TERM 4 fee accounts were due for payment on Monday 8 October (unless you have a prior arrangement in place). If your account is outstanding please forwarded payment to clear the balance.

For those families who are on a payment plan, paying over the term, please ensure that your payment amounts are correct to include any extra levies or music etc so that your account will be finalized before end of term.

For any queries regarding your account please contact via email: Paula Badger – finance@stpatricks.qld.edu.auor if you need to discuss extension of payment please contact via email: Karen Mattingley – kmattingley@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

Thank you

Mrs Karen Mattingley – Credit Manager

Jim Kwik - Brain Hacks and Study Tips

At the College assembly last week, I introduced the students to the work of an inspirational man in Jim Kwik. Jim is an avid lifelong learner and is fascinated by his brain and learning (I cannot take credit for finding him – Peter Bancroft, our Mooney House Dean and a man who never stops learning and being curious, suggested him). Jim has suffered some significant brain trauma in his life but has worked to learn about how his brain works to aid in his recovery. Along the way he has developed wonderful insight into how to optimise learning. If we are to be successful in our work educating our young men, we must ensure we are teaching them about how to learn. I shared with the students what Jim tells us about our brain (his top ten brain hacks to a better memory He challenges us not to say “I forgot” and that there is no such thing as a bad memory - just an untrained one. Neuroscience and our knowledge of neuroplasticity supports this. His top ten brain hacks are:

1. A good brain diet – eat brain friendly foods
2. Killing ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)
3. Exercise
4. Brain nutrients
5. Positive peer group
6. A clean environment (clean and tidy study space)
7. Sleep
8. Brain protection
9. New learnings (novelty)
10. Stress management

I also shared some of his speed study “secrets”. They are all logical and intuitive but often students (and adults) will forget to be mindful of how we can best study and learn.

• Stop multitasking – there is no such thing, rather we just switch between tasks and ultimately none of the variety of tasks we are switching between get the attention they deserve.
• Stop cramming. Memory is formed by multiple exposures over a period of time.
• Stop akrasia – acting against our own better judgment. Based on Pareto’s principle that we will often spend 80% of our time achieving 20% of our goals.
• Use spaced repetition – this helps us create a higher number of beginnings and ends to our learning – and our memory has a tendency to remember what we learn at the start and at the end of a lesson.

I have shared these links on the Teaching and Learning page on REALM and have encouraged our students to visit and engage with Jim Kwik via those links, or to search the internet for his work. He has several great podcasts that our students (and all of us as lifelong learners) could benefit from.

Our Year 10 cohort

This week I emailed the Year 10 cohort regarding exam blocks moving forward. I have included a copy of the email below.

“As you will be aware, you are moving into a new system of senior schooling. In this new system, you will find that assessment and exams can happen at different times to what you would normally expect. Your work is arranged into units and there will be many times that the traditional “semesters” of work don’t occur with exams happening in the middle of the term.

Due to some subjects starting unit 1 this term, there are fewer exams than usual. As such, there will be no exam block for Year 10 at the end of this term. This will be disappointing for some of you, but we need to maximise your class time and cannot justify an exam block where your attendance is only for exams, if there are limited exams occurring.

There will still be an exam block in Term 3 next year (Monday Week 9 until Wednesday of Week 10). In Term 4 of Year 12, you will also have no scheduled classes. We will also allow for the use of the access lesson (2 per week) in Year 11 and 12, to be used at times for group and independent study and subject tutorials. We may still use exam blocks at times over the next two years, if a large number of exams fall at the same time, but these may not occur at the traditional end of term times.

It is important that we provide enough time for you to be in class learning material for your subjects, as well as providing enough time for you to review and study individually and in groups. We will work to ensure the balance between these two is ideal for you and your progress in senior school.”

TIMMS assessment

Students in the class 8C have been selected to participate in a Mathematics and Science assessment. The TIMSS assessment is designed to compare schools across the world (like PISA testing). We were selected as a College and the TIMSS group selected 8C. I spoke with the students this week about it and although they were not overly excited at the prospect of another assessment (after ACER and the NAPLAN School Readiness Test), they assured me they would do their best. Which is all we want them to do! The test will be in class, in Periods 1 and 2 on Wednesday 7 November. Students do not need to prepare in any way.

Mr Troy Schultz – Dean of Teaching and Learning

The book and stationery lists for all year levels have now been finalised and students have been notified of the subject choices (excluding Year 8 2019). To ensure your son/s commence the 2019 school year with all required resources, we have taken the initiative of making the task of buying resources easier by partnering with OfficeMax. Please be advised parents are not obligated to purchase their child’s stationery supplies from Officemax.

OfficeMax offers St Patrick’s parents competitive pricing via an online purchasing website that is loaded only with resources required by our school, includes various payment options (including ZipPay), home delivery, and free delivery for orders placed before 10 December 2018. The fee for orders after this date is a flat fee of $12.95 through until the start of Term 1. To order your resources please refer to the following instructions:

1. Log onto the OfficeMax purchasing website at Office Max

2. Enter our school’s unique password, which is 9RZ6U

3. Select the relevant year level

4. Place your order before 9 December to ensure free delivery to your home, or work, address.

If you would like help placing your order, please contact the OfficeMax Customer Care Centre on 1800 004 427.

Sport Support Group Annual General Meeting is on Monday evening 12 November at 6:30pm – all current and future parents welcome.

The Year 10 Rugby Tour 2019 Fundraiser - Monday 15 October - Monday 29 October

Help us raise some dough with Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Dough Fundraiser! Choose from 10 gourmet cookie dough flavours. There is sure to be one flavour to satisfy any cookie lover! Place your order online Cookie Dough

VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED for the Extended Trading Hours 2018/2019 detailed below. If you are able to help, please advise the Merchandise Store. With the January hours I always confirm availability the week before trading as circumstances may change between now and January.

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS 2018 - 9:00am-12:00noon / 12:30pm-4:00pm

• Monday 26 November to Thursday 29 November
• Monday 3 December to Thursday 6 December

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS 2019 - 9:00am-12:00noon / 12:30pm-3:30pm

• Year 5 – Wednesday 16 January (Appointments Only for New Students)
• Years 6 & 7 – Thursday 17 January
• Year 7 – Friday 18 January
• Year 8 – Monday 21 January
• Years 8 & 9 – Tuesday 22 January
• Year 10 – Wednesday 23 January
• Years 11 & 12 – Thursday 24 January
• Year 12 – Friday 25 January

FROM WEEK 1 OPENING HOURS

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

YEAR 10 BLAZER FITTINGS

• Monday 4 February

Mrs Julie Bowden - Merchandise Store Manager

Please find below Tuckshop Roster

Tuckshop Roster November

November is the month dedicated to ‘Remembrance of the Dead’.We wish to especially remember those students who died while at St Patrick’s College, as also past students, staff, Brothers, especially Archbishop Sir James Duhig, third Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years, and initiator of bringing the Brothers to St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe, purchaser of Morven, died 10 April 1965. Fr Patrick O’Rourke, founder of our College,whodied on 31 May 1961, aged 69, in the Mater Hospital, after some years of ill-health, 44 years a priest.He had been Parish Priest of Sandgate since May 1947; and Fr Liam John Horsfall, SVD, College Chaplain for 18 years, died suddenly 8 August 2015.We remember Brothers Francis Daniel Coffey, founding Principal, 10 October 1973; Patrick Theophane Morrissey, second Principal, who died at 50 of a brain tumour, 11 April 1977; Kevin Marcian Quane, third Principal, 21 March 1994; Alan Jerome Mooney, fourth Principal, 19 September 1978; Leonard Patrick Warren, 22 years on the staff, died 17 March 2000; Francis Eymard Rogers, founding Brothers Community, 7 June 2002; Leo Patrick Col Fitzgerald, the longest serving Brother of 25 years, died 25 August 2014; Brian Gonzales Saward, founding Brothers Community, died suddenly in his sleep 13 January 2015; Thomas Glenn Fergus Gagen, eighth Principal, 1985 – 1992, died peacefully 16 August 2018; John (Jack) Pius Dowd, Master Builder at SPC 1975–1982, died after a long illness 12 October 2018; Mr John James Kennedy, first lay and tenth Principal, died 22 September 2010; Mrs Jenny Cotton, 14 years as parent volunteer and then teacher aide for ten years who died of cancer during Staff Week, 21 January 2013; Mr Mark Mewburn was College Councillor for 2003–2010 and then returned in 2016 to work for a fortnight, suffered a heart attack and died peacefully at the end of the first academic week, Friday 29 January 2016; we remember parents and friends of the College.May they Rest In Peace!

There have been ten students who died while at the College, honoured in our ‘Wall of Remembrance.’ Thomas Barry was a ‘First Day Pupil’ number 205 in 1952.On 2 May 1953 he was tragically killed in a horse riding accident, two months short of his 12^th Birthday. Noel James McKeering was one of 18 McKeerings to become students of the College. His 11^th Birthday was on 2 November 1961, but a brain tumor hemorrhaged nine days later and at the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11^th month at 11 years of age Noel James passed away. Paul Draper died of leukemia on the 12^th day of the 12^th month aged 12 years in 1962. Michael O’Sullivan was “the brains of the 9A class” but suffered much, with frequent hospital stays, through Years 8 and 9. His heart gave way on Saturday 27 January 1968, three days short of the academic year and a few months short of his 15^th birthday. Ian Wilson, 14 years old, an academically highly regarded and popular student, died, with his mother, in a car accident on 20 August, 1969. James McEwen, of happy nature and pleasant personality, enjoyed a snow skiing trip with the College but contracted pneumonia, swine flu, and died after a very brief illness on 24 August 1973, one week after celebrating his 15^th Birthday. Michael Thomas Ryan, an active young man despite his illness, died after a long struggle with leukemia soon after the academic year began on 28 February 1983 just two months short of his 13^th Birthday. Damien Thomas Peet gave of his best, loved his family and life and enjoyed any fun available, died of cancer of the spine on 22 September 1993 aged 15 years. Damien Clark, blessed with considerable academic and sporting ability, died in an accident on 1 September 1994 aged 14 years. Elliott Ross Fletcher, aged 12 years, bright, cheerful and full of life was tragically taken while at College on Monday 15 February 2010, the 15^th day of the new academic year.

Requiescant In Pace, Amen! Rest In Peace, Amen!

Just a reminder to please advise the College as soon as possible if your son WILL NOT be returning to St Patrick's College in 2019. (This is not necessary for the 2018 Year 12 exiting cohort.) This important information helps us to plan for 2019 and refer to our extensive wait lists if required.

There is no need to notify us if your son is continuing at St Patrick’s College in 2019.

Please contact our Enrolments Office on 3631 9052 or enrolments@stpatricks.qld.edu.au should your son not be returning.

Mrs Stacey Bishop - College Development Manager