We have now been back into Remote Learning for a week.  The girls have settled well in the familiar routine which they established earlier. The leadership and management team members have been popping into the Zoom pastoral periods at the start of each day and it is lovely to see the girls once again. Some of the girls are optimising the convenience of not having to allocate time to travel to school as they look very comfortable in their spaces with drinks and breakfast at the ready. Their attendance has been exceptional. Our total absences have been the lowest in years, which would indicate some benefits in this remote model. Girls appear to be keen to connect with their classes and their teachers, which is pleasing.

Through the week I sent a letter to you through email outlining the transition model we will adopt in returning the girls back to face to face, onsite learning. We have had to be very flexible in our planning over the last six weeks and be prepared to make adjustments to our carefully made plans as the media releases which come through from the various governments necessitate a change of plan at times. My hope is that this will remain as it is for the coming month.

In the midst of the COVID-19 development, we have been continuing to work on updating our website. It is now ready for release and we are very pleased with the outcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of Ms Danielle Grant and Dr Debra Bourne in this project. The Remote Learning microsite is still there, as well as a number of other features. I hope you will be able to access it in the near future.

As you would know, we have one fundraiser each year, the Emerald Gala Ball, which raises money for the Scholarship Fund. Due to the regulations in place for the pandemic, we were unable to host our event this year. This was disappointing as it was particularly special for the College’s 180^th year anniversary. I am delighted to share with you that thanks to the wonderful support of sponsors and supporters, we were still able to raise $25,000 for the Scholarship Fund. The recent online raffle that many of you supported contributed to this great result. Whilst I was concerned we would not be in a good position to support many families next year, this result will be a lifeline for a number of families seeking St Patrick's for their daughter in 2021. I would like to thank the committee for their hard work: Julie O’Keefe, Marion Windle, Peta Borg, Erin de Rooy, Rowena McGovern, Debbie Gates, Jean Alim and Danielle Grant. A list of our sponsors are in the community section of this edition for your attention.  We could not have done this without all of their support.

At the end of the term we held the Parents and Friends AGM. During that meeting, George Gatt (father of Emma and Erin) stepped down from the position of Treasurer. George has held the position for over 10 years and was very generous in his attention to the finances and supporting the many events held by the P&F. We are grateful for his service and wish him and his family the best as they all graduate from St Patrick's. We were very fortunate to be able to fill all the positions again for 2020. I am delighted to inform you of the parents in the following positions:

President: Jeff Polland

Vice President: Claire Montgomery

Treasurer: Damian McGovern

Secretary: Stephanie Alchin

I am very appreciative of the energy and wisdom these parents will bring to the committee.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your support and feedback. I hope you and your family are staying well and that you have been able to manage the limitations of the restrictions. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy again the simple things we used to take for granted: Hugging a loved one, going out for a coffee or meal, going for a drive, playing sport, visiting others and not fearing that we may give or catch a dreadful disease.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

If only the prayer you say in your life is "thank you" that would suffice  - Meister Eckhart

This was our Easter reflection:

Let the world rejoice. Let our hearts be glad. No longer need we cry.

Let everything that breathes proclaim: Jesus is life!

Easter is the time filled with wonder! This is the time filled with light!

Praise Him our Risen Lord: Jesus is life!

We lit an Easter Candle as a visible sign of Christ’s invisible presence. In lighting a Paschal Candle, we are reminded that it is our Christian calling to make Christ’s presence visible in our world. We make Christ’s presence visible in our world by firstly acknowledging that he dwells within our hearts—whenever we proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Master, we are committing to living out the Greatest Commandment; that is, “to love one another”. We also make Christ’s invisible presence visible by our actions. Whenever we show mercy, we are being Christ to others; whenever we are being kind, caring and gentle, we are being Christ to others; whenever we act with compassion, courage, and justice, we are being Christ to others; whenever we speak the truth, pursue peace, and live with hope, we are being Christ to others. As our College motto reminds us, “the Lord is [our] light” and we are called to be a light to the world. Jesus teaches us that we “are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Our good works manifest God in our world.

Christ triumphs upon the Cross, giving light for us all. Christ you’re the morning star. Christ you’re the fire, like this candle burning here shed your light on us all.

 Easter is the time filled with wonder! This is the time filled with light!

Praise Him our Risen Lord: Jesus is life! Everlasting Life!

From Luke’s gospel, we read the story of the two travellers on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) which is a story about an encounter with the Risen Christ. The encounter as it is told in this story is also every person’s encounter with Jesus. An encounter with Jesus begins with an understanding and acceptance of life as it is. The two disciples are sad about Jesus having been crucified. However, they are also coming to terms with the news that Jesus is alive again. When Jesus explains things, he uses the Scriptures. During this time of social distancing and isolation, we have been prevented from gathering in churches. As a way of making up for this, many of us may have spent time at home reading the Bible and reflecting on its messages. This has brought us comfort, just as Jesus’ explanations of the Scriptures brought comfort to the two travellers. They admit to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” The next stage of the encounter with Jesus is an invitation. After Jesus had explained the Scriptures and the travellers had reached their destination, the story tells us that Jesus “walked ahead as if he were going on.” Jesus waits for an invitation. It is up to us to firstly offer the invitation for Jesus to “stay with us” and then to offer him a place at our “table”—the table being a symbol for our life.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

At 6.00 am on Anzac Day, many Australians stood on their driveways with a lit candle and the Australian flag as a substitute to gathering en masse at cenotaphs and war memorials as we would normally do. It was a pleasant surprise to hear a number of distant buglers sounding the last post and, after a minute's silence, the playing of the reveille. It has been suggested that this new way of celebrating Anzac Day will become the standard practice from now on. 

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

Over the coming weeks the girls will be slowly returning to school and face to face teaching. Whilst for many this cannot come soon enough, it will be yet another change that they have to deal with. The return to how they complete their school work and to their normal routine may take some adjustment, as will getting up early and getting dressed in their uniform – no more warm casual clothes.

Throughout this time the pastoral advisors have been doing lots of activities with the girls each morning and checking in on how they are going. There have been lots of resources created and I know that many of these have been shared with yourselves and the girls. So as we move into the next phase of our learning, we need to continue to monitor the wellbeing of the girls. Please look at the example provided on “Character Strengths at Home” and see which of these appeal to you and look at implementing some of these over the coming weeks.

Karen Wright - Assistant Principal Students

The recent online raffle many of you supported contributed to this great result. Whilst I was concerned we would not be in a good position to support many families next year, this result will be a lifeline for a number of families seeking St Patrick's for their daughter in 2021. Here is a  list of our sponsors, we could not have done this without all of their support.

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