Faith, Justice and Formation

Introducing the SPC Identity Team

You will know by now that an Identity Team has been created at the College, to cater for increasing numbers and a broader program meeting the needs of all. Let me introduce you to the team who work closely with me, and who you will meet at the upcoming Parent Information Evenings.

Head of Identity - Senior School 

Mr Matthew Herro

Mr Herro has been teaching at the College since 2014 and has held various roles in that time including Justice and Peace Coordinator and Year Coordinator. He comes to this role with lots of experience in and passion for the Justice space. This began at school (he is an SPC Old Boy) when he started being involved with Edmund Rice Camps as a result of the College’s Lenten Appeal commitment that year, and he was still serving them 15 years later. Mr Herro spent all of 2020 living in Alice Springs and working at the St Joseph’s Catholic Flexible Learning Centre, where our Year 11 immersion goes. He has also worked in the area of Formation over the years, leading Retreats, and has a sound grasp of the Edmund Rice Charism.

Personally, Mr Herro will get married later this year. He also enjoys time with friends and unwinding with heavy music… quite the contradiction, I know!

Head of Identity - Middle School 

Mrs Brittney Fogliani

Mrs Fogliani comes to us from St Dominic’s College, Kingswood, with over a decade of experience working in Christian Brothers/EREA Schools. She has worked as a leader in service learning and justice education and is particularly passionate about the area of sustainability and how schools, in particular, can become more sustainable. She is teaching English and Religious Education at the College, and also teaching in the HSIE space. She looks forward to the new environment and meeting many of you over the year.

Mrs Fogliani is most importantly a mum to two little girls; 1 and 3 years old.

Aboriginal Education Worker  

Mr Kyle Wallace

Kyle began with us in Term 4 last year after experience in this area at Riverview College. He is a proud Gomeroi, Anaiwan, and Gumbaynggirr man, drawing on a rich heritage from both his patriarchal and matriarchal lineages within First Nations culture, thus having a strong commitment to educational equity and cultural representation. As a First Nations Education Worker, his role is to support and empower First Nations students by providing culturally safe spaces for learning and fostering pride in their identity. He will help students connect with their culture and history while encouraging their academic success and personal development, by working closely with families and teachers. He is passionate about ensuring students feel seen, valued, and supported in their educational journey. Kyle will also work with staff and the broader school community to embed First Nations perspectives into the curriculum and everyday school life. building understanding, respect, and reconciliation within our school community.

Personally, he is currently pursuing a degree in Secondary Education at the University of Sydney and plays Football at a high level. He works with us two days a week.

Executive Support Officer – Identity

Mrs Frances Spagnuolo

Mrs Spagnuolo began at SPC at the end of 2019, supporting both Identity and Co-curricular. She is now dedicated to the Identity life of the College in a myriad of ways. Many of you will know her when volunteering to donate goods for Night Patrol or cleaning the Chapel. She keeps track of rosters among other things and her role is very diverse. She comes with experience in different areas of life including Human Resources and Child Care. She is truly an asset for our team.

Mrs Spagnuolo has a son and daughter and spends a lot of her free time with their sport and extra-curricular activities, while also enjoying meals out with family.

• Matters related to Identity for Years 9 to 12 are to be addressed to matthew.herro@spc.nsw.edu.au.

   

• Matters related to Identity for Years 5 to 8 are to be addressed to brittney.fogliani@spc.nsw.edu.au.

   

• Matters related to First Nations are to be addressed to kyle.wallace@spc.nsw.edu.au.

   

• All big picture matters and concerns around Identity can still be addressed to me at gillian.daley@spc.nsw.edu.au.

I am thrilled to be working with this wonderful team and looking forward to the many possibilities that may arise as we move forward together. All of us are keen to have a wonderful year with all of you as we work together to ensure all of us authentically live Jesus in our hearts, forever.

Shining Our Light (SOL) Service 2025

SOL Service is the St Patrick’s College Service-Learning program which is a compulsory component of enrolment here. It is a graduated program that aims to encourage students to volunteer and serve the community in which they live, with the hope it becomes the ‘done’ thing both here and beyond school. Our world needs more volunteers so we cannot sit by and just let others do what is needed, and our SPC Ideal Graduate document states that “The Ideal SPC Graduate is challenged to serve and contribute to community” among other things.  The 2025 SOL Service season began for all students from Year 6 to 10 in December last year, and Year 5 have started from last week.

After five years of lived experience and the review of the program by staff, students and parents undertaken last year, we have revised the program and hopefully made it clearer to understand and fulfil with authenticity. All documents are on the Parent Lounge on TASS, as well as on the year cohort CANVAS pages (accessible by all students). The changes and specific details will be discussed briefly at all Parent Information Evenings.

If a student started their service prior to the school year they should have the temporary recording sheet (that was emailed to all parents/carers and students with the core documents at the start of December last year) filled out and they are to staple it to page 17 of the College Diary.

If you have a question about SOL Service, please email SOLservice@spc.nsw.edu.au only. Any specific concerns for Years 5 to 8 are to be addressed to:  brittney.fogliani@spc.nsw.edu.au and any concerns for Years 9 and 10 are to be addressed to matthew.herro@spc.nsw.edu.au.

One of the changes for this year is that on this page in the Especean each week there will be a list of opportunities the College is offering students, particularly those in Year 9 and 10, so that students can check their emails for more specific details. (Some weeks there may not be anything.)

Two upcoming opportunities:

• If any student from Years 6 to 10 wishes to do Nude Lunches for SOL Service, they must register with Mrs Fogliani or Mr Herro before 14 February. Check announcements for details. The first sign-up day was yesterday but students can also register tomorrow, Thursday 6 February at Recess. You must bring your diary and a pen.

   

  • Years 6, 7 and 8 see Mrs Fogliani in the Junior School playground near the lockers

  • Years 9 and 10 see Mr Herro in the Year 10 Yard near the Identity Staffroom.

There will be another opportunity next week also – TBA. Year 5 will be able to register in their classes in the coming weeks. Please read documents around what is required for Nude Lunches. It is up to the students not the parents. Checks will be made throughout the year – failure to do the right thing will nullify this service for the Earth for that student this year.

• Year 9 and 10 students will be emailed the Night Patrol Sandwich and Snack Pack Making roster by Mr Herro by Thursday 6 February. The first opportunity is next Monday, 10 February. All options are Monday, Friday and Wednesday over a two-week period every month.

We look forward to working together to make this program seamless and allow all boys to shine their light for the world.

Justice Co-Curricular

The Justice Co-Curricular activities have begun this week and thus we invite all students with a passion for what is good and right in the world to consider joining the relevant group. Each group will focus on justice issues with particular attention being given to First Nations equity, Refugees and Peoples Seeking Asylum, Sustainable action for the Earth, Homelessness, Poverty, and Anti-Violence Campaigns. These groups are the heart of the Identity of St Patrick’s College – they are who we are! We only have to watch the news to see that we need good people standing up and rejecting hate and discrimination more than ever. Please talk to your sons about this and encourage them to get involved.

The Justice Co-Curricular groups are:

• Junior School Justice (JSJ) for students in Years 5 and 6. This group is led by Ms Osorio Narvaez and runs every Wednesday afternoon from 3:15 PM to 4:30 PM.

   

• Faith In Action Team (FIAT) for students in Years 7 to 9. This group is led by Mrs Joanne Cupac and meets every Tuesday throughout the year from 3:20 PM to 4:50 PM in the Bangawarra Room.

   

• Social Justice Action Team (SJAG) for students in Years 10 to 12. This group is a leading team for all things justice across the College and includes all Identity Prefects. It is led by Mrs Jessica Lonard and Mrs Linda Zambrano and meets every Wednesday of the year from 3:20 PM to 4:50 PM in the Bangawarra Room.

If any student would like to join one of these teams, I ask that his parents email me at gillian.daley@spc.nsw.edu.au.

The teams look forward to increasing our awareness, encouraging our action and providing opportunities for our advocacy throughout the year.

Adult Service Opportunity 

One of the College’s Justice Partners is the House of Welcome who work with refugees and peoples seeking asylum. They do amazing and important work. Below is information about a volunteer position at the centre in Granville that may suit a parent, friend or Old Boy.  All details are available in the attached flyer.

This is an opportunity for someone to give back to the community and gain valuable knowledge and experience along the way.

Student and Parent Volunteers Needed This Weekend

One of our wonderful Justice Partners at the College is St Merkorious’ Charity, based in South Strathfield. This weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) they are running a food stall, and a second-hand stand in Rhodes for Chinese New Year.

Two requests:

1. If you have any decent items for their Second-Hand Stall (flyer below) to donate please bring them to the front office at the College tomorrow (Thursday) – not after tomorrow.

2. If any parents and/or students (no younger than Year 7 and if younger than Year 11 should be accompanied by an adult) would like to volunteer to help out at the stalls, please send me an email by tomorrow 3pm – gillian.daley@spc.nsw.edu.au. I will pass your details on to their organisers. Please give me as much information as possible. You can choose from the shifts below: 

I know this is short notice, but it would be a good thing to get involved.

Gillian Daley 

Director of Identity