Term 3 - Week 4
By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal
SERVICE - ‘LAP IT UP’
One of the highlights of Term 3 is undoubtedly Lap It Up. Lap it Up has a rich history at St Patrick’s College, and this year will be the 18th year of our Year 12 students raising funds for charities.
Lap It Up puts our College Mission and Values into action in a twofold way: raising funds and raising awareness of others and also showing how effort in organising and then participating can have a deep meaningful impact on others. Our students have the opportunity to enact each of our College values of Catholic Identity, Relationships, Individuality, Compassion, Social Justice, Stewardship, Excellence and Endeavour, and Leadership. This year our Year 12s have decided to support and raise funds for Headspace. Headspace can help young people with mental health, physical health (including sexual health), alcohol, other drug services, and offer work and study support.
This is one of the final events that the Year 12 students organise and participate in together as a group. Lap It Up brings them together through the planning organisation and then participation embedding and strengthening the already great relationships they have with each other and with the staff of the College.
We are so looking forward to Lap It Up which will be held on Friday 11 September 2026. Please help support our Year 12s in their endeavours and we hope our Year 12 families will involve themselves in this fantastic event.
LEARNING - ‘NOT EVEN ONCE”
Thanks to funds provided by the Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council, we were recently able to engage Teen Challenge Tasmania to present a Parent Webinar, followed by Student Workshops for Years 7–10.
The workshops, titled "Not Even Once", focused on educating our students about the dangers of vaping. They were informative, factual, and empowering, helping our young people build resilience, make safe and informed choices for themselves, and support their peers.
We acknowledge that vaping is an issue in our broader community, and by equipping our students with knowledge, we hope to support them in staying safe.
A link to the Parent Webinar will be shared soon for parents/guardians who were unable to attend but would like to watch.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK
‘Let the love you have in your hearts be shown outwardly in your deeds’, was the theme for 2026. Many of our students attended Mass alongside students from all other Northern Primary Schools, students shared lunch together and later in the day Catholic Education held their annual awards presentation.
Congratulations to Janelle Mannion and Liz Woodworth who were recognised for 25 years of Service to Catholic Education - thanks Nook and Lizzie for your dedicated service.
Catholic Education week is a fabulous opportunity for us to celebrate our Catholic Identity.
COMMUNICATION
At St Patrick’s College, we value respect, care, and collaboration for every member of our community - students, staff, and families alike. We firmly believe that the best outcomes for our young people are achieved when adults work together in a spirit of trust and mutual respect.
Recently, inappropriate and personal online comments directed at me personally, our College, staff members, and our students were brought to our attention. While we understand that concerns or frustrations can arise, publicly posting derogatory or targeted remarks about our staff or school on social media is unacceptable. Such actions place unnecessary strain on our dedicated staff, undermine our collaborative culture, and fail to model the constructive behavior we aim to teach our students.
As adults, the way we handle differences of opinion sets a powerful example for our children. Public social media forums are rarely effective places to resolve genuine concerns or seek positive solutions.
We want to reassure our community that our doors are always open. If you ever have a concern, question, or constructive feedback, we strongly encourage you to contact the College directly.
Engaging in private, open, and respectful dialogue with us ensures that issues can be addressed fairly, thoroughly, and productively.
Thank you to the vast majority of our families who partner with us every day to maintain a positive, safe, and respectful environment for our entire school community.
Enjoy your weekend.
