St Patrick's College Mackay Newsletter - Term 4 - 11 October 2023

Welcome back to Term 4, the final term of the year and I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday break. As you know, I recently had sabbatical leave to travel to Scotland, Ireland and Rome for professional growth with other staff members from Catholic Education. During our travels, we visited a number of schools to look at how they operate and the different programs that they run. It was an amazing journey and I found it extremely interesting visiting these schools. Highlights of my journey were visiting Catherine McAuley’s House in Dublin, the Edmund Rice Centre in Waterford and the Vatican Rome.

The past year has seen the two colleges come together as one. I am looking forward to celebrating our successes at the many wonderful events and celebrations that are planned in this term.

I hope all students have returned refreshed and ready for a final burst of effort for the year. Our staff have been working meticulously throughout the last few weeks marking and preparing the submissions for our senior students. Year 12 students have a relatively short term, with their final external examinations through the ATAR system commencing in two weeks on Monday 23 October. The Year 11 and 10 students will also commence their examination timetable in November. I look forward to seeing parents at the Student Lead Conferences on the Mercy Campus tomorrow afternoon.

It is really important that our students understand the need to finish well. This is in every regard. The Year 12’s in particular need to maximise their results.

If Year 12 students have not registered for QTAC and are considering tertiary study next year, they should do so as soon as possible. I would also encourage any student who has not seen Ms McKay about careers and tertiary courses already, to please see her as soon as possible this term.

Important Dates this Term

I would also like to share the dates of important activities occurring this term:

12 October – Student Lead Conferences (Mercy Campus)
17 October – Year 12 Valedictory Evening at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre
20 October – Year 12 Celebration Activities on the College grounds
23 October – Year 12 External Examinations commence
28 October – St Mary’s Church Youth Mass
5 November – St Patrick’s Church Youth Mass
13 November – Year 10 Examinations commence
14 November – Year 11 Awards Night in commencing at 6:00pm in St Patrick’s Hall, River Street
16 November – Final Year 12 Assembly and Mass practice commencing at 8:30am in St Patrick’s Hall, River Street
16 November – Year 11 Examinations commence
17 November – Graduation Mass commencing 9:00am in St Patrick’s Hall, River Street
22 November – Year 10 Semi-Formal
24 November – Year 10 Thanksgiving Mass commencing 9:00am in the Mercy Campus Pavilion
25 November – St Mary’s Church Youth Mass

New Staff Welcome
At the beginning of Term 4, we welcomed Melinda O’Connor and Linda Krajewski as new staff to the St Patrick’s community. Melinda teaches Mathematics and Science subjects, and Linda will assist in our Learning Support Department as a Teacher Assistant. Welcome to St Pat’s!

Valedictory Information
Valedictory evening is approaching on Tuesday 17 October and is being held in the Auditorium at the Mackay Entertainment and Conventions Centre (MECC). I would like to invite all parents/guardians of Year 12 students to help us celebrate the achievements of our Graduating Class of 2023, either by joining us at the MECC or by watching the proceedings through our livestream.  For those joining us through our livestream, please use the following link - St Patrick's College Valedictory 2023. This link will also be available on the College App.
 
Year 12 Celebration Morning
On Friday 20 October, to celebrate the Year 12 student’s final day, we will be holding a day of activities for the students. I would like to personally invite parents/guardians of Year 12 students to join us for this inaugural event.
 
St Francis of Assisi Visit

Thank you to our Year 9 Religion students and Mrs Louise Mullaney for inviting residents from St Francis of Assisi nursing home to visit the College. The residents had a wonderful time with the students and it was great to see the students interacting with our senior community members. Well done to everyone involved.
 
Term 4 Fundraiser Initiative – Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal
I ask the St Patrick’s College community to again support our Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal. All donations received go towards helping those in the community who are struggling and in need our assistance. We are leading up to the Christmas season, a time for giving and a time for reflection and appreciation of others.

Thank you to our college community and the Vinnies Youth Committee for your Term 3 fundraising initiative. Recently a cheque contribution of $3,500 was presented to Sr Denise Hinton. These funds will help vulnerable communities in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Champion Schools Basketball Competition
At the end of Term 3, St Patrick’s College entered a boys and girls team in the Champion Schools Basketball Competition in Brisbane. Both teams played in the second division and performed very well, with both teams winning their divisions.  What a fantastic performance from our teams. Thank you to coaches Jamiey Doevendans and Rachel McKenzie and Sarah Gibbs, Lorraine DiFilippo and Lauren Jones who assisted these teams.

I’d like to wish our junior basketball players all the best as they are currently competing in the Champion Schools Basketball Competition Junior Division in Brisbane. Good luck everyone.

Touch Football
During Week 1 of Term 4, St Patrick’s College entered three teams into the Gold Coast Titans All Schools Touch Competition. Teams entered were U15 Girls, U15 Boys and Open Boys. All students played very well in their respective teams across the five days. Special Mention to the U15 girls team who finished third in their pool, just beating the open boys who came fourth and U15 boys seventh respectively. Thank you to William Gilbert, Jake Riley, Doug Bettington, Sarah Gibbs and Dee Meigan for travelling with and supporting our students during this competition. Well done to all involved.

76th Annual Macrossan & Amiet Solicitors Mackay Eisteddfod
The Mackay Eisteddfod is in its second week.  Congratulations to all soloists from the College who have performed.

Valedictory Night - Tuesday 17 October 2023

Valedictory night is approaching on Tuesday 17 October and is being held in the Auditorium at the Mackay Entertainment & Conventions Centre. Doors to the MECC will open at 5:30pm, with doors to the auditorium opening at 6:10pm. Family and friends of students are welcome to attend to help celebrate the achievements of the Graduating Class of 2023.

The Valedictory evening will involve a presentation of our graduating seniors, entertainment, awards, and speeches. All students will be presented to the Year 12 student body, staff, guests and the live-stream and will receive a graduating certificate and a College memento. There will also be the presentation of the academic awards. Details about all awards can be found below. As this is a formal event, it is expected that students will be dressed in full academic uniform. This includes wearing their best uniform with grey trousers for boys and stockings for girls, polished black shoes, and being cleanly shaven for boys and tidy hair for both. This is an opportunity for students to look their very best as representatives of the College.

Students must be at the Mackay Entertainment Centre by 6:00 pm sharp, for proceedings to begin at 6.30pm.

Valedictory Rehearsal – Tuesday 17 October
Year 12 students are required to attend a rehearsal for Valedictory night. Students are asked to arrive at the College as they would for a normal day at school. We will then make our way to the MECC as a group following roll marking after a shortened lunch. After the completion of the Valedictory rehearsal, staff and students will return to the College as a group for the remainder of the day. Normal lessons will be run in Period 5. Please note, students are not permitted to drive to this rehearsal and will be under the supervision of St Patrick’s College staff throughout this activity.

The following details the awards to be presented on the night.

Marist Sisters Effort Award
Students who have demonstrated outstanding application of effort to their academic studies will be awarded the Marist Sisters Effort Award. Eligibility for this award is calculated by average of students Behaviour, Work Habits, and Homework Completion across all their subjects in both Unit 3 and Unit 4. Students who have averaged a Very Good result in these criteria, will be awarded with the Marist Sister Effort Award.

Christian Brothers’ Award for Academic Merit
Awardees will be determined by results after internal assessment in regard to their five best subjects (only five subjects can be counted):
⮚    A, B, C: 5, 4, 3 points respectively; over best five subjects.
⮚    Merit:  20, 21, 22 points.
 

Christian Brothers’ Award For Academic Excellence
Awardees will be determined by results after internal assessment in regard to their five best subjects (only five subjects can be counted):
⮚    A, B, C: 5, 4, 3 points respectively; over best five subjects.
⮚      Excellence: > 23 points.

Mercy Sisters’ Subject Awards
⮚    Awarded to the highest achieving student in each subject

Julie Delaney Memorial Award
Awarded to a student studying a Vocational Education and Training Course, on the basis of:
⮚    internal assessment grades
⮚    application to set tasks
⮚    ability to work with peers
⮚    ability to use own initiative
⮚    ability to work without close supervision
⮚    conduct, manner and bearing of a standard that reflects the good name of the College
⮚    completion of a majority of relevant learning outcomes.  

The Francis Xavier Fulton Memorial Award – Staff Award
⮚    for excellence in academic, cultural and sporting endeavours in the spirit of the mission statement of the College

Anthony McNeill Memorial Award – Christian Leadership Award – Student and Staff Award
Criteria to be judged by:
⮚      commitment to Christian belief and practice

Father Bucas Award – Christian Leadership Award – Student and Staff Award
Criteria to be judged by:
⮚      Honourable representation of the college
⮚      Consistently good application in academic endeavour
⮚      Committed service to and concern for others
⮚      Excellence in conduct and dress
⮚      Commendable sense and use of initiative

On Friday 20 October, Year 12 students, together with parents and staff, will come together to celebrate an important milestone in the completion of their formal schooling.

After input from the Student Representative Council, and to celebrate this special occasion, we would be delighted if parents could join staff and students, in a morning of festivities which will include games, amusements, music and free food. The celebration will commence at 9.00 am and conclude at 11.30 am.

We wish to inform our students and parents that St Patrick’s College does not sanction ‘muck-up’ days. We call on all members of the St Patrick’s community to stay true to maintaining the spirit of dignity and mutual respect that characterize staff/student relationships at the College. We want our Year 12 students to be safe and not risk compromising the high regard with which they are held by teachers who have cared for and supported them over many years.

Much as I loathe having to send students home for engaging in activities that are either anti-social, dangerous or destructive (or all three), I will unhesitatingly exercise my judgement, as Principal, to do so.  This may also include a prohibition on student attendance at Valedictory and Graduation Mass ceremonies.

We would love the pleasure of your company on Friday 20 October, even if, in the busyness of your day, it can be for a photo opportunity.

To confirm numbers for catering, please click on this link Year 12 Celebration Morning by Monday 16 October to indicate whether you will be attending.

Mercy Day 

On the last day of Term 3, our college celebrated Mercy Day with a wonderful Liturgy of the Word, followed by an afternoon of activities out at Harbour Beach.

This is the day that we give thanks for the life of Catherine McAuley. Catherine was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1778. In 1824, she established the House of Mercy where homeless women sheltered, Catherine ministered to the sick and dying, and where she educated young girls. Catherine and her co-workers professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy in 1831. 

Thank you to Sister Denise, Sister Kerry-Ann and Sister Marise for being with us for our celebration. It was wonderful that they could be with us to recognise the 150th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy in the Rockhampton Diocese. 

As part of our celebration, our Annual Mercy in Action Encouragement Awards were awarded to a student from each of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Our award winners for this year were:

• Year 7 recipient, Grace Keen
• Year 8 recipient, Jonny North
• Year 9 recipient, Madeleine Searle.
• Year 10 recipient, Kingston Grigg.

‘The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow.’ Catherine McAuley.

Francis of Assisi Visit
Thank you to our Year 9 religion students and Mrs Mullaney for hosting the residents from Francis of Assisi. It was a fun and engaging afternoon of food, drinks and of course, bingo. Our students showed true Christian compassion throughout the afternoon and it was wonderful to see our young students making friends, building connections and sharing their stories with the valued members of Francis of Assisi Home. 

A special thank you to the lovely residents who visited us on Monday.

During Term 3 our Year 8, 9 and 10 students worked with three Artists in Residence to create lanterns for the Daly Bay Illuminate. Our students created a hive of bees including the queen and several smaller ones. These were successfully used at the installation last week. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn new techniques and showcase their artworks in the community.

Welcome back.  This term our cultural ensembles still have many opportunities to perform. These include at Valedictory, a concert at St Mary’s and a performance at the annual Rotary Fair.  Please ensure your child is aware of the following dates for performances and our cultural Christmas party at Souths Suburban Bowls Club.

Our first performance being Valedictory, requires quite a few of our ensembles, and at different times throughout the evening.  If your child is in the below ensembles for Valedictory and is not a senior student, they will be required at the following times;

Vinnies Warehouse are in urgent need of the following items;

• Bric a Brac
• Homewares
• Toys
• Shoes
• Handbags
• Books
• Furniture

Donated items need to be clean and in good condition and can be dropped off at the Vinnies Warehouse in Canberra Street. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Reminder - Term 4 Vinnies fundraising focus will once again be the Mackay St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. 

Vinnies Christmas Hampers 

The Vinnies Committee are seeking donations of various food items for the annual Mackay St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal.

The ‘Most Generous Homeroom’ trophy is up for grabs for the homeroom with the most Christmas hampers. The winning homeroom will also receive a homeroom lunch and the ‘golden basket’

The Christmas Hampers will be presented to Annamaria from Vinnies at the final assembly for Year 10 on Wednesday 22 November (Week 8)

CatholicCare School Savvy donations sought:
We have been asked to support the local CatholicCare School Savvy project that will be happening in early January next year. School supplies and uniforms will be available at a small cost to families in need to help with the financial burden of getting kids back to school.

Both campuses are invited to donate any of the following items to support this worthwhile project:

• Boys and girls uniforms from ANY school in the region 
• Exercise books
• Pens and pencils
• Pencils
• Rulers
• Glue Sticks
• Calculators
• or any other school supplies

Please leave any donations with Student Reception.

In Term 3 our Year 10 industry visit gave insight into careers in manufacturing. Thank you to Ben from D&T Hydraulic and Teanna from Resource Centre of Excellence for your time.

Work Experience 
Over the September holidays, many students participated in Work Experience and we would like to thank our local community for supporting our students and providing this valuable opportunity. 

Activities Available
There are a number of activities on offer for Year 12 students this year.  Check our St Patrick's College App regularly for more information. Thank you to the following local industries, CQU, Resource Centre of Excellence, MAS National Into Work and Ideal Placements for their support with our students. 

• MAS National into Work - Year 12 Resume writing workshop Friday the 13th October, noon 2.30pm in the Hall Meeting room. 
• White Card Course is being offered to interested Year 10 students in early 2024. This Is a legal requirement for anyone working in a construction site. 

Gold Coast Titans All Schools (GCTAS) is an annual touch football event run by Queensland Touch Football held at the world class Gold Coast Performance Centre at Runaway Bay, Queensland.

Held in October, it is the world’s largest touch football tournament, with over 530 teams representing various schools both nationally and internationally. This year we entered both U15 Girls, U15 Boys and Open Boys.

Across the 5-day tournament, over 7,200 students will take to the field playing over 1,850 games across 30 fields, attracting between 6,000 and 10,000 spectators.

Our St Patrick's College teams achieved well in all competitions, with U15 Girls placing 3rd, U15 Boys placing 7th and Open Boys placing 4th in their respective pools.

Team award winners

• Players Player - Jala Brown 
• Players Player - Lachlan Beldan
• Players Player - Toby Falconer

Congratulations and thank you to all players who trialled and attended the carnival this year.

If you are unable to attend on your day, please try to swap with someone on another day.  If this is not possible, please contact the tuckshop co-ordinator Margaret Floyd on 0401 003 919 (mobile) or 4994 8770 (Mercy Tuckshop)

The Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme provides financial assistance for families transporting students to non-state schools in Queensland. To find out more about eligibility requirements click here: https://www.schooltransport.com.au/ 

Applications close 31 October