This will be the last edition of the Inside Out for 2020. It has been an interesting year which has seen us as a College community adjust and review much of what we do to accommodate the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic year. I would like to extend my thanks to you for your support and assistance over the year as you have worked with us to ensure the best is always available for the girls.

This week we met with the Members of the Company and the Board Directors to review the year and discuss the budget for 2021. As a non systemic Catholic College, these are the people who hold responsibility for the governance of our College. With them, we remain authentic in our commitment to the charism of  Good Samaritan Education evident across the network of Good Samaritan Colleges along the east coast of Australia. I am pleased to share with you their expressions of gratitude and thanks for the work of the College staff and the Board. They extend to all our families a warm and holy Christmas and a relaxing break over the season.

We were delighted to learn this week that the History Club has won another award for their work. It was announced by the Minister of Veterans' Affairs in Canberra, that St Patrick's History Club was awarded a special award in the Anzac Day Schools' Awards for best "'Innovative Commemoration'' in an Australian school. It comes with some prize money.

The focus of their application had to be on World War II and its impact on Australians. Our girls interviewed and worked with Bert Collins our 104 year old veteran, looked at the life of Nurse Haultain of Ingleburn who was killed in WW2 and also researched their own family members.

The description of the award is:  Award for Innovative Commemoration - Original and creative learning activities which engage students with veterans and/or current serving members of the ADF.

With the splash of Jacaranda mauve across our communities we know we are well into Advent. This is a season of preparation for the birth of our Lord. Whilst we can be drawn into the busyness of Christmas shopping and preparations for meals and festivities, we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that it is the birth of our Lord and saviour that is the real joy of this season. We look for the small moments of joy and kindness in the way people interact with each other, show compassion and empathy for our neighbour and extend some support and assistance to those in need. Here we witness the magic of Christmas. May you have a beautiful Christmas with family and friends and may the joy of the season find its way into your lives and households during this season.

I will leave you with a Christmas blessing.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

Come Christmas God,
Christ-child of Bethlehem
Spirit of wonder,
Be born in us and your world
once more
that joy may be shared
peace proclaimed
and love abound.

(extract from Come Christmas God, by Kate McIlhagga)

Following the instruction Jesus offers at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan to “go and do likewise”, the Year 10 girls who participated in the revised Community Service program have been impressive with the way they fulfilled Jesus’ advice to do the same as the Good Samaritan—to be neighbour to those in need.

In the last few weeks of the term, the girls were involved in creating personalised Christmas cards for distribution to the residents at Carrington Aged Care at Grasmere. The Year 10 girls did their best to fulfil the order of 500 Christmas cards. It is hoped that those who receive the cards will know that they are held in our thoughts and prayers at this time of year as we await the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

The Year 10 girls have also prepared and wrapped the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers ready for distribution to the local area on Monday 7 December. Being the year of Covid-19, it was decided that we would make the hampers extra special by having them wrapped in boxes instead of using laundry baskets.

The Year 10 girls are to be commended for the openness with which they entered into the revised Community Service Program and the spirit of service to the community which they displayed.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

As part of the events at the start of the new year, families will get together and eat Toshikoshisoba. These are long soba noodles that are served in a light salty broth. The long noodles represent luck and long life for the new year. The object is to eat the long noodle without cutting it with your teeth. The students had a lot of fun eating the noodles and developed another understanding of another culture and their celebrations. We wish you all a Happy New Year for 2021 and hope it is filled with lots of luck and health.

Julian Nash - LOTE Coordinator

This is an activity that consolidates everything that they have learned through game style activities. The students competed in teams, relying on each other's strengths to advance through difference language activities. The students had a lot of fun as they were able to demonstrate how much they had learnt throughout the year. We are all very proud of the students' achievements this year and hope they aim high to develop even further in their academic skills next year.

Julian Nash - LOTE Coordinator

For the past three years this school has done a day visit at our school in November as part of their school trip to Australia. This year, given the restrictions on international travel, students were able to meet virtually through ZOOM and talk about themselves. This gave the students in Year 9 a great opportunity to speak in Japanese and learn more about Japanese culture. It was a great success as students participated in short 10 minute conversation sessions over an hour. The students are to be congratulated on their effort and use of Japanese. We look forward to next year and hope that we can do more ZOOM sessions like this to connect with students in Japan.

Julian Nash - LOTE Coordinator

In training, the squad had been researching the psychology of engagement and learning, and considering whether there can be objective truth in history. They built up a solid case centred around accessibility, the nature of teaching and learning, and how visual and narrative representations can lead to deeper understanding of the lessons of history. As part of their training, the team took part in a practice debate against All Saints Catholic College on the 25 November. This allowed them to view the potential holes in their case, leading them to consider rebuttals regarding unethical historical accuracy and arguments surrounding the impact of academic gatekeeping.

Finally, 27 November had arrived. The room was filled to the brim with a selected student audience from 10.3, Year 9 Elective History, 2021 Modern History students, younger students who have shown an interest in History Debating in the future, as well as the siblings of our Year 10 History debaters. 

The debate was getting ready to begin, with Bianca R as first speaker. She opened the debate by expertly defining the topic and justifying her definitions using the sources of Seaver, Smith, Hirst, Gilbert and Leopold Von Ranke - the founding father of the modern discipline of history. She then passionately argued that accessibility for learning is essential, not only in the consumption of history, but in the writing of it - proving that the elitism in academia prevents historians from being an effective teacher of history. It was an outstanding opening, and the foundations were laid.

When it came time for Grace’s speech, the negative team had raised several concerns surrounding how films may endanger vulnerable communities through inaccuracy and misplaced empathy. Grace’s incredible rebuttals were highly thorough, asserting that problematic films can still be great learning tools when they are reframed as a primary resource, evoking the prevailing views of the time in which it was made. She proceeded to argue that objective truth is not possible, by citing the work of EH Carr, and that teaching the key lessons of history becomes the most important element to consider. At this point, the ideas provided in the debate were becoming increasingly complex, nuanced and exciting.

Finally, the time had come for Molly to take the debate home. Her manner was outstanding, and the passion with which she refuted and summarised the debate was incredible to behold. She brought the debate down to the key issues of accessibility Vs accuracy. She compared and contrasted films and historians on the basis of engagement, bias, elitism and accessibility, proving that statistically and logically, films come out on top. By the time she sat down, the entire room was bursting with pride for her, the team and our school.

It was decision time, and the adjudicators excused themselves to a breakout room to discuss who would be the winner. The room was tense and buzzing with excitement - nobody knew which way this debate would go. Emanuel had put up a big fight, but so had we. “I remember thinking that it was so well executed that there’s no way they couldn’t have won,” stated audience member Meghan W from Year 8. “When we were sitting there, I could see their structure, the way they conveyed their points was superior” agreed fellow student Renae L. The students discussed how inspiring it was to see their Year 10 mentors in action, Megan stating: “It was how well prepared they were. Their vocabulary was so good that I was taking notes on my pamphlet. I just did not have that many notes for the other team”.

The adjudicators returned to reveal the final decision. Every person in the room turned to the screen, hearts pounding, as they listened to the result:

“The winners of the Grand Finale” said the chair adjudicator “came down to two adjudicators to one. The winner was decided because they showed depth in their argument and logic. They had a link to a multitude of concepts as well as having an overall strong foundation for their historical argument. So we would love to announce that the winner of this debate is St Patrick’s College”.

Hands in the air, voices soaring, and smiles all around - the room exploded with love and pride for the work of these incredible young women. We were the 2020 champions of the J.A. Thompson History Debating Competition.

Congratulations to Bianca R, Grace K, Molly Q, Olivia L, Hayley M, Chelsea P and Layla E, for their wonderful achievements in this competition. It has been a pleasure to watch each of them grow in this highly challenging competition. Thank you to all students and staff present for their support of our debaters - it means the world to them to know that they have the support of their community behind them. Thank you to the Maintenance and IT staff for their expert facilitation of the event, particularly Tim Godbee who put in a considerable amount of time to ensure a positive Zoom experience. And finally, thank you as always to the wonderful Mr Duncan - his effort to prepare the girls in this competition has been insurmountable and he is thanked greatly for his support, expertise and enthusiasm in supporting the girls.

We are ecstatic that, in our first year entering this competition, our students have triumphed above the plethora of elite private and selective schools to enjoy their well-earned victory. We greatly look forward to holding the Grand Final cup here in Campbelltown for the year of 2021 and we are all very excited to see what this competition brings us in the future. Go St Pat's!

Laura Bryant - Public Speaking and Debating Coordinator

For the summer unit, we looked at Imagery and Figurative language. We worked on breaking down a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, called Summer Sun. It told the story using personification, as the poet was portraying the sun as the Earth’s gardener. We also created our own shape poems about things that remind us of summer.

For Autumn, we worked on our Pacing Techniques for our poems. We were lucky enough to eat an Anzac biscuit, and we had to describe how it tasted, smelt, felt, looked and sounded. We also deciphered the poem When the Leaves Came Down by Susan Coolidge. It personifies a tree that loses its leaves in autumn, almost like the tree is father, and the leaves are his children.

Winter was First Frost by Andrei Voznesensky. It tells a story about a girl who is dealing with a break-up for the first time, and ‘first frost’ is  a metaphor for her heartbreak. Her desolation is reflected in the cold Russian winter. 

For Spring, we looked at sound devices. We covered onomatopoeia, assonance, alliteration and rhyme, through such poems as Spring by Gerald Manly Hopkins and Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens. We spent time in the Yandel’ora garden, where we were inspired by spring’s sights and sounds. The lake, flowers, insects, and birdlife made Yande’lora the perfect setting for reflection on this theme.

Please enjoy these sample Spring poems by Year 7 students:

Each Tiny Pebble by Eliza F.

Guiding you to the blissful butterflies
passing by,
all the purple petals,
while watching the birds fly above
the tall trees 

with the glistening, golden lake
shining in the sun,
Koi fish swimming about,
through the warm water
allowing you to forget the world around you.

as a gentle breeze,
softly touches my neck,
as I gaze at the nature surrounding me.

watching each tree shed 
a piece of bark 
as if it's ready to start
its journey again 

A Thousand Wishes by Holly B.

Spider webs threaded like tight wool,
As bright yellow flowers smile at me.
Butterflies flutter through thick, damp air,
Icy cold leaves hang off a thin, skinny tree.

The sound of crunchy pebbles echo,
Swampy, brown water spills and swishes,
As vivid, beaming fish merk underneath.
Large trees tower over me, a thousand wishes.

The Story of Spring by Diadem A.

The story of spring
starts with the wind
she does a little twirl
and starts to sing.

Her journey she makes,
The stories she tells.
Breathing lives into the lakes,
Watching them awake.

The sun glistens upon the water
Although not crystal, still filled with beauty and love.
Just like the relationship between father and daughter.

The lake becomes the stage,
As little leaflets, its little performers.
Droplets of rain break from their cage,
As the orchestra of glows in waters of sage.

The bright glow of orange, red, yellow
Can be seen very faint.
But if you take a moment to see their glow.
You might just smile; their beauty really shows.

The applause from the performance, comes soft and faint,
But if you listen closer you can hear the delicate conversations,
Of the tree, quite quaint.
So heavenly, almost like saints.

As the story comes along,
She hears the conversations of the trees.
They talk about the world so strong,
And how they see everything close and beyond.

Looking closer towards the little things.
The little creatures,
So detailed, what nature brings
From the webs to the wings.

A web full of shapes,
A spider creates his home.
Each thread so intricate so detailed,
But the wind teases causing it to fly like a cape.

Following the thin white string
Leads you to the veins of the leaves.
Each detail, spread out like wings,
Makes you think to appreciate the small things.

Whilst still there in the silence of day,
The leaves and world around you
Seems the sway.
Under a spell, with a soft haze.

Although the colours of boring green
Are all the naked eye can envision,
The eyes of a mesmerised beholder can see,
The little colours unseen.

Look a little deeper,
Let your eyes focus
And colours will reveal,
Of red, gold, white, teal.

Each shape fat, long, short
Small, large, sharp,
Some even soft.
Soldiers and dancers.

An orchestra of crickets everywhere
It takes some time but
satisfying sound unclear.
But so calming, so fair.

The story comes to an end as the evening sun shuts their eyes
Before the night comes
You run around the fields of grass, so light
You might
just
get
lost.
And forget all time.

Laura Bryant - Teacher

The was project was titled -  World War II and its impact on Australian Communities – Understanding World War II through the stories of our great grandfathers, a local nurse and a living World War II veteran

This year’s History Club project focused on understanding the impact of World War II through researching individuals who were either related to the students, were from the local area or were living veterans. The students began working on this year long project in late 2019 in preparation for the commemoration of 75 years since the end of World War II. Covid and its restrictions on large gatherings of students presented many setbacks to physically meeting, but much was achieved working in a virtual setting at times.

This project was entirely student driven with the aims:

1. To gain an understanding of the impact of World War II  and educate their peers beyond the classroom (through a virtual assembly and school displays). 
2. To achieve strong student engagement by gaining skills in historical research using primary sources and accessing digital records such as service records from the National Archives of Australia. 
3. To strengthen student understanding and empathy for World War II. To achieve this, students researched a local Campbelltown person who served or members of their own family. 
4. To access the impact of World War II as a ‘living’ past by interviewing a World War II veteran and researching his service.

To achieve these aims, the following projects were undertaken:

1. Virtual Anzac Assembly – 9 May 2020 – our planned annual physical Anzac Assembly was cancelled due to the College being closed due to COVID.  Thus, the History Club created a ‘virtual’ Anzac Assembly that was broadcast live to the College community at home. This assembly featured a keynote address from one Year 8 student Caitlin R. about her great grandfather, H.J. Daley who had been a prisoner in Changi in World War II. Students also showcased activities undertaken at home on Anzac Day (students were provided with a plethora of online activities they could choose to complete).
2. Researching family members and local Campbelltown people who served in World War II and creating a display – students used many online research tools to collect primary sources and create a display for their peers. Eve M, Ava M, Emily M and Caitlin R all researched members in their family who served in World War II and created a display.  Our Year 10 History Club members researched Nurse Cynthia Haultain of Ingleburn who was killed in World War II. This activity gave the more senior members of the group opportunity to peer mentor the juniors.
3. Interviewing a living World War II veteran – 104-year-old Bert Collins – Laura and Bronwyn Z interviewed Bert pre-Covid and created a display on his experience of World War II.
4. Creating a wall mind map ‘Impacts of World War II on Australia’ – each student investigated one theme demonstrating how Australians on the home front were affected by World War II.

The History Club members are to be congratulated for winning this prestigious award (to complement the two Anzac Day Schools Awards they won last year). Members give up their lunchtimes to work on such projects. The Award comes with $2000 prize money which will go towards history resources such as artefacts to use in the classroom. Last year's prize money went towards the College 180th display and material to make more historic uniforms for the school archives.

Fran Musico-Rullo - HSIE Teacher

During term three this year, I experienced an amazing opportunity. I have been writing stories for fun for a while now and have always wanted to become an author, so I entered a writing competition. What I didn’t expect was to receive a placing for my story. I received an encouragement award which was third place out of over 300 entries. When I arrived at Braidwood to be awarded, I met Jackie French who spoke to me about how to become a good writer and the techniques I should use while writing stories. It was really good meeting another author to help me become a better writer. I was then recorded for a documentary about the Braidwood's Writers Competition where I spoke about what has inspired me to become a writer. This opportunity has been really good for me and I am so thankful for this experience as it will help me in many ways with improving my writing. 

Amelia R - Year 8 Student

Congratulations to Amelia on a fantastic result and creative learning experience.

Claudine Bella - Teacher

One young person from each NSW electorate was invited to attend Children’s Week Parliament and present a short speech via video on a topic they are passionate about that affects and is a priority for all children and young people across NSW.

On the day, Tavara received training in parliamentary processes and advocacy and heard from a panel of Members of Parliament. She then worked in a small group to deliver a speech. Below is an extract from Tavara's speech and the full recording can be viewed on the Facebook page of Mr Greg Warren, MP for Campbelltown.

"A happy environment is a safe environment but becoming more translucent is gang-related violence for the youth of NSW, making that statement far-fetched. The violence is seen as a trend, with Sydney gangs growing due to the recruitment of new, impressionable young people. The NSW Parliament has stated that a leading cause is to ensure mutual protection, especially for low socioeconomic areas, which are areas that make up a big part of NSW."

Congratulations Tavara on this impressive achievement! The College community is proud of the leadership you've shown here!

Thank you to Mrs Musico who organised this opportunity and to Ms Sue Lennox and Mr Greg Warren for their support of this endeavour.

Nathan East - HSIE Coordinator

Phoebe H, Evie R, Mackenzie H, Gabriella A, Lily K, Jordana N, Paige R, Siena B, Annabelle M, Sianna F, Emma G, Stevie F, Maiya-Lily C, Fale’ofa A, Lilliana A, Grace F and Sarah M. Coach Mr Baca.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Lillian M, Jordanne M, Valentina V, Gabrielle V, Jessica H, Emily H, Breanna R, Grace B, Ava C, Shreya M, Faith R and Maya M. Coach Mrs Lawrence.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Aaliya B, Charlie C, Ella D, Mia F, Kiah G, Ava H, Scarlett N, Mirae Q, Nyala R, Cora W, Keesha D and Dakoda L. Coach Mr Ashkar and Mr Nash

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Katarina S, Tavara S, Olivia S, Charlotte F, Dayna V, Madison M, Helen T, Eden P, Sydney R and Quincee P. Coach Mrs Nash.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

Sophie A, Annalise D, Darcy E, Lucy G, Olivia H, Sophia S, Olivia Z, Ilori P, Amy Y, Summer D, Eden G and Carrera-Rose K. Coach Mrs Arena.

Scott Ashcroft - Sports and Activities Coordinator

STRENGTHS:

• What did you do well this year?
• What subjects or topics were you good at?
• What learning strategies worked for you?
• What achievements are you most proud of?
• What new skills did you develop?

WEAKNESSES:

• What were your greatest challenges?
• What did you find most difficult?
• What skills do you feel you need to focus more on?
• What areas of your approach did you struggle with?
• When did you feel not confident?

OPPORTUNITIES:

• What more could you do to build your strengths and deal with your weaknesses?
• Who do you feel may be able to help you with this?
• How will next year be different in offering opportunity to grow?
• What could you personally change in your approach to school next year?
• What one thing could you change that would make the biggest difference to you being a more effective learner?

 THREATS:

• What are the biggest hurdles to you making changes in your approach?
• Are there other students you sit with who make learning difficult?
• What is stopping you from achieving the top marks you are capable of?
• What challenges do you face in staying motivated to do your school work?
• What challenges do you face in managing distractions and procrastination?

In these school holidays it is important for students to have a decent break, recharge and enjoy spending time with friends and family. Certainly, if students are weak in areas such as literacy or numeracy, some regular practice during the break would not go astray. It is essential however that Year 11 students allocate some time these school holidays to consolidate the work from Year 11, ensuring study notes are up to date and they are organised and prepared for the challenges ahead in Year 12.

The College Library

Summer reading is an important, enjoyable activity that students can engage in during the holidays to help avoid the 'Summer Slide' in reading achievements gained during the school year. The College Library may be closed over the holidays, but the beauty of ebooks and audiobooks is that students still have access to a broad, exciting range of reading and audio material over the holidays. By downloading ePlatform on mobile devices or laptops (look for the ePlatform icon on your Google Play or Apple Store), students can access the latest fiction releases, popular contemporaries and classics, and a broad range of non-fiction titles. 

eBooks and audiobooks are excellent for the summer holidays - you can carry dozens at a time, they automatically return once they expire and you don't have to worry about late fees :) Perfect for lazy summer days and travel over Christmas.

The College Library