By Mr Tony Daley, Principal 

Week 2 of Term 4 is always emotional and fulfilling for staff and students at the College as we farewell the Year 12s. While many have finished, for others the final examinations are just around the corner.

The Year 12 final week started with Media Monday and it was inspiring to see the thought that went into the preparation of the day. On Wednesday, graduates participated in the Awards Assembly in the morning, House farewells in the middle of the day, and finished with the Graduation Assembly and Parent/Guardian Afternoon Tea. It was wonderful to see our Nano Nagle Gymnasium full to capacity with over 500 people including parents, grandparents, guardians and friends plus six out of the seven-year groups. The students lifted off the roof with their rendition of O’Patrick Hail.

Thursday was special with Valete Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Hobart. Students were engaged and reflective while singing the hymns with pride. We then ventured to the Nano Nagle Gymnasium for the Valete Dinner with parents/guardians. There are too many thank yous to list, but I am forever grateful to the staff who work very long hours so the Year 12 students’ final memories of being at the College are of joy and gratitude. I wish those doing examinations over the next few weeks all the best.

Recently, I read an article outlining the decline in literacy in Year 9 students across Australia. I wish to inform parents that, at St Patrick’s College, we are going against this trend. In 2021 the College was named in the Top 500 schools in Australia for improvement in Literacy from Year 7 to Year 9 NAPLAN results. And once again this year we received similar results in Year 9.  We believe it’s not one, but many changes we have made across the College that have seen improvements, including directed teacher professional learning, reading programs, continuous feedback, assessment for learning and teacher efficacy. We are pleased these changes have improved the NAPLAN results over recent years.

Co-curricular activities continue, and we had a successful Rowing camp at Lake Barrington over the weekend. Our Year 7 Basketball teams are in full swing and the Cricket is well underway (weather permitting). Congratulations to our Year 8 Netball Girls who won the State High School Championships last week. Finally, the Arts program continues with Music ensembles preparing for the advent Mass later in the year. 

We look forward to enjoying the coming weeks with the students before the end of the school year.

God Bless.

At lunchtime on Friday 21 October, the College closed Wellbeing Week with a BBQ, the Environment Committee’s clothes swap stall and the Bandanna Day hair shave event, which sees the students and staff who have committed to raising funds for Canteen taking the step of cutting or shaving their hair. Long hair cut on the day has been donated to Ella Wigmakers, and will be made into wigs to go to Kids with Cancer Foundation. 

200 Bandannas were sold this year, and additional funds were raised through the BBQ. The Bandanna Day Committee was very active, and we thank Alexander Smith, Kyle Petrusa, Paige Arnold, Piper Clifford and the emcee for the day Kaleb Watts.

Brady Meek, Ben Saunders, Jack Sheahan, Mrs Jen Shaw and Ethan Curwen (who also donated his hair) took the step of shaving their hair to raise awareness and funds for Canteen.

Those who cut their hair to be made into wigs for Kids with Cancer were: Imogen Williams, Melissa Woolridge (for the second time donating hair at Bandanna Day, Chelsea Whitchurch (also her second time donating hair), James Finnigan, Alyanna Flores, Isabella Perry (a special mention growing her hair for many years just for this day), Lauren Wright, Isabella Wyley and Emily Willis.

Thank you to all who contributed to the day with a special thanks to Mrs Leanne Colgrave, Mrs Sally Brown and Ms Manda Casey – our expert hairdressers on the day.

Congratulations to Fletcher Fellows, who was selected by the Australian Futsal Association to represent Australia in Greece. Best of luck to Fletcher and the team for the tour.

External Music Exam Results

Has your child successfully completed an external music exam in the past 12 months? If so, please contact music@stpatricks.tas.edu.au with the details. This information is collected annually by the College.

Youth Group

For young people from Years 5 to 12 Music, Sport, Adventures, Social Work, Faith 

Regular Meeting 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month, from 6.00pm - 7.30pm at St Ailbe’s Hall, Margaret Street 

For further information, please get in touch with the Parish by phone on 6331 4377 or contact them via their Facebook page @CatholicParishLaunceston

Rag Bags for Sale

As part of our fundraising efforts for Founders’ Day, St Patrick’s College is selling Bags of Rags, which have been cut and packaged by students.

These 5kg bags are for sale to our school community for $22 and are available to purchase at the Front Office on the main campus.

College Uniform Store Summer Holiday Hours

By Mrs Alanna Stretton, Deputy Principal – Learning & Achievement

In the Years 11 and 12 Academic Awards ceremony, we recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and efforts of our students during the year.  Students were recognised from each class for both their academic achievements and their endeavour (attitude and application to their studies).  I would like to congratulate every student who received an award during the academic ceremony.   

Old Collegian Gabrielle Barnard gave a delightful speech on her journey since she graduated from St Patrick’s in 2019. She was a LINC leader and House committee member in Years 10 and 11 and a Community Captain in Year 12. Gabbie was also a Dance Captain and recipient of the Mary MacKillop Award in 2019.  Currently, she is a volunteer firefighter and about to complete her second year of the Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Tasmania. 

During the Academic ceremony and Graduation Assembly, the following special awards were also presented:

• Martin-Lyall Scholarships – Year 11 Recipients: Matilda Allen and Olivia Brown
• St Patrick’s College All-Rounder Award: Olive Morris
• Leadership and Service as College Captains: Kalani Ciantar & Cooper Heerey
• The Australian Defence Force Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award:  Kalani Ciantar
• The Australian Defence Force Future Innovators: Jak Hawkins
• Olympic Change-Maker Award: Olive Morris
• Zonta Service and Advocacy Award:  Kalani Ciantar
• Service to Faith and Justice Award: Isabella Johnston
• Positive Spirit Award: Delina Tekle Seile
• Service to the College and Community Award: Jaimie Duffy
• Old Collegians Award: Caitlin Clippingdale
• Service to Sport Award: Toby Simeoni
• Service to the Arts Award: Cameron Rae
• Di McNear Oratory Award: Alexander Smith
• Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award:  Liam Jones
• Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award: Charlton Allen
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Beyond the Classroom Award: Cameron Rae
• Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics and Physical Sciences: Bailey Reardon
• Outstanding Achievement and role model in the Health Sciences, Chemistry, Biology and Sports Science: Olive Morris
• Outstanding Achievement in Technology Award: Callum Bullock
• Outstanding Achievement in Humanities and English: Kyle Petrusa
• Outstanding Achievement in Vocational Education and Training: Emily Hepburn

These special awards acknowledge the achievements, service and contribution of students to the College and broader community, and are made possible by the generosity of sponsors.  I would like to thank the following for their contributions:

• Mrs Bridget Archer - Federal Member for Bass
• Mr Brian Mitchell MP - Labor Member for Lyons
• Senator Helen Polley - Senator for Tasmania
• Mrs Lara Alexander MP - Liberal Member for Bass
• Hon. Mark Shelton MP - Liberal Member for Lyons
• Ms Janie Finlay - Labor Member for Bass
• Hon. Rosemary Armitage MLC - Member for Launceston
• Mr Danny Gibson – Launceston Mayor-Elect
• Lions Club of Hadspen South Esk
• Rotary Club of Kings Meadows
• Westbury Shamrocks Cricket Club
• Zonta Club of Launceston
• University of Tasmania
• Guardian Pharmacies (Olde Tudor, Summerhill and Fitzpatrick’s)
• Eckersley’s
• Australian Defence Forces
• Ampol Australia

By Mrs Gemma Saunders, Acting Head of Learning - Languages (Yrs 9 -12)

In 2022 we entered 11 senior entries and two junior entries into the Young Tasmanian Writers’ Prize. On Friday of Term 3, we were notified that Estelle Tomkinson was awarded Second Runner-Up with White Noise in the Senior Section and Hazel Doyle was awarded Highly Commended in the Junior Section with Life vs Death. This was a brilliant outcome for both girls as there were 96 other entries this year. The winning entries are published on Forty South online alongside some wonderful judges' comments. Well done to all students who participated in the competition, especially Estelle and Hazel!

Excerpt from White Noise by Estelle Tomkinson

“Do you ever feel trapped?” Leah asked Trudy as she washed out the dye from Leah’s hair. The salon had emptied and Leah and Trudy were the last people in the dull lit room. The sun was beginning to set as the street lights began to buzz as they lit up the empty street beyond the salon window. The sound of the flowing water filled the room as it washed over Leah's head, carrying the brown dye from her hair.

“What do you mean?” Trudy replied, shutting off the faucet and pausing to process what Leah had just asked. Silence filled the room.

“I don’t know. I guess what I'm trying to say is do you ever feel like you don't want to be yourself anymore?”

Excerpt from Life vs Death by Hazel Doyle

A gust of wind brushes by my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Otto spots something and sprints, with that shaggy white mane of his. Silly dog.

“Liv”, says Dad, “it’s getting humid. We should head back to the cabin”.

“Ok”, I reply calmly.

A hot wind lashes my face, and the many branches I’m surrounded by.

Suddenly Otto frantically bolts toward us, barking up a storm. He chomps down onto my Dad's crutch and tugs.

“Somethings wrong.” My dad whispers gravely.

A noise captures my attention. I whip around. And there it is, that glowing monster I feared would one day reach us.

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

Know Your Options

UTAS will host a Know Your Options event on the Inveresk campus on Monday 16 December from 10am – 7pm. You will get the opportunity to meet with UTAS staff one-on-one, who can help you with your enrolment, preference changes and answer any questions you may have. Plus, there will be food trucks and music, so make a day of it!

Bring the whole family to celebrate you and your start at uni. You can register here:  https://forms.office.com/r/5N94ZsrH6T 

UTAS can’t wait to see you there. For further information, please get in touch with Adam McDermott, Senior Relationship Manager, Tasmanian Future Students on 0438 141 711.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

2023 Cadetship with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Year 12 Leavers)

Are you planning to commence a University Undergraduate Degree in 2023? If so, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania invites you to register your interest in being a part of their Cadet program. 

As part of the Program, you will:

• Work full-time with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) and be supported to study your undergraduate degree part-time (two subjects per semester)
• Be paid a full-time salary and receive paid time off to attend lectures, tutorials and exams
• Experience several placements across the Department’s diverse areas of Primary Industries and Water, Parks and Wildlife Service, Environment Heritage and Land, and Strategy and Business Services within NRE Tas
• Undertake a variety of research, administrative and project work
• Have access to excellent employment conditions including competitive salaries, generous leave entitlements and flexible working arrangements
• Be part of a learning and development program tailored to your needs
• Build your skills and experience in an interesting and diverse organisation
• Receive mentoring and guidance to help you along your career path
• Be part of delivering a sustainable Tasmania that makes a difference to Tasmania and the Tasmanian community

Go to our website www.nre.tas.gov.au and register today or email people.culture.employeeExperience@nre.tas.gov.au for further information.  

The Pantry Café – CASUAL STAFF

Launceston café located in Charles Street is looking to hire three new staff members – two front-of-house service staff and one kitchen hand.

The positions would be suitable for school leavers looking to start a career in hospitality, students still attending school looking for Saturday and school holiday work and those looking to move on to university looking for a flexible workplace to fit around their studies.

Any student wishing to apply is asked to please send a resume and cover letter to:

Attention – Luke Adams, Owner

Info@thepantrycafe.com.au

By Mr Craig Boon, Sports Coordinator

Welcome to Term 4 sporting action!

The final term is off to a great start with our Girls Year 7/8 and Girls Year 9/10 Netball teams taking part in Netball Tasmania's High School State Championships in Hobart in Week 1.

Our Years 7/8 Girls won the title and our Years 9/10 Girls were runners-up. Great effort, girls! Caitlin Reed was MVP for the 7/8 final. Boys’  teams represented the College in the Years 7/8 and 9/10 competitions. Things are looking extremely bright for SPC Netball in the next few years.

There may only be four weeks left with students at the school but there are still quite a few important sporting events during this term - Schools Triathlon Challenge, Regional and State High School Basketball Championships, Hurricanes Cup High School Cricket and SATIS T20 Cricket competitions to name a few.

We have four Cricket teams and 18 Basketball teams in action.

Hopefully, there are some better days ahead in terms of weather as the recent rain has heavily impacted ground availability for NSATIS Cricket. The first Saturday of term was a washout and last weekend was as well with the exception of one game. Our Year 7 Gold team went down to the strong LCS team, who look to be likely finalists against Grammar based on the results to date.

Cricket Results: SPC Gold 10/47 (15 overs) was defeated by Launceston Christian School 3/120 (30)

Batting Performances: Darcy Kitchin 6, Jett Patterson 6*

Bowling Performances: Ashton Mahar 1/6 (2 overs), Xavier Hampton 1/17 (4 overs), Oliver Austen 1/7 (2 overs)

There is no Cricket this weekend due to the public holiday on Monday.

NHSSA Basketball is well underway, with three rounds down. In round one, we had seven wins, seven losses and four of our teams played against each other, meaning we had nine wins and nine losses.

Here's a great report from Mr Dom Wright about our Girls' Touch Football team that won the State Years 7/8 Grand Final on Friday 22 October. 

The girls went into each game with 110%. Although knowing they were up against some tough competition, their cohesion, teamwork and attitude were what made their gameplay so smooth, effective and engaging to watch. The girls only had to play two games to qualify for the grand final, and despite only winning their first game against Kings Meadows High School (KMHS) 4-2, they had a comfortable win over Latrobe High School in their second (10-2), which placed them in a position to compete in the State Y7/8 Girls Touch Football Grand Final. The girls were to face KMHS again in this, which they knew would be some tough competition – they played phenomenally! In the first 10 minutes, they had a 3-nil lead and topped the game off with a 9-2 win over KMHS. They were coached by Ally Wilson (Year 9), and she was a super coach! The girls were very humble about their win and showed great sportsmanship throughout the day.

By Mr Deon Birtwistle, Head of Rowing

Rowing camp started again this year with our bus trip from St Patrick’s College to Sheffield and into Lake Barrington, which always has a few karaoke moments.

We arrived to unload three trailers of boats and equipment, head off on our first of many long rows and enjoyed lunch in front of the log fire in the common room.

Over the weekend, we had up to 55 rowers and 18 coaches or helpers, covering many kilometres of rowing, hiking the 3.2km hill with 200m of elevation, rowing ergometer training and spending valuable time with our crews.

Heavy winds at times, rain, hot sun and even snow-like conditions, toughened us up as we persisted and worked through it all together to achieve four or more sessions per day.

Our Rowing Captains were announced. Please congratulate Ashlee Cherry and Jack Clark, who started strongly in their role by helping many rowers of all age groups. Particularly Saturday when the 2023 Year 7s (currently Grade 6 students) spent the day with us to experience the Lake and progress their rowing which started in late September. Entertaining, as usual, the traditional boat swamping drills were practised by the Grade 6 and Year 7 students. Another great session to help condition themselves in turbulent water or high wind that might send them into some cooler water, requiring them to climb back into the boat to keep rowing. Our first Schools Regatta will be later this month, and our camp preparations will benefit us well.

Ashlee and Jack made their first notes as Rowing Captains about their experiences.

By Ashlee Cherry, Rowing Captain

From Friday 28 to Sunday 30 October, the St Patrick's College rowing fraternity headed to Lake Barrington for the 22/23 season rowing camp. Over the three days, crews spent time training on water in different boats, on land by walking the hill or rowing on ergos, and bonded at meal and rest times. On Saturday, 2023 Year 7 rowers came to the lake for the first time. They were paired up with some of the experienced rowers and went on a tour around the course in doubles and quads. The Under 14-16 and Open crews trained in big and small boats testing and trying different combinations and discussed goals and hopes for the season. For three of the senior rowers, this was their last rowing camp, and in true Tassie fashion, we were treated to weather from all four seasons. Despite the unpredictable weather, everyone still persevered through the rain, wind and sun to make the most of our time up at the rowing course. One of the most memorable moments of the camp was the last morning-long row together. The sun was rising with a cool mist on the water. Rowing in big boats, we ventured past the start line to the waterfall. Each crew, with the guidance and safety of our couches, took turns to see how gently we could manoeuvre our boats to get a closer look at the waterfall, enabling us to get some pretty cool photos. With the school rowing season just around the corner, and the first regatta only a few weeks away, the camp was a promising start to the season. Thank you to the coaches, parents and volunteers who ran the camp and our caterers who prepared some amazing food. Without you, we couldn’t participate in the sport we enjoy.

By Jack Clark, Rowing Captain

Rowing camp this year was great, from having the new Year 7s come down to Lake Barrington to meet other rowers, to going out on the water and coaching the juniors.

While the weather sometimes made the water colder than we hoped, we still did our swamping drills with the 2023 Year 7s and Year 8s. Meeting the new rowers and helping them to learn more about our sport is always fun for me.

A personal highlight was the 250m and 500m races at the end of camp. After the first head-to-head round against the Senior Girls Eight, we swapped rowers between the girls' and boys' boats for an exciting showdown race. This was a great way to come together and learn more about each other.

Each day we rowed many kilometres or practised land-based training. The meals that were prepared for our recovery were exceptional.

Overall this year's rowing camp was one to remember, and we hope for many like this in the future.

The Catholic Standard is the official print publication of the Catholic Church in Tasmania. Produced monthly, the Catholic Standard reports on local, national, and international issues of importance to the Catholic Church and community. 

View the Latest Issue Online

Stay up to date with Launceston Catholic Parish news via their weekly bulletin. 

Read the latest issue. (PDF – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 23 October 2022)