The Crest

Deputy Principal

Mr John Richards - Deputy Principal Community

The term is quickly progressing, and winter is upon us. In the next few weeks our students will be preparing for exams and completing assessments. It is timely for all to consider their study habits and balancing sporting, work and other commitments with their study and exam preparations. Time management is an important skill that we all need to master, and it is important that we support our students in this endeavour.

Regarding homework and study there are some things that we can do to assist our students develop good habits:

  • Establish a routine – a regular time each night to complete homework and study. This needs to consider sporting and other commitments, but they are not an excuse for not completing homework. 
  • A place to study – it is useful for a student to have a regular place to complete homework. This could be at the kitchen table or in another designated area in the house set up for this purpose.
  • Away from distractions – remove distractions such as television, mobile phones, iPads etc.

Exams commence on Monday, 23 June for Years 10 and 11 and Year 9 exams commence on Thursday, 26 June.

National Sorry Day

On Monday, 26 May, more than 80 St Patrick’s College students attended the annual National Sorry Day Ceremony at Damascus College. Every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.

 

The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament. The Bringing Them Home report is a result of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.

 

Monday’s gathering was a tremendous opportunity for students to from all of the three Catholic Secondary Colleges in Ballarat to gather to commemorate the event.  Our boys represented the College with pride and conducted themselves with distinction. A special mention is due to Year 12 student, Luke Atkinson who represented St Patrick’s as one of the three Masters of Ceremony for the event.

 

It was fascinating and sobering to hear the story of Brenda Matthews who told her story about being removed from her aboriginal parents in Queensland in 1973 to be placed with a white family only to be removed from them years later and returned to her birth parents. 

 

Brenda’s story talked about the dislocation and trauma caused by this process. Her story can be viewed in the movie The Last Daughter which can be steamed on Netflix.

It was also wonderful to see so many parents and family of our first nations students attend the event, many travelling from the Northern Territory for the ceremony.

This year’s theme Bridging Now to Next is a message of hope and the promise of building a better future for all Australians.

 

The Sorry Day ceremony typically rotates amongst the three Catholic secondary colleges in Ballarat, with Loreto conducting the ceremony in 2024, Damascus College in 2025 and St Parick’s will conduct it in 2026.

International Boys’ Schools Coalition Conference

Last week Steven O’Connor, Jarrett Giampaolo and I attended the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Regional Conference held at the Hale School in Perth WA.

The IBSC conference focussed on the importance of educating boys in an environment that was academically challenging but based on quality relationships and the importance of boys feeling connected to their school, their education and their teachers. 

 

The importance of boys feeling that they are valued and supported when they make mistakes was a feature of the conference. Former head of Scotch College, Tom Batty talked about the importance of educators being a set of “soft hands that don’t move”.

 

Carol Roberts and I also attended the Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) Charter Induction Conference in Sydney. Set in the grounds of Mary Mackillop Place in North Sydney we gathered with new leaders in Edmund Rice Schools Australia wide investigating a wide range of topics including the EREA National Charter as well as the key purposes of EREA schools whilst also gaining a deeper understanding of the workings and structures of Australia’s EREA network.

Uniform Reminder

The St Patrick’s College uniform is the outward expression of our students’ sense of belonging to our college. The manner in which it is worn is something that we as a College community value and place great importance in.

 

Students should now be wearing their full College winter uniform. Shorts are not to be worn in Terms 2 and 3. 

 

The winter uniform comprises:

  • Suitcoat:
    • College suitcoat to be worn to and from school. This will be checked during morning administration and in the afternoon upon departure. 
  • Tie:
    • College Tie to be worn (Year 7-11).
    • Year 12 College Tie (Year 12).
    • Ties are to be worn correctly, not too short and done up to the top button.
  • Shoes:
    • Plain black leather shoes. 
    • Note: Suede shoes or black running style/ skate shoes are not permitted. 
  • Shirt:
    • White shirt to be worn.
    • Top button is to be done up.
    • To be tucked in neatly.
  • Trousers:
    • Blue College trousers and black belt to be worn.
  • Socks:
    • Black or Navy socks to be worn. 
  • Spray Jacket:
    • Only to be worn to and from school over the top of the suit coat. The spray jacket should only be worn on wet days and should not replace the suit coat. The spray jacket is not to be worn during the day, particularly during classes as well as recess and lunch. 

Physical Education Uniform is only to be worn on days when students have Physical Education or Sports classes as part of the school curriculum. Students playing after school sport will get changed at the end of the school day.

The Physical Education uniform comprises:

  • Shorts
    • Navy blue SPC sports shorts (not football shorts). 
  • Shirt
    • Navy Blue College polo shirt with green collar and College Crest. 
  • Socks:
    • SPC White sports socks. 
  • Tracksuit Pants 
    • Blue SPC track pants with the College crest (optional for cold weather)
  • Jumper:
    • SPC Rugby top 

A reminder that all uniform items are available for purchase from Dobsons Uniform Supplies at 29 Mair Street, Ballarat.