Principal's Message
Welcome to 2025
A very warm welcome to all members of our College community for 2025. It is with great pleasure that I can report to you that the school year has begun in a tremendous fashion. There is a very positive buzz amongst staff and students that 2025 can provide us all with a year of opportunity and new discoveries if we take on the challenge. As I begin my first year as Principal, it has been a tremendous privilege every day to meet so many positive and happy students always willing to say “Hello sir, how are you going?”
New staff
The College has welcomed six new staff in 2025 as the student body continues to grow. Mrs Krystal Brady has been appointed as our new Leader of Pastoral Care after an outstanding career as Assistant Principal at St Joseph’s; Mr Aiden Tolman begins his teaching career at St Paul’s in HSIE; Mr Tom Easson and Ms Kate Hull join our PDHPE team and Mrs Courtney Farlow joins our HSIE faculty.
Our Outstanding Executive Team
A striking aspect of 2025 is the dynamic efforts our Executive team brings to the leadership of the College. I am pleased to introduce these wonderful colleagues whose actions and compassion for our students, staff and families will be evident to everyone in our community each day. The 2025 College Executive are:
⦁ Mrs Kate Fullbrook - Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
⦁ Mrs Lesa Morrison - Assistant Principal - Mission
⦁ Mrs Amy Tovey - Leader of Curriculum
⦁ Mrs Krystal Brady - Leader of Pastoral Care
⦁ Ms Kate Anderson - Leader of Inclusion and Diversity
⦁ Ms Maria Littlejohn - Leader of Pedagogy
⦁ Mr Adam Clay - Leader of School Evangelisation
⦁ Mr Brendan Goswell - Leader of Catechesis
St Paul's Executive Team (pictured left to right):
Mrs Amy Tovey, Ms Maria Littlejohn, Ms Kate Anderson, Mrs Lesa Morrison, Mr Geoff Melville, Mrs Kate Fullbrook, Mrs Krystal Brady, Mr Adam Clay and Mr Brendan Goswell.
Principal’s Goals for 2025
I spoke to staff on 31 January about a range of important matters that I consider are very important in the growth of our College community in 2025. This is the 38th year in my teaching career, and the first time I have worked at a school where the Principal has been appointed from within the staff rather than from outside the school, so I am confident that I can 'hit the ground running'.
The following important goals were related to staff at the beginning of the year:
- Catholic values - Catholic values per year group that have meaning and are the basis of everything we do and stand for
- Classrooms based on positive relationships with inspiring teachers without disruptions -Inspiring teachers: 'Teach people, not content', 'they believe in you and your potential', 'maintain high standards', kind, build connectional relationships; disruptors will be called to account
- Data led - creating a data committee that allows valid data to support school improvement
- Fostering leadership within the College - teaching staff, non-teaching staff, students
- Let your light shine - everyone has light, how can we encourage our light to shine at St Paul’s.
Opening Mass
On Wednesday this week we celebrated our Opening Mass in the All Saints Catholic Church, Kempsey. The 2025 St Paul’s Opening Mass was a new undertaking where Year 8-11 from Mackillop House celebrated the Mass within the Parish Hall adjacent to the church. The current staff and student enrolment at St Paul’s is the largest in the school’s history, and while we have the resources to host the Mass for over 800 people at St Paul’s, the opportunity for our community to celebrate to begin our year together at All Saints Church with Father James Foster is regarded as a precious experience for us to celebrate our Catholic faith. I love seeing the buses send our school to the heart of Kempsey as we share our faith together, this is such a rich sign of community and unity. Father James spoke about the importance of light as a sign of God’s love during his homily, which signifies our beautiful school motto “Let your light shine” from Matthew’s Gospel. Many thanks to Father James, the Mission and Music teams, our staff and student participants and our parent guests as we celebrated the commissioning of our College leaders at the conclusion of the Mass.
I am pleased to announced that the following College leaders were commissioned for 2025:
- College Captains
Sophie Brandolini, Harrison Bailey - College Vice Captains
Isaac Dunbar, Lionnel Nyurka, Mia Quinn, Stella Thorman. - Year 12 House Leaders
Farrelly - Xanthe Cristian and Brianna O'Donnell
McAuley - Ciara Peters and Alec Gorline-Singleman
MacKillop - Ava Bennett and Ruby Robbins
Edmund - Emily Stuart and Courtney Minns - Year 11 House Leaders
Farrelly - Alannah Koivu
McAuley - Zander Browne
MacKillop - Madelyn Lipscombe
Edmund - Zara Lee
College Captains
College Vice Captains
House Leaders
Building Update
The Mercy Centre will be available to be used by the College within weeks once the final Occupation Certificate is provided to the school. The support of the College by the DLCSL and most particularly Fr James and the Macleay Valley Catholic Parish is greatly appreciated. St Paul’s have also submitted refurbishment works to the DLCSL for the Science laboratories and the C Block toilets in 2025.
Classroom Expectations
I have spoken to the student group at assembly regarding our expectations in 2025, especially our sense of community when we come through the gates at St Paul’s. Advocacy is a fundamental aspect of our community, there is always someone you can ask for advice or support. The classroom environment is our time of learning and improving, it must be built on positive relationships with inspiring teaching and NO disruption. Mrs Krystal Brady and I have met with all students in each year group where Mrs Brady spoke to the students regarding our expectations of them in our classrooms:
- Wait quietly in two lines outside the classroom with all the necessary equipment.
- Leave bags neatly outside the classroom.
- Enter the room in a quiet and respectful manner when your teacher requests you to do so.
- Greet the teacher respectfully while standing behind your desk.
- Apply yourself with focus and enthusiasm to classroom activities.
- Have a go! Then, if you need it, ask for help from the teacher or co-educator.
- When the teacher instructs you to do so, stand quietly behind your desk with your chair pushed in and wait for the teacher to dismiss you.
- Students must NOT leave class before the bell rings.
Kind regards
Mr Geoff Melville BRurScEd, MEd, GCertRE
Principal