Dear Members of the St Gregory’s College family,
As we very quickly head towards the end of Term 3 and as I write this final newsletter article, I reflect on what has been a very active and successful term. The past few weeks have been wonderful in the life of St Greg’s and this has reminded me of the many blessings that we have as members of this great community. Each and every day is peppered with the myriad of opportunities we provide for the young men and women at the College. I continue to be very proud of our students at St Greg’s – they are confident, well-mannered and are a credit to their families and the school.
Like most terms here at St Greg’s it has been jammed packed full of events, learnings and experiences. Just this term we have been through a College Inquiry Cycle Review, Course Selection Processes, NAIDOC Celebrations, Lunches on the Lawn/Open Classrooms, Experience Days, we celebrated 100 days of Kindy, HSC Trials, Camps, Book Week, Music Showcases, Athletics Carnivals, Father’s Day Celebrations, Masses, a Champagnat Day Carnival, Photo Days and so much more. Let alone the events still to come over the next two weeks with the Maroon and Blue Ball, Year 11 Preliminary Exams, PYP Exhibition and Year 12 Graduation. Luckily there is a break just around the corner!
I want to thank our St Gregory’s College community for another wonderful term and for your support in making this fine College the place that it is for our students from K-12.
Year 12 – Thank You and Farewell
I believe that one of the most exciting times of your life is finishing school. As a young person, you instantly gain the independence of ‘being an adult’ either prepping for work to come or as you move onto alternate study. For most, there are a few months where work or University has not started yet, it is summer and there is free time on your hands!
Before Year 12 get to that really exciting point though, there are still a handful of weeks prior to the HSC exams. As a community, I want to wish each of our Year 12 students all the best as they complete their final 2 weeks of term with their classmates and teachers before we celebrate their graduation from school after 13 years of education.
I spoke to Year 12 last week about the ‘end game’ and yes, it is close, but we are not quite there …. yet. This is where the test of grit is shown by our Year 12 students. There is competing pressures of being a Year 12 student at this time of the year. Being so close to the end of 13 years of school is a reality. Pair this up with early entry offers to universities that around 56 students received just this week with more to come and final days of school looming.
As a college community we congratulate and thank our Year 12 students of 2024 for their very significant contribution. We thank their families for the important part they have played as partners in the growth of this community and of their children into the fine adults they have become. We look forward to their graduation and mass on Friday 27 September. We wish them every blessing as they take steps into the next exciting phase of their lives.
Showcasing Our Year 12 Talents
As we head rapidly towards the end of another term it’s good to look back and feel proud of our achievements this term. Our commitment to providing an outstanding student experience has been very evident.
The Year 12 HSC Showcase Evening on Monday was a tremendous success and showcased the depth, breadth and diversity of talent among our boys. Subjects like Visual Arts, Design and Technology and Industrial Technology (Timber and Metals), allow our students to express themselves in limitless ways and I know those of us who saw their work were provoked, challenged and inspired. As I walked from one piece of work to the next, it was so good to see the proud looks on the faces of the students as the community took note of their piece of work that had been in the making for the last 9 months or so.
Thank you to the supporters of these boys who came along on Monday evening to witness these wonderful pieces and a special shout out to our teachers who have driven these boys to develop these major works this year.
Student Leadership at Greg’s
The student leadership of this fine college is vitally important in assisting to set the tone of the school. Their impact, however subtle or obvious, has a major impact on how the student body as a whole behaves, responds and conducts itself. Our leaders have the whole Greg’s community watching them… students, staff and parents.
At our St Gregory’s Feast Mass last week, we had the opportunity to thank our current Year 12 Leaders who have served our community so well over the past 12 months, whilst also acknowledging and congratulating the new leaders for 2024/2025. I want to thank our current Year 12 leaders. Hollins, Joseph, Lachlan, Matthew, Anthony, Daniel and Samuel who have been an absolute pleasure to work with this year. They have led their portfolios so well and I thank their mentors who have guided them along the way. Congratulations on a fine job as leaders.
I have always found the concept of Servant leadership a powerful metaphor. The model of Christ who said whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. This involves attributes like humility, respect, compassion, and giving. To lead is to put others first.
Congratulations to the following Year 11 students who will serve our community:
Domenico Cocco – College Captain
Declan Malone – Leader of Marist Life
Jackson O’Hehir - Boarding Captain
Matthew Fitzgerald - Leader of Academia
Arthur Hackett - Leader of Wellbeing
Aidan Richards - Leader of Sport and Co-Curricular
Ben Dolan - Leader for Junior School
Deklin Jarrett - First Nations Leader
Culture of a Collaborative Environment
Henry Ford the industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company once said:
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
The concept of collaboration is a powerful one in education and is a key 21st century skill that we encourage, promote and support here at St Greg’s. Most businesses and workplaces actually require employees to have these collaborative skills. When people work together great things are achieved.
Our College thrives in a collaborative environment. Teachers collaborate regularly in curriculum planning; administration staff collaborate frequently to arrange successful community events, our maintenance team are always planning out as a team the next event and of course, our upcoming Maroon and Blue Ball, is a wonderful example of Ford’s thoughts with our volunteers led by Mrs Buckley.
This community thrives off collaboration and to witness the amount significant events and learnings that take place at a College like St Gregs is a testament to the fine work of our teachers, staff, students and parent community.
The PYP Exhibition
One of my favourite things to do is to get into classrooms! Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of working alongside two boys in the Junior School as they complete their PYP Exhibition project focusing on Poverty. Each week, the two students, Marley and Coby, alongside three mentors in Mrs Cefai, Joshua Pearce (Year 10) and I work through this valuable learning experience with the students. These PYP projects are the culmination of a learning journey they have undertaken over the last term and marks a significant milestone for the students learning. To see students embracing the characteristics of the Learner Profile, using a range of transdisciplinary skills whilst exploring knowledge that is significant and relevant is especially rewarding.
The students have worked with others, consulted organisations, taken action and along the way I’m sure they have learned a lot about themselves. I look forward to seeing their PYP Exhibition on Tuesday 24 September and I welcome any member of our community to come and see these wonderful Year 6 students in action.
As we come to the end of another busy but rewarding term I wish all our students and their families a safe and relaxing holiday break. I trust that you enjoy a relaxing break and look forward to the start of our final term.
As our St Gregory’s College motto states, ‘You will reap what you sow’.
Joel Weekes
Acting College Principal