From the College Principal

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope the holiday break provided an opportunity for our students, families and teachers to slow down for a while, spend time with those who matter most, and return refreshed for the term ahead. There is always a wonderful energy around the College at the beginning of a new term, and it has been wonderful to see our young men reconnecting with their mates, their teachers and the many opportunities that make St Patrick's College such a vibrant learning community. I am also enjoying the updates from our Year 6 Canberra Tour happening this week and can’t wait to get all the highlights from this wonderful experience when everyone returns for school next week.

This week we are also celebrating Catholic Education Week, a time to recognise the important role Catholic schools play in forming young people who are grounded in faith, guided by hope and committed to making a positive difference in the lives of others. The theme, Share your Light, Inspire Others, reminds us that the small acts of kindness, leadership and service we witness every day at the College can have a profound impact on those around us. As always, I thank you for your ongoing support of the College and look forward to sharing the many achievements, stories and opportunities that Term 3 will bring.

Staff Leadership Updates for Term 3
Term 3 will see some temporary changes to our leadership structure as we continue to ensure strong support for students, staff, and families.

• Mr Sean Toovey will step into the Deputy Principal (Acting) role to cover Mr Frank Torrisi’s leave from 10 August to 18 September inclusive. Mr Torrisi is currently working closely with Mr Toovey to ensure a smooth handover, until he commences his leave from 7 August, and is due to return to the College from the start of Term 4.
• Mr Tim Hoysted is carrying out the role of Dean of Students (Acting) for the term.
• Mr Dom Crowley will move into the Director of Students (Acting) for the term.
• Mr Zane Kent will serve as the Quane House Dean (Acting) for the term.

We would like to thank and congratulate these staff for their promotional acting appointments and their ongoing commitment to the College community.

Protecting Our Community in the Age of AI
One of the great joys of College life is celebrating the achievements and experiences in this community. Whether through our website, newsletters or social media channels, sharing these moments helps strengthen the connection between our College and our families and more broadly share our pride and spirit. 

However, recent advice from the eSafety Commissioner serves as an important reminder that the rapid development of artificial intelligence is changing the way images can be used and, unfortunately, misused online. AI technologies now make it easier than ever for photographs to be copied, manipulated and transformed into convincing fake images or videos without a person's knowledge or consent.

At St Patrick's College, we take these emerging risks seriously. The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff will always be our priority. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, we are committed to regularly reviewing our practices and policies, monitoring privacy and security settings across our platforms, and carefully considering how and when images are shared publicly. 

While there is tremendous value in celebrating the life of our College community via social media, we recognise the importance of balancing this with a proactive approach to safeguarding those in our care.

This is also an area where schools and families must work together, and I thank everyone for understanding that the look and feel of our posts via social media platforms will change moving forward to better reflect this advice. We will also look to adopt ways to share our students’ achievements and successes through our College REALM Platform, which is only accessible by community members, not the public. 

By remaining informed, exercising good judgement and working in partnership with you, we can continue to celebrate achievements and experiences, alongside creating a safer digital environment for our staff and students.

May God bless you and your families!

Live Jesus in Our Hearts!