St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 4 - Week 6 - 8 November 2024

Last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming a former student of St Patrick’s back to visit the College to see the changes and reconnect with past teachers. Jose was a graduate of the Class of 2007. He was an excellent student with a passion for technology. It was wonderful to see him after many years. Congratulations to Jose for earning his dream job at the software and design company Canva in Sydney. It's always rewarding to see students return and share their many successes. Next week, we will be hosting the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1974 from St Patrick’s Christian Brothers College. I can't wait to see them all back in the classroom.

Board & Parent Engagement Committee
On Wednesday, the College Board and Parent Engagement Committee held their final meeting and farewell dinner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members for their dedication to our college. They have all been a great support for our community. I acknowledge the extra planning and thought that were necessary for us to transition into one St Patrick’s College.

Appointment of Acting Assistant Principal - Curriculum (Senior)
Congratulations to Mr Dean Andric on his appointment as Acting Assistant Principal – Curriculum (Senior) commencing 2025. I wish Dean all the best in his leadership of the College.

Semi-formal
The Year 10 semi-formal will be held on Wednesday 20 November. Tickets should now be purchased. We look forward to seeing all students attend what promises to be a memorable event.

Sports Awards Presentation
Junior Sports Awards were held at a special assembly last Wednesday 30 October. Congratulations to the huge number of students who participated in the various carnivals and competitions throughout the year and those who received awards on the day.

Fees and Textbooks
Please ensure that all fees are finalised as soon as possible. Year 12 students should have returned all their textbooks prior to next Friday’s graduation.

End of Year Celebrations
The end of the year is fast approaching. Next week our Year 12 students will celebrate their Final Assembly on Thursday and Graduation Mass on Friday. These activities will be filled with mixed emotions, not only for the students, but also for their parents. I welcome all parents and families of our Year 12 students to attend or watch the Graduation Mass through our live stream via the link below.

Graduation Mass Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/ZR3xH...

I wish all our graduating students the best as they continue their journey into the next stage of a wonderful life and I invite them visit anytime.

Year 12 Students Driving
I remind students of their obligation to remember to drive safely and obey all road rules when they leave the College next Friday. Local police have indicated that there will be a strong law enforcement presence next Friday (Graduation Day) and over coming weeks. High spirits that can accompany significant moments such as leaving school for the last time, should not play out in bad behaviour whilst driving vehicles.

Remembrance Day
Monday 11 November is Remembrance Day and we will pause at 11am for a minute’s silence in memory of Australians who have died or suffered in wars and armed conflicts. We hold in prayer, those who have sacrificed so much for us, so that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms we have today. May we look to live our lives in a way that honours their sacrifice.

As you have been driving past the Mercy Campus over the last 2 months, you would have noticed the gradual demolition of our Mercy Hall. This project has been many years in the making and had been put on hold until the merge of the two Colleges was firmly entrenched, so you can imagine our excitement to get the project underway.

The main purpose of the redevelopment was to maximise our available teaching space and to create a facility that would enhance the delivery of our sporting and cultural programs. The new Hall will incorporate:

* An airconditioned multi-purpose sports court marked for basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton
* Tiered seating
* Improved audio-visual capability
* External toilet cubicles replacing the enclosed “toilet block” concept which enhances safety and visibility
* A “Cultural Precinct” with purpose-built teaching space for Dance, Music and Drama
* A new gym for our HPE and Sporting Excellence programs
* Three instrumental music tutorial rooms
* Music and sport storerooms

Our new Hall will become the centrepiece of our Mercy Campus and will provide a state-of-the-art facility for our students to develop their creativity and sporting prowess. Along with the redevelopment of the Tuckshop toilet block which will also incorporate external cubicles, the project is hoped to be completed by the start of Semester 2 2025.

Following the Hall project, we will then move into Stage 2 of the Mercy Campus redevelopment with the creation of a dedicated “Student Services Hub” which will be where classrooms D01-D05 (ground floor of the double story building) currently are. This project will include:

* Three dedicated counsellor interview rooms with adjoining waiting room
* A new Responsible Thinking Classroom
* “Chill Out” space for students experiencing anxiety or upset
* A new Curriculum Centre to support students with learning needs
* Three “break-out” rooms within the Curriculum Centre for small group learning
* Office space for Inclusive Curriculum staff
* Preparation area for Teacher Assistants

This project will also allow the Library to reclaim the space currently used by the Inclusive Curriculum Centre, upstairs on the mezzanine floor. This way the Library will be able to allow students and teachers to book the lecturette space, quiet learning areas and media rooms for small group and class projects, as intended in its original purpose.

These projects, along with redevelopment of toilets and change facilities on the Senior Campus, will ensure that St Patrick’s College provides the best possible facilities to enhance the learning and development of our students, making it a modern school that our community can be rightly proud of.

The final completion date for all works at the Mercy Campus will be the end of 2025.

Despite governments globally moving towards raising the minimum age for social media access due to mounting concerns about the negative effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, there's now an even newer challenge on the horizon - the rise of romantic and companion AI bots. These virtual companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, raising serious questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of relationships in the digital age.

The rise of AI-powered relationships is offering a new frontier in human interaction. Initially emerging in the gaming world, AI companionship has evolved into mainstream culture, with apps providing personalised experiences that range from platonic friendships to romantic encounters. These interactions can blur the boundaries between real and virtual relationships, creating confusion and potential psychological harm.

Criminologists warn that children as young as 12 are accessing dating apps, often bypassing age restrictions, exposing them to sexual content and predatory behaviour. Researchers have also found that many adolescents are turning to virtual partners for validation, risking unhealthy emotional attachments that can affect real-life relationships.

As AI reshapes social dynamics, it's crucial to stay informed and engaged. While AI can enhance education and creativity, it also presents challenges around privacy, mental health, and misinformation. This Special Report will help you foster an open dialogue and balanced approach to help young people navigate this evolving digital landscape.

Here is the link to your Special Report

https://stpats.qld.schooltv.me...

We appreciate that it is difficult finding parking space surrounding our Mercy Campus. In the interest of maintaining good relationships with our neighbours, we ask that parents and families do not park in the driveways of neighbouring residences or on their lawn outside their property.

We thank you for being considerate in this matter.

Vinnies Committee would like to extend our gratitude to its dedicated members. We recently celebrated a successful year together with a break-up lunch.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Vinnies Christmas Hamper Appeal so far, your generosity is making a real difference for families in need this holiday season. With two weeks left to collect, we invite everyone to keep bringing in donations! Suggested items include tinned ham, biscuits, cordial, and other non-perishable Christmas treats.

Let’s make these last two weeks count as we prepare to deliver the hampers at the Year 10 assembly on Wednesday of Week 8!

Supporting your child during exams and assessment time can be challenging as a parent, but also can make a significant difference in their ability to cope with stress and manage their time successfully. Studying effectively involves a mix of good strategies, time management, and self-care.

Here are some helpful tips for parents to assist around exam time:

1. Create a positive study environment. This should be a quiet place, free from distractions. Make sure they have all their resources nearby.
2. Establish a study schedule together. Help your child create a realistic schedule that balances each subject, extra curricular or work commitments, and also allows times for breaks. Avoid “cram” sessions by encouraging regular study times.
3. Encourage goal setting. Get your child to define what they would like to achieve each session. This will help keep them focused.
4. Encourage healthy habits. Stressful times can often lead to easy food choices that may not necessarily provide the nutrients they need. Plan ahead and have healthy snacks available. Also, remind your child to take breaks to recharge their minds.
5. Be supportive, but not overbearing. Offer help when asked, but allow them to take responsibility for their studies. This will create independence.
6. Encourage active learning techniques. Suggest study methods like flashcards or summarising. You could even ask them to teach you about what they are learning.
7. Maintain open communication. Talk about their study progress and how they are feeling about exams.
8. Help manage stress. Introduce relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness or short walks. Encourage positive self-talk and focus on effort rather than just results.
9. Limit distractions. Help set boundaries with technology, social media and other distractions during study time by encouraging focused, uninterrupted study sessions.
10. Be patient and understanding. Recognise the exam periods can be stressful and emotional. Offer empathy and support, and remind them that their well-being is most important.

Head of Sport 
We recently celebrated our 2024 Junior Sports Awards. Congratulations to all award winners and special mention to our Junior Sportswoman and Sportsmen of the Year, Isabel S & Lucas H and Sangwani C.

Basketball
What a year it has been for St Patrick’s Basketball. The commitment started for all 6 of our teams at the start of Term 2 with trials followed by weekly training. Our teams all traveled to the Gold Coast to represent St Patrick’s at the Champion Basketball School of Queensland competition better known as CBSQ. With more than 80 teams participating in each age group at the CBSQ tournaments, our results this year have been outstanding. Our open teams competed at the end of Term 3, our Juniors and Sophomore (Years 7 & 8) in Term 4 on the Gold Coast. The junior teams played exceptionally well throughout the tournament. Both the Junior boys and Junior girls teams went on to compete in the grand finals, unfortunately both going down at the last hurdle.

Our sophomore boys and girls managed to go one better. Both teams advanced with ease into the Grand Finals even battling through sickness and injury. The grand finals were nail biting, but both our boys and girls sophomore teams were triumphant and brought home gold.

The overall results of the St Patrick’s teams for 2024 were:
Opens Boys - 4th, Division 2
Opens Girls - Bronze in the Championship Division
Junior Boys - Silver, Division 2
Junior Girls - Silver in the Championship Division
Sophomore Boys - Gold, Division 5
Sophomore Girls - Gold, Division 3

A special thank you to all Basketball staff who have given up their time in 2024. St Patrick's College is quickly becoming a Basketball powerhouse, these teams could not have been as successful as they were without your support. A massive congratulations to all of our basketballers for an outstanding year.

There are people in this world who dismiss reading, belittle reading and think everything is boring and unworthy of their time; however, there are also people who recognize the true power of recreational reading. It is those people, those students here at the Mercy Campus, who ought to be encouraged, cherished, and congratulated for their efforts.

“A book is a gift you can open again and again” (Garrison Keillor). Literature teaches you about yourself. Literature cultivates wisdom and a worldview. Literature entertains. The library’s mission statement is to be a guiding light on the path towards enrichment by providing spaces, programs and resources that nurture and support the development of the staff and students of the Mercy Campus. As a result, the following students were recognized for their reading achievements last week on school assembly:

The Epic Reader Award for 2024 went to Emmett E with 36 books borrowed from the library. Emmett received a $100 book voucher from QBD. The Dedicated Reader Award went to Rexjan M and Robert P. Both boys received a $75 book voucher each. The Avid Reader Award went to three students this year, each receiving a $50 book voucher from QBD. Congratulations to Maddison S, Liquicia W and Chloe G. A special award called the Manga Maniacs Award went to Jorja H who read 68 books from the Manga collection and 77 books in total from our general collection. Kaheira W read 65 Manga books and 70 books in total. Both girls received a $50 book voucher from QBD.

Next week, students will be judged for the Art Bursary. We have received many entries again this year, and it is a pleasure to be able to have an opportunity to celebrate the Arts. Stay tuned!

Parent/Student Consent
Thank you to the parents who have updated their child/s media consent via Parent Lounge. We still have a large number of students who do not have media consent. This prohibits us from publishing your child’s photo in our newsletter, on Facebook or any other form of media. Student’s images are only ever used with the child’s first name or initial and surname to protect their identity. For instructions on how to update the consents via Parent Lounge please refer to our last Newsletter published on 25 October 2024.

On October 11th and 12th, eight students represented St Patrick’s College in the Queensland State Titles for Chess. The finals took place at St Joesph’s Gregory Terrace, and it was the first time ever that we had two teams qualify for this event.

The teams departed Mackay at midday on Friday and settled into their accommodation with the Optiminds team, ready to do battle bright and early on Saturday morning. With the increase in prestige surrounding this tournament, our players were required to record their moves and all games were clocked.

Whilst both teams had challenging matches first up, they soon found their feet and started to show the competition the skill hiding in the North of the state. This is extremely promising, particularly given that most of our team has more years in the programme to continue to improve. I would like to pay tribute to the work that Adam M has done in his role as our Chess Captain for the year. We have never seen better participation or performance within the chess team and this is largely due to the work he has done promoting chess, particularly at the Senior Campus.

After two gruelling days of chess, the young men in our teams had represented our College extremely well. For Team 1, Owen F was undefeated when playing the top players in each team from around the State. This is no mean feat and he should be extremely proud of his achievements. Lance A, returned triumphantly from an extended absence from the chess board, winning all his games on Day 2 of the competition.

The students within our 2nd Team, fearlessly approached competitors much bigger and older than themselves. Every member of this team is based at the Mercy Campus and as such are often many years younger than their competitors. Pascoe G won all but one game and was crowned regional champion of his board. This is an amazing result for a student in Year 8 and I am excited to see him develop on his already impressive work in the chess team.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff that supported our students throughout the competition; Mr Andric, Mrs Saunders and mostly Mr DeThomasis. Mr DeThomasis has guided many of these players along their chess journey and has also been a major contributor to the success of our programme in 2024. Finally, to the players, you were exceptional in your representation of our college and I am extremely excited for what the future holds in 2025.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌! 

Applications are invited from suitable applicants for the position of 𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 to join the staff of St Patrick's College Year 7-12 Mackay.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 - https://applynow.net.au/jobs/CER1164

Applications close 20 November 2024

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