Principal

Advent: Worth The Wait

In today's world, where everything we desire is just a click away, we often find ourselves caught in a cycle of instant gratification. However, Advent encourages us to pause and truly appreciate this season filled with anticipation, yearning, and hope.

Advent, which begins 1 December, is four weeks of spiritual preparation for the birth of God made flesh in Jesus at Christmas. At least, it’s supposed to be. If you haven’t noticed, we’re now caught up in a world where we can click here, add to cart now, and get same-day delivery. Who has time to wait? And, if you live in a large enough metropolitan area, there’s sure to be at least one radio station that’s been playing nothing but Christmas songs since Halloween. 

Advent is a great season that invites contemplation. It invites us to take a sacred pause and really steep ourselves in the hope of the season. Try to practice doing hopeful things. By really trying to practice something hopeful—we talk about Advent, about creating a space for Jesus in our heart—our hearts are primed to meet him, to recognise him, and to recognise the places where that hope is so much more alive in the world. We should be embracing Advent’s stillness. Try to search for the silence and the quiet of the focusing on the essential—what Advent is about: the watching, the waiting, the wondering.

May this Advent be a time to notice and to celebrate the joy of love in our families. 

May this Advent be a time for paying attention to ways that might make the paths of our relationships smoother. 

May this Advent be a time to become aware of the value of peace and moderation as we look forward with hope.

Staff Farewells

At this time of year, we wish to thank and say farewell to staff members who are leaving us. Firstly, I wish to thank staff members whose temporary contract positions have ended.

• Mr Christopher Chon (Mathematics teacher)
• Ms Alumeci Delaibatiki (Maintenance assistant)
• Mr Emile Gad (Mathematics teacher)
• Mr William Halloran (Learning Support Officer)
• Natasha Majstorivic (Junior school)
• Marie Marino (Visual Arts teacher)
• Lisa Towson (HSIE teacher)

Further, we will also be farewelling other permanent members of staff who are moving on to other schools or endeavours:

• Mr Sean Barry (PDHPE teacher, moving to the UK).
   
• Mrs Karyn Corcoran (Director of Human Resources, Risk and Governance, moving to Brisbane).
   
• Ms Lisa Dib (RE teacher, currently on Parental leave).
   
• Richard Minter (English teacher, taking up a new position at another College after 12 years of service at SPC).
   
• Mr Samuel Rowlings (PDHPE teacher and Assistant Year 8 Coordinator, moving to Newcastle).
   
• Mr John Wheatley (Mathematics faculty, currently on Long Service Leave and concluding his tenure at the College after 27 years of dedicated service).

We wish all of our staff well as they move on, whether they were here for a short or long time, as they have all contributed to the SPC community.

College Advisory Council

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members of the College Advisory Council and its sub-committees, for their work during 2024: Anthony Meaker (Chair), Helen Randall (Chair of Property and Capital Works Committee), Anne Wenham, Natalie Baini (Chair of Risk and Governance Committee), Peter Gainsford, Sam Rigoli, Jamey Poyaoan (Chair of the Identity Committee) and Con La Spina (Chair of the Finance Committee). These people have contributed to our school’s strategic, educational, financial and spiritual development.

Anne Wenham, a very distinguished and experienced educator, has decided not to renew her tenure after many years on our Council, commencing when Dr Wattam was the College Principal. We wish her all the best in the next stage of her life as she pursues her other interests.

I am delighted to announce that Monica O’Brien (BA, DipEd, MEd, MEdLead, BPsychSc, GAICD) has agreed to join our College Advisory Council to add an educator’s view to our deliberations. Monica is the Head of Assessment at Catholic Schools NSW. She has an extensive educational background in governance, leadership, faith formation, curriculum, assessment, and policy development, including two Master of Education and postgraduate qualifications from prestigious national and international institutions. 

Monica has served in numerous leadership roles in two RI/PMJP schools and always with a focus on innovation and transformation for personalised academic excellence. Monica has been responsible for a school-wide NESA Registration and Accreditation process, which includes teacher accreditation, curriculum, and teaching and learning. 

She leverages her expertise in curriculum, assessment and teacher mentoring to enhance academic excellence through innovation and technology, most recently as the Project Lead for the CSNSW/Gradeo Partnership – the creation of a state-wide online Assessment Hub. The partnership will give subscribers access to nearly 300 tests and 15,000 questions, all mapped to current NSW syllabuses, enabling them to author (including AI), test, grade and report on a single online platform. Monica is a registered Board Director, currently serving as a Board Member of St Scholastica's College, Glebe and is the former Head of CSSA, leading the CSSA Trial HSC Examinations and State Symposiums for all Catholic schools.

Monica has a long association with St Patrick’s College with members of her family attending the College over many generations, most recently her son Joseph ('22) and her nephew Olawe Kelly-Hanku (Year 8).

Second-hand Textbooks and Uniforms

We have partnered with Sustainable School Shop to provide families access to second-hand textbooks, uniforms, calculators, musical instruments, sports gear and much more!

Sustainable School Shop have preloaded items specific to our school onto their site. This makes it super easy to list your items for sale and to buy items.

See all the second-hand uniform items for sale here:  https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au/stocktake/st-patricks-college-strathfield.  

See all the second-hand textbooks for sale here: 

https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au/booklist/st-patricks-college-strathfield  

So, jump onto the site, register, and list your items for sale, you will be:

• reusing items rather than adding to landfill
• making money on items you sell
• saving money on items you buy
• providing another family in our school with cheaper items
• helping to create a culture of contact amongst our school community families!

Login or Register here: https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au.

Reminder: Bring Your Own Designated Device (BYODD) From 2025

We are phasing out the use of Mac OS devices at the College.

In a three-year phase out, we will then only permit Windows Designated Devices.

The reasons for this, and the special offers for parents, can be located in the following guidelines: 2025-BYOD-Official-Guide-V2.0-1.pdf.

Please do not purchase new Macintosh laptops or tablets for school use, as they will not be permitted.

Existing MacOS devices will be permitted but once they reach the end of life (approximately 3-4 years), we ask you purchase a Windows designated device.

Final Words

As we approach the summer holiday season, I trust this newsletter finds you in good health and high spirits. With the year ending, it's a fitting time for students, staff, and parents to relish a well-deserved break, allowing space for reflection on the school year and anticipation for the one ahead.

This academic year has been nothing short of bustling at St Patrick’s College, marked by substantial progress across various fronts. The dedication and contributions from each of you have played an integral role in our growth as a school community. Together, we've achieved remarkable milestones, yet we acknowledge there are avenues for further development. More details on these forthcoming improvements will be shared as we chart our course for 2025.

We are delighted with the positive impact that our Middle and Senior school approach has had on our Student Wellbeing outcomes. These endeavours aim to hear our students’ voices and maximise each boy’s potential. We look forward to consolidating our efforts in this domain of school life to see further positive growth,

As Mohandas Gandhi aptly stated, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Your participation and engagement will be instrumental in shaping the success of these endeavours.

I look forward to seeing all of you at Speech Night. This is a compulsory school event for all boys, and of course, parents/carers are warmly welcomed as well. 

We record attendance at this event, like we do all community events (swimming and athletic carnivals, Founder’s Day etc) as it speaks volumes about a student’s commitment to his school if he and/or his parents regularly “pick and choose” the compulsory events they will attend. It is contrary to our Justice/Solidarity Touchstone – mutual support of one another.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to our remarkable teachers and dedicated support staff at St Patrick’s College. Their unwavering commitment has been instrumental in our achievements this year. 

I extend my sincere appreciation to you, our parents/carers, for entrusting us with the education and wellbeing of your sons. And to our students, thank you for your continuous efforts in making our school an extraordinary place of learning.

In closing, I encourage our students to stay active and engaged during the holiday period by indulging in physical activities and exploring the wonders within the pages of at least one good book!

In Memoriam

We keep in our prayers Joseph Youssef (Year 6) and Tony Youssef (Year 8) who recently suffered the loss of their maternal grandfather, Josef Youssef after a long illness.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero