MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

RECONCILIATION WEEK 27 MAY – 3 JUNE 2022

“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.” Reconciliation Australia Website.

Paije Kulbicki, our College Community Engagement Counsellor has been working closely with our students and staff to find ways for our community to acknowledge National Sorry Day 26 May, followed by various activities, story sharing and a deepening of understanding as a part of National Reconciliation Week which begins on May 27. Our College recognises that we must provide the time and space for real dialogue to happen, learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how one each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.

The theme of National Reconciliation Week 2022 is “Be Brave, Make Change”. This year we are all asked to find ways to make change beginning with brave actions in our daily lives, at home, when we are socialising and when we are at school or work. The Reconciliation Australia website provides excellent information and resources to help all of us take action to help make change. This can be  found at:  https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/2022-actions-to-make-change/

I would like to thank Paije, our amazing Community Engagement Counsellor who works closely with our students and staff to provide any required support and guidance to ensure there is greater awareness and organisation of events and activities in our College. As a formal commitment to our action as a College, we are on the journey of developing an official Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) through the Reconciliation Australia Narragunnawali program. If you have any questions about this process or would like to be involved, please contact Paije on (07) 4753 0300 or via email to office@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au attention to Paije.

AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT – BEST STEM PROGRAM

We were finally able to share the news with our College community that we have, once again, been selected as a Best STEM Program Excellence Awardee. This prestigious award recognises the most outstanding STEM-based project or education program implemented by a school in Australia and is testament to the incredible work of our expert teaching team. These wonderful educators inspire our students to explore and experiment, to be visionary, to be curious, and to be passionate about the possibilities of STEM. 

COMBINED SCHOOLS’ MUSICAL – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

With over 100 student participants from the three schools of Ignatius Park, St Margaret Mary’s and St Patrick’s College Townsville, the task of coordinating the Combined Schools’ Musical is never easy. I am indebted to the Production Team of Ms Butler, Mr Goulter, Ms Doyle, Ms Hudson, Mr Marano, Mrs Walsh, Mr Pope and Mr Jellyman for their hard work, dedication and determination to provide an opportunity for our Arts students to shine. I’m thrilled we were able to have Arminelle Fleming from TheatreiNQ as our director for this project, and know that the students’ experience will have been enriched by her expertise and passion. I wish the cast, band and production team all the very best for a successful run of Beauty and the Beast. I can’t wait to see the show.

Amber Hauff

COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

Our academic year 2022 is well underway and has brought with it the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, along with continuing development of the master plan for the College. Now that planning and negotiations are complete for our new STEM & Innovation building, we are delighted that the long-awaited time has finally come for the commencement of construction. The completion of the new Sports Court has been both a beautiful and a practical addition to our College campus.

As you are aware, in 2021, the College Board underwent a significant change to its membership, and the new Board is functioning very effectively. Current membership comprises:

• Josephine Gabrielli – Deputy Chair and Chair of the Property & Facilities Committee.
• Tia Cox – Legal, Chair of Recruitment Committee.
• Maria Larkin – Chair of Finance, Audit & Risk Management Committee.
• Jessica Keir – Legal, Risk Management.
• Stephanie Naunton – Community Relations, Policy Development, Reconciliation.

Mercy Partners has re-appointed me to the Chair for a further three years, commencing July 1 2022. I am most grateful to all our Board Members for their dedication and enthusiasm and I want, in particular, to express my appreciation to Josephine Gabrielli for her gracious acceptance of the role of Deputy Chair which fell vacant on the departure of Mr Steven Mosch.

For the remainder of 2022 the Board will:

• Continue to monitor the construction program and associated costings.
• Develop policy and establish a committee to oversee and advise on remuneration issues.
• Recruit a new Board Member to fill the current vacancy.
• Recruit new members to both the Property & Facilities Committee and the Finance, Audit & Risk Management Committee.

On the 23rd May we welcomed members from Mercy Partners who will conduct our Annual General Meeting.

May God bless you all.

Sr Helen Mary Peters

COLLEGE BOARD CHAIR

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS AT THE COLLEGE

The Student Code of Conduct at our College (p99 of the College Diary) very clearly articulates our commitment to fostering respectful relationships, based on the values of the Mercy tradition. We work in partnership with each student’s family in developing a Christian basis for social behaviour. We also embed the Mercy values in all that we do at the College. There is a dedicated Personal Development program where our Heads of House lead sessions and workshops covering a wide range of pertinent topics. One such topic is Respectful Relationships. The College also publishes on the website, the Respectful Relationships: Anti-Bullying Policy. This Policy very clearly defines what bullying is and what it is not. It outlines the bullying reporting mechanism for students, staff and parents, and how responses to reports of bullying are addressed by the College. It is important to stress that all reports of bullying will be investigated and acted upon, with appropriate support and consequences implemented. Many great resources provide information and tips on addressing bullying. One such resource is the ‘Bullying. No Way!’ Website.

To understand what constitutes bullying, we ask students to think about the following:

• When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful once, that’s RUDE (Patchin 2014)
• When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful once, that’s MEAN (Patchin 2014)
• When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful, and keeps doing it, that’s BULLYING (Patchin 2014)

Cyberbullying is using a computer or mobile phone to intentionally be rude, mean or bully repeatedly (Patchin 2014). The most effective process to address cyberbullying is to save any screen shots, do not respond to the comment, block people and report the incident.

A great resource for parents on Cyberbullying is the Government eSafety Commissioner Website.

Our College Student Code of Conduct outlines the expectation for students to demonstrate:

• Respect for themselves,
• A sensitivity to the needs of others and to treat others with dignity and respect,
• Respect for the reputation of the College

Our College uses a Respectful Relationships and Restorative Practices approach to Pastoral Care as we acknowledge that in both school and life, success is largely about relationships. Relationships can often develop into conflict, which require resolution, forgiveness and healing. Restorative practices help students learn from their mistakes, reconcile, and resolve problems with others. The lessons learned at school are valuable for life and ultimately, we hope that our young women will learn to make positive, productive and effective choices in responses to difficult situations and relationship issues.

Mr Cameran Triffett

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL – ACADEMIC

As we near the end of Week 4, Term 2 has been filled with many events already and much positivity from our students.

DILIGENCE ASSEMBLY

The College held our Diligence Assembly in Week 2, acknowledging students who demonstrated a strong work ethic through their effort, and a persistent attitude towards their learning as shown on their Term One Progress Report.

During my speech, I discussed the concept of Diligence, being an active learner, taking responsibility for one’s own learning, including completing set tasks, demonstrating excellent levels of effort and perseverance. This attitude to learning also aligns with our 2022 College focus on the Finnish concept of Sisu: the extraordinary endurance in the face of adversity. Sisu is persistence, determination, guts, tenacity, courage and willpower. During my speech I discussed influential people in History who have displayed such sisu, including:

• Thomas Edison who failed somewhere between 1000 and 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb.
• JK Rowling who was rejected by 12 different publishers before finally receiving a publishing deal which led to awards and millions of copies of Harry Potter being sold.
• Walt Disney who was fired from his first job because he didn’t have enough imagination or creativity. He was also told that the idea of a giant mouse on the screen wouldn’t work because it would terrify women.
• Dylan Alcott, 2022 Australian of the Year. A man who before his success as a Paralympian and disability advocate was filled with self hatred and doubt. He became proud of his disability and in 2022, made history by becoming the first Australian of the Year with a physical disability since the award program started 62 years ago.

Overcoming obstacles is something that everyone in life must learn to do, this is the notion of sisu.

But our learning is more than just sisu. We all need to challenge ourselves, specifically in your learning journey. When we challenge ourselves in our learning, we not only need to use sisu, but also a diligent approach.

NAPLAN 2022

2022 was the first year the College ran NAP Online. Congratulations to all our Year 7 and 9 students who participated in the tests in Week 4. Students are to be commended on their positive attitude throughout the testing.

2023 SUBJECT SELECTION EVENINGS

A friendly reminder that information regarding 2023 Subject Information Evenings was sent to parents. These evenings allow parents and students to find out information about choosing subjects for 2023.

The 2023 Subject Selection Evenings will be held on the following dates:

• Tuesday, 7 June 2022 – Year 10 into Year 11, 2023 (5.30pm in the Auditorium)
• Tuesday, 14 June 202 – Year 7 into Year 8, 2023 (5.30pm in the Auditorium)
• Tuesday, 14 June 2022 – Year 9 into Year 10, 20223 (6pm in the Auditorium)

These events are compulsory for students in these year levels and students must attend in their College academic uniform with a fully charged laptop.

To assist in the subject selection process, students the year levels listed above will be will be involved in subject presentations throughout Weeks 5 and 7 to learn about the possible subject options for 2023. Heads of Faculty will present this information to ensure students are aware of subject offerings and possible pathways linked to specific subjects.

YEAR 11 AND YEAR 12 SENIOR STUDIES SUPPORT PROGRAM

Year 11 and 12 students will be involved in further ATAR preparation and support programs as presented by Elevate Education. This will occur on Friday 20 May 2022:

• Periods 1 and 2: Year 12 – Finishing Line
• Periods 3 and 4: Year 11 – Memory Mnemonics
• Periods 5 and 6: Year 11 – Ace Your Exams

REPORT CARDS

Report Cards will be issued in the June/July holidays to all year levels via email.

Year 7 to 10 students will receive a Semester 1 Report, Year 11 students will receive a Unit 1 Report and Year 12 students a Unit 3 Provisional Report.

If your email address has changed please advise the College Office to ensure our records are updated and you receive your daughter’s report.

Ms Amy Byrnes

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL – ACADEMIC

DIRECTOR OF STUDENTS

CAMPS

All students in Years 7 – 11, will be taking part in the Camps/Retreats Program from Tuesday 21 June to Thursday 23 June 2022. This year’s camps will be held at the following locations:

Year 7: Camp Kanga – Proserpine

Year 8: Wambiana Station – Charters Towers

Year 9: Mungalli Outdoor Education Centre – Milla Milla

Year 10: Genazzano Retreat – Tinaroo

Year 11: Echo Creek – Tully

This program is compulsory and all students are expected to attend. 

You will receive information specific to your daughter’s camp this week. To approve your daughter’s participation please review the Terms & Conditions document and her medical details then accept the excursion. Responses are due by 1 June 2022. If you require assistance logging on the Learning Hub Parent Lounge, please contact IT Support on itsupport@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au.

PPEP TALK

Years 9, 10 and 11 attended a talk from the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia. The PPEP talk provided our students with the latest knowledge and the neuroscience of pain to help them better understand pain management, information about endometriosis and the steps to take if the pain is a problem.

UNIFORM

I would like to ask Parents/Carers to check that the uniform worn by their daughter meets the Uniform Policy detailed in the College Diary, stated on our College Website and are also shown below. Each student is expected to maintain high standards of personal appearance and I encourage parents/carers to ensure that the uniform is being worn each day in accordance with College expectations. 

Maria Franettovich

DIRECTOR OF STUDENTS

DIRECTOR OF BOARDING

EXTRACURRICULAR LIFE

Boarding is bright and beautiful as always with many memories and friendships forged in the boarding house, during activities and through sporting and extracurricular involvements. A very large number of our girls are involved in a variety of different sporting clubs and fill their afternoons and weekends with training and games. We are very thankful to all the coaches and supervisors that support the girls and make these involvements possible. A special thanks to Miss Gemma, our Deputy Head of Boarding for the many hours she spends in coordinating and managing these groups.

Planning is underway for our upcoming boarders NAIDOC festival, and communication will go home shortly to parents around travel arrangements. If you are interested in helping out in any way – be it cooking, teaching dance and/or leading a cultural workshop – please contact Ms Sarah Amos on boarding@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au or on 4753 0307.

Below you can find the contact details of the 2022 House Mothers. Please feel free to get in touch with them via the contact below if you have any specific concerns or questions. They are:

• Year 7 – Stacey Sergeant ssergeant@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
• Year 8 – Pam McHugh pmchugh@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
• Year 9 – Schanara Bulsey sbulsey@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
• Year 10 – Kearley Robinson krobinson@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
• Year 11 – Mary Galletly mgalletly@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au
• Year 12 – Jelintha Koyaiye jkoyaiye@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au

You are of course always welcome to contact your daughter or speak to a member of staff through the boarding landline which is 07 4753 0307. If you have a general enquiry or request, you are also able to email boarding@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au

Enjoy the photos below.

Ms Katie de Carteret

DIRECTOR OF BOARDING

DEAN OF ACADEMIC OPERATIONS

YEAR 11 – UNIT 1 EXAM BLOCK SCHEDULE

Year 11 students will be involved in the Unit 1 Exam Block in Week 5, Term Two. It is compulsory for all students to attend these exams. The exam block schedule can be found on the College Learning Hub.  This exam schedule has also been emailed to all students.

Year 11 students are permitted to go home during the Unit 1 Exam Block. Year 11 students must be at school on the days when they have exams, however, if a student has only one exam in the morning or afternoon, they may remain at home for study, at the discretion of their parent/guardian, and the College office needs to be contacted and advised of this by 9.00am on the day. Year 11 Residential students are permitted to return to the Boarding School for quiet study when they do not have exams.

During exam block all students are required to:

• Wear full Academic College uniform at all times;
• Have the correct equipment for their exams in a clear, transparent container or bag;
• Be on time for exams.
• Remain within the College grounds at a times and may not be signed out by parents between exams without prior arrangement with the Deputy Principal – Academic.
• Designated quiet study areas will be available for students between exams;
• Complete all assessment to the best of their ability, using the entire allocated time to work and check their responses. All students must remain in the exam room for the allotted time.

YEAR 11 – UNIT 1 SUBJECT CHANGES

Year 11 students considering subject changes or pathway changes for Unit 2 are encouraged to contact the Studies Office. Subject changes for Unit 2 will close on Friday, 3 June 2022 (Week 7, Term 2). Unit 2 commences on Monday 23 May 2022 (Week 6, Term 2).

YEAR 10 EXAM BLOCK AND YEAR 12 EXAM BLOCK

Per the Assessment Calendar on the Learning Hub Year 10 and Year 12 students will be involved in Exam Blocks later this term. These Exam Block schedules will be released soon and will be available on the Learning Hub.

Mr Chris Pacey

DEAN OF ACADEMIC OPERATIONS. E: cpacey@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au

FAITH AND MISSION

GOSPEL 

John 10:27-30

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.  ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than everyone^]; no one can steal from the Father. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

The Gospel of the Lord

REEFLECTION

Many thousands of years ago in Jesus’ time, in ancient history many people worked as shepherds. The people who heard Jesus tell this story long ago would have known what shepherds do and would understand how much work it takes to care for sheep. Sheep were important as sources of wool, milk, and meat, and throughout the Bible, sheep served as symbols for God’s people. 

It is a fact that sheep will respond only their shepherd’s voice. They will not follow the voice of a stranger. So, when Jesus compares himself to a shepherd and says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they will follow me,” it means we have complete faith that our shepherd will not lead us astray. Voices who speak the words of Jesus for us today are our parents, friends, teachers and staff.

Another quality of a good shepherd is that they know their sheep. The shepherd must look at each one carefully, noticing all that is unique and different about them. The Good Shepherd says that the sheep will never be lost. This means that they will take care of flock’s every need. They will make sure they have good food and clean water, which will keep them strong and healthy.

The message of this parable is that Jesus is the true shepherd and always has been and always will be. He is the Good Shepherd who was willing to die for those who put their faith in Him. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares, watches, and protects those who believe in Him. This is a wonderful message for anyone who seeks peace with God.

Ms Andrews

DEAN OF MISSION 

MCAULEY MINISTRY

Lead by Elizabeth Shaju, the McAuley Ministry members collaborated through weeks 3 and 4 to engage and deliver the gospel in a creative manner. Two special guests LuLu and Rufus our sheep and lamb were delighted to attend the Assembly on Wednesday week 3 to share the Gospel of the Good Shepherd. 

We will be offering Eucharistic Minister Training for any students and staff interested at the beginning of next term (we are still finalising dates). This training allows you to assist in delivering the Holy Communion during Masses. To be a part of this special opportunity you need to be at least 16 years of age and have completed all your Sacraments. The training will go for the duration of approximately an hour.

More information will be sent out in the coming weeks! Please let us know if you may be interested.

MERCY GIRLS IN ACTION

Mercy Girls in Action are excited to launch the Fashion Friday drive which is to be held in week 8. Can you believe our clothing consumption has increased by 400% in the last 35 years? It would take 12 years to recycle what a fast fashion retailer sell in 48 hours. One garbage truck of clothing is landfilled every second. Op-Shops and Vinnies have had to stop clothing donations as there is too much to process. When consumers throw away clothing in the garbage, not only does it waste money and resources, but it can take 200+ years for the materials to decompose in a landfill. During the decomposition process, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and our soil. Through buying second hand and sustainable fashion you are helping protect our earth and contribute to live out Laudato Si the call to protect our Earth shared by Pope Francis. 

In three weeks’ time, Mercy Girls in Action will run a Fashion Friday sale later in the term ready for CAMP. All funds go towards Vinnies. Please keep your donations and bring them into school in week 7. Donations are to be taken to the Director of Missions office in week 7, but not earlier. Please donate any clothing suitable for camp wear.

“Warm-Up for the Ukraine” Fundraiser.

As a way of assisting and serving others our Mercy Girls in Action will be serving hot chocolate on Friday, 27 May.  All funds raised will go towards the Emergency Ukraine Appeal which is an Australian Catholic organisation raising money for the Ukraine.

MERCY ROSE SPIRIT AWARD

We congratulate Elyse Adebahr for her consistent commitment to the MGIA team throughout this year. She received the Golden rose this week for living out the Mercy Values and serving others. Well done, Elyse. All new members are welcome to attend Mercy Girls in Action in A14 Wednesday.

Have a lovely day and remember, every girl is a Mercy Girl. 

Ms Veukiso

COLLEGE CHAPLAIN

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COUNSELLOR

Wadda Mooli all,

What an exciting time it is for cultural engagement at the moment preparing for all of the upcoming events. We would first like to reflect on our wonderful Twilight Open Evening and Harmony Day celebrations. The Twilight Open Evening was phenomenal! The girls all were so proud of their culture and put in such an effort to make it meaningful and to embrace how important their culture is to them. They did this by sharing stories, and dance music and even had the opportunity to cook traditional dishes in hospitality to share with the community. We also had a wonderful celebration for Harmony Week with an amazing guest speaker, Dion Devow. The girls were so touched and moved by his speech and he shared the importance of embracing culture.

We have some very exciting events coming up this term, so add these dates to your calendars!

• 25 May: National Reconciliation Week Assembly
• 26 May: National Sorry Day
• 27 –  3^: June National Reconciliation Week
• 3 June: Flag Ceremony and Mabo Day

As always please feel free to contact me at any time or keep an eye out on notices and the Student Yarn up page for exciting opportunities.

Ms Paije Kulbicki

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COUNSELLOR. E: pkulbicki@stpatscollege.qld.edu.au

COLLEGE NEWS

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

The Townsville Science and Engineering Challenge 2022 was attended on the 28^th of April where 17 of our students participated and came 5^th overall on the day. 

The Science and engineering day was an amazing experience for me and my friends to enjoy a day of fun. The day presented us with many different activities and challenges, which helped build our teamwork skills. My group first worked on an activity called ‘String-ways’ where we had to thread string around bolts representing towns using different scenarios. Lunch time gave us, an all-girls high school, the chance to communicate and interact with a range of other high schools in the Townsville area. After lunch, my group moved to the skyscraper where we had 20 minutes to design a building out of straws, paper and cardboard. The skyscraper had to withstand weight for the first trial and an earthquake for the second trial. Overall, the day proved to be fun, and I had a great day. 

Ellen Thorley

The Science and Engineering Challenge was a fun experience for all the year 10 students involved. Everyone enjoyed the activities and the different variety of challenges. In particular, the bridge building, bionic hand challenge and the skyscraper building were a few of the favourite activities during the day. 

Lara Reguson  

INTERHOUSE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

This year, our Interhouse Swimming Carnival took place on Friday, 29 April at Long Tan Pool. The day was a huge success. It was wonderful to see every age group filling nearly every lane in every race. The organisation was immaculate, and it was great to see the stands filled with blue, yellow, purple and green. Participation is what makes a carnival great and is what made this carnival such a privilege to be a part of.

The all-in swim blew me away with the amount of participation. Every house received over 470 points just from this event! It was incredible and was also a major factor that made this carnival the best from a participation perspective that I have ever seen.

It was tremendous to see everyone jumping, bombing and diving into the pool throughout the carnival, regardless of ability level. Whether the girls have never swum a whole lap of a pool before or our fierce competitors that train every day; all participants swam their hearts out and it was astounding to watch.

Carnivals are about putting yourself out of your comfort zone and being supported by your House to be and do your best. Every single girl stepped up to the plate and swam brilliantly, which was amazing to see. On a less amazing note, unfortunately, the Teachers also came to play, as they hung on to their winning streak in the Seniors vs Teachers Relay race for another year. Either way, the race was a privilege to be a part of and their win was well-deserved.

2022 AGE CHAMPIONS:

12 Years: Isobelle Gilbride (Thrones House)

13 Years: Nala Iosefo (Principalities House)

14 Years: Mary Lansley (Principalities House)

15 Years: Maddison Andrejic (Dominations House)

16 Years: Hayley Andrejic (Ddominations House)

17 Years: Clara Deer (Thrones House)

Opens: Erica Mills (Thrones House)

 2022 RECORD BREAKERS:

12 Years:

Harper Ryan – 50m Breaststroke – 45.80 sec (Powers House)

Isobelle Gilbride– 50 Butterfly – 41.74 sec (Thrones House)

13 Years:

Nala Iosefo (Principalities House):

50m Backstroke —35.05 sec

50m Breaststroke — 38.90 sec

50m Butterfly — 31.34 sec

16 years:

Hayley Andrejic (Dominations House):

50m Freestyle — 30.58 sec

50m Backstroke – 35.21 sec

50m Butterfly — 33.05 sec

Open Division:

Brooke Davis-Goodall: 50m Breaststroke – 38.90 sec (Dominations House)

Erica Mills (Thrones House):

50m Freestyle – 28.92 sec

50m Backstroke – 36.37 sec

50m Butterfly – 33.08 sec

These girls left nothing in the tank at the end of the day, recording the fastest times for their age groups throughout the carnival. 

This carnival is always a great opportunity for the College community to come together and showcase our spirit and determination. This year the House’s utilised their chosen themes to their full extent and we saw both teachers and students decked out from head to toe in their House colour and theme. From Disney Doms, Prince’s Pyjama Party, Neon Powers to Thrones Tradies, each House created both wacky and wonderful costumes to present these themes, and our grade 12’s designed incredible banners to accompany these.

Each of the spirit category winners were awarded by our judges who made their way around throughout the day. The categories were based on all different aspects, from cleanliness, to dressing up, everything counted towards the overall spirit points given. However, the overall Spirit Award winners for this year’s Interhouse Swimming Carnival went to Powers. Great job, Powers!

The overall points and placings for this year’s carnival were as follows:

In 4^th Place on 1102 points, was Powers.

In 3^rd Place on 1758 points, was Principalities

In 2^nd Place on 1958 points, was Dominations.

And our 2022 winners on 2374 Points, was Thrones.

Congratulations Thrones!

Thank you to everyone who showed up and gave it their all. Thanks to everyone who swam and encouraged others to do the same, and to the Heads of House in helping organise their House’s and participation. Thanks to the teachers that did the time keeping, point tallying and marshalling, it is greatly appreciated. And a massive thanks to Ms Cooper for organising a magnificent swimming carnival. It was a spectacular carnival and definitely one that’s going to leave a legacy.

Clara Deer

SPORTS PREFECT

SPORTING SUCCESS

Over the three weekends from Easter through to the May Day long weekend, Willow Bailey competed in a number of sailing events around North Queensland representing the Townsville Sailing.The Easter weekend saw sailors from Central and North Queensland converge on Airlie Beach, where Willow was able to secure a 3^rd place in the Sabot class. On the ANZAC day weekend, the Townsville Sailing Club hosted the sailing event of the NQ Games, where Willow finished in second place of the Junior Division (12 and under) winning a silver medal. The May Day weekend saw sailors from as far away as Melbourne competing in the Tinaroo May Day Regatta, with Willow finishing 5^th in the Sabot class. Unfortunately, Willow missed the Interhouse swimming carnival due to here sailing commitments, though a number of capsizes ensured she still got some swimming practice! Congratulations, Willow!

Acaciah Collinson recently competed in her first Archery Competition, securing a first place in the female Freestyle unlimited division with her compound bow. The bear bow was passed down from her brother, but Acaciah improved the overall design with some modifications and a paint-job. Well done, Acaciah. 

HISTORY WEEK 2022

History Week kicked off in Week 3 with various activities held across the week. These included:

• Mini archaeological digs
• Ancient Greek Escape Room
• History activities and crafts
• History career information
• Whole school history Kahoot
• History themed Just Dance
• Dress up day on Friday

THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET VISITS ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE TOWNSVILLE.

Our Year 9 Dance students has had the wonderful opportunity to learn directly from the country’s leading national ballet Company, “The Australian Ballet” in Week 2 of this term. This was a curriculum-based workshop that allowed students to choreograph and learn basic repertoire from adapted version of Romeo and Juliet. Choreographed by Paul Knobloch, the 30-minute modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet explores themes such as fate, choice, love, prejudice, and family, with four of the company’s professional dancers and bright Pop Art inspired costumes and set. The ability to engage through dance enhances students learning of both Romeo and Juliet in a choreography perspective and as a ballet genre experience.

Ms Jojo Butler

HEAD OF ARTS – DRAMA & DANCE

VISUAL ARTS – DEPARTMENT NEWS

It has been a very busy year so far in the Visual Arts Department and students have been working in a broad range of mediums and techniques across all year levels.

Year 7s are presently constructing clay bugs, which you may have seen in our Bugged Out installation at our Twilight Open Evening and these will be displayed in the library in Term 4.

Last term Year 8 students were lucky enough to be visited by our local artist Cath Meharry, who was amazed by the standard of their sea life inspired Reefscape studies. Students have produced beautiful mixed media concertina books. A selection are on display in the library until the end of Term 2, where you can also view the Year 9s, Fauvist Paintings.

Our 10 Visual Art class have completed Crosscurrent reduction prints and 10 Visual Arts in Practice students displayed their reef inspired Stained Glass Windows in the Café by the Sea; which you may have seen lit up over the holidays. Year 12 Visual Arts in Practice have completed their Accessorise, wearable art creations which will be displayed at POSE Wearble Art Show next year.

Our Year 12s are currently constructing work for their IA3 assessments. Some images of their IA2 works are included in the following gallery show casing our talented students’ work. We look forward to bringing you the Senior Year 12 Art Students’ exhibition later in the year.

Ms Kirsten Walsh

HEAD OF VISUAL ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST

On Friday, 6 May, the College was able to welcome mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and houseparents to our Annual Mother’s Day Breakfast. Held in the auditorium, students sat with the important women in their lives to celebrate the bonds of sisterhood. It was a lovely morning, made particularly special by performances from the College Choir and Year 11 student, Nicola Barrett. Ms Lisa Mowbray, our College Nurse was the perfect compare, using warmth and humour to ensure the morning ran smoothly. A number of local businesses supported the event by providing gifts, including: Tide, Handmade Renegade, Botanical Style and The Seaview Hotel. 

We wanted to begin a charity partnership with “Chicks in Pink” and were fortunate to have Ms Raelene Eves from the Mater Hospital (and mother to Year 12 student, Rhiley Vines) provide insight into the important work “Chicks in Pink” do for women suffering from breast cancer. 

Our Guest Speaker was former student and current staff member, Ms Meredith Palmer. Equal parts talented yet humble, ambitious yet kind, Meredith is a loving mother of two boys and a role-model to the girls at the College. Meredith paid special tribute to Sr Marge Daly, an important woman in her life. 

(an excerpt from Meredith’s speech)

When reflecting on the important women in my life, I’ve decided to honour my dear friend Sister Marge Daly, a local Sister of Mercy who my husband and I call our ‘other mother’.

In the late 90’s, I was a student here at St Patrick’s College Townsville. My father at the time was the dean of St James Cathedral just up the road, so although I was a worshipping Anglican, logistically it made more sense to go to the local catholic schools down the road. I thank God for that twist of fate because my life would never have been the same if I hadn’t been a part of this particular parish community, or been reared by the staff here, who were largely Sisters of Mercy.

Sister Marge was one of my original Year 8 teachers. She was a very talented organist and music teacher, and knowing that I played flute, roped me into joining our amazing little music ministry at St Joseph’s Church next door every Saturday night or any special feast you could think of. We had Sr Marge on keys, Sr Ros on guitar, Sr Greta on fiddle, my Year 2 teacher, Miriam, and myself on flutes, plus a host of singers. Being surrounded by these talented, faithful women was truly inspiring. Our music ministry was unique and wonderful; it always felt like home to me.

Taking me under her wing, many hours were spent with Sr Marge rehearsing, learning and preparing, often at her home and getting to know her pets. Even after I moved away from Townsville, we would exchange emails. I could share anything with her or ask her to pray for me for whatever reason, and she would support me through everything. To me she was a dead set legend, and still is. These days I don’t get to see her as often as I once did, but she is still considered my family and I love her very much.

Thank you sincerely Sr Marge and all the Sisters of Mercy in my life who have made me who I am today.

Meredith Palmer

ALUMNAE- 2001

NOTICES

PART-TIME PARISH SECRETARY

MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS PARISH

PARISH OFFICE, FRYER STREET, NORTH WARD, TOWNSVILLE

A paid position is available for a casual or part-time Parish Secretary to work in the office in Fryer Street.

Present planning is for ten hours of paid work over two week days. This would be distributed as five hours on each of two days of the week.

Start and finishing times are flexible, with an intent to make the hours attractive to a parent who may have children attending the local schools. Start and finishing times could adjust to the times of dropping off and collecting children.

There is some flexibility in what days could be worked. Pay would be in accord with Award Rates. A knowledge of MYOB would be an advantage.

For intention of interest or for more information, please contact Father Rod Ward at rward@tsv.catholic.org.au