From the Principal

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

Welcome back to all our returning students, and a particular welcome to new students and their families. It has been a smooth start to the year, with all classes starting lessons on the first day with minimum delay or fuss, apart from our Year 7's who have participated in our 'New Beginnings' program, thanks to a lot of work in advance to finalise subject choices, and in the preparation of rooms and facilities. Good organisation means settled students, which is a necessary condition for successful learning. 

A few students may be understandably anxious, starting at a new school with unfamiliar people and ways of doing things. They and their parents can be confident that St Virgil’s is a friendly and welcoming school and feel confident in approaching Pastoral Care Teachers (Senior School) or Classroom Teachers (Junior School) or other relevant staff with concerns they may have. It is important that any worries are sorted out as soon as possible. 

Congratulations to the 2025 Year 12 cohort for their outstanding results. We have been working hard to to ensure our Year 11 and 12 students achieve success, so it was pleasing to see graduates receiving university offers in courses ranging from Business, Pharmacy, Psychology, Science, Architecture, Marine and Antarctic Science. This is in addition to those students who have already embarked on apprenticeships in a range of trades and other forms of vocational training. 

Congratulations go to 2025 College Dux Nicholas Roberts who achieved an ATAR of 96.45 placing him in the top 5% of students nationally. Overall, 30% of students who wanted to achieve an ATAR obtained 90 or above with the median ATAR of 87.2 achieved across the cohort. Some 60% of students obtained 80 or above placing them in the top 20% of students nationally. On behalf of the College community, I congratulate the Year 12 Class of 2025 for their outstanding academic achievements and thank them for their leadership, and we wish them all the very best in the future. 

Lenten Journey 

Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent and recalls Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, a reminder of our own need for reflection and renewal. Lent invites us to reassess our relationships with God, others and ourselves, just as Jesus confronted the temptations of power, prestige and possessions. 

Lent calls us to recognise where we are tempted and to realign our lives through practices such as fasting and almsgiving. Over the next six weeks, we journey with Jesus — praying, reflecting, and sharing in his suffering — knowing that this path leads us to joy of his resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

Students were drawn into the Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday liturgies organised at both the Junior and Senior School campuses. 

Staffing Update 

There are a number of new staff members who commence their journey as members of the St Virgil’s College community. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new staff to the College and trust that their time will be both personally and professionally rewarding.

Mrs Aine Toman                   Assistant Principal – Religious Identity & Mission

Mr Daniel Bevan                   Head of the Arts 

Miss Annaliese Arthur        College Psychologist

Mr Matt Conolan                  Outdoor Education Program Coordinator 

Mr Mathew Dyson                VET / Building Construction / Wood D&T Teacher 

Mr Peter Hope                       Music Teacher (Junior & Senior School) 

Mr Ben Farrell                        Teacher – Junior School

Mr Andrew Archer                LSO – Senior School 

Mr Chandler Bradley            LSO – Senior School 

Mr Adam Wooler                   LSO - Outdoor Education

Ms Michaela Priest              LSO – Junior School 

Ms Mia Giles                          LSO – Junior School 

Mr Joshua Zeeman               LSO – Junior School 

Mr Sergio Pego-Martinez   Finance Officer

We also wish to congratulate continuing staff who will be commencing new roles in 2026:

Mr Will Geeves                             Director of Student Wellbeing

Mrs. Alison Haddon-Cave         Head of Doyle House / Head of Humanities

Ms. Talea Paraskevas                 Head of Religious Education 

Mr. Richard Cowlard                   VET Coordinator / Head of Hessian House

Mrs. Diana Cubit                          College Registrar / LSO – Junior School  

Mr Brian Murphy                         HPE & RE Teacher 

Mr Jayden Hay                              HPE Teacher

Ms Karen Weitnauer                  Food Technology Teacher 

Ms Ruby Banks                            Year 2 Teacher 

Mr Hudson Arkley                       Year 6 Teacher (0.4 FTE) 

Mr Tom Briggs                              Sports Coordinator

Mr Joe Harrison                           LSO – Senior School 

We also acknowledge the following staff who have recently concluded their role at the College:

• Mr Jake Tehrell has been appointed to a position with TAS Fire 

• Ms Shakira Bone has accepted a Science Teaching position at MacKillop Catholic College

• Ms Sarah Mazengarb has accepted a teaching position at Bothwell District High School

We congratulate our departing colleagues, thank them for their service, and wish them well for the future. 

Important Dates for your Diary

I draw parents and carers to the following important dates and ask that these are noted in calendars and that a priority is placed on attendance at these events.  Further details have or will been circulated via an EdSmart broadcast. 

Middle School (Years 7-9) Parent Information Evening                Tuesday 24 February  

                                                                                                                             6pm – 8pm

Senior School Athletics Carnival (Domain Aths Centre)               Thursday 26 February  

Senior School (Years 10-12) Parent Information Evening            Tuesday 24 March 

                                                                                                                             6pm – 8pm

Best wishes for the week ahead. 

Jon Franzin 

PRINCIPAL