Principal

Our Touchstone of Inclusivity: What it means for our community?

In the last week or so, we have been dealing with students who are struggling to settle back into face-to-face schooling. It’s been hard for some boys to settle back into a routine. The most challenging aspects of the return to school has been the disruption to the boys’ friendship circles and relationships. For many boys, lockdown meant using social media to communicate with one another but what has become evident is how easy it is to make comments on social media, that you would not make to someone’s face, that are so hurtful and cruel.

There have been racial slurs, personal comments about family members, homophobic smears, and purposeful exclusion from group chats etc. All of this is totally unacceptable at St Patrick’s College. A student may hurt you but how you react to a strained relationship is part of growing up. Two wrongs never make a right and sadly, there is a tendency to take matters in one’s own hands and things that are placed out there on the internet, once published, live forever.

The concept of diversity and inclusion includes acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognising our individual differences. These differences can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other commitments. We aim at understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. Honouring diversity reflects the multiple conflicts and commitments that emerge as kingdom people seek to be faithful to the teachings and life of Jesus.

What does Jesus’s model of inclusion tell us? Along with hospitality, the second biblical theme that supports a generally inclusive stance arises from focusing more directly on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). He models welcome. Almost everyone affirms that Jesus taught and practiced love. Certainly, Jesus’s portrayal of love stands at the centre of his message. We need to look at what Jesus actually did, however, in order to appropriate his message about love. We might discover Jesus’s love may be more distinctive than we have thought.

Jesus consistently showed deep-seated and at times costly kindness and respect to particular men, women, and children. Jesus was not so much a general humanitarian. He did not make big plans for large-scale projects. Mostly, Jesus cared for specific people. He cared for Matthew the tax collector. He cared for the woman at the well. Jesus modelled for us the practice of simply accepting other actual people. He treated individuals with respect. He listened to others, was interested in them, shared food with them.

Jesus and his followers formed a social organisation that stood in sharp contrast to the relatively rigid social boundaries of their culture. They rejected boundaries between righteous and outcast, men and women, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile. Jesus’s politics of compassion was founded on a profound understanding of God’s mercy. God, as represented in Jesus’s teaching (e.g., the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32), does not discriminate but loves all people. God is our model: “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

Jesus opened participation in this community to all who chose to be part of it—all they had to do was ‘repent’ (turn toward God) and ‘believe the good news’ (trust that God’s mercy is for them). This constituted Jesus’s fundamental message (Mark 1:15). In the ministry that embodied his proclamation, Jesus made unmistakably clear the openness of his community for all who wanted their lives transformed by his mercy.

One clear expression of this openness may be found in Matthew’s gospel. A repeated verse in both 4:23 and 9:35 sets off a discrete section: Jesus travelled throughout Galilee, “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.” This section of Matthew shows that the “good news of the kingdom” includes both Jesus’s teaching (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount, 5:1–7:29) and Jesus’s healing. A partial list of the recipients of healing shows the incredible openness of this kingdom Jesus proclaimed: demoniacs, epileptics, a leper, a centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, two Gentile demoniacs, tax collectors, sinners, and the daughter of a synagogue leader.

Jesus mostly healed outsiders, people considered unclean or contaminants by the established religion. Jesus offered them mercy just as they were. He was not simply a knee-jerk reformer, however. He willingly brought healing to anyone who turned to him, including even a synagogue leader. Jesus’s politics of compassion included all who responded.

In our beloved College, our boys are challenged to contribute to a community that also stands in sharp contrast to the relatively rigid social boundaries of their culture. Social media slurs, rumours and general humiliation may be a sign of the times amongst their contemporaries but is does not belong in our community. 

If your son is feeling excluded and isolated and needs some support, please reach out to the Director of the Junior School or the Year Coordinators in the first instance. We can then try to work with their friendship groups, one issue at a time, to challenge them to be more inclusive individuals with skills to manage real conflict.

Co-curricular Vision Statement 

I am pleased to inform the College community that a Co-curricular Vision Statement has been developed to support the holistic education St Patrick’s offers its students. Please click on the following link. This document responds to the previous Strategic Plan under the Key Focus area of Opportunities with an intent to cement the College as a Beacon for Boys’ Education. The Co-curricular Vison Statement will be shared with our current student body and their parents later this week. The document will also be disseminated to families whose sons are enrolled to attend St Patrick’s next year and beyond, along with new staff joining our community. The Vision Statement, “delivering opportunities for excellence and fullness beyond the classroom in a dynamic world” is a perfect segue to the two new and exciting appointments we will be making for 2022:   

• Head of Rugby Development
• Head of Football Development.

These newly created positions will do much to foster and develop the already established and rich cultures of Rugby and Football at St Patrick’s. Once appointed, it is hoped that their experiences in guiding and mentoring coaches of all levels will no doubt prove beneficial to the entire sports program at St Patrick’s. 

SOME CHANGES FOR 2022

There was much feedback from parents, carers and students in the lead up to the development of our new Strategic Plan. Some of the ideas that came through were very insightful and will take a few years to implement. Others were more easily addressed.

Many of the Year 12 students requested that they want more independence and flexibility in their timetable. Hard to do when we need to deliver so much learning, however, the flexibility to commence school in Period 2 when the boys have a Period 1 study lesson was an idea worth trialling. As a result of this trial, we are moving Homeroom for all of our students.

CHANGE TO BELL TIMES IN 2022

2022 Bell Times 

There are three good reasons for trialling this change in 2022:

1. Many students are currently arriving late to Homeroom; some parents/carers see that being late for Homeroom is not something to be worried about. However, we know that important messages are being missed as is the opportunity for the Homeroom teacher to bond and support the students. Students arriving late to school in 2022 will miss out on class time.
    
2. Having Homeroom adjacent to Recess and Assembly allows the Year Coordinator a little flexibility in the event the students need to be called together.
    
3. Year 12 students who do not have a class in Period 1, can arrive for Period 2. This will allow our students to be more independent. It is a privilege that can be taken away for those who demonstrate via their actions that they are unable to self-regulate.

Keep in your prayers

Ethan Aflak (Year 8) who is battling a serious health condition in the Children’s Hospital at Randwick. Keep him at the forefront of your prayers and pray for a speedy recovery. Thanks to all the students and their families who participated in the rosary recently. Ethan really appreciated your efforts!

His family have organised a ‘Fast for Ethan’ commencing Thursday, 18 November at 8:00 PM and ending on Friday 19 November at midday. We are sending the message out to as many people as we can think of and asked them to pass it on in turn.  As with Ethan’s rosary, the aim is to have as many people fasting for him as possible on Friday in the hope that God will answer our prayers. Perhaps we can consolidate our efforts by using the hashtag #fastforethan on Instagram or other social media pages.

We also keep Ms Jan Ovijach and her family in our prayers. Her mother has suffered a severe stroke and her condition at present is serious. 

In Memoriam

We keep Matthew Papavramidis (Year 11) and Leonardo Russo (Year 7) in our prayers. These boys are cousins and they have lost their beloved grandfather, Mr Con Chatzoulis, who had been in palliative care since late last week and sadly died early this week. They are feeling this enormous loss so it will be of comfort to their families that the community is praying for them.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. 

May he rest in peace. Amen. 

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero