St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 1 - Week 4 - 21 February 2025

Opening Mass and Investiture of Leaders
The St Patrick’s College community gathered to celebrate our Opening Mass and the investiture of our College Leaders for 2025. I would like to express our thanks to Bishop Michael McCarthy, Fr Matthias Ogwo and Fr Anthony Nguyen who led our celebration. Joining us on this special occasion were Diocesan Director Mr Michael McCusker, Assistant Director: Schools (Northern Region) Mr David Paul, Mayor Greg Williamson, Sr Denise Hinton and invited guests from the community.

Pope Francis has chosen Pilgrims of Hope as the theme for the 2025 Jubilee. This is a time for our community to develop our faith journey with God and others. During my speech on Wednesday, I reminded our 2024 graduates that our wish for them as they enter our community, is to have had a faith filled experience – giving them hope, the Gospel spirit of love and freedom and a life which continues to search for truth. My hope for all students is that they recognise their uniqueness and continue aiming for education excellence and a desire to discern truth in their daily lives.

St Patrick’s Medal – The Bishop Bernard Wallace Award for Dux of the College
This award acknowledges the College Patron, St Patrick, the great Irish Saint and The Most Reverend Bernard Wallace, past Bishop of Rockhampton. Bishop Wallace had a great interest in education. The criteria for this award is based on a student’s ATAR score. 

The student receiving this award is the Dux of the College.The winner of the Bishop Bernard Wallace Award was Melisa Li.

McGarry Bursaries
In 2024, St Patrick’s celebrated its best-ever ATAR results, with 31 students achieving scores above 90 and a highest ATAR of 99.75. Students subscribed to the philosophy of excellence that our College strives to extol. They have been a tremendous credit to themselves and the greater community.

Following our Opening Mass, we presented the McGarry Bursaries. A bequest by the late Miss Joan McGarry has established perpetual bursaries to be presented each year to St Patrick’s College students. The trust is established in honour of Miss McGarry’s parents, the late Fred and Rose McGarry and her brother, the late Jim McGarry. As per the guidelines of the bequest, bursaries were awarded in the areas of Academic Achievement. As well, in recognition of Joan McGarry’s lifelong dedication to her profession of nursing, the student with the highest ATAR entering Nursing also receives a bursary. The intention of the bequest is that students receive the bursary once properly enrolled in a tertiary course after Year 12, with study to commence in the year of the bequest.

These bursaries are not about money – although the money is substantial – the bursaries are about a gift to the future, a belief in young people, a hope to make things better for  young people. An extraordinary gift to our whole community.

Every year when we celebrate these bursaries, it is important that we reflect on the fact that we have a debt of gratitude and a responsibility to all those who have gone before us at St Patrick’s. There is a proud tradition of spreading and sharing the good news at this college and we become part of that tradition and we continue to create that tradition this year.

Congratulations to all our McGarry Bursary recipients. I wish you all the best in your future studies and hope that you continue to keep in touch with us here at St Pat’s.

McGarry Bursary Recipients

• Melisa Li (Dux) - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Science
• William Radke - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Engineering
• Gabrielle Ipson - Bachelor of Biomedical Science (provisional acceptance into postgraduate Doctor of Medicine)
• Abbey Morris - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Science
• Xavier Grogan - Bachelor of Science & Bachelor of Mathematics
• Harrison Ziekenheiner - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Business Management
• Bryn Henson - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Science
• Evelyn O’Brien - Bachelor of Humanities/Bachelor of Law (Honours)
• Ishka Shepherd - Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours)
• Mackensie Brown - Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
• Molly McKendry - Bachelor of Law (Honours)
• Arabella Calkin - Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours)
• Ebony Norris - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts
• Lilly Uhr - Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
• Alleixa Pascual - Bachelor of Law (Honours)
• Mikayla Heaney - Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry
• Erin Murphy - Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
• Matthew Gakowski - Bachelor of Physiotherapy
• Isaak Mezzen - Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Bellanca Hawkins - Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments
• Sophie Westcott - Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Art)
• Anthony Sorbello - Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Law
• Gian Lim - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Design
• Lily Wardrop - Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Olivia Smyth - Bachelor of Secondary Education
• Ashlie Mae Cruzat Macatangay - Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) / Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Eligible students who deferred this year until 2026

• Jamison Mifsud and Jake Rickards

The Joan McGarry Nursing Bursary
• Tahlia Grima – Bachelor of Paramedicine

The Class of 1974 Bursary is sponsored by members of the Class of 1974, who have collectively made an outstanding contribution to the Mackay community and beyond – in the clergy, politics, business, law, trades and other fields. Through their generosity, a bursary which provides a rebate from the student’s college fees, has been made available to a current St Patrick’s College Year 12 student. This student will have demonstrated great dedication and commitment throughout Year 11 in overcoming adversity or circumstances to achieve academic success. The recipient of the Class of 1974 Bursary was Archie Kynaston. Mr Larry Lawler, who was a member of this class, presented the Bursary to Archie on behalf of the class of 1974.

Aspire to Teach Awards
The Aspire to Teach Awards are a Catholic Education Award and the purpose of the award is to promote the career of teaching for students in the Senior Phase of Learning. This award is presented to a male and female student.

These students will have demonstrated the following:
- Witnesses to his/her Christian faith
- Displays qualities of a good teacher eg. care, compassion, positivity, collaborative, helpful, supportive and mentoring peers
- Good academic and behaviour record
- Broad involvement in college and cocurricular activities
- Evidence of student leadership

The recipients of the Aspire to Teach Awards are Charlotte Mau and Kingston Grigg.

College Board Pre-service and Induction
On Wednesday 5 February, our first Board Meeting of the year was held. It was a night of induction and discernment. We say farewell and thank you to: Board Chair – Mr Dean Lynch, Admin Team Representative – Mr Sean Geoghegan and Student Representatives – Gabrielle Ipson and Anthony Sorbello. All Board Members were commissioned at the Opening Mass by Bishop Michael.

Meet the Teachers BBQ and Parent Engagement Session
Our Meet the Teachers BBQ and first Parent Engagement Session was recently held at the St Patrick’s College Hall, Senior Campus. It was wonderful to see so many families enjoy this opportunity to meet our staff in a relaxed setting. Thank you to all who attended.

Bishop’s Inservice Day
St Patrick's College had the honour of hosting the livestream of this year’s Bishop’s Inservice Day. The focus topic this year was “Prayer and Worship”. Our staff found the day to be very beneficial, both personally and professionally. I would like to thank all those who assisted with the organisation of the day.

Enhancing Catholic School Identity
During this term, all families, staff and students will be asked to complete a Catholic Identity survey. As a college, we continue to strive to improve our standards and your feedback is essential to this process. I ask everyone to participate in the coming weeks. Thank you in advance.

St Patrick's College Open Night
I invite families wishing to enrol for 2026 to join us at our Open Night on Wednesday 19 March from 4pm - 7pm.

Come and explore our campus, meet our staff and students and learn about the exceptional opportunities we offer. 

2025 Opening Mass
On Thursday 13 February, over 1500 students, staff and members of our St Patrick’s College community came together to celebrate our Opening Mass. It was a wonderful ceremony and a great opportunity to honour our 2024 McGarry Bursaries. Thank you to Bishop Michael, Father Matthias and Father Anthony for celebrating our mass and a massive thank you to everyone who made this day such a great success.

Catholic Identity – We Need Your Input!
One of the most important things about being a Catholic school in the 21st century is knowing who we are and what purpose we serve. We need to have a clear understanding of our role as a Catholic school. To assist with this and as an important part of our School Improvement process, St Patrick’s College will shortly participate in a Catholic Identity survey which is conducted by Leuven University in Belgium. The research project is aimed at assisting us with understanding how our Catholic identity is expressed in work and practice as well as supporting plans to further enhance our Catholic Identity for the future. All staff and students will participate in the survey at school. We would also like to give parents a voice by inviting and encouraging you to take part in the survey, which will be conducted online and responses remain anonymous. More information regarding completion of the survey will come out shortly.

The Wellbeing Barometer survey is an invaluable tool for schools, providing critical insights into the mental health and wellbeing of young people. This annual survey identifies areas of concern, highlights resilience and adaptability in students, and emphasises the importance of preventative strategies to promote positive outcomes. 

Participation in this survey is strongly encouraged, as it offers a comprehensive view of students' experiences, challenges and achievements. By capturing a detailed understanding of young people's experiences, the survey supports a tailored approach to enhancing their mental, emotional and social wellbeing. It helps to identify strengths and areas for improvement, as well as pinpoint opportunities for early intervention. 

The survey is part of an ongoing longitudinal study, and we encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey for each of your children. Responses remain anonymous and should be based on your observations over the last 12 months. By working together, we can reduce the long-term impact of mental illness and make a meaningful difference to the lives of our young people for a brighter future. 

Here is the link to you Special Report

 https://stpats.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-barometer-2025-au

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures
Dropping off and collecting your child from school can often be a challenging aspect of a parent’s day, particularly when your chosen school is situated in a densely populated area, as is the case with our two campuses. We fully understand and empathise with you. However, by all following some simple guidelines, we can enhance the experience for everyone involved, ensure the safety of your children and maintain positive relationships with our neighbours.

Mercy Campus
• The drop off/ pick up zone is the area in front of the covered waiting area, right up to in front of the campus reception. There is a two minute parking limit here between 8.00am - 9.00 am
and 2.30pm - 3.30pm each day. Please do not “park up” and wait here. This should be Stop, Drop and Go. If you find that a car has been parked there, impeding the flow of traffic, please let us know so we can have that fixed.
• The Bus Zone is for buses only. They will use this zone between 8.00am - 8.45am every
morning and from 2.45pm - 3.45pm every afternoon. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THIS ZONE. This is the area in front of the Hall which is currently under construction. Buses need to keep moving and parking in this area will hold up buses further down the street.
• While it may appear easier, dropping children off while stopped in the middle of the street is very dangerous. Drivers, who may be looking for parking or talking with their children, may not see a child crossing the street. We have previously experienced an incident where a student was hit by a car in this fashion, and it is not something we ever wish to have happen again.
• Please do not park in the driveways of our neighbouring residences. They fully understand that living near a school means they have to deal with traffic every morning and afternoon, but they have same rights to safely enter and exit their property as everyone else. Your consideration in this matter is greatly appreciated. We have it on good authority that the Council will be patrolling the area to issue parking fines if this occurs.
• Please consider scheduling your drives along Penn St during less congested times, if possible. The peak times are typically 8.10am - 8.30m and 2.50pm - 3.20pm. You will find the traffic substantially lighter if you can drop off/pick up after these times.
• Currently, there is significant congestion in the area due to the presence of work vehicles belonging to our contractors who are engaged in projects on the hall. We anticipate that this situation will improve over the next couple of months.

Senior Campus
• This is less of an issue as many of our Year 12 and older Year 11 students drive themselves. We recommend using Gregory St and Macalister St for pick up and drop off, as River St is designated for buses only.
• We remind all students that the streets in the CBD are very busy. We kindly ask everyone to cross only at the designated pedestrian crossings and to ALWAYS use the tunnel when crossing River St.
• Students are not permitted to leave school to move vehicles from a two-hour parking zone. Instead, they should seek out areas that allow all-day parking or utilise the designated council
parking facilities for paid parking. We have all encountered the challenges associated with pick-ups and drop-offs. We kindly ask for your patience, adherence to designated areas, and consideration for our neighbors and each other, as we share this experience. There will come a time when our children are more independent in getting to school or heading off to work, allowing us to relax and enjoy our morning coffee.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Is your Year 12 student considering studying Medicine or Dentistry next year at university? The University Clinical Aptitude Test ANZ (UCAT) is a compulsory entry requirement for most of our universities. The UCAT ANZ test is a 2-hour, multiple choice, computer-based test. It consists of four separately time subtests which assess a range of abilities identified by university medical and dental schools as important.

Universities in Queensland which require the UCAT ANZ are:
- Central Queensland University (CQU) Medicine
- Griffith University (GU) Medicine is optional, Dentistry is compulsory
- University of Queensland (UQ) Medicine and Dentistry
- University of Sunshine Coast (UniSC) Medicine
- University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Medicine

James Cook University (JCU) and Bond University do not require the UCAT ANZ test.

Students wanting to sit the UCAT need to study for this test. There are a couple of companies who offer tutoring packages to prepare students for this test.

Key Dates for UCAT ANZ for 2025 are:
- Booking Opens                           4 March 2025
- Booking Deadline                       16 May 2025
- Testing Begins                             1 July 2025
- Last Testing date                         5 August 2025
- Results delivered to universities Early September

Students are urged to book a tutoring package as soon as possible so preparation for this test can begin.

An information session will be held for students during lunchtime in the next couple of weeks, this will be advertised on Morning Notices in Homeroom. See the attached flyer for more detailed information regarding the UCAT ANZ test.

https://www.ucat.edu.au/media/1558/ucat-anz-2025-flyer-a4.pdf

Since the introduction of our iPad program in 2013 we have seen significant growth in student learning and opportunities that enhance and transform teaching and learning in the classroom.

The best way for the students to access these opportunities using our iPad program is to ensure that their iPads are in perfect working order and ready for the day ahead. Here are some tips the Information Technology Department would like to share to further enhance learning and ensure that students iPads last for their entire learning duration:
1. Make certain that students iPads are fully charged and ready to go in the morning.
2. Ensure that students iPads are always in their cases
3. For Year 7’s with school managed iPads, ensure that students are charging their iPads through the connector on the keyboard instead of the iPad connector.
4. Ensure that student’s iPads are always updated to the most recent IOS version. This ensures that the iPads are running at top performance with the most recent security updates.
5. And lastly, a good habit to build is to reboot the iPad every few days to ensure it runs at peak productivity.

The St Patricks College Mackay Information Technology Department is always available during school for students to visit if they need assistance.

Students can visit before and after school, during lunch and recess, and during class with the teacher’s permission.

The South Mackay Cluster is seeking applications for the role of Cluster Finance Administrator. Primarily the role includes managing the financial reporting and administration for the four Parishes in the Cluster including the entry of financial data into MYOB, preparing Parish accounts for payment and working with the Parish Priest, Finance Councils and the Pastoral Council. Secondly the successful applicant would be required to assist the Cluster Secretary in their duties as required. Bookkeeping experience and experience with MYOB are highly desired. The role is a Permanent/Part Time position initially for 15 hours per week. To apply for this role please send a brief letter of application and your resume to cluster@smky.catholics.org.au. If you have any further questions, please contact Paul Reaston 0419 739 708.