The past fortnight has seen a hive of activity across our campus, with all our sporting programs up and running and vibrant community engagement across the weekend. I was pleased to see many parents sporting our new all season, all sport, all activity supporter caps that are part of our new supporter wear range. Please wear these items, adorned with the SPSC abbreviation of our School’s original name, with pride as you take your rightful place in this community.
As communicated last week, the Council of Governors recently completed a detailed review of our brand and its application. The review highlighted that the current use of our heraldry is not consistent with our values and our Anglican heritage. As a result of the review, uniform consistency will be sought within and across different sports. The revised uniforms seek to place all students representing SPSC, regardless of activity, age and selection, in the same colours. A subtle acknowledgement of Open 1st team selection will continue, marked by a gold insignia, beneath a gold crest on their upper garment. Across different sports, the traditional blue and white hoops will be incorporated where appropriate. These changes will be implemented from the 2024 winter sport season, with a two-year transition period commencing at this time.
Last week we acknowledged the start of the Christian season of Lent with Shove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. During the Ash Wednesday Service it was a special moment to witness the solemnity and reverence with which our boys acknowledged the occasion and came forward to be anointed with ash. As an Anglican School we are inclusive and invitational; we invite people of other faiths or no faith to join our community and this makes us a richer community. The powerful gift of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent is that through either engaging with or reflecting upon this ritual, both our Christian and non-Christian members of our community have the opportunity to become a better person.
We welcome opportunities to celebrate the diversity of our multicultural community. The recent Chinese New Year celebrations demonstrated our appreciation of the Chinese culture and the valuable contribution this culture makes to our community. A special Kungfu performance by three warrior monks from the 1500 year old Shaolin Temple was a highlight of the Junior School celebrations.
My 40 minute ‘History of the School’ lesson with 86 Year 4 students in last Friday afternoon’s ‘graveyard shift’ was an absolute delight. It was heartening to witness the curiosity and enthusiasm of our students to learn about the rich tapestry of our School’s heritage. The experience also served as a poignant reminder of the dedication of our hardworking teachers. I commend the efforts of both our teaching and operational staff in preparing and delivering such a positive start to the 2024 academic year. Thank you.
It was wonderful to welcome over 500 parents and guardians to our Welcome Cocktail Evening last Friday. It was a beautiful night to welcome new and returning families into our community, to connect with staff and to celebrate the start of the 2024 academic year. I thank the Junior and Senior School Friends of Saints committees for their support of the evening and for their ongoing efforts in creating connected and curated experiences for our families. I encourage parents to engage with the families of your son’s friends; this is an important component of the partnership we all hold in raising strong and lovely young men.
Congratulations to our 1st VIII who were victorious in the Schoolboy Eight at the SA Rowing Championships on Sunday. They won in a time of 5.59.21 – the first schoolboy VIII to record a sub six minutes this season.
Best wishes for a wonderful weekend with your family.
Tim Browning
Headmaster
