunteers was that of the President, and the current President agreed to continue in the position next year. The members for 2025 are as follows:

I thank all the outgoing Committee members (Jason Arnold-Auland, Evy Hagios, Kathy Jeitani, Marian Parnaby, Alison Arnold-Auland, Nerida Shipley and Dione Fague), and all the parents who helped out in 2024 at all of our functions. You are all a key part of our very special College community. 

Staff News

Mrs Jessica Perri and her husband have announced the safe arrival of their twins, Domenico and Chiara. Mum and bubs are doing well.  

In Memoriam

We pray for the Maronese Family on the loss of their patriarch Old Boy Ernie Maronese (’51). The family has a long association with the College, with Mr Maronese’s brother, John (’59), sons Steve (’82) and Robert (’84), grandson Mathew (’20) and nephew Dave (’03) all having attended the College, and his grandson Luke (Year 8) and great nephew Charlie Mitchell (Year 5). 

We extend condolences to Dr Hae-Jin Song (Science Faculty) on the death of her beloved father last night.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero