Last week, we hosted a very informative workshop for Year 8 parents at the College. Mr Baca, Mrs Wright, Dr Bourne and myself presented information specific to Year 8 students across the state and then, more specifically, information we have gathered about our own Year 8 girls. Many of the parents present commented on how informative and helpful it was in understanding the processes at the College, the growing needs of their daughter and how they can better support their daughter for the future. Next year, we will host similar nights for families in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The format is less lecture style and more workshop so that parents can share their experiences and concerns and hear what other parents are doing. We will send out the dates early next year so you can include them in your diary.

Staff are busy preparing the final reports for the girls at the moment. In a few weeks, they will be posted and you will be able to see how your daughter has progressed over the semester. I encourage you to sit with your daughter and discuss the material that is included. Go through the comment and the grades. Affirm her for the good work she has achieved and discuss ways that she can improve for the future. If you would like some further explanation of the report, please feel free to contact the College as staff will remain on site until midday Wednesday 7 December.

This week we held Orientation Day for Year 7 2023. What a bundle of energy and excitement these girls were! It was wonderful to again have the girls onsite and watch the older girls demonstrate such leadership and responsibility as they walked the primary girls around. I am confident any nerves the girls may have had about high school will be eased after such a fabulous day.

Likewise, we will again host our primary school Stem Challenge on 25 November. We have had to postpone it for the last few years because of COVID, so it will be great to again have 21 teams from across the region of keen and enthusiastic STEM girls at the College. In fact, we couldn’t accommodate all the interested parties for this event. The engagement and passion for STEM at St Patrick’s certainly defies the research that suggests girls are reluctant to engage in STEM. That is not our experience at St Patrick’s College. 

Sadly, I accepted the resignation of one of our counsellors, Ms Ayesha Jilani. Ayesha has been with the College for several years and has decided to move into a private practice. We wish her well and thank her for the great work she has done over that time with our girls.

In a recent meeting with the Chair of our Members, Sr Elizabeth Delaney gave me a copy of The Sydney Statement. This is an initiative of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations. It has been developed by Youth PoWR (Parliament of the World’s religions) which is a coalition of young adults from different religions in Sydney. It took two years of consultation and drafting and the final product has been endorsed by prominent leaders including the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

The Sydney Statement is building bridges between believers and different religions. I feel we are very blessed to have a community that reflects all the values and context of The Sydney Statement. A community that welcomes the stranger and  finds a place for all to belong. Sr Patty Fawkner, congregational leader of the Good Samaritan sisters, wrote in her article in the Good Oil this month:

"As the cultural environment is enriched by diversity and diminished by uniformity, so the glue that binds us is honouring and understanding our differences”.

She wrote about the six specific diversity competence skills we all need to cultivate and grow for it is God who has created difference and it is God who is present in every one of us.

I will leave you with the infographic which they have created.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

It is a time when we as Catholic Christians should consider the world and society around us and how we can experience the "nourishment" and "hospitality" of God for a better future. How we can be the change and hope that the world needs. In 2022 there are so many examples of suffering or an absence of peace where God is needed. We can certainly pray for peace with hope in this coming season of waiting but we need to do this in partnership with God being active in the process. The issues in our world are large and can seem too overwhelming to change. We can do our own small bit to help and be neighbour to those in need of peace. 

Louise Barry - Religious Studies Coordinator

Reflection Days offer our girls the opportunity to be removed from their usual daily routines and study so as to be able to have a change of pace and to slow down. The Year 9 Reflection Day offered the girls the chance to reflect upon and contemplate what it means to “Let Your Light Shine”—the theme of the day.

Through a variety of activities, the Year 9 girls explored topics and issues such as humility, true beauty, giftedness, and judgementalism. As ways of delving into these topics and issues, Year 9 experienced a mindfulness exercise, exploration of Scripture passages, a reconciliation ritual, and the creation of a Year 9 “Chain of Giftedness”, as well as prayer to start and end the day. The final part of the day was devoted to introducing Year 9 to Community Service and prepping them for the St Patrick’s College Year 10 Community Service Program which they will undertake next year.

Year 9 were also fortunate to have had ten Year 12 girls assisting with the facilitation of the day’s activities and small group discussions. The Year 12 girls who volunteered their time away from lessons were: Monet C, Sophia S, Jemma W, Lucy G, Krisa K, Amelia B, Laura R, Grace G, Monique G, Liana Y. They all fulfilled their role as facilitators with confidence and maturity, having displayed excellent leadership.

Year 9 student, Chloe R, offered these comments about the day:
“I really enjoyed the reflection day, especially for the way everyone was really respectful when people went up and spoke at the lectern. The topics discussed were different compared to what we usually learn about in the classroom and it was a way to see how we were going in our years at St Pat’s. It was an eye-opening discussion to see how much we really notice if we cared to look closely at ourselves and others. I liked how everything was put together, the small groups were random but we could still connect with each other. The reflection time during the reconciliation ritual was really well done.”

Year 9 is to be commended for the way they entered into what was their very first reflection day at St Pat’s. They were respectful listeners, engaged, and great contributors to the meaningful discussions that were had.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

Students are required to develop a portfolio of business case studies from which they can draw to answer extended response questions. Bluescope offers a fantastic opportunity for students to visit their steelmaking facility at Port Kembla. It was exciting to be able to visit the steelworks with our Inside Industry tour guides Rick and Steve, who have worked at the Port Kembla site since the 1970s and have a wealth of knowledge to share. The scale, complexity and degree of automation of the steel-making process were amazing to witness and the girls appreciated seeing it for themselves. The insight gained into the practicalities and logistics of manufacturing such a bulky, industrial product on a large scale was invaluable.

Danielle Wilson - Business Studies Teacher

Teachers plan, teach, assess and report students’ learning using the curriculum set out by the NSW Education and Standards Authority (NESA), which has its foundations in the Australian Curriculum. NESA curriculum documents set outcomes for each course and progress towards the outcomes are indicated on the academic reports. 

The Semester 2 reports also include information about attendance, participation in whole-school or whole-cohort events and progress statements related to personal social development. Our pastoral and academic teams include a personalised comment about each student. Academic comments will focus on academic results, dedication in class as well as feedback on strengths, and areas for further development.

Semester 2 reports are sent home as a hard copy portfolio and they are published on the Student and Parent Portal as they become available. Important strategies to support students include engaging in discussions about the results and identifying areas that need attention. A strategy might be to have a short discussion now and then a longer discussion as we approach the beginning of the 2023 academic year.

Discussing the report

Here are some strategies to support the discussion:

1. Looking at the work habits (Personal Profile), see if there was a result less than excellent. Support your daughter to set some goals related to work habits for 2023.
2. Ask questions about how your daughter is feeling about the report or what part is she most proud of. Ask her to identify her strengths and areas for development.
3. Try not to sound or look disappointed - instead focus on the support you can provide moving forward. For example:

• Creating a ‘fresh’ workspace conducive to home learning.
• Resetting study routines.
• Asking questions like  - “How can I help you manage your workload? What strategies do you think will make a difference?”
• Instead of “I was expecting better results …  Try Nice work with mathematics. What do you think helped those grades go up? Can we apply some of those strategies in Science?” or "I am surprised with the grade in … because I have seen how hard you are working.” - The message here is that you know she is capable of making progress in every subject.
  Pro tip - the 2022 Semester 1 report is available in the Parent / Student portal - focus on growth between reports rather than high grades.
• A renewed focus on the use of the College diary.
• Unpacking particular topics that need attention - don’t hesitate to contact the teacher or KLA coordinator for advice.
• Setting goals and creating practical, small steps to support students reaching their goal.

If students or parents have any questions about their Semester 2 results, then please reach out to the subject teacher for clarification.

Dr Debra Bourne - Assistant Principal, Learning and Teaching.

These strategies were informed by the following resources:

Craigslea State High School - Building parent-school partnerships
Literacy for Boys - Report Cards: 5 common situations and how you can discuss them with your child
Christian Gallen: How to talk about: School reports. Parentingplace.nz

The Peace Day was coordinated by the Sydney Peace Foundation which awarded the Peace Prize to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The day started with an educational awards ceremony at Cabramatta High School in which the girls could listen to keynote speakers Pat Anderson, Allira Davis and Bridget Cama who are all involved in the statement. After the ceremony, the girls were greeted by traditional lion dancers and drums played by the talented students of Cabramatta High School and the invited schools which was truly a fun and eye-opening experience. There were then dances from many different cultures that displayed Cabramatta's diverse nature with dances and songs from cultures such as the Torres Strait Islanders, Tongan, Samoan, Arabic and Cambodian. After this, the girls listened to an insightful speech and ode from Std. Sean O’Malley and Lt. Gary Jones. Following this, the last post was played and a minute's silence was held in remembrance and honour of all of the soldiers who fell in World War One. Finally, the peace bell was rung and 100 peace doves were released to conclude the day. This day was remarkable and all the girls learnt so much in this experience.

Millie E - Year 11 Student

More about the Uluru Statement here: https://ulurustatement.org/

These magnificent writers attended the awards ceremony on Tuesday 15 November at Mount Annan Botanic Garden to plant a few of the 5,500 trees (one tree per poem) from this fabulous, Australia-wide competition.

Their stunning poems, Nature within Me and Little Bud, can be found on Red Room’s link:

https://redroompoetry.org/projects/poem-forest/shortlist/

Congratulations on this magnificent achievement. Poetry has the power to change hearts, inspire thoughts and grow alternative futures.

Marguerite Pulham - English Faculty

The Sisters of the Good Samaritan came to Campbelltown in 1887 at the direction of Bishop Bede Polding to open a convent and conduct St Patrick’s Convent/College. St Patrick’s College was located at what we now know as Old St John’s on the corner of Broughton and George Streets. St Patrick’s had been conducted since 1840 by lay teachers before the Sisters arrived.  The Old St John’s building was the original Catholic Church in Campbelltown built by Fr John Therry. St Patrick’s College Convent/College remained there until 1969. In 1888, the Sisters purchased our current school site. It was called St John’s Preparatory College ‘Westview’ -  ‘Westview’ being the name of the original farm and small cottages that stood on the property. The Sisters bought the land with the intent of establishing a boys’ boarding school for 5-12 year olds. The first boarders commenced in 1889. The Sisters converted the Westview cottages to a convent, a parlour, sleeping areas for boarders and classrooms, as well as private living areas for the Sisters. The ‘Westview’ cottages were demolished in 1956 and stood exactly where the buslines are today.

As St John’s Preparatory College “Westview” grew, a purpose built brick building was needed and this building is what we call today the Benedict Performing Arts Building. Its foundation was blessed on 22 December 1921 and the building was officially opened on the 3 August 1922 by Right Reverend Monsignor J. O’Gorman. The old Westview cottage still stood behind the new brick building and the corridor between the two buildings was known as ‘Windy Gully’ by the boys.  The current Drama Room was the St John’s Preparatory College ‘Westview’ chapel and the door near the projector screen leads to a little room that was the sacristy. Where the toilets are currently located was the shower block for the boys. The current dance and music rooms were once the dormitories where the boys slept and the nuns had their sleeping areas known as cells . The current counsellors' offices were rooms for music tuition and a parlour for the nuns to receive guests. The Sisters, such as Sr Claudia and Sr De Pazzi, became like second mothers to the boys. 

In 1954, construction began on a new section of the school which would join the 1922 building. This was completed in 1956. The extension is easy to spot—the 1922 building is built of very dark bricks, the extension bricks are a lighter reddish brown. This is where our music rooms are today. The new section contains the current administration and H block. The current school chapel was also built at this time.

In 1969 St John’s Preparatory College ‘Westview’ closed forever at the end of the school year. It was a combination of declining enrolments, changing attitudes towards boarding schools, as well as St Patrick’s Convent/College needing a new site as its enrolments were growing too fast for the Old St John’s site.

The History Club took part in the unveiling of two plaques to commemorate the centenary and Emily M read out the following:
' We would like to acknowledge the tireless work of the Sisters of Good Samaritan who conducted the St John’s Preparatory College ‘Westview’ on this site between 1889-1969. This building is a testament to their foresight and commitment to education and to the Campbelltown area.'

We wish to thank our College archivist, Jo Cavallin, for assisting the History Club and her drive and passion behind the commemoration. 

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

Mounties  had some members dressed in World War I AIF uniforms from 18th battalion Living History Group and wanted our nurses to recognise the important contribution Australian women have played in Australia’s military history. Students’ costumes spanned from World War I until the 1980s and focused on women's nursing units. 

Our students were given the honour of taking part in the catafalque party during the ceremony and all students had an opportunity to guard the catafalque. Students also presented a wreath on behalf of the College.

Students involved were Emily M, Janae B, Karli G, Jorja G, Emma M, Laura Z, Taya G, Bianca W, Keely M, Gabrielle V, Kate W, Mia W, Chloe K, Elizabeth K,  Isabelle S and Lillian M. 

A special mention goes to History Club member, Bronwyn Z, who is an Army Cadet. She was involved in the Lakemba ceremony for Remembrance Day. 

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

The History Club worked hard to make over 650 felt poppy kits for students to make their own poppy to wear on Remembrance Day. Students made these poppies during pastoral time over the preceding week.

Mrs Fetterplace’s Modern History class conducted a Remembrance Day service and a minute's silence over the College loudspeaker.

The student leadership team attended the Camden RSL Remembrance Day service accompanied by Mr Muller. Students were particularly interested in the guest speaker, Kate Munari, the only Navy helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.  Our College Captain, Abbey C, was invited to give the student address entitled ‘My Anzac Ancestor’ where she spoke about her great-great grandfather, Paddy Bugden VC who was killed in World War I. Her address was very well received by the community and her concluding remarks are below:

‘One thing that is very clear, however, is that Paddy Bugden’s story is one of many. There are countless other young Australian men who, like Paddy, bravely responded to the call and made the ultimate sacrifice. The stories of these young men are repeated and retold amongst their families, who honour their ancestors each time we gather to share their memories. In the Camden area alone, almost 500 of the 3000 people living here enlisted to serve in the war. We gather together, in times like today, to honour the memories of all those who have fought bravely and given their lives, as well as those who came home and built this great country under the cover of the freedoms they fought for, the same freedoms that we still experience each and every day, and to all of them, we humbly say thank you..'

Lest We Forget

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

On 15 November 2022, this young team won their semi final against St Francis Catholic College, arguing the negative for "That computers will replace teachers"

This was a tough topic, largely because of the verb "will". These teams are very used to arguing "should" topics; to argue that something "will" happen is not the same as arguing that something "should" happen - and luckily, our team figured that out during their one hour prep time.

The opposing team had a strong delivery, a well developed case, and a powerful model, all of which was very impressive. However, our 8A team won on the basis that they were more able to connect their ideas to the specific topic at hand.

It was certainly a tough debate, and a welcome challenge to this talented team. We wish Rebecca, Zali, Elizabeth, Chaiyya and Natalie the best of luck in next week's Grand Final.

Laura Bryannie - Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

You can use any artistic medium you like – draw, paint, craft, digital design – just keep in mind that it’s going to need to look good when scanned or captured by photo and re-printed. And of course, all designs must be your own original artwork.

It is also worth noting that the Christian meaning for Christmas is very important for Vinnies members, so designs that are reflective of this are likely to be preferred, but all designs will be considered!

This competition is open to all school students. There will be five winners, one for each of the five St Vincent de Paul Society NSW regions (based on the Catholic Diocese): North-East – Lismore and Maitland Newcastle Diocese, North-West – Armidale and Bathurst Diocese, Metro – Sydney, Parramatta and Broken Bay Diocese, West – Wilcannia Forbes Diocese and South – Wollongong and Wagga Wagga Diocese.

This competition is free to enter. The closing date for entries is Monday 5 December 2022. 

The winners will be announced on this website before the end of Term 4.

For more information about this competition or to submit your entry please click here.

You've got to be in it to win it and for more opportunities check out the Library's Competitions for Students guide which includes writing competitions, art competitions, STEM and HSIE competitions.

The College Library

Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Notes:

POINTS: Avoid long sentences and condense content into key points.
TABLES: Use tables wherever you can to create structure and make the content easier to learn.
KEY WORDS: Pull out key words and capitalise them.
HIGHLIGHT: Make sure the main content stands out (but don’t go crazy with colour).
FEEDBACK: Show your notes to teachers, parents and friends so they can suggest ways to improve them.

It is helpful to retain your study notes from each subject and organise them by topic. You would be surprised how helpful the notes from the previous years can be. Ensure that you can read and understand your notes: no point spending time making study notes only to find them confusing and non-helpful.

It is worthwhile spending some time over the break to create and organise your study notes. Make it a practice to do study notes at the end of every topic. This way, the information is fresh in your mind. It also gives you the chance to approach your teachers if you find that you are unsure about something. It is also much more time effective to spend a little time at the end of each topic rather than summarising a whole year's worth of notes.

The College Library

A quick but important message from the College Library - all Library books borrowed last term and any books borrowed in the first few weeks of this term are now due for return. The exceptions to this are textbooks that are still being used for course work. Overdue books not returned by Friday 2 December will incur a replacement fee. Due dates and student library records can be accessed via the Library catalogue 
1. Click 'login' at the top of the page, then click on the blue bar
2. Click on 'My Stuff'
3. Choose 'Checkouts' to view items currently on loan

Note: Due dates are presented in MM/DD/YY format.

We encourage students to contact the Library if they have any concerns or questions. Students can return their items in the chute located outside the Library.

The College Library

Summer reading is an enjoyable - and important - leisure activity for students during the holidays, to help avoid the 'Summer slide' in reading achievements gained during the school year. The College Library may be closed over the holidays, but the beauty of ebooks and audiobooks is that students still have free access to a broad, exciting range of reading and audio material - through ePlatform and axis 360.

Students also have the opportunity to borrow physical books and magazines from the College Library to read over the holidays. As long as students do not have any overdue items, they may borrow a maximum of six items, due for return in week 1 of Term 1, 2023. Parents and carers of students are also welcome to browse the Library catalogue and request a book to read over the Summer - just reserve the book under your daughter's name. 

As always, the Library Team is here to help or recommend a student's next great holiday read - just ask! 

The College Library

The annual Emerald Gala Ball event is to help raise funds for the St Patrick’s College for Girls Scholarship Fund.

This fund covers tuition for local families and their daughters encountering difficult circumstances. The Scholarship Fund enables them to access a Catholic Good Samaritan education in our secure and supportive College that would otherwise not be possible. St Patrick’s College acknowledges its responsibility to help the vulnerable and we seek to make a real difference not only by providing a secure and supportive education but also by giving access to a life-changing scholarship fund.

Your support will enable a community of young girls to thrive, to become strong and confident in spite of the hardship they may face. We ask you to please help us support these less fortunate young girls and let them shine.

Our 2022 Emerald Gala Ball successfully raised $72,585. We can report that with the generous contributions from our supporters to the Scholarship Fund, we were able to provide 25 girls with a St Patrick’s College education. These scholarships strengthen our college community and, with your contribution, we can continue a worthy scholarship program.

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED AND HELP?

* join as a sponsoring Event Partner

* purchase event tickets 

* donate a prize for the raffle or silent auction

* make a donation to the Scholarship Fund

Any of the above would be gratefully received.   For further information click HERE to visit the Gala Ball webpage.

Enquires can be directed to email: galaball@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au

Our Shinning Stars!  Thank you for supporting those in need.