STANNIES
NEWS
www.stannies.com
11 February 2022
FROM THE HEAD OF COLLEGE Dear Members of the St Stanislaus’ College Community, Welcome to the 2022 College year! It is with pleasure that 611 young men continue their school education here with us this year. We have all enjoyed the privilege of welcoming and coming to know the 126 young men who have commenced their Stannies journey this year. The year is fresh and there is much excitement and anticipation about the blessings this year will bring. While sincerely written, there is a certain inevitability about the first Newsletter of any school year. There is a predictability to the opening lines that comes from repetition each year. We rightly acknowledge and welcome Stannies’ families, especially those joining us for the first time. Still, I can’t help but wonder if, as a Catholic College, we don’t have it the wrong way around - should the school be welcoming families, or should families be welcoming the school? The family holds a venerable place in the Church as it images the divine love of the Trinity. So central is its role that the Church reminds school leaders like myself, “The family is the primary but not the only and exclusive educating community” and “Those who are in charge of schools must never forget that the parents have
been appointed by God himself as the first and principal educators of their children…” Pope St John Paul II Familiaris Consortio, #40. Our College and its staff can only build on the teaching your son receives at home. The home should not reinforce the school; it should be the other way around. Education - a true education that encompasses everything your son needs to develop and live a “life to the full” (John 10:10) - is about valuing and nurturing every young man’s uniqueness and assisting them in fulfilling their capabilities as students and later as adults. Our families and Stannies share a joint commitment to ensure that our school provides an environment conducive to successful learning and personal achievement. If formal education is valued at home and seen as life-enhancing, then our boys will view their schooling as being positive for them and worth investing their energies in. Parents and teachers working in collaboration can present education as a happy and fulfilling experience. The relationship between home and school needs to be a genuine partnership to work well. Immediately following the reminder to school leaders in Familiaris Consortio,
2022 College Opening Mass Monday 21 February 7pm Performing Arts Centre (PAC) The Opening Mass is a compulsory event for all students. Summer uniform can be worn. Any absence from compulsory events needs to be notified in writing to student’s Tutor. This event will be broadcast live on the Stannies Facebook page. Search @stanniesbathurst on Facebook to view. Click here to register attendance Stannies News | 1
