International Women’s Day is tomorrow.  This is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women whilst also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The global theme for 2020 is Generation Equality. This theme will run for the year.

The message is that we challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perspectives, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help to create a gender equal world. When we have a gender equal world our communities and economies thrive.

Last Saturday we hosted our Open Day. Close to two hundred families visited the College. In the Principal’s address I was able to highlight the benefits of an all-girl's education for the developing girl. One of the key strengths outlined is the absence of gender bias at the College. With a student population of only girls, everyone has access to all experiences and resources. Staff will not align certain subjects with certain genders. One group in the class is not advantaged over another in the class based on gender. The girls are exposed to all there is and encouraged to give it all a go. Sadly, gender bias blocks access for some in the community. It places limitations on some and it makes judgements which are unfounded and incorrect. Our students are free to develop based on their strengths, interests and abilities, not their gender.

There was clear evidence of this at our International Women’s Day breakfast, hosted at the College yesterday morning. We heard from guest speakers Maxine Colligan (Class of 2015), Automative Refinishing Technician; Cindy Corrie (Class of 1999) established a special school and Rebecca Easey (Class of 1992) School Deputy Principal about how their time at St Patrick’s empowered them to follow their dreams and move into the career of their choice based on their passion and interest. All three were inspiring and provided valuable words of advice and wisdom to all in the audience.

Women will continue to agitate for equality across the world and across time. It defies logic that people are acknowledged in remuneration, ownership of resources, position of influence, and positions of responsibility based on their gender. When I see the talent and capacity of our students, it is unjust to think that they will be limited by their gender unless they are active in challenging the status quo. The theme for this year is that women raise their voices together to make the change. Let us hope that your daughter will experience a more equal world once she graduates from the College, thanks to the work of the generations before her.

Finally, we have our P&F AGM on Monday 16 March at 7.00pm in the Benedict Centre. There is one position vacant and it would be wonderful if you could come along to offer your assistance. The positions for the P&F are advertised in the Inside Out.

I will leave you with a reflection on women.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

Women are a reflection of the glory of God. Today we honour the women of all times and all places:

Women of courage.
Women of hope.

Women suffering
Women mourning.
Women living fully.
Women experiencing joy.
Women delighting in life.

Women knowing the interconnectedness of the human family.
Women honouring the sacredness of the relational, the affective.

Women quietly tending the garden of human flourishing.
Women boldly leading the transformation of unjust global structures.

Women seeking Wisdom.
Women sharing Wisdom.

Women receiving Love.
Women giving Love.

Women: life-giving.
Women: the image of God.

Loving God, we celebrate your faithfulness and love. On this day we commit ourselves to the promotion of the full humanity of all women everywhere. We know that whatever denies, diminishes, or distorts the full humanity of women is not of God.

Help us to be faithful to your call to love.
Amen.

by https://educationforjustice.org/

From February to May 2020, the family’s relics will travel across the country to 17 dioceses in city and rural areas, with major opportunities for communities in Sydney.

This will be a great opportunity for Catholic School students and staff to come together, and to find inspiration in the life of St Thérèse and her parents. For some Catholics, such ritual and tradition are important and meaningful ways to connect to the divine. 

On 19 March, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Rosemeadow will host the relics. See here for further information about the unique event:

https://www.olhcrosemeadow.org.au/Downloads/Bulletin.pdf

What follows are the words of the Most Reverend Gregory Homeming OCD, Bishop of Lismore about the relics.

“Many people wonder why the Church persists in what seems to be a mediaeval piety, an archaic practice. Why tour the remains of saints and make them available for the veneration of the faithful? Is this an outdated superstition?

Despite the scenes of intense religious devotion around relics, there is certainly nothing magical or talisman like about the relics of saints. Of themselves relics are not holy. It is more correct to say, they are the remains of a holy person, a saint, and on account of their connection to that holy person are revered.

In Australia we are used to caring for and respecting sacred sites. A place may be sacred for a number of reasons. It may be a place of spiritual significance to a people who identify with and are defined by that place; as is the case with many indigenous Australians. It may be a place where an important event took place and now is part of the national identity, such as Gallipoli. It may be a building in which over hundreds of years people have prayed and worshiped, such as a church or cathedral.

We all have souvenirs of people we have loved, insignificant items of little value, but to us they are treasured gems which move us to remember a loved one or an event. When the item attaches to a person it can bring to mind the attributes and goodness of the person. In some cases it can even encourage us to live according to higher values. The relics of saints fall into this category. Relics are physical remains which connect us with the goodness and holiness of the saint. They remind us of the saint and through the saint move us to live better lives.

The saints who are “visiting” Australia are a mother, a father and their daughter. St Louis and St Zelie are the only married couple to have been canonised, and they have a daughter who was called by Pope St Pius X, the greatest saint of the modern times. St Therese, who died in 1897, was a woman of precocious virtue and prayer. She says, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” She shows us that holiness is simple and hidden, it does not seek recognition but turning away from self to God, it makes within the human heart a place for Jesus.

As is the case with Jesus, holiness and goodness does not exist in a vacuum. It has a context. In Jesus’ case the context was the holy family. Extraordinary goodness does not exist in isolation. If you see a good child, you can generally presume that this goodness comes through the parents. Jesus was taught by Mary and St Joseph. St Therese is the daughter of holiness. The Church recognised that goodness is caught, and so investigated her parents, and found two saints.

These three saints show us the integrity of virtue and holiness. The path to holiness is the path of struggle and ordinary life. It is carried and lived with love, and dependence on God. They experienced the mercy of the Father and this mercy crafted the way they lived and loved. In this they are of great relevance for us. They have been where we are, and have together allowed God to perfect them. Being a family, the Martins prove that the family is the seed ground of holiness and goodness. We can learn from them.

Visit one of the churches which will host the relics. Pray and experience the saints. You will experience God and perhaps your life will change. As with a sacred site or souvenir, you can, through the saint, experience and connect with the holiness of God”.

Prayer in Memory of St Thérèse of Lisieux
Loving God, as we remember St Thérèse
and her holy family, teach us to live
each moment as missionary disciples in love and generosity.
May her little way lead us to discern your will
in loving surrender to what the Spirit is saying,
and may we know that with you
everything is grace.
Amen.

Louise East - Religious Studies Coordinator

With our focus this year on the Benedictine value of Pax (Peace), we have as our theme song this year the Peace Prayer of St Francis. In his prayer for peace, St Francis indicates that peacemaking involves having attitudes that foster right relationships with others. St Francis urges us to have attitudes of understanding, forgiveness, consolation, generous giving and, above all, to be loving.

Our Ash Wednesday Prayer Service also marked the start of the 2020 Project Compassion Appeal. For those new to our St Patrick’s community, Project Compassion is a fundraising appeal organised by the Catholic charity Caritas. Caritas operates throughout the world in areas where there is need. Catholic schools throughout Australia are called to assist Caritas with their fundraising efforts. This year’s Project Compassion theme is “Together we go further”. Year groups at St Pat’s will be encouraged to give generously so that, together, we may achieve great things.

This year’s Ash Wednesday’s Prayer Service included a special video presentation. Four of our Year 8 girls—Eve M, Bianca J, Laura Z, and Bronwyn Z produced an elaborate Minecraft world which was a place of peace. These girls created an excellent presentation which demonstrated to the College community the need for peace in our world, the ways peace can be achieved and the positive effect peace can have on us and our environment.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school
• Don’t forget to order your sibling photos online or by order envelopes, which can be picked up from the front office.  These orders must be completed online before photo day or presenting an order envelope on the day of photos. A photograph will not be taken without an order.
• Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day
• Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken
• Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are available at school’s advancedorder site (follow the link below) and your daughter’s advancedyou photo site.

School Photography Date: 3/04/2020

SCHOOL PHOTO ORDER CODE: LBZ 3LR 3ZX

SCHOOL PHOTO ORDER LINK: https://www.advancedimage.com.au/keycode/keycodefinder.aspx?keycode=LBZ3LR3ZX

Any queries regarding the photograph day please contact Charles Camilleri, Administration Coordinator at the College on 4629 2999.

Charles Camilleri - Administration Coordinator

The exhibition showcased student Major Projects and Design Portfolios from last year. Students were able to witness first hand the creativity, innovation and successful design concepts in the impressive student projects. Students viewed projects with extensive research, testing and prototype development and evaluation techniques in the process of solving the identified design brief. These tangible examples were valuable for students' own project development. 

A student's perspective: Year 12 Design and Technology class and Mrs Robertson caught the train into the city. We first started by walking through the Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson Exhibition which had dresses and pieces of clothing which were very colourful and full of texture. We listened to a talk from Andrew Coates, who was a software designer. Andrew gave us some great tips to consider when designing such as the valuable skill of listening throughout the design process. Then we had a look at last year's Major Design Projects which were outstanding. This was a great experience as it showed us various ways to set out our portfolios to make them informative and engaging for the marker. Further, we listened to a talk from a HSC Senior Marker who gave us some great tips for what markers look for in Major Design Portfolios. Overall, this day was great and we all got a lot of useful information out of it. 

Brooke K - Year 12 Student

Tanya Robertson - TAS Teacher

We recently held our Open Day on the special day of 29 February, a date which is thought to occur once every four years. Did you know that this is not strictly true? Whilst February 29 does regularly come to us on a four-year cycle, it is actually skipped in a century year that is not divisible by four. For example, there was a leap day in 2000 as 20 divides evenly by 4, but those leap year babies born this year will not get to celebrate their 80^th birthday because there will be no leap day in 2100 as 21 does not divide by 4.

Another date celebrated by maths fans is 14 March which can be written using the American date system as 3.14 which are the first few digits of pi. Pi Day this year has been declared by UNESCO as the inaugural International Day of Mathematics (IDM) and will be a worldwide celebration.

Michelle Parker - Mathematics Teacher

Answer:  3 tickets (the grandmother is also a mother and the mother is also a daughter)

Well done Year 10 on the amazing progress we have made from our first SEPEP lesson to now. It's incredible to see that everyone is improving with their skills and you all come to every lesson enthusiastic and ready to put in all your effort and show off your new skills. It's incredible to see the teams work so well together and build better connections with one another. The girls are growing stronger as teams and building new friendships throughout our lessons. Many of the girls have gained a lot of confidence in themselves and put in heaps of effort and giving it 100%. Each person in their group is required to have their own role and responsibility, such as umpiring and coaching. It's fantastic to see each girl put in all their effort and get out of their comfort zones to achieve each role to the best of their ability. 

How have you been finding SEPEP so far?

What are some challenges you have faced?

“Learning some of the rules and getting used to the game” -Year 10 student

“Working with people that I have not worked with before” -Year 10 student

Have you enjoyed SEPEP so far?

“I have enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would” -Year 10 student

“It's very fun and I love getting involved and giving it my best” -Year 10 student

How has SEPEP improved your skills? 

“I've learnt new netball skills such as how to pass correctly” -Year 10 student

“I've learnt many new soccer skills such as passing and stopping the ball when needed” - Year 10 student

Kamaria N - Year 10 Student

The SEPEP program aims to build in its participants dedication, competence and commitment as well as physical, social and cognitive skills. The SEPEP game is a combination of two sports, commonly netball and soccer, these two sports together have been dubbed 'Speedball'. By combining these different sports styles and rule sets it deeply encourages greater participation as it is more likely that students will feel more comfortable in one of the two sporting areas.

Already, only after 4 of the 10 rounds we have played as a class, it is clear to see the impact this game style has had on both the competent and less competent sporting students. It's a really difficult task to find a sports program that appeals to the wide skill level spectrum of all students in a class. I can confidently say as a student participating in the program that SEPEP does a great job at this.

It gives students the ability to make their own decisions on all details of the competition season, including rules and allocated team roles in which each individual is responsible for and detrimental to how well the game runs.

All 4 rounds have gone well and are seeming to get even better as we continue to learn as individuals but also as a whole class. All students have stepped up and made a commitment to their chosen roles as well as to each of their teams, but some have made a standout effort which has not gone unnoticed.

Some of the Best and Fairest award recipients include Jessica J who had a positive outlook on her gameplay and was willing to fully participate in both netball and soccer, Abbie H who participated effectively throughout and never stopped trying her best, Olivia Z who played extremely well while also making a continued effort to support and encourage each of her teammates and Olivia C who despite being short two players, really kept up her continued effort throughout the whole game.

Although being nerve-wracking to begin with and being responsible for making all the decisions, it now has helped students to develop upon social, physical and cognitive skills positively.

Emma C - Year 10 Student

Students are assisted by a band of retired St Patrick's staff and friends of the College. They help to teach beginners to knit and fix up those dreaded dropped stitches! 

The Knitting Group meets every Thursday lunchtime in H12. Students who show ongoing commitment get awarded a 'Knitting Badge' for their uniform.

At the recent Open Day the Knitting Group had a display of its work, attracting a good deal of attention.

If you would like to knit squares for the group or donate wool we would most appreciate it. Our squares are cast on with 50 stitches in garter stitch.

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

The day started with the traditional Year 12 fashion parade and it was amazing how much time and effort the Year 12 students put into preparing their costumes. They looked fantastic as they paraded around the pool and were well supported by the rest of the College community.

The highlight of the carnival was the extreme amount of talent on display in the pool. The individual performances by a number of our girls were extraordinary and will place the College in good stead as they head into the Wollongong Diocesan Swimming Championships. I think a number of schools will sit up and take notice of the St Pat’s girls this year.

As always, everyone had a great time, and this was reflected in the enthusiastic participation by all students. The cheering, point scrambles, aquathon (congratulations to Laura Z on the win) and big sister/little sister swims were all a magnificent spectacle and ultimately decided the final house positions for the day.

While the participation events are a key element of the carnival, the swimming races are what most are there for and the best performing students in each age group for 2020 were as follows:

12 Years Age Champion – Ava A (Chisholm)

13 Years Age Champion – Caitlin R (Lyons)

14 Years Age Champion – Hayley C (Chisholm)

15 Years Age Champion – Ilori P (Chisholm)

16 Years Age Champion – Abbie H (Gilmore)

17+ Years Age Champion – Hannah P (Kenny)

Our Overall Age Champion trophy went to Abbie H who took the maximum amount of points possible on the day with a whopping 180 individual points.

In what turned out to be a complete reversal of last year’s form, Chisholm went from last place in 2019 to take out the 2020 College Swimming Carnival. It was a very close finish in the end with Kenny in 2nd, Gilmore in 3rd and Lyons in 4th.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the students on the way they conducted themselves throughout the day. I would also like to thank the staff for their involvement in the running of the carnival and also to the numerous parents who turned up throughout the day to support not only their daughter but the College community as a whole.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Evana's team went through the round games undefeated and after a minor stumble in the semi-final, eventually took out the tournament beating Queensland in the Grand Final. Unfortunately, Katarina's team were not quite as successful as her big sister's team and were defeated in the semi-finals. While not taking home a gold medal, Katarina had an excellent tournament and was happy with their result.

At the end of the tournament there was a presentation night where Indoor Netball Australia announced the Australian teams for 2020. After outstanding tournaments, both Katarina and Evana were selected in the Australian team in their respective age groups. They will now be travelling to New Zealand in early July where they will be playing a Tri Series against New Zealand and South Africa.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

On Thursday 27 February I attended the NSW All Schools Triathlon at the International Regatta Centre, Penrith. Although it was my first time and I didn’t know what to expect, I knew it would be an awesome day because I was part of a great team and I was excited to participate. There were three people in a team and each person completed one leg of the race. The first person swam 200m, the second person rode 10 or 15km (depending on the age group), and the third person ran 3km. It was a beautiful sunny day and I could tell when I arrived that it was a well-organised and supervised event. There were hundreds of participants from lots of different schools and safety was the main priority. What I enjoyed most was spending time with the girls from my school and making new friends from all year groups. I was happy to see so many people participating and supporting each other. I was also very impressed by all of the professional uniforms and equipment that some of the students had. I highly recommend that more girls from St Pat’s participate in this event next year. I can’t wait to do this again. Thank you to Mr Ashcroft for organising this event.

Gabriella A - Year 7 Student

International Women’s Day honours the achievements of women, and promotes women’s rights across the globe. This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is #EachforEqual and incorporates the notion of ‘Collective Individualism’ – collectively, we can make change happen and help create a gender equal world.

The College Library has a wide range of library books regarding fascinating women and their achievements for students to borrow. From compendiums of great historic women, to autobiographies of trailbrazing girls and women of the 21st Century who have defied gender bias against all odds, our collection inspires and celebrates women who are fantastic role models for our young women at St Patrick's. 

The College Library

And while we're on the subject of 'Time', stop at Mrs Feely's desk to see the Library's newest timepiece: a wall clock whose numbers pay homage to literature. Perhaps you have suggestions for additional titles we can get our inspiration from. No genres or reading levels are excluded. Our current titles range from pre-schooler to classics.

The College Library

So how can students make this process easier?

Make your notes as brain-friendly as possible, point form, tables, diagrams and no big long sentences or paragraphs.

Start the memorisation process of your notes early, don’t wait until just before the test or examination.

Memorisation involves testing yourself over and over. One way is to read a section, then see what you can say or write down without looking. Then go back to see what you missed, incorrectly explained or did not know.  Put a pencil mark next to these bits.

Now focus on the bits you did not know. Say them out loud, repeat them to yourself, write them down a few times.

Then test yourself on those bits again and see if you remembered more this time.

Do this over and over again. Then do it one more time.

Make flashcards or use a flashcard app on your phone to create flashcards on the parts you find hard to remember. Review these every day before the test.

Make a list of the key concepts you find hard to learn and each night read through them just before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up as these are powerful memory times.

Do lots of practice questions without looking at your notes or the answers to see if you can a) remember and b) apply the information. Review the things you did not remember again.

Your job is to keep testing yourself in order to find out which bits have not stuck in your memory yet so you can review these until they do.

Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au . Our school’s access is through the library page or Destiny Discover

For all of the latest news from the College Library including:

- what's on

- what's new (books, magazines, resources)

- what's happening in our clubs

- and some literary fun

Please follow us on Instagram @saintpatrickscollegelibrary

The College Library

Welcome to the International Women’s Day Breakfast for 2020 by which we continue to seek and advocate for a world in which gender equality is fully realised. The theme for this year is “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights”.

It is a day to celebrate the varied achievements of females from around the globe, both in our past and present. It is a chance to inspire the next generation of females to bring to life their own passions, continuing the legacy of female empowerment that has become a focal aspect and driving force of the 21st century.

For many years, women have been challenging gender stereotypes, pushing themselves above and beyond their perceived capabilities. On 20 May 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman and second pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. On 1 December, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus, contributing significantly to the launch of the civil rights movement. And today, the Me-too movement thrives, providing a platform for women’s voices like never before. Each of these have been instrumental in shaping our present.

Increasingly, the value of educating women is becoming more apparent. Not only does this work towards individual empowerment and gender equality, but studies have shown that the education of females has far-reaching social and economic benefits. Children born to women who can read are 50% more likely to survive past age 5, and in some countries, by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys, it is estimated that economies miss out on over $1 billion a year.

While here, in the Macarthur region, female education is highly valued, particularly in the all-girls' environment of our college, it is essential that our conversation is not limited to these walls. This is a global issue, and in order to empower the female, we must engage in a global discussion. Through international collaboration, we, as a collective female body, can advocate change.

I would like to offer thanks to the three inspiring women who will be sharing their own journeys with us today, all of whom are wonderful examples of the impact and importance of the female voice within our communities. 

Imogen M - College Captain 

for all events at the College, CLICK HERE