Principal
End of Term Message
As we approach the end of Term 1, I would like to take a moment to thank our school community for a wonderful start to the year. It has been a term filled with learning, growth, and many memorable moments — from classroom achievements to special events that brought us together.
With the Easter break just around the corner, I encourage everyone to take this time to rest, recharge, and enjoy quality moments with family and friends. We are reminded of the heart of the Easter story — a time of hope, renewal, and new beginnings, rooted in the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a season that invites us to reflect on love, sacrifice, and the promise of life made new.
The empty tomb stands at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is not merely a striking detail at the end of the Gospel narratives, but a profound declaration about God, humanity, suffering, hope, and the future. For Christians, the empty tomb proclaims that Jesus’ death was not the end.
At its most basic and most radical level, the empty tomb announces that death does not have the final word. Jesus’ resurrection is not presented in the Gospels as a symbolic idea or a private spiritual experience, but as a concrete event: the tomb is found empty, the grave clothes are left behind, and Jesus appears alive to his followers.
For all of us, this speaks directly to our deepest fear. Death feels absolute, irreversible, and uncontrollable. The empty tomb confronts that fear with hope. It declares that the power of death has been broken, and that what appears final in human terms is not final in God’s economy. Life, not death, has the last word—and that truth reshapes how all of us understand life itself.
The empty tomb also tells us something crucial about suffering. Jesus does not bypass pain, injustice, or betrayal. He endures arrest, abandonment, humiliation, and execution. The resurrection does not erase Good Friday; it vindicates it.
For us, this means that suffering is neither meaningless nor invisible to God. The empty tomb assures us that God is faithful even when circumstances suggest otherwise. Pain, grief, and loss are not signs of divine absence. Instead, the resurrection reveals that God can bring life precisely out of what appears to be failure and defeat.
Finally, the empty tomb is not just something to be believed; it is something to be lived. The resurrection propels Jesus’ followers outward—toward love, forgiveness, courage, and service. Fearful disciples become witnesses. Locked rooms give way to open roads.
For all of us, the empty tomb invites a question: If death has been defeated, what kind of life should we live? It calls us to live with courage rather than fear, generosity rather than self-protection, and love rather than despair. It challenges us to align our lives with a reality shaped by resurrection rather than resignation.
In the end, the significance of Jesus’ empty tomb is not confined to a single morning in history. It speaks into every moment where life feels fragile, hope feels thin, or the future feels uncertain. The empty tomb declares that God is a God of life, that love is stronger than death, and that even in the darkest places, new beginnings are possible—for Jesus’ followers, and for the world.
School will resume on Tuesday, 21 April, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 2. The boys return in full winter uniform, including their blazer, each day.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday.
Raising Boys in a Challenging Digital Landscape
Last week, I happened upon a group of Year 9 students who were animatedly discussing a Netflix documentary. They stopped talking as I approached, and after a little probing, they told me which one. However, they refused to engage and tell me what they watched. My senses told me they knew I would not like the content. So, on the weekend, I watched it and was so very depressed and disillusioned by what I saw.
Louis Theroux’s recent Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere offers a confronting and timely exploration of a growing online subculture that is shaping the attitudes and beliefs of many young men. In the 90-minute film, Louis Theroux immerses himself in the so-called “manosphere” — a loose network of influencers, podcasts and online communities that promote highly traditional, and often deeply problematic, views on masculinity, gender roles and relationships.
Theroux shows these guys at their glossy best and at their crass, commercialised, shallow worst. The stunning hypocrisy, breathtaking double-standards, and shallow selfishness leave you with a clear message: the extremes of the manosphere are a morality-free zone.
A couple of examples (though there were dozens more I could have shared):
A man (H.S.) points at a woman on camera and says: “This is the cleaner. The dishwasher.”
Another man, Myron Gaines, author of Why Women Deserve Less, explains that he is the dictator, the woman is subordinate. That he knows what women want better than they do. That “I determine when I put my d*** in you.” That he can talk down to a woman because dominance is what she really desires.
What he’s describing isn’t strength. A man who needs to diminish someone to feel powerful isn’t strong. He’s fragile.
Real strength leaves people feeling safer and stronger. These guys leave others feeling smaller.
They don’t love women. They don’t even see women. They see utilities.
Travelling to locations such as Miami, New York and Marbella, Theroux meets prominent “manfluencers” who present themselves as mentors to young men, offering advice on success, status and relationships. However, beneath this messaging lies a more troubling narrative: the normalisation of misogyny, the objectification of women, and the promotion of dominance-based relationships. The documentary also reveals how these figures build large followings and monetise their influence through courses, memberships and lifestyle branding, often using provocative content to attract attention online.
Importantly, the documentary highlights why such content can be appealing, particularly to boys and young men who may be navigating identity, belonging and uncertainty. The manosphere offers what appears to be clarity and direction but often delivers a narrow and harmful view of masculinity that can negatively shape attitudes towards women and relationships.
For parents/carers, the documentary serves as an important prompt for reflection and action. Raising young men in today’s digital environment requires both vigilance and intentional guidance. Open and regular conversations about respect, consent and healthy relationships are essential. Rather than dismissing online influences outright, parents/carers are encouraged to ask questions, listen without judgment, and help their sons critically evaluate what they are seeing and hearing. Encouraging positive role models — in family life, at school, and in the wider community — can help counterbalance harmful narratives. It is also important to reinforce that strength of character is demonstrated through empathy, humility and integrity, not dominance or control.
Setting appropriate boundaries around online use, while also fostering trust and accountability, can further support young men to navigate digital spaces responsibly. Above all, boys benefit from knowing that they are valued, heard and supported as they develop their own sense of identity and purpose.
While Inside the Manosphere has sparked debate, it ultimately provides a valuable opportunity for schools and families to engage in meaningful conversations. In an era where algorithms can quickly amplify extreme viewpoints, working together to guide young men towards respectful, grounded and authentic expressions of masculinity has never been more important.
Community News
We congratulate Mrs Selina Roche, Student Services Officer, on the birth of her baby boy, Beau. Mum and bub are doing well.
We also congratulate Mr Tim Donlan (Head of Secondary Sport) and his wife Liv on the birth of their baby girl, Rue Jacqueline Donlan. Both mum and bub are in good health.
During the week, we bid goodbye to our Laboratory Manager, Ms Nirainithy Baladevan, after almost two years’ service with the College. We wish her well in her future endeavours.
Dr Vittoria Lavorato
Principal
SPC boys can do anything!
**except divide by zero