Viewpoint

Starting this Friday afternoon, the College will collapse our traditional 52-minute class timetable and merge subject classes into whole-cohort learning sessions. This structure is specifically designed to deliver consistent, targeted feedback based on trends identified during the recent HSC Trial Examinations, while giving students fresh perspectives from different course teachers as they shift into structured revision.

The key elements of HSC Seminar Week include:

Full Cohort Access: All students enrolled in a course will gather for interactive seminars and workshops tailored to address common areas for improvement identified in the HSC Trial Examinations. This will enable all classes within a course to come together simultaneously and participate in targeted seminars. In addition to providing students with the opportunity to hear a range of teacher perspectives, these sessions will ensure a unified and consistent message regarding the cohort’s current strengths, priority areas for improvement, and strategies to enhance performance in various sections of the HSC Examinations.

Extended Session Timings: Rather than being limited to standard 52-minute periods, sessions will extend for up to three periods, with breaks for recess, mentor periods and lunch. This extended format will allow for multiple teacher rotations, deeper conceptual review, and the practical application of revision and examination strategies. Where appropriate, students will also be given greater autonomy to select the seminars most relevant to their individual needs, based on their current performance, confidence, and identified areas for improvement.

Targeted Library & Small Group Support: As the delivery of new content in each HSC course concludes, the role of teachers shifts from direct instruction to a more targeted tutoring and support model, assisting students with their individually identified areas for development. Students who are not participating in scheduled HSC seminars will be able to access additional support from HSC teachers who become available as a result of the restructured timetable. This will be in the Christopher Brennan Library.

Developing Independence and Autonomy: As students approach the upcoming holiday break, the week is designed to provide greater flexibility in how and where they undertake their revision and independent study.

Providing this flexibility gives students scaffolded exposure to managing their own study time and making purposeful decisions about how they work most effectively in preparation for the upcoming holiday study period.

To further support productive and structured study opportunities, the Christopher Brennan Library will remain open and staffed for the supervision of Riverview HSC students during the last week of the upcoming holiday break, from Tuesday 6 October to Friday 9 October inclusive, during regular school hours from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day.

Our primary goal is to maintain high levels of student engagement and ensure that every student feels supported and confident as they prepare for their final HSC Examinations in early Term 4.

These reforms are also designed to deepen the College’s academic culture and enhance academic outcomes so each HSC student pursues and achieves their personal best.

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I recently attended a Boarding Roadshow at Tamworth where a number of prospective, current and past parents gathered as a community. Past parent Jo Melville gave a lovely reflection on her family’s connection to Riverview, and I include it below with her permission:

What an absolute privilege it is to be toasting to Saint Ignatius' College Riverview.

I feel like it’s a hundred years ago since we were parents, but our bond remains. We didn’t have a family connection with Riverview. We had no real expectations. We just wanted our boys to be happy. So, instead of only making the decision with our heads, we also went with our hearts. When our relationship with Riverview first began, we could never have imagined the journey it would take us on.

We have two very different sons; one good … and one not so good! But they both thrived. That is just one of the reasons we chose Riverview, it provided an education for the individual and not a moulded, stereotypical student. Our local Parish Priest at the time also said, “Riverview doesn’t just enrol boys, it enrols families. You’ll see that when you get there.” When I got there, I saw that, and so much more.

The bond you form with other parents is indeed unique and so treasured. You go on such a journey together. There were times when I thought I could just burst with pride. And other times when I thought I was going to turn into Cruella de Vil! We’ve cried, and we’ve laughed until we’ve cried. We have friends we met through Riverview who we have spent holidays, Christmases and Easters with. Then we started the cycle of milestone birthdays and weddings of the next generation.

When our youngest son left Riverview, a group of parents got together and decided to cement a commitment to remaining in touch – some of whom we’d had a twelve-year relationship with through our older boys. I’m not sure if Riverview knows … but there is a registered racehorse syndicate known as ‘Riverview Turf Club’. Our first horse was, of course, ‘Iggy the Moocher’. That syndicate is still going strong.

I could talk for hours about my relationship with Riverview as a parent. Sending your children away to boarding school is a huge leap of faith. Above all things, as a mum, it requires unfathomable courage. Our children went to a small country town school where an old barbed wire fence was the boundary. At first, I worried myself sick that the teachers were keeping them safe the way I did. That first day dropping them off in Sydney will never leave me. It is indeed a rollercoaster ride. You experience emotions and ‘moments’ you couldn’t even have imagined. Our boys learned lessons they never would have learned at home. And so did we.

This week, I asked my boys to sum up their time at Riverview. The feedback was, “It became a home away from home”. “They weren’t just mates, they were brothers”.

If you asked my husband and I, we would say that Riverview enriched our lives. Our boys grew into ‘men for others’ and we are so proud of them. So, to Shane Hogan, after probably thousands of reminders at assembly, they got the memo.

To current students and Old Boys … Despite being as tough as nails … I know you all have hearts as big as a whale!

To future Ignatians, “Dare to Do”. Or, as my husband would say, “Have a go!” Embrace everything Riverview has to offer. Take the good with the bad, and grow. Open your minds to learning … and not just in the classroom.

To prospective parents, open your eyes, ears, and hearts. Remember, Riverview doesn’t just enrol boys … you too will be part of the journey.

To past parents, we are so honoured to have you as our extended family … what a ride!

To current parents … remember what Ignatius once said … “To Give and Not to Count the Cost”! And savour every moment of your journey. May your memories be irreplaceable, as are mine.

And to Riverview … thank you. Saint Ignatius … pray for us.

To Riverview.