In my first Calling article of this term, I outlined our mission as a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition. The article named the four touchstones set out in the Charter for Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition and how they are used to determine our authenticity to the Charter. They are 1) Liberating Education, (2) Inclusive Community, (3) Gospel Spirituality, and (4) Justice and Solidarity. In this article I will further explain the touchstone of a liberating education.

Liberating Education
Our schools are called to offer a liberating education to each student. We aim to inspire hope and possibility for our students through quality teaching and learning experiences, helping each person to think deeply and make the world a better place.

For St Patrick’s to offer a liberating education, we should be mindful of the following possibilities:

• Equity and Excellence where every student and staff member are encouraged and given opportunity to give their best.
• Tailor an education to individual needs recognising that every learner and person is different but given the right environment, they can reach their full potential.
• Offering a healthy, safe, and supportive environment where everyone feels valued, respected and cared for.
• Offer a Holistic education that integrates our Catholic faith, culture and learning and one that develops a social responsibility within all.
• Develop leaders who will challenge poor behaviours and injustices and be bold visionaries who can inspire positive change.
• Allocate resources with a purpose to prioritise student needs.
• Develop creative and critical thinkers who understand the importance of service, solidarity and justice and peace issues and will use their education to be advocates for positive change.
• Commit to reflective practice, lifelong learning and continuous improvement so that our educators and learners will keep abreast of the “now” and the possibilities for the future.

You will note from the graphic above that a liberating education is at the heart of what we do. It is also what informs us when making decisions around educational and formation programmes for our students.

Student Leadership Team 2024/2025
Over the past two weeks, our Year 11 students have been participating in leadership workshopping and voting for their student leaders who will start at the beginning of Term Four. During the workshops they have identified the attributes that they feel are best for their leaders to be able to lead at a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition. This included working with and understanding the touchstones. On Thursday we announced the following positions:

College Captain: Henley Thomas
Vice Captains: Isaac Caruana and Lewis Bullock.

The students are now participating in activities to select their House Captains. They will be named after the process is completed in the coming weeks.

Staff
Mrs Chelsea Parakas has recently been appointed to a leadership role within the office of Brisbane Catholic Education. Chelsea is not only and exemplary educator but also Head of Faculty. She will be with us until the end of the sixth week of the term to ensure that our senior students are well prepared for their external exams. We are currently advertising for Chelsea’s replacement.

Mrs Veronica Phillips (HASS/RE) and Mrs Anthea McDonnell (Teacher Aide) finished today. Veronica has taken a role at Mary MacKillop College and Anthea is moving to Brigidine College. Mrs Briellen Bagdonas will replace Veronica on a full-time basis. Mrs Jodi Langenhoven has already commenced and will teach within the Inclusive Education Faculty.

Alex Paznikov commenced his long service leave today until the end of this term. Alex’s classes have been reallocated to current staff and other part-time contracts.

Social Media
This week, I would like to raise awareness about the issue of sextortion. I have recently advised that this is fast becoming the biggest threat to young men above others that have been raised. Teen boys are bribed by organised crime gangs and targeted for pornographic images. This malicious activity is done by coercing individuals into sharing personal and sensitive information, mainly images and then blackmailing them.  Recent data from the Kids Helpline indicates a significant rise in calls related to sextortion, with a staggering 78% of these calls coming from young males. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation also reported a 60% increase in sextortion reports. 

Students from our school have not been immune to this and, in recent months, authorities are warning it is reaching epidemic levels.

How do you know if your child is being lured in to inappropriate behaviour? In most cases, the teen is embarrassed and feels shame, and does not confide in his parents. In many cases, teens have ransacked bank accounts and stolen money to meet a bribe. In some cases, they have taken their lives, fearful of their mistake becoming public. 

Supporting our young people
As mentioned previously, please read the following steps below: 

1. Recognise the Signs.
2. Open Communication.
3. Online privacy by stressing the importance of privacy settings and the risks of sharing personal information with strangers online.
4. Legal Knowledge: Inform your children about the legal implications of sharing and receiving explicit content.
5. Support Networks: Encourage your children to have a support network they can turn to, such as trusted adults, if they find themselves in a distressing online situation.
6. No Blame Policy: Assure your children that they can come to you without fear of judgment or punishment if they are ever threatened online.
7. Reporting Mechanisms: Make sure your children know how to report any online abuse or threats to platforms and authorities.
8. Cyber Hygiene: Teach your children about strong passwords, secure networks, and the dangers of phishing and scamming attempts.
9. Utilising the resources provided by organisations like Headspace and eSafety for guidance and support.

As additional support, we have been fortunate to secure the services of Mrs Madonna King to present to parents on Wednesday 28 August. Madonna is an award-winning journalist and author of 13 books: the latest looking at our children’s use of social media and the scourge of sextortion. Her book - Saving Our Kids - was authored with global online paedophile investigator former - Police Inspector Jon Rouse. Madonna will present on what do parents need to know, how can they reduce the chance of their child being targeted, what advice should they give their children and how might that conversation go.

This night be held at St Patrick’s in the Christian Brothers Building and we have also invited parents from St John Fisher and Mary MacKillop Colleges. It is targeted for parents who have children in Years 7-11, but others are welcome. Please keep your eye out for the booking details as I expect that many parents will be interested in this presentation and booking will be essential.

Career’s Expo
We will be holding our Career’s Expo here next Monday. This year we are holding it during the school day (in the morning) so that all our students in Years 9-12 have an opportunity to attend. Mr Chris Herrod, Mr Troy Schultz and Mr Jonathan Brough have done a lot of planning for this event so that it is relevant and useful to our students within their various phases of career planning. I would encourage all parents to have a conversation to their son afterwards to see what knowledge they have gained and their career aspirations at this point in time.

AIC Sport
The Term 3 AIC sporting fixtures are now well under way. Once again, we have many students playing in our Rugby League, Basketball and Tennis teams. Our Track and Field team is also training with record number of students at this stage. This is also the start of the finals rounds for our Debating teams. At this stage, all our teams are still in the competitions. A great effort by our staff and students.

Treasure Island
Our students are also performing their play, Treasure Island, next Friday and Saturday evening. It is almost sold out over both nights This is a great opportunity for our students who enjoy performing arts but not necessarily musicals to be able to perform to a crowd. They also have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from our external director, Mr Tom Futcher. It promises to be a great couple of nights with very few tickets left.