Focus Newsletter - Term 1 Issue 1 - 2025

Acting Principal Leader

Welcome back for the 2025 school year at Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown. A special welcome from our College Principal, Mr Frank Chiment, who continues his secondment at Stanhope Gardens but should be back on deck with us for Term 2.

Pope Francis has proclaimed that 2025 will be a Holy Year of Jubilee, a special year of grace and conversion, involving prayer, pilgrimage and sacramental repentance. The goal of a Jubilee year, usually held every 25 years, is to inspire and encourage holiness of life among the faithful and therefore to strengthen the Church’s witness to God’s loving mercy in and for the world.

The spiritual theme for the 2025 Year of Jubilee is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’

This theme of hope holds tremendous relevance for the work that we undertake in Catholic schools, particularly the task of educating young people in an often-hectic world where conflict, suffering and struggle confront us constantly, and at times, our young people must be wondering what kind of world we will be leaving them for the future.

Of course – while we all have faith in God’s greater plan – hope needs to be practical and realistic – and at school level we need to provide real values, relevant skills, and meaningful opportunities for our young people to enable them to create the best possible future for themselves and their families. As so beautifully stated by well-known English priest, Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, “Every Catholic school is a sacrament of hope.”

At Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown, we take great pride in the vast array of opportunities that we offer our students. Whether it be academic pathways into university and higher education, vocational education credentials that provide a head-start for students seeking apprenticeships or other workplace opportunities, retreats and reflections days, creative and performing arts, social justice, leadership, public speaking and debating, or sport as an elite, recreational or career destination; our students are presented with every opportunity to explore and develop their values and strengths.

But more important than any of this is the task of developing good young men.  The true measure of success for our school is whether our graduates use their Patrician education to contribute to a better world. We need them to act with kindness, generosity and humility, look for God-moments in their lives, and strive for excellence in all that they do. They are the young men, the partners, the husbands and fathers of the next generation - and we desperately need them to be good.

This is our hope.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever. Amen.

St Patrick – Pray for us

Media Privacy Permission Reminder

At the time of enrolment for Patrician Brothers' Blacktown all parents were required to sign a form to indicate consent or otherwise for the use of their son’s name, image, voice or work in hardcopy and online promotional, marketing, social media and educational materials published by the College and CSPD.

This information is used frequently by the school, especially in relation to the publication of photos or names of students in social media and in school newsletter articles covering school events and activities.

To ensure that this information is up to date for all students, we request that any parent who does NOT want their son’s name, image or work to be used for these purposes should contact Mrs. Stacey Mamo in the Student Administration office, preferably using the school email  patricianbros@parra.catholic.edu.au  to confirm and update this information in Compass. This becomes especially important where the family circumstances have changed since the time of enrolment at the College.

This information will remain strictly confidential, and parents can be assured that there is no requirement to explain the reasons or circumstances behind your decision. Your original media privacy consent status will remain in place for all students unless we receive an update as described.

Contacting School staff outside Work Hours

At Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown we value our strong relationships with families and welcome opportunities to communicate with parents and carers. On a daily basis, many of our parents make phone calls and send emails to contact their son’s teachers or other school staff, for a variety of reasons, and our response time is usually very good.

Staff will respond to these communications at various times throughout the school day, depending on their teaching, duty and meeting commitments, however, they are generally not expected to respond to communications outside of their normal working hours.

Please remember that in the case of an emergency or urgent matter, you can contact the school office directly by phone on 88110300 or by email at patricianbros@parra.catholic.edu.au and we will respond as soon as possible.

As you would expect - urgent matters are generally referred to the Assistant Principals or Student Formation Leaders immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Distribution of Medication

A reminder to parents about procedures related to distribution of medications at school. If your child requires regular medication to be administered during school hours, you need to send the medication to school, clearly labelled, requesting the school in writing to administer the prescribed medication or to assist in the management of a health condition. Medication will be held in a locked first aid cabinet available for use by your child under the supervision of the First Aid attendant. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep track of expiry dates of medication and collect medication when it is no longer required. Finally, a treatment action plan should also be supplied for students with asthma or any other illness that may require first aid assistance at school. This applies to medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions. 

Brian Edmonds
Acting Principal 

Acting Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

As we step into a brand-new school year, we are filled with excitement, anticipation, and, most importantly, hope. This year, as guided by Pope Francis’ declaration of 2025 as the Pilgrims of Hope, we are invited to embrace optimism, resilience, and faith in God’s plan for us.

Hope is more than just wishful thinking; it is the foundation of our faith, our learning, and our community. Pope Francis reminds us that hope encourages us to move forward, even when we face challenges. It is the light that guides us, the strength that lifts us, and the grace that allows us to grow together as a school family.

As we embark on this academic journey, let us integrate hope into everything we do—our studies, our friendships, and our acts of kindness. Let’s encourage one another, lift each other up, and trust in the bright future that God has in store for each of us.

Throughout the school year, we will have opportunities to reflect on hope through prayer services, classroom discussions, and community projects that promote faith, compassion, and service. We encourage our students, teachers, and families to live out this theme daily, finding hope in the small moments, and sharing it with others.

A reminder that hair must be neat and tidy. Hair must be of natural colour. Extremes of length or fashion are not acceptable. Student hairstyles that are not acceptable include – mullets, shaved sides, long or swept fringes, shaved lines, rat tails and all large tufts. Boys’ hair should be no longer than collar length and the fringe must be above the eyes. The school reserves the right to make rulings on the acceptability of any student hairstyles. It is expected that boys will be clean-shaven at all times. Students that do not comply with these guidelines may be sent home.

Finally, a reminder about procedures for students who need to sign out early on school days. If your son needs to leave school early on any particular day, parents or carers need to write a note in their son’s diary indicating the reason for early sign-out from school and the exact time of departure. This note must be shown to the relevant Student Formation Leader who will co-sign the note to give approval. If there is no note and/or it has not been approved by the SFL, the student administration office staff will not allow the student to leave school. The only exception to this procedure will be students whose parents have been contacted by the office staff for other reasons, such as illness or injury.

May this year be filled with joy, growth, and an unwavering belief in the goodness that lies ahead. Let’s make 2025 a true Year of Hope!

Victor Hunt
Acting Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

Assistant Principal - Learning, Teaching and Innovation

Welcome to the 2025 Academic Year

At the beginning of the year, all staff members at the College attended an Opening Year Mass at Mary Queen of the Family, St Michael’s Parish. During the Mass, two hymns were sung that encapsulate the essence of how we approach learning at Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown. The first hymn, Come As You Are, is a reminder that we are a diverse, multicultural community that is unapologetically Catholic and welcoming to all. It reflects a commitment from our community to provide an equitable education that is inclusive, challenging and relevant to all students. The second hymn, Here I am Lord, symbolises the commitment that we expect our students make, to engage with their learning to the best of their ability, every period of every day.  

Each of these hymns reminds us that we are not perfect; however, through a shared vision that demands high effort and high expectations, within an environment that provides high support, academic optimism and success can be fostered, will flourish, and can be realised for every student.

In 2025 I invite all students, with the support of their families and teachers to own their learning journey, to come as they are and accept the challenge to be the best version of themself every day.

Year Group Information Evenings

Information evenings are an opportunity to hear about the specific requirements for students as they engage in the program of study for their year group. Whilst it seems much can be the same from year group to year group, this may change at times and it is essential to know and work within the mandated requirements. 

Heath Borg
Assistant Principal - Learning, Teaching and Innovation 

Religious Education and Mission

College Opening Mass

On Friday, February 7, the College community gathered for the first time this year to celebrate our Commencement Mass with our Parish Priest, Father Wim Hoekstra.  Pope Francis has declared this year to be a Jubilee Year of Hope, and our Commencement Mass featured this theme strongly as we offered our hopes and dreams for the year ahead to God.

A highlight of our Mass was the formal blessing and welcoming of our new Year 7 cohort to our College.  Our newest students were in awe of the number of students in the hall, and of the community spirit shared during the Mass, and especially during the singing of the hymns.

We are grateful to Father Wim for celebrating Mass with us, and to our readers, special eucharistic ministers, altar servers, choir, and staff.

Senior Retreat

Our Year 12 students were guided through their Senior Retreat with their Homeroom Teachers, RE Teachers, and other College staff earlier this week.  The focus of our Retreat program is our relationships with ourselves, our peers, our families, and our God.  We pray for our students as they reflect on their successes and challenges, as well as their priorities and life generating dreams for the year ahead.

Year 7 Reflection Day

Our Year 7 students will participate in their Reflection Day on Friday, February 28.  The day will be held on campus in our Chapel and Patrician Learning Centre.  The focus will be on developing our understanding of our Catholic faith, and on learning about St Patrick and the founder of the Patrician Brothers, Daniel Delany.

Years 8-11 will participate in their Reflection Days later in the year.

Catholic Identity Survey

During the next few weeks our College community will complete the Catholic Identity Survey.  The survey will be completed in every school in the Parramatta Diocese as a guide to assess our strengths and challenges in providing faith formation to our students, staff, and families. All of our staff and students will complete the survey, and we invite as many parents and carers as possible to participate.  If you are able to help us by completing the survey, please contact Anthony Pope (apope@parra.catholic.edu.au) to express interest.

Anthony Pope
Acting Leader of Learning Religious Education

Dean of Knowledge Management and Analytics

As we start a new school year, we would like to congratulate all our Year 12 2024 students on their fantastic results. We are pleased to confirm that our top ATAR score was a very creditable 98.05.

Years 7 and 9 students will complete the NAPLAN testing during the period between 12th March and 24th March. A Parent Information Letter and Timetable were published on Compass this week.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills of the students and provides feedback to the school on how the students compare to everyone else in the year group. It also provides advice and strategies to the College on how to work with the students to improve their skills. Of course, NAPLAN is just a snapshot, but it has proven to be a very useful analytical tool for many years now. The results from the tests are used in conjunction with your son's classwork, PAT-R tests and Allwell testing results to help his teachers find the best way to teach him and help him continue to improve.

You can find some practice resources online for NAPLAN and the students have completed the Practice Test. These practice tests allow the students to understand what they will be asked on the day. If your son misses a test, they will have a chance to complete it on another day, with the last day being Friday 24th March. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at the College.

Mark Robinson
Dean of Knowledge Management and Analytics

Resource Centre Update

As we start the new school year, we are excited to welcome all students back to the College Resource Centre for 2025! We extend an especially warm welcome to students new to our College community and we look forward to meeting you all in the coming weeks.

The Resource Centre is a central hub of the College. Our students are reminded that the Resource Centre is a great place to come to read and borrow great books, to study and prepare for assessments, to meet with friends for revision, to complete homework, and to participate in special events throughout the year.

Term 1 Opening Hours and Access for Students

Before School

The College Resource Centre will be open from 8am for quiet study and quiet reading. Students who use the Resource Centre before school should be working on homework or revision in a focused manner. Students can also access the Resource Centre before school for essential services such as borrowing, printing and IT.

Lunchtime

The Resource Centre is open each day at lunchtime for Silent Reading, Study and Chess. Students are reminded that playing video games and the use of phones is not permitted in the Resource Centre. Chess can be played daily in RC1, with Chess Club specifically scheduled on Mondays. Students can check Compass throughout the year for any special events occurring in the Resource Centre during lunchtimes.

After School

The Resource Centre will be open until 4:00pm on Monday and Tuesday for quiet study and essential services. On Wednesdays we also host our weekly Homework Centre. During Homework Centre students can meet with teachers for additional support or work in small study groups.

The Homework Centre runs until 4:00pm and all year groups are welcome to attend.

Box of Books

The College uses the digital platform and textbook supplier Box of Books (BoB). BoB is a central platform from which students will be able to access their digital textbooks and online subscriptions. Using Box of Books involves using only one sign on location thus making access to learning materials easy and effective for all students.

BoB is mainly used by Year 11 and Year 12 students. All Year 12 students have had access to their digital resources since Term 4 last year. Teachers will assist students in accessing Box of Books and using their digital resources effectively.

Remember to Return

Any students who have borrowed books over the holidays, or have old text books from last year, are asked to please return them to the library as soon as possible.

It’s never too late to return a book!

Beth Head 
Senior School Assistant - Resource Centre