Where has this term gone? It is hard to believe that as you read this, you will be preparing for Easter and the girls will be welcoming their first break in the year.

We have had a number of events more recently which has seen the College hosting groups of people for various reasons. Last Thursday, we hosted 310 Year 5 girls from the local area for the Year 5 workshops. Despite pouring rain and windy conditions, the girls had a wonderful time experiencing life at St Patrick’s. They made sherbet in the Science labs, paper mache animals in Art and lots of fun in Drama, Dance, Music and HSIE. Each girl seemed to enjoy their day and certainly our girls enjoyed extending the hospitality for which the College is known. For many of our visitors, this was their first experience of being in an educational environment without the boys and quite a few of them found it liberating. It was particularly gratifying to see the leadership displayed by the St Patrick’s students who assisted for the day. They were wonderful ambassadors of the College.

The following day, we hosted a preview of the new building for ex-students and past staff. The facility was excellent for the event and all were thrilled with the new spaces for the students and staff. We were able to touch base with these strong supporters of St Patrick’s and share with them the good news coming from the College. The new building works will be ready for us to accommodate next term. We have taken parents attending the parent forums through to have a look also and they have expressed their satisfaction. We will do some further refurbishment of the old classrooms 1 to 3 during term 2 so that the whole space upstairs will be refreshed. Once all of this is finished, we will have a blessing and grand opening when you will be invited to attend with official guests.

Last week we held the P&F AGM. It was pleasing to see a number of parents present for the meeting. All of the positions were vacated. I would like to extend my thanks to the new executive of the P&F.

President:    Denise Egan (Roisin Year 9)

Vice President: Claire Montgomery (Tori Year 10)

Secretary:        Liz Henson (Ella Year 12)

Treasurer:       George Gatt (Emma Year 10)

I would like to also express my appreciation to Monique Keogh, who held the P&F Vice President role prior to this for several years and the Alumni President role prior to that. She continues to be a strong advocate of the College and has given many years of dedicated service to its activities. The P&F also presented a cheque to the College for $25,000 from their funds. This will be used to purchase a laser cutter that all girls will be able to use through their courses. We are now in the business of selecting a suitable machine and will then train staff to use it safely. I would like to thank the P&F for their generous support. This will really provide some great opportunities for the girls in their classes.

At the end of the term we will say farewell to Ms Aoife Gallagher who held a position at the College whilst Mr Paul Ashkar was on long service leave. We wish her well for the future and thank her for her time at the College. Sadly, we will also farewell Mrs Judy Holt. Mrs Holt has been at the College for over 15 Years. She began when the McGowen system was still in operation and has seen the College evolve and change significantly over the years. She held Administration Coordinator for several years and more recently has been part time. Her gentle and humble manner have endeared her to all staff and we wish her every happiness as she moves to ‘properly retire’ to the coast.

A reminder to all our parents ahead of the break at the end of Term 1, that school zones remain in place for the safety of our children and families. School zones operate on all gazetted school days, which are all days the school is open, even pupil free days.

Each year, the Australian Government Department of Education and Training collect residental address information and I have attached a copy of the letter from the department for you. If you have any questions regarding this notice, you can contact the department by email: seshelpdesk@education.gov.au or phone (free call): SES helpdesk on 1800 677 027 (Option 4).

Finally, all the staff wish you a peaceful Easter. My hope is that the good news that He has risen will fill your Easter with joy and appreciation for all the blessings He has given us in our lives.

I will leave you with an Easter Blessing from the Green Heart of the Snowdrop

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

How beautiful is the blossom
spilling from the tree,
the hidden primrose
and the bluebell
ringing out the news.
He is risen
he is alive
we shall live
for evermore.
The dark winter is past,
the slow, cold, foggy days are over

May the warmth of your resurrection
touch our hearts and minds
as the warmth of the sun
blesses our bodies.

Fr Joe Nguyen presided over the Mass with Fr Mark De Battista concelebrating. Fr Joe’s homily made mention of prayer. In our praying, Fr Joe said, we often ask to receive things. However, the result of our praying may well be that God takes things away from us, things such as jealousy, envy, pride, selfishness.  In other words, prayer transforms us. Prayer helps us in the process of becoming better people. This relates well to the season of Lent, which is a time for us to focus on being more Christ-like. St Patrick was a man of faith, which was the result of his love of God developed through his prayer life and his love of Scripture. We also celebrated the fact that St Patrick was a builder of communities. With St Patrick as our patron, we have a role model who has demonstrated for us the value of being in right relationship with God and with each other.

As is often the case, our girls sang with enthusiasm during the mass, which, in turn, enriched the sense of celebration for our Patron’s Feast Day. The opening hymn, “Let Us Build a House” is a song of welcome which was fitting for the occasion as St Patrick’s Day also doubles as our opening of the school year mass. We particularly made welcome the Year 7 girls, girls who have joined other year groups this year, and staff new to our College. We prayed also for God’s blessing on our community and the year ahead.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

The day will be run as a symposium with a theme aligning to their science unit of work called Next Gen - Towards a sustainable future. We have enlisted the help of several Sydney universities (UTS, UNSW, Macquarie, and UoW) as well as Wollongong Catholic Education office to facilitate workshops. There is a focus on engineering real-world problem solving. Attached is a flyer that provides further information about the content of the day and permission notes will be sent home in week 1 next term. 

Parent volunteers are encouraged and most welcome. If you have a passion for STEM and would like to participate, please contact the eLearning Coordinator as soon as possible to register your interest (elearning@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au). For more details about the event please download the flyer.

Debra Bourne - Leader of eLearning and Library Services

To start with, students explored their own reading habits and the stylistic features of the genres that appeal to them. Students then used this exploration to decide upon a genre that they wanted to use to write a creative piece. Students used the stylistic features as a way to make their writing of interest to their intended audience. Students also explored the need for a plot outline to help construct their writing in a logical manner. The importance of the editing process was highlighted not only for their own school work but also as part of the process authors go through to have a book published.  This was challenging as editing occurred a number of times. Good time management was needed to digest the feedback and think creatively to make adjustments to the stories so that by this week they had the best story they could produce.

Students were also introduced to the concept of book trailers as a way of promoting a book. Some students then used book trailers they had made to showcase their stories as part of the expo.

Claire Stalker-Booth - College Librarian

The incursion was a workshop run by our Aboriginal Studies teacher Mrs Tanginoa and supported by Mrs Treanor and Mrs McGillicuddy involving close examination of a number of Aboriginal artefacts where the students worked in groups to determine the use and significance of objects such as a Woomera, Nulla Nulla, Coolamon and Dilly Bag amongst others.

The excursion was lead by Mrs McDonald, Mr Muller and Mr East and involved students engaging in the famous Campbelltown Council Heritage Walk, where many of the famous old buildings were visited. The excursion started off at the historic Old St John's site, took in St Peter's Anglican Church, visited the Town Hall and finished at Koshigaya Park. A very enjoyable day and excellent way to conclude the 'Our Place' unit in Connect.

Nathan East - HSIE Coordinator

Their exhibits are their ‘Textile Gardens’ designed and made last year as projects in the St Patrick’s College Scholastica program.

Both girls are to be congratulated for this wonderful achievement. Special congratulations are in order for Samantha E, whose work was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ ribbon and certificate.

Jackie Irwin - TAS Teacher

Congratulations girls on reaching the Zone Final. We are all very proud of you.

Marguerite Pulham - Public Speaking and Debating Coordinator

Congratulations to Karina M, Ellie F, Emily P, Gabrielle P, Kayla I and Rhiannon K who represented the College with such grace and dignity. For some, it was their very first Public Speaking encounter and it was a very positive experience. Special mention must go to Kayla I (Year 10) and Emily P (Year 9) who will represent St Patrick’s at the next level of the competition. Many thanks to Rostrum for giving the girls this great opportunity and to St Gregory’s College for hosting.

Marguerite Pulham - Public Speaking and Debating Coordinator

The cross country part of the day commenced with the competitors race, which involved over 75 students racing over a modified course of 3.5km through the College grounds. This race provided the pathway for students to represent the College at the Wollongong Diocese Cross Country Championships being held at Nowra in Term 2.

A highlight of the race was the support and appreciation shown towards the competitive runners by the student body as well as the involvement of both students and staff in the non-competitors event.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of rain received in the lead up to the event, we were unable to conduct the activities planned for the afternoon. Students were still able to participate in small group activities with their peers in pastoral groups.

The results for the day were as follows;

12 years – Amelia C

13 years – Ayla M

14 years – Tara B

15 years – Amy S

16 years – Amelia A

17 years – Ana C

18 years – Joanne S

Overall Champion – Amy S

A big thank you must go to all people involved with the running of the day and for making the day so fantastic and full of ‘St Patrick’ spirit.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator 

Year 7/8/9 Volleyball – 1^st Place

Angelique-Laura H, Miriama K, Mackenzie M, Jessica N, Olivia A, Natalie T, Alysha B, Dhani, Jessica R and Tara B. Coach: Ms Cornett.

Year 10/11/12 Basketball – 2^nd Place

Kimberly S, Amy S, Natalie S, Monique P, Megan B, Michaela C, Samantha J and Joanne S. Coach: Mrs Nash.

Year 7/8/9 Softball – 2^nd Place*

Chantelle D, Jarian H, Minduli T, Rachel T, Mackenzie B, Paris H, Amadee T, Ellie F, Janaya B and Rachel W. Coach: Mrs Lawrence.

Open Tennis – 1^st Place*

Samantha S, Rahn W, Natasha T and Natasha F. Coach Mrs Caffrey.

Year 10/11/12 Oz Tag – 1^st Place*

Brooke D, Paris B, Emma O, Adriana H, Ana C, Eden G, Kayla G, Kiarra B, Lily M, Olivia F, Andrea M and Julia P. Coach: Mr David.

* These results were based on the limited games that were played this term but are not ‘official’ results.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Jarian H, who continues to set the weightlifting world on fire, recently competed at the Australian Championships where she was vying for selection in the Australian team for the Commonwealth and Oceania Championships. It was a very successful event for Jarian, breaking the NSW and Australian records in Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Olympic Total for the 15/U 69kg category. Jarian is now in a very good position to gain selection in the team. Best of luck with future events.

Amy S, recently competed as part of the NSW athletics team at the National Championships. Amy competed in the 3000m and 2000m steeplechase running a new personal best in both events and winning a Bronze medal in the steeple chase. An outstanding performance. Well done Amy.

Julia P and Amy S, were selected in the Wollongong Diocesan touch team to contest the NSW CCC touch championships in term 2. Congratulations to both girls.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

All students have been given an invitation to take home. Places are limited and only 250 tickets will be sold for this lovely event. Closing date for the purchase of tickets is Wednesday 3 May. For enquiries, contact the College on 4629 2999.

7 April - Easter Liturgy, Staff and Students finish for Term 1
24 April - Staff and Students return for Term 2
25 April - ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
26 -28 April - Year 9 Camp
28 April - Year 7 STEM Day Incursion, CSDA Debating Round 1
1 May - Dio Cross Country, CCC AFL Girls Selection
2 May - Anzac Day Assembly, CCC 15 Years Netball Selections,
3 May - CCC Open Netball Selections, DIO Girls Soccer
4 May - Year 8 STEM Excursion
3 May to 5 May - Year 12 Retreat
5 May - Year 9 Day of STEM Incursion, Year 8 Geography Excursion, Year 10 Food Tech/Commerce Incursion, CSDA Debating Round 2
8 May - College Photo Day
9 May - College AGM
9 May to 11 May - Year 7 and Year 9 NAPLAN testing
12 May - AIME Excursion, CSDA Debating Round 3
13 May - Mother and Daughter High Tea
16 May - Year 7 - 12 Parent/Teacher/Student Evening
17 May - Year 7 Reflection Day and Mass
18 May - Year 12 Advanced English Excursion
19 May - CSDA Debating Round 4
20 May - Year 7 Enrolment Interviews
23 May - Mt St Benedicts Social Justice Forum, Year 7 - 12 NAISDA Incursion, Year 12 Meeting with the Bishop Excursion
24 May - Year 7 - 12 Parent/Teacher/Student Evening, Year 10 Sorry Day Service
26 May - Middle School Dance, Year 11 Physics Excursion, Year 9 Drama Excursion, CSDA Debating Round 5