Principal

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this message finds you well and that you've had a restful summer. As we embark on a new school year, we are excited to welcome your son/s back to school and look forward to a year filled with enriching learning experiences.

As we gear up for the new school year, we want to express our excitement and gratitude for your continued partnership in your son's education. The upcoming academic journey may pose challenges, especially for our young or first-time students, but with your support, we are confident they will thrive.

Encouraging Positivity and Strength

As parents/carers, your role in fostering a positive mindset is invaluable. Remind your son of his unique strengths and capabilities. Encourage him to embrace new experiences, make new friends, and face challenges with resilience. Your words and actions play a crucial role in shaping his perspective on the school year ahead.

Active Parental Involvement

Research consistently shows that parents who actively engage in their children's education significantly contribute to their success. To help your child excel this school year, consider the following proactive steps:

1. Establish a Consistent Sleep Routine: Transitioning from the relaxed summer schedule to a school routine can be challenging. Ensure your son gets sufficient rest by gradually adjusting bedtime and wake-up times.

    

2. Open Lines of Communication: Connect with your son's homeroom teacher early in the school year. Introduce yourself, express your commitment to being involved, and establish a partnership for your son's learning journey. Regularly check in on their subjects, homework, activities, and overall progress.

    

3. Prioritise Nutrition: A well-balanced diet is essential for concentration and academic success. Provide healthy meals to ensure your son is fuelled and ready to tackle the day's challenges.

    

4. Create a Dedicated Study Space: Designate a quiet and organised area at home for schoolwork and homework. Minimise distractions to emphasise the importance of education in your family. Show interest in their work and offer praise for their efforts.

    

5. Cultivate a Love for Reading: Spend at least 20 minutes a day reading with your son. This simple practice not only reinforces the importance of literacy but also provides an opportunity for shared exploration and adventure.

As we embark on this new school year together, let's continue to work collaboratively to ensure the success and well-being of every student. Your involvement and support make a significant impact on their educational journey. We look forward to a year filled with growth, learning, and shared achievements.

A Warm Welcome

We would like to warmly welcome all the new families joining our school community and a hearty welcome back to all our returning families! We are thrilled to have your boys as part of our school and look forward to nurturing their academic and personal growth.

Staff Updates

We are delighted to introduce new members of our teaching staff who bring with them a wealth of experience and fresh ideas. We believe they will be a great addition to our dedicated team. There have also been changes to our leadership structure across the College, particularly with the additional resourcing of experienced staff in the Student Wellbeing space.

Firstly, our Leadership Team. I am joined and supported in this team by the following fabulous people:

There have also been some changes and additions to our some of our Middle Leadership positions. In the Wellbeing Team:

* denotes a newly created position

Our Identity Team comprises: 

* denotes a newly created position

Our Co-curricular Team comprises:

And finally, the staff new to the College, replacing staff who have left or employed as a result of growth in our overall student population in the secondary school.

We are thrilled to introduce these newest members of our staff this year. Each of them brings a wealth of experience, a love of learning, and a commitment to fostering your child's academic and personal growth. They will be joining their respective teams with some common traits: a passion for their subject area and a dedication to student success. We are excited to see their positive impact on our students.

2024 HSC Results

Last year’s school leavers did exceptionally well, and we are proud to be ranked as 89th in the state given that we are a comprehensive school. A fulsome HSC report will soon be published but the highlights are as follows:

• 87 boys (50% of candidates) got an ATAR > 80

•  50 boys (29% of candidates) got an ATAR > 90

• 25 boys (14% of candidates) got an ATAR > 95

• 5 All Rounders: Jeremy Simonetto, James Kazzi, Luke Sultana, Justin Ryan and Sebastien Garzaniti
• Tied Duxes on 99.7: Jeremy Simonetto, James Kazzi
• Callum O’Neill, Top Achiever, 5th in the State Construction Exam
• Anthony Loulach, Top Achiever, 10th in the State Mathematics Standard 2
• Luke Sultana, Top Achiever, 4th in the State Studies of Religion II 

We all look forward to acknowledging our High Achievers on 7 February 2025.

Parent Involvement: Home-School Communication

Please make sure to read the Especean each week and check our College website regularly for updates on College events and activities. 

Parents/carers can access much information from the TASS Parent Lounge where you can see your son/s timetable/s, attendance data, download published College Academic reports, read the daily notices, download Assessment Handbooks, and even track your son/s Academic Assessment Services (AAS) and NAPLAN results. 

Our SPC App is one of the most critical channels for Parent/Student/College communication. It is free and easy to download from the App Store or Google Play.

The SPC App will be the repository of all the vital information a parent/carer needs to support their son properly and place it in one, easy-to-access location.

By going to Settings and setting your subscriptions, you can avoid the information overload that can occur in Home/School communication.

For example, if your son is in Year 8 and plays Rugby and Cricket, set those as subscriptions, and you will only receive information that you require for that cohort and those activities.

The Especean will always be our focal point of summarising our information each week, and TASS Parent Lounge and Student Café are the most appropriate places to share resources and information. We look forward to hearing the feedback from our community as we commence its use. Detailed instructions for use can be found here.

Of course, we celebrate our students’ successes on social media, and we would love it if you took the time to follow us on social media: 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Here's to a fantastic school year. 

Staff News

• Mr Anthony Calavassy is on leave and Mr Byrne will be Acting Director of Co-curricular. 

   

• Mr Adam Leslie is on leave for the first semester and the Acting Head of English is Mr Michael Pilkington and the Acting Assistant Head of English is Mr Thomas Svicarovich. 

   

  We congratulate the following staff who welcomed new babies during the break:

    

• Mr James Crino on the arrival of his baby daughter Aquilina at the end of last term.  

• Mr Jordan Bottalico on the arrival of his first child, Isaac, in mid-December. 

• Ms Ellen Pittorino on the arrival of her son Alfred in late December.  

• Mrs Holly Grant on the arrival of her second child, Georgia, in early January.   

• Ms Kathleen Angelopoulos on the arrival of her first child, Yiannis, in early January.  

   

• Four members of staff were engaged over the break: Ms Maria Capobianco, Ms Maria Marrapodi, Mr Mullen and Mr Pais. 

   

• Mrs Constance Lukas and Mrs Renee Buchanan have all announced that they are expecting babies later this year. 

  In Memoriam

• Condolences to Rebecca Horswood-Reid and Alexander Reid (Year 12) on the loss of Rebecca’s maternal grandmother, Margaret Medhurst. She will be laid to rest this coming Friday so keep them in your prayers.  

   

• Mr Ross Angelatos also suffered a bereavement in the vacation break with the loss of his beloved father-in-law, Giuseppe Carnevale. Giuseppe is survived by his daughter Maria and his grandsons, all of whom are Old Boys: Dionysios Angelatos ('24), Luca Testa ('06) and Michael Testa ('15).

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero