Principal's Message

Happy New Year and Welcome to the 2024 Academic Year. 

What a wonderful first week with more than 140 new students and 12 new teaching staff. Our Year 12 cohort were fantastic on Tuesday welcoming our new students and helping them settle into our beautiful school environment. I’m also grateful for the handful of Year 12 parents who made the effort to come for our breakfast with the Year 12 teachers on Monday morning. It is always helpful to put a name to a face and I expect the communication between teachers, students and families to be open in all directions. 

The launch of Discovery Learning is well underway and I’m appreciative of the parents who took time out to come and hear about the project options on Wednesday. The first presentations for these projects will occur at the end of the term and I hope that many parents will prioritize this event in their calendar. It will be great to see what the students have developed over eight weeks. 

Our theme this year and for the foreseeable future is the same as our values, “To Strive, To Seek, To Care with HEART (Honesty, Engagement, Acceptance, Respect and Trust)” Next Thursday the 8th February is our Welcome Breakfast on the oval for all Houses. Please come and meet your child’s Tutor Group teacher, Head of House and other House staff together with other parents if you are available. 

We continue to set our uniform and behaviour standards high to make it clear to students and parents from the beginning what is appropriate at St Philip’s College. Parents can assist us by making themselves fully informed of our uniform and jewelry policies that are in the school diary and on Schoolbox. There are also a range of communication options through the school diary, Schoolbox or emails if there are any questions or concerns. St Philip’s students have an excellent reputation in the Alice Springs community and employers often seek them out when looking for workers. It is important that everyone does their part to maintain our good name. 

Please have a look at the Ex-Activities on offer for your child and sign up using the online eForm in Operoo. This is another wonderful opportunity to broaden friendship circles and develop new skills and interests for your child. 

The Schoolbox App enables you to keep up-to-date on the many activities that are happening every day. It will also give you important information about your student’s homework, upcoming assignments and due dates. Staff will also post marks from assignments with comments. So if you haven’t downloaded it yet, may I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Please refer to emails sent out last week on how to do this. 

The strength of our school community was exceptional last year, and we worked together to overcome some significant events and obstacles by supporting and respecting each other in meaningful ways. It’s important we maintain our inclusive attitude and ensure our campus remains a safe place for everyone. 

I’m very much looking forward to this year for the unique learning opportunities on offer and the chance to work with our professional and dedicated staff. 

Kind regards,

~ Leslie Tilbrook

Principal