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.