From the Principal

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of St Virgil’s College

From little things, big things grow

Separated only by our College campuses are two important new ventures at St Virgil’s which vividly illustrate a fundamental purpose of a school – enabling the growth of the young to a healthy maturity. The sight of our new intake of Kindergarten students playing with toy trucks in the sandpit, mirrored on the other side by Year 12 students at Austins Ferry beautifully brackets the opportunities provided at St Virgil’s by both introducing new courses and extending our enrolments at the Junior School (now including Year 2) which now offers families a Kindergarten to Year 12 pathway for our young men for the first time in the College’s history. The journey from Kindergarten to the final years of school is long and the potential pathways many, but chances are some of those little boys will be on the other side of the journey, preparing to enter the world of work or further education in the years to come. Some will follow tertiary paths to university, or other options altogether – but we have the environment in which growth can take place and choices be made. We look forward with great excitement and anticipation as we build on the success of all of our students in this historic year for our College community. 

Junior School Information Evening

This week’s Junior School Information Evening provided an invaluable opportunity for parents to meet Classroom Teachers, and other key school staff. Although called an ‘information night’, and with plenty of valuable information imparted, the most important aspect of the evening was the chance to initiate conversations and build relationships between parent, teacher and student; relationships which may prove vital in the months ahead as boys and parents navigate the year. Things are not usually straight forward when it comes to young people and education, so knowing who to talk to and having the confidence to make contact when necessary are an indispensable part of school life. Thank you to the parents, students and teachers for taking time during a busy week to gather at the college to this end. 

Athletics Carnival – Senior School 

Thank you for the high level of support which contributed to an excellent Senior School Athletics Carnival on Friday. The level of parental support, student attendance and involvement in both events and organisation was the best we have seen in some years. With a number of records broken in both track and field events, the winning House on the day was Dwyer! Congratulations!

Particular thanks go to Director of Sport, Mr Michael Moschogianis for his meticulous preparations to ensure a well-run day. We have been rebuilding the culture and organisation of our House system at St Virgil’s over recent years, which is the basis for organisation and competition on events such as our Athletics Carnival, and this was reflected in a good level of House spirit amongst the students. Student engagement with school activities, most importantly via success in their learning, but also through such things as House activities, are vital for keeping students connected and successful at school. The Athletics Carnival is about so much more than sport – it is about educational success and community building for young people.

Middle Years Information Evening

I look forward to welcoming families to the Middle Years Information Evening on Thursday 29 February 2024, 6.00pm-7.30pm. Please refer to this week's EdSmart notice for further details. 

Best wishes for the week ahead. 

Jon Franzin