From the Principal
- Pablo Grana
- Feb 26
- 9 min read
I take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the 2025 academic year. This year has started off with continued updates to our excellent results in the 2024 HSC both through achievement and growth data. We are very proud of our 2024 HSC cohort and their achievements.
I want to thank the staff and students for making an excellent start to the year both academically and spiritually.
Welcome to our New Year 7 Students
On behalf of the Year 8 to 12 students and staff, I warmly welcome our Year 7 students (HSC Class of 2030) to the Good Samaritan Catholic College community. They have made a great start to their life in secondary school. I want to extend a thank you to our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders led by Ms Uno and Mr Colbran. They along with all students have ensured that all Year 7 students start has been well supported. I want to also thank the Year 7 Pastoral Care team of teachers led by Mrs Sayadi and Ms Ibrahim for their ongoing support of our Year 7 students to ensure this successful start for them all.
Welcome to our New Staff
The Good Samaritan Catholic College Community warmly welcomes our new staff members, we are very excited to have you join our faith filled and learning focused community. Please join me in welcoming the following new staff:
Mr Atterton - PDHPE Teacher
Ms Ayoub - HSIE/RE Teacher
Miss Azzi - PDHPE Teacher
Mrs Di Cola - English Coordinator
Ms Dosen - Mathematics Teacher
Mr Favotto - HSIE/RE Teacher
Ms Giubega - Italian/English Teacher
Mrs Green - Trade Trainer/Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Gorey - Learning Support Teacher
Miss Hekmat - Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Ling - TAS Teacher
Miss Neville - PDHPE Teacher
Miss Ngo - Mathematics Teacher
Mrs Papic - TAS/Learning Support Teacher
Ms Sin Perez - Learning Support Teacher
Mrs Repovac - English Teacher
Ms Zivkovic - St Joseph Pathways Planner
Ms Tadrous - Assistant English Coordinator
Mrs Valeri - TAS Teacher
Prayers for Pope Francis
At the time of writing this article, Pope Francis health status has been listed as Critical but stable. We ask that you keep Pope Francis in our prayers at this time. Below is a prayer for Pope Francis and we also pray for all of those family members and friends who are sick or unwell at this moment.
Loving and Merciful God,
We come before You in prayer, lifting up Your servant, Pope Francis, in his time of need. You are the Source of all healing, and we ask You to surround him with Your loving presence, granting him strength and recovery.
May Your divine grace rest upon him, restoring his health and filling him with renewed vigor to continue leading Your Church with compassion and wisdom.
We offer this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Announcement From the Vatican
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Father Anthony Gerard Percy as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Sydney and as bishop of the titular see of Appiaria, Bulgaria.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, welcomed the news of Percy’s appointment, saying: “I’m grateful to the Holy Father for choosing another good and faith-filled priest to serve as a bishop in our archdiocese and to work alongside me in the vineyard of Sydney.”
A parish priest of St. Gregory’s Parish in Queanbeyan since 2023, Percy, 62, was born in Cooma, southern New South Wales, and ordained a priest in 1990 for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
Since his priestly ordination, he has ministered to Catholics in six parishes: St. Mary’s Parish in Young; St. Gregory’s Parish in Queanbeyan; Our Lady Help of Christians in Ardlethan; Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ariah Park; St. Therese Parish in Barellan; and Mary Queen of Apostles in Goulburn.
From 1999–2003 Percy studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was awarded a doctorate specialising in marriage from the university’s Pontifical John Paul II Institute.
The bishop-elect was appointed rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary in Sydney from 2009–2014 by the late Cardinal George Pell and afterward made vicar general of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn from 2014–2023.
In a Tuesday interview with The Catholic Weekly, Percy said Pell had “placed a lot of trust in me and in the formation team” at the seminary, adding: “We had a great seminary and we had some really great young students who then became great priests.”
Percy also shared with The Catholic Weekly his anticipation for the 54th International Eucharistic Congress set to take place in Sydney in 2028.
Percy’s episcopal consecration will take place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on May 2.
Opening College Mass
Our 2025 academic year officially began on the 14th February with our Opening College Mass. I take this opportunity to thank Father Simon for leading in the celebration of the Mass and for his endless support of our College Community in delivering an authentic and inspirational Catholic experience to all of our community in everything he contributes.
We also thank Mr Bradbury and Ms Haddad for their organisation of the Mass together with all of the student and staff ministers. Mrs Tomic and the staff and student band and choir did not disappoint with the high quality music and singing throughout the Mass.
Sydney Catholic Schools Executive Director's Visit
Our College Community warmly welcomed our new Sydney Catholic Schools Executive Director, Mrs Danielle Cronin. Mrs Cronin was introduced to our Year 12 Student Leadership Team and then was taken on a tour our our College Facilities by our Student Leaders. Mrs Cronin was then welcomed by our College Staff and enjoyed a morning tea getting to know our teachers and support staff. After morning tea, Mrs Cronin resumed the tour of the rest of our College Facilities. We thank Mrs Cronin for taking the time out of her very busy schedule to come and visit our College community.
Congratulations to the HSC Class of 2024 and HSC High Achievers Assembly
A huge congratulations to our Year 12 HSC Class of 2024, below are some of the highlights of their outstanding achievements and that of our teaching and support staff who all made a contribution to their success.
Open Day
We ask all parents/carers to spread the word that our College Open Day is on Saturday 8th March. More details follow below:
National World Skills Competition
Congratulations to our two Year 12 students Phoenix Ouk (Automotive Gold Medal) and Carla Loria (Cookery Silver Medal) for progressing to the Nationals of the World Skills Competition. They will be representing Catholic Schools NSW at the tournament to be held in June this year in Brisbane, Queensland. We are very proud of their achievements and send our prayers and good luck to both of them for a successful performance later this year.
Traffic and Parking Safety
We remind all members of our community regarding the importance of maintaining road safety in and around our College at all times.
The following are important reminders for both parents/carers and students:
All drivers are to adhere to the sign posted speed limits within the school grounds
When picking up or dropping off students in the College Bus Bay, please move the car to the furthest spot to allow as many cars access the area for pick-up or drop off as possible and avoid any traffic queues at the front gate of the school and subsequently affecting traffic on Hoxton Park Road.
No student is to be dropped off on the median strip or middle of any road or street. This is very dangerous and places at risk the lives of students and other drivers.
Respecting all road and parking laws both on the roads near the school, local streets and the parking areas in local shopping centres around the vicinity of the College.
Respecting the local neighbouring homes and not parking in front of driveways, on the grass areas in front of homes, leaving any litter and ensuring noise is kept to a minimum.
Students are to respect and follow all pedestrian road rules when using all forms of crossings in and outside the College site.
The local NSW Police Force has been briefed to carry out regular checks during morning and/or afternoon peak times to ensure drivers and pedestrians are following all road and parking laws and rules.
We encourage parents/carers to speak to their children about maintaining safe behaviour when making their way to and from the College. To assist you, please find the link below, that provides a suite of educational resources.
Morning Attendance Reminders
We also remind students that once they are dropped off in the morning inside the College grounds, they are to remain on the College grounds and are not permitted to leave the College grounds to visit the local shops. If students are found to be leaving the College grounds once dropped off inside the College grounds in the morning before school, will be dealt with in accordance with consequences for truancy.
We thank all parents/carers and students in advance for ensuring the road safety of everyone in our community and ensuring that students remain on College grounds once dropped off before school.
Important Reminders Regarding Attendance and Applications for Leave Reminders
Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) make very clear that “school attendance plays a critical role in enhancing the lives of students in schools. Every day of attendance adds to a student’s academic achievement and success at school, and conversely every absence, can impact their learning and progress.”. Studies are clear about the importance of attending school to ensure your sons and daughters progress and grow in their learning.
In NSW, all children from six years of age are legally required to attend school. After students complete Year 10, and until they turn 17 years of age, they must remain enrolled in school, be engaged full time in approved education, training, employment, or a combination of the two. This is a legal responsibility of all parents/carers.
Responsibilities of Parents/Carers
As per the SCS Attendance Policy, parents/carers of students enrolled at an SCS school are required to:
Ensure their child attends school each day unless exempt or absent for an approved reason.
Explain the absence of a student as soon as possible and within seven (7) school days from the first day of absence, otherwise the school will record the absence as an unexplained absence.
Provide a medical certificate where a student’s frequent, recurring or long term absence is explained as being due to illness.
Apply in advance for planned student leave
Work in partnership with the school and SCS to address any issues impacting on a student’s attendance.
At Good Samaritan Catholic College, we work in partnership with parents/carers to ensure your sons and daughters attend school each day. When attendance becomes an issue, this partnership is critical to ensure that the student’s learning and wellbeing are at the forefront of the response.
We ask that parents/carers work with our College in ensuring that you support the importance of daily school attendance, especially when you may be challenged by your sons and daughters who may ask for a “day off” or a “break from school”. Allowing this will affect their learning as you can see below:
1 day absent = 5 hours of learning missed
5 days absent = 25 hours of learning missed
10 days absent = 50 hours of learning missed
20 days absent = 100 hours of learning missed
30 days absent = 150 hours of learning missed
40 days absent = 200 hours of learning missed or the equivalent of a whole two (2) years of a HSC course.
Application for Extended Leave Procedures (Five (5) Days or More)
I have noticed a high rate of applications for extended leave recently, mostly for overseas or domestic family holidays. As you would be aware, the College does not encourage student breaks during school time, but I understand that at times, this cannot be avoided in situations where there may be a legitimate family emergency or an international learning or sporting experience. As stated earlier, I must stress however, that any absence can have a negative impact on students’ performance and, in turn, can affect their academic results.
I encourage parents/carers to avoid requesting extended leave during school terms (except in cases of extreme emergencies) and instead plan/arrange these trips during school vacation periods to avoid your son/daughter missing learning time and in some cases assessment tasks/exams and risk receiving zero marks.
Parents/carers must complete and submit the Application for Extended Leave (A1) form together with the school based (yellow) Application for Extended Leave of 5 days or more prior to commencing leave.
Both forms must be submitted with a minimum of four (4) weeks in advance of the first date of the requested extended leave. If the form is submitted late, this will result in the leave request being declined.
Travel documentation, such as travel itinerary or e-tickets, must be attached to the application.
We will not accept a reason for travel during the school term if it is not in the best interest of the student, academic or otherwise.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they are accessing work missed and complete any work/assessment that has been required by teachers by the time they return to school or in some cases during their leave.
If the application is accepted, the code Leave (‘L’) is used. A copy of the certificate (C1) is attached to the application form (A1) and a letter is sent to parents/carers confirming the acceptance of the application.
If the application is declined, the code ‘A’ for unjustified absence is used. A copy of the certificate (D1) is attached to the application form (A1) and a letter is sent to parents/carers confirming the application being declined.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College Office or your son/daughter’s Year Coordinator.
Inspirational Quote from Pope Francis
