Especean

Principal

The Day Has (Finally) Come!

Late on Friday afternoon, we achieved the Occupancy Certificate for the Scientia Building. Our Hospitality students have been in there from the start of the week and our Science materials (glassware, chemicals and instruments) are being professionally moved over the course of the week with classes in Science ceasing in the Hodda classrooms at the end of this term. My sincere thanks to Mrs Arraj, Mr Hughes and Mr Byrne who have doggedly seen this project through to completion.

We are now in the position to plan an official blessing and opening and re-arrange our playground spaces. Our first Supporters’ Day next term is on Saturday 22 July and the P&F will be manning their barbeque and refreshment stands from the new cafeteria space. It will be an opportunity for all our parents to wander in and look around the new facilities.

 

Thank you to our parents - past, present, and future - for contributing to our Building Levy. It is this Levy that is used to service our loan and this pool of funds is essential to our planning for future projects and the maintenance of our existing facilities. 

Staff Changes

At the commencement of Semester 2, we have a few staff changes that are worthy of note.

  • I thank Mr Alexandros Sinadinos for the superb job he did as Acting Director of Wellbeing in Term 2. He returns to his position of Head of PDHPE from the start of Term 3 when we welcome Mr Robert Simpson back from his Long Service Leave. Mr Daniel Mifsud will return to his normal teaching duties after taking on the role of Acting Head of PDHPE this term.  Both of these Acting leaders have shown great promise and potential in their professional growth, and we are lucky to have such depth amongst the staff.
     
  • The end of this term sees us bidding au revoir to Ms Lisa Dib who commences her Parental Leave. We wish her well as we all anxiously await the safe delivery of a new member to her family.
     
  • We congratulate Mrs Katherine Sinadinos (HSIE B) on her appointment to the role of Gifted Education Coordinator. She now joins the Diverse Learning Team and will work to ensure we are catering for the needs of our students. No doubt, she will connect with the relevant students and their families as she commences her role, but you can reach out to her directly (contact details on our SPC App) if you wish to discuss anything with her.
     
  • Ms Megan Santiago has advised me that she is extending her Parental Leave, leaving a gap in the role of Wellbeing Coordinator. I am delighted that Ms Romina Fisicaro will take on this role for the entirety of next Semester. She is an experienced Year Coordinator who will support Mr Simpson and our students very capably.
     
  • Mr Samuel Rowlings (Year 9) and Mr James Biviano (Year 8) will continue in their roles of Acting Year Coordinators until the end of the year.
     
  • Mr Peter Maxwell (PDHPE) will be finishing with the College at the end of this term. We thank him for his contribution to the community.
     
  • Mr Luke Newbury (Science) and Ms Marina Kusaba (Counselling) will conclude their short-term contracts with us and be finishing up at the end of the term as well. We thank them for their contribution to our community.

College Assembly - 16 June 2023

We had a wonderful Assembly on Friday, the last of this term, where we celebrated the Year 12 Academic achievements after their first full semester. They will be named elsewhere in this publication. These boys are leading a full and busy life: studying, playing sport, being part of our Shakespearean production, Debating and Social Justice just to name a few. They work hard to overcome obstacles and are a wonderful example to the younger students. I share a story to illustrate the virtues of perseverance and effort called 

The Thirsty Crow.

 

A long time ago, during a devastating spell of dry weather, there was a thirsty crow who was desperate for a drink of water.

 

The poor crow flew and flew in search of a means to quench his thirst. From one place to another he went, until, at long last, when he could fly no further, he came upon a large bottle of water at the base of a tree.

 

Overjoyed, the thirsty crow thrust its jet-black beak inside to drink his fill. But, alas, the bottle had a narrow neck! Try as he might, the despairing crow couldn’t get his head far enough inside. To his dismay, he realised the water was out of reach.

 

The thirsty crow cried out and flapped his wings in anguish. He attempted to knock the bottle over. But to no avail. It was too heavy for his weary, dehydrated body to budge. The crow was on the verge of exhaustion and ready to fly elsewhere.

 

But then an idea came to him. Around the base of the bottle sat some small round pebbles. Picking them up, one by one, the thirsty crow dropped them into the bottle. Again and again, he placed these stones inside and with every extra pebble, the water level began to rise…

 

His idea worked.

 

Eventually, after much toil, the water rose so high inside the bottle that the clever crow was able to drink his fill and sate his thirst for good.

 

Morals that can be drawn from this story:

 

First, that “necessity’s the mother of invention”. In moments of difficulty, you have to rise to the challenge!

 

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when something of significance is on the line, it’s up to you to defy the odds and grab victory from the arms of defeat.

 

For the thirsty crow, who was so tantalizingly close to the water he needed (and yet so far), he had to think outside the box to get the result he needed.

 

There’s another related lesson to take from this:

 

Never give up. Or “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. The crow didn’t quit when things weren’t going his way! He searched long and hard for something to drink. He didn’t crumble or surrender to his fate when he realised the water was out of his reach. And nor was he deterred when his first, physical attempts to access it failed. He kept at it and, eventually, after trial, error, frustration, and failure, he got his prize*.

 

This ‘never give up’ attitude was in full view last Saturday in our First XV Rugby fixture against St Pius X College at their fields at Oxford Falls. Every now and then there is a magic moment in a sporting fixture that is etched into your memory forever and this was one of them. The St Pius team was strong, well-drilled and confident and they were supported (loudly) by hundreds of student and parent supporters. They led for the entire game save the last 10 minutes. Did our boys give up? No! They dug deep, played for one another, and like the thirsty crow, never gave up. A try and conversion tied the game and then a penalty shot by Alex Conti in the last four minutes from a challenging position and distracted by deliberate noise, saw us take the lead. I was so proud of these boys and ALL our boys who play hard for one another and experience these magic moments.

 

Now it’s time to pause and rest for three weeks! I look forward to seeing you all again in Term 3.

*From an Aesop’s Fable “The Crow and the Pitcher”

 

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

 

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero