From the Principal
Welcome to Term 3 - Assumption Term
During the Assumption Term we celebrate what it means to be a Catholic school in the tradition of St Dominic. In particular, we will come together for a special day of celebration on Thursday 15 August where we have combined two special days, the Feast Day of St Dominic with the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. Celebrating both milestone occasions on the one day is most appropriate, as St Dominic and the Dominican Order have a strong tradition of veneration of Mary as a key figure in the life of Christ and our life as disciples. Mary is a model and inspiration for the life of the lay Christian, with her eyes and heart always focused on Christ and on fulfilling her purpose and mission with humility and justice.
This term, as a community, we continue to focus on the education of the whole person in the Dominican tradition with the Pillars of Prayer, Study, Community and Service forming the foundation and scaffold of our work. Term 3 is critical for all students as they consolidate their learning and deepen their understanding of the purpose of their learning. It is our mission to nurture and motivate students to develop a love of learning, to develop their talents and abilities and to gradually discover the purpose and meaning of their lives.
Ordination of Br William Loh OP
I am delighted to announce to our community that Br William will be ordained into the Priesthood of the Dominican Order of Preachers at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on St Dominic’s Day, 3 August.
We wish Br William every blessing over the weekend for his Ordination to the Priesthood and for his first Mass in the parish where he attended Mass as a child with his family. Our School Community will celebrate this wonderful and significant milestone for Br William early in Term 3.
Good News
I am delighted to share with you some changes and introductions, approved by the School Board in July, that I hope will have a significant and positive impact for parents and the School commencing Term 1, 2020. These changes and introductions represent the important feedback from parents that emanated from the ‘Community Consultation Forums’ conducted in 2018.
It is my hope that these measures will be well received by our community in these difficult economic times and provide savings to the family budget, whilst ensuring the continuation of the highest quality of education and care of your son at Blackfriars.
Sibling Discount
The current Siblings Attending Other Catholic Schools Discount will be doubled from the commencement of 2020 and will apply as follows:
Reception, Year 1, Year 2 Tuition Fee
As at the commencement of 2020, the Reception to Year 2 Tuition Fee schedule will reflect the following:
- One common fee structure
- Reception = 25% reduction of Tuition Fees
- Year 1 & Year 2 = 33% reduction of Tuition Fees
An annual saving of between $ 1,200 and $ 1,800 per student, based on the current 2019 Fee Schedule:
The 2020 tuition fee for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be $ 3,560 plus any annual fee increase determined by the Board.
ELC to Reception Transition
Complementing the reduction of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 fees, the Enrolment Application Fee and Enrolment Acceptance Fee have both been removed for families transitioning from the Blackfriars Early Learning Centre to Reception at Blackfriars, a saving of $ 400.
NEW School Bus Services in 2020
I am also excited to share with you that two dedicated school bus services for Blackfriars students will be introduced from the start of 2020.
The introduction of these services comes as a key outcome from the community consultation work undertaken by Blackfriars in 2018 in which parents and students identified the provision of safe, convenient travel to school as important factors in their choice of school.
Based on a detailed analysis of the school’s current enrolment pattern, population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and consideration of existing public transport access to Blackfriars, the following two routes will be introduced in 2020.
North-West Route
North-East Route
Ticket Prices
Financial modelling for the introduction of the new services has been based on students travelling at current metroCARD student concession prices (refer to adelaidemetro.com.au for details).
Access to Services
Current, future and prospective families are invited to express their interest in using the new bus services via our online registration of interest >
Please contact School Registrar, Linda Gavranic at registrar@bps.sa.edu.au or phone 8169 3954 with any questions about the introduction of the new Blackfriars bus services.
Enrolment Contract at Blackfriars
It is my sincere hope that Blackfriars is the school of choice for boys and families and remains the school of choice unless families move interstate or to a distant suburb where transport to Blackfriars is difficult. However, if for any reason you are considering a move of school for your son during the remainder of this year or for 2020, I encourage you to contact me (or a member of my Executive Team, noted below) for a confidential discussion regarding your individual circumstances and the reasons for your consideration of a change of school.
- Mr Frank Ali, Head of Primary
- Mr David Ruggiero, Deputy Principal (Secondary)
- Mr Gerard Leahy, Business Manager
Withdrawing Enrolment Requirements
Please be reminded of the Enrolment Contract you have signed and the agreement within the contract that when a student leaves the School, the family must provide a minimum of one term’s notice in writing addressed to the Principal.
Insufficient Notice Fee
In the event that a student leaves prior to the one term’s notice, a fee is payable which is the equivalent of one term’s Tuition Fee. The reason for this notice period is that Blackfriars, like any school, establishes class sizes, senior SACE subjects and electives based on the subject selection information received from students and parents during Semester 2 of the previous year. The major cost to our annual budget is the employment of staff, which we systematically align to student numbers and classes as calculated following subject selection for the following year. Hence, late decisions by families to leave our school becomes a major financial problem for Blackfriars as our costs are locked in for the year in advance.
In conclusion, I wish all students and families a happy and productive Assumption Term.
Mr Simon Cobiac
Principal