Welcome to spring! What beautiful weather we are having as we herald in the warming of the earth and the preparation of the summer season. I have a family of magpies living around my backyard. Each day a pair of juvenile birds come down and poke around looking for scrapes and invertebrates to feast on. The songs and the tunes they happily broadcast to each other are iconic of the Australian summer. Often they will perch themselves on the washing line and appear to have no fear of me walking back and forth as I go about my business. They watch me intently and I will speak to them and compliment them on their beautiful singing. Moments like these allow me to enjoy the beauty of nature and push to one side all the other concerns that can take up my thoughts.  Perhaps you too have some magpies or other creatures that are living closely to you, that you are oblivious to as you go about your movements and business. Many a wise person have urged us to stop and smell the roses as we go about our day. I also encourage you, in this time of challenge,  to stop and appreciate the little things around us that remind us of God’s presence in your world and our lives.

You will have received your letter last Wednesday outlining the changes to the start and finish of term 4 this year. We are hoping that this change will alleviate some of the pressure for girls and families as we all manage our extended lockdown orders. Our thoughts go particularly to the Year 12 girls, who have been superb in managing this time preparing for their trials and HSC. We are hoping their HSC timetable will be released shortly. We also have the Year 11 in our thoughts and prayers, as they complete their Preliminary exams online and then Year 10, who will need to complete their examinations towards the end of the year. These are difficult times and we know all the girls are doing their best to stay up to date and complete their work to the best of their ability.

Next week we have engaged Danielle Millar to give a presentation on Supporting Girls Through COVID.   We have heard and read a lot recently, on the adverse impact the lockdown and restrictions are having on adolescent girls. We have no doubt, many of you are witnessing this impact in your homes at the moment. I strongly encourage you to view this presentation next Wednesday evening starting at 7pm. The link will be sent to you next week and can be found on the flyer in the community section of this newsletter. I am confident you will receive some very worthwhile information and strategies, that will assist you with supporting your daughter.

Finally, I am aware we have a number of families who are really struggling at the moment due to loss or illness of family members. Let’s keep all of these in our prayers as they manage their pain in isolation and under restrictions. I will leave you with a short prayer, St Patrick's Prayer for the Faithful.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal

May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Sheild of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guide us.
- Against the snares of the evil one.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!

May Thy grace, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore. 

Amen

(St Patrick's Prayer for the Faithful)

Our community bears the name of Patrick, the saint who brought to Ireland the Good News of Jesus Christ, the message that God’s love is unconditional and freely offered to all people. St Patrick was the community builder par excellence! He had the capacity to unite people and bring them together through a bond of shared faith. As a Patrician community (that is, a people inspired by the example of St Patrick) let us do our best to be a united community even in this time of isolation and lockdown.

Obviously, in his day, St Patrick had the advantage of mobility, being able to move from one place to another, setting up Christ-centred communities along the way. And these communities could physically gather together. The question arises, “How would someone like St Patrick go about building communities in today’s circumstances?” Fortunately, we already exist as the St Patrick’s community. Our current challenge is having to work out how we can stay connected to our St Patrick’s community while we cannot physically gather and be in each other’s presence.

Our connectedness to each other starts with us all having the same mindset. We need to remain community-minded. We need to maintain and continue to live out the values we share as a community. As our Mission Statement proclaims, we are a “Christ-centred community, formed in the Good Samaritan tradition” and we exist to “empower young women through holistic education to be independent and resilient lifelong learners who are actively engaged in working for a just society.” This is our common endeavour, it is the focus of our community, and it is that which makes us a community.

From the point of view of the students of St Pat’s, to stay connected to the community is to pursue the goal of being independent and resilient lifelong learners who are instruments of justice in the world. In doing this, no matter where they are, each St Pat’s girl will be bringing to life the essence of our St Patrick’s community. A St Pat’s girl strives to do her best. A St Pat’s girl is respectful, kind, accepting, and compassionate. No matter where they are, St Pat’s girls pursue peace, hospitality, stewardship, and love of Christ and neighbour.  Parents and carers of our girls participate in and are connected to the St Pat’s community by supporting their daughters, and the College as a whole, in helping all stakeholders to realise the College’s mission. The staff remain connected to the St Pat’s community by being the main drivers who work together, even remotely, to accomplish the College’s mission. Alumni, although they are long gone from the grounds of St Pat’s, remain connected to our community because they hold true to the proclamation that “once a St Pat’s girl, always a St Pat’s girl.”

Apart from remaining a connected community through a common mission, we can remain connected through prayer and thoughtfulness. Prayer, whether it be individual or communal, connects us with “the other”. Prayer takes us beyond ourself because prayer is always directed outwards. Prayer is an act of reaching out. Let us pray for one another in this time of disruption and uncertainty. Let us be mindful of the fact that there is an entity called St Patrick’s College and that we are part of that community because we are part of something that is far greater than us as individuals. Collectively, we are the St Patrick’s College community.

Angelo Gattone - Mission Coordinator

Year 7 Food and Agriculture students have enjoyed live practical lessons.  So far they have made scones and cookies! We love sharing the time together in the kitchen. Year 7 Digital Technologies have been busy designing their own App and discovering coding tools.

Year 8 Textiles girls have enjoyed hand sewn projects including a pincushion and dreamcatchers. Year 8 Timber girls are choosing some at home projects from a matrix using the materials they have at home. Resource packs are being organised to send to all Year 8 students ready for the start of Term 4. 

Year 9 and 10 Food Technology students have enjoyed engaging in their unit on Food Product Development, designing cookies and packaging concepts from home. We have also commenced live practical lessons, the cookies and sausage rolls were delicious! 

Best wishes to our Year 11 students who will commence Preliminary exams next week. Thank you to all of our TAS students and their families for their support and engagement in their learning. Don’t forget to share your photos with your teachers and follow the TAS Instagram page!

Alicia Pollicina - TAS Teacher

The unit helped students to sharpen their research and essay writing skills. The process of the project was just as important as the finished product with students having to incrementally  submit a proposal, essay plans and drafts. Students not only provided a brief biography of the achievements of their chosen individual, but had to argue whether or not their personality had contributed to creating a ‘better world’. One of the highlights of the project was presenting their research to the class on zoom (with a background of their personality) - see picture.

Several of the students in Year 9 Elective reflected on their research: 

I chose Mahatma Gandhi as the subject of my historical research. I've learnt a great deal from this 'Great Soul,' or as many refer to him, the 'Father of the Nation.' I discovered that Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who led India's nonviolent freedom campaign against British rule and fought for Indian civil rights in South Africa. This significant figure lived from 1869 to 1948. Gandhi has a long list of accomplishments during his lifetime. Fighting racial inequality in South Africa and participating in the famous salt march to Dandi were two of his accomplishments. I also learned about his various contributions to make the world a better place. He launched nationwide campaigns for basic human rights and to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, and applied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience resulting in India achieving independence from the British. Not only this but he inspired millions of people around the globe, including activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela through all aspects of his life. After analyzing Mahatma Gandhi’s personality, achievements and contributions the most significant thing I have learned is that everything should be addressed with truth and without violence. His saying “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” illustrates this lesson.
Hein J - Year 9 Elective History Student

My historical personality was Vida Goldstein, She was a trailblazer of her times. She was motivated by social justice and wanting to improve the lives of the women and children she met in the slums of Collingwood. Vida was also the first woman to publicly seek election to parliament, making five unsuccessful attempts. She was ridiculed for her efforts however this did not deter her, as demonstrated by her five consecutive attempts. Vida Goldstein contributed to making a better world in many ways, highly influenced by her mother who was an early feminist, she promoted social reform by drawing attention to the issue and further again with her attempts to enter parliament, a completely male dominated arena. Vida is an inspirational role model, displaying resilience, persistence and a commitment to social justice and reform. She is an early pioneer of women’s rights in Australia.
Mirae Q - Year 9 Elective History Student

During the writing of my essay I developed a further appreciation for history and my personality, Herodotus, ‘The Father of History’. Not only did he construct the first historical documents and historical timeline, he also influenced many people to start documenting history for future generations and still makes an impact today with teaching us the significance of history and its origin. To me, Herodotus is one of the most significant people to have lived because his contribution to the world is still recognised today and I can’t think of a world without him or history!
Ava C - Year 9 Elective History Student

For my historical investigation I did Mao Zedong and by researching him I was able to understand the impact of Mao's communist reign  on China and the effects (both long term and short term) it had. Something interesting that I discovered while conducting my research was how the personality cult Mao created during the revolution impacted both towns and cities. Mao's personality cult which venerated him introduced developments which idolised Mao which of course cost money, diverted funds from industrial development and this resulted in a decline in industrial output. 
Olivia M - Year 9 Elective History Student

‘JFK was arguably one of the greatest Presidents the United States has ever seen. He contributed to many things such as the Peace Corps, the Equal Pay Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Act and making a better economy. All of these things and much more made him one of the best Presidents the United States has ever had.’
Jacqueline C - Year 9 Elective History Student

Mary Reibey was an extraordinary and inspirational woman, who overcame several adversities through her life such as losing her parents & grandma and becoming a convict, which was something to be majorly ashamed of. She had no motivation in life, yet she still managed to strive and become a successful businesswoman and built a reputation for herself, forming an empowering image of other women in her society. She was the first woman to hold a public office, hence giving a different meaning to what it's like to be a woman in the 19th century. Her influence is so powerful that young girls all over the world look up to her life journey. It is the constant reminder that you are able to achieve anything that you wish, with a little effort and determination. These are the key factors I have learnt from investigating Mary Reibey’s life and I am truly inspired by her journey, which gives me the motivation to work hard in life and achieve what I want.
Romina A - Year 9 Elective History Student 

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) was an American activist, self-identified drag queen and transgender woman, who adopted the name Marsha P. Johnson after graduating high school. At this point in her life, she moved from her hometown in New Jersey to New York with only $15 and a bag of clothes. There in New York, is where she would start her activism. She was at the forefront of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the ’60s-’80s, attending and planning sit-ins, marches and protests. Such as, The Stonewall Riots (June 28-June 3 1969), an event that was the catalyst for the gay rights movement. She made a substantial impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Not only was she continuously at the frontline of protests, but she also founded an organisation alongside fellow activist Sylvia Rivera. STAR house was an organisation that provided shelter, safety and any needs to trans individuals experiencing homelessness. Even in her death, Marsha has left a great legacy behind. Multiple organisations have been made in her name (for example Marsha’s House).  She is also a symbol of courage for people to be who they are and express themselves as they want’.
Stephanie E - Year 9 Elective History Student

I wish to congratulate all of Year 9 Elective History on their wonderful projects and for their hard work over Term 3.

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

Girls had the opportunity to complete Escape Rooms and Kahoot quizzes based around this year’s theme: Food: Different by Design. They listened to podcasts and carried out practical activities made available through the Library’s homepage.

Many girls competed in the Education Perfect Science Championships. Girls could compete by answering questions or playing games that covered Science content being covered in lessons, or by choosing to learn about topics that simply interested them. St. Patrick’s did incredibly well coming 10^th globally, 7^th in Australia and 4^th in NSW.

We had two girls, Charlotte (Year 8) and Sarah (Year 9) who placed in the top 100. Both girls earnt Elite awards.

Below are some excerpts taken from reflections written by some of our students:

The Education Perfect Championship was a fun experience. The way that the competition was designed was very smart, being able to compete and earn awards to learn was very encouraging. – Lyna (Year 10)

During Science Week, I spent my class time revising the work that I've learnt and of course participating in the Education Perfect Competition. It was very challenging and required me to put my mind to work, but it was also really enjoyable learning all different things about different topics within science. Being able to have to put in the effort and then being rewarded was very encouraging. It was really fun and a great learning experience. – Auriel (Year 10)

Science Week was a jam-packed week full of Sciencey activities. From background competitions to Kahoots about the weeks topic, Food: Different by design.

The Education Perfect Science Championships were quite a blast. From biology to chemistry, the plethora of activities was endless. From the revision of past topics to the expansion of interests, the competition between everyone was really tense. – Charlotte (Year 8)

“During Science Week, my Year 10 class and I dressed up, albeit a little reluctantly, and participated in some fun activities during class but my favourite activity of the week had to be the Education Perfect Competition. I am usually the most interested in chemistry but once I completed all of the chemistry questions, I found myself completing the biology questions. I learned a lot from those questions and discovered some really interesting facts to keep me entertained. Those punnet squares really did me a solid!” – Charley (Year 10)

For Science Week this year, my class got to do an escape room on food, as this year's topic was Food: different by design. This was fun as we got to do something different from what our normal lessons would be. Doing the education perfect science championships was interesting as I got to learn new things that I may not have covered in class. – Caitlin (Year 9)

Kate Lefever - Science Coordinator

A number of girls in Year 8 Japanese have taken part in the voluntary cooking challenge where they have made Japanese food with modified, readily avaliable ingredients. Cooking in lockdown is challenging and so some of our girls have decided to try something new. There has been Yakisoba, a noodle dish with vegetables and any leftover meat, Teriyaki Chicken with Cucumber Pickle, Okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake and Oyakodon, a rice egg and chicken dish. Some of our ladies have looked up recipes of their own and we can only imagine the taste of Green Tea Beef Yakitori and the fluffy Soufflé Pancakes made by Bree.

Kirrily Cousins - Japanese Language Teacher

This year the theme was ‘Significance - History Matters’. While several members of the History Club were working on entries prior to lockdown, Charlotte D of Year 8 completed her entry on how studying the history of the Spanish Flu of 1919 has been important for us to understand the covid pandemic and the course of action required. Like a true historian, Charlotte used a plethora of primary sources including those held by the National Archives of Australia and other major Australian repositories. Charlotte chose to create an interactive website comparing the two pandemics.

Charlotte reflected on her project:

‘I quite enjoyed the experience of the National History Challenge.  This competition included the challenge to create a project that meets the theme of Significance: History Matters. Participants had the choice to either produce an essay, 3D model, or another format.

The National History Challenge is a research based competition for students across Australia, with a different theme each year. Students have the choice of researching anything providing it falls under the theme. With prizes for the best in the grade across the states and country, along with special categories which also have winners across the states and the country.

My entry, COVID-19 and Spanish Flu is about the significance of the Spanish Flu, and what Australia has learnt from it to better our attack on COVID-19. My website displays how and why “History Matters”, plus the overall importance of looking into the past, to benefit the present.

One major thing I have discovered within my research is how similar both viruses are. Both include fever as the main symptom, along with headaches and sore throat as less common symptoms. The Spanish Flu had more than one wave of the virus hit, which shut down schools, cinemas, churches, along with other places of gatherings. Both viruses caused lockdowns across Australia, police giving out fines and masks mandated to be worn.

Overall, this project has been a great experience and has helped me improve my research skills. I have enjoyed learning about the Spanish Flu and COVID-19, as it has really brought to life to me how similar both pandemics were. This competition has helped me find effective ways to research and seek out important information’.

Well done Charlotte on your amazing website and we wish you every success in the competition.

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

Initiated by the History Council of New South Wales,  this year’s theme is ‘From the Ground Up’. This aims to give voice to those histories which are from the ‘grass roots’ level such as the experiences of the ‘everyday person’, family histories, disadvantaged and marginal groups etc.

To celebrate History Week, the HSIE Faculty are running the following competitions next week and are open to all students.

1. Take a photo of yourself with a ‘historic item’ you have at home. It might be something from your own family history, an old photograph, war medals or a family heirloom passed down to you. Write a paragraph about what you know about the history of your item.

2. Guess the historical personalities - students will be emailed a range of photographs of important people in history and they have to guess who they are.

Entries close on Friday 10 September at 4pm. All entries are to be emailed to Mrs Musico Rullo and Mr East.

There are prizes to be won!

Nathan East and Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Faculty

Simpson Prize Competition Question:
To what extent have the Gallipoli campaign and the Western Front overshadowed other significant aspects of Australians’ experience of the First World War?

Instructions
The Simpson Prize requires you to respond to the question above using both the Simpson Prize Australian War Memorial Source Selection (which can be found at https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/schools/simpson2022 and your own research.

You are encouraged to discuss and respond to the question from a variety of perspectives, both individual and national using a variety of sources.
You are expected to make effective use of a minimum of four of the sources provided (see link above).

Up to half of your response should also make use of information drawn from your own knowledge and research.

Schools are permitted to submit up to 3 Student Entries.

Closing date
Submit your entry by Friday 5 November 2021 (5.30pm)
Students: Please go to Student Entry Requirements before beginning your entry.
Note: Winners will participate in Simpson Prize activities in 2022
How to submit completed entries is found at How to submit entries
The competition is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and run by the History Teachers’ Association of Australia.

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher

Don't worry if you didn't get a chance to have a look during Literacy and Numeracy Week, as the Escape Room will be available on Canvas for the rest of the term for you to enjoy.

If you love puzzles make sure you check out the additional Literacy and Numeracy Week inspired brain teasers on the Library's Instagram feed. Challenge yourself, or your family, to see how many you can solve.

The College Library

Each year, students in Year 7 to 9 are invited to write a short book review of any book or ebook/audiobook they have read, and enter the DEARS (Drop Everything and Read) Cup competition. Reviews are placed in a draw, and the House with the highest number of entries wins the DEARS Cup competition. Students usually submit physical entries in the Library, however with the move to online learning, an online DEARS competition in Canvas was created so students could submit electronic entries during lockdown.

For the last two years, Kenny has won the Cup (and bragging rights), however this year Lyons beat them to it, with a total of 64 entries! Congratulations Lyons! Special congratulations to Caitlin R, Sophie H, Maram A and Emmalynn D and Eve M (tie) who submitted the most entries for their Houses. They will  receive a $20 QBD Bookshop e-voucher. There was also 4 lucky draw winners who each receive QBD Bookshop e-vouchers. We had a total of 192 entries, which was wonderful. We encourage all students in Year 7 to 9 to check out the DEARS Canvas course and be a part of the 2021/2022 competition.

The College Library

It is here that you’ll find Library news, resources, updates from our Clubs, brain teasers and even some virtual Makerspace projects to try.

We hope to see you there.

The College Library

The Library team created an Indigenous Literacy Day guide featuring a selection of resources about Indigenous literacy and languages, Indigenous authors and stories.

Resources featured in the guide allow students to:

• watch and listen to the Marrin Gamu song, featuring five Indigenous languages
• learn how to greet someone in the language of the land on which you live
• read a translation of Advance Australia Fair in Dharawal language
• listen to Adam Briggs read his debut childrens book, “Our Home, Our Heartbeat”
• watch interviews with other Indigenous authors including Kirli Saunders and Ambelin Kwaymullina, and hear them talk about their stories
• enjoy a Virtual Warrane (Sydney Cove) experience while listening to a Dreaming story
• learn how to help the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to continue its work in remote communities
• and much more.

All students, staff and College families may access the Indigenous Literacy Day resource guide here.

The College Library

With learning offsite this term, the Library team continues to support students online. We are also working hard behind the scenes on a non-fiction cataloguing project which will greatly enhance the accessibility of the collection for staff and students. The traditional dewey (numerical) system for cataloguing non-fiction resources is being replaced with a genre-specific system to mirror student subjects.

This means when a student is studying a specific topic within a subject, all relevant books will be in one defined section (such as Ancient History > Egypt > Cleopatra), and the spine labels will be colour coded and worded to reflect different subjects / topics. The HSIE and CAPA collections are the first to be recatalogued in this manner.

While it is quite an extensive project, we can already see how (when students return to face-to-face teaching) the new classification system will help students find exactly what they are looking for more easily, with all relevant resources in the one place. 

The College Library

While not all of us have lost a loved one to covid, even those of us who aren’t currently in lockdown are all collectively grieving other pandemic related losses. Grief isn’t just for death. I think understanding the grief cycle is really important as it explains so much - I’ve always believed that if you can name it, you can tame it. We will also explore what is happening with young people and their mood during this time; there has been much on the mental health crisis amongst our teens in the news that needs to be unpacked. I will explain how you can discuss these reports of young people in crisis with your own children (without further distressing them).

For the majority of the session I will briefly look at what doesn’t work and what should be our focus areas: e.g. : facilitating meaningful connections (we can be using this as a time to teach conflict resolution strategies and develop conversations skills - gifts for life), knowing what the warning signs of distress might be, handling disclosures, creating opportunities for gratitude and creating opportunities for your daughter to look forward to!

Because parents are also bursting with questions at the moment, the final 10 minutes will be devoted to answering parent's questions. If you join me live, you will have the chance to ask away! This session will also be recorded and distributed to the whole school community to review - because  lets face it, we are all finding it hard to focus at the moment, and you may wish to review key content!

Dannielle Miller, OAM| CEO, Enlighten Education and Goodfellas

Author, educator, media commentator 

www.danniellemiller.com

www.enlighteneducation.com

https://theparentswebsite.com.au/this-totally-sucks-teens-covid-and-the-lockdown-lifestyle-tips-from-andrew-fuller/

From the studyskillshandbook.com.au or to access this resource click here.

In 2019 we were thrilled to collect enough books to fill 22 baskets and 40 baskets in 2020, which made their way to even more of our local primary schools. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and are hopeful that we will be able to collect more books with the help of our 2021 Year 7 cohort too.

Your daughter may have even read one of these books while she was at primary school. 

While you are at home, start a collection of books which you think students up to the age of 12 would like. Books will be collected next term and all donations will be gratefully received. Next term we will organise collection points and if you have lots of books that are difficult for your daughter to carry, we can arrange a convenient drop-off or pick up time.

Sarah Hilder - English Teacher