Welcome back to term 3 . I hope you had a good break and that you and your family are feeling refreshed. It was great to welcome the girls back and hear of their experiences over their break.

We also welcome back Mrs Caffrey from her parental leave and Mrs Nicolaou who had some leave for family reasons. We have a number of new families joining our community this term. I extend a very warm welcome to you and encourage you to connect in ways that you feel comfortable.

Thank you for your support of our staff PD week this term. We have had multiple configurations of PD over the last decade and we have found this formation the most beneficial for staff engagement and productivity. After the two weeks leave, staff are often refreshed and ready to engage in professional learning with energy and vigour. We used the time to work on new programs, a student and staff wellbeing workshop delivered by the staff from AIS and our staff spirituality day. Whilst it was a very busy week, the content and skills covered were very well received.

Over the break, five Year 11 girls participated in the Ministry Outreach program. The girls joined students from other Good Samaritan Colleges for a week as they participated in various outreach organisations. I am sure we will hear more about their stay in the boarding house and their work at the centres. Thank you to Mrs Parker for spending this time with them on her break.

Congratulations to the debating girls across the College. Every girl did an admirable job in debating, representing their school and arguing their case throughout the term. The Year 9 girls became the runners up at the grand final, which was an exceptional result. Thank you to Mrs Pulham for her support and coaching of all the teams over the years to get the College to this point.

We also hosted the Japanese students from Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen over the last fortnight. Thank you to those families who hosted and the girls for showing such hospitality. The girls even visited the children at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School during the PD week of this term. This proved to be a very positive experience for all involved.

During the break, I attended the Catholic Secondary Principals Conference. It was a very good event, with exceptional speakers and much food for thought. One of the speakers spoke of her difficult life journey and the need for her to have been resilient to have survived. She likened resilience to a muscle. She spoke of the need for resilience to be exercised regularly and with that exercise it becomes stronger and better able to keep a young person healthy. I found this to be a great take home message.

As parents we can try to protect our children from facing consequences, experiencing disappointment or dealing with pressure. This can result in them not developing the skills to manage these feelings when they are older. This level of overprotection, which has good intention, can deny children important opportunities to exercise this capacity to be resilient. Whilst it pains us to see our children in grief or struggling, the ability for them to ride the tide and come through the difficulty to the other side is the greatest contributor to their growth in self-confidence and self-belief. Young people shouldn’t be denied these opportunities. So when you hear the moans and groans of your daughter because this won’t work or that isn’t right and you aren’t jumping up to fix it all for her, just remind her that you are doing her a favour as you are helping her to grow her resilience.

Finally, I will leave you with a short reflection used by Pat O’Gorman, Mission Director for Good Samaritan Education on communio.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

By the guidance of the Gospel
Let us set out on
His path,
that we may
obtain to see Him,
who has called us 
to His Kingdom.
Under God's protection
we will arrive.

NATALIE M (Year 12/College Captain) and SARAH W (Year 7 Student)

Natalie:           Hi, Sarah, I’m Natalie, the College Captain. How are you today?

Sarah:              I’m well, thanks.

Natalie:           And you’re in Year 7?

Sarah:              Yes, I belong to Pastoral Class 7D.

Natalie:           So, you’re a St Pat’s girl. How do you feel about that?

Sarah:              I love it. There are so many opportunities across multiple areas. The community is really welcoming too.

Natalie:           Actually, I can remember when I was in Year 7. I recall I had a Year 11 Big Sister who made me feel welcomed straight away. I was welcomed into the St Pat’s community straight away simply for being me and it kickstarted my high school journey as a really positive experience.

Sarah:              One thing that sometimes confuses me is why we are called St Patrick’s College but then we hear lots about St Benedict! How come?

Natalie:           Well, the original name of our College is St Patrick’s which is a reminder to us of our history and the origins of our school which was started by the Irish community of Campbelltown. Later in our College’s history, the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict took over the running of our school, and they also follow St Benedict and live out the Benedictine values.

Sarah:              I have to admit, that’s another thing that is confusing—where does the parable of the Good Samaritan fit in with our St Patrick’s community?

Natalie:           That is because the Sisters of the Good Samaritan not only follow St Benedict, they also try and live out the lessons of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Sarah:              OK, I see! That’s making things a lot clearer for me now!

Natalie:           So, what have you learnt about St Benedict since coming to St Pat’s?

Sarah:              I know a bit about his life. I remember learning in class that he went to live in a cave for a while. But I don’t know why he did that.

Natalie:           Great recall, Sarah! Well, St Benedict felt that he needed to be away from Rome at that time because it was a place where lots of bad things were happening. So he wanted to be alone to think and reflect. Did you know that St Benedict wrote a book? 

Sarah:              Yes, I do know about St Benedict’s book. He called his book “The Rule”. Isn’t it all about how to live peacefully within a Christian community?

Natalie:           Sure is! Can you quote anything from St Benedict’s book?

Sarah:              I’m pretty sure that some of the words we have in our College Prayer are typical St Benedict sayings. The one I remember most is “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

Natalie:           Well done, Sarah! Have you noticed that we have some quotes from St Benedict’s book scattered around the school; for example, in the College Chapel, there is the quote “May Christ bring all together to everlasting life.”

Sarah:              I have also heard one that is something like “the community should be set up so that the strong have something to strive for and the weak have nothing to fear.” I like this saying because it makes me feel safe and respected.

Natalie:           Do you know what some of the Benedictine values are?

Sarah:              I remember learning about this too. Things like peace, stability, humility, discipline … I know that the value we are focussed on this year is Communio. But I’m not too sure what that is!

Natalie:           Communio is St Benedict’s way of talking about living together as a harmonious community. This involves knowing your place within the community and sharing your God-given giftedness with others.

Sarah:              I guess St Benedict has a lot to teach us about being good followers of Jesus.

Natalie:           St Benedict would be pleased that we will be making our donations today as a way of saying “Yes” to Jesus!

Sarah:              I get it. “Communio” is like community—being united and caring for each other.

Natalie:           Yes! We are all in this together, so let’s support each other today and every day.

Sarah:              “Amen” to that!

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

We congratulate Zoe W for creating the winning design for our 2018 edition of ‘Our Place,’ a visual story of our school’s heritage composed as part of our ‘Voices of the Past’ unit in Term 1. The runner up designs by Isabella W and Hayley C will also be used in the collaborative publications.

We also acknowledge Sienna S, Hayley C and Mia C who took out the 7 Connect People’s Choice Award for their fantastic exhibit in our ‘Ancient Legacies’ unit in Term 2. Their creative and colourful display, which showed how the Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector has influenced the current science of seismology, was most popular with our voters. Other wonderful inventions featured in the exhibition were silk, tea, pottery, kites, paper and acupuncture. 

We thank all our Year 7 students for their enthusiastic participation in the Connect program so far this year and hope they enjoy the new challenges their Semester Two studies will bring.

Claire McGillicuddy - Year 7 Connect Teacher

The closing date is fast approaching with the final day for logging your books being Friday 31 August. Remember to log each book you have read, and if you have forgotten your login or are having difficulties logging in, please come to the library and see Mrs Feely or Mrs Harradine.  Happy reading 😊

The College Library

Other students struggle to fit their schoolwork in during the evenings and weekend. Some students come home after school and just sort of ‘wait’ until they feel like working. What happens is that they never feel like it so they just don’t get started!

Some students start work not long after they get home, but they drag their work out over the whole night doing work in front of the TV, or the computer or their phone. It takes them the whole night, but they hardly get any work done and they don’t feel like they have had a break at all.

A much more effective way to approach home study each evening is to keep your school work and your personal life separate. Don’t do your work in front of the TV, don’t do it while on social network sites or while using messenger apps, instead work in 20-30 minute blocks of time and during this time make the conscious choice to actually remove or turn off things that are going to distract you. As it is only for a short block of time, it is bearable. Train yourself to have breaks from your distractions for the blocks of time when you do schoolwork.

By doing this you will learn to really focus and concentrate on what you are doing for a block of time. You will be amazed at how much work you get done and how productive you are during this time. Then at the end of that half hour period you have a proper break and really enjoy your free time.

You can find special software for blocking distractions on computers and phones in the Dealing with Distractions unit in the STUDY SKILLS LINK in Destiny Discover. If you have any issues accessing this link please see one of the library staff. 

Michelle Feely - College Librarian

The challenge for students and staff is to find the definition of our 'Words of the week' and then use them in a sentence. Can you use both words in the one sentence?

Dazzle the library staff with your language skills.

Perhaps you can suggest some words we can include.

The girls experienced first-hand an insight into many of the areas involved in the operations of Sydney Tower. A tour guide accompanied each group of girls and explained the many aspects involved in both the Business Services and Hospitality departments.

A magnificent view of Sydney and surrounds could be seen from the observation level and ended the formal part of the excursion.

The girls were then treated to a vast array of foods from many different cultures in the Sydney Tower revolving buffet restaurant.  Crocodile, emu and kangaroo were on the menu, as well as foods featuring a taste of Asia, Thailand, India, Mexico and Italy, just to name a few.

It was a very successful day with many of the girls still excitedly talking about their experience on the way home and exclaiming it was one of the best excursions they had been on.

Maree Durrington - VET Coordinator

In each three-minute round, students are challenged to create as many words as possible from a bank of available letters. Each correct word earns a point, with increasing speed and complexity generating even more points.

At the end of Round 1, the College was positioned on the leaderboard as follows:

Year 7: Ranked 2nd in our region, 17th across Aus/NZ

Year 8: Ranked 1st in our region, 3rd across Aus/NZ

Year 9: Ranked 1st in our region, 5th across Aus/NZ

If we continue these wonderful efforts, we will be well on track to make the finals. Keep up the great work!

Claire McGillicuddy - English Teacher

The Year 9 team (Amadee, Angelina, and Siana) fought hard against Santa Sabina, arguing the affirmative case for the topic “That imagination is more important than knowledge.” After a close battle, they were awarded runners up for the 2018 season, along with Chantelle who stepped in on more than one occasion. The Year 9 team reflected well on themselves, their school and their families. Congratulations girls. We are all very proud of you.

The accolades did not end there. During the CSDA presentations it was revealed that we won the Aggregate Shield, which records the most number of wins in the rounds, so each and every debater can be justly proud of this significant achievement from the 2018 season. Thank you to all the families who support the girls’ initiative and passion for debating: they are building skills which will undoubtedly benefit them in their lives beyond school.

Marguerite Pulham - Debating/Public Speaking Coordinator

Sincere thanks to the families who hosted the students from Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen during their stay. The students all expressed how wonderful their experiences were with the families and how they felt so welcomed. It is only a very short time that the students are here, but there are many tears when they leave as they become so attached to the families.

During the students' stay, they participated in mainstream classes and in Year 8, 9, 10 and 12 Japanese classes which gave the students at St Patrick’s the opportunity to use the Japanese they have learnt in class and also learn more about what life is like in Japan for a girl their same age.

The exchange program with Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen is an annual event and we look forward to the next students who will visit us in 2019.

Julian Nash - Japanese Teacher

We would love to hear from anyone in our community who has an ancestor who served in World War I.  We would like to honour them, record their story and use their photographs in our service.

I can be contacted at the College on 4629 2999 or via email fmusicorullo@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au

Fran Musico Rullo – HSIE Teacher

Year 7 Netball

Krisa K, Amy Y, Meg O, Lucy G, Annalise D, Amelia M, Ilori P, Helen T, Emilie D, Grace G and Eden G.

Year 8 Netball

Charlotte F, Olivia Z, Carrera K, Brianna H, Lucy O, Bianca R, Katarina S, Amala A, Jessica W and Grace K.

Year 8/9 Oz Tag

Tavara S, Piper A, Lara M, Chelsea P, Phillipa M, Sarah P, Jessica A, Alysha G, Natasha B, Karina B and Olivia S.

Year 10-12 Soccer

Tara B, Elizabeth C, Annalie C, Ana C, Emma G, Andrea M, Julia P, Loretta T, Emily M, Amelia G, Abby H, Georgia M, Jermaine D, Cecilia T, Annie R, Reagan B and Emily M.

Year 10-12 Volleyball

Emma L, Anita P, Natalie S, Lyliann V, Esther M, Dryandra M, Eva B, Alysha B, Priya S and Florence V.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

The two teams went through the entire day undefeated and were rarely challenged by the competition which involved local schools from the Campbelltown and Liverpool areas including All Saints, Ambarvale, Liverpool Girls, Cecil Hills, Holsworthy and Bonnyrigg, just to name a few.

While the competition was a new experience for our Year 7/8 team, the Year 11/12 team took it all in their stride as they were last year’s Regional Champions and were runners up at the State Championships.

A big thank you to Mr Baca who stepped in as coach for the 7/8 team, as well as the numerous parents that came along to support the girls.

We wish both teams the best of luck at the State Championships.

The teams consisted of:

Year 11/12 Team

Julia P, Sarah P, Amy S, Olivia F, Natalie S, Ana C, Eden G, Kiarra B, Emily A, Andrea M and Tara B.

Year 7/8 Team

Stella B, Amelia B, Tavara S, Jessica A, Italia N, Amy Y, Tahlia M, Meg O, Darcy E, Lucy G and Eden G.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

As usual, the girls conducted themselves in an exemplary manner at all times and played every game to the best of their ability but never stepping outside the realm of fairness and sportsmanship. All teams performed extremely well throughout the day and we were very unlucky not to have all six teams finish in the top two positions overall. Special congratulations must go to our Year 11/12 Division 1 team, as well as our Year 7/8 Division 1 team on being named overall champions and going through the day undefeated. Our Year 11/12 Division 2 team finished in second place overall, as did out Year 7/8 Division 2 team and the Year 9/10 Division 2 teams.

These strong performances will now see our three division 1 teams head to the NSWCCC Championships to contest the State Titles.

A massive thank you to Mrs Arena for coaching and Mr David for accompanying the teams on the day, as well as our ex-student coaches Emily and Maddison Kirk. Special mention must also go to our student umpires who were outstanding in every aspect and received a great deal of praise from not only the carnival conveners but also the opposition coaches. Our student umpires for the day were Olyvia M, Natalie L, Karly B, Julia F and Amanda L.

Year 7 & 8 Division 1 Team – Krisa K, Amelia M, Charlotte F, Amy Y, Lucy O, Lucy G, Bianca R, Ilori P, Grace K and Katarina S.

Year 7 & 8 Division 2 Team - Helen T, Meg O, Georgia C, Elisha L, Emilie D, Eden G, Ashlee P, Ella F and Grace G.

Year 9 & 10 Division 1 Team – Evana S, Piper A, Hannah S, Olivia F, Maya B, Elizabeth C, Brianna C, Rahni W and Chantel S.

Year 9 & 10 Division 2 Team - Paris H, Lillie B, Minduli T, Rachel W, Rachel P, Alex F, Jessica L, Alysha B and Bridie B.

Year 11 & 12 Division 1 - Kim S, Natalie S, Halle P, Olivia F, Amy S, Ana C, Tarnee C, Emily A, Stephanie E and Georgia K.

Year 11 & 12 Division 2 - Eva B, Mia K, Maddison S, Emily M, Kiarra B, Julia P, Sarah M, Caitlin M and Emily W.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Hope auditioned with hundreds of children and was chosen for the junior cast for Sleeping Beauty - A Knight Avengers Tale,  which was on in the July school holidays at the State Theatre, Sydney.

Hope was one of only six children chosen and had the opportunity to dance and work with Rhonda Burchmore and Melissa Kaultz, just to name a few.

Well done Hope and congratulations!

Joshua Combes - CAPA Coordinator

St Patrick's College has an active and vibrant College resource in the Archives Room. Our volunteer College Archivist is seeking help from our College community and their extended families to expand the current collection. If you have any St Patrick's artefacts, memorabilia, interesting objects, news clippings and/or anything else that you would like to donate, the archives would gratefully receive them. Please contact the College on 4629 2999 and leave your message for Joanne Cavallin. Alternatively you may wish to email the archivist at jcavallin@saintpatricks.nsw.edu.au

The College Archives

Starting Monday 30 July, local students can simply drop in for homework assistance anytime during the operating hours, no bookings necessary. Trained volunteers from the University of Sydney will provide free study and homework support in a range of subjects for students in Year 7 to Year 12.

The Study Centre will operate once a week on a Monday from 4pm to 5.30pm until Monday 24 September. Subjects available for tutoring include English, Mathematics, Science and HSIE.

In addition to the Homework Study Centre, we will also be hosting HSCram, an exam preparation day for Year 12 students in partnership with the University of Sydney.

The HSCram event will consist of short lectures and small group tutoring sessions. Each tutoring group will be led by a current undergraduate student who is studying a relevant degree and/or excelled in the HSC subject.

Subjects offered during the tutoring sessions include: Mathematics, English, Science, Business Studies, Economics and Essay Writing for Humanities.

This event will be held at HJ Daley Library, Campbelltown on Friday 5 October from 10am - 3.30pm. Registration is required as places are limited.

Michelle Feely - College Librarian

6 - 20 August - Year 12 Trial Examinations
9 - 10 August - Year 11 2019 Subject Interviews
11 August - National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children's Day
13 - 17 August - Science Week
14 August - Senior School Parent Forum (9am and 7pm Library), ICAS Maths Competition, Year 10 D&T Excursion, Quota Club Student of the Year 2018
15 August - Year 8 MISA Debating (Home), Year 11 Physics Olympiad Quiz
16 August - Dio Athletics Carnival
13 - 17 August - Science Week
20 August - Year 8 Reflection Day, Yera 9 Food Tech Excursion
21 August - CCC Netball Championships, Year 7 Brainstorm Productions Incursion, Year 9 Liturgy
22 August - Year 9 Information Evening, DIO Volleyball
23 August - Year 8 MISA Debating (Home)
27 August - College Group Photo Day
28 August - Sports Assembly
29 August - Dio Hockey
30 August - Year 8 MISA Debating
31 August - Father and Daughter Dinner Dance
3 - 7 September - Literacy and Numeracy Week
4 September - College Assembly (Literacy and Numeracy Focus)
5 September - Indigenous Literacy Day, HSC Projects Showcase
6 September - College Assembly (Student Leadership Commissioning)
7 September - Middle School Dance (St Gregory's College)
11 September - Senior School Assembly
14 September - AIME Excursion Years 9 -10
18 September - Macarthur Max Potential Showcase
21 September - CCC Athletics
25 September - Year 12 Assembly, Year 12 Graduation Dinner
26 September - Year 12 Graduation Mass and Awards
27 September - Year 12 Formal
28 September - Staff and Students Finish for Term 3
15 October - Staff and Students Return for Term 4