Principal News
Welcome back to Term 3. This is a very important term of study for all our students, but especially for Year 12. It is vital that students settle into a solid pattern of study as soon as possible. The holidays are over and now is the time for the enjoyment and satisfaction that can be achieved through diligent hard work.
I wish to acknowledge and congratulate Mrs Alison Wales on her appointment of Acting Assistant Director, Northern Regions. I look forward to working with her as we reflect on continual school improvement.
CQUniversity Confraternity and QISSN Carnivals
During the holidays it was an honour to attend both the Confro and QSSN Carnivals held in Townsville. A big congratulations to our Girls League team who won the Confraternity Shield and had the opportunity to play as the curtain-raiser in the Queensland Country Bank Stadium before the State of Origin. Our Boys Rugby League team finished 4th in Division 1 and our Girls Netball team finished 4th in Division 3. All our students performed at their best and I witnessed much growth in them as the week came to its end. Thank you students for never giving up. There is no doubt that sport fosters fitness, teamwork, and discipline but it also connects community, promotes mental well-being, and teaches valuable life skills. I wish to acknowledge all the staff who came to support but also many who gave up their holidays to attend. Parents and sponsors I thank you for your continued support. Such a great commitment to giving and community.
NAIDOC Week
On Tuesday, our students attended the NAIDOC Mass held at St Joseph’s Church, North Mackay. This was a celebration for all Catholic schools in Mackay, to come together to acknowledge and honour the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
A special thank you to Mrs Leisa Scott and Mrs Kelsey Wallace and their helpers for organising this for our college community to enjoy.
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland from 22 July – 26 July.
This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools everyday. Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.
As part of Catholic Education Week, St Patrick’s College nominated Mr Shane Mau for The Spirt of Catholic Education Award. This award recognises individuals who make an outstanding contribution to Catholic Education in Queensland. He goes above and beyond to volunteer within our college community. Shane has assisted and given up valuable time with our Rugby League program. He gives true witness to our Catholic values and behaviours for which I wish to sincerely thank him.
Our College is planning activities during the week to celebrate this milestone. I thank parents and students for your ongoing support and look forward to Catholic Education Week 2024.
St John’s Centenary Celebration
Today I had the privilege of attending the St John’s Primary School Centenary Mass at Walkerston. Congratulations to Nathanial Rice, Principal and the school community in reaching this wonderful milestone. Enjoy your weekend of celebrations.
School Funding
The government will be changing their funding model to all schools. Please find below a link to the fourth of a series of Advice pieces, developed to inform our Catholic Education families of the new Federal Government Funding model (Gonski model) and the impact on funding for Catholic Schools. Over the coming months, further Advice pieces will be shared, with each piece building on the detail of the previous. Please take the time to read each of the Advice pieces, to understand the impact of the changes on the funding for our College and College fees.
Link: Presentation of School Fees from 2025 onwards
Parent Engagement Evening
Just a friendly reminder to all that our next Parent Engagement Evening will be held next Tuesday 23 July at Senior Campus. The topic this year will be “Turning School Reluctance into School Resilience” and will look at anxiety, what school reluctance is and presents as in students; the spectrum and impact of absenteeism on students, their friends and families; contributing factors to school avoidance/reluctance, finding solutions/strategies for parents and additional resources to support parents. Looking forward to seeing parents there.
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