This week we had our first virtual full College assembly. It was a great logistical exercise for the three IT staff and they were exceptional in delivering the event. There were a few agenda items and the feedback from staff and students was very positive. Here is the link to the assembly for you to enjoy. Click Here 

Later in the day we had our first Remote Activities lesson. Again a number of people worked behind the scenes so that this could be offered for the girls. Thanks again to the IT team and Mr Ashcroft in organising this. I am sure your daughter will be able to share with you her experience during that time.

Next week we begin our transition back to face to face teaching onsite. All girls in Years 11 and 12 will be returning along with their teachers. Any girl in Years 7 to 10  who wishes to be at the College may attend as she will be supervised as she continues with her Remote Learning program. Then over the following two weeks we will stagger the other year groups back to the College. By 1 June all girls and staff will be back onsite.

We have a number of strategies in place to keep students and staff safe whilst they are at the College. We are following the guidelines recommended by Government health experts. Once the girls are back to face to face teaching there will not be the Zoom video conferencing for girls who opt to not return. Unfortunately, it is not possible for staff to offer both face to face and real time Zoom lessons to students. Those girls who do not return with the rest of the year group will be able to complete the work in their course Canvas page and may email their teachers for further work, however, responses will come when staff are able to attend to them. If you have any concerns regarding your daughter's return, please contact her Year Coordinator so we are able to offer some support and assistance.

Over the term teachers and students will work steadily through the material the girls need to have covered in their courses. NESA has notified schools that all outcomes do not have to be covered in Years 7-10. Schools can use their discretion in what will and won’t be covered. With this leniency, teachers will be able to focus on what the girls did manage to get through in Remote Learning and make a call on what will be held over for the following year. Hopefully this will ease any stress or pressure held by all as we resume our normal style of learning.

As mentioned in a previous letter, the parents teacher interviews scheduled for 19 May and 27 May will not go ahead as they will breach social distancing regulations. The College is preparing a different model which will enable you to speak with teachers about your daughter's progress later in the term. I will outline the model in the coming week.

I will leave you with a prayer that one of our Year 7 students, Lara, shared this week with her homeroom. It highlights the value and joy shared with a friend.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

True Friendship
Almighty God, of all the things
you've created, friendship must
be among your favourites. What a joy it
is for me to be with my friends, Lord.
What encouragement and affirmation
I get from them - and what correction
if it's needed. That's the beauty of true
friendship. It isn't just for here and now.
It's forever.

A true friend is the gift of God, and He
only who made hearts can unite them.  - Robert South

There is much noted about Mary in the Gospels, especially in the Gospel of Luke. Luke’s Gospel introduces us to Mary at the event known as the Annunciation—that moment in human history when, in the fullness of time, God intervened in human affairs by offering salvation through the birth of Jesus, God’s son. When the angel Gabriel visited Mary to announce to her that she would be the mother of Jesus, the angel told Mary that  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. For nothing will be impossible with God.” To this momentous and overwhelming invitation, the young Mary offered a quiet, yet determined “Yes”, saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”

The story of the annunciation is Mary’s personal story of faith, trust, prayerfulness, obedience, and courage. These are the personal characteristics which marked her whole earthly life. At the marriage feast at Cana (told in chapter 2 of John’s Gospel) it was Mary who urged her son to begin his public ministry, telling those around Jesus to, “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary guides us in being the model of acceptance and trust so that with confidence, we too, may do whatever Jesus tells us.

It was Mary who followed Jesus along the road as he carried his cross to Calvary. Mary kept vigil at the foot of the cross and would eventually hold the lifeless body of her dead son, Jesus. However, Mary was also a witness to the Resurrection and was gathered with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit was poured out at the first Pentecost. It is clear that Mary is an integral part of the story of Christianity and as Luke notes in his Gospel, “all generations” will call Mary “blessed” (Luke 1:48). In this month of May, let us look to Mary for inspiration, guidance and encouragement so that we may be true and faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ.

Interestingly, throughout the ages, artists have presented images of Mary which have suited the times in which they were painted. Other depictions of Mary are a reflection of a particular belief or ideology about Mary. Whatever the case, Mary remains an inspiration to all who reflect on her life and her character. Mary is for Christians the model of the perfect disciple.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

In a document from the Association of Independent Schools, they addressed some of these and below are some considerations for us to be aware of for the students:

1. They will need time to ‘reconnect’ with their teachers and their friends – so the longer breaks next week will give them time to do this
2. They may feel like they are starting the school year all over again – so time will be spent speaking with the girls about expectations
3. They may be feeling lots of different feelings – so as a College we need to acknowledge these and give the girls the time and support to work through these – for example through pastoral time and on-site counselling
4. They may be concerned about the work they feel they have missed or that they have not done enough – so we need to acknowledge these feeling and work with the girls about what is reasonable and what measures we can put in place in the classroom to support them in working through this.

As we move back to some form of ‘normal’ we will need to work together to ensure that the girls feel safe and supported as they move forward into the remainder of the school year.

Karen Wright - Assistant Principal Students

We have established a ‘Remote Learning Hub’ to provide students and parents with access to Frequently Asked Questions, videos, documents and resources during our period of online and remote learning.

https://sites.google.com/saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au/remotelearning

Chris Bettiol - Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching

This competition is open to all years and can be either an individual or a group entry. Students have the opportunity to research any historical event/personality/debate that is ‘contested’ and present in a variety of platforms from videos, 3D models to essays. The closing date is 28 August and the winners receive medallions and prize money. There is also an opportunity to receive a ‘Young Historian’ trophy which is presented in Canberra (with travel and accommodation provided).

http://historychallenge.org.au/

Please see Mr East or myself for further information.

Fran Music Rullo - HSIE Teacher

The competition gives students an opportunity to practise the language they may be learning or explore different languages that they may not have even thought of or heard of before. Students earn points by completing fun foreign language activities over a seven-day period and have the chance to win prizes and certificates.

There are 62 languages to choose from including Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Australian Languages, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Chin-Hakha, Chinese, Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Dutch, Esperanto, Fijian, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Latin, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Maltese, Mizo, Maori, Pashto, Persian, Polich, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Serbian, Sign Language, Sinhala, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Syriac, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tongan, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Xhosa and Zulu.

Students in Year 8 and elective language students in Years 9 and 10 will compete in Japanese, but we encourage all students to get involved and have fun exploring the world of languages and opportunities it may create. Let’s go St Pats!

がんばってください！Ganbatte kudasai!　“Good luck” – Japanese

Julian Nash - Languages Coordinator

During the recent holidays, the students and staff were provided with a range of activities that they could make from home to commemorate Anzac Day. Many of our students used recyclable materials to make poppies or Anzac inspired decorations for their homes. Lillian A made a beautiful paper poppy wreath from paper. Oreoluwa A constructed a life size poppy on her fence and Simra B made a lovely poppy photo frame insert. Mrs Tannous also made a lovely tribute with paper poppies and milk bottle lanterns. It was great to see Year 12 also get involved and Kayla B painted glass vases with poppies and the famous Kohima epitaph. Sophia S of Year 7 went over and beyond by not only creating a gorgeous poppy wreath from paper flowers, but also creating a step-by-step video for her peers. This can be viewed on Youtube at https://youtu.be/7jtCHnr5waE

Students were also encouraged to conduct their own ‘driveway at dawn’ services at home and send photos to the College. Bronwyn and Laura Z  and Gabrielle V, all in Year 8, decorated their front lawns and conducted their own ‘driveway at dawn’ services. Chelsey-Rae H and her little sister conducted an entire service and Chelsey played ‘The Last Post’ on her clarinet, please see the following link for a video of the service https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3660912643980233&id=100001845997925

Many of our staff and students sent in photos of their Anzac inspired cooking creations as well. Ava M, Bronwyn Z, Mrs Reader, Mrs Durrington and Ms Boulatsakos baked beautiful Anzac biscuits. Madison W made ‘Anzac Cake’ and Olivia L made some traditional Australian damper. Sophia S of Year 7 also created an exceptional video on how to make chewy Anzac biscuits which can also be found on Youtube at https://youtu.be/KfUVB5LoGtU.

Each year we normally have an Anzac Assembly at the beginning of Term 2. However, this year we had a ‘virtual’ assembly. We acknowledged that this year marks the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War II and 40,000 Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice in this conflict. We paid tribute to our friend of the History Club, Mr Bert Collins, who is 104 years old and served in New Guinea.

Caitlin R in Year 8 gave a beautiful speech about her great grandfather, H.J.Daley, (who Campbelltown Library is named after) and who served in World War II, spending time in the notorious Changi POW camp. Her speech was accompanied by photographs from her family collection. Here is a transcript of her speech:

‘What does Anzac Day mean to me? To me Anzac Day means to remember and commemorate all of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses that fought to protect our country so we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

To me it also means remembering my ancestors that were called to war such as my Great-Grandfather, Harley James Daley, who was a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during World War Two.

Harley James Daley was born on 19 March 1906 in Wilberforce New South Wales. He enlisted with the AIF on 13 June 1940 at the age of 34. At the time he enlisted, he had been employed in local government for 20 years, working for Colo Shire Council, Lane Cove Municipal Council and Ryde Municipal Council. In December 1930, he joined the ranks of qualified clerks and, in March 1931, was appointed Town Clerk of Ingleburn Municipal Council.

Before Harley joined the AIF, he married Gleam Derriman on 17 October 1931 at the Ingleburn Church of New England. The couple had two daughters, Delysia and Cheryl (my Nan). Whilst I never got to meet my Great-Grandfather, I was fortunate to have six years with my beloved Nanna before she died at the age of 102 years!

Before being captured, Harley served as Orderly Room Sergeant for the 2/20 Battalion Headquarters. He was attached to AIF headquarters, which was responsible for its own administration. His duties involved travelling daily by bicycle to Malaya command headquarters to adjust movement in and out of the area, including hospitalisation and submission of ration statements.

Harley was a Prisoner of War from February 1942 to August 1945, one of thousands of Australian infantrymen captured by the Japanese in a lightning raid on North Malaysia. For 3 ½ years he was held at various camps on the Island before being transferred to Changi. Harley, a Warrant Officer, was also in charge of 200 men in one room in Changi Prison. The men received no food parcels, no mail and they had no beds.

Harley kept a diary which he managed to keep hidden from the Japanese by burying it each day because if he was found with it, the Japanese would have killed him. The diary is important because it helps tell the stories and experiences that Harley and other soldiers faced.

In the diary there are many entries from when he was a Prisoner of War. An example of one is Friday 13 March 1942 when on this day he wrote:

“I wondered what this day would bring forth as I had always considered 13 my lucky day – enlisted 13/6/40.  Moved to Wallgrove to NCO school 13/7/40.  Returned to Bathurst from final leave 13/1/41 and here I was 13 months later.

At about 10 am we were told we were moving to the other side of Singapore and off we went on foot, leaving in the truck all gear we did not want to carry.  After a short walk we were dumped into trucks and unloaded at Chatsworth Av, where we sorted out our sections and started a long walk across the golf course where we had to dodge five bombers and plenty of artillery fire.  It was during this march that 27 bombers unloaded their bombs close at hand and what a roar.  You clutch the ground as if your life depends on it and so it does.  A party of Indians gave us some tea, during the march and we were able to get some tinned food from a lorry.

In the later afternoon we reached our destination at the  rear of Tanglin Barracks and took up our positions without being able to dig in.”

Also in his diary is an excerpt of the war diary of Alexandra Military Hospital. A statutory declaration, written by Harley on September 15, 1981, tells of how he came into possession of the war diary of Alexandra Military Hospital, during his imprisonment at Changi:

"Representatives from all POW units assembled at Command HQ daily. A Corporal at Command HQ asked if I had seen the war diary of Alexandra Military Hospital, which is of course most unusual, that any person other than senior officers of the unit concerned would see such a diary. When I answered 'NO', he asked if I would like to see it, to which I replied 'YES'. "

"On my next visit, he handed me the war diary which he had 'borrowed', and I placed it inside my shirt and cycled back to camp. I obtained the use of a typewriter and copied the last three days of the diary of the hospital following the invasion by Japanese forces.

Near the end of World War II, rations for prisoners were down to 8 1/2 ounces of rice a day and greens, most of which were the tops of sweet potatoes. The rice was cooked in sea water. Harley spoke candidly about the devastating impact such rationing had on the health of soldiers in his diary, stating "The men working on the Burma Railway were just skeletons. I had one friend who weighed just 90 pounds." Ninety pounds is just 40 kilograms – which is smaller than your average 13 year old!

When Harley returned home at the end of the war, he resumed his position with Ingleburn Municipal Council. Upon amalgamation of Ingleburn and Campbelltown Municipal Councils in 1948, he was appointed Town Clerk at Campbelltown Municipal Council (now Campbelltown City Council).

It is said that Harley ran the Council with great efficiency, which helped facilitate Campbelltown's transformation from a small country town of 8000 people to a burgeoning city. 

He made a significant contribution to our local area through his role with Council and his service to many local organisations. In recognition of his significant contribution to the development of Campbelltown, the original city library was renamed the HJ Daley Library. The name was retained when the new library, located on the corner of Camden Road and Hurley Street, was opened on 23 March 1991, by Mayor Jim Kremmer.

This Anzac Day, my family and I will stand at the end of our driveway with a lit candle to light up the dawn and remember not only my Great-Grandfather Harley Daley but all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses that have fought in all wars to protect our country.

In the assembly we also looked at the ways our College community commemorated Anzac Day at home. Lest We Forget. Until next Anzac Day…

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

Mackenzie’s address had a local Campbelltown focus, much of it reflecting on the stories her grandfather had told her about veterans in the area who had returned from World War I. The following is an excerpt from Mackenzie’s speech:

My grandfather told me of a true local woman.  She had just one son. He was her pride, her joy and truest love. Like so many local lads in 1914 he enthusiastically enlisted eager to fight. The woman stood and waved her white handkerchief goodbye to him at the docks. She stood and watched him sail away until his troopship became nothing more than a speck dotted on the horizon.Soon that white handkerchief turned into a tear stained, tattered white telegram.

Like many others, her boy went missing in action. Somewhere in France they said.

The mother's sorrowed heart refused to give up hope. She remained in that same wooden house where she kept the front veranda light on, and the door unlocked. Every night. For the rest of her life. She kept her light on. Just so her boy could find his way back home, in the dark. But he never did.

Many others died of broken hearts. Like Campbelltown woman, Elizabeth Nicol, who was devastated upon learning of the loss of her only son, Frank Nicol, who was killed France in 1918.

Elizabeth Nicol struggled to gain money together to pay for a trip to visit Frank’s grave in France. Soon after her visit, she too passed away. Never fully recovering from the death of her beloved son. They say she died of a broken heart.

My grandfather also spoke about a local man who suffered with shell shock. The poor man would direct and stop traffic because in his mind he saw like the ones used at the battle of the Somme.

Mackenzie also spoke about her great-great uncle, William Lyttle King, who was born in Minto and joined the Flying Corps in World War I. His squadron was famous for shooting down the Red Baron. William was injured badly in the war but returned home. He seemingly appeared to resume a normal life continuing his law studies and marrying the former Prime Minister’s (Sir Joseph Cook) daughter. However, he was afflicted with post traumatic stress disorder and by 1925 had ended his own life. 

Mackenzie was also interviewed on the Aussies and Kiwis for Anzac website prior to Anzac Day and the interview is online at https://youtu.be/rptAiS5ZNps

Well done on representing your school so honourably, Mackenzie!

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

In the meantime, students can go over their parts using the following websites that have been updated. They have our current repertoire, plus a couple of new ones to listen to. There are also some photos from the first few performances of this year. 

The St Pat's Ensemble Website can be found here: http://stpatsensemble.weebly.com/

The College Choir Website can be found here: http://stpatscollegechoir.weebly.com/

Elizabeth Samyia - CAPA Teacher

The University of Wollongong is providing a series of subject specific HSC preparation and revision programs. This is an excellent opportunity and students are encouraged to register their interest by clicking here..

Free Careers Expo
If daughter has not registered for the Year 13 FREE Careers Expo please encourage them to do so by clicking here.

Virtual Careers Expo
Torren’s University is also running a Virtual Careers Expo which can be accessed by clicking here.

I have also emailed students information regarding Early Entry programs for most NSW universities. This is a valuable resource and, of all years, one to read over carefully.

Damien Williams - Careers Coordinator

for all events at the College, CLICK HERE