St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 2 Week 10 - 26 June 2026

As a very busy and successful term comes to a close, today’s Pupil Free Day provided our staff with a valuable opportunity to come together for a productive day of collaboration and planning. I would like to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful teachers and staff for their dedication to our students and commitment to creating an inclusive learning environment.

I also wish to commend our students for their dedicated focus on learning this term and their outstanding participation in representing our college across so many areas. We have had great success with our Cultural groups, Chess Club, STEM competitions and across a large number of sports. We have also seen great participation in many of our community events during the term.

I hope all our students and staff take some time to relax and enjoy a well-deserved break these holidays.

Opening and Blessing

Our St Patrick’s College community marked a significant milestone on Wednesday 24 June with the Official Opening and Blessing of our new facilities and the refurbished Mercy Campus Hall and Student Services Centre. We were deeply honoured to welcome Bishop Danny for his first visit to the College to bless these spaces, joined by with Father Sijo George and Father Andrew Hogan. I would like to thank them, together with all our special guests, including Mr Michael McCusker - Director Catholic Education Rockhampton, Mr David Paul - Assistant Director: Norther Region, the Sisters of Mercy - Sr Kerry-Ann, Sr Denise and Sister Marise, our dedicated project partners, College Board and Parent Engagement Committee members, fellow Principals and other guests who joined us on this very special occasion. 

Grounded in faith and Catherine McAuley's enduring legacy, these transformed spaces - particularly the Student Services Centre, originally built by the Mercy Sisters—are designed to be contemporary, inclusive environments nurture student wellbeing, enrich faith, and inspire learning for generations to come.

Humanities Tour
This week, we welcomed home the 66 students and staff who attended our Humanities Tour to Melbourne, visiting Sovereign Hill, museums and so many more amazing sites. A big thank you to the staff who made this memorable educational experience possible for our students.

Subject Selection Afternoon
Following on from the success of our Year 10 Pathways Planning Day, our Subject Selection Evening on Tuesday was another wonderful success. It was fantastic to see our Year 10 students engaging so thoughtfully with the process, leaving them feeling confident and assured of their individual pathways as they prepare to move into senior secondary.

A sincere thank you to everyone involved in making these events possible, with a special mention to the guest speakers who generously shared their time and expertise during our Pathways Day to inspire our students' future directions.

Our individual Subject Selection Interviews will commence next term.

QISSN and Confraternity Shield
The first week of the holidays will see our College teams back in action at the Confraternity Shield and QISSN carnivals. We wish our players, coaches, and support staff the absolute best of luck for the week ahead. I extend an invitation to all families to support our teams, either online with the live streams or in person.

Parent Engagement Session

I invite all our families to join us for our next Parent Engagement Session: Parenting Teens with Insight and Empathy on Tuesday 21 July, to discover practical strategies for supporting your teen through the challenges of adolescence. This session will cover crucial topics including navigating friendship dynamics and peer pressure, addressing bullying and cyberbullying, and helping teens manage their emotions and stress.

NAIDOC School Mass
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NAIDOC School Mass will be held:
     10:00am Tuesday 21 July 2026
     St Joseph’s Catholic Church
     21 Grendon Street
     North Mackay
     Theme: “Fifty Years Deadly”

ALL WELCOME

Term 3
Please note that our students will return to school on Monday 13 July to commence Term 3. We look forward to seeing everyone back rested and ready to learn.

Brekky Van
The 24th of June marked a significant milestone for the St Patrick’s College community, beginning with Bishop Danny’s involvement in our Brekky Van ministry - an activity that reflects the very heart of our service-oriented mission.

Opening and Blessing
This spirit of connection continued as we celebrated the Formal Opening and Blessing of our newly refurbished facilities. This ceremony was more than a mere unveiling; it was a profound testament to our college's Catholic Identity, grounding our physical infrastructure in the sacred values of community, hospitality, and stewardship. A big thank-you to all who made this possible.

SHOUT OUTS
Our commitment to these values is not only found in our architecture but is dynamically lived out in the daily contributions of our students. Just as the blessing consecrated our new spaces for service, our students enrich our culture through their own quiet acts of integrity and kindness, as seen in our latest ‘Shout Outs’:

🌟 Dustin M (Yr 11) - Thank you for staying after assembly and packing up the chairs.
🌟 Bella B (Yr 12) - Thank you for cleaning up the table and Happy 18th for tomorrow.
🌟 Seb F (Yr 12) - Thank you for being a well rounded friend.
🌟 Johnny Z (Yr 12) - Thank you for making us laugh. Your jokes are so funny.
🌟 Lincoln G (Yr 12) - For picking up rubbish that wasn't his.
🌟 Matilda W (Yr 12) - For stopping to have a chat.
🌟 Matthew R (Yr 10) - Congratulations on your persistent effort during the Year 10 Retreats.
🌟 Fynn S (Yr 10) - Great job serving and helping out with Brekky Van.
🌟 Harry R (Yr 10) - Great job helping out with the Brekky Van.
🌟 Brooklyn B (Yr 10) - Showing respect for school grounds by picking up rubbish that wasn’t hers without being asked. Well done to all our Shout Out recipients.

As we approach the holiday break, we wish all our families a safe, restful, and restorative time. May this season be a period of renewal.

MASS TIMES
Please check below for the holiday Mass times for the Southern Cluster Parishes. 

Note: the Parish Bulletin will advise of any cancelled Masses.

▶ Saturday 27th June and Saturday 4th July: 5:00pm St Mary’s, 6:00pm St Francis Xavier
▶ Sunday 28th June and Sunday 5th July: 7:00am St Patrick’s, 9:00am St Francis Xavier, 9:00am St Michael’s, 10:45am Francis of Assisi Chapel, 6:00pm St Patrick’s (only Sunday night Mass in Mackay).

Blessings,
Andrea

This week, our Year 12 students attended a powerful and deeply impactful road safety presentation delivered by Senior Firefighters Arthur Keogh and Carl Jackson from the Queensland Fire Service.

As most of our seniors now have their provisional licenses and are driving independently, this session served as a crucial reality check. Arthur and Carl focused heavily on Queensland’s "Fatal 5".

1. Speeding
2. Drink and drug driving
3. Not wearing seatbelts
4. Fatigue
5. Distraction (such as mobile phones)

Beyond the statistics, the firefighters spoke candidly about the "ripple effect" of serious road accidents. They shared firsthand insights into how a single poor decision on the road doesn't just affect the driver, it forever alters the lives of passengers, families, first responders, and the broader community.

The presentation was highly informative and, at times, understandably hard-hitting. It provided our students with the honest perspective they need to stay safe and look out for one another on the roads.

We extend our sincere thanks to Arthur and Carl for volunteering their time and expertise to help educate and protect our Year 12 students. We encourage all parents and guardians to use this opportunity to continue the conversation about safe driving habits at home.

The Benefits of Self-Reflection
In our busy daily lives, taking a few moments to pause and reflect can have a significant impact on wellbeing. Self-reflection involves checking in with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences to better understand ourselves and how we respond to the world around us.

Research shows that regular self-reflection can improve learning and memory, strengthen problem-solving skills, and increase resilience when facing challenges. By taking time to process emotions, individuals often develop greater emotional intelligence and self-awareness, helping them make thoughtful decisions and build healthier relationships.

Self-reflection can also support mental health by reducing feelings of stress and anxiety, encouraging mindfulness, and promoting self-compassion. When we recognise and accept our emotions without judgement, we are better equipped to manage them and seek support when needed.

Simple practices such as journalling, completing a daily wellbeing check-in, or taking a few minutes to think about the day's successes and challenges can help build lifelong habits of reflection and emotional wellbeing.

Parent Engagement Evening – Tuesday 21st July
We invite all parents to attend the Parent Engagement Evening on Tuesday 21st July where the counselling team will present “Parenting Teens with Insight and Empathy”. Our session aims to cover the following topics:

◆ Understanding teen friendships
◆ Bullying
◆ Managing emotions
◆ Understanding the adolescent brain

Please keep an eye out for all the details of this important evening!

Our Year 11 First Nations students recently travelled to Yeppoon to attend the Year 11 First Nations Student Leadership Camp at the Capricorn Coast PCYC Leadership Development Centre.

The camp provided students with a valuable opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills, cultural identity and connections with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across the diocese. We were blessed to receive a visit from Bishop Danny and Director Michael McCusker, who spent time with the students throughout the camp.

Students participated in a range of engaging cultural and leadership activities facilitated by Darumbal Country woman, LeLarnie Hatfield. Activities included Reef Rescue, Yadaba – Lead with Culture, Storytelling and Dance, and Keep the Fire Burning, where students explored leadership, resilience and cultural connection through traditional and modern fire-making practices.

The camp concluded with Men's and Women's Business sessions, providing students with a meaningful opportunity to learn, reflect and connect with culture. 

We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented our school and embraced every opportunity throughout the camp.

Congratulations to Year 8 student Shiloh S, who has been awarded 2nd place in the Grades 7–8 category of the 2026 Whitsunday Voices Short Story Competition for her story, Darkest Desire; The Wolf’s Own Tale.

Building on a fractured fairytale she originally wrote for English, Shiloh refined and adapted her story for the competition, earning the recognition amongst young writers across the region.

Students can now read Shiloh’s award-winning story on display in the Mercy Campus Library. Well done!

With the blessing of the new building works in Week 10, students were informed on school assembly of the ensuing changes to the Mercy Campus library space and its rules.

To reduce noise and allow for greater concentration for students studying and reading, room L02 (ground floor) will operate as a classroom during lesson time but a games room during break times. Games mean: chess games, card games and board games.

Room L04 (upstairs) will now also be open for academic study – either in small groups (quietly) or individually – and recreational reading. There are study cubicles and soft seating provided to promote this.

The last major change in the library, and one that may encounter student resistance is that there is to be no iPads or laptops in use unless it is for homework or study purposes only. No electronic games. No watching you-tube clips. No watching movies. No watching ‘fails’, no drawing with the iPads, et cetera.

Your child may come home this week wanting to discuss this rule change and your support would be very much appreciated. The data is unanimous - screen time must be reduced, especially in an environment that is not devoted to study purposes. Students sitting idly in a library watching a screen that provides no academic rigour will be unacceptable.

Our library is a fantastic space to learn, to study, to hang out, chill out and to read. I sincerely hope that we can provide that.

Thank You
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our recent Free Dress Day and Vinnies Stall. Thanks to the generosity of our college community, we raised an incredible $500 for the Vinnies Winter Appeal.

The funds were used to purchase blankets and food, which have been donated to our local Vinnies to support individuals and families across the Mackay region during the colder months.

Your donations and support will make a real difference to those in need within our community. On behalf of the Vinnies Committee, thank you for helping us put faith into action and bring warmth and comfort to others this winter.

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⏳ Apply before 28 June!

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Parenting Teens with Insight and Empathy
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Parent Engagement Evening focused on Parenting Teens with Insight and Empathy.

This informative session will be held on Tuesday 21 July in the Senior Campus Auditorium, Gregory Street, Mackay. Parking and entry will be through Gregory Street. Light refreshments will be served from 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start.

Join our College Counsellors as they share valuable strategies to help parents and caregivers better understand the challenges teens face today and how to support them through adolescence.

Key topics covered include:

▶ Understanding Teen Friendship
   ● Healthy vs unhealthy friendships
   ● Peer pressure
   ● Inclusion and diversity
   ● Managing friendship changes
   ● Managing conflict

▶ Bullying
   ● What it is
   ● How to support
   ● What school can do
   ● Cyberbullying

▶ Managing emotions and stress

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 21 July at our third Parent Engagement Information Session for 2026.

🎨 Creative Talents Shine at the Mackay Show

A selection of student artwork from Years 9, 10, 11, and 12 was recently selected for public display in Pavilion 3 at the Mackay Show. Having their work chosen for a major community exhibition is an outstanding achievement, and our student artists should be incredibly proud of this recognition.

🌟 Special congratulations go to Ryan P (Year 10), who achieved 2nd Place for his artwork entry in the competition.

👏 Congratulations to all of our exhibiting students on their hard work and success representing the College!

Our Year 10 Literacy class is thrilled to share the incredible outcome of their "Helping Hands" donation drive, run in support of students in Papua New Guinea.

Thanks to the generosity of our college community, students have collected an outstanding three pallets of donations - including footy jerseys, shorts, socks and kitbags for the Rugby Excellence Program, along with exercise books, school bags and uniforms. These vital resources will make a real difference to students who need them most.

A huge thank you to our wonderful community partners, whose generous donations made this drive possible: Magpies Sporting Club, Officeworks, Uniform Solutions, Intersport and Big W. We'd also like to thank Mackay Signage for bringing our Helping Hands logo to life. Your support has been instrumental to our success - we simply couldn't have done it without you.

The donations are now on their way to the schools and students who need them most, thanks to Pastor David Dobbie, who generously organised the shipping on our behalf.

Congratulations to our Year 10 Literacy students on their hard work, organisation and genuine care for others - a wonderful example of our college's values in action!