St Patrick's College Mackay - Term 2 - Week 2 - 2 May 2025

As Term 1 draws to a close, I look back and reflect on what a wonderfully productive term we have all had.

Today, we gathered for our Easter Liturgy. As we celebrate Easter over the holidays, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy Easter. May it be filled with joy and cherished moments with your family. I invite you all to take time in your very hectic lives to attend one of the many Masses that are being offered throughout our local parish churches during Holy Week, the Easter Vigil on Saturday night or the Easter Sunday Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord.

We look forward to welcoming all our students back, refreshed and ready to embrace the new term on Tuesday 22 April.

Farewell to Brendon Brauer
Sadly, we farewell Brendan Brauer – Head of Department, HPE Senior, as he heads to Brisbane to start his journey with Villanova College. Brendan has been at St Patrick’s for 21 years and has been a valued member of staff and leadership. We thank him for his dedication to others and his friendship.

Best wishes Brendon, from all of us at St Patrick’s College.

Diocesan Principals’ Conference
Last week, I attended the Principals' Conference held in Rockhampton. During the conference, I presented on the topic “Leading for Improvement for Change.” In this presentation, I highlighted the relevance of the Change Process as we came together to form a new identity – Years 7 to 12. Our focus as a collaborative team was to use our new Mission Statement and Strategic Goals across both campuses to enhance student learning and outcomes, with an emphasis on trauma-informed practice.

The conference was an excellent opportunity to talk with other Principals from across the diocese together with the Diocesan Leadership team.

NAPLAN
NAPLAN was held last month. Thank you to all students and staff involved. A special thank you to our families for supporting our students. Unfortunately, we had to endure some technical issues with software glitches throughout the testing, but students were very patient, and the tests were completed. The data from NAPLAN and other assessments will provide us with a foundation of areas that need to be focused on to strengthen student outcomes.

Year 11 Retreat

Our Year 11 students enjoyed their two days with Mr Michael Fitzpatrick who brings such energy and connection to our students. I am certain the experience was greatly beneficial to all who attended.

Enrolments for 2026
Following our successful Open Night, our 2026 enrolments continue to grow. We have commenced interviewing for Year 7 in 2026 and will continue in Term 2. Our Enrolment Interview Day will be held on Thursday 15 May 2025 from 3:30pm – 7:00pm.

Parent Engagement Session
I invite all our parents and guardians to attend our Parent Engagement Session – Navigating Your Academic Journey. The session will be held on Tuesday 6 May, commencing at 6pm at the Senior Campus Auditorium. Mr Dean Andric will present the highlights of some of our outcomes in 2024 and discuss improving literacy using Writers Toolbox. I hope you will be able to join us.

In honour of our fallen soldiers, the talented Mrs Williams produced a display incorporating poppies and a selection of books on the topics of war and Anzac Day. The poppies are a symbol of sacrifice and remembrance. This stemmed from their appearance on the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium during the war, where they bloomed amongst the graves of fallen soldiers. The poppies were also immortalised in the famous poem 'In Flanders Fields' by John McCrae. What may not be so clear are the titles of some of the books on display.

Titles such as Those Girls, Lighthorse Boy, Lighthouse Girl, In the Lamplight, 28 Days, The Secrets Act, and Rabbit Soldier Angel Thief. Three titles I would like to draw your attention to are, Those Girls by Pamela Rushby - a story where the protagonist, Hilly has a brother who is a prisoner of war in Singapore. At age 16, forsaking her dreams of becoming a writer, Hilly joins the Land Army to contribute to the war effort.

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by award winning author, Katrina Nannestad is a story of war and destruction but also an enduring tale of love and friendship as well as survival, in the most difficult of times.

The Secret’s Act is about Pearl the youngest at 16 and a messenger, and Ellen a codebreaker, working at top-secret codebreaking HQ, Bletchley Park. But when tragedy strikes, their logical world is upended, and both friends are caught up in a spy plot that rocks the very heart of the war effort. Who can they turn to now? Who can they trust? And above all, can they unmask the traitor in their midst before it’s too late?

There are always fabulous new titles arriving in our library, and it is always a pleasure to see so many books being borrowed by both staff and students. I am certainly looking forward to our ‘Epic Reader’ awards at the end of the year.

Happy reading everyone!
Mr Crocker and the library staff.

As the busy beginning of the year comes to an end it is crucial that we all know the dates, and are available for upcoming cultural performances.

These include:

As we reach the middle of the year, our ensembles are starting to prepare for the eisteddfod and a range of public performances, so it is crucial that all students in the relevant ensembles are available at the required times. Letters for these events will be posted on Google Classroom and the events section of Parent Lounge, so please make sure you check your relevant class regularly. Any changes made to this schedule will be communicated via email and Google Classroom. Feel free to contact Marcus McConnell for any further information.

Matilda Junior Musical
Auditions for our 2025 production of Matilda Junior Musical are kicking off on 5 May (Labour Day) at the Senior Campus. All relevant information has been posted on the Matilda Jr Google Classroom page that students were accepted into after completing the expression of interest form in Term 1. If your child has not been able to access the Google Classroom or expression of interest form, please reach out at Marcus_McConnell@rok.catholic.edu.au. We can’t wait to see what our keen students will bring to auditions

Thank you sincerely for your support.

The Auslan Club has had an exciting and busy Term! We were recently featured on ABC TV and Radio, where a story highlighted the importance of sign language for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community (you can find the links on the College Facebook page). Last week, we proudly signed both the Australian and New Zealand National Anthems during the ANZAC Day main parade—this was also featured on Channel 7 News on Friday night. Looking ahead, we’re excited to be travelling to Townsville in two weeks to sign at the NRL Cowboys vs Panther's game!

During Term 1, the Year 11 and 12 Early Childhood Studies classes visited the Mackay Childcare Centre, connecting with the children and their educators. Students have conducted investigations and projects for the children aged 2 to 5 years and enjoyed the practical, hands-on nature of this subject. Our classes implemented play-based learning activities with the children. In addition, several students in Year 12 have school-based traineeships and/or part time jobs at the local childcare centres.

The Year 10 students from St Patrick’s College Mercy Campus are proud to be supporting Badihagwa Secondary School in Papua New Guinea through their donation drive Helping Hands.

Last year a student joined our school from Papua New Guinea and shared with us how challenging education in Papua New Guinea is. We discovered that educational resources in PNG are often limited and expensive. School funding is at an all-time low and parents are often asked to purchase items such as desks and chairs for their student.

We are asking if members of the community would be able to spare any unwanted stationary, uniforms, novels or sporting equipment to support these students. A donation bin is located in the front office at St Patrick’s College, Mercy Campus.

Families can place any items they wish to donate in these bins. Help educate a student today! 

Thank you for your support.

Cross stitch club at Mercy Campus has several new members keen to complete small projects. Here is Angeline’s latest accomplishment.

Hand stitching develops fine motor skills and can promote mindfulness, plus students keep their creative results.

All are welcome. Thursday lunchtime. All materials supplied.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝕐𝕆𝕌!

We are seeking full-time 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 to join the staff of St Patrick's College Year 7-12 Mackay
𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 https://applynow.net.au/jobs/CER1316