Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Families and Friends,

As much as I enjoyed my leave, it is fantastic to be back in Alice and at St Philip’s College. While I’ve been away, St Philip’s College certainly has been a busy place with the conclusion of the Outdoor Education programme with trips to Mittagundi and Wollangarra, Matilda the musical (which I hear was fantastic), S Factor, VET Week, games for the Bentley Bombers, and the induction of the new school leaders who will lead us over the next 12 months, just to mention a few things! I would particularly like to pass on my thanks and gratitude to Leslie Tilbrook and Steve Kimber, who accepted the responsibility of running SPC and did it with love and care while I was away and ensured that the school ran smoothly. They both did an exceptional job and I feel privileged to be working with such capable and competent people.  

While away, I was privileged to attend the Round Square International Conference (RSIC) in England which commenced at Oxford College for the first four days, followed by another four days at the Ryde School on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The commencement of the Conference coincided with England mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II which posed some interesting logistical challenges. There is no doubt that Oxford College is an impressive institution, with 55 different colleges spread throughout the town. Not that I saw all 55 colleges but Keble College, where St Philip’s College stayed, is certainly one of the most impressive. It is not surprising that so many famous alumni including politicians, scientists, theologians, authors, and poets, came from Oxford. 

The Round Square (RS) programme was extremely busy and full of amazing guest speakers, festivals, fun and laughter, service projects, scenic walks, and a lot of socialising. All nine St Philip’s College students, Kit, Jordy, Lilly, Daila, Coco, Kaitlin, Kristy, Izzi and Evie, were exceptional. They were superb ambassadors promoting SPC and immersing themselves in all that was on offer. I would also like to thank Vicki Hutchinson and Sandi Crogan for organising the trip and representing SPC in such a positive fashion. Sandi and Vicki were both very busy making and remaking contacts with other RS schools from Australia and overseas so that our exchange programme can be fully operational next year. I am very pleased to say that the Round Square organisation is ‘alive and well’ after being severely impacted by Covid over the last two years. The 2023 RSIC is in Kenya, with the dates to be released shortly. 

On this trip, it clearly stood out to me that SPC is a well-established and respected school in the RS community. Our reputation was established by Sarah Pollitt and Chris Tudor many years ago. The RS organisation continues to grow with 220 current member schools and many more new ones wishing to join. It certainly has momentum, and proudly, SPC was one of the very early schools to gain membership. It is now a big flourishing organisation: there were over 1500 participants from 150 schools and 35 countries at this year’s conference. Unfortunately, many countries could still not attend due to their COVID restrictions. 

Also, during Term 3 the SPC Big Build commenced as we continue to upgrade our education facilities and improve our teaching and learning spaces. The Minnamurra Hall has new tiered seating which has changed assemblies to feel more like performances. The Year 12 shaded outdoor seating area is nearly complete. And the building of the new Maintenance Shed and Outdoor Education facility is well underway with construction set to be finished by the end of the year. We also have several exciting projects in the planning for 2023. 

Term 4 is always a very busy term. In 9 short weeks the school year will end, so it is very important that we all finish off the year as well as we can. The term began with Year 12 trial exams in the first week and Parent Teacher Interviews, and will continue with the New Families Information Night for Year 7 students starting in 2023, in The Minnamurra Hall at 6:00pm on the Tuesday 25th October. There are far too many events to mention here so please look on the SPC website calendar.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing many parents (new and current) at these events. Please feel free to come and introduce yourself. 

Be Kind Always.

~ Roger Herbert

  Principal