Last week we celebrated St Patrick’s Day and you could be forgiven for thinking we were in Ireland with the rain and the overcast conditions. Despite the weather, it was a good day as we celebrated mass at St Paul's, Camden, then travelled back to school for a barbeque which was kindly cooked by our P&F and followed by the cross country and activities. The rain held off so we could still run most of the activities but the conditions were boggy. Thank you to those girls who had a role to play and entered into the spirit of the day with such energy. Particular thanks to our Irish dancers who excelled themselves with probably the best display of dancing we have ever seen at the College.

The following day, Saturday 18 March, we had the Emerald Gala Dinner Dance at The Cube. It was a fabulous evening. With over 300 guests, we were entertained with an excellent performance from both 'Ricky Martin' and 'Michael Buble'! Then the five piece band continued to provide music for the guests to dance the night away. We managed to raise over $40,000 which will go to the Student Scholarship Fund held at the College. I would like to acknowledge the committee who drove this event for well over a year, Mrs Julie O’Keefe, Mrs Peta Borg, Mrs Marion Windle, Ms Jean Alim, Mrs Donna O'Neill, Mrs Danielle Grant, Ms Deb Renshaw and Mrs Katherine Power. We are all indebted to them for their tireless work for this event. In addition to this, you will see the logos of the major sponsors for the event on the website . We could not have raised these funds without their sponsorship so we are also very appreciative of their financial support. Finally, a number of girls contributed to the evening either as ushers or music and stage performers. They were exceptional and certainly made a significant impact on the outcome of the evening. 

Last week, I spoke to the girls about their presence in the community. We have recently had good reason to celebrate the achievements and successes of the girls. They continue to be applauded for their behaviour and talent. Whenever a girl wears the uniform, she represents herself, her family and our College community, in that order. I recalled an incident at my own school when I was younger and how my uniform and role at my school caused me to be a target of some ridicule at the railway station. I am sure some of our girls have experienced similar events as they walk to stations and bus stops in our uniform. Wearing our uniform brings with it privilege and responsibility. I asked the girls to be mindful of how they will be viewed in the community through their language, behaviour and interactions with others. Whenever one girl behaves in a way that is not appropriate, it reflects on more than just herself and all the strengths and positive qualities in our community can be dismissed and forgotten due to her behaviour. I asked that they work together to ensure they represent themselves, their families and their College appropriately whenever they wear the College uniform.

Next week, we will be hosting Year 5 workshops at the College.  We will have over 300 girls participating in various workshops of their choice. It is a good day for these girls to experience life in an all girl school. If you know of anyone who is considering St Patrick’s College for Girls for high school, I ask that you alert them to the Year 5 workshops. Girls from all schools attend and invariably have a very entertaining and informative day. Please contact the office if you would like to register your daughter, niece or granddaughter.

The College is implementing a new parent portal through our new management system. Through this secure portal, you will be able to access information about your daughter and also book parent teacher student interviews. It is password protected and can only be accessed through your email address. A letter will be sent home in the coming days to inform you of the process to use this service. Whilst we have tried to plan and foresee all the anomalies, some may come out of the woodwork! Please feel free to give us any feedback that will be helpful.

Next Monday is the P&F AGM. I would like to encourage you to attend and consider a position on the executive team. The meeting is in the Benedict Centre at 7pm. 

I will leave you with a prayer from St Patrick's breastplate.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

 St Patrick's breastplate