St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 1 Week 2 - 2 February 2024

Welcome back to our returning students and families in 2024. A special welcome to the new students and staff who have joined our St Patrick’s College Community. I thank you all for your decision to entrust us with the education of your child/ren.

On Assembly, I welcomed students back to the College and reminded them all that 2024 brings a fresh new start in their schooling journey. Now is the time to refresh and take advantage of the many opportunities that St Patrick’s College offers.

St Patrick’s Community
I look forward to serving the St Patrick’s Community again in 2024. It is a privilege to work with such a professional Leadership Team consisting of Sean Geoghegan (Deputy Principal – Senior Campus), Scott McSherry (Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning), Tracey McLeod (Assistant Principal –Administration), Brendan Gunning (Assistant Principal – Mission) and Christopher Sorbello (Assistant Principal – Welfare).

I wish to welcome the following new teachers to our staff: Ryan Attard, Kirsty Berzinski, Grace Clive, Ashleigh Cook, Leanne Cureton, Matthew Deeth, Attila Dudas, Bethany Duncan, Tyron Francis, Michael Goode, Julie Hwang, Sonja James, Emma Karrasch, Kye Medhurst, Harry O’Connell, Molly O’Connell, Rebecca Roger and Chana Sticklan. Welcome back the following teachers: Petrina Coomer, Kate Gibbs and Kirsty Mitchell. We extend a warm welcome to our new Teacher Assistants: Brianna Cameron, Stacee Comelli, Tracey Costello, Olivia Drochmann, Trinity Grigg, Cheryl Greer, Aiden Krause, Nicole Meloni and Thomas McNulty. Finally, welcome to our new Auxiliary staff: Margaret Ackermann (Assistant Sports Development Officer), Katelyn Cavanagh (Administration), Rosanne Hingston (Tuckshop), Alexandria Peno (Finance) and Krystal Prentice (Administration). We are very happy to have you at St Patrick’s College.

I also wish to acknowledge Fr Matthias Ogwo of the St Patrick’s Parish community. We look forward to working closely with St Patrick’s Parish as we continue to develop a faith commitment within our student body.

We all share a strong commitment to continue with the proud tradition of St Patrick’s College enhancing relationships between students, staff, parents and the wider community. Please do not hesitate to contact myself if you have any queries or suggestions. We appreciate feedback to assist in future planning and improvement.

Opening College Mass
I look forward to celebrating our 2024 Opening Mass on Thursday 8 February. Our mass will be presided over by Most Reverend Michael McCarthy, Bishop of Rockhampton, together with Fr Matthias Ogwo, Fr Gasper Peruvelil and Fr Anthony Nguyen.

It is at this mass that we also award the 2023 Year 12 McGarry Bursaries. I invite all members of our St Patrick’s College community to join us.

Bishop’s Inservice Day
This year’s Bishop’s Inservice Day will be held on Friday 16 February. This is a student free day as all Catholic school staff will be attending the Bishop’s address and workshops. Our College office will be closed on this day.

Parent Engagement Committee (previously P&F)
I would like to invite all families to attend our Parent Engagement Evenings which will be held at the Senior Campus throughout the year:

• 15 February Meet the Teacher’s BBQ followed by PEC – Success with Parent Lounge
• 30 April 2024 - Google Classroom
• 23 July 2024 - Mental Health
• 29 August 2024 - TBA

Fees and Concessions
School Fees will be issued late next week. If parents have either an eligible Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, please bring them into the Finance office to be sighted and copied to receive the concession card discount.

Fees are billed annually and there are two payment options:

• Pay in full within 4 weeks
• Enter a payment plan to pay throughout the year.
  

Please contact our Finance Office should you wish to establish a payment plan.

What a wonderful start to the year for our College.

During professional development sessions in January, St Patrick’s College teaching staff engaged in a spirituality day with Kristin Honeyball (Formation, Catholic Identity and Religious Education Consultant) from the Catholic Education Office in Rockhampton. 

The day addressed Catholic Identity, a Universe Walk activity, and the intersection of Science and Religion. Teachers engaged firstly in explanations about the College’s ESCI report which explored implications for each teacher in their role for the moulding of Catholic Identity within our college context. A Universe Walk then invited staff on an experience of the formation of the Earth, culminating in more contemporary events like the life of Christ and the scientific revolution. 

The day concluded with an opportunity to reflect on and contemplate the relationship between Science and Religion and explicitly exploring Catholic Christian perspectives of particular scientific concepts within the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority Years P-10 Science curriculum. The staff were provided with practical activities, resources and applications and engaged superbly throughout the day.

The St Patrick’s College Community warmly welcomed our 2024 Year 7 students on their first day with a Welcome and Candle Ceremony held at St Mary’s Church. Thank you to Father Matthias for presiding over our service. We look forward to Father Matthias being a part of our school community again this year.

The St Patrick’s Brekky Van has already been busy this year, supporting members of our community requiring additional support. Argos House is leading the way, being the first house rostered on to staff the Brekky Van for the term. Offering a warm breakfast and good conversations, students get a real opportunity to live out our school values in a practical way - To Seek and Serve Christ.

Finally, we warmly invite all parents and friends of the College to attend our Opening Mass and Investiture of Student Leaders. The mass will be held at the Senior Campus Hall, Thursday 8 February at 9:00am and will be Live Streamed to our Mercy Campus for our junior students.

The College Social Committee is holding a Social Evening for Year 7 students on Friday 9 February from 6.00pm – 9.00pm at the North Mackay Bowls Club. The cost of the evening is $17.50 which covers the fee for the DJ, venue hire, pizza and a drink. Extra drinks will be available to purchase on the night.

If your child would like to attend, please log into Parent Lounge via the ‘Events and Payments’ tab to accept this invitation electronically, make payment of $17.50 and update your child’s medical information if necessary. For students with dietary requirements, an option to indicate a choice of pizza is also given. Kindly RSVP to this event by Monday 5 February 2024.

To access Parent Lounge, click on the link below;
https://324spcm.rok.catholic.edu.au/parentlounge

Welcome to the 2024 Cultural Department. 

Recently, an email and a post on our College Facebook page was sent out with regards to  information on what our Cultural Department offers. If you wish for your child to be a part of our department, new or returning, please complete the relevant Google form and you will be set up in our system. 

Regular rehearsal will commence in Week 4 of this term, with the times and locations being as follows:

An upcoming date claimer for semester one is in the works, so keep an eye on Google Classroom for upcoming performances. 2023 was an incredibly successful year for our Cultural Department, so let's bring on 2024!

Thank you for your continued support of our cultural program.

In a proactive move towards prioritising the mental health and well-being of our students, the senior campus at St Patrick's College has decided to continue with the implementation of the Resilience Project into our Pastoral Care lessons. This innovative program aims to equip students with essential skills to navigate life's challenges and develop resilience in the face of adversity.

Recognising the increasing importance of mental health in today's fast-paced world, St Patrick's College has taken a bold step by integrating the Resilience Project into their educational framework. The project, founded by Hugh van Cuylenburg, focuses on the principles of gratitude, empathy, mindfulness, and emotional literacy to help students build resilience and maintain positive mental health.

At St Patrick's College, we believe in providing a holistic education that goes beyond academic achievement. The Resilience Project aligns perfectly with our commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals who can thrive not only academically but also emotionally and socially.

The Resilience Project offers a structured program that includes engaging presentations, classroom activities, and resources designed to promote mental well-being. Students will explore the concepts of gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness through interactive sessions, empowering them with the tools to manage stress, build strong relationships, and develop a positive outlook on life. These sessions will be running in homeroom as well as our weekly Pastoral Care lessons.

St Patrick's College joins a growing number of educational institutions worldwide that are integrating mental health programs into their curricula to better support students. By implementing the Resilience Project, the school is taking a proactive stance in creating a positive and nurturing environment where students can thrive academically and emotionally.

As the school year unfolds, St Patrick's College looks forward to witnessing the positive impact the Resilience Project has on its students, fostering a culture of resilience, empathy, and gratitude that will extend far beyond the classroom walls.

On behalf of the library staff, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new and returning students. I would also like to reinforce the many benefits students can gain by engaging in and interacting with, the library and its resources.

Our library can be seen as a sanctuary and an opportunity for some quiet reading; or a busy, active space that caters not only for the learning needs of our students offering research facilities, homework facilities, and tutoring; but also providing for students’ social needs where they can gather and enjoy a whole host of school activities such as – board games, card games, the Chess Club, and the Book Club.

The Mercy Campus library is open from 8am - 4pm every day except Friday, when we are open until 3pm. Therefore, if your child needs to stay at school for whatever reason until 4pm, then you can be rest assured that the library can cater to their needs. They could make use of the various facilities on offer, all in a safe and secure environment. There is always something to do in the library!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖!Applications are invited from suitably qualified applications for the position of 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 to join the staff of St Patrick's College Year 7-12 Mackay.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 - https://applynow.net.au/jobs/CER889

Applications close 16 February 2024

Click on this link for more details and to register:
https://www.eventcreate.com/e/...

My name is Julie Inman Grant, and I am Australia’s eSafety Commissioner (we call ourselves 'eSafety').

On behalf of everyone at eSafety, I would like to thank you for your efforts in helping our children and young people stay safer online. We understand online safety can be a significant challenge
for schools, especially keeping up with evolving risks, behaviours, technologies and out of school online interactions.

I would like to take this opportunity to outline how eSafety can support your efforts in this area, including the development of an exciting new eSafety Schools' Hub.

How eSafety can help
For those of you who may be less familiar with our role, eSafety is Australia’s independent regulator for online safety. We started in 2015 as the Children’s eSafety Commissioner and are now at the forefront of the fight against online risks and harms faced by adults as well as children.

eSafety coordinates online safety education and prevention efforts across Australia, with the cooperation and support of many stakeholders and partners. Our website (eSafety.gov.au) provides a wealth of evidence-based resources, professional learning and advice for teachers, school leaders, students and parents/carers on how to be informed and safe online.

Importantly, I want you to know that we have legislated powers to help when members of your school community are experiencing serious online harms, through our four reporting schemes:
• Cyberbullying – for serious cyberbullying of young people under the age of 18.
• Image-based abuse – for the sharing, or threat to share, intimate images or videos online.
• Adult cyber abuse – for certain types of online abuse of adults, including school staff or
members of your school community.
• Illegal and restricted online content – for illegal and restricted content online, such as material that shows or encourages child sexual abuse, terrorism or other extreme violence.

We work with law enforcement and support agencies like Kids Helpline and headspace to provide a coordinated approach to supporting schools and young people who report to us under these schemes.

eSafety Schools’ Hub
As part of our commitment to help schools prevent and reduce online harms, I am pleased to share our new eSafety Schools’ Hub. The Hub is a gateway to a range of resources to help you develop a whole-school approach to online safety, access professional development, support teaching and learning, respond to online incidents, and more.

It brings together key resources from our website, including our Toolkit for Schools, Best Practice Framework for Online Safety  Education, factsheets, posters and flyers, along with new downloadable resources specially created to help you share important online safety messages with your school community.

The Hub has been developed in consultation with members of the National Online Safety Education Council – our forum for regular engagement between eSafety and representatives of Government, Catholic and Independent school sectors across every state and territory.

My ask of you
eSafety’s mission is to help safeguard Australians at risk from online harms and to promote safer, more positive online experiences. As outlined above, we aim to achieve our mission through a range of preventative and protective services for the Australian community.  

We have seen that in many situations, simply knowing where to go for help with serious online harms can be absolutely crucial to the safety and wellbeing of our children and young people. 

To this end, I strongly encourage you to use the materials provided in the eSafety Schools’ Hub to raise awareness of eSafety across your school community, through your newsletter, website and social media, displaying posters around your school, and any other opportunity available. Together, we can help to ensure every student, parent, carer and teacher is aware of how we can prevent and respond to serious online harms.

I trust that the new eSafety Schools’ Hub is a valuable resource for your school community to continue working towards safer, more positive online experiences. 

Yours faithfully
Julie Inman Grant
eSafety Commissioner

The annual Year 12 Mocktail, will be held on Friday 8 March 2024 from 7:00-11:00pm at the MECC in Alfred St, Mackay. This is an alcohol, drug and smoke free event for Year 12 students who attend local Secondary Schools in the Mackay and surrounding district. Tickets will be available for sale from the Senior College mid-February.

Recently the Hunters Junior Division, our u17s League Boys competed in the Warba Wangarunya Rugby League Carnival in Rockhampton. The boys had trained since October, committed completely, undefeated for the whole competition and won the u17s division. We are proud of the boys as they played with respect, honour and discipline on and off the field with a few players selected by a Cowboys Scout for future development academies. 

Seven St Patrick's College students supported the Hunters Family and played in the u17s team;

Traejorn Cora (C) - Halfback
Cooper Cavell - 5/8
Oscar Bishop (awarded Best Forward) - Forward
Billy Cruden - Centre
Calvin Ramos - Hooker
Kereama Gartner - Forward
Andrew Simpson - 2nd Row