20 March 2020 Janelle Agius – Principal Dates to remember The coronavirus (COVID-19) is continuing to be a growing concern for health authorities worldwide and we are seeing MARCH 2020 examples in a number of countries of its health, social and 30-31 Year 12 Exams economic impacts. 31 Rats of Tobruk Ceremony APRIL 2020

1-3 Year 12 Exams Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton is actively planning to manage the 10 Good Friday implications of this virus for our schools, kindergartens and services. While we hope to 11 Easter Saturday be spared the worst aspects of this health emergency, we must nevertheless be 12 Easter Sunday prepared for the challenges ahead. Advice has been provided to all schools, 13 Easter Monday kindergartens and services on the measures that we are taking as part of our duty of 20-24 Year 12 Industry Placements care and commitment to the safety of all members of our communities. 25 ANZAC Day Effective Hand Hygiene Is Vital MAY 2020 As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, it is important to remember that 4 Labour Day Holiday effective hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against viruses and can 5-6 Year 12 Retreat help prevent the spread of illness. 6-8 Year 11 Foundations of Learning Retreat Lead by example and encourage your children to: 14 Parent/Teacher Interviews • wash their hands regularly with soap and water, before and after eating, and 15-17 Catholic Education Youth after going to the toilet Pilgrimage • use alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap is not available 18-22 Year 11 Exams • cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of their elbow 22 Mackay Catholic Debutante Ball • dispose of tissues in the bin immediately 29 College Photos • if they’re unwell, stay at home and avoid contact with others such as touching, JUNE 2020 kissing or hugging. 1-5 Year 11 Industry Placements Check out the 20 second routine video for effective handwashing. Starts 4 Introduction to Senior Schooling 13 90 Year Celebrations 18 Mackay Show Public Holiday

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0416 906 288

Mocktail Friday 13 March, our Year 12 students along with those from other schools and colleges in the region celebrated Mocktail at the MECC. Students attending had a wonderful time. I wish to thank staff of the College who assisted with supervision on the night. 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.

St Patrick’s Celebrations On Tuesday, we celebrated St Patrick’s Day with lunch time activities in St Pat’s Square. Thank you to Mr Stephen Mortimer, Mrs Kelsey Wallace, Mrs Deborah Millar and our Facilities Department staff for organising the activities.

St Patrick is credited with the conversion of Ireland. The Church in Ireland, has had a huge impact on the Church worldwide, but particularly in Australia through the work of various missionary orders from Ireland. At St Patrick’s College. we celebrate the heritage of the Christian Brothers and the Mercy Sisters which were both founded in Ireland in the nineteenth century. The Mercy Sisters and the Christian Brothers have both conducted schools on our site.

2020 Next Step survey The Queensland Government is conducting its annual statewide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2019. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2020.

Further information on Next Step is available online at www.qld.gov.au/nextstep or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

2020 Macrossan and Amiet Mackay Eisteddfod A reminder that entries for the Mackay Eisteddfod are now open for both August and October events, and can be completed online. Go to the website at https://mackayeisteddfod.com.au/ for the full schedule (under resources). Link to Website to Enter https://comps-online.com.au/Competition_Home.aspx?Organiser=OR000064

If you have any questions, please feel free to email the Mackay Eisteddfod on [email protected] or call during office hours (Tuesday and Thursday mornings 9:00am to 12:30pm. Entries close Wednesday 13 May (no late entries).

Own Choice Dates All Own Choice material must be submitted at the Mackay Eisteddfod Office 39 Gordon Street Mackay.

During Own Choice Week – • Friday July 31st 9am – 5 pm • Saturday August 1st 9am – 5 pm • Sunday August 2nd 9am – 2 pm

Forms needed for own choice can be downloaded from the Mackay Eisteddfod website.

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International Women’s Day Business Lunch On Sunday 8 March the International Women’s Day Lunch was hosted by the Mackay Zonta Club, where the entrants, finalists and winners of the Young Women in Public Affairs Competition were announced.

Zonta is an international and local women’s service organisation that seeks to empower women both locally and internationally. The Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs Awards recognises the service work of students throughout the Mackay region.

The College has a proud history in this competition, as it encourages young women to play a full role in community service work, volunteering and supporting overseas aid programs. This work represents part of our wider ethos as a Catholic school community and our social justice work with organisations such as Caritas. Zonta Club members Melanie Weston, Kamiah Grigg and Ashlyn Sammut, along with Mrs Deborah Weston, Mrs Juliene Benson and College Principal Mrs Janelle Agius attended the lunch.

This year, we acknowledge the extensive applications of Kamiah Grigg and Ashlyn Sammut . We congratulate Kamiah Grigg, who placed as one of five finalists and Ashlyn Sammut who placed as runner-up recognition of their truly outstanding service contributions in our community.

On behalf of the students, their families and the College, we would like to thank the Zonta club of Mackay, the tireless volunteers, and all sponsors of this event for their continued support, including Jennifer from The Tax Store Mackay who kindly sponsors our student’s tickets to the event.

Exams, Assignments and Study In this period leading up to the Year 12 exams which begin shortly, it is important that students begin to study at home more intensely than they may have done previously. Some students will struggle with this, but they should be studying about 2.5 hours per week for each ATAR subject and 1 to 1.5 hours per week for VET subjects.

If students are having difficulty studying at home, they could make use of the library before and after school or on Saturday.

Some students will need to do short intense bursts of study of around 20 to 30 minutes at a time. The problem with this can be the potential for long gaps in between bursts. They will most likely need encouragement to get back to their work. Doing this they can achieve quite a bit of study and over time increase the bursts and reduce the gaps.

The exam timetable is available on the College website and on page six of this newsletter. Students need to pay close attention to the times of their exams and attend in full College uniform with appropriate equipment.

Page | 3 Sean Geoghegan – Deputy Principal

A time for discipline – remember HMS Birkenhead Kent Nerburn in his book ‘Letters to my son’ wrote a chapter dedicated to tragedy and suffering. In that chapter he states: “Tragedy and suffering will come to you. You cannot insulate yourself from them. You cannot avoid them. They come in their own season and in their own time.” He goes on to say that the great lesson of suffering comes from the fact that when all is going well, our world is a small controlled experience bounded by our daily necessities. Going to Canelands, completing or marking an assignment, mowing the lawn – these are the levels of concern that occupy our daily lives. When tragedy and suffering come swooping in, they are unexpected, unforeseen, unprepared for. They shatter our tiny boundaries and break our world into pieces. There can be little doubt that the contagion of the Coronavirus will sorely test us in the days to come, but the most important lessons that our children will internalise, is how the adults around them reacted and dealt with such adversity. What kind of example will we set for them? It does not look promising. There are so many examples of acts of extreme selfishness, with people hoarding items and stripping supermarket shelves bare. The story of the discipline of the soldiers and sailors on HMS Birkenhead in the 1800s inspired an entire generation of Victorian Englishmen, on the virtues of discipline.

For those unfamiliar with the story, the sinking of the royal navy ship HMS Birkenhead in 1852, was a maritime disaster during which the conduct of the passengers, which included British soldiers, sailors and civilians became legendary. This ship, struck a hidden reef off the African coast. The ship broke in two and there were insufficient lifeboats for all on board. The soldiers were instructed to stand aside and they stood to attention on the deck of the sinking ship thereby allowing the women and children time to board the life-boats safely and escape. The soldiers' chivalry gave rise to the unofficial "women and children first" protocol when abandoning ship. The incident was later immortalised by the poet laureate of the British Empire, Rudyard Kipling, whose poem came to describe discipline in face of the most hopeless circumstances.

A British Army captain described the conduct of the soldiers:

The order and regularity that prevailed on board, from the moment the ship struck till she totally disappeared, far exceeded anything that I had thought could be affected by the best discipline; and it is the more to be wondered at seeing that most of the soldiers were but a short time in the service. Everyone did as he was directed and there was not a murmur or cry amongst them until the ship made her final plunge – all received their orders and carried them out as if they were embarking instead of going to the bottom – I never saw any embarkation conducted with so little noise or confusion.

Unlike HMS Birkenhead, our circumstances are very far from being hopeless. However, we do need to abandon rumour mongering and practice profound consideration for others. The every-man-for-himself culture, which has become so pervasive in the twenty-first century, could yet prove to be our undoing. To every parent out there, our children are watching us – we dare not let them down.

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Stephen Mortimer – Assistant to the Principal: Religious Education

Readings at Mass, Sunday 22nd March 2020 – 4th Sunday of Lent First Reading, 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 …. Samuel anoints David king. Psalm 22, The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Second Reading, Ephesians 5:8-14 …. Live in the light. Gospel, John 9:1-41 … On the Sabbath, Jesus cures a man who was blind from birth.

Readings at Mass, Sunday 29th March 2020 – 5th Sunday of Lent First Reading, Ezekiel 37:12-14 …. The Lord promises to raise his people from the dead. Psalm 129, With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Second Reading, Romans 8:18-11 …. The Spirit of God dwells in us. Gospel, John 11:1-45 …. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

St Patrick’s Day Unfortunately, due to precautions to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, we were unable to celebrate the St Patrick’s Feast Day Mass, with a large number of students in such an enclosed space. Despite the absence of the Mass, we were still able to hold the lunch time fair for students, where we had activities, food for sale and visiting community service groups. The lunch time activities are a fun way for the students to gather, enjoy the company of others, whilst giving back to the community.

During the fair students sold lollies, cakes, ice cups and cordial, along with organised games and music for entertainment. The money raised from these stalls will be used to support Caritas’ Project Compassion and Zonta service actions for 2020. This year, Caritas Australia, are using the money raised during the Project Compassion to support communities in need around the world. Community projects include literacy programs for indigenous communities in the highlands of the Philippines and the funding for resources and staff of the Red Dust Healing program for Indigenous Australians.

As part of the St Patrick’s celebrations, we also celebrate the Close the Gap day (19 March) with the Indigenous Committee advertising the day and preparing artwork. An ongoing project for the Indigenous Committee is the creation of a piece of artwork for the College which combines Indigenous identity with the Christian identity of the College. Students have been decorating small wooden boomerangs, which will be combined into the shape of a Christian cross. This cross will be displayed in a prominent position within the College as recognition of the diversity of the students who attend the College.

Weekend Masses Southside Cluster Northside Cluster Saturday Vigil Mass Saturday Vigil Mass 5:15 pm St John’s Walkerston 6:00 pm St Joseph’s 6:00 pm St Mary’s 6:00 pm St Brigid’s 6:00 pm St Francis Xavier 6:30 pm Holy Rosary Marian Sunday Sunday 7:00 am St Patrick’s 7:30 am St Brendan’s 7:30 am Holy Cross Eton 7:00 am Star of the Sea Seaforth 7:30 am St Francis de Sales Finch Hatton - 1st, 3rd & 5th Sunday of the Month 9:00 am St Joseph’s 7:30 am Immaculate Conception, Mirani - 2nd & 4th Sunday of the Month 9:00 am St Helen’s Calen 9:00 am St Francis Xavier 9:15 am St Peter’s Midge Point 9:00 am St Michael’s Sarina 9:30 am Francis of Assisi Chapel 6:00 pm St Patrick’s Church 7:00 pm St Therese Alligator Creek

Page | 5 Tracey McLeod – Assistant to the Principal: Welfare and Administration

2020 Unit 3 Year 12 Exam Timetable Students are asked to note the exam timetable below and see Mr Sean Geoghegan for alternative times if they have an exam clash.

All students are required to be in attendance at least 15 minutes before the start of the exam with all materials. Year 11 students will continue with normal classes.

Day Time Year 12 Exam Monday 8:30am 12 MMA (Non Tech) 60 min 30 March 12 EMA 60 min

11:40am 12 MMA (Tech Assisted) 60 min

Tuesday 8:30am 12 GMA 120 min 31 March 12 SMA (Non Tech) 60 min

11:40am 12 AP 60 min 12 SMA (Tech Assisted) 60 min

Wednesday 8:30am 12 EEN 105 min 1 April 12 AES 120 min

11:40am 12 LIT 135 min

Thursday 8:30am 12 ACC 120min (+15 mins) 2 April 12 JAP (Written) 100 min

11:40am 12 JAP (Oral) 10 mins per student 12 ENGX (Oral) 15 mins per Student Friday Catch up Exams 3 April

This Month on SchoolTV - Happiness & Gratitude Happiness is a term that captures a huge variety of positive emotions such as humour, serenity, optimism, joy, pride, inspiration, love and hope. Happiness means different things, to different people and is essential to your understanding of emotional literacy. Throughout history, philosophers, religious writers and poets have pondered on the meaning of happiness and how it might be achieved. In the last few decades, scientists and psychologists have researched this further by studying a field of science called positive psychology.

The result of this research suggests there is a strong correlation between gratitude and greater happiness. Practising gratitude helps you shift your focus to positive memories or experiences, noticing the good in your life. Over time, this will re-wire your brain to create new neural pathways, increasing your state of happiness and overall wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents and care-givers will learn how to achieve happiness and the benefits of practising gratitude. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

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Here is the link to this month's edition https://stpats.qld.schooltv.me/newsletter/happiness-gratitude

Karlie Tatchell – Regional Indigenous Education Liaison Officer

On Wednesday 11 March, the College acknowledged this year’s Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) QCE Scholarships recipients. In total, 15 Year 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students received their scholarship in front of their peers, family and invited guests. Mr Phillip Kemp, Traditional Custodian of Yuwi Nation, welcomed everyone to Country and shared his own family history of stolen wages. We were joined by Sisters of Mercy, Mr Greg Williamson Mayor of Mackay, Mrs Julieanne Gilbert for Mackay, Mrs Rhiannon Minniecon, Manager for DATSIP and staff from Mercy College.

A short video was shown explaining the history of stolen wages in Australia and a clarification of the criteria of the scholarships that must be maintained. Morning Tea was enjoyed by all who attended and many thanks go out to those who assisted in the planning and delivery of a significant event in our college community.

Page | 7 Danika Hurley – School Counsellor

Last Friday, 13 March, I accompanied a group of St Patrick’s Year 12 students to attend Central Queensland University for the day. This ‘Uni Experience’ was a valuable opportunity for Year 12 students from all schools in Mackay, to experience a day in the life of a university student and get a taste of post-school study. It was a fantastic event that informed our students about studying and kick started the conversation in the lead up to applying for University or TAFE. Popular courses included nursing, education, law, psychology, criminology and medical imaging.

If anyone requires any advice around university and TAFE choices for 2021, many universities from around Queensland will visit the College throughout the year to provide a question and answer session for interested students. They also have information nights, which we will advertise and encourage parents to attend with their child. Alternatively, students and/or parents can book an appointment to see me to help support and advice on your future pathways. This can be done by calling the College office or sending me an email to [email protected].

Dean Andric - English Coordinator

Lions Youth of the Year Competition On Sunday 16 February, four Year 12 students competed against each other in the 2020 Lions Youth of the Year Competition. Riarna Crofton, Matthew Galea, Brennan de Witt and Emilee Burgess spent their Saturday morning being interviewed by a panel of judges. The Coronavirus, the recent Australian Bushfires and the Ring-Road were the topic of conversation, yet we believe it came down to overall charm. Then, on the following Monday night, we all returned to perform our pre-rehearsed speeches on our desired topics, along with two 2 minute speeches which were not prepared. It was extremely stressful, however each student did amazingly. However, with all good competitions, there had to be a winner.

Riarna Crofton received the 'Best Performer' award for her take on the Death Penalty, whilst Brennan de Witt won the overall competition for his speech about 'Climate Change.' Brennan will now progress to the Regional Finals. Overall it was an amazing experience, and we all highly recommend the future Year 12's to take this opportunity whilst you can.

Page | 8 Aaron Deckys – AFL Coach

Australian Football League (AFL) News Week Six certainly possessed an elevated level of excitement in Mackay on the AFL front. On Monday 2 March, we saw the launch of the inaugural Mackay Youth Girls AFLX competition and on Friday night, 6 March, Mackay hosted its first AFLW game between the Gold Coast Suns and the Geelong Cats. This event presented us with a fantastic opportunity to welcome some guests to our special assembly on Thursday 5 March. The staff and students of St Pat’s were very privileged to host Gold Coast Suns players Emma Pittman and Maddy Roberts. Emma, a Mackay local and number 9 for the Suns, came from a soccer background. She played for the Brisbane Roar before switching codes and was then drafted by the Brisbane Lions in 2017. Emma played 8 AFLW games for the Brisbane Lions, before moving over to the Suns last year. Maddy, number 10 for the Suns, joined the Suns as the club’s first priority selection before the 2019 AFLW Draft. Emma and Maddy shared their stories with us and spoke about the importance of leadership, teamwork and time management. I hope the students found it rewarding to learn from other people’s experiences. Emma and Maddy then assisted us to present our new AFL jerseys to our Youth Girls AFLX Teams (below).

St Pat’s Red: 1 Chloe Moore; 3 Kamiah Grigg; 5 Eden Grigg; 7 Emily Davies; 11 Elizabeth Cahill; 14 Avril Bobin; 16 Ella Mann; 19 Abbey Lee

St Pat’s Gold: 2 Casey Manzelmann; 4 Ayva Gauci; 6 Hannah Zeglio; 8 Brodie-Lee Walsh; 9 Lara Likos; 12 Caitlin Brownsey; 13 Ebony Jordan; 18 Jarlah Walsh; 21 Jemma Hildebrand

On Friday 6 March, Round 2 of the Girls AFLX competition was played as a curtain-raiser to the AFLW game between the Suns and the Cats. Playing on the immaculately groomed surface of Great Barrier Reef Arena was an absolute treat for the girls. St Pat’s Gold were once again a dominant force winning both of their games. A highlight, in addition to their unbeaten record, was Brodie-Lee Walsh kicking a booming Zooper Goal. Zooper goals are a feature of the AFLX format worth ten points if the goal is kicked from outside 40m. St Pat’s Red experienced a turn of the tables from Round 1, walking away victors to Mackay Northern Beaches State High School, but narrowly going down to Whitsunday Anglican School.

Due to the wet weather and consequent closure of Magpies Sportsgrounds, Round 3 of the competition which was to be played in Week 7 was postponed to Monday of Week 8. St Pat’s Red started with a dominant win over Mackay Northern Beaches State High School. St Pat’s Gold came up against a strong Holy Spirit College outfit, who put an end to their winning streak. In a twist of events, both St Pat’s teams combined for a second game against Holy Spirit College. Our girls learned a lot from the experience and will be better prepared next week. A big shout out to Jessica Doring who joined us for the first time and played extremely well. Her skill, speed and fitness were a welcomed addition to the squad.

In other AFL news the Gold Coast Suns have academy programs throughout their recruiting regions. These academy programs are designed to assist in the development of young AFL players who show talent. Mackay hosts quite a strong program with healthy numbers and highly talented players. The U18 girl’s program concluded last weekend, with all four regional bases (Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns) meeting for a camp and a series of intraclub matches.

Congratulations to St Pat’s Year 11 students, Elizabeth Cahill and Jarlah Walsh, for being selected in and completing the 2020 academy program. From this program players are selected to be involved in further development programs.

Congratulations to Jarlah Walsh who has been selected in the Suns Under 16s Program. This is a fantastic achievement and we look forward to watching both Jarlah and Elizabeth on their AFL journey.

Page | 9 Jan Barnett – Library News

From the library The library is a great place to start on assignments. We are open from 7:30 am – 4:00 pm Monday to Thursday and Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Our catalogue is accessed via https://libcollege.rok.catholic.edu.au/oliver/OpacLogin?corporation=StPatricksMackay. Scroll down to St Patrick’s College Mackay – click Go.

This will take you to our search screen. It can be search for many types of resources. Books and periodicals are a good place to start. The search screen will help you find our news feed and provide access to onsite and other off-site resources. Remember to use the bookmarks available from the Library for the databases held at the College.

Our library home page can be accessed via the College website Students -> Lib guides or by going directly to the

homepage https://stpats.qld.edu.au.libguides.com/library will provide help for undertaking assignments.

We supplement our College databases with those available through the State Library of Queensland. To register as a user, go to https://patron.slq.qld.gov.au/Register. Read the Terms and Conditions (as a registered member of the Queensland State Library, observe the usual terms and conditions, attributing the source of content and limits of material to be copied.)

Search for the database that you require. The SLQ does not have all the databases that you may require. This is the search screen for the State Library of Queensland or http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo- explore/dbsearch?vid=SLQ&sortby=rank&lang=en_US

There are free resources available from the University of Queensland https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/. These resources cover many of the ATAR subjects. Students are encouraged to make use of resources that are from other educational sites such as universities.

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Career Opportunities

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