Remembering good times are our gold.
Value earned through guidance given
Helping us go forth in livin'.
Each father adding to our trove
A treasure chest of love untold.
Remembering fathers in our lives
Taking time to realise.
Fatherly love brings wealth to living
Remembering this, we go forth in giving.
Fathers young, fathers old
We remember you all
As life unfolds."
(Susan Kramer)
This Sunday, we all celebrate Father’s Day. In our society, it is customary to recognise...
"Fathers young, fathers old
Remembering good times are our gold.
Value earned through guidance given
Helping us go forth in livin'.
Each father adding to our trove
A treasure chest of love untold.
Remembering fathers in our lives
Taking time to realise.
Fatherly love brings wealth to living
Remembering this, we go forth in giving.
Fathers young, fathers old
We remember you all
As life unfolds."
(Susan Kramer)
This Sunday, we all celebrate Father’s Day. In our society, it is customary to recognise special people, events or occasions by putting aside a time or day that everyone recognises to celebrate. With this in mind, it is important for each of us to reflect on the great affect that our fathers may have had on us throughout our lives. I have very strong memories of my own father and, as one grows older and a little wiser, we understand more about the sacrifices that our father has made, without us understanding at the time. I grew up in a large family and my parents had to work hard to get me and each of my siblings through a Catholic education. It is very clear to me now that my father and mother went without a lot of things for themselves to allow this to happen. My message to the young men at our College is to never take the time that you have with your parents (in this case, fathers) for granted. Time is the greatest gift that we can give to each other. So, on Sunday celebrate with your father by giving him your time, laughter, love and gratitude. I am sure that he will appreciate that more than any material gift that you may have bought him. I hope that every dad has a great Father’s Day.
This morning we held our Father/Son Breakfast at the Sandgate Bowls Club. There were just over 400 hundred men and their sons in attendance. It really was great to see so many fathers and sons together sharing a meal and have the opportunity to spend some time together on what might ordinarily be a very busy morning. The event was organised by the College Foundation and Mrs Stacey Bishop (Development Officer) and Mr Michael Crutcher (Foundation Chair). The guest speaker was Mr Robert “Crash” Craddock. Robert is a sports journalist and media presenter. He was very entertaining with his many stories about characters that he has met over his many years of journalism. However, there were two points that he raised that stuck with me.
Firstly, he addressed the senior students who were about to leave school in the next two years. He spoke of the need to follow their dreams. In other words, he suggested to them that when they found what they wanted to do, follow it with passion. He also spoke of being themselves. In his anecdotes, he mentioned some of the well-known, or not so well-known, sportspeople that he had met and how they were different but did not care about what others may have thought. It was a message that team or sporting culture does not have to change who you are as a person. The second point that he raised was that if there was anything that he would have changed about his career, it would have been to be more empathetic to others. He gave an interesting story of the great Tiger Woods when he was at his best in the golf world. He used to research his playing partners to be able to speak to them at a personal level and genuinely try to find out more about them. He also mentioned one well-known sportsman who advised him that he had always been the first to welcome someone and make them feel at home. Robert also spoke of the value of good manners and the positive and lasting impact that can have on people. One does not practice good manners to be noticed but because it is respectful to others around us. We were very privileged to have Robert as our guest this morning.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, our Year 12 students completed their QCS Tests. These tests were the culmination of many months of preparation and practice. The students were not only well-prepared but also clearly showed that they used the preparation that they were given to give their best efforts on each test papers. As a College, we are very proud of their efforts. The young men now only have a few more days as they undertake their Term 3 exam block.
The College Leadership Team and Heads of Curriculum recently presented to parents, particularly current Year 9 families, regarding the new Senior Schooling and Assessment program to be introduced to Year 11 students in 2019. This new system has been labelled ATAR 20/20. During the meeting, we mentioned that we would put together a College site with all the information presented on the evening and any updates. That has been done and Mrs Jackie Upton has sent links to all the parents in Year 9 through email. If you have not received this or have a child in another year level and wish to have access to this page, please contact Jackie jupton@stpatricks.qld.edu.au. The page includes a Discussion Paper that I have put together as a summary of what we know to date, the PowerPoint of the presentation earlier this term as well as some links to information from QTAC. I hope that this information is useful to you.
We are now finishing the Year 5 interviews for student to begin in 2019. It is always refreshing to meet with these young men and their families and learn of their thoughts, knowledge and expectations of our College and the part that we can play with them to form their little boy into a young Man of Action. It is humbling for us, as a College, to hear of the many wonderful things that our current families say about us as well.
This weekend our junior teams host Iona College in Tennis and Basketball at home, whilst the older team travel to the southern bayside to compete at Iona College. Once again, I thank all of the young men for representing our College and wish them well in their games.