HSC RESULTS

The Year 12 Cohort of 2023 has absolutely shone!

The College is absolutely delighted to share our HSC results with you. This is only a snapshot; more details will be released in the new year. However, there are many fabulous details worth sharing:

• St Francis Catholic College ranked in the Top 150 Schools in NSW - 146th on The Sydney Morning Herald’s Honour List. This is an incredible achievement for a school (especially within its first 5 years of having HSC cohorts)
• This ranking places us above certain neighbouring ‘selective schools’, and the College was the highest-ranked systemic school in the Diocese of Wollongong.
• The 2023 cohort achieved 34 Band 6/E4 results. This is fantastic, given that there were only 57 students in the cohort - some of whom had non-ATAR pathways.
• 19 of the 24 subjects taught at the College were above the State Average. 
• The College had one ‘All Round Achiever’ (Courtney J) who achieved Band 6s / E4s in all her subjects. 
• Five more students went quite close to achieving this honour. One student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 8 units. Two more students achieved Band 6s/E4s in 7 units. One student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 6 units, and another student achieved Band 6s/E4s in 5 units.
• As of publication, six students have received ATAR scores above 90, with another five students receiving ATARS above 85 (with another student on 84.9). 
• One student ranked 5th in the state for Society and Culture (Courtney J)

These are all outstanding achievements, but the human element and the phenomenal paths that these young people are aspiring and/or moving towards make it so worthwhile. Of course, not all students will receive high ATARs or have a disposition for tertiary study, but we celebrate these young people for who they have been and will become. We commend them for having an attitude that pushes them towards trying their hardest at each opportunity.

Furthermore, I note that such results are the culmination of a great deal of hard work by students and teachers alike, and I take this opportunity to commend our staff for their passion and commitment. 

I look forward to sharing more details about the 2023 HSC with you in due course.

END OF YEAR AWARDS

Congratulations to all students who received an award at our K-4 and/or 5-12 Award Ceremonies this year. As I stated at the Presentations, it is really wonderful that we can celebrate the achievements of so many students; however, at this point in time, these are the students being recognised. Therefore those not receiving awards I challenged students to consider how they might be recognised in future years.

STAFFING

Each year, one can expect that the staffing in a school will be flexible and changeable. It saddens us to see staff leave us, but we can also feel confident that they have enjoyed their time with us and had a chance to share their expertise and best selves with our students.

As such, I would like to thank the following staff:

FAREWELLS

• Thank you, Mr Stojanovski, for his efforts in PDHPE over the past term
• We thank Miss Yokhanna, who has been working in EALD, and we wish her all the best at Austral next year.
• Thank you to Mrs Stephanie Nasso for her efforts in the Junior Year space, especially Year 3 - we wish her well at an exciting time and hope to see her again soon.
• To Mrs Standley, who has been working with students in PPT release and especially PDHPE/CAPA activities, we also wish her well at this exciting time and hope to see her again soon.
• To Miss Kingsley, who has been working in Stage 3 - we value her efforts across the year and wish her well at Camden next year.
• We thank Mrs Katrina Borg for her work in Diverse Learning. A foundation staff member, she has always been a strong advocate for our students, and we wish her all the best at Campbelltown next year.
• We thank Mr. O’Brien, who has been a fantastic Japanese teacher and really excellent in the administrative role. We know he’ll be taking 2024 off - but we hope to see him again in the future
• We thank Mrs Kylie Jarrett for her work as Leader of the Diverse Learning K-6. She has been a passionate champion for our students over a number of years, and we thank her for her work at St. Francis. We wish her every success as she lessens her teaching days at Fairfield next year.
• I thank Mr Zakris, current Year 12 2023 Coordinator, for his time at St Francis. Not only has he worked with our first two Year 12 cohorts, but he has shared his experience and has done so with a good mixture of joy and genuineness. We wish him well at Kingswood next year.
• I thank Mrs Helen Lyons for her work at the college - especially in TAPS. Her personalised support of students in helping them with future directions has been impressive. We wish her well in Wollongong next year.
• I thank Ms Silvia Dzierzak for her efforts in supporting the Finance Team. We wish her well as, moving forward, she consolidates her employment at Bonnyrigg.
• I also note that, while she hasn’t been teaching at the College for a while, Ms Lauren Cusack has formally tendered her resignation. We thank her for her contribution to St Francis over the years.

• Some other staff have only recently informed us that they are leaving the College - but they will not officially leave till next year - so we wish them well … but I can confirm that, sadly, Mrs Kells has accepted a position at another school. We will see her briefly again at the start of next year to thank her and recognise her many contributions to PE and Curriculum over the years.

NEW STAFF

As the College continues to grow, we welcome the following staff to St Francis in 2024:

Mr Rocco Badolato - PDHPE/RE & Yrs 5-12 Pastoral Care Coordinator

Mr Dominic Fricot - PDHPE/RE & Year 9 Coordinator

Mrs Jessica Goodsell - Science

Mr Bailey Spencer - Science

Mr Esmond Alphonso - Mathematics

Mr Sean Dubois - Japanese/English

Mrs Kate McIntosh - Leader of Diverse Learning K-6

Mrs Monique Brites - Diverse Learning

Mrs Melissa Ghignone - RE 

The following staff, who commenced in 2023, will also be continuing with us:

Mr Garth Kainz

Mr Thanh Nguyen

Mrs Cheryl Pietrantonio

Ms Sarah Bragias

Mrs Morgan Mahoney

Miss Christine Acitelli

Ms Amanda Craig

I also acknowledge Mr Opalnuik, now a permanent member of our staff.

HOLIDAYS AND CHRISTMAS

I wish you and your families a blessed and safe Christmas and vacation. I have loved joining the St. Francis Catholic College community this year, and I am so excited about the years ahead.

Merry Christmas and here’s to a great 2024!

PRAYER TO CONCLUDE THE SCHOOL YEAR:

At the end of this school year, we give thanks to the Lord.

For all the teaching and learning that has occurred in the College, we thank you, Lord.

We thank you for the talents and gifts that have been shared, Lord.

We give You thanks for the burdens that have been lifted and the hurts that have been healed.

We thank the friendships that have just begun and those that have grown.

For the faith that has been lived out in our daily struggles, we thank you, Lord.

We thank you for the hope that has lifted our hearts on dark days and the challenges we have faced and overcome.

We give thanks for the community that we are. 

As the holidays approach, we ask you to bless our students, parents/carers and families. 

May our time together across 2023 leave us with fond memories to cherish. 

– Amen.