Principal's Message
St Paul - Patron Saint of the College
The Feast day of St Paul was celebrated around the world this week and I have outlined below the fantastic celebrations that took place at our College. At the conclusion of our St Paul’s feast day Mass, I commented to the staff, students, parents and invited guests of the great example St Paul presents to our school, and what St Paul would be saying to us in 2025 if he was on our staff. The second reading from Sunday’s Mass, St Paul’s second letter to his friend Timothy, is a famous set of writings often spoken at funerals around the world: “I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom”.
I also presented St Paul’s famous writings from his first letter to the Corinthians, again spoken often at Christian marriage celebrations throughout the world: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails”. Fr James spoke in his homily of St Paul’s great advocacy for others, this is a theme we have all been reflecting on at the College in 2025. St Paul’s writings on love and faith until the end again sum up our discussions on kindness and support for one another while we are at school. If St Paul was a staff member of the College presently, he would be challenging us all (especially the Principal!) of our responsibility to live an ethical life showing love and kindness to others, as the example Jesus Christ has shown to us all.
St Paul’s Feast Day Celebrations
This week has been a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the contribution of our patron saint St Paul to the development of the Christian church as well as the relevance of St Paul to our College community in 2025. On Monday 30 June the whole school celebrated a range of fun activities on the Feast day. These activities included tarp volleyball, chair tag, trivia, spelling bee, basketball shooting, cornhole, battleship, spaghetti towers, giant chess, newspaper hockey, throwball, tug of war, scattergories and charades. I sensed a great feeling of positive spirit within the school at the Feast day celebrations and on Tuesday at the St Paul’s feast day Mass. In particular the ethic of our students to create a quiet, peaceful space prior to the start of the Mass, continues to be a great joy especially without prompting. This wonderful behaviour is often hard earnt in schools from my experience, however a lot of positive encouragement from our staff is reaping big dividends. My great thanks to Mr Adam Clay, Mrs Lesa Morrison, Mr Brendan Goswell and Ms Olivia Eberhaut for the organisation and presentation of our Mass. Many thanks and appreciation to Mrs Krystal Brady, Mrs Kate Fullbrook and Mrs Lesa Morrison for the Feast day organisation and Mrs Jamie's Phillips support with her AI skills around the rotations. The Feast day activities offered an opportunity for all students to be involved which worked very well despite the rain.
Farewell to Staff
We have two fine staff members who will be finishing their appointments at the end of Term 2 as well as Mrs Jamie Phillips who will be taking maternity leave until 2026. Ms Carmel Muddle has announced that she is retiring as one of our school counsellors, providing great care for staff, students and families during her tenure at St Paul’s. She has built an impressive team with our other counsellor, Ms Megan James, and we wish her the very best with her family during retirement. The school has been fortunate to appoint an excellent replacement, Ms Jessica White, who will begin at St Paul’s in Term 3.
Mrs Crystal Clarke has been a valued staff member of the College for the past 8 years. Crystal has previously supported staff in the classroom as a co-educator and more recently been the welcoming support for our staff, students and their families in the College office. We wish Crystal all the very best for the years ahead.
Mrs Jamie Phillips is our much loved Edmund House Pastoral leader and we wish Jamie all the very best as she enters the last stages of pregnancy. We are also blessed to announce that Ms Emma Tamblyn will be fulfilling the role of Edmund House Pastoral leader during Term 3 and 4 in 2025.
HSC Biology Fiji Trip
There has been great excitement this week for 20 students and three staff, Mrs Amy Tovey, Mr Brendan Goswell and Ms Rayleigh Keith as they travel to Votua Village, nestled along the pristine Coral Coast of Fiji. The group will learn about the impact of human presence on these fragile ecosystems and explain the importance of conservation and compassion. Partnering with the local community, the group will be part of a transformative community service project, driven by the values of the Catholic Church. Together, they will work hand in hand with Votua Village residents to rehabilitate the flora and continue to protect these vital coral reefs. Many thanks to our wonderful staff for generously providing our students with such an exciting opportunity.
Enrolments Update
The offers for students wishing to enrol at St Paul’s in Year 7 2026 will be sent to parents at the beginning of Week 1 Term 3. The College has experienced a strong set of enrolments, with over 140 applications for Year 7 2026. There are 57 students leaving Year 12 this year, meaning there will be another year of growth at the College in 2026.
I hope your family enjoys quality time together in the upcoming school holiday break and I look forward to us returning as a community together on Tuesday 22 July.
Kind regards
Mr Geoff Melville BRurScEd, MEd, GCertRE
Principal