St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 1, Week 8 March 2023

Last week, I was privileged to attend the Diocese Principal’s Conference held in Rockhampton.  It was wonderful for all Principals to gather together with the Catholic Education Leadership Team for this face-to-face meeting.  The Professional Practice focus was Compliance with topics such as Policy Regularity, Wellbeing, Education Accreditation and Attendance.   I wish to highlight the importance of student attendance at school.  Attendance at the College is vital for students to gain a good education.  Every day counts. If families want to make the most of their choice of St Patrick’s College for their child’s education, we all need to work together, ensuring high attendance rates to achieve our goals.    

Our first Parent Engagement Session was held on the Senior Campus on Tuesday night. The evening gave parents the opportunity to hear some insights and the ‘why’ of the “Writer’s Toolbox” software package. Thank you to Mr Sean Geoghegan for presenting this. It was wonderful to have so many families attend. Our next Parent Engagement Session will be held on April 20 with the topic “Parent Lounge and  Student Cafe Information”. These ongoing sessions will allow further parent and family involvement while gaining knowledge of the College’s teaching strategies.

Today we celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a Mass held at the Senior Campus which was live streamed to the Mercy Campus.  Students participated in a variety of fun activities following the Mass and staff enjoyed a shared lunch together. It was a great day of celebration. Thank you to Mr Brendan Gunning and his team for all their organisation and a special thank you to Father Matthias for presiding over our Mass today.

This week you would have received an invitation from Catholic School Parents Queensland to join a free webinar on Thursday 23 March. On assembly this week, I spoke about the importance of students being aware of the concerns and health risks of vaping within our society. I pointed out the potential impact vaping can have on their development and overall health. I encourage all parents, if possible, to make some time for this webinar and to have some open conversations with your child regarding the consequences of vaping.

Register here: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/vapingwebinar

 
Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC)

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) is conducting an important survey with parents and carers about the Catholic education system in Queensland. QCEC would appreciate your feedback via a short online survey to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence families in choosing a Catholic school. QCEC are working with Market & Communications Research and the Online Research Unit to compile feedback. You can complete the survey online by clicking on the link below. 

https://survey.confirmit.com.au/wix/p559809241117.aspx?cg=18
All responses are anonymous. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to share their thoughts on Catholic Education. The survey will close on 20 March 2023.

St Patrick's College Open Night - 2 May 2023

I believe that one of the reasons students have a difficult time writing is that they spend so much time thinking about what to write before they write as opposed to simply writing what they think; the writing facilitates their thinking— their writing is thinking.

In a previous newsletter I mentioned that St Pat’s and Mercy College had introduced Writer’s Toolbox, and ingenious piece of software that uses Artificial Intelligence to provide students with immediate guidance and personalised feedback.  It promises to help us overcome one of the biggest obstacles we as a school face – the paralysis so many students face when called upon to write.  It’s a process so many students delay, failing to see how writing is not the end product, but the process of developing understanding of content and concepts.

I encountered this article on Stanford University’s site, written by Neil Haave, Professor of Biology at the University of Alberta. I have reproduced portions of it below verbatim as it illuminates an insufficiently understood role that writing plays in academic success, and helping students achieve academic success is our core business.

In 2003 I attended a conference of the Association of Lutheran College Faculties and remember participating in one particular session in which the presenter asserted that writing is thinking. I had never thought of writing that way. Until then I had always thought of writing as simply conveying an idea or information to another person: a means of transmitting or recording an argument.

However, that conversation and the activities in which we participated convinced me that there was something to this sense of writing as a way of thinking. My understanding of writing as thinking has since become further embedded in me, strengthened by the results of daily (well... that is my goal at least) writing and also the practice of free-writing by students in class. I believe that one of the reasons students have a difficult time writing is that they spend so much time thinking about what to write before they write as opposed to simply writing what they think; the writing facilitates their thinking— their writing is thinking.

By placing thoughts in the structure of a sentence, we produce vehicles of thought that then may be manipulated on the page or screen (Menary 2007). The act of manipulating the thought vehicles (sentences) is a way of manipulating our thinking by integrating different ideas—it produces thinking: Writing is thinking. Thus writing is not just about enhancing memory and recording thoughts—it is not simply the recording and transmission of information, though it does play that additional role. Rather, when writing sentences, creating new sentences and moving the contained phrases and container sentences around in new structures, the writer is actively thinking, bringing ideas together in new ways that illuminate each other in a manner unknown until that moment.

Writing is but one script for thinking: other scripts exist (Menary 2007). For example, calculus, algebra, computing science, chemistry, and music are all codes for thinking. (Actually I wonder if music, painting, and drawing could be considered a cognitive script.

Writing thus integrates the bodily, neural, and manipulative process and in so doing enables thinking by facilitating the integration and restructuring of different thoughts (Menary 2007). The bodily act of writing externalizes our thoughts, and the imposed structure (the written word) provides a vehicle by which those thoughts may be reorganized into new thinking, a new way of seeing the thoughts or a new way of organizing thoughts. This occurs with the manipulation of the environment: the pen in hand, the fingers on key- board, manipulate the written word into new patterns, into new thoughts. The brain, body and keyboard (pen and paper) are coupled to produce thinking: “...writing is thought in action” (Menary 2007).

This provides a sound theoretical basis for considering writing as thinking. How can this approach be implemented in the classroom? One example reports that writing assignments can be used to learn science and not only writing (Greenstein 2013). Greenstein’s argument is that by having students write in their own words what they have been taught (e.g., to explain to a non-scientist), they then have to construct meaning from the jargon used in their textbook or during lecture. Writing causes students to consider what they think. Sharing that with someone else, a peer student for example, checks their ability to articulate their understanding of the topic at hand. We learn best when we teach. It doesn’t matter whether or not these assignments are marked because it is the act of writing that is important, not the grade—it is the act of thinking through writing that deepens the learning (Greenstein 2013). Students are engaging in the material because writing is thinking.

Because parenting doesn’t come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting. Parenting is a learning journey and it’s easy to feel stressed and overwhelmed when faced with raising happy, well balanced and resilient young people today.

Every family has experienced some sort of difficulty or adversity in recent times, some more than others. As mental health concerns continue to rise, there have been some alarming statistics reported in relation to the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Unfortunately, the blueprint for parenting is often based on our own experiences, but this is no longer fit for purpose in raising children as citizens of tomorrow. Parents and caregivers play a vital role in providing the guidance needed to support children and adolescents as they reframe their worries and focus more on the things they can control in their life.

In this Special Report, we are seeking parent participation through a short survey. The survey is designed to provide a barometer to help gauge the state of student wellbeing within our community. We encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey as this will help our school know the nature and extent of your concerns and determine how best we can support families in the months ahead. Responses remain anonymous and will only be reported on an aggregated basis. You are asked to base your responses on observations made in the last 12 months.

By working together, we can continue to build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers as we navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for all students. Please reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you or your child, please reach out to the school or seek professional medical advice.

Here is the link to your special report; 

https://stpats.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-barometer-2023-au

The Senior College uses the Learning Management System (LMS) as a form of communication with students and parents regarding assessment.  The due dates for all assessment items for year 11 and 12 units and year 10 Mathematics, are added to LMS and should be viewable through Parent Lounge and Student Café.   Assessment due dates are easily seen by students through the ediary tab on Student Café.  

Results for each piece of assessment as well as comments, will be added to LMS once they have been marked and moderated by teaching staff.  Parents may view results, due dates, and where appropriate, the actual assessment items, through Parent Lounge.

These can be found by logging onto Parent Lounge and selecting:

from the top menu Student details → Curricular Activitie

or from the side menu Curricular Activities Due →view all activities or activities due.  

You will also be able to view if your student has outstanding drafts for any subject. 

Parent Lounge ID numbers and passwords were emailed out to parents at the beginning of the year.  Parent ID numbers are also listed on your school fee invoices.  Access to Parent Lounge is required to view student reports and to make appointments for parent teacher interviews. 

Our Bishop’s Inservice Day, held Friday 17 February, was a chance for staff to come together and reflect on their daily life in our Catholic College. Thank you to our presenters, Sr Joanne Molloy RSM from the Sisters of Mercy and Joanne Casamento from Mercy Works. Staff enjoyed two wonderful presentations, both helping to give a clearer understanding of the Charism of Catherine McAuley.

Both our Senior and Mercy Campus participated in an Ash Wednesday Liturgy last month to mark the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent is a time of reflection and preparation before the celebration of Easter. Lent is also known as a season of taking on an attitude where being selfless, and generous is the way to live, not only because others benefit from our denial of self, but also because Jesus showed us that love of neighbour is about overcoming our selfishness and being more considerate to the needs of others especially the poor and vulnerable.

The Brekky Van continues to be out each week, supporting those less fortunate in our community. Great support from staff, students and our sponsors continues, and this initiative is now a key part of our College’s service to those in need within our community.

St Patrick’s is well known for it’s Service Clubs. A special mention to our St Vinnies club who had their Commissioning Ceremony last week. A big thank you to Mrs Louise Mullaney for doing an excellent job looking after the Mercy Campus St Vinnies Club and also to Mrs Annamaria Cappello from the Mackay St Vincent de Paul for her ongoing support.

Our College is responsible for two Youth Masses each month, one at the St Patrick’s Parish and one at St Mary’s. It was standing room only at our first St Mary’s Youth Mass as participation in this celebration continues to grow. Parishioners truly enjoy having our students taking an active part in the mass. The St Mary’s Youth Mass is held on the fourth Saturday of each month, and St Patrick’s being held on the first Sunday of the month. Our next mass is Saturday 25th March at St Mary’s.

Finally, a big thank you to Mr Michael Denman, retired teacher of St Patrick’s College, for offering to give his time and make the 36 crosses for our Homeroom prayer tables at the Mercy Campus. Michael has done a great job and our Homerooms will get the benefit of his work for many years to come.

Annual fee statements for 2024 were issued on the 9 February 2024. If you have not received your fee statement, please contact the College Finance Office.

If you are experiencing difficulty with payment of your fees, please contact the College Finance Manager on 4994 8782, to discuss your options for the payment of the fees.

(Information for the following article provided from Overcoming School Refusal: A practical guide for teachers, counsellors, caseworkers and parents)

Anxiety is a normal part of life that every person deals with.  Anxiety is the anticipation of a future threat and affects one in seven people.   What triggers our anxiety is different for every person.  For most people, once the trigger has passed, so too will the anxiety.  However, for some, anxiety can impact their day to day function, sometimes preventing them from succeeding in regular day to day tasks, like coming to school.

How can you tell if your child has anxiety?
There are many signs of anxiety, and each child can display this differently.  If your child is often looking for reassurance, having difficulty sleeping, or displays avoidance of tasks or places they may have anxiety.  Most commonly though is the child communicating psychosomatic symptoms such as nausea or headaches which occur before doing what they don’t want to do, which pass once the “threat” is taken away. 
 

What does school related anxiety look like?
80% of school refusers suffer from anxiety.  These children can often get ready for school however struggle to get out of the car.  When they get home, they are often moody and have emotional outbursts.  School refusal is absences from school not only over an extended period of time, but also periodic absences, repeated missed classes, and general tardiness.  The difference between a child that is truant, and a school refuser is that refusers are genuinely distressed.
 
How does school anxiety develop?
A fear of school can be triggered by a number of elements including, change of timetable/teacher, recent illness, friendship issues, issues at home.  Lack of structure and routine, lost contact with friends, no extracurricular activities can all contribute to school anxiety.

How will infrequent school attendance affect your child?

Frequent absences can have both short term and long-term consequences on your child.  
In the short term, frequent absences can lead to a decline in their academic performance, fractured peer relationships, reduced confidence and family disharmony.  Long term consequences include employment difficulty, mental health concerns and poor peer relations. 
 
What can you do?
It is important to understand that every time you allow your child to stay home, you are reinforcing their anxiety and thoughts that school is something to be feared.  Your child can sense your own stress and emotions so show them that you are confident in them and believe that they can push through their anxiety.  Also, listen and validate how they are feeling, do not minimise their emotions.

Here are some helpful tips for managing school refusal:
-Reassure them that they are safe.
-Establish if there are any triggers or incidents that have occurred that are making it more difficult to attend school.
-Go through their day with them, identify any concerns they have and talk through them.
-Contact the school about their anxiety.  Their house coordinator, homeroom teacher and counsellor are able to work with your child as well.
-Take the pressure off them at home, don’t talk about their grades or what they are struggling with but identify what they enjoy about school and focus on the positives in their day.
-Use consequences and rewards.  Set up clear goals for your child and when they have reached their target, they are rewarded. Make these rewards relevant to your child's interests, for example, extra screen time, later bedtime, an outing.  Have a predetermined consequence for when they do not achieve their goal.  Ensure that you are strong and stick with the boundaries set with this system. Make sure they are part of the decision-making process when it comes to rewards and consequences.  This will give them ownership and some form of control over their choices.
If your child does stay home, do not reward them by allowing them to stay in bed with their Ipads.
 
Missing one day a week of school adds up to two months of the entire school year.  By supporting your child during difficult times and teaching them strategies to cope with their anxiety, rather than taking their trigger away from them, you are going to enhance their resilience and confidence.  

If you have any concerns regarding your child, feel free to email me (donnetta_trannore@rok.catholic.edu.au) and we can discuss how best to support your child.

Dee Trannore
College Counsellor

The Year 11 Certificate II in Hospitality class have been practising their piping skills with Registered Training Organisation Blueprint Career Development’s local Trainer, Ashleigh Black, who demonstrated a number of piping techniques with different coloured buttercream Icing. 

The class will be making and decorating cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day next week. The Year 11 class has recently begun their Certificate II in Hospitality course at the Senior Campus which consists of 12 Units of Competency and completing 12 work shifts in the Hospitality industry. The Certificate II course runs over their 2 years of senior schooling.

From the 1-3 March 2023, Year 12 Indigenous students travelled down to Rockhampton for a Commencement Mass. The students also took part in an information and team building day on the Thursday 2nd at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre. They had speakers from CQU University to support them with career options for when they finish Year 12. Students also were fortunate to listen to talks from Bishop Michael and Indigenous education team about their own career pathways which were inspirational for them to hear. On Friday 3rd March the students attended Mass with Ciara Thomson leading us proudly into the Cathedral with our school banner. Then Trinity Grigg represented St Patrick's College by delivering the first reading and Abbey Doull proudly took part in the offertory procession. Many people have mentioned how well St Patrick's College represented their school Community, so well done our Yr12 Students - a wonderful way to start your final year of schooling at St Patrick's College.   

2023 is an exciting year for student exchanges and hosting opportunities.

The following exchanges will be offered this year;

1. Three Month Reciprocal Exchange

A three month reciprocal exchange program will be offered to 2-3 students in year 8-10 who are both interested and dedicated to their Japanese study. This program is set up with our sister school in Tokushima, Japan.

For this program, a student from our sister school will stay with your family for 3 months from June to August 2023. They will attend school and school activities with your son/daughter. Your son/daughter will then return to Japan with your host student from September to November 2023.

If you are interested in your son/daughter participating in this program, please contact Kirsty Mitchell (HOD Languages) at kirsty_mitchell@rok.catholic.edu.au
 
2. 7-10 day hosting opportunity 

Our sister school in Tokushima, Japan will be visiting St Patrick’s College towards the end of August  for 7 to 10 days. All visiting students will be 13 to 15 years old and will attend school with their host brother or sister. This is a great opportunity for students studying Japanese in years 8-10 to practise their language skills and learn more about the Japanese culture while sharing their own. If you would be interested in hosting a Japanese student, please contact Jennifer Jenkins ( Japanese & FrenchTeacher)  at jennifer_jenkins@rok.catholic.edu.au

3. Homestay and overseas exchange opportunities 

Students of the World facilitates cultural exchange, foreign language study and international education by providing affordable opportunities for high school students to participate in international exchange programs.

Mackay families attending St Patrick’s College have hosted numerous students over the years through Students of the World and found it to be a  very rewarding and enriching experience for all family members.
Several students from our College have also embarked on international exchanges through this company and thoroughly enjoyed their time abroad.

If you are interested in any of the above homestay or exchange programs, please register using the QR code on the flyer and attend the information evening on Tuesday, 21st March 2023 at St Patrick’s College, Mercy Campus from 6:30pm. A representative from Students of the World will be attending to answer any questions on the night. 

Last week, Annamaria and Richard from the Mackay St Vincent de Paul Society conducted a commissioning ceremony for Vinnies Mercy Campus students. The students recited a pledge to use their talents and gifts to serve our community: to give of themselves in order that others may live.

The Term 1 Vinnies fundraising focus is the Caritas Project Compassion appeal. Last month the Vinnies Committee sold chocolates and heart shaped lollipops for Valentine’s Day, and also sold soft drinks and lollies at our College Aquatics Carnival at the ARC. On Tuesday Vinnies again sold soft drinks and lollipops at our Mercy Campus.

A big thank to Ms Martin’s Midas 2 homeroom who raised almost $600 for Project Compassion by conducting a bake sale. It’s also great to see other homeroom’s raising money as well. If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, please give a donation to your homeroom teacher or Student Reception. Thank you!

The following is an example of one of the projects that Project Compassion supports:

Tereesa in Australia
Tereesa is a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. Seeking a better future for her children, Tereesa joined Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation’s Young Mums and Bubs Group, supported by Caritas Australia. Baabayn helped Tereesa access housing for her family and psychological support.

Already an aspiring artist, Tereesa was able to flourish at Baabayn as she learnt Indigenous artwork and symbols. With the support of Baabayn, Tereesa’s art was displayed and sold at local markets and she is now working to start her own art business. Tereesa’s artwork was recognised at the 2022 Vivid Festival in Sydney.

Recently three St Patrick's College students entered the Mackay  Lions Youth of the Year Competition. Entrants Meghan, Joshua and Jinzhao (Anna) represented the College to a high standard.  Entrants participated in an interview process as well as presenting a  speech to the audience  on their personal views of the impact of COVID.  To complete the process students were also required to speak on a topic of their own choice.

Congratulations to Anna who received the Public Speaking Award, and to Meghan  who was the overall winner on the evening.  Meghan then went on to represent the College in the Zone final. Again, she performed brilliantly and was crowned Mackay Champion for 2023. Meghan will advance to the North Queensland Finals in Townsville. Well done students on an outstanding effort.

On Monday 6 March, Year 11 Legal Studies students visited the Mackay Courthouse to experience the action of how it all works. The excursion consisted of sitting in on the Magistrates Court and the Visiting District Court, along with a talk from the Magistrate and District Judge. The students are now well equipped with knowledge about how the courts work as well as sentencing and its effectiveness. The students thoroughly enjoyed the visit and are excited to continue learning about the law.

On the 13 February our Year 12 Geography completed field work along the Pioneer River to assess water quality. Students tested for pH, nitrates, pesticides, heavy metals, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and more. The outcome revealed that the water was of reasonable quality, though showed evidence that it had been impacted by the anthropogenic activity occurring nearby. 

The class were fortunate to hear from Steve Nutt (Mackay Regional Council) who provided insight on how recycled water is distributed to local farms for irrigation. Steve arranged for Leon, an Engineer at the Water Treatment Plant, to give the class a tour of the facility where up to 50 million litres of water is treated and pumped to Mackay residents each day. Students will conduct further analysis of the data collected for their IA2 Field Reports and evaluate how land use can impact water quality in the Pioneer River. 

Thank you to Rayleen Graves, Kelly Cooke, Steve and Leon for sharing their time and expertise with the class. 

Students and staff attended the International Women’s Day Lunch on Sunday 5 March hosted by ZONTA Mackay and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. This year, the UN Women Australia’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future’. The theme highlights the role that bold transformative ideas, inclusive technologies, and accessible education can play in combating discrimination and the marginalisation of women globally. 

Guest speaker Karen Jacobsen – the GPS girl –  captivated the audience with her five ways to ‘recalculate’ when life has not gone according to plan.  A  silent auction was held to  raise money for the birthing kits created by ZONTA, with our students coming away as winners.  Thank you to Jen at Tax Office Mackay for sponsoring our students.

FIVE St Patrick’s female basketballers will line up for Capricornia at the Queensland School Sport State 13-16yrs Basketball Championships from 11-14 May in Toowoomba.

They are Tahlia Jensen, Eden Catip, Lily Mapp, Mackensie Brown (withdrawn) and Hannah Jensen.

Mackay Meteorettes ace and Year 12 student Charli Bliss was also selected in the 17-18yrs Girls team for the QSS State Championships in Brisbane from May 11-14.

Cooper Garnham and Julius Jurd gained selection in the Capricornia Boys 13-16yrs Basketball squad for the State Championships in Toowoomba.

CONGRATULATIONS to St Patrick’s College netballers; Ainsley Carey, Rebecca Symons, Shaylah Pershouse and Tenille Cotter who will fly the flag for Mackay at this year’s Queensland School Sport Netball State Championships in Brisbane from 27-30 April.

The talented quartet impressed selectors with skillful performances at the recent Capricornia Rep Trials at Mackay Multi Sports Stadium to force their way into the respective 16-19yrs and 13-15yrs squads.

Outstanding Wing Attack Carey will also represent the Australian Indigenous side at this year’s Pacific Games series.  Rising Shooter - Symons, Goalkeeper - Pershouse and Centre - Cotter are all top prospects.

ELEVEN students will represent Capricornia at the Queensland School Rugby League Boys 14-15yrs and 16-18yrs State Championships in Townsville on May 22-23.

Young guns Adam McSherry, George Gofton, Sam Anderson, Norm Campbell and Eli Cookson will line up for the 14-15yrs squad while the talented Xavier Kerrisk, Jaxon Purdue, Kayne Smith, Will Shears, Tenzin Contor and Tyler Shandiman spearhead a strong St Patrick’s contingent in the 16-18yrs division.

Kaiden Neilsen was crowned Year 7 Boys champion after superb performances at this year’s Swimming Carnival staged at the Mackay Aquatic and Recreation Complex.  Versatile Kaiden (Midas) broke three records on the day after winning the 50m freestyle (30.93 sec); 50m breaststroke (41.21 sec) and 50m butterfly (36.65 sec).

Audrey Bryan (Pindar) made it back-to-back Age Champion titles when she was named Year 8 Girls Champion following her initial success as a Year 7 student in 2022.

It was a proud moment for the Noon family when siblings Wyatt Noon (Year 8 Boys Champion); Zanthia Noon (Year 10 Girls Champion) and Amelia Noon (Year 12 Girls Champion) from Oraya House took out a unique treble.

Year 12 Boys Champion Ethan Banks (Oraya) capped a memorable Carnival by smashing records in the 50m freestyle (28.81 sec); 50m backstroke (34.63 sec); 50m breaststroke (38.78 sec) and 50m butterfly (32.06 sec).

Other Age champions: Isabelle Miles (Year 7 Girls Argos); Mackenzie Neilsen (Year 9 Girls Midas); Rourke Bagley (Year 9 Boys Triton); Declan Grady (Year 10 Boys Argos); Mia Bradford (Year 11 Girls Oraya) and Jack Henderson (Year 11 Boys Argos).

Caritas Australia is seeking a passionate Diocesan Director for the Rockhampton Diocese. This paid role is appointed by Caritas Australia in conjunction with the Bishop of Rockhampton and promotes the work of Caritas Australia through fundraising, advocacy and relationships with schools and parishes.

The role is flexible, working 1 day/7.6 hours per week on average across the year and involves engaging with communities across the Rockhampton Diocese, supporting Caritas Australia appeals and coordinating volunteers.

Duties include:
Coordinating Project Compassion including the Diocesan Project Compassion Launch
Providing a communications pathway between Caritas and the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton parishes and schools
General administration tasks

For more information, including a copy of the role description and overview, contact the HR Manager on 4887 3090. To apply for the position, submit your resume and cover letter to hr@rok.catholic.net.au. Diocesan employees are encouraged to apply.