Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers and mother figures, aunties and grandmothers. We hope you had a lovely Sunday last weekend and that the family suitably acknowledged your support and contributions over time. We hosted our Mother Daughter High Tea and once again it was a very enjoyable afternoon. The food was delicious and the stalls were very enticing. Michelle Fox, ex-student, entertained us with music and the photo booth kept guests very busy. I would like to extend our thanks to the P&F for their organisation of the event. Particularly President Denise Egan, who did a great job coordinating everything on the Saturday. 

Last week, we held the College's AGM. As an independent College, established as a company limited by guarantee, we are mandated to hold an AGM. Our members visited the College and were once again impressed with the work of the community and now further impressed with our new learning spaces. It was gratifying to share the successes of 2016 and as well the challenges through the year. They are a very supportive group of people who have the best interests of the College at heart. Sr Elizabeth,  chair of members,  is a strong advocate of the College and is very supportive of the achievements of the girls in all their endeavours. We are very fortunate to have such loyal and committed members. 

Last Tuesday, we hosted Parent Teacher Student interviews for all girls from Year 7 to Year 11. It is always a very constructive conversation, which offers the student both affirmation and support in areas for further development. We have offered two evenings to accommodate the busy lifestyles of our families. I do hope, if you didn't attend last Tuesday evening, that we will see you this coming Wednesday evening. Our staff are very supportive of your daughter's education and are keen to speak with you about her progress. 

This Saturday, we are interviewing Year 5 girls and some Year 6 girls for enrolment at St Patrick's College. We have had a large number of applications this year, which indicates the level of interest in the College from the wider community. If you know of anyone who is interested in sending their daughter to St Patrick's in 2018 or 2019, they will need to put in an application as soon as possible. We have the bus service established from Oran Park Town now if any families are interested. It incurs a nominal fee, however the trip is directly to and from school and is considerably shorter than the time taken by the  other commercial bus companies. 

Please keep the Year 11 girls in your prayers as they come to the end of their half yearly exams. They will notice the greater expectation and demands these exams have of them compared to their earlier years. This is all in preparation of their HSC year, which is just around the corner.  Finally, I will leave you with the acknowledgement of country read by Payton Rae S at the Mother Daughter High Tea on Saturday at the College.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

Acknowledgement of Country- Mother Daughter High Tea 2017

Before we begin our special gathering today to remember our mothers, we would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the land on which we meet; the Dharawal People. This land has been and always will have deep connections for the Dharawal, as it is from this land their Dreaming comes, it is the mother and giver of life to all Aboriginal people. This land is also connected to many other nations such as the Gundungarra and the Dharug people and we pay respect to them also here today, as well as any other nation who is connected to these lands.

We would also like to acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today and pay respect to our Elders, past, present and future. May their spirits be strong enough to guide and watch over us as we each go on our individual journeys.

We also pay respect and acknowledge all mothers here today. Mothers come in all forms, they too like our land are the givers of life. We acknowledge their love, their support, their knowledge, their teachings and their sacrifices. As we share our time here today with our mothers, may we also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever within the Aboriginal Custodianship of Country.