Especean

Principal

Students returning to the new “normal”

It’s normal to be both excited to get back to normal and to feel stressed or anxious about it. 

 

Why is going back to normal challenging for some young people?

 

There are many reasons why going back to normal might be anxiety-provoking for your son. Here are some of the main concerns young people have:

  • grief/loss over changes in lifestyle
  • 'normal’ won’t be the same as before COVID-19
  • return to pre-COVID-19 stresses, like school bullying
  • life was better in isolation, e.g., more time with family
  • feeling safe at home and unsafe/out-of-control in public
  • fear of COVID-19 Delta second-wave.

Being away from school and returning to an environment that has changed can be anxiety-provoking. Here are some ways you can support your son:

  • Get back into routine. Routines are safe and familiar which can help reduce anxiety.
  • Focus on what you can control. It’s hard getting caught up in the unknown and ‘what-if’s'? Helping your child identify what they can control and practical things they can do can help them be more in the present moment and reduce anxiety. Practical strategies can include getting organised, making plans for the weekend, preparing their school bag, etc.
  • Revisit social distancing rules and good hygiene practices. Reviewing these can help your child feel more at ease about their safety when in public spaces.
  • Provide reassurance. Sometimes we can’t solve all our children’s problems, but they don’t always need solutions – just to feel understood and supported.
  • Explore the positives. Even if they are worried about returning to school, there may be some things they are looking forward to. It can be helpful to chat through these together if they seem open to this.

There is support for parents out there who need to speak to someone about their child’s anxiety. Try Parent Line NSW 1300 1300 52 (cost of a local call) 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday to Friday, and 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.

Announcement: Director of Junior School 2022

 

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Glenn Stephenson, B.Ed (Primary), M.Ed (Leadership) as Director of Junior School at our College from 2022.

 

Glenn joins St Patrick’s College, Strathfield as an experienced educational leader who is passionate about continuous improvement, committed to excellence and driven to make a positive difference in the education of children and young people. Mr Stephenson has a career spanning more than 11 years in various teaching and leadership positions including Normanhurst Public School as the Literacy and Numeracy Coordinator (K-6), Christian Brothers’ School, Lewisham as a Year 5 classroom teacher and House Leader, and Knox Grammar Preparatory School for seven years, including multiple leadership positions. Glenn is the current Head of Learning and Teaching (Pre K - Year 6) and Head of Academic Care (Pre K - Year 6) at Masada College, St Ives. 

 

Glenn is a dedicated and professional educator who is committed to providing comprehensive instruction that fosters the individual development of each student. As a leader, he is also committed to the implementation of best practice strategies in all aspects of school operations. Mr Stephenson understands the importance of striving for excellence in every area to ensure high standards and success. He is passionate about all areas of Primary education and is devoted to promoting a positive and engaging learning environment for students and staff, while fostering strong partnerships with parents. He is also undertaking Doctoral studies with the University of Newcastle researching the impact on students of service learning within schools.

 

Glenn resides with his wife and two young children and enjoys spending his spare time with family and friends. An Old Boy of St Ignatius' College Riverview, he has a personal passion for Service Learning and is an active member of his local Church community. Glenn is very excited to join St Patrick’s College, Strathfield and lead the Junior School where he will continue to promote excellence in learning and wellbeing aligned with the Mission and Vision for our students.

 

Glenn is thrilled to have the privilege of welcoming boys and families into the St Patrick’s community and of nurturing a sense of belonging for our students, staff and community alike. 

 

I would like to thank the panel that assisted me in the recruitment for this important position: Denise Lombardo, Michael Cutrupi, Robert Simpson and Peggy Saab (ACU Lecturer). Their expertise and insights were invaluable.

 

I am delighted with Glenn’s appointment and on behalf of the St Patrick’s College community welcome and congratulate Glenn on his appointment. 

Migration to new College Administration System: TASS

The College has had an administration system (MAZE) since the early 1980s and added Sentral a few years ago to better serve the needs of contemporary school.

 

MAZE is no longer supported and is being phased out leaving the College in a challenging position. After much research, we have decided to go with a new system (TASS) one used in many schools (such as Knox Grammar) with a more seamless approach to communication with our stakeholders (teachers, students and staff). 

 

We have commenced migration of the data (an enormous job) and it will take about 12 months. You will shortly be invited to a new portal, the Parent Lounge.

 

Parent Lounge was designed to provide parents and carers with everything they need throughout their child’s education journey, keeping them engaged and providing a way for them to interact with both their child’s learning and the school community.  Parents and carers will have access to the following:

  • Student Profiles Assessment & Homework
  • Update Student Medical Information
  • Online Payments
  • Accept & Pay for Excursions
  • Academic Reports
  • Parent Teacher
  • Sports Fixtures & Results
  • Business Directory
  • Parent Directory
  • School Calendar & Student eDiaries
  • Update Address Information Notifications
  • Attendance Acknowledgement
  • Academic Analytics
  • Parent Payment Schedules
  • Access for Future Enrolled Parents
  • Absence Notifications
  • School Links
  • Cocurricular Sign-up & Payment

These features will be slowly introduced over the next year and we seek your patience and cooperation with the inevitable teething issues. The migration to the new attendance system may generate absence notifications for parents about students. Inevitably, there will be some human errors (on the part of the boy and our staff) so if you receive something in error, please let us know ASAP and know that each error we find will lead to a tighter, fool-proof system.

Community News

Please join me in congratulating Ms Romina Fisicaro and her husband Christopher on the arrival of their daughter, Sienna Amore Mustafa, born on 18 September. Ms Sarah Cristanelli and her husband also welcomed their daughter, Milena Stella-Marie Bailey into the world on 2 October. We thank the Lord for their safe arrival and know these children will bring their families many blessings. 

 

A shout out to Luca Gittany (Year 10) who has spent a lot of time during lockdown caring for his menagerie of pets. It attracted the attention of the Sydney Morning Herald with a wonderful article written about his dedication to his pets. In the same vein, Vaughn Arambatzis (Year 7) has also been devoting his time to fundraising for his fundraiser for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.  He had some exciting news over the vacation break with another article in his local paper.

 

I share these stories with the community and ask students to send me information of how they have matured during the pandemic lockdown. Congratulations Luca and Vaughn!

 

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

 

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero