Deputy Principal

Over the course of the last week, I have had the pleasure of engaging with a number of parents and carers at the Information evenings that were held at the College. These evenings are an opportunity for parents/carers to come together and gather as a community to hear firsthand the approaches we are taking as a school with respect to the social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions of your sons. We take these dimensions seriously and we need to work hand in hand with you as parents/carers and your sons to ensure that we are all working to get the best outcomes for all students while they are at the College. Our Touchstone of a ‘Liberating Education’ can only be achieved if we work hard to ensure that we leave no student behind in all the dimensions that I have mentioned. 

I spoke to Year 8 and 9 parents/carers about how we as a College, will collaborate to support the boys at their level and nurture their development on a needs basis. We put a lot of time into tracking your son’s academic ability. This is one measure that helps us to understand his learning. This then allows teachers to adapt strategies to help him learn and reach his full potential. 

Last Friday, we came together for the College’s Opening Mass. It was an occasion that goes to the heart of developing your son spiritually and gives us the opportunity as a whole school to celebrate our ‘Gospel Spirituality’. We are unapologetically first and foremost a Catholic School, and our Catholic beliefs are what guides us every day in our actions and in the way we treat each other. We are all role models for your sons, and we need to ensure that our lives are lived in a way that bears witness to Gospel teachings.

We aim to continue to develop your son’s social and emotional wellbeing with our new pastoral care structure. A dedicated Senior School and Middle School approach that once again meets your son where he is at rather than just expecting him to meet a certain milestone in accordance with his age. We are an ‘Inclusive Community” – and as I mentioned at last week’s Parent/Information Evening, I always say that we are a College that does not tolerate difference, we celebrate it. That is, whatever talents God has given your sons, it is up to us as a College to foster and develop these talents. Whether they are academic, sporting, cultural, spiritual or combinations of all of them, we strive always to allow your sons to do the best they can. We are tailoring a bespoke Pastoral Care Program with dedicated lessons to help your sons to develop.

I look forward to meeting more parents and carers over the coming weeks on the sporting sidelines and at other major College functions. We are a stronger community when we work together and I look forward to continuing to work with you over the coming year.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal