Co-curricular

Zone Public Speakers Finals

Last Friday, seven of our talented public speakers from across all six year groups participated in the Zone Finals for the Catholic Schools Debating Competition Public Speaking Semi-finals.

Competing proudly for SPC were: Camilio Chalala (Year 7), Daniel Yaacoub (Year 8), Luca Serratore (Year 9), Denzel Tan (Year 10), Dominic Short (Year 11) and Daniel De Pasquale and Jeremy Simonetto (Year 12). The competition was incredibly strong, as reported by coaches in the various speaking rooms. Despite superb effort, engaging delivery, and excellent content, six of our speakers did not get through to the final.

Huge congratulations, however, to Luca Serratore who will be representing St Patrick’s College, and Year 9, in the CSDA Public Speaking Final on Friday evening at Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta. The competition commences at 6:00 PM and we would love to have great support for this talented speaker as he comes up against eleven of Sydney’s finest on the night.

Summer Sport

It has been a tremendous start to the year and as we near the end of the Summer sports season, I wish to congratulate all those who were involved. I wish to give particular mention to the ISA Premiership winning teams – 17B, 17D and 13D Basketball teams and the Senior A Touch Football team. Additionally, I wish the best of luck to those NDJCA Cricket Teams who will contest Semi-Finals and Grand-Finals over the coming weekends. 

Duke of Edinburgh Certificates

Congratulations to the following students who received certificate awards for their completion of the Duke of Edinburgh requirements last year:

Winter Trials 

I want to highlight the commencement of Winter Sport Trials starting this week.

All students who have nominated to play Rugby, Football or Tennis are expected to attend the scheduled trials for their respective age groups. It is crucial that they are aware of the exact timing of these trials.

One of the key life skills we instil in our students here at the College is taking responsibility for their actions. Through our Co-curricular Program, we emphasise the importance of following through on commitments, which teaches the boys how to effectively manage their personal schedules.

Information regarding trial schedules and communication channels for the season will be through one of the three primary sources: the Especean, Daily Announcements or the SPC App.

If your son feels disappointed about the grade he's initially selected for, I kindly request that you refrain from emailing the College right away. Instead, please encourage your son to approach the coaches directly. Encourage him to have a constructive discussion with them and reflect on areas where he can improve. Similarly, if your son is content with his selection, I hope you'll continue to support and encourage him to work hard and strive for self-improvement for the benefit of the team. This approach will also contribute to the development of your son's personal skills in handling various situations.

Co-curricular Expectations

A gentle reminder of the Co-curricular expectations for all students:

• Students are to attend all rehearsals, training sessions and fixtures. 
   
• If a student is injured, he is expected to attend his team’s Saturday fixture and support. Travelling a distance to games or training is a necessary part of this commitment.  
   
• A part-time job or outside tutoring sessions are not acceptable excuses for non-attendance. 
   
• It is the expectation that a student will play for the College in a sport rather than play in an outside team should a clash of fixture times occur. 
   
• If a student is absent from rehearsal, training session and/or fixture, their parent/carer must provide an explanation in a timely manner. 
   
• On the rare occasion, a student intends to miss a rehearsal or training session due to a medical appointment, a parent/carer should email the relevant staff members in advance. While it is nice that students take the initiative to send the email, can I please stress that all communication should come from a parent/carer. 
   
• Requests for leave from a Saturday fixture/Band Performance/Debate, etc. must be directed to me as the Director of Co-curricular. This must be done well in advance, particularly if it relates to a clash with a significant family event or celebration such as a wedding. 

To ensure that there is a sense of equity when reviewing a request for leave, I kindly ask that parents clearly outline the reason. The terms 'family commitment' or 'family event' covers a range of scenario’s and doesn’t assist with the process. 

• All boys are to be dressed in proper and activity-related College attire when representing the College in Co-curricular activities.

I hope I have made these procedures clear, and I would like to thank the vast majority of you who do follow the correct procedures.

Anthony Calavassy

Director of Co-curricular