"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.

Mr Chris Mayes – College Principal

Last month the NAPLAN results were released throughout Australia. As is always the case, the media quoted key personnel in the field of education and politics to seek their insight into the state of education in Australia, as evidenced through this standardised testing lens. Professor John Hattie, an internationally renowned academic in education and Chairman of the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership is well known for challenging schools (typically high fee-paying schools) to improve student outcomes. Often these schools are high achieving, but not necessarily high growth schools.

We strive to be both here at St Patrick’s College. Each year the Data Team critically analyse our NAPLAN data and we set both achievement and growth targets. There are many measures that schools look at when analysing NAPLAN and these include, but are not limited to, the band distributions, the % above the National Minimum Standard and the % above the National Mean Score. We are interested in many aspects of the test including the following:

• How much did a cohort (and individuals) grow from one test to the next?
• How is St Patrick’s tracking from one calendar year to the next?
• How does our growth rate compare to other EREA schools, competitor schools, Queensland and Australia?
• What is our band distribution in each test in each year level? Are we improving our number of Upper Two Bands and decreasing our number of Lower Two Bands?
• Are there particular literacy and numeracy skills that appear to be a deficiency across a year level?
• Are there areas of celebration that may correlate to an intervention or program that has been put in place in recent years?

This list is by no means exhaustive but gives you an indication of the detailed analysis that takes place.

Below are the St Patrick’s results that address the first aspect listed above; how much has a cohort grown since their last test (measured by the % of students above the National Mean Score)?

As you can see, in all test papers in all year levels, the cohort improved since their last test other than our current Year 9 cohort in Reading, Writing and Numeracy. To look at this in isolation though would be a flawed analysis. As an example of this, the current Year 9 cohort achieved the best mean score St Patrick’s has ever achieved. The reason that year group are coded red, for that test, is because the National Mean Score also improved, slightly more than we did. We are, however, drilling deeper into this cohort’s data though as we have other information that tells us this is a very strong year level and so any kind of dip, however small, is of interest to us. We celebrate the growth of our current Year 7 cohort since they joined us in Year 5 in 2015.I will continue to share information over the coming weeks.

Ms Elizabeth Gaber – Dean of Administration and Business Intelligence

Please find below the Paddies' Van Roster

Paddies Van Roster

Positive Parenting by Michael Grose

As a father and father-in-law to three young dads, it’s great to see each of them embracing the life-changing nature of fatherhood and becoming fully involved in their children’s lives.

I see myself in these young fathers, and in doing so I’d like to guide them away from making the same fathering mistakes I did. However, knowing that young dads are loathe to take fathering advice from a member of the previous generation, I’ll give the following advice to my younger self instead:

1. Play to your strengths
Men generally parent differently to women, based on their biology. Fathers often parent in a more active or action-oriented way than mothers so games, play and physical activity become important parts of a man’s parenting repertoire. Your partner may not always appreciate your more active approach, particularly if you play with kids just before bedtime then leave it to her to calm them down.

• Practical advice: Be yourself, but be smart about it!

2. Lighten up – don’t take yourself too seriously
It’s easy to get caught up in your own importance, taking yourself and your work too seriously. For many men a bad day at work translates into poor or, at best, distracted experiences when they’re with their families. Consider putting a strategy in place, such as exercise, that will help you leave work and the moods it engenders behind.

• Practical advice: Be present in mind as well as in body when you’re with your kids.

3. Have something in common with each child

It would be wonderful to say that you can always connect with your kids, but family life is not that straightforward. There’ll always be a child who we struggle to connect with or a developmental stage during which a child seems alien to us. In these cases and times it helps if you share a common interest (such as a love of sport or music) with a child so that you always have something that will bring you together, even though you may not always see eye to eye.

• Practical advice: Be prepared to take an interest in your child’s interests.

4. Take it easy on your son
Many dads are tough on their boys and have expectations way above their son’s interest and ability levels. It helps to remember that it takes a little longer for a boy to mature. Resist the temptation to turn every game and every joint activity into a lesson and avoid giving advice when all your son wants is some understanding.

• Practical advice: See the boy as he is now, not the future man, when you spend time with him.

5.Enjoy the outdoors with your daughter
The biological nature of fathering causes most men to be very protective of their daughters. But that doesn’t mean you should put your daughter on a pedestal and treat her like a little princess. Expect a lot from her. Play with her, and get her outside into nature as it will do wonders for her confidence levels.

• Practical advice: Enjoy spending time with your daughters on a daily basis.

6. Be ready for kids to knock you off your pedestal
Most children in the pre-school and middle- to late-primary school years look up to their dads. “My dad is better/bigger than your dad” is a type of mantra that’s familiar to many parents. Make the most of it as this Superman Syndrome doesn’t last. Young children soon become adolescents and will go to great lengths to prove that you’re Clarke Kent after all. Expect that they will stop laughing at your jokes, raise an eyebrow at your well-intentioned advice and even stop being friendly to you in public. Ouch! It can be hurtful to a man who just wants to be the best dad he can be.

• Practical advice: See number 2 above: don’t take yourself too seriously.

7. Give your kids a compass and a map
One day your children will become independent of you. Don’t worry! You won’t be irrelevant, just redundant in a practical and managerial sense. There are two things you can do to help your kids safely navigate the world when you’re not around. First, help them develop a set of positive values including integrity, honesty and respect that will act as their moral compass when they have difficult decisions to make. Second, reveal your personal story over time as this narrative will become a personal map that will reassure them when life gets tough. It’s good to know that they are not in uncharted territory when they finally strike out on their own.

• Practical advice: Tell kids your story – don’t make them guess it or learn it from someone else.

Father’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the contribution that men make to the lives of their children. It’s a very personal reflection as each man’s experience of fathering is as unique as the children they are raising. I invite you to reflect on your own fathering as well as the contribution that fathers – whether your own dad or someone else’s – have made to your own life.

Mr Darren Kearney – Dean of Students

Last week our Track and Field athletes competed at the Metropolitan North Regional Championships at the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus. As reported last week our Head Coach Kate Colahan was pleased with our early season performances. Thirteen students have been selected to compete at the State Championships to be held in October. A list of our Met North reps and all St Patrick’s place-getters are listed below in Student Achievements. The Track and Field training program is in full swing. Students and parents should view the SPC App for up-to-date session times and venues. It’s not too late for students to join the various squads.

Our Tennis squads had a successful round against St Edmund’s last Saturday. Our 2^nd IV remain undefeated this season.10A, 10B, 9A and 8A had convincing 6-0 or 5-1 victories over their opposition.

Basketball results were equally shared 6-6 with St Edmund’s. Three of our teams 7A, 8A and 9A went down narrowly by 1 point in some close, hard fought games. In the main 1^st V Basketball St Edmund’s were too strong for St Patrick’s and they remain undefeated for the season. We wish the St Edmund’s 1^st, a fellow EREA school, good luck in the final two rounds of the competition.

Round 6 of the competition is against Iona College in Basketball and Tennis. Players are reminded to fulfil their commitment to their coach and team mates and finish the season strong and playing to the best of their ability.

A limited canteen will be in operation at Basketball this Saturday. Thanks to a small group of Year 9 parents and students who are running the operation. Funds raised will go towards there 2018 Year 10 Christchurch New Zealand Rugby tour.

Contacts for Trimester 3 Sport

• Basketball Coordinator - Mr Steve Copping scopping@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
• Tennis Coordinator - Br Chris Pritchard cpritchard@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
• Track & Field - Mr Ryan Schultz rschultz@stpatricks.qld.edu.au and Ms Kate Colahan katecolahan@me.com

Outstanding Student Achievements

Declan Cashman recently competed in Queensland Schools Squash team in Rockhampton at the National Exchange which included teams from New Zealand. Declan was number two player for Queensland. Although it wasn’t one of Declan’s best tournaments by his own admission, his results have gained him selection in the Australian team to contest the Trans-Tasman Test Match. Congratulations on your Australian selection!

Our Track and Field squad competed at the Metropolitan North Track and Field Championships at UQ last week. Our athletes performed very strongly.

Metropolitan North selections:

• Eli Avci
• Jakob Barnett
• Luca Crompton
• Callum Crossan
• Samuel Evans
• Saxon James
• Lucas Lutter
• Brandon Merrick
• Jayden Morris
• Brock Roberts
• Ethan Ryan
• Joshua Smith
• Copper Wellman

Individual Placegetters:

• Lucas Lutter - 1^st 800m, 2^nd 400m
• Copper Wellman – 1^st High Jump, 2^nd 100m, 2^nd Tetrathlon, 3^rd Long Jump
• Luca Crompton – 2^nd Hurdles
• Saxon James – 2^nd High Jump
• Brock Roberts – 2^nd 1500m
• Joshua Smith – 2^nd Long Jump, 3^rd Hurdles
• Samuel Waugh – 2^nd Discuss, 3^rd Shot Put
• Samuel Evans – 3^rd Hurdles
• Brandon Merrick – 3^rd Javelin
• Ethan Ryan – 3^rd Hurdles
• Eli Avci – 3^rd Discus, 3^rd Shot Put
• Gum Mabor – 3^rd Long Jump
• Jet Spence – 3^rd High Jump

Mr Doug Locke - Director of Sport

Chess News

Chess People are coming back!!

Last year we had the good fortune to engage the services of this company to allow students to gain some great Chess skills under the tutelage of International Master Brodie McClymont. These Monday after school sessions gave some of our Junior players (Year 5 to 8) the chance to learn some terrific strategies and vastly improve their games. This is open to all students.

We are inviting you to register your son for these sessions on Monday afternoons commencing October 9. The total cost is $55. If you are interested or require further information please contact me rbutt@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

Mrs Rosemary Butt - Chess Co-ordinator

Cultural Support Group News

Entertainment Books

For a limited time, when you purchase an Entertainment Membership from us, you’ll receive 2 x BONUS EVENT Cinemas Saver eTickets PLUS FREE DELIVERY in time for the school holidays!

Hurry, stocks are sure to run out.

Order your copy today to avoid disappointment: ORDER HERE

Redeem your EVENT Cinemas eVouchers at participating EVENT Cinemas. Click here to find out more.

St Patrick’s College Cultural Support Group

All enquiries please contact Carmel Moir - 07 3631 9042 / cmoir@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Theatresports - YTS Competition

Congratulations to the First Theatresports students on making it in to the GRAND FINAL. This year we will have two teams completing: A Junior Team and a Senior Team.

The event is scheduled for Sunday October 29 at La Boite Theatre, Kelvin Grove.

Stay tuned for ticket sales.

Training:

• There will be no more training this term as we head into the exam season.
• Training will begin in Term 4 with a three hour boot camp on Monday 2 October from 9.00 am – 12.00 noon with Duncan Moir.
• Monday morning’s, Tuesday afternoon’s and Friday morning training will resume for the first three weeks of term in the lead up to the competition.

Mr Adam McPhee - Theatresports Co-ordinator

Photography Competition - Human Rights Commission

Please find below Tuckshop Roster for September

Tuckshop Roster September