Principal

HABEMUS PAPAM!

Leo XIV is First US pope chosen to lead the Catholic Church

Robert Francis Prevost, chosen as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics and who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, is not widely known despite a long missionary career and senior roles in the Vatican. Here are some things you may not know about him (The Guardian, 9/5/2025).

• Much of his career has been in Peru.

After making his solemn vows in 1981 and studying in Rome, Prevost was sent to a mission in Peru. He spent more than 20 years there, serving as judicial vicar and as a professor of canon, patristic and moral law at a seminary in Peru’s third city, Trujillo, before being appointed bishop of Chiclayo in November 2014. The 69-year-old has Peruvian citizenship and is widely admired in South America’s third-largest country, hence all the Inca Kola and ceviche memes that greeted his appointment.

• He is seen as a moderate and a skilled mediator.

The conclave had been billed as a clash between progressives, who wished to carry on Francis’s legacy, and conservatives, who wanted to return the church to a more traditionalist path. The new pontiff, however, is seen as a moderate figure and his time in Peru was marked by a talent for working with different theological factions. In an interview with the New York Times, his brother John Prevost described him as “middle of the road”, adding: “I don’t think we’ll see extremes either way.”

• He led the Augustinian order.

Prevost entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977, serving as prior general, or leader, from 2001 until 2013. The order, founded in Italy in 1244, is dedicated to poverty, service and spreading the word of God. Among its core values is a commitment to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God”. He is the first Augustinian friar to be elected pope.

• He has held senior roles in the Vatican.

The new pontiff, made a cardinal by the late Pope Francis in September 2023, had been president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and had served as prefect of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops from around the world.

Importance of School Communication Channels

I have been pondering our communication channels over the last fortnight as I work through the complaints received about being unable to register for the Mother’s Day Mass at Rosehill, booking sibling photographs and our recent fixtures in Orange and Bathurst. Not to mention all the vitriol being promoted by a handful of disgruntled parents on WhatsApp about these recent events.

In a large school, there needs to be one central location for the sharing of accurate information: the Especean. However, our current analytics show that some 71% of our possible parent population is not reading this publication.

Several factors contribute to low newsletter readership among Australian parents. These include the sheer volume of information parents receive, the format of newsletters, and the difficulty of finding relevant information quickly. Additionally, many parents are busy and prefer quick, easily digestible information, leading to a preference for shorter, more focused communications. 

This is why our newsletter has specific sections so that you can target and read the information pertinent to your son’s education.

Let us look at our advertising for the Mother’s Day Mass.

• 19 March 2025: a “save the date” was advertised in Especean.

• 26 March 2025: Ticket links were published in Especean.

• 9 April 2025: A reminder was published in Especean.

• 17 April 2025: Reminder published on SPC App.

• 30 April 2025: Too late for the Morning Tea, but a ticket link for mass was published in Especean.

• 5 May 2025: Final reminder for tickets published on SPC App.

The College heavily subsidises this event, with the $20 contribution barely covering the cost of bus transport to bring boys back to school.

However, my staff are unfairly subjected to negative reactions when politely told that the deadline has been missed.

So – a plea! I know how busy we all are, but please make time each Wednesday to click on the Especean link and read it right through. Better still, get your son to read it to you! If you cannot access your emails, go straight to the SPC App, as they are archived there. Or on our website.

Like all institutions, though, schools do occasionally cock things up, and the fact that it’s you who receives a frustrating response does not give licence to negative and sometimes, cruel and unfounded acrimony towards members of staff. Particularly on WhatsApp where the College has no way of defending itself.

Think, and think again before crafting a response and keep in mind your son is only one of 1601 students. Try to think of the entire workload a staff member may have and thus, the need to set and stick to deadlines so things are fair and consistent. I hope to see an improvement in our newsletter analytics over this term and a better experience for all.

Free Webinars for Parents and Carers

One of our partners in education is the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT. Their latest edition of Parent Talk is out now and includes information about our fabulous Term 2 free webinars for parents, the growing crisis in boys' education: 

Here’s the list of free webinars (most in the evenings) that you may be interested in registering for:

Staff News

• Mrs Jasmine Porter, Head of Religious Education Department, has advised the College that she is expecting a baby, due in early October. We wish her well as she travels through her pregnancy and we will seek to fill this leadership position later on in the year.

   

• Next week, I will be away in Perth attending the International Boys’ Schools Coalition Australasian Conference, Purpose and Identity: Leadership and Learning for Social-Emotional and Academic Well-Being in Boys. 

   

  Mr Byrne will be Acting Principal in my absence.

This conference has been designed specifically for educators in boys' schools and will delve into strategies to boost boys' resilience, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships. Keynotes will be given from renowned presenters Ben Walden of Contender Charlie, Professor Andrew Martin of the University of New South Wales, and others, supplementing practitioner-led workshops designed to offer practical strategies for a broad range of contexts. 

The Conference theme is relevant to boys' spiritual well-being and identity, explores strategies to help them understand their values and sense of purpose, and emphasises the importance of relationships, positive beliefs, and autonomy in enhancing social-emotional well-being. I will have the opportunity to examine concepts of academic well-being, focusing on motivation, buoyancy, and belonging, and draw on findings from the recent IBSC global research study, which identifies high-impact strategies for teachers.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero