Principal

As we move through a busy and productive Term 3, I would like to share several important developments that will help shape the future of St Stephen's Catholic College and continue to strengthen our community.

2027 School Year Commencement

To support the introduction of our new Vertical Pastoral Care Classes, Year 7 and Year 12 students will commence the 2027 school year on Wednesday 27 January, the day following the Australia Day public holiday. Students in Years 8 to 11 will commence on Thursday 28 January.

This staggered start will allow our senior students to help welcome and support our newest students as they begin their journey at St Stephen's, and to create a space for Year 12 students to create their own bonds.

Vertical Pastoral Care Classes

Throughout 2026, various staff have been preparing for the introduction of Vertical Pastoral Care Classes in 2027. Under this model, students from different year levels will belong to the same pastoral care group, creating opportunities for mentoring, leadership, belonging and stronger relationships across the College.

As part of our preparation, our Pastoral Middle Leaders, accompanied by our Assistant Principal Jayarani Salerno, recently visited St Andrew's Catholic College to observe their vertical pastoral care model in practice and discuss the successes, challenges and lessons learned through implementation. The insights gained will help inform our planning as we prepare for this important initiative. This follows on from Jay's and my visit to Brisbane last term, where we observed the vertical pastoral care models of four schools.

Our recent College Family Connect meeting also provided valuable parent feedback on the model. Families raised questions around student belonging, year-level identity and support for younger students through the transition. These conversations have been extremely helpful and will continue to inform our planning and communication with families. To give you a sense of the change of structure, please see the following graphic showing how the composition of pastoral care classes will change from 2027:

2026 (horizontal)

2027 (vertical)

College Family Connect

One of the strengths of St Stephen's is the partnership we share with our families. Our most recent College Family Connect meeting provided an opportunity for Jayarani Salerno and I to explain to parents and carers the reasons for the vertical pastoral model and to contribute feedback about it.

The meeting also included updates on the planned Wellness Centre project, enrolment growth, student support initiatives and plans to further strengthen family engagement. I thank our College Family Connect members for their ongoing support, feedback and commitment to the College.

ACER School Review

Next week, commencing Tuesday 18 August, St Stephen's Catholic College will participate in its five-year ACER School Review. The review team will spend four days at the College meeting with students, staff, parents, Board members and Catholic Education personnel while reviewing documentation and examining many aspects of college life. In addition, a plethora of documents and policies have been sent to the ACER team to review prior to their visit.

The review provides an important opportunity to celebrate our strengths, reflect on our progress and identify future priorities for improvement. I thank all members of our community who have contributed to preparation for the review and look forward to sharing key outcomes with families once the process has concluded.

Child Safety

The safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority. This year Queensland schools have begun implementing the new Child Safe Standards, supported by the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 and the introduction of the Reportable Conduct Scheme.

At St Stephen's, staff have been reviewing policies, practices and procedures and have developed a Child Safe Standards Action Plan focused on strengthening student voice, cultural safety, staff capability, complaints processes and continuous improvement. We remain committed to ensuring every student feels safe, respected, included and supported.

All child protection contacts at the College; Peter Graham, Katharina Lane, Havva Murat-Maksuti, Jayarani Salerno and I attended our mandatory student protection training last week that included presentations from the Catholic Education Safeguarding and Professional Standards Office, and the Queensland Police Child Protection Detectives.

Staffing Updates

We extend a warm welcome to several new and returning staff members. Janita Davis-Williams has recently commenced as our new Indigenous Liaison Officer, supporting our First Nations students and families. Kathy Almond joined the College in Week 3 of Term 3, and we are pleased to welcome back Maia Gambino, who has returned in a teaching role until the end of the year. We also look forward to welcoming Oliver Baumeister, who will commence with us in Week 9 of this term.

We farewell several valued members of our community as they move on to new opportunities. We thank Tippie Viljoen for her service to St Stephen's Catholic College and wish her every blessing for the future following her recent resignation. We also farewell Alex Fuller, who is leaving her role as a Learning Support Officer, and Emma Ledlin, who departs the College at the end of this week. We are grateful for their contributions to our college community and wish them every success and happiness in the future.

Assistant Principal Jayarani Salerno has also commenced a period of leave, with Samantha Malcolm acting in the role during this time.

Gary Conwell

ssm.principal@cns.catholic.edu.au