As this is our last week of the year for our students, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all families for your support throughout this year. We have much to be grateful for as a community, and I certainly appreciate the wonderful people that we have within the St Patrick’s community.

During this week, I had the opportunity to attend the end of year liturgy for our young men in Year 6. The young men have continued to grow throughout the year, not just in physical size but also in confidence and manner. I hope that all the families in Year 6 have enjoyed their year at the College. Congratulations to the Morrisey Men of Action who have demonstrated a willingness to lead the Year 5 and 6 area across all domains of the College. In 2020, we will see our Year 6 students enlarge as a cohort with new students to start their secondary schooling. I am sure that this will also be an exciting time for them.

The end of this term will also be quite a sad time for our staff as we farewell some long-serving members as well as others who have been with us on short term contracts. The full-time staff members who will be leaving including Mrs Anne Maree Bliss who is retiring and has been at the College for more than 20 years. In addition, Mr Chris Brown, Mr Patrick O’Connor and Mr Karen Cantwell who have been with us for a period of time. We wish them well as they begin a new journey in 2020.

I would also like to thank Mrs Leigh Wissmann, Mrs Lucy Hulme,  Mr Matt Ingram, Ms Kelli Moore, Mr Sam Sprenger, Mr Maher Wahba, Mrs Fiona Engwirda, Ms Jodi Biggar, Mr Sean Riley, Mrs Kaylene Campbell, Mr Sonny Ali and Mrs Emily Duncan who have been a part of the College for varying times of the year replacing teachers on leave. Their contribution to our community during this time has been very much appreciated. Also, Ms Kate Belfrage and Mrs Cassandra Purcell will be taking leave during 2020, and Mrs Sonia O’ Brien, will also be absent on Maternity Leave from the beginning of next year. I hope that they all enjoy their leave during the year.
 
Our Indian Immersion group will leave this Sunday. Eleven students will be accompanied by Mr Tim Kenny, Mrs Annette Campbell and Mr Steven Wallace. They will spend just over two weeks in India. I would like to thank each staff member for making themselves available to provide these opportunities to our young men.

We also have a group of Volleyball players attending a tournament on the Gold Coast. The team will be accompanied by Mr Steve Copping and Mr Aiden Molloy. There will also be many clinics, camps and competitions for Volleyball, Swimming and Cricket during the latter stages of the January holidays. I would like to recognise the work of Mr Daniel Nethery, Mr Luke Stutter and Mr Matthew Ingram in planning these activities and thank the staff who will be involved with running some of the sessions.

Over the course of the final two weeks of this year the College Leadership Team have been planning our priorities for 2020. These priorities will form the basis for our whole school professional development for the teaching staff during the year. I will share these priorities with all families during our information nights at the beginning of next year.

We recently received our Year 12 QCS results. We are very happy with the overall results and how much the students have improved since we started gathering their performance data over their last two years. 55.4% of our students obtained an A or B on the test. This is a strong result for the cohort and is, once again, above State averages. Each young man who was OP eligible will receive his final Overall Position (OP) Score in the week leading into the Christmas period.

I would like to thank all members of the community who have supported me in my extended period as Acting Principal. It certainly has been a wonderful opportunity to lead this great College. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have been well supported by all to grow personally and professionally during this period. At times, it has been testing and I have had to make some difficult decisions that others may not have agreed on. However, when you hold the community close to your heart and remind yourself of the purpose of a Catholic Education in the Edmund Rice Tradition, clarity in the decision is made. We are here to provide a holistic education that nurtures the gifts and talents of every individual, so that they can reach their potential and make a difference to themselves and others.

We finished our school year with the students by celebrating the season of Advent and the return of Jingles and Snowflake. The young men were presented with a message that if we really mean “Live Jesus in our Hearts”, we must show this by our words and actions. These ideals cannot be promoted but left at our school gates. I would encourage all families to have this discussion with their son during the Advent period and reinforce our message of bringing out the best and love of others.

I wish all of you a very Happy and Holy Christmas. 

Live Jesus in our hearts

Mr Frank Torrisi – Acting College Principal

This week the QCAA released the provisional QCS data to schools, and Year 12 students would have been able to access their individual QCS totals. This is always an exciting time in schools for the data crunchers such as Mr Troy Schultz, Mr Ben Greenfield and myself. 

This year, our students have done very well, as defined by QCS results. I will release a summary via our REALM communication medium once OPs are released in December.

The process did make me think of the article I wrote last week regarding motivation and goal setting.  Quite often, a number is an indicator for us as to whether we have been successful in reaching a goal. Most likely because it is something definitive. My gym has had a five-week challenge happening that I have been participating in. At the very start, the trainer asks what goals you want to set. For me, the long-term goal is to reclaim a level of strength and fitness; in other words, I have what is considered mastery goals. It does help though to set some performance goals along the way and these typically have numbers associated with them. For me, I set numerical goals for weight, dead lift and inclined leg press. If I hit those goals, then I believe I am on my way to my mastery goal. The stepping on the scales every Monday certainly helps with the accountability!  

I am going to attempt to translate this process into my classroom next year. Setting the goal of reaching a particular grade by the end of the semester can lose its meaning if I don’t provide my class with the metaphorical opportunity to ‘step on the scales’ each week – an opportunity to measure how far they are progressing towards the goal. This most logically would take the shape of a small diagnostic test. If as adults, we need trainers and coaches and scales to hold us accountable to a goal, then I think we need to put more support structures in place for our young men and so that is my pledge to my class next year.

As the term draws to a close, we say farewell to a number of staff who leave our community at the end of the year. We thank them for all their contributions to the College and our boys over the course of their time here:

• Emily Duncan who has completed a Term 4 contract in PE
• Kaylene Campbell who has completed a Term 4 contract in Year 5
• Sonny Ali who has completed a Term 4 contract in Middle School HASS and English
• Maher Wahba who has completed a Semester 2 contract working in the library
• Sean Riley who has completed a Semester 2 contract in Maths and Science
• Jodi Biggar who has completed a Semester 2 contract in Year 6 and 7
• Fiona Engwirda who has completed a Semester 2 contract in Music (Fiona stays on as a music tutor)
• Kelli Moore who has completed three terms in Music
• Sam Sprenger who has been with us for 2019 in the Science department
• Matt Ingram who has been working as our Acting Sports Development and Performance Coordinator this year
• Lucy Hulme who has been with us for just over a year working in the Creative Arts department
• Leigh Wissmann who has completed some contracts since 2017 teaching in the English, RE and Creative Arts departments
• Chris Brown who commenced at the College in 2014 teaching IT and PE. Chris has been on leave for the past semester and has accepted an offer of permanency at St James College.
• Anne Maree Bliss has been on leave for the past semester and has announced her retirement. Anne Maree has been at the College since 1995 and as previously communicated, her contributions have been significant both in and out of the classroom and she will be deeply missed by all who have had the pleasure of working with her. Anne Maree will return to the community so we can properly farewell her next week.
• We wish Sonia O’Brien all the best as she embarks on her maternity leave and we look forward to seeing her when she returns.

Ms Elizabeth Gaber - Acting Deputy Principal

All school fee account will need to be finalised by 29 November 2019 – unless you have a payment arrangement in place.

To avoid follow-up phone calls from our Collections Department please make sure your account is paid in full.

If you have any queries please contact Judy Kelly via email -  finance@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

Mrs Judy Kelly – Assistant to Business Manager

As we move into the final hours of Term 4, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication shown by the young men at the College. Over the past 20 weeks I have witnessed your son setting goals, thinking about the way they learn and identifying areas for improvement. In preparing your son for the 21st Century workforce we know that success will be framed by the individual’s ability to learn and re-learn throughout their lives and careers. What I witness at St Patrick’s is a partnership between students and staff where they are embracing this reality by reflecting on their learning, knowing where they can improve and setting new goals to continually grow and develop. 

I hope the young men have listened to the advice that has been shared with them over the course of the year and that they were well prepared for their exams, used their draft date as the due date and were able to achieve their academic goals.  

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and students for their support and trust in me over the past semester. It has been the best professional development I could ask for and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with your sons and the teaching staff in this capacity.
Wishing you a happy, safe and holy Christmas. Enjoy the break with your sons and I hope you are able to get away and take some time to relax and rejuvenate in preparation for the new year. 

Mr Adam McPhee – Acting Dean of Administration and Business Intelligence

‘Ring, Ring, Ring!’  It’s lunch time as we raced down to the Learning Hub.  We were thrilled to go on our fishing excursion with Miss. As we walked down to the gate and were cheered on by some other boys, our spirits grew higher. Walking down the steep hill, Miss said: “Watch out for the cars!”  

We arrived at the Shorncliffe Pier and the wind nearly blew Mrs Verwey’s wig off.  We found our fishing spot on the long, wooden pier. Using prawns as bait, we cast our lines out to hopefully catch a fish.  Minutes flew by.  

Finally, something was pulling on Hunter’s line.  At first, we thought it was wrapped around one of the wooden pylons, but Mr Locke said: “It’s a crab!”  Hunter started reeling it in and just as it got close, it let go.  Yet moments after, another rod started going off, so we raced over and reeled it in with excitement.  We could just see the crab above the water. Before Miss could get her phone out to take a photo, the crab dropped off the line with a ‘SPLASH’ into the water.

Time after time, we got a couple of tugs, but it was just the current playing with us. After our lunch time finished, we gave the left over prawn bait to the people fishing next to us, as they were using the wrong prawns.  Then we made our way back to school, up the hill, across the road and up onto school grounds.  When we arrived, everyone was in class. After a windy fishing experience, we returned to our classrooms.                            

(Authors: Kye, Jack, Hunter and Jake – Year 6)

This week Year 5’s travelled to the wonderful Caboolture Historical Village and took a step back in time.

Volunteer staff gave our students a fantastic range of experiences like blacksmithing, bushrangers, whip cracking, panning for gemstones, copper washing tubs and Colonial homes.
The young men were able to wonder through and experience 70 buildings including historical cottages and a railway platform, and more than 110,000 museum pieces.
The street with the old post office, barber, butcher and general store would bring back memories for many, however this was a very new experience for our students.

Despite being a little uncomfortable on such a hot day, our young men participated beautifully and were an excellent example of our College in the wider community.

Many thanks to the staff who attended the excursion including Mr Neilsen, Mr Yeo, Mr Loudon, Mrs Campbell, Mrs Dowling, Mrs Bolton, Mrs Hunt and Mrs Stanley.
Thank you to Mrs Dowling for all her excellent work to organise such a rewarding day for our Year 5’s.

Ms Celia King – Director of Junior School

Roll up! Roll up! Games and fun to be had! Prizes to be won!

Congratulations to students in Mr Yeo’s 5C class and Mr Loudon’s 5D class who showed off their incredible Maths game-making skills last Friday.

A great deal of planning, designing and making of fantastically creative games of chance, were enjoyed by visiting Year 6 students.

Key considerations in the creation of the games included the creativity of the design, probability, profitability, and the language of persuasion needed to entice potential game-players to get involved and have a go.

Congratulations to these Year 5’s and their teachers for an excellent way to display and share  learning in Maths and a fun way to finish the Term.

Ms Celia King – Director of Junior School

Visual Arts – Term 4 Review 

This year in the Visual Arts department, our art students have shined creatively making so many wonderful art works. This term all grades were creating and making a variety of pieces of works, ranging from paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and photography. 

Year 5 have been focusing on Aboriginal connections through their creative designs of dot paintings, foam printing, sand art and drawing. We have explored how symbols and colours can convey meaning and stories to others. 

Year 6 have been focusing on clay making pinch pots. We have been looking how clay is a very malleable material where it can be shaped and moulded into a variety of forms. We used clay tools to give our forms exaggerated features and interesting textures. Looking at how science can be a part of the process when glazing and seeing the chemical reactions that give our little monsters a whole new persona.  

Year 7 have been looking at themselves. They have been mathematically mapping their self-portraits, paying special attention to the scale and proportion to their facial features. That was a tough one! Who would have thought we use our rulers and calculators in art to draw a face in proportion! 

Year 8 have been making art POP! This semester students have meticulously been working on their photoshop skills creating a self-portrait in a digital format. Each student embedded imagery to their photoshop portrait revealing a very ‘Pop Art’ collage. Followed with more ‘Pop Art’ paintings, these were a real hit! Students methodically curated a fine detailed painting where they appropriated superheroes and villains. So much colour! So much POP! 

Year 9 have been working on their ceramic pieces taking a close look at the surrounds of our sea life. We created functional and non-functional vessels ranging from an octopus sitting on a rock with his hat, a beautifully designed vase, lidded containers and the kraken about to swallow a ship. The recent term has been quite surreal. Looking at surrealism has opened our eyes and giving an opportunity to showcase what our subconscious can dream through lino printing. It can be quite spooky or even ridiculous, but we gave the unreal a chance to escape and show off the surreal thoughts that lurk within.  

Year 10 have started exploring their Unit 1: Art as Lens. Students chose an object by random and they have been creating experimental works, focusing on that one object, ever since. An old crystal bell, a toy car and some bone from a bat are just some of the object’s students have been working with this term. Each fortnight they have been given the challenge of focusing on a new lens with which they must look, explore, research and create through. These are not physical but rather ways of thinking and seeing – for example thinking about the importance of a pair of sunglasses to different people. This unit has been fun, but pretty mind bending!!  

Year 11 have begun working on their first ATAR unit – Art as knowledge. This unit focuses on collating knowledge as an artist, looking at the artist practice in developing their own inquiry question. This inquiry question will lead directly into 2020 and their resolved works. Our stimulus for the student-directed inquiry question was the Port of Brisbane and Fort Lytton. Both sites provided a wide avenue of experiences and sensory opportunities to develop a series of experimental works. Students have been arduously generating individual ideas, practices and experiments.  

Students in Year 10 and 11 have also had the fantastic experience of working with artist in residence Ali Gillett. Ali has worked with students in specific workshops that were designed to broaden the student’s horizons - having them think more outside the box and try different types of mediums that they would otherwise not have attempted before. These ranged from using acrylic paints, compound mediums, collage and stencilling, finishing off with a wash of diluted paint.

See Artwork below.

Mrs Julie Catalan / Mrs Lucy Hulme

College Junior Musical - Aladdin Jr.

Auditions will be held in Waterford Drama Rooms on Friday 7 FebRUARY, 2020 in Waterford Drama Rooms

Only boys wishing for a lead role need to audition
All chorus roles will be drawn from the “Junior Voices” choir and do not need to audition on this day
Rehearsals will be held Monday afternoons 3:15 – 4:30pm in Waterford
There is no need to register simply turn up on the day
The Aladdin Jnr page on REALM contains the full audition pack and resources to help prepare for your audition. Click Here to see REALM page.

For more information please contact Mr Samuels: gsamuels@stpatricks.qld.edu.au 

Cultural Support Group News

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK

The Entertainment Book has now gone fully digital (print copies are no longer available).  

There are 3 x New Memberships to select from

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY

MRS CARMEL MOIR ON BEHALF OF THE CULTURAL SUPPORT GROUP

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to the College Community. Wishing you a safe and relaxing holiday break.

VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED

Volunteers required for back to school trading 20-24 January. Hours are 9:00am-12:00noon/12:30-3:30pm.

If you are able to help, please ring or email the store. It is a busy time and extra help is very much appreciated. Thank you.

ST PATRICK’S BRANDED SHREY CRICKET HELMETS – limited sizes - marked down to $50.

2 x Size 58-61cm, 1 x Size 60-63cm - compliant to the current new regulations.

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS 2019

•  9:00am-12:00noon/12:30-4:00pm
• Monday 2 December to Thursday 5 December
• Monday 9 December to Thursday 12 December

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS 2020

9:00am-12:00noon/12:30-3:30pm

BLAZER FITTINGS YEAR 10 – 3 February 2020 (Deposit $65 to confirm order placement)

Applications for Year 7, 2022 open soon.  To register to receive a formal application please click here: Applications Registration

Interviews will occur in March 2020 with letters of offer being sent prior to the Easter holidays.  If you would like further information regarding the enrolment process please contact our Enrolments Office on 3631 9052 or enrolments@stpatricks.qld.edu.au

Mrs Stacey Bishop - College Development Manager

A reminder to all students and parents who are departing St Patrick’s College at the end of 2019, please ensure that you disable the college coin “automatic top up function” in Parent Lounge.

Mrs Vicky Cawston - College Accountant