Saint Patrick’s College

Newsletter

Edmund Rice, founder of the

Christian Brothers. Icons by

Desmond Kyne

Nano Nagle, founder of the

Presentation Sisters.

Seek Wisdom In Christ Friday, March 20 2015

Week 8 Term 1

Dear Parents and Friends of the College

Ms Libby Denny—College Principal

Go gently,

Prayer

Go forth, dear sister upon your final journey.

Go from this world and rest in peace in the presence of

God the father, who created you;

in the love of Jesus our Lord, who calls you his friend, and in the warmth of the

Holy Spirit, who has made his home in you.

May the angels lead you into paradise, and the saints take

you by the hand and walk with you

into the presence of God. Go forth, dear sister, upon

your final journey. Go to rest in the peace of our

Lord. Amen

Celebrating the Feast of St Patrick

On a much sadder note, we received the news that Mrs Murray, mother of Emma Year 11 and Joshua Year 12 2014, passed away this week from Motor Neuron disease. One of our mothers is organsing meals for the family as a practical way to show our support in their time

of need. If you are able to help, please text Denise on 0458 550 075 or email - denise13v@hotmail.com for further details. She will arrange the delivery of the meals to the family and it is suggested that the meals prepared are suitable for freezing and are stored in plastic microwave-safe containers or foil trays. Please keep the Murray family in your thoughts and prayers at this sad time.

Last Tuesday we celebrated the Feast Day of St Patrick. The day was a wonderful opportunity for St Pat’s College to gather together to pray, reflect, perform, eat and play and spend time together as a community. We began the day in Pastoral Care classes with a Trivia and Bingo competition whilst a number of students worked with the staff to prepare and set up the stalls and activities for the day. The excitement in the air was palpable as we gathered in the Rice Hall for the celebration of our feast day Mass. It was a special occasion which included beautiful hymns and prayers. Mass was celebrated by our College Chaplain, Fr John Knight and Fr Gabriel from Miranda also joined us. Fr John spoke of the great influence of the Irish and St Patrick in Australia. Our Mass concluded with a beautiful rendition of the Irish Blessing sung and played by Mr Michael Crawford and of course our College Song. Congratulations to Mr Stuart Lemos and Mrs Leigh Florido for the Liturgy and Mrs Joan Thorpe, Mrs Carmel Boyle, Mr Matthew Dority and Ms Louise Kelly for the music and singing. The talent of our singers, readers and musicians helped to create a meaningful and heart felt liturgy.

The middle of the day was spent in the playground…playing on the big ride – giant twister, jumping castle , the smaller stalls and consuming snow cones, hot chips, fried rice, cold drinks, pizza, cup cakes and fairy floss. It was wonderful to see the playful spirit of our students (and staff). All of us had great fun celebrating and being with one another. There was much laughter and enjoyment to follow with the concert. Great individual acts from Years 7 – 12 concluded with an item where nearly all Year 12 students performed, danced and sang their way through a 10 minute music extravaganza which began with Simba and the lion king. It was such a delight to watch our kids being kids! Congratulations to all of the staff who helped in the organisation of the day – our Year Co-ordinators and especially the overall co-ordination of Mr Phil Hair and Mrs Jodie Hughes. The College raised nearly $10,000 for Caritas and Project Compassion as part of our Lenten appeal. Wonderful!

Last week we had a very successful Parent Information Night and Open morning. The high demand for limited places means that a long waiting list will be inevitable. Present families of the College who have a child in Year 6 and are interested in applying for entry into Year 7, should contact the College as soon as possible.

Can you help?

Enrolments 2016

Booking are now open via Sentral for next Wednesday’s Parent Teacher Interview Bookings. This year we are introducing a Year 7 Interim report which will be sent home early next week. Looking forward to seeing many parents next Wednesday.

Year 7 Parent Teacher Twilight Meeting

Week 8 Term 1 Page 4 Seeking Wisdom

Band News—T’was a great day for the Irish … to be sure—to be sure! St Patrick’s City Day March A wonderful St Patrick's Day Parade performance! We set a new college record of 53 on parade, including - 47 musicians plus our Drum Major, Jacob Vartanian; Maddison Brymer, Isabella Ginestra and Blake Mahony, our proud Banner Holders with Mr Dority and Mr Vartanian also marching. Mrs Giles assisted staff plus Mrs Ryan with uniforms off the parade. A big thank you to Mrs Ryan who ensured we were all looking so "uniform". This was a culmination of many weeks of measuring, fitting, distribution and meticulous record keeping. In addition to this, she made additional spats and ties (a very fiddly, labour-intensive and skilful job). Hip, hip... HOORAY, Mrs Ryan! Mrs Joan Thorp—Band Director

From the Director of Studies

COLLEGE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES Over the term all students have received a copy of their relevant years’ Assessment Handbooks. It is essential that all students and parents familiarise themselves with the procedures and nature of assessments at the College. This is in order for all tasks to be completed to the best of the student’s ability and submitted according to College procedures. On Monday it is our intention to email all parents a copy of the relevant College Assessment Handbooks. Each week I will publish a small section of the handbook(s) to assist in supporting both students and parents in the understanding of the College procedures surrounding assessment.

PROCEDURES FOR ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS OR MISADVENTURE Point 2 - In all cases of absence involving illness or misadventure, the student must complete and submit the College ‘Student Illness/Misadventure Form’ available on the College website via www.stpatscoll.nsw.edu.au/About-Us1/Policies-Documents-and-Forms together with medical certificate and/or other relevant documentation* to the relevant Studies Co-ordinator before the commencement of the student’s first period on the day of his or her return to school. * A doctor’s certificate is required for Years 10, 11 & 12. The day or days absent must be indicated on the documentation. Any documentation which does not include such

details may result in a zero determination. Mr Paul McSweeney—Director of Studies

PI DAY On Friday, 13 March, the Mathematics Department celebrated Pi day a day early. π is an irrational number related to the ratio of the circumference and diameter of a circle and is used to solve problems involving circles, cylinders and spheres. This year was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Pi to 10 significant figures based on the date and time, 3/14/15 9:26:53. The Maths Department sold 300 large cupcakes on the day with the π symbol carefully piped on top. Judging by how quickly the cupcakes were sold out I think it’s fair to say that π day was a

resounding success with one student showing his ability in reciting Pi to over 100 decimal places! Mr Enda Forde – Mathematics Teacher

From the Maths Department

Week 8 Term 1 Page 5 Seeking Wisdom

From the Creative and Performing Arts Department

RESEARCH SCIENTIST MONIKA MARKOWSKA On Tuesday afternoon upon the completion of our wonderful St Patrick’s day celebration the Science club met with an Environmental Research Scientist, Ms Monika Markowska who is currently working at ANSTO. We had the opportunity to “pick her brain” and ask her questions about her research. She informed us her job is studying stalagmites in caves and analysing the water content within them. She travels around the world where she gathers evidence for her research and brings stalagmites back to ANSTO where she studies their particle nature to find how much rainfall has happened above the cave in past years. She said the stalagmite is a data record that is similar to tree rings. She also studies the geomorphology of the ground above the cave to observe how the water will move and how it is then absorbed to form the stalagmites. She observes what impacts humans or animals may have had on the growth of the stalagmites. and then uses her data to calibrate other known data to make more accurate records about how the climate in that area has changed over time.

The students had many questions for Ms Markowska. They learned that the temperature in tropical areas allows for stalagmites to form quicker than the cooler caves such as the ones found in the Snowy Mountains, NSW. It was interesting to talk to her about where she has travelled around the world to do research, learn about how in some caves she has to abseil down into the cave and her job is actually very adventurous as she may have to crawl through small caves to locate stalagmites.

Ms Markowska applied for the graduate program at ANSTO which has allowed her the opportunity to study in many areas and this program helped her find an area of Science that she is now interested in studying further. She is currently completing her PhD at UNSW and we look forward to the outcome of her current research.

For more information about the Scientist we met you can visit her profile on the ANSTO website. http://www.ansto.gov.au/ResearchHub/StaffProfiles/MARKOWSKA-MONIKA

From the Science Department

YEAR 9 VISUAL ARTS EXCURSION TO ART EXPRESS, HAZELHURST REGIONAL GALLERY Year 9 Visual Arts viewed the Art Express exhibition at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery on Monday 16 March. The two classes gained valuable insight into the practice of HSC students. Bodies of work exhibited for ARTEXPRESS represent a range of expressive forms - drawing, graphic design, painting, printmaking, photomedia, designed objects, sculpture, documented forms, ceramics, time-based forms and collection of works.

Ms Jane Keily & Mrs Julie Synnott - CAPA

Public Speaking News

On Friday, 27 February, the first round of CSDA Public Speaking was held at Waverley College, Bondi. Six students represented the College— Kiara Allison and Mara Glowacki from Year 8, Lauren Forrester from Year 9, Adam Bryant and Neve Glowacki from Year 10 and Emily Forrester from Year 11. Of the five topics offered, the most popular was “YOLO”, chosen by four of our speakers, but with differing messages. Mara contrasted the “go for it” attitude implied by the saying with today’s reckless behaviour excused by the flippant “you only live once” attitude of modern youth. Lauren changed the acronym to “You Obviously Love Oreos” and discussed obesity issues in today’s world. Neve and Adam took a more traditional attitude of “live for the moment” by pointing out that the expression has become an excuse for irrational and foolish behaviour.

Kiara spoke on the topic, “Life is Beautiful”, contrasting the comfortable lifestyles of Australian youth with the poverty and deprivation of children in third world countries. Emily gave a thought-provoking speech on the topic, “Talk is cheap”, in which she contrasted Western attitudes to a range of known terrorist groups, especially Boko Haram, who are responsible for nearly ten thousand deaths in Nigeria but rarely mentioned by the media.

Congratulations to Mara and Adam for making it through to round two.

Round two, the Zone Final, was held at St Patrick’s College on Friday, 6 March and although it was a busy night the bonus was not having to drive long distances in heavy Friday traffic. I want to thank Ms Trish Farland for adjudicating, never an

easy task, so special thanks to her for giving her time and skills so generously.

We received many favourable comments from the visitors, who remarked on the friendly welcome they received and the smooth running of the evening. Many also commented on the cleanliness of the school and the smart presentation of our students. Three Year 12 students, Cameron Scott, Thomas Boyd and Dominic Patruno, welcomed parents and students and were very efficient guides. The important jobs of Chairperson and Timekeeper were carried out by Aurora Matchett and Samuel Noakes (Year 7), Madeleine Clancy and Lauren Forrester (Year 9), Zoe O’Mahoney, Shantelle O’Riordan and Hayley Thompson and Alexi Lyvytchuk (Year 10) and Portia Hill (Year 10) and Kiara Allison (Year 8). The evening finished with supper, with tasty sandwiches and cake supplied by Mrs Kym Kinninmont and Mrs Margaret Clark from the Canteen. Thank you very much!

Events like this do not succeed without Executive support and I want to especially thank Mr Clancy for his organisational input and support before and during the evening. I also want to thank Ms Denny and Mrs Hughes for supporting the students and families by being there and listening to their speeches.

Public Speaking is a life skill and as such is an invaluable adjunct to learning. Although our students did not proceed to the Final, they acquitted themselves well and will continue to gain benefit from being involved in this important activity. Mrs Jennie Smith—Public Speaking Co-ordinator

CATHOLIC EDUCATION SURVEY

Demand for places in our Catholic schools is at all all-time high, and the expectation is that this demand will continue to grow in the years ahead . High-density housing developments are happening all over Sydney and the pressure is on both government and non-government schools to build schools in these growing areas. This is all happening at a time when there is limited state government fund-ing for the building of new Catholic schools. Careful long-term planning is critical if our precious resources are to be used where they most needed. An important part of this planning is conducting research, and to do this, we need your help!

What are the aims of the research?

There are three main aims in this research:

1. To better understand what parents are looking for when choosing a school for their child 2. To better understand parents’ perceptions of Catholic systemic schools and how they compare with state schools and private

schools 3. To gather information that will help to decide where new schools need to be built or existing schools expanded. The data gathered through the research will also assist our own school to better understand your needs and priorities. It wil l be a great opportunity to hear what you think about the things that matter most to you.

How you can help…

You can help in three ways:

a) Register for a short online questionnaire b) Complete an online survey c) Take part for a one-on-one interview. The first step is to simply register to take part by going to the CEO Sydney website www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au and follow the

link onthe homepage. Registrations will remain open until 3 April. We will be also providing some opportunities for you take part through some activities at schools. That information will be provided to you very soon.

I urge you to take a few minutes to help with this important research project. Thank you in advance for your support of this very im-portant project. More information will be provided in the days ahead.

Ms E K Denny— College Principal

Week 8 Term 1 Page 6 Seeking Wisdom

YEAR 7 PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS—TWILIGHT MEETING

WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 3.30PM—6.30PM

BOOKINGS OPENED ON TUESDAY 17 MARCH AT 7.00PM

BOOKINGS WILL CLOSE ON TUESDAY 24 MARCH AT 7.00PM

AN EMAIL WAS FORWARDED TO YEAR 7 PARENTS ON 16 MARCH

CONTAINING FULL DETAILS ON THE BOOKING PROCESS

WHICH IS THROUGH THE PARENT PORTAL

SENTRAL PARENT PORTAL Parents should have received by post and email the setup instructions for Sentral Parent Portal. The purpose of this portal is to provide Parents with information about their child / children daily school life. For example -

It is important that you take the time to set up the Parent Portal as Parent Teacher Interviews in 2015 will be made through the Parent Portal. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are experiencing difficulty please contact Mrs Maryanna Ramsay by email:

(maryanna.ramsay@syd.catholic.edu.au) Mrs Maryanna Ramsay—eLearning Coordinator

From eLeaning Department

School timetable Daily Notices Attendance Newsletter Bookings for Parent / Teacher Interviews periods and School Reports

IMPORTANT DATES IN TERM 1 2015

YEAR 12 EXAMS FROM

MONDAY 23 MARCH—THURSDAY 2 APRIL

Wed 25 Mar Year 7 Parent Teacher Twilight

Meeting

Tues 31 Mar Year 9 3-Night Camp

Wed 1 Apr Year 7 Overnight Camp

Thurs 2 Apr Holy Thursday—Last day of

classes

Fri 3 Apr Good Friday

The Duke of Edinburgh Silver Practice Exploration was a tiring but truly enjoyable experience! It began with a bus trip to Wattamolla on Wednesday 11 March which kick-started our trek to Bonnievale Campground in the Royal National Park. We travelled north and the track went through a forest which eventually gave way to moorish vegetation. Along the way we recorded the fauna which we saw, as well as flora, geology and the geography of the terrain. Human interference was also noted. Some of us were fortunate to spot marsupial mice! Upon reaching the coast the breath-taking scenic views were incredible. Passing unspoilt beaches with their lagoons such as Little Marley and Big Marley Beach made the 15 km hilly trek very worthwhile. Although we all love our busy urban lives, it was definitely worthwhile to escape,

learn and experience natural beauty and to bond with one another.

The evenings were spent cooking for ourselves followed by night hikes. The first was short lived as a storm made us take shelter in our tents for the rest of the evening, where we were challenged with Miss Hines’word puzzles! We wrote reflections at the end of each day, a requirement of Duke of Edinburgh Explorations and fine-tuned our sketches.

On the second day we carried out a scientific survey of the environment along the long track to Deer Pool. This day was a 20 km total journey through hilly national park and we were happy to get back tour campsite later in the afternoon.

The final day was spent conducting a scientific survey of mangrove communities around the Port Hacking estuary at the northern end of The Royal National Park.

In the last few hours of the adventurous journey we enjoyed a quick milkshake at Maianbar, wrote our final reflections and downed camp. Although everyone was tired, we all felt sorry to leave. We all hiked reluctantly to Bundeena Ferry Wharf where we caught the ferry to Cronulla and departed, thanking the teachers for our enjoyable and educational journey.

The Duke Of Edinburgh program is one of the true benefits of attending St Pat’s as you learn so much about the areas you study under the guidance of your teachers and even more importantly, you learn about yourself. It’s a chance for you to become independent and take initiative and that is the exact philosophy behind the program. You spend time with your peers in an outside classroom and undergo learning activities while sharing the experience together. This includes supporting each other in the physically demanding aspects of the Exploration. It is in this way that we all get so

much out of the program.

A big thank you to Mr Pagano for all the hard work and dedication in making this camp such a success. If it wasn’t for him, the camp wouldn’t be nearly as good and the program would not run nearly as smoothly. He has an extensive knowledge and is like the walking internet when it comes to the wilderness. We also extend our gratitude to the teachers who have accompanied us on this camp—Miss Hines and Mr Wilkins—and all the other teaches who have joined us on our other camps . Most importantly, to the students because it’s all of them that make these camps such a highlight of the school calendar. Each camp you gain new friends and are in a supportive environment.

Adam Bryant, Neve Glowacki and Shantelle O’Riordan

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Practice Exploration 11-13 March 2015

Week 8 Term 1 Page 7 Seeking Wisdom

2015 COLLEGE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

At the College Assembly on Thursday, 19 March the Age Champions of our recently held Swimming Carnival were acknowledged:

FRIDAY GRADE SPORT

Trials are being held over the following two weeks. Summer Grade Sport will recommence at the end of Term 3.

NSWCCC (NSW COMBINED CATHOLIC COLLEGES)

Please pay careful attention to the following deadlines for nominations to be completed. The following Sports listed below are individual entries and you need to check the CSSS website for age eligibility.

NSWCCC Nomination Deadlines

NSWCCC AFL (boys) Friday April 11

NSWCCC Volleyball (boys and girls) Friday May 2

NSWCCC AFL (girls) Monday May 5

Week 8 Term 1 Page 8 Seeking Wisdom

From the Sports Department

AGE CHAMPIONS

Age Group Girls Boys

12 Years Kiara Summers Daniel Costandi

13 Years Alexandra Weir Harrison Hewitt

14 Years Brooke Dixon Jordan Alves

15 Years Hailey Blatchford Kyle Lister

16 Years Neve Glowacki Matija Jancic

17+ Yeas Erin O’Bryan Nathan Breen

OVERALL CHAMPIONS

GIRLS

HAYLEY BLATCFORD & BROOKE DIXON

BOYS

NATHAN BREEN

HOUSE CHAMPIONS

RICE 1704

WILTSHIRE 1328

NAGLE 1319

LEARY 1119

Class Captains 2015