Patrician Brothers College eNewsletter

Acting Principal Leader

Dear Parents, Carers, Staff and Students,

We have passed the halfway mark of Term One and the College has been a hive of activity, hosting a series of major school events in the last fortnight.

These events included our Year 7 2025 Welcome Evening, Year 7 2026 Open Night, Ash Wednesday liturgies, and Years 8 and 11 Parent Information Evenings. The Welcome Evening and Open Night were both strongly attended, and it was wonderful to spend some quality time with our current and prospective Year 7 students and their parents. These evenings are invaluable opportunities for the College to share our values, priorities and plans with our community, and we were thrilled to receive generous and honest feedback from the parents who attended.

We understand that parents are busy, often working long hours before navigating Sydney traffic to get home at a reasonable hour, but we encourage parents try to attend as many as possible of these evenings during the course of your son’s time at the College, to ensure that you are across the details and direction of his education.

Next week we look forward to two of our most exciting community events of the year – namely St Patrick’s Day celebrations and our Swimming Carnival.

Community spirit is an integral factor in developing and engaging the young men in our care and both events will provide tremendous opportunities for everyone to reflect on what it means to be Patties boys – in terms of our faith, relationships, and sense of belonging.

Given the recent visit by renowned guest speaker, Daniel Merza, to speak to Year 7 about Beat Bullying and Year 8 about Thriving Wellbeing – this is probably an opportune time to remind parents about the CSPD Bullying Prevention and Response Procedures that operate in all schools in our diocese. This document is quite simple to read and provides a clear framework for schools and parents to work together to solve these problems should they arise.

In terms of reminders and updates – most parents are already well aware of our school hours and specific hours of student supervision; however, it is always worth a reminder, especially for new parents to our school. The first bell of the day rings at 8:45am for Homeroom. Students are expected to arrive at school before this bell and attend Homeroom every day. Supervision is provided in the school yard from 8:25am. The bell at the end of Period 5 rings at 2:50pm for the conclusion of the school day. Supervision is provided at all exit gates and nearby bus stands until 3:10pm. To alleviate congestion at the exit gates each afternoon, we stagger the final departure time, with Years 7 and 8 and Years 9 and 10 on a rotation of 2:45pm departure time.

Most parents and aware of our procedures for pick-up and drop-off for their sons before and after school, but again, it is worth a reminder for new parents or parents who only occasionally drop their sons to school by car.

Driving into the school property at the start or end of the school day IS NOT permitted because of Work, Health and Safety (WH&S) regulations.
Stopping to drop your son off in the Flushcombe Road bus bay or waiting in the bus bay for your son in the afternoon could attract a traffic fine. Council Rangers monitor this area regularly and fines are significant.
Please obey all signs in bus bays and parking signs in streets around the school.
Please do not call your son to walk across Flushcombe Road. Students must use the pedestrian lights to cross Flushcombe or Newton Roads.
Note - the College has electronic entrance and exit gates that require swipe-key activation that is only provided to staff members. Remote access via intercom is provided for special guests and designated visitors only.

The school is located on a main road near a busy intersection and extreme care must be taken at all times. Parents should arrange to pick up or drop off their sons at suitable locations which are not far from the College, such as the nearby K Mart or TAFE carparks, whenever possible. From the first day they enter our school – our students are given clear instructions about pedestrian and road safety around the school. It is vital that parents also support these messages.

We also closely monitor the driving of our senior students in the streets and carpark areas around the College. Their behaviour is generally excellent but parents will be notified of any unsafe or careless behaviour in cars. Blacktown Police and Highway Patrol cars patrol the nearby school zones on a regular basis.

Thanking you for your ongoing support,

Brian Edmonds
Acting Principal

Acting Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

We had a number of events over the last couple of weeks, NAPLAN exams, College Open Night and Year groups information sessions. I would like to thank parents and carers for their support with these events. Over the coming weeks we have our St Patrick’s Day Celebrations on Monday 17th March and the College Swimming Carnival.

Attendance is essential for academic success, personal growth, and the development of lifelong skills. When students are present and engaged, they gain knowledge, build relationships, and prepare for future opportunities. Just as Lent is a time of reflection, discipline, and renewal - regular attendance requires commitment and perseverance. In the same way that Lent encourages self-improvement and deeper faith, attending school consistently fosters responsibility, resilience, and a dedication to learning. By valuing education and showing up each day, students embody the Lenten themes of sacrifice and growth, ultimately striving to become the best versions of themselves.

A reminder that satisfactory school attendance is one of our conditions for participation in school representative sport and extra-curricular activities such as excursions. The attendance of all students who nominate for school, PDSSSC and subsequently NSWCCC representative teams will be checked by the Assistant Principals before squads/ teams are selected and announced. Students with poor attendance will not be included in these teams and a process of monitoring and review will be applied until the attendance rate of the student/s in question has improved. As the students are well aware, the same attendance rules apply to several of our elite competitions such as the NRL Schoolboy Cup.

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 who do not comply with these guidelines may be sent home if the issue cannot be resolved promptly.

Finally, I would like to thank all the parents that have completed the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Survey. We would like to invite all parents and carers to participate in this important initiative. Also, as we continue through Lent, I would like to remind people of our Project Compassion Appeal and the need to help others.

Victor Hunt
Acting Assistant Principal

Assistant Principal - Learning, Teaching & Innovation

Information Evenings - Summary
Thank you to everyone that attended the recent Information Evenings for Year 7, 8, 9 and 11. These events are an opportunity for the College to communicate the strategic vision for students in each year group for the 2025 academic year and for parents and guardians to ask questions. Parents, guardians and students heard from Mr Edmonds, Mr Borg, Mr Robinson and the relevant Student Formation Leaders. Year 11 were also fortunate to hear from Mrs Lane who spoke about post-school pathways and career engagement discussion. Important messages throughout the evening include:

We are a Catholic, Patrician community, where parents, staff and students work together to achieve student learning gain.
Consistent messages and practice at school and at home are essential to student success and wellbeing.
Academic effort is the minimum expectation for every student. It reflects each student's individual best, every day, in every class and in all aspects of college life.
Homeroom teachers are the first point of contact if you have questions related to your son’s wellbeing.
Classroom teachers are the first point of contact if you have questions related to your son’s learning.
All information related to assessment will be published to Compass for students and parents to access. This includes information on “what happens if”, and processes for “what to do if” an assessment task is not submitted on the due date.
Attendance, academic effort and academic capacity are all considerations for students selecting elective subjects in Year 9 and 10 and their pattern of study in Year 11. This is particularly important for students in Year 9 and 10 who would like to be considered for Early Commencement of a HSC VET course, as well as those students interested in the Accelerated HSC Studies of Religion 1 Unit course that begins in Year 10. Each of these initiatives provide considerable advantages to students in Years 11 and 12.

A letter has been sent via Compass to parents, guardians and students in Year 10, regarding their upcoming Information evening.

Year 12 Assessment Block
As we approach the Year 12 assessment block scheduled for Weeks 9 and 10 of this term, we want to ensure that you are informed about this crucial period for our students. This is an important time in their academic journey, and your support can make a significant difference in their success.

Proper preparation is key to achieving the best results during assessments. Encourage your son to develop a study plan that includes regular revision. By developing effective study habits, students can enhance their understanding of the material and build their confidence.

Punctuality and attendance play a vital role during this assessment block. Arriving on time for each exam ensures that students can settle, focus and perform to the best of their abilities. Late arrivals can create unnecessary stress and may disrupt their concentration and that of others. Please ensure that your son plans ahead, ensuring he has ample time to arrive at school for the commencement of his assessment task. Regular attendance in the weeks leading up to the assessments and during the assessment block is essential. Participation in classes provides students with valuable insights, clarification on content within topics, and the opportunity to engage with teachers. Consistent attendance helps students stay on track and fully prepared for their exams.

Please refer to our assessment policy and procedures document that can be found on Compass, for information regarding, “what to do” if your son is absent for an assessment task during this assessment block.

We encourage you to support your son during this assessment period by providing a conducive study environment, encouraging healthy routines, and being available to discuss any concerns they may have. Your involvement is invaluable in helping him navigate this assessment period.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to ensure the success of our Year 12 students.

Heath Borg
Assistant Principal

Religious Education and Mission

St Patrick’s Day Celebrations
We will be celebrating the Feast of St Patrick as a College community on Monday 17 March. We will commence our celebrations with a Mass for the Solemnity of St Patrick, followed by our traditional Staff-v-Students Soccer game, a shared lunch, and “Patties’ Got Talent” concert. Traditionally, the Feast Days of St Patrick and St Joseph are the two days during Lent where Catholics are able depart from quietness and reflection of the Lenten period to partake in festive food and entertainment. We look forward to celebrating what is perhaps the biggest day in our school calendar in true Patties style. We are grateful to all of the staff and students who have been preparing for our Mass, meal, sport, and concert.

Year 7 Reflection Day
On February 28, our Year 7 students participated in their first Patrician Brothers’ College Reflection Day. The theme of the day was “Let Your Light Shine”. Students were guided by their Homeroom Teachers, their Student Formation Leader (Mr Craig Beacroft), and the Faith in Action Team Coordinator (Miss Ellen Lombo), through a range of activities where they explored God’s call to love, our call to be a light to the world, and our growing sense of brotherhood as a year group.

The students enjoyed the activities of the day, as well as their pizza lunch, and their chance to show off their singing skills as they learned the Patrician Anthem - “One in Heart and Mind”. We’re pretty certain that the whole suburb could hear us singing at the top of our lungs!

Thank you very much to all of the Year 7 students for committing to the activities, and to the Year 7 Homeroom Team, Mr Craig Beacroft and Miss Lombo, for facilitating the day.

Year 8 Reflection Day
We will be holding our Year 8 Reflection Day on Friday 28 March at the College. The Year 8 Reflection Day will focus on God’s love and forgiveness, and our call to brotherhood.

The day will be facilitated by our Student Faith in Action Team (FIAT) and Homeroom Teachers. Year 8 students are asked to be at school by 8:45am, and they may wear appropriate mufti clothing. They should bring a drink and morning tea. Lunch will be provided.

School-Based Sacramental Program
As stated in the last edition of Focus, we are proud to be able to offer the school-based Sacramental Program this year for any students who wish to receive the Catholic Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation. Families wishing to take up this opportunity are encouraged to contact Mr Greg Beacroft at the College by phone on 8811 0300, or by email at gbeacroft@parra.catholic.edu.au .

Project Compassion
Our school is raising funds to help support Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising campaign. Project Compassion brings together supporters from across Australia to address the challenges of poverty today, and drive lasting change for a better tomorrow. Join us to help support remote and vulnerable communities across Asia, Africa, the Pacific and in Australia. Your generosity today can help communities access clean water, food security, skills training, health and sanitation, and disaster risk reduction training. Together with your support, we can create lasting change today, and for All Future Generations.

This year we will be using the Project Compassion Schools Online Donation Platform. This means you can donate directly to our school's Project Compassion total online safely. You can do this by clicking on the link below or using the QR below.

https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/o/patrician-brothers-college-blacktown

You can read the FAQs for more information here: https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/faqs

We have currently raised over $1097 through the online portal!

Thank you for your support.

Thursday Morning
Thursday morning masses have been well attended this year. This is a great opportunity to come and celebrate the Eucharist as a community. All students are invited each Thursday at 8.15am.

Anthony Pope
Acting Leader of Learning Religious Education

Dean of Knowledge Management and Analytics

At the end of this term, Year 12 completed their Semester One Assessment Block and in Week 6 of Term 2, Year 10 have their Assessment Block. About now, many students are probably starting to summarise their notes for each subject. Is this the best way to study? Everyone learns and remembers in a different way, so different ideas are worth a try. There are a few websites that have some great suggestions, one great site is the State Library of Victoria website, http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/learn-skills/study-skills

Below are two other sites that are worth a look as well.

http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/studyskills/studyskills/revision.html

http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/course/view.php?id=2101

As always, your son's teachers are a great place to start if you have any concerns.

Mark Robinson
Dean of Knowledge Management and Analytics

Pathways and Partnership Update

Emerging and In-Demand Careers Forum
Recently, I had the privilege of attending an event organised by CSPD focused on highlighting in demand and emerging industries and occupations in the labour market.

Whilst the entire event was highly informative and educational, the keynote address was of particular interest. Nick Ryan, Policy Manager for Business Western Sydney and Business NSW, opened our eyes to the exciting world that is Western Sydney.

Did you know that the population of Western Sydney is equivalent to the entire population of Western Australia? This most certainly puts into perspective, the constant growth and evolution of Western Sydney.

Nick also pointed out that Western Sydney is the third largest economy in Australia after Sydney and Melbourne. I feel we should be proud to live in Western Sydney and recognise the important role we each play.

Having an understanding of the labour market and the key industries is always of paramount importance. It is something I always encourage students to be aware of and interested in. The graph below shows the top industries in Australia and their contribution to the economy.

During the panel discussion and Q&A with representatives from various key stakeholders, the question of which careers and occupations will be in demand in the future was asked. The answers included:

AI Analyst
AI Officer
Building Information Modelling (BIM)
Drone Pilot
Telehealth Practitioners - Virtual Health

In fact - it is often said that many of our young people will enter into occupations that do not yet exist!

For you as parents and guardians, I encourage you to have discussions with your son about the labour market and the future of work. You play an important role in your son’s career development journey.

If you have any questions about career pathways and/or partnership opportunities, please contact Mrs Marie Lane via email at mlane1@parra.catholic.edu.au or phone 02 8811 0316.

Ms Marie Lane
Pathways and Partnerships Leader

Resource Centre Update

Resource Centre Puzzle
I’d like to extend a big thank you to all staff and students who contributed towards the first puzzle of the school year!

The 325 piece Studio Ghibli Museum puzzle was completed in just 3 weeks!

The next Resource Centre puzzle is One Piece themed and available now! Come try your hand at the 1000 piece puzzle today.

Harmony Week
Next week, along with St.Patrick’s Day, we celebrate Harmony Week. Harmony Week runs from Monday the 17th until Sunday the 23rd of March and is intended to celebrate Australia’s rich cultural diversity while reflecting on inclusiveness and respect for all.

On Harmony Day (March 21st) the Resource Centre will be holding a range of lunchtime activities to encourage the students to reflect on and appreciate the wide range of cultural backgrounds we have here at Patrician Brothers’ - so students are asked to keep an eye out on Compass for further updates.

Premier’s Reading Challenge
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is officially in full swing.

All those who have currently signed up for the challenge should have received an email with their usernames and passwords from myself, if anyone has any problems logging in or adding to their reading list please feel free to come and see me in the Resource Centre.

Anyone who still wants to join the challenge, it's not too late! You can fill out the form on the E-Library or see me for further details.

Students in Years 7-10 who participate are asked to read 20 books between now and the end of August, including 10 from the PRC list and 10 of their own choosing. We have a PRC section in the library in case you’re looking for a new read!

Remember to Return

It's never too late to return a book!

Beth Head
Senior School Assistant - Resource Centre

KLA Feature - Science

Year 7
A vibrant start for our newest young men in the College who are learning about the unit ‘Fizz Bang’ this term. Students have the opportunity to learn about their physical and chemical properties of matter and relate to how materials are processed and used by society in everyday life.

Year 8
Build on their second year at the College learning about ‘Life Under the Microscope’ where students relate the structure and function of living things to their classification, survival and the effects of environmental changes on ecosystems.

Year 9
This continues to be an important time in their formative years as they are more established in the College. This term students learn about the unit ‘Hazardous Earth’ where students relate to changing ideas about the structure of the Earth and the global patterns to best manage their impacts in the future.

Year 10
Commence their last year of junior Science at the College learning about the unit ‘White Coat Magic’ which offers many practical investigations on chemical reactions and students examine renewable sources to promote our sustainable future.

Year 7 2026 Open Evening
The Year 7 2026 Opening Evening was a welcoming and informative experience, with positive feedback from parents and students. Parents were treated to a number of practical experiments run by our Science teachers and current Year 12 students. We offered fun and engaging experiments on the night in which our guests were able to participate in such as Elephant toothpaste, Rainbow flame test of metal salts, Dry ice, and the crowd favourite, the freezing banana with liquid nitrogen and breaking the frozen fruit with a hammer. These offered insight into some of the experiments we offer at the College but also provided our guests with engaging visual demonstrations and hands-on practical experiences.

We also had the opportunity to showcase the Australian Space Design Competition in which our College has had much success over the years. We also highlighted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) which is an elective subject we offer in Stage 5 (Year 9 & 10). I would like to express my gratitude to the Science faculty and all students for their work so far this year in Science and I wish them the best as they strive for academic success for the remainder of the Term.

James Bunoza
Acting Science Coordinator

Public Speaking Competition 2025

“Words do two major things: they provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” - Jim Rohn

On Friday 1st March, the Round 1 of the Catholic Schools Debating Association began at St Andrews College, Quakers Hill. The College has a proud tradition within this competition and 2025 was no exception. We had 9 boys representing the College from Year 7 through to Year 12. The boys had to prepare a speech from a wide selection of topics, with each year group speaking for a set time (from 4 minutes in Year 7 and up to 9 minutes for the Seniors).

All of the boys were enthusiastic and passionate about their chosen topics and presented themselves with distinction. We had two boys who successfully progressed through to the Zone Finals - Kushagra Ajay (Year 7) and Jordan Laidlaw (Year 10.) These boys competed on Friday 7th March at Emmaus Catholic College. The standard on the night was exceptionally high and both boys spoke very well, however, they were unsuccessful in progressing to the Grand Finals.

A huge thank you Miss Hasna Doueihi and Mrs Danuta Paton who assisted with coaching this year and came out to support the boys.

Congratulations to all of the boys who represented the College:

Year 7 - Kushagra Ajay

Year 8 - Jay Pandya and Zeshan Khokhar

Year 9 - Charan Datla

Year 10 - Jordan Laidlaw

Year 11 - Uno Bautista, Lucas Sheehan and Nathan Senpin

Year 12 - Zackary Armitage

Zorica Bicanic
Public Speaking Co-ordinator

Year 7 Welcome Night

Last week we welcomed our new Year 7 cohort and their parents to the College. As always, the student speakers stole the show, providing entertaining reflections on their first 4 weeks at Patties Blacktown. A generous supper encouraged families to stay afterwards and meet their Homeroom teachers.

This week Daniel Merza worked with our Year 7 and 8 students as part of our Student Wellbeing program. Year 7 looked at the various forms of bullying and what bullying is not, practical ways for bullied students to build their resilience and beat bullying, and practical steps for bystanders to intervene in potential bullying situations.The Year 8 workshop focused on how the “Five Monkeys” inhibit thriving wellbeing and taking personal responsibility to remove them by becoming the leader of their life, practical ways to cope with stress, anxiety and depression, and how to build their emotional muscle, and the power of reaching out, where to go, and breaking the “fear” barrier.

Daniel was highly entertaining and shared some great ideas and strategies.

Merit Awards

Sports Report

2025 PDSSSC Swimming
On Friday 7th March our College was represented by a small but spirited group of young men at the Annual PDSSSC Swimming Selection Trials. All 10 of our students participated strongly in their events, with several swimming personal best times.

It was a huge day of swimming for August Cyreszko of Year 10 and Ethan Hammond of Year 8, who both competed in 8 events throughout the day. All our swimmers this year specialise in other sports and it was a credit to them the way in which they represented Patties at these titles.

Thank you to all swimmers.

Robert Bangel
Coach

Australian Martial Arts Championships
Xayden Marcelo of Year 9 recently competed in Round 1 of the Australian Martial Arts Championships for Karate in the 13-15 Years Advanced category. Xayden's skill across numerous disciplines was on display for all spectators at the championships, eventually finishing on top of the podium for the majority of his events, taking home Gold in Traditional Kata, Kumite Point Sparring, Sumo and Extreme Forms Weaponry! Xayden also claimed Silver in Xtreme Forms and Bronze in Sword to round out his trophy haul.

As a College, we are always extremely proud of our students and their achievements, both at school and beyond, and we look forward to celebrating Xayden's future successes.

13 Oct	Staff Development Day All day

14 Oct	Term 4 Commences for Students All day

14 Oct	HSC Examinations 14 Oct 2025 - 07 Nov 2025

Focus Newsletter - Term 1 Issue 3 - 2025