The Feast Day of Mary MacKillop (St Mary of the Cross), occurred this week on Thursday 8 August. The first Australian recognised by the Roman Catholic Church. Sr Mary MacKillop became the first Sister and Mother Superior of the order of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Mary MacKillop was very conscious of the plight of the poor and needy. She worked with families that lived in isolated areas of Australia. Her work commenced in Adelaide in 1867 and the main focus of the order was to provide education to the children of the poor. A remarkable woman whose legacy continues to improve the lives of others. 

Term 3 is a busy time for our College Leadership Team, apart from the normal weekend sport presence on Saturday at Basketball, Tennis and this year Rugby League, the Leadership Team together with other Staff are conducting Year 5 2021 enrolment interviews. It is a privilege to sit and listen to the aspiration of the parents of future St Patrick’s College students.  The responses from year to year are very similar to the questions we ask:

• they love maths; 
• reading every night for some of them is a struggle; 
• homework can vary from school to school;
• handball is the choice sport at playtime.

However, the responses that don’t vary from year to year is to the question of: Why they are choosing St Patrick’s College for their son? Their responses vary from: "I know somebody who came here"; "We talk to people in the neighbourhood and they recommend St Patrick’s College"; "We look at the boys and see how they conduct themselves in public"; and finally "We have heard that this school cares for the boys". These comments validate the constant messages we deliver to the young men at St Patrick’s College. We are, as we say on many occasions, proud of the young men who are Men of Action, building a caring and Inclusive community filled with compassion, justice and peace. We are conducting interviews over the next few weeks.

At Tuesday’s Assembly, Matthew Palmer (Senior 2017 - Mooney House Leader) presented the College with his Nutri Grain Ironman Surf Lifesaving series singlet. Matthew was a dedicated and hardworking sportsman while at the College and in the Surf Lifesaving area. He addressed the Assembly and clearly articulated a simple message that he uses in his training that brings him success. Matthew will begin competing shortly in the upcoming National Ironman series and his eyes are certainly focused on the Coolangatta Gold event later this year. We certainly wish him well. 

On Thursday, we launched our new look St Patrick's College website. We invite you to visit and take a look around, we will continue to develop this as our main platform for communication with audiences outside our St Patrick's College community. I would like to thank Mrs Jackie Upton for the development of our new website. 

As you all know, the 2019 Paddy’s Van and Trailer Appeal is continuing. The Father Son Breakfast on Wednesday, 28 August in the Christian Brothers Building (sold out) will be an opportunity to continue raising money for this significant icon at our College and the broader community. The amount of comfort that the Paddy’s Van brings to those on the margins is immeasurable. If you would like to donate to this wonderful cause, please contact the Foundation Office on 3631 9000. 

I wish you all the very best this week.

God Bless.

Mr Frank Torrisi – Acting Principal

This week we had the pleasure of 2017 Old Boy, Matthew Palmer addressing our College community at our Assembly. Matthew is a talented athlete, who has focused on his passion of Surf Life Saving. His achievements include winning the U19 Coolangatta Gold in a time that would have placed him 4th in the elite male category. For those unfamiliar with this event, it is considered the most challenging of the surf life saving events. Athletes who participate, complete a 23 km surf ski, a 3.5 km swim, a 6.1 km board leg and then finish with a 7 km run. The total distance including transitions is 41.8 km. Matthew has also just finished his season with the Australian Surf Championships on the Gold Coast where he walked away with 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. 

Matthew had in mind a particular goal; he was determined to join the Nutri-grain Ironman series. Matthew has obviously achieved that goal and presented the College with his Ironman series singlet which will be framed and put on display.

I liked the messages Matthew shared with our young men. Although he clearly has a natural talent, the achievements did not fall into his lap. He has worked incredibly hard for what he has and spoke about the many sacrifices he makes. Being a young man, there are many social opportunities that he declines. Why? Because his training is more important to him. Why? Because his training is the way he works towards what he wants. In fact, he trains 3 to 4 times a day, starting at 4:45am and ending at 6:00pm; I think it is important for our young men to hear that the accolades come well after the hard work and dedication.

Finally, he left them with some homework. He talked about the difference between a vision and goals. He spoke about how his vision is aligned with his values (family, hard work, pursuit of excellence) and that he uses his goals as specific targets that move him towards his vision. This is exactly the message we give to our boys through our mentoring and goal setting processes. He asked the boys to go home that night and think about those three points:

• What is my vision?
• What do I value?
• What goals will I set to move closer to that vision?

If you have the opportunity, perhaps around the dinner table, or on a car trip, ask your son these three questions and remind him of the messages Matthew shared with them. 

Ms Elizabeth Gaber – Acting Deputy Principal

Please see below the upcoming events at the College..

The Mobile Smart Phone 

This week at our College Assembly, I shared some evidence with the students around the impact that smart phones have on their attention and ability to focus on learning at home. I am sure the adults reading this will agree that this device has come a long way since their introduction and then proliferation in the late 90s and early 00s. I showed the boys some images of my first two mobile phones and discussed the (limited) extent of their functionality (see if you can name them):

Now, I believe, we are dealing with smart phones that are designed to maximise screen time and often through sinister methods. The challenge for all of us is to manage the use of our devices so that we can still maintain attention and focus for long enough periods of time to learn. The following video highlights the scientific evidence behind the impact smart phones can have on student learning. 

There is a call phone in your students head

I believe that students need to have a “safe place” for their phone whilst they study. The further away from them the better. Please discuss the safe place your son’s will keep their phones whilst they focus on learning at home – in your handbag, on a different floor in the house, in parents’ bedroom etc. 

Subject Selection and Information Evenings

We are currently involved with key junctures in many year levels. Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 and involved with Subject Selection Meetings and information gathering. Our students in Year 11 are approaching the start of Unit 3 on the first day of next term. Year 12 students are preparing for the QCS, selecting universities for their QTAC application, or firming up work or vocational pathways.

Please note that after each parent and student information session the slides for the presentation can be found on the teaching and learning page on REALM. 

Mr Troy Schultz – Dean of Teaching and Learning

Over the course of the next week, Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 students will be participating in workshops and listening to a range of speakers regarding subject selection in preparation for 2020. REALM pages have been created and populated for Year 8, 9, 10 and 11, 2020. Each of the pages will have links to relevant subjects, presentations and external links that will help guide them in the subject selection process. There is a short web cast that has also been updated that outlines the process for accessing Web Preferences and choosing your subjects for 2020. At the conclusion of each Parent Information Session, your son will be emailed a link that will give him access to Web Preferences. For further detail please refer to correspondence from Mr Troy Schultz, Dean of Teaching and Learning. 

At the commencement of the term all students from Years 5-10 participated in a Tutor Group Mentoring Session where they explored a range of topics from fixed and growth mindsets to watching an episode of Bluey to explore and discuss the importance of persistence. At the end of the session each boy completed a survey identifying their targets and goals for the semester. These goals are currently being processed and will be communicated over the coming weeks, in the mean time I would encourage you to discuss your son’s goals and more importantly the behaviours and habits that need to be cultivated in order for the goals to be reached. 

During Assembly on Tuesday, we were fortunate enough to have old boy, Matthew Palmer (2017) join us. Earlier this year, Matthew won the Under 19 Coolangatta Gold Ironman and his recorded time placed him fourth overall - an outstanding achievement.  Matthew shared with the Assembly some key messages I would like to reiterate: Each of us should have a vision of what we want to achieve and where we want to be. He reminded the boys that the goals were the milestones that needed to be achieved in order to make the vision a reality. It was a thoughtful speech and a timely reminder for the boys that our goals and vision take time and effort, sacrifice and persistence. In a world of instant gratification and overnight success, it is easy to forget and underestimate the time, effort, persistence and hard-work it takes to achieve success. 

During this time, where half the College are choosing subjects for 2020, I would encourage your son to consider where he sees himself in the future, reflect on his goals and guide him in making those difficult decisions and sacrifices that will help make his vision a reality.

Mr Adam McPhee – Acting Dean of Administration and Business Intelligence

On Tuesday, the Science department invited the amazing interactive show from Street Science to the school to demonstrate some of the problems humans may experience in Space and moving into Space. It was a huge success and all the students were totally engaged with the presenter and his highly visual experiments in which some students were lucky enough to help with.

This show ties in well with Science Week which will be happening in Week 5. There will be a science quiz with prizes for the most accurate entries over this week.

These demonstrations were showing what happens to your body if you entered space without a spacesuit and rocket propulsion.

Mrs Karen Cantwell - Head of Science

For information on TAFE Brisbane Open Day:

TAFE Open Day

This week in Round 3 of the AIC Basketball and Tennis season, we compete against St Edmund’s College. Our 1st V Basketball team had a very solid win over Ashgrove last Saturday. It ended a winning streak of 25 matches. Students are encouraged to remain after their game to support the 1st V. Formal uniform is required to remain as a spectator.  

The Tennis squads remain competitive but are finding it difficult to post an overall win during this season. The 2nd, 3rd and 10As all had good wins against a strong Ashgrove opposition. 1st IV will be playing at Coops on Saturday. All the Tennis squads are presently participating in the early rounds of the College Championships. Games are being played during tennis training times. The Championships will culminate with the semi-finals and finals to be played at Coops on Saturday, 17 August. 

Rugby League had some mixed results last round. Unfortunately, after a great performance against St Laurence’s our 1st XIII was out played by Ashgrove. However, due to the tight nature of the competition a win this week should see St Patrick’s back in the mix. Our Year 10 Rugby League team remain undefeated after a strong performance against Ashgrove. All AIC Rugby League matches this week are at the Tivoli Playing Fields associated to St Edmund’s College.
 
Students and parents are reminded of the College’s uniform policy for Saturday sport. Students are never to wear thongs as part of the pre or post game attire. Students who are spectating must be in full formal uniform. Some students over the last few weeks have been asked to leave the venue due to incorrect uniform. 
 
Well done to our Tennis families on our morning tea offerings each Saturday morning. I constantly receive communication from other colleges complementing our tennis community on the way we host our rounds of Tennis. The comment always finished with “I wish our school did this each week!” 

Contacts for Trimester 3 Sport 

• Basketball Coordinator - Steve Copping scopping@stpatricks.qld.edu.au 
• Tennis Coordinator - Br Christopher Pritchard cpritchard@stpatricks.qld.edu.au 
• Track and Field Coordinator - Mr Dan Nethery dnethery@stpatricks.qld.edu.au 
• Rugby League - Mr Brian Polich bpolich@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

 Mr Dan Nethery – Head of Sport

2019 SENIOR JERSEYS – There are two spare jerseys available in sizes S and M. They are available for purchase @ $90 each. Student name on the back can be done and is included in the price. 

2017 SENIOR JERSEY – One of these in size XL is also available. There is no exit year on this jersey so would suit any past student who would like a St Patrick’s College Senior Jersey. SENIORS is printed on this jersey. This jersey is available for the mark down price of $50.

Merchandise Store Opening Hours

• Tuesday - 12:00noon to 4:00pm
• Wednesday - 12noon to 4:00pm
• Thursday - 7:30am to 11:30am

Parent Volunteers

Thank you to all those who have volunteered to help at our breakfast next week. We are still seeking a few more mums/parent volunteers to help with serving breakfast, and packing up after the event. If you can assist after the event to help with clearing away and packing down our auditorium, your help is also greatly appreciated!

If you would like to assist, please don’t hesitate to contact our Foundation Officer, Joanne Wareham on 3631 9000 or email jwareham@stpatricks.qld.edu.au.

St Dympnas Spring Fair