Especean

Principal

Culture

At the High Achievers’ Assembly last Friday, my address to the community was a reflection on culture and the contribution it makes to an organisation like ours. 

 

One the great joys of living in our great country was to witness the incredible emotion associated with Ash Barty winning the Australian Open. The entire country was swept up in the wave of emotion that proceeded the victory. Much since has been written about the success of this young woman; more specifically the culture that pervades her family, coaches, and friends on the circuit. Victoria Azarenka, a two-time grand slam winner said of the win:

"A Grand Slam champion on three different surfaces, you are the complete player @AshBarty and I am so happy for you tonight." 

In the video of that jubilant post-presentation, she was presented her trophy by fellow Indigenous tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley, a Wiradjuri woman, herself an Australian Open champion who is both a friend and hero to Barty.

“I’m just so much very, very proud with Ash and the way she handles herself. Not just on the court but off the court, too.”
 
“She’s a great Australian. Everybody loves her,” Goolagong Cawley said. “Every time I go out shopping everybody asks me about Ash. How’s Ash going? Isn’t she wonderful? Yes she is. Ash to me is like a little sister and part of my family. So I think we treat each other that way.”

A most wonderful achievement. And Evonne Goolagong Cawley made an important point. Ash is a humble athlete, dedicated to pursuing her dreams and remaining close to her family and culture. Ash has been quoted as saying:

 "I am a proud indigenous woman, I am a proud Australian and for me I try to live by my values every single day of the year, of my life, regardless of what date it is on the calendar," she said.
 
"I think for me it's about celebrating my family, celebrating my heritage and also celebrating the nation that Australia is becoming."

Clearly, our world number one remains as humble, and close to her family as ever. What can we learn from Ash Barty’s example?

 

Actions define a culture as they determine the decisions that are made and the relationships that are formed.

 

A culture will be strong or weak depending on the interactions between the people in the organisation. In a strong culture, there are many overlapping and cohesive interactions among all members of the community. As a result, knowledge about our distinctive character — and what it takes to thrive in it — is widely spread and reinforced. In a weak culture, sparse interactions make it difficult for people to learn the culture, so its character is barely noticeable and the commitment to it is scarce or sporadic.

 

Beliefs, values, and actions will spread the farthest and be tightly reinforced when everyone is communicating with everyone else. As a school in the EREA tradition, our culture is strengthened and supported by our four touchstones. It drives the cultural elements that shape who we are. Put simply, your actions need to reflect what you say.

Culture in our community is shaped by:

  1. Fundamental beliefs and assumptions, or the things that people at St Patrick’s College consider to be true. For example: “All students have the potential to succeed”. Our Vision for the College to continue to be recognised as a Beacon for Boys’ Education, give each of you the calling to be a light of liberating education. You need to challenge yourself to be excellent and discover and fulfil your potential.
     
  2. Shared values, or the judgments we make about those beliefs and assumptions — for example: We have a high expectation environment. As a school in the EREA tradition, we have our four touchstones as a compass: We are an inclusive community that is grounded in gospel spirituality (the story of Jesus). Together, in justice and solidarity we open our hearts and minds to a liberating education. People who can be critical thinkers who want to work in our own way to make the world a better place.
     
  3. Norms, or how members believe they should act and behave, or what they think is expected of them. In the tangible, what we do: in actions. For example: All students are to attend school, a settled learning environment; participate in school events - whole school Mass, swimming carnival; get involved in co-curricular – musicals, retreats, and immersions.

This is what makes our school!

 

The High Achievers of 2021 represent the best of what we seek and aim for in this faith and learning community. Their example of excellence is exemplified in what they individually and collectively have achieved. They have been acknowledged because of their hard work, belief, and faith in what was possible.

 

Should our current students have the opportunity today to ask our High Achievers, they should ask about:

  • about their level of attendance
  • about their study routine, did they go to homework clubs; seek teachers out, submit additional essays, maths problems, do an extra rehearsal or work on the major work
  • about the teacher, the mentor they sought out to assist them in navigating that assessment, exam, or practical project
  • about the teacher, the parent, the friend who inspired them
  • about the value of class time
  • about their reflection day experiences and how they built relationships that were borne out of love, faith, and hope. We build on our Edmund Rice characteristics of inclusivity and solidarity.

It is the sum of these things that matters.

 

As a school our results were tremendous: We are again, consistently in the Top 150 schools in the state of NSW. We have a proud record of 100% HSC completion. No one was left behind and each young man in Year 12 earned his HSC; four all-rounders and 132 Distinguished Achievers; 29 boys with an ATAR over 90. 

 

To the students of SPC in 2022:

 

You carry the same light, be it different because it belongs to you.

  • Leaders of this community to set the example - to carry our light. As you walk into the gates each day, take a moment to dream about what you want for your future.
  • Academic Excellence: work hard, set goals, embrace the responsibility and faith and learning opportunities.
  • Love your learning, love your school.
  • Be a light to others: a light and beacon of faith, liberating education, right relationships and for our world.

These expectations of excellence are incumbent on you to champion; to grab the future and make it yours. At St Patrick’s College, it is our opportunity to animate and empower all members of our community to hope and to dream.

  • As a community we seek to support each other to grow in our strengths – students, teachers, and families.
  • Like the amazing Ash Barty, be resilient; seek to overcome adversity; the challenges, the opportunities but never forget who we are, where we came from, and the gift our families are to us.
  • Do what you love to do.
  • To make a difference in the world; to transform the world each of you should aim to be an agent of change.

HSC Results: Focus on Band 6 League Tables Creating a Contradictory Incentive 

Over the last week, a number of parents/carers in our community have contacted me to express their concerns at our seeming decline in the published league tables. There has been some chatter in parent WhatsApp groups that have resulted in a few parents/carers contacting me and advising me they are representing a concerned group of parents/carers.

 

I always welcome feedback and have been happy to spend time describing the collective performance of the class of 2021.

 

Regrettably, Band 6 tallies are a game that schools play to some extent because of the media coverage they receive.

 

In reality, there are differing proportions of candidates gaining Band 6s in different courses.

 

What is the obsession with Band 6s? Band 6s sound elite, the very best. But the facts are that a Band 4 or 5 in a difficult subject such as Physics or Chemistry may make as big – or even bigger – contribution to ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) than a Band 6 in say, Society and Culture. Also, Band 6s are the only metric made publicly available and shared with the media. 

 

Band 6s and exam results (raw and moderated) from NESA are not to be confused (but are so often confused) with ATAR scores which are calculated by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). The ATAR is a rank, not a mark, indicating a student’s position relative to all the students in their age group in their state. Calculating the ATAR is based on an aggregate of ‘scaled’ marks of a student’s courses. This is totally different from ‘moderating’ by NESA in NSW (see later). 

 

Importantly (and often detrimentally) for teachers, only students are measured by ATARs; teachers are measured by their Number of Band 6s. 

 

So, students in subjects that scale well such as Physics will receive a good ATAR contribution if they perform reasonably well in that subject. But ‘reasonably well’, say high Band 4 to Band 5, doesn’t cut it for teachers measured by their Number of Band 6s.

 

Each HSC band contains a description of the standard students have achieved in that subject. They are not designed to be compared. The only robust way to judge schools’ academic performance was the tertiary entrance rank (ATAR) and post-school destinations, or how students fare after they leave school.

 

At St Patrick’s College, the analysis of our 2021 HSC results has only just begun.

 

I can absolutely assure parents/carers that the boys’ outcomes in the HSC are our primary concern, and much energy is devoted to this.

 

A few comments I will make:

  • The focus on Band 6 results is not the main aim of the game at St Patrick’s College. Band 6 results are wonderful in any subject but the use of comparing HSC results on the basis of just the number of Band 6s can be very misleading. Our focus at St Patrick’s College has been and will remain, the ATAR. Our highest ATARs were not universally All-Rounders (all Band 6s). The boy who scored 99.10 (our Proxime Accessit) did not get straight Band 6s; he had a Band 5 in Physics. His ATAR far surpassed that of the other All Rounders (except the Dux). The subjects you choose and the level you accomplish determine the ATAR. It would be far easier for us to drop 30 odd boys to Mathematics Standard 2, to ensure they get a Band 6 (it is easier than a Band 6 in Mathematics Advanced) but this does not necessarily give them the ATAR they need. Our ATARs are strong and our students, many with straight Band 5s, are in the club of those over 90.
     
  • In our 2021 HSC results, there were 73 scores of 89; that is, with one more mark, they would have achieved a Band 6. If even half these got the extra mark and hit 90, we would have been ranked at 70th school in the State. That is how close things are. 
     
  • Of the 136 students who registered with UAC for an ATAR, 132 received an offer; some received up to three different choices. That is a wonderful result for our students and the envy of many schools around us. The predominant universities our boys have chosen to study at are University of Sydney, University of NSW, University of Technology Sydney and Macquarie University.
     
  • As far as we know, 29 students attained an ATAR above 90 (17% of the cohort). Four students were placed on the State’s All-Rounders List, having placed on the Distinguished Achievers List for courses totalling 10 or more units. One student was placed on the Top Achievers List for a top ranking in the State in Mathematics. 31% of the cohort achieved at least one Band 6.

We cannot rest on our laurels, and I want to get strong ATARs and also get lots of Band 6s. But, when a boy asks me in Mathematics Advanced, sitting on a mark around 80, if he should drop to Mathematics Standard 2 and get a mark of 90, I strongly advise to stay in the harder subject and persevere. He will be rewarded by a stronger ATAR and have more choice when the time comes to choose a course.

 

Each cohort of students is unique and bring their own gifts. In a comprehensive school like St Patrick’s College, this means that there will be a waxing and waning of performances over the years. What should guide a young person in the HSC is passion and interest in a subject and the importance of covering those areas before further study at university. I would be disappointed to hear that parent WhatsApp groups are continuing to question the results of the 2021 cohort and the efficacy of our teaching staff in Stage 6. Rather, I would ask that parents/carers focus on the facts and actual student outcomes of this year group who did so well in such a trying year. Their strong ATARs got them into the courses they dreamt of which is much more important than a fleeting mention in a league table.

In Memoriam

We keep in our prayers Jack Dib (Year 12) and Oliver Dib (Year 9) on the passing of their grandmother, Philomena Merce late last week. 

 

It is with sadness I advise of the passing of Br Len Hanlon cfc, who was a staff member at St Patrick’s College Strathfield from 1973 to 1975. Br Len passed away last Thursday 3 February, aged 91 years. 

 

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

 

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

 

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero