Principal

Welcome Back to Semester 2

As we step into this new academic term, we’re thrilled to see our dedicated teachers, eager students, and supportive parents and carers return to our vibrant learning community. Let’s embrace the challenges, celebrate achievements, and create memorable moments together.

• Year 5: Congratulations on settling into your new school! Keep up the great work as you focus on improving reading comprehension and writing skills across all subjects.
• Year 6: Get ready for an exciting transition into secondary school. New adventures await!
• Year 7: You’ve settled into high school, and now it’s time to hone your time management and self-regulation skills. The demands and rigour of high school await!
• Year 8: Explore elective options and make exciting choices.
• Year 9: By now, you would have realised that hard work eclipses minimal effort—keep pushing forward!
• Year 10: Take time to think when you select your HSC subjects—your path to future success.
• Year 11: Conclude your Preliminary HSC year with determination and growth.
• Year 12: HSC trials await, and you’re entering the final ten weeks of your educational journey. Make them count!

Here’s to a successful and enriching semester ahead!

Staff News

We welcome three new members of staff this term. Natalie Stafford (Teacher-Librarian), Melanie Vescio (Religious Education teacher) and Albert Jenson (Learning Support Officer). We will meet them at our first staff briefing and morning tea on Thursday.

Our warmest wishes and congratulations to Giulia Ralton (Junior School Teacher) and her husband on the safe arrival of their baby girl, Alison who was born on Monday 22 July. 

It is hoped that our students make use of this additional resource in the Library and in Learning Support, having one more person they can build a relationship with and use as a resource for improving learning.

What is the Litmus Test for being a Catholic?

St Patrick’s College is an authentic Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition. We teach the Religious Education curriculum approved by the Archbishop of Sydney. Our teachers are aware of our Church’s teachings, and despite being challenged by our young adolescents, we take the time to reinforce the reasons behind the Church’s stance on many “hot-button issues.”

Following our Reconciliation Assembly on 31 May 2024, and the corresponding pastoral care period that followed, I overheard and received some negative feedback from some students and parents/carers about the priority we give to Reconciliation (such as Acknowledgement of Country). For example, the belief that starting a meeting with an Acknowledgement and then prayer renders them equal. This is not the case. Prayer is the way we speak to Our Lord and an important Catholic ritual and having a preceding statement about keeping in our minds the plight of those in our country who do not feel equal, is a beautiful complement. Sharing the Aboriginal Our Father with our students to educate them on how our First Nations people interpret the Lord’s Prayer was not a challenge to the orthodoxy of the prayer we know and love and recite most days and in mass. The Aboriginal Our Father has been written to make the Lord's Prayer more accessible to an Aboriginal way of thinking and a way of showing unity amongst diverse Aboriginal countries. Passions and language ran high despite reassuring some students and parents that the “Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit,” or Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti in Latin, was formally approved for use during a plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (which includes the Maronite, Melkite and Chaldean Bishops) in Sydney on 8 May 2024).

As a Catholic school with INCLUSIVITY as one of our four touchstones, we are absolutely in step and consistent with the undertakings of the 2022 Plenary Council:

In the realm of religion, morality, and ideology, we often establish litmus tests to determine who is a genuine adherent. These tests can revolve around issues like morality, dogma, dress, or political correctness. Depending on one’s stance, these litmus tests can range from topics such as abortion, feminism, gay marriage, war, poverty, capital punishment, or even religious practices like covering one’s face in public (as seen within Islam).

But did Jesus himself have a litmus test? Is there a single criterion within his teachings that defines true discipleship?

Essentially, Jesus outlines four key expectations for those who follow him:

Keeping the Commandments: A true Christian maintains a private relationship with Jesus and faithfully adheres to both the commandment to love God and neighbour and the Ten Commandments.

Social Justice: Jesus emphasises social justice as non-negotiable within Christian discipleship. His own life exemplified this, and the Gospel of Matthew underscores the importance of reaching out to the poor.

Community Involvement: Discipleship isn’t a solitary journey. Christians are called to participate in a concrete faith community—a church. Loving God without loving our visible neighbours is incongruent.

Heart Attitude: Beyond actions, Jesus values the spirit behind them. A grateful, warm heart matters. Actions rooted in love and gratitude hold more weight than mere orthodoxy. As T.S. Eliot aptly put it, doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is the greatest temptation.

But there’s more. Jesus provides a litmus test for mature disciples: Can you love your enemies? Can you bless those who curse you? Can you forgive?

The essence of true discipleship lies in these challenges. It’s not just about what we do; it’s about the heart with which we do it. Love, forgiveness, and gratitude define authentic Christian living.

Evolving Education: St Patrick's College Scientia Building Wins AIA NSW Educational Architecture Award

Our new Scientia Building has been honoured with the William E Kemp Award for Educational Architecture at the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter Awards held on Friday 28 June 2024.

Scientia takes an outside-in approach to reimagining education opportunities where open-air spaces blur the line between formal and informal learning and teaching. BVN has been commended for advancing a ‘design ethos that prioritises flexibility and adaptability, catering to diverse educational needs and future uses.’

The awards’ jury noted the Scientia Building at St. Patrick’s School as strategically positioned within the campus grounds and as a simple, yet striking volume characterised by windows on all sides, ensuring natural ventilation and a seamless connection to the surrounding environment.

“Promoting an innovative pedagogical approach, the building's layout accommodates various learning styles, with flexible zones for cross-curricular workshops and small-group study. Classrooms and laboratories seamlessly connect with central learning spaces and versatile verandas.

“Emphasising the importance of outdoor education, the Scientia Building features numerous outdoor learning areas, further enriching the educational experience. A unified facade treatment with folded sun-shading elements enhances the building's aesthetics and maximises transparency.

“The design optimises access to daylight, fresh air, and views, enhancing the classroom atmosphere and overall learning experience. The podium level of the building capitalises on the site's natural features, offering an array of amenities such as an undercover outdoor gathering space, canteen, café, and dining area. Additionally, the signature tiered grandstand overlooking Breen Oval adds a distinctive feature to the architectural landscape, serving as a focal point for both academic and social activities.” – AIA NSW Awards Jury.

The building has now been shortlisted for the 2024 National Architecture Awards! I’ll keep you posted. My deepest appreciation and thanks to our parents/carers. This building has received NO GOVERNMENT FUNDING. It is a testament to our parent body, past and present, and their commitment to our community. I implore parents/carers to continue to pay the building levy so we can continue to refurbish and replace aging infrastructure to have the facilities that our boys deserve.

In Memoriam

We keep in our prayers:

• Leon Doyle (Year 8), Sarko Francis (Year 9) and Antoine Zalloua (Year 11) on the recent loss of their grandfather Sarkis Boutros Azizi. Three of Mr Azizi’s son-in-laws are SPC Old Boys whom we keep in our prayers: Harry Zalloua (’92), Kieren Doyle (’90) and Andrew Minogue (’87). Our prayers continue for Leon for the loss of his paternal grandmother, Mrs Leila Doyle in March this year. Mrs Doyle is mother to seven children, including two SPC Old Boys, Kieren Doyle (’90) and Julian Doyle (’87). We keep all the families in our prayers for their losses.  
   
• Jasper O'Connell (Year 12) and his family on the sudden loss of his grandmother Coralie Parnaby who passed away yesterday in Condobolin.
   
• Ms Yolanda D’Onofrio (Stage 3 Teacher) for the loss of her grandmother, Evelina D’Onofrio, last week.  
   
• Mr Phil Davis, former Junior School PDHPE teacher at the College (2005 - 2022), whose mother Ruth Davis sadly passed away this morning.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero