"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, You're only a day away "Since last weekend's musical performance of "Annie" I have had the tune of "Tomorrow" in my mind. It creeps in most days and stays for a few hours. Such was the impact of this wonderful event. It was delightful to see the girls perform so professionally and competently. The whole production was exceptional and it was clear that all involved enjoyed themselves immensely. I would like to acknowledge the Creative and Performing Arts department in bringing such a big event to fruition. Lead by Mr Combes and ably supported by Mrs Glynn, Mrs Samyia, Mrs Tannous and Miss Glase. In addition to these, many other staff gave time to help in the performance or production. I am very appreciative of their assistance as without it, we would not be able to provide such a rich experience for the girls. The boys from St Gregory's College were also outstanding and I thank Mrs Dein for her work with them over the time. I am all sure we are looking forward to the next performance at St Gregory's in 2017.

The girls will finish the term next week on Friday 1 July. We will begin the day with a mass celebrating St Benedict's day, followed by academic awards for the first semester results. I warmly welcome you to these important events as you celebrate the achievements of your daughter. During the afternoon, the girls will participate in a market which collects funds for the ministries of the sisters. It is always a very pleasant way to bring the term to a close. 

Last Tuesday the P&F supported the screening of 'Screenagers' at the College. This is a film which has created quite a bit of interest and debate around use of technology internationally. Parents who attended the evening found the material and information given very helpful and left the Mary Sheil Centre armed with strategies and tactics that they would implement to keep their daughter safe. The use and abuse of technology is a growing concern for young people, which makes it incumbent on schools to assist parents in managing this pressure at home. I am appreciative of the P&F supporting this opportunity and in that way supporting our parents.

As an extension to this could I just remind you of the expectation around emailing staff. The guidelines at the College include an expectation that emails are generally responded to in 24 hours. Whilst our staff are very supportive of the girls and very willing to give them every bit of assistance they can, staff are not expected to respond to late night emails nor to those sent over the weekend in the same timeframe. Like the girls, staff have family demands and expectations which means they may not be able to respond to an email enquiry over the weekend. Some staff will inform students of the times they are accessible over a weekend or of an evening when they are expecting correspondence from students. Could you please support our staff and encourage your daughter to access all the information she needs before the weekend so that she will not be disappointed if a reply doesn't come to an email sent on Saturday or Sunday. I appreciate your assistance with this. Please let me know if this causes you or your daughter any concern. 

As this is the last edition of the Inside Out for the term I wish you a restful three week break and look forward to an energetic beginning to Semester 2 on 25 July

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

God rest us. 
Rest that part of us which is tired. 
Awaken that part of us which is asleep. 
God awaken us and awake within us. 
Amen.

Reflection by Michael Leunig (When I Talk to You)

Year 7 students with the Snake

For the Science part of the day we were given two STEM challenges. The first challenge was to make the tallest spaghetti tower in 30 minutes that we could. The tower had to hold a marshmallow for 30 seconds and we only had 2 metres of tape and a bunch of raw spaghetti. At the end of the challenge our structure was tall … but not stable enough. It ended up falling over to one side.

The second challenge was harder, we had 40 minutes to create a tower made out of 50 straws and 2 metres of tape. The tower had to hold a ping-pong ball for at least 60 seconds but we couldn’t use the table or tape the ping pong ball to the structure. This time our creation was short but very stable. Even though the challenges were hard, it was worth winning chocolate at the end!

At Maths World we had to work in groups of three to complete fun and tricky math riddles. Tables were all set up with activities, some of them were hard and others were easy. One of the activities involved having to make a stable bridge to a number of koala destinations. It was much harder than it looked. The activities were all fun and there was no pressure. We were just using our skills and it was great working together as a team to make solving problems easier.

After lunch we had a show full of reptiles from a reptile zoo. It was fun, exciting and we learned lots of interesting facts! Afterwards we got to hold, touch, and feel the animals the reptile man showed us in the show, such as snakes, turtles, and lizards! I really loved the alligator Rosie. Our teachers told us that alligators couldn’t climb up on the slate, but I’m pretty sure Rosie proved the teachers wrong. She climbed up to the very top and looked out the window as if there was something interesting out there for her to eat. Even though it was scary having a snake around your neck it was fun too! At the end we were shown a Funnel Web Spider and Ranger Mick told us how they make the anti-venom.

PBL was all about having fun, learning and being able to conquer any fears of animals. Altogether it was a really fun day, we should have PBL day every day!

by Natasha G, Natasha B, Katrina B and Taylah M -Year 7 Students

Gallery

Sorry Day 2016 with the Elders

Halle in Year 10 has been busy participating in NSW Netball activities for her age group, the Aboriginal Vocal Identification Program, Annie Musical and Women’s Leadership activities. It appears that her participation in a recent Women’s Leadership excursion to NSW Parliament has paid off and her inclusion again this year in the Aboriginal Vocal Identification Program have culminated in her Presidential role in the recent school musical Annie. Thank you Miss President, well done on some outstanding achievements so far this year; I can’t wait for the VIP Performance Night!

Similarly, Grace and Imogen have been representing their year group well and participating in leadership activities such as the NSW Parliament experience, SRC and Peer Support. It has been great to see so many of our new Year 10 Aboriginal students take such a strong leadership role in their school community. Well done girls.

APPIN MASCARE

This year has seen the 200^th anniversary of the Appin Massacre. Aboriginal Studies students in Year 11 were invited to participate in the Heritage Forum to discuss the history and significance of the Appin Massacre. I was humbled to see these two girls present their information and answer audience questions with such pride, and demonstrating a wisdom beyond their young years. The Forum was attended by many of Macarthur’s important political, business and community leaders; and each group remarked on how impressed they were by the girls in Year 11. Well done girls on showcasing the study you have been doing in Aboriginal Studies this year.

The Heritage Forum was followed by the much anticipated Appin Memorial Ceremony, which was held at Cataract Dam on 17 April. This day saw over 3,000 people attend. Many of our girls, from Year 7 – 11 played an active role; from preparing food, making coffee and tea, carrying heavy items and supporting our Elders and other community members. It was great to see some of our girls forming a guard of honour as the community made their way down to the ceremony site. It wasn’t just the students who helped out on the day, but many of the parents too – big thank you goes out to all those from the St Patrick’s community who supported the event and its organisers.    

SORRY DAY

Our Year 7 girls have also been out and about during Semester 1, attending a community Sorry Day event at Holy Trinity Church Minto. During this day, the girls were able to meet other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the Macarthur area, have a yarn and lunch with our Elders and other Community, and listen to the presentations and performances to commemorate such an important day. Our Year 7 girls were also instrumental in the organisation and running of Traditional Indigenous Games during Reconciliation Week, along with some of their non-Aboriginal friends.

INDIGENOUS GAMES

The Traditional Indigenous Games were held during a lunch time during Reconciliation Week, and this saw our Year 7 students, along with Kayla and Tayla of Year 9, teach their peers Gorri, Weme and Wana. Bella of Year 7 in particular stood out with her superb hand eye coordination, hitting her target almost every time. This was a great lunch time event and many of our non-Aboriginal students were out playing these games and having lots of fun – along with myself and Mr Stevens. Well done to all the girls involved in the organisation and running of these games – thank you for sharing our culture with St Patrick’s.

This term, all the girls were able to participate in a NAISDA incursion. This incursion saw the girls working with Ryan, a dancer from the NAISDA Dance College. Ryan worked with the girls, and many ‘claimed’ they were not dancers, but by the end of the incursion were moving beautifully – proving to themselves I think that anything is possible. I am pleased to say that Khaila of Year 12 and Kayla of Year 9 were successful in being offered an opportunity to apply for the July NAISDA camp. Erin of Year 8 was also chosen, however she will be able to apply next year in Year 9.

BANGARRA

Our most recent community event saw a number of girls from Years 8 and Year 11 Aboriginal Studies, along with Year 11 Aboriginal Studies students from John Therry attend a performance of Bangarra’s ‘Our People Land Stories’. This was such a wonderful opportunity and enabled the students to connect the story of the Appin Massacre to the performance being presented on stage. It was wonderful also to see the Aunties enjoy their day out in the city and enjoy having all the young people around. After the performance, students were able to meet the performers and those responsible for such a wonderful performance. I can say that all those who experienced the Bangarra performance thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We would all like to thank Sister Kerry, Sister Patricia, The Browne Sisters and the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for providing all the students with this opportunity. We would also like to thank them for allowing staff to attend and for providing this opportunity for our community. Thank you so much.  

This year will continue to be a busy year for Aboriginal Education, with NAIDOC, AIME, Aboriginal Studies in Year 8 and 11 and other community events yet to come. I look forward to sharing future events and achievements of our students with you. Have a great holiday everyone and stay safe… See you in Term 3.

 Jo Tanginoa - Aboriginal Education Teacher

Gallery

Bring your assessment tasks, homework, class notes or questions. Dedicated English teachers are available to help. All students from Years 7 to 12 are welcome.

Come along to Room LH1 on Wednesdays at lunch time. If you love reading and are ready for a challenge, launch into the world of the classics and join the Literature Club. All students from Years 7 to 12 are welcome to join. Drop in next Wednesday and ask our mentors for a starter pack.

All are welcome to join us for "The Pi Club" every Friday at lunch time in Room 33.

27 June - Year 11 2017 Information Night
28 June - Year 11, 12 Music Excursion, Pacific Nations Workshop
30 June - Year 12 SOR Incursion, Year 12 SAC Incursion
01 July - Benedict Day, Awards Assembly, STAFF AND STUDENTS FINISH FOR TERM 2
25 July - STUDENTS RETURN FOR TERM 3
26 July - NADIOC Assembly
27 July - Year 7 Vaccinations, Year 11 SOR Excursion, MISA Debating Round 5, Year 9 and 10 Science/Engineering Excursion
28 July - Year 7 and 8 Science Acceleration Quiz, Year 10 RE Incursion
29 July - CSDA Debating Final
02 August - ICAS English Competition
4 - 5 August - Year 11 Subject Selection Interviews
8 - 15 August - Year 12 Trial Examinations
11 - 12 August - Year 11 Leaders Camp
16 August - Sports Assembly, Year 7,8,9 Parent/Teacher/Student Night, Maths Competition
17 August - MISA Debating Round 6
18 August - Year 11 SLR Recreation Day
19 August - College Assembly, Aboriginal Education Excursion
23 August - Middle School Parent Forum (9am and 7pm)
24 August - Year 8 Italian Excursion
25 August - Year 9 Reflection Day
26 August - G Day
29 August - Literacy Numeracy Week
30 August - Senior School Parent Forum (9am and 7pm)
31 August - HSC Projects Showcase 6.30pm to 8.30pm
01 September - MISA Debating Round 7, Elevate Young Leaders Forum
02 September - Father Daughter Dinner Dance
08 September - Year 12 Chemistry Excursion
12 - 16 September - Year 11 Preliminary Exams
13 September - Year 9 and 10 Drama Excursion
16 September - Aboriginal Education Excursion
20 September - Year 12 Assembly, Year 12 Graduation Dinner
21 September - Year 12 Graduation Mass
22 September - Year 12 Formal
23 September - STAFF AND STUDENTS FINISH FOR TERM 3
10 October - STAFF AND STUDENTS RETURN FOR TERM 4