This week we farewelled our Year 12 class of 2016. What a week of mixed emotions. Joy and jubilation that 13 years of school education have come to a close, hope that the years of guidance and support will equip them with skills for future endeavours and sadness that it is time to leave the security and familiarity of St Patrick’s. This year group have been a hard working dedicated group of young women who are ready to make their mark on the world. We bid them well and ask that they don’t become a stranger to the College. We are always delighted to keep in touch with the girls through the Alumni Association. Each Year 12 is given a lifetime membership at graduation so it will be wonderful to keep them connected. I must also thank all the parents who have been with the College for the past years and their daughter’s graduation marks the end of our partnership. Thank you for your support with the P&F, through the canteen or at various forums or panels. It has been a privilege to have taught your daughter.

Following on are some extracts from some of the speeches shared during the graduation ceremonies. Thank you for those who wrote such heartfelt and genuine recollections.

Elizabeth Thompson (Mother of Rosie, Class of 2016): 
"My first daughter started at the College in 2006 and here I am 11 years later, finally done. I actually was a St Pat's girl myself and finished in 1983".

"For us as parents, St Patrick's became an extension of our parenting with a solid structure of discipline and guidance. We have been in partnership with the school, and we have been fortunate that the staff were dedicated to the best interests of our girls".

"Our daughters have been fortunate to have been a part of a school rich in tradition and rich in opportunities, and as parents we should be proud that we have been able to give them that gift".

"The Benedictine values that have been an integral part of our daughters' St Patrick's education, will serve them well as they embark on their life. They have been given the tools to be well equipped to overcome the challenges they will face".

"With the help of the girls' teachers, the help of the girls' friends, the experiences shared, good and bad along the way, we have before us, those independent young women that we wanted from the start".

Monique Keogh - Ex Alumni President (Mother of Hayleigh, Class of 2016, and Georgia, Year 10):

"Farewell Assembly brought back lots of wonderful memories from when I had my Farewell Assembly in the very new Mary Sheil Centre as the Graduating Class of 1990. My life has now turned full circle, as I find myself back here at St Patrick's, not only as a President of the Alumni Association, but also as a parent of my daughters, one who is graduating tonight and another in Year 10".

"St Patrick's Alumni was established in 2010 in conjunction with St Patrick's celebrating their 170th Anniversary. Our main passion is to keep the connection between past students and the College".

"We currently have over 600 Alumni Members and this is continually growing. As a gift from your parents and caregivers, you have all been given a lifetime membership to the Alumni tonight. So welcome to the Alumni, ladies!".

"I'd like to quote something that your College Captain Myra said at the assembly today, "Goodbye until our lives cross again"".

"I would like to wish you every success and happiness as you embark on your next exciting chapter in your life".

The building program is progressing well. Reception is taking shape however we have had to keep Reception in room 11 for the rest of the year. It was first thought we could resume in the main building next term, however the noise in the main part of the building project will continue through term 4 and impact on the efficiencies of those working there. Hence we have decided to leave Reception in room 11 and will move across over the Christmas break.

During these holidays we have two members of our community travelling with Good Samaritan Education on immersions.

Madeline (Year 11) will travel to the Philippines to work at the Good Samaritan Kinder School. The Kinder school is in Bacolod, a very poor and disadvantaged community on the Island of Negros. She will travel with students from other Good Samaritan schools and witness the great ministry of the sisters in the Philippines. Ms Boulatsakos will travel with staff from Good Samaritan Colleges to Japan for an immersion. Here she will witness the ministry of the sisters after WWII and in particular the assistance given to the community at Nagasaki after the atomic bomb was dropped. We wish them both a wonderful immersion as I am sure it will be filled with both challenging and rewarding experiences. We look forward to hearing of their reflections on their return next term.

Next term we have a few staff on leave and a few further changes in leadership:
Mrs Irwin will be Acting TAS Coordinator whilst Mrs Reader is on long service leave.
Mrs Ibbett and Mr Ashkar will resume their previous roles of Senior and Middle School Coordinators for the term.
Mrs Wright will take on the Acting Year 8 Coordinator as well as her role of AP Students. Miss Glase will be Acting Year 10 Coordinator.
Mrs Matti will be Acting Year 9 Coordinator for four weeks as Mr Quigley has leave at the end of the term.

I am grateful to these staff for stepping up to these roles for the last term.

Wishing you a good break. Thank you for the ongoing support you give the College. Please keep our Year 12 girls in your prayers as they complete their final preparations for their HSC. We also have a few in our community who are suffering from loss and illness and we ask for God’s blessings on these families.

I will leave you with St Patrick’s Breastplate which was sung by the girls in our Graduation Mass on Wednesday.

Blessings 
Sue Lennox 

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, 
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
St Patrick's Breastplate

Students were required to identify artefacts recovered from shipwrecks and evaluate processes used to preserve and conserve them. The highlight of the day was the free time given to explore the magnificently restored Submarine HMAS Onslow and the Destroyer HMAS Vampire.

Our girls thoroughly enjoyed recreating a Titanic movie scene and imagining their lives confined in small spaces. 
It was an honour to spend a day with this amazing group of girls and I proudly accepted compliments from the instructors on their exemplary behaviour.

Paula Nash - Science Teacher

All students designed their own invitation to a medieval event of their choice and then made a dish to cater for it. The invitations were to events such as weddings, christenings and witch burnings! The dishes included castle crumb cupcakes, lemon drop and witch's hat biscuits, apple tart, fruit and cheese platter, and homemade bread with jam. 

It was a fun way to farewell the unit and the term!

Wendy McDonald - HSIE teacher

Dear HSC Students

2016 College Captain Myra with 2017 College Captain Claire

To the class of 2016, I am sure you are all overwhelmed with feelings of excitement, nerves, happiness and also a little sadness. But most importantly I hope you are all feeling a sense of accomplishment. You have completed six years of high school, and whilst I am sure it was not an easy ride for anyone, it is definitely a chapter in your life that will inevitably shape you into the person you will become.

From your first day at the College, whether it was Year 7, or in a later grade, you have travelled through a school with opportunities and support. I hope you all feel that you made the most of your time here. Our school is one that has instilled qualities in you that empower you in your future endeavors, developed confidence to push yourself out of your comfort zone, and compassion to show towards everyone you meet.

In your final year, your whole grade has led our school in an enthusiastic way. Each being a role model that every girl can look up to. I truly believe that you each have left a mark on at least one girl at the College through your selflessness and care shown towards others.

All throughout high school many of you would have wished that it would be over as soon as possible, and sometimes we forget to enjoy the present moment. So I urge you all to enjoy right now, with your friends, your teachers and your fellow students in a place that has been such an important part of your life for many years. The future is unpredictable so enjoy this moment of comfort and stability.

I hope that St Patrick's College has instilled in you the confidence, pride and privilege of being a young woman in today's society. You all have amazing opportunities and experiences ahead of you where you will undoubtedly call upon the qualities and skills you have learnt here at our school.
The experiences that have been a part of your time at St Patrick's will help develop you into the young woman you are all capable of being.

I wish you all the best for your studies and preparation for the HSC examinations. I hope your effort and determination reflects your success at the end. Whilst they will be stressful and nerve-racking, remember you have been in school for 13 years and it has all led to these exams that are in place for you to show off everything you have achieved.

I would like to leave you with a quote by Dr Seuss:

"Congratulations! Today is your day! You're off to great places. You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where to go."

Address by Claire O, 2017 School Captain

Class of 2016

In 2011, with oversized dresses, shiny shoes and a bag half the size of us, the new Year 7 cohort entered St Pat's. When we started here, we weren’t aware of how much St Patrick’s would make an impact on us. We have received an extraordinary education from teachers and we have made friendships that will last a lifetime. Truly we are one of the lucky ones to be graduating from an amazing school. Every year you will hear that high school goes faster than you think but you never know how right that is until you are in Year 12. In these last six years, our year group has become a family, through all the laughter, tears and the occasional drama, we have grown close. St Pat's feels like a home and everyone will continue to be a part of my life in some way. But most importantly, the ones who I will forever remember is the class of 2016.

On behalf of the Year 12 students, I would like to thank the staff. Our gratitude is beyond words, as there are no limits to your dedication over the years, especially during senior school. In particular to Mr Power, who even though looks intimidating is actually the coolest teacher and has probably cried more times than me about us graduating. He has been a major support system for the Year 12s and we will be forever grateful. To all of the other students, I hope you appreciate your hard working teachers and of course your parents who have sacrificed so much to make sure you attend a great school. Cherish the rest of your years at St Pat's, because it really makes a difference in your life.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to my girls. Thank you for all the memories, thank you for the six years of friendship and the best years of my life, for all the fun times and the connections we have built as a close year group. We have transformed in so many ways and have developed into true St Pat's girls. I know it is the end of high school but it is not the end of our friendships, our countless memories or the lasting impact the College has had on the rest of our lives. For some, this is only goodbye until our paths cross again. I wish you all the best for the future and for the HSC and I cannot wait to see all the great things everyone will do in the future. So dream big, make mistakes, learn from them and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Seize the opportunities and pursue whatever it is that you want to do in life. And remember once a St Pat's girl, always a St Pat's Girl!

Address by Myra Q, 2016 College Captain

Our fundraiser focus for the year is the Philippines Kinder School. The Kinder School is in Bacolod, a very poor and disadvantaged community on the Island of Negros. Last term one of our teachers, Mrs Cornett, came to speak to the girls about her time there on immersions. She spoke to the girls about many of the concerns faced by the children and their families at the Kinder School, one being dental hygiene due to the lack of resources available to the children. The girls were quickly motivated to see what they could do to help. 

So over the course of this term, the girls and the Year 7 Pastoral Teachers have been collecting toothbrushes, toothpaste and toiletries for the Kinder School. This week, they passed over their donations to Madeline K of Year 11, who is going to take them with her when she leaves for her immersion to the Philippines on Saturday. 

Katherine Power - Year 7 Coordinator

Junior Netball Team (Years 7 and 8)

These teams were in the Championship Division which is comprised of the first and second placed teams from each Diocese in NSW after our outstanding success at the Wollongong Diocesan Netball Competition. As you can imagine, the calibre of opposition and the quality of the games was second to none, resulting in some amazing games of netball. Just to make things slightly more exciting, our three teams played at the same time at opposite ends of the Penrith Netball Complex, so a big thank you to all the parents and families that stepped in to help out especially, Alicia Stabile and Maddison Kirk for organising the seniors, Julie Sligar for the intermediates and Michelle Anderson for looking after the juniors. All teams did exceptionally well, placing in the top ten in state and the intermediates were only a few goals short from making the grand final. The girls were great ambassadors for the College and always uphold our Benedictine values with their exceptional sportsmanship and positive encouragement of each other. Well done.