Welcome back to the new term. I hope that everyone had an opportunity to relax over the break. Special welcome to the new families who have joined us this term. 

Whilst it is great to be back from leave, I certainly enjoyed my time travelling with my wife during Term Two. During part of this time, I attended the Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders (EREBB) Congress in Dublin, Ireland. Over 250 staff from EREA schools across the world attended the event which was held at the Dublin City University. EREBB started with the first congress in South Africa in 2012 and the network has certainly grown since. St Patrick’s College was represented at the first congress and has had representatives at all subsequent congresses. Currently, there are 280 Christian Brothers or Edmund Rice schools with around 200,000 students across more than twenty countries around the world. The Congress allows educators from these schools to meet, network and workshop about global educational issues and ways of working within their own countries. At St Patrick’s, we have benefitted from some contacts for global student meetings using Zoom, our immersion program to India, and ideas and options for our own teaching and learning programs. In Dublin, the Irish students were also involved in some of the conversations and presentations. There was significant discussion and consideration of global student and school actions around sustainability and climate change.

Over the break, our band members participated in a tour of the Sunshine Coast and a held clinics and several workshops with Siena Catholic College. This culminated with a “lunch on the lawn” performance combining with singers and musicians from Siena. It was well received by the Siena community. The inaugural Humanities & Social Sciences HASS Melbourne Tour was also held over the holidays. 30 students, supported by 3 teaching staff spent 5 days visiting many famous sites and immersing themselves in the culture of Melbourne. There have also been many sports clinics and trials held over the holidays for Basketball, Tennis, and Rugby League. The QISSRL Confraternity Rugby League Carnival was hosted by St Laurence’s College at their fields at Runcorn. Our team competes in the top division of this carnival which draws over fifty schools from across the State. Our team performed admirably against some strong Rugby League schools and the overall winners of the carnival were St Brendan’s College Yeppoon. There were also women’s games held at the same venue playing alongside the boys’ teams in addition to a Netball carnival being held nearby at Nissan Arena. These events occur each year and offer a wonderful opportunity for the students to participate in sport and make friendships with students from across the State. I would like to thank the many staff members who organised, coached, and led the students in these events. Without their personal time and efforts, our students would not have such opportunities.

During the holiday break, work commenced on replacing the back oval, along with the gutting of the bottom floor of the Morven building and checking and replacing electrical wiring and circuiting around the College campus and Sea View building. Unfortunately, the back oval area is not complete, however we hope to be using it sometime next week. As you can imagine, when a building such as Morven is gutted, we come across some unexpected surprises. So far, the biggest has been uncovering an old well underneath Mr Frank Torrisi's office. We will need to do some added remedial work to deal with the situations that will likely arise during the renovation which will most likely push out the expected completion time. However, once done Morven will be even grander and more functional for use and will continue to stand for many more years to come.

By now you and your son would have gone over his Semester 1 report together. It is important to acknowledge that the report gives “point-in-time” results and whilst the results cannot change, there will be “learnings” for him so he can improve his results for the next semester. I am sure you would agree that an important life skill for our young people is the realisation that there are valuable lessons to be learned from past results and using these as opportunities to improve as they progress on their educational pathways. Developing a growth mindset allows them to believe they can continue to get better and plan a way forward to achieve the improvement they desire. This sits with our College mantra of Persistence, Effort, and Attitude (PEAs). The Student/Parent/Teacher conferences will take place on Tuesday, 25 July and this offers another opportunity for students to consider how they can improve to achieve their semester goals. The time in these conferences is best utilised if the students have thought about what questions they would like to ask their teachers to assist them to improve.

During our first week back, we celebrated Justice and Peace Week. This was launched at our assembly on Monday and the students participated in several events during the week including our prayer being read by students in a different language each day along with a day where students and staff dressed in clothes of their heritage. During the assembly we were fortunate to have some students from Holy Spirit College, Fitzgibbon perform some traditional dances from India. We also had a presentation from the Edmund Rice Foundation including Mr Tommy Nyawir from the Mirror of Hope organisation based in the Kibera slum in Nairobi Africa. He spoke of the great work that his organisation is able achieve thanks to the support of the Edmund Rice Foundation. Our students, staff and parents have been generous with their support.

Staffing

Mrs Janet Garside and Mr Justin Moro have returned to our staff after having leave in Semester One. I would also like to welcome the following staff who have joined us this term:

• Mr Michael Bally- Facilities - Cafe Assistant
• Mr Shannon Luk- Casual Music Tutor
• Ms Alison Stokes - Administrative Assistant assisting enrolments and Office for Term 3
• Ms Yasmin Teoh – Assistant Café Convenor
• Mr Joshua Stewart – Part-time Lab Assistant
• Ms Kylie Galway – replacing Tim Sopp short term contract

We held our Interhouse Athletics Carnival today at Curlew Park. Whilst there was some drizzle in the morning, the day was most enjoyable because of the great spirit and cooperation of the students. You will get a chance to view photographs from the day via our College socials when they are available.

Our Year 11 students are preparing for their Dinner Dance next Friday and the first rounds of Rugby League, Basketball and Tennis for all year levels will also start next Saturday (Basketball Friday night for Years 5 & 6). This week’s sporting fixtures are trial games.

I look forward to catching up with everyone again during the term.

Live Jesus in our Hearts!

Mr Chris Mayes
College Principal

The teaching staff at SPC take pride in the relationships they share with students and their families. We are committed and dedicated to supporting your son in achieving his best in the classroom! Over the coming weeks your son will be afforded the opportunity to reflect on his Semester 1/ Unit 1 results before identifying strategies and setting goals for the Semester 2/ Unit 2. This goal setting coincides with Parent Teacher Interviews (PTI’s) that are scheduled for Tuesday, 25 July. PTI’s offer you an opportunity to sit with your son and his class teacher to discuss his progress and identify how he will work towards achieving his academic goals in Semester 2. The interview will centre around ways of working, how they have responded to feedback and what they need from you and the classroom teacher to continue to develop and improve.

Tuesday 25 July 2023, 1:30 pm – 8:30pm

• Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm
• It is compulsory that students are in attendance in the Microsoft Teams meeting with you so that they may lead the conversation regarding their goals for the semester/unit ahead. 

Each timeslot will run for 10 minutes; however, the meetings will need to end at approximately 8 minutes to ensure the next meeting can start on time for both parent/student and teachers.  We ask you to respect this process to ensure all parents receive their dedicated time for interviews. If your son is taught more than one subject by the same teacher, consider utilising only one timeslot to meet with that teacher.

Please note that the following staff will not be available for Parent Teacher Interviews due to leave or unavoidable absence:

• Mr David Ludlow – Leave

For details on how to book and attend an interview PLEASE CLICK HERE

PTI Bookings will open on Wednesday 19 July at 7:00pm and close Monday 24 July at 8.30am.

We begin Term 3 with Justice and Peace Week at St Patrick’s College. This is a time for us to focus on the special nature of an Edmund Rice education – one that liberates both the students and the world around them. We hold this celebration at this time as it allows us to touch into the themes of NAIDOC Week (which occurs during our school holidays) and is just before Mandela Day on 18 July (a special date for our international Edmund Rice community). 

This year our theme for Justice and Peace week has been Many cultures, one community: putting inclusion into action. This has been a reminder to us that building a community of inclusion here at St Pat’s is something we need to work at every day. The week is also an opportunity to celebrate the way that such a diverse group of people can come together to form one community here. Justice and Peace week is a time to hear the challenges that are facing our community whilst also celebrating who we are. 

Some of the activities of the week have included: 

• Assembly - Cultural dances from India by a group of students from Holy Spirit College at Fitzgibbon 
• Classroom activities focusing on themes of justice and peace 
• Green and gold day raising money to support the Romero Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers 
• An opportunity for people in the community to wear clothing from their home culture to share and celebrate their family’s cultural identity 
• Each day we finished school by praying the College prayer in different languages present in our community – Uruba (from Nigeria); Tagalog (the Phillipines); Samoan; and Maori 

As a Catholic community in the Edmund Rice tradition "Many Cultures, One Community" articulates the diversity that gives us life and reminds us too of the shape of the body of the Christ, the Church.  

Some ways we can work to build up our Inclusive Community: 

• Taking up opportunities for students to learn about different cultures through curriculum integration, guest speakers, cultural celebrations, dance, art and language programs. By promoting cultural education, we foster a deeper understanding and respect for one another. 
• Creating spaces for open and honest conversations that promote dialogue, empathy, and active listening. Engaging in meaningful discussions allows us to bridge cultural gaps, challenge stereotypes, and build authentic relationships based on shared human dignity. 
• Nurturing an environment where respect for cultural diversity is not only encouraged but celebrated. We must promote a culture of acceptance, where differences are seen as strengths that contribute to our collective growth and enrichment. 
• Encouraging students to take the lead in fostering inclusion and social justice initiatives. By empowering them to be advocates for justice and peace, we enable them to become change agents who promote equality and speak out for people who are marginalized. 
• Recognizing that inclusion goes beyond the walls of our school, we seek partnerships with families, local organizations to create opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. 

In embracing the values of justice and peace, we strive to create an inclusive community where every individual is valued and cherished. Together, let us build bridges of understanding, celebrate our differences, and work towards a world where justice and peace prevail. 

Identity Events to Watch Out For 

• Year 7 Retreat - Friday 21 July 
• Parish Mass ‘One in Christ as One Community’ - 5.30pm Saturday 5 August, Church of the Real Presence Brighton. 
• The Paddy’s Van has begun ministry again for the Term, there is a Realm notification with the available dates that people can sign onto, for further information contact Mrs Tara Dunn in the Identity Office. 

The Culture Department has much to celebrate as we start Term 3.  We have had a successful season of Theatresports with all teams performing extremely well under the high pressure of an improvised performance in front of other competing schools.  Most excitingly the Junior Team are through to the semi-finals and will compete on Wednesday 9th August at Padua for a shot at making it through to the grand final.  Two of our Debating teams have also made it through to the final rounds with almost no losses recorded.  They are the Year 9.1 and 12.2 teams.  We wish them well as they prepare for their next debates against other high ranking debating schools.

It was wonderful to hear the sounds of the confident SPC students sharing their music with schools and venues on the Sunshine Coast during the first week of the school holidays.  Wonderful workshops with primary and secondary schools were a huge hit with the communities they visited.  The schools all reported back how exceptional they found our musicians, ensembles, and staff.  We are sure the impact on their schools will be felt well into the future.  Schools visited were Sienna Catholic College and Stella Maris Catholic Primary School.  A lovely addition was to hear Brothers In Song singing in the Stella Maris Chapel Mass on the Sunday, and pleasingly, several SPC Old Boys were in attendance and made themselves known to the staff and students.  They had sung many years ago with Mr Jack Stevens and were very proud to hear the strong tradition of choral singing continue at St Patrick’s College.

On the last weekend of the school holidays, thirteen talented choristers participated in the Pemulwuy National Male Voice Festival, working with renowned Australian conductors and over 500 other males from around Australia.  Our own Brothers in Song performed to much acclaim at a lunchtime concert during the festival, and all singers performed at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the finale concert.  Special congratulations to Rex Fonacier who also performed a stunning guitar solo with one of the massed choirs at QPAC.

We are now preparing for our extensive involvement in the Queensland Catholic Music Festival later in the term as well as a new Arts Festival featuring Music recitals, Art Club Art Show and presentations by the Junior and Senior Film Crews.  Excitingly, the Junior Musical for 2024 will be announced at the Cultural Awards Assembly on 21 August, along with many significant awards presented to acknowledge outstanding efforts and achievements by our cultural students throughout the year.

Kind regards

Ms Kate Albury
Head of Culture