Curriculum and Learning

Reminder: Years 7 to 11 Optional Parent / Teacher Interviews

As per last week’s issue of the Especean, Optional Parent/Teacher Interviews for Years 7 to 11 will occur online on Thursday 4 December for parents/carers between 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM. Interview times can be booked via the TASS Parent Lounge, no later than 9:00 AM, Tuesday 2 December.

These interviews are an opportunity for parents/carers to discuss aspects of the Yearly Report with their sons’ teachers, with the aim of identifying improvements and setting goals for the coming academic year.

We kindly remind parents/carers of Years 8 and 10 that these interviews are intended to focus on students’ current learning progress and therefore won’t be the appropriate setting to discuss prospective elective subject changes for next year. We’re pleased to share that applications for elective subject changes will open in Week 4 of Term 1 next year, and we look forward to supporting families through that process, where needed.

We encourage parents/carers to take advantage of this opportunity to engage with teachers and gain valuable insights into their son’s progress.

Reminder: Speech Night 2025

A per last week’s issue of the Especean, the College’s Annual Speech Night will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Quaycentre, Homebush on Wednesday 3 December commencing at 6:30 PM with an estimated finish time of 8:30 PM – 8.45 PM. Parking for the Quaycentre will be available in Sydney Olympic Park P3 on Sarah Durack Avenue. Please refer to the map below.

Attendance is compulsory for all students from Years 5 to 11. All students from Years 5 to 10 are to be in attendance in full College summer uniform. All Year 11 students, all prize winners and some performers will be required to wear their blazers, and they will be informed separately in due course.

Entry to the venue’s Main Arena will open at 5:45 PM. Parents, carers and guests are asked to enter via Door 2, while College students and staff should enter through Door 5. Invited VIPs are requested to enter via Reception.

Please note that no outside food or drink is permitted inside the venue. Students must not chew gum and are not permitted to bring water or drink bottles onto the Main Arena floor.

Upon arrival, all students are required to report directly to their homeroom teacher in the Main Arena to have their attendance marked. Teachers will then direct students to their designated seating area.

It is also important to note that full student attendance at the College is compulsory and expected on each school day up to the last day of term, i.e., up to 3:10 PM on Wednesday 3 December at school followed by Speech Night in the evening.

Reminder: Organ Scholarship

A reminder that the College is seeking expression of interest for the Paul M Pinel Organ Scholarship, formerly known as the McGlade Organ Scholarship. These must be submitted via the Expressions of Interest Form to the Head of Performing Arts, Ms Rebecca Duff, by Friday 28 November 2025. For any enquiries, please contact Ms Duff at the College by phone or email.

The organ scholarship is open to any suitably qualified student from Years 7 to 10.

Applicants will be required to audition and meet certain selection criteria based on demonstrable keyboard competency, the ability to sight-read and sight-sing music and to show a willingness to undertake weekly organ tuition, practice daily and to be involved in a range of College liturgical celebrations, including Friday morning College Eucharists and special events, as required.

Students in Year 10 who have applied for the academic McGlade Scholarship may also apply for the Paul M Pinel Organ Scholarship if they believe they meet the criteria. 

James Martin

Director of Curriculum

2026 Years 7-10 Gleeson Class Structure and Selection Process

As the Learning Enrichment Team begins planning for the 2026 Years 7–10 Gleeson classes, we would like to inform parents and carers of the key structural changes and the selection process that will guide class placements.

In 2026, there will be one Gleeson Class offered in each of the following key learning areas:

• English

• Mathematics

• CORE (Religion, Science, PDHPE, History, and Geography).

   

In addition, there will be a Gleeson class in Music and Visual Arts in Years 7 and 8.

To identify suitable students for each class, staff will draw on a broad range of data to ensure a fair and holistic selection process. Some of the measures considered include:

• Standardised testing – such as Academic Assessment Testing and NAPLAN results.

• Internal school data – including summative and formative assessment results, and observations.

• Targeted testing – such as external psychometric assessments and additional testing tools such as the Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

• Professional judgement – informed by feedback from classroom teachers, Diverse Learning Teachers and the Wellbeing Team, who understand each student’s unique learning profile and abilities.

   

With these structural changes, we acknowledge that some students who were previously part of a Gleeson class may not be placed in one next year. Please be assured that all students’ academic growth and potential will continue to be supported through targeted enrichment and extension opportunities both within and beyond the classroom.

As a College, we are proud to offer a rich variety of enrichment opportunities designed to challenge and inspire our learners, and we encourage all students to take advantage of these opportunities.

Should you have any questions about the Gleeson classes, please contact Mrs Katherine Sinadinos at Katherine.sinadinos@spc.nsw.edu.au.

Katherine Sinadinos

Learning Enrichment Coordinator

Excellence Across Performing Arts

This past week, Year 12 students in the Performing Arts received two further prestigious HSC Showcase nominations. These nominations recognise outstanding achievement in the practical component of their courses. Congratulations to: 

Thomas Doherty who received an OnStage nomination in Drama for his Individual Project submission, a video drama entitled The Best Friend. 

Isaac Tannous is also to be commended for receiving an Encore nomination for his Music 2 composition, Reflections in the Water.

This rounds off a highly successful year for students who undertook HSC Performing Arts subjects, with Drama receiving 14 OnStage nominations across Group Performance, Individual Performance and Video Drama, while Music received Encore nominations in both Music 1 and Music 2.

Rebecca Duff

Head of Performing Arts

Mathematics Olympiad – Year 7 and Year 8

This year our team expanded to include a Year 7 and Year 8 team. During Terms 2 and 3, our students participated in the Mathematics Olympiad, joining over 35,000 students from around Australia and New Zealand. The competition consisted of four test papers, and each paper had a time limit of 30 minutes in which five very challenging problems were presented. This competition focuses on each student's ability to creatively solve very difficult problems rather than problem solve using prescribed methods. 

Thank you to their class teachers Noelle Lamir and Peri Maniakas for their instruction and guidance of each team.

Overall, our teams were placed in the top 30%. Congratulations to the following students whose achievements were noteworthy:

Top 10% 

Top 25%

Belinda Antaw

Assistant Head of Mathematics

Year 10 Drain Art

This term, Year 10 Visual Arts have been studying collaborative artmaking practices.   As such, they have investigated how artists can work together to not only collaborate with each other, but also with their audiences and the spaces they work in to create large scale artworks.  Often these artworks form their own sense of collaboration as they are working with and commenting on greater world issues.

To actualise this process, students in Mr. Fela’s Year 10 Visual Arts class have created vibrant, eye-catching floor murals around two drains in the Junior School Yard that provide social commentary on our need to dispose of plastic waste correctly. Plastic pollution is one of the main hazards to ocean and waterway health, impacting ecosystems and breaking down into microplastics that eventually permeate into the food we consume.  

The designs first started as chalk designs created by Year 7 Visual Arts students, which were then refined and permanently painted by our Year 10 students, yet another great example of cross-stage collaboration. The end result forms a permanent fixture to the College grounds, solidifying a message for each year group to enact, year after year. 

Anthony Porra

Head of Visual Arts