From the Principal - Mr Simon Cobiac

Dear Families and Community of Blackfriars Priory School,

Mary MacKillop Awards for Excellence for Senior Students 2018

These prestigious awards were presented by Bishop Greg O’Kelly  in a special ceremony on 20 October at the Saturday evening Mass. The awards were presented to 54 students from the 27 Catholic Secondary Schools in Adelaide. Each School was asked to nominate two Year 12 students who consistently demonstrate:

-          commitment to their Catholic faith 

-          personal characteristics of merit 

-          success in their chosen learning pathway 

-          contribution to their fellow students and school 

-          contribution to the wider community 

-          a sense of optimism and hope for the future

The Blackfriars Priory School Awards for Excellence were presented to Carlos Garcia and Benedict Gbala; two outstanding young men who generously fulfil the award criteria with humility. Congratulations to Carlos and Benedict for the recognition of their achievements and their outstanding service to Blackfriars Priory School and the community.

Graduating Class of 2018

This is a vitally important time of transition for our Year 12 students as they make preparations for their final exams and prepare to farewell a very significant chapter of their lives; their education at Blackfriars Priory School. Blackfriars has been a second home to our students and they have spent countless hours with each other in Home Group and classes, at recess and lunchtime, in many co‑curricular activities where they have represented Blackfriars with great pride. Many of our Year 12 students are filled with mixed emotions; the excitement of moving further into adulthood and starting a new phase of their lives yet at the same time, natural anxiety about their future pathway and the sadness of saying goodbye to their school days, friends and teachers. I ask parents to continue to be supportive of our Year 12s and the school community as our Year 12 students negotiate these powerful emotions. It is very important for our Graduating Class to finish well and to leave a positive legacy of their unique contribution to Blackfriars.

The first major ceremonies to mark the end of school life for our Year 12s will occur on Friday 26 October including the Year 12 Breakfast, the Farewell Assembly and Year 12 Mass. On Friday evening we celebrate the achievements of the Graduating Class at the formal Academic Assembly conducted at Bonython Hall, University of Adelaide in the presence of academic staff and parents. The ceremony is a wonderful culmination of the school year, a powerful symbolic marker of transition into adulthood and a very memorable and important occasion for students, parents and the school.

Announcement of Deputy Principal (Secondary)

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Mr David Ruggiero to the position of Deputy Principal (Secondary).

Mr Ruggiero was originally appointed to the position of Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission (APRIM) in January 2012. He has been in the Acting Deputy Principal (Secondary) position since 31 January 2018.

Mr Ruggiero’s  professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Education (University of South Australia), and Master of Religious Education and Master of Educational Leadership and Administration (Australian Catholic University). He is a former proud old scholar of Blackfriars' graduating in 1994. He has an excellent understanding of and appreciation for the school community and brings a wealth of professional teaching and educational leadership experience to the role of Deputy Principal (Secondary).

Mr Ruggiero is self driven to improve the quality and standard of secondary education at Blackfriars through contemporary and refreshed curriculum models and programs.  His passion for learning and teaching is demonstrated in his relaxed but respected rapport and engagement with students, staff, parents and the broader Blackfriars Community.  Mr Ruggiero is faith driven and an active member of the Catholic Church in South Australia. 

I congratulate Mr Ruggiero on his appointment to the Deputy Principal (Secondary) position and I am confident that the community of Blackfriars will provide him with their wholehearted support as he takes up this pivotal role in our School.

Mr Simon Cobiac

PRINCIPAL