Principal’s report

EREA SCHOOL RENEWAL PANEL

Dear Members of the St Patrick’s College Community,

I write to inform you of the upcoming visit by the School Renewal Panel from 8 – 10 June 2022.

As you will know, St Patrick’s is a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition.  As such, it is one of over 50 schools around Australia governed by Edmund Rice Education Australia.  Most of these schools were established by the Christian Brothers.

School Renewal is an ongoing process for our school.  We have in place ways in which we continuously review the way in which we are being authentic as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition.  We use the Charter for Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition as a lens for this ongoing renewal; we reflect on how the four Touchstones in the Charter are a reality in the life of St Patrick’s College.

In a few weeks’ time, a School Renewal Panel will visit us and validate our processes of ongoing renewal.  The team will speak to a broad range of members from our community to hear for itself how our school culture reflects the Touchstones.  The Panel will also make some recommendations for our ongoing renewal.

The members of the School Renewal Panel are:

• Mr Ray Paxton, EREA National Director Liberating Education (Chair),
• Mr Diarmuid O’Riordan, EREA Director of Schools Victoria,
• Mr Tim O’Farrell, Education Consultant – Secondary – Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education,
• Mr Graham Leddie, Principal, Waverley College, NSW
• Mrs Heidi Senior, EREA Director of Learning – School Renewal Manager.

The Team will join the life of the school and speak with representatives of the many people who make up our community.  A final School Renewal Report will ultimately lead to the Accreditation of St Patrick’s at a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition.  I will be sharing outcomes with you in the weeks following receipt of the report.

If you are being interviewed by Panel Members, please speak frankly of your perception of the culture here at St Patrick’s.  Give your opinions on our strengths and the challenges facing us.  It is only by honest and constructive feedback that we truly grow.

Thank you for the ways in which you support us here at St Patrick’s College as we share the role of educating your son with you.  We look forward to engaging in this opportunity for reflection and listening so that we may be an even more authentic expression of Jesus alive in our community through the inspiration and example of Blessed Edmund Rice.

 

TWELVE ANGRY MEN

I wish to offer my sincere and hearty congratulations to the cast and crew of the College’s production of ’12 Angry Men’! I attended the opening night on Wednesday, 25 May and was hugely impressed with the incredibly high standard of the production and thoroughly entertained! Congratulations to all involved and I hope that students, parents and staff were able to get to the production this week.

 

Special thanks to Ms Monique Allen (Director) and Ms Brianah Walsh (Assistant Director) and Mr Fred Wallace (Lighting Design) for the amazing work they have done with the cast and crew over several months leading up to the opening night! I was so proud of this production and know how much work goes into these.

 

Congratulations to all involved! You have every reason to be very proud of the SPC production of ’12 Angry Men’! I look forward to being able to present these productions in our own Performing Arts Centre when it is complete later in 2023!

 

CONGRATULATIONS MS ANDREA HADLEY, MR RICHARD BRODRICK, MR JARROD RYAN

Tonight, at Damascus College, 200 colleagues and friends from within the diocese will gather to celebrate Catholic Education Week.

The evening will recognise the outstanding service and leadership within our diocesan schools and school communities.

I am delighted to announce that our very own Ms Andrea Hadley will be Catholic Education Ballarat’s recipient of The Fullness of Live Award. This prestigious award recognizes staff who demonstrate leadership that leads to fullness of life for colleagues and/or students.  The recipient shall also have proven excellence in education, staff formation or professional learning, student learning and/or educational innovation.

Congratulations Andrea from everyone in the St Patrick’s College community.

Mr Richard Brodrick and Mr Jarrod Ryan will also be rightfully recognized at tonight’s dinner for 30 years service to Catholic Education. A wonderful achievement.

 

ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE IN WEEKLY ACC SPORT FROM 2023

I am also very excited to announced that in 2023 St Patrick’s College will compete in the ACC competition in Senior Cricket (35 overs), Senior Division 1 Football, Senior Soccer and Senior Basketball. This involvement will add significantly to our sporting program.

Yours sincerely,

 

Mr Steven O’Connor
Principal