This Saturday we will be hosting our College Open Day. Can you recall the Open day you attended and decided St Patrick’s would be the school for your daughter? We will have over 400 people at the College on Saturday, which is very exciting. We have had to adjust some of the activities in the rooms to be COVID safe but there is still plenty to see and do for parents and their daughter.  Let your friends and family know and perhaps they can come along as well. It will be lovely to see you on the day.

Next week, Thursday 4 March, we will be hosting our International Women’s Day breakfast. This year we have two ex-students returning to the College to share with us their life journey since leaving St Patrick’s. They are Belinda McMartin, who is CEO of Museum of Fire, and Sachini De Silva, who is a Chemical Engineer.   As always, they are inspiring and wonderful ambassadors of the College and it will be a privilege to hear their story. The cost of the breakfast is free to current students if they attend with a parent. Ticket price is $15 which includes hot and cold food. I urge you to participate as it is always such a great morning. It begins at 6.45 am and will finish at 8.15am on Thursday 4 March.

As we move into mid term 1, work and assessments for the girls will be starting to quicken. The secret to a stress-free term is organisation. Girls need to have their assessment calendar hanging in a prominent place at home. They need to begin their assessments early. They need to study without social media at hand and without other distractions compromising their concentration levels. They need to ensure they devote the recommended length of time every school night to their work. If they have concerns, they need to ask their teacher and share those concerns with you. It is important that the girls take responsibility for their learning and develop the skills to be proactive in ensuring they can achieve their best.

Girls need to have adequate sleep, a healthy diet and a good exercise regime. All these aspects of life will complement the study program that a student is working on. I have become aware of a few students leaving assessments and other important tasks to the night before and then going all night. This is not sustainable and really doesn’t enable the development of good skills for study and life after school. If you are aware your daughter is doing this, please inform her Year Coordinator and we will be able to work with her to find more sustainable ways to manage the workload.

I will leave you with a reflection that was used in the Wollongong Lenten program for Friday 26 February.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

Lord,
Help me to see those around me
as my brothers and sisters
and to have the courage 
to work through our differences.
Amen