Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Carers and the St Patrick’s Community,

Let me begin by thanking everyone for the wonderfully warm welcome that I have received. I can now understand why the Sydney Catholic School's community speaks so highly of this school.

As  have stated previously, I consider it a great honour to be appointed to the Principal of this great school and I look forward to getting to know you all over the coming weeks and months.

I must pay tribute to my predecessors, particularly Mrs Burfield and Mr Tax for the excellent processes that are in place to ensure the success of all the students. I would also like to thank Mrs Annette McKenzie for the great job that she did as Acting Principal for the last term of 2024.

My thanks go to both Father Dan and Father Richard who have gone out of their way to offer their support. It is obvious that this is an authentic Catholic School where being the face of Jesus to those that we meet is at the centre of all that we do.

I have to acknowledge the incredible work of the school's Leadership Team, and in particular our Assistant Principal, Mr Jim Heelis, for having everything so well-prepared for the start of the school year. His ability to 'steer the ship' during the challenges of Leonie's illness should be admired.

In the upcoming Newsletters, as well as at the first P+F meeting for the year (set down for Monday 3 March at 6:00pm)  I will share with you our plans for the year and some opportunities for you to share your hopes and dreams for St. Patrick's Sutherland.

I wish everyone a fantastic year.

Steve Darcy (Principal)

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS

These pupil-free days are an opportunity for staff to develop their curriculum knowledge to ensure that your children receive the best education possible. In Term 1 there will be TWO days set aside.

Friday 21 March: On this day the staff will be preparing for the Sydney Catholic School's (SCS) Inquiry And Review (I+R) Process which will take place early in Term 2. We will be looking back at what the school has achieved since the last audit, as well as planning for how we can make St. Patrick's an even better school.

Monday 24 March: This is a NETWORK day, which means that the teachers from our school will be joining teachers from the neighbouring Catholic Schools to develop their knowledge and practice in designated areas of English and / or Mathematics.

I understand that this creates a four-day weekend situation for parents / carers but the date of the NETWORK day is determined by SCS and we needed a day to prepare for the I+R so we were hoping this is less of a disruption to the students' learning.

I apologise in advance for the inconvenience that this will cause.

PRINCIPAL ON LEAVE

I know this is not a perfect scenario, considering that I have only been here for one week, but I am currently on leave for two-weeks due to my daughter's upcoming wedding. Rest assured that I will be returning at the start of Week 4! This had been organised prior to my appointment here at Sutherland so please don't believe any rumours that I have 'run away' after meeting Mr Heelis!

MEET AND GREET

This is a great opportunity for the teachers to learn about your child. Please take advantage of this time to be able to share that information which will help us better meet the needs of your child. My thanks to all the teachers for making themselves available for these meetings.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

These will be taking place on MONDAY 24 February. More information will be sent home shortly.

PARENT CHARTER

The Sydney Catholic Schools Parent Charter has been updated and is available here.