6 March 2020 Janelle Agius – Principal Dates to Remember
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6 March 2020 Janelle Agius – Principal Dates to remember We are now in the second week of the Lenten period. MARCH 2020 Sometimes we think of Lent as a time to make sacrifices and 11 QATSIF Presentation certainly we are encouraged to give to the poor during this 13 Mocktail – Year 12 Students time. As a College, we are this year supporting Caritas and are 17 St Patrick’s Day encouraging students to give. Lent offers us a time to reflect 30-31 Year 12 Exams more deeply on our lives and to enact positive change. As I have mentioned to the 31 Rats of Tobruk Ceremony student body, there is so much power in the action of giving, not just our money, but of APRIL 2020 ourselves to those who are in need of hope and encouragement. Jesus calls us to be 1-3 Year 12 Exams present and live in the present. To open our eyes to what is around us. To be blessed 10 Good Friday and enjoy each moment of our day. We need to extend care to the wider community 11 Easter Saturday and realise that we all can contribute to others. The Student Representative Council and 12 Easter Sunday College members have already commenced St Francis of Assisi Aged Care visits and volunteered at the RSPCA. I commend them on their intuitive and welcome all to be 13 Easter Monday involved. May the lent season be a time of reflection, prayer, self-denial and helping 20-24 Year 12 Industry Placements others. 25 ANZAC Day MAY 2020 Exam block and Industry Placement 4 Labour Day Holiday During the Year 12 exam block period (30 March – 2 April), students are required to 5-6 Year 12 Retreat attend only when they have exams. Industry placement for Year 12 students commences on Monday 20 April and will run for one week finishing on Friday 24 April. 6-8 Year 11 Foundations of Learning Retreat 14 Parent/Teacher Interviews I also reminded students that some assignments are coming due shortly. Students 15-17 Catholic Education Youth should have their study plan well organised and be increasing the amount of work they Pilgrimage are doing as they move into significant revision for their first exams. Now is the time to 18-22 Year 11 Exams seek help from teachers if concerned. I would like to remind students of the benefits of 22 Mackay Catholic Debutante Ball attending Saturday School. Many staff members are offering extra tutorials to support 29 College Photos students. I ask students to check with teachers for the details. This time can be used for JUNE 2020 assessments, study or get help from the supervising teacher. Thank you to the staff who 1-5 Year 11 Industry Placements volunteer to supervise and assist the students on Saturdays. Starts 4 Introduction to Senior Schooling St Patrick’s Celebrations 13 90 Year Celebrations On Tuesday 17 March, the College will celebrate St Patrick’s Day. We will be celebrating with Mass starting at 9:00 am at St Patrick’s Church, followed by activities held NUMBER FOR SMS throughout the day. Students should reflect on the many social justice actions that St Patrick promoted. Thank you to Mr Stephen Mortimer and Mrs Kelsey Wallace for The number to send organising the celebrations. SMS Messages regarding student absence is 0416 906 288 Mocktail On Friday 13 March, our Year 12 students along with those from other schools and colleges in the region will celebrate Mocktail at the MECC. Students attending will have a wonderful time. I wish to thank in advance, staff of the College who will volunteer to assist with supervision on the night. We have students Cobi Davis and James Franettovich performing their original song called ‘Fallin into Love’ entered into the talent quest. Good luck boys. The Mocktail is run by a community organisation for the benefit of all Year 12 students in the region. All schools in the region appreciate the efforts of the Mocktail committee. Profits made from this function are distributed to local charities and organisations. Aquatics Carnival and Triathlon The Aquatics Carnival and Triathlon was held on Tuesday. Thank you to Mr Chad Buckby for your great preparation and running a highly successful carnival. Congratulations to Rice House on winning. It was disappointing that our absenteeism was high on the day. I urge parents and students to remember the value of attending all compulsory college events. Year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commencement Celebrations Last week, a group of our Year 12 students travelled to Rockhampton to attend the Diocesan Year 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commencement Celebrations in Rockhampton. The students were accompanied by Mrs Karlie Tatchell, Mr Stephen Mortimer and Mr Andrew Lamont. On Friday, a Mass was held at St Joseph’s Cathedral for all students within our Diocese, their families and Diocesan Staff. A highlight of these celebrations was the dinner and guest speaker. I was fortunate enough to attend the Mass which presided over by Bishop Michael McCarthy. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to be a part of. Music Ministry On the first Sunday night of each month, our students and staff are invited to sing at St Patrick’s Church during the evening Mass which commences at 6:00pm. This activity is greatly appreciated by all parish members and I urge as many possible College members (Year 11 and 12 students and their families) to show their support and attend this service. Thank you to those students and parents who attended last Sunday 1 March. QATSIF Next week during assembly, this year’s QATSIF recipients for 2020 will receive their certificates. What is QATSIF? It is the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation created to increase educational choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students entering Year 11 or 12. While the history behind the trust being established is heartbreaking (stolen wages), it recognises that students who obtain their QCE have a strong foundation on which to build their lives on. I wish to extend an invitation to all. Morning tea will be provided at the conclusion of the presentations. Sean Geoghegan – Deputy Principal Postponement of the Vietnam Tour Given that eighty-one countries, including China, are now reporting cases of Coronavirus, we believe it would be prudent to postpone the tour to Vietnam. We all know that no excursion or journey, be it flying overseas or driving to and from work, is ever devoid of risk. However, travel when undertaken, should occur in an atmosphere relatively free of fear. At present, this would not be the case. It is inevitable that all travellers, at some point in time, succumb to illnesses most of which are uncomfortable but trivial. However, in the present climate, no common respiratory or gastro-intestinal ailment can be ignored or disregarded. Symptoms of what may be nothing more than a common cold, would necessitate a robust medical investigation. This necessity would serve not only to interrupt the tour but to derail the itinerary – and this would be the ‘best-case’ scenario. Fortunately, only a small portion of the deposits collected by St Patrick’s College were forwarded to the agents acting on our behalf. The College will review the situation in June and in consultation with all those directly affected by this most unexpected turn of events, decide on an alternate date. We appreciate that an alternate date for 2020 may not suit those students who are currently in Year 12 (or even those in Year 11). Therefore, there is a possibility that the tour be delayed a full year, in which case students will be fully reimbursed. Page | 2 Stephen Mortimer – Assistant to the Principal: Religious Education Readings at Mass, Sunday 8th March 2020 – 2nd Sunday of Lent First Reading, Genesis 12:1-4 …. Abram leaves home receiving promises from the Lord. Psalm 32, Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. Second Reading, 2 Timothy 1:8-10 …. Following the Gospel entails some hardship. Gospel, Matthew 17:1-9 … Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. Readings at Mass, Sunday 15th March 2020 – 3rd Sunday of Lent First Reading, Exodus 17:3-7 …. The Israelites complain to Moses in the desert. Psalm 94, If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Second Reading, Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 …. Christ laid down his life for us. Gospel, John 4:5-42 …. Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. World Day of Prayer Each year on the first Friday of March the World Day of Prayer service is held around the world. Since 1927, the World Day of Prayer is an ecumenical prayer movement developed from a Christian women’s perspective as a creative response to issues of concern around the world. Each year, the prayer service is prepared by a different ladies prayer group, this year from Zimbabwe, and distributed around the world for all to participate. Over the past six years, it is estimated that the World Day of Prayer service was translated into more than 90 languages, and experienced by over 16 million participants in over 170 countries. The prayer for 2020 is based upon the theme, Rise! Take Your Mat and Walk, (John 5:8), by which we are called: “We are empowered to take up our mats. No more waiting powerlessly on the mat. As expressed in the WDP 2020 painting by Nonhlanhla Mathe, let us give a healing hand to the needy, let us embrace children with love as their future is ahead, and let us open our arms in joy as the time to rise up has come.