By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

ADVENT AND THE ADVENT WREATH

This season is such a busy time for us all. End of year events, shopping, preparing for Christmas, decorating, catching up with friends and family, baking, eating and all the other busyness that comes along with the Christmas period. Last Sunday, we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent. The four week period before Christmas in our Catholic faith is Advent and in the Church it is dedicated to the expectant arrival of Jesus. During Advent our focus is on hope, peace, love and joy. If we can shift our focus from the hustle and bustle of the period and refocus on hope, peace, love and joy, I am sure we still enjoy the season and all that the Christmas period represents.

The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition. An Advent wreath is typically made of evergreen branches and holds four candles, each representing one of the four weeks of Advent.

The first candle represents hope and the anticipation of Christ’s coming, and the hope he brings to the world. The second candle, called the 'Bethlehem Candle', symbolizes peace and preparation, reflecting Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the peace that Christ’s birth brings. The third candle (which is pink in colour), is called the 'Shepherd’s Candle', and represents the joy felt at the birth of our Lord, as well as the joy we have in anticipation of his return. The fourth candle, called the 'Angel’s Candle', symbolizes love and the message of God’s love that the angels announced at Christ’s birth.

2026 YEAR 7 ORIENTATION DAY & STEP UP DAYS

On Monday this week, we welcomed our 308, 2026 Year 7 students for their Orientation Day. Orientation Day is always such an exciting day as we are able to welcome new members to our St Patrick’s College community. Much work goes into the planning and preparation of this day, right from enrolments, interviews, to offering places, subject selection, construction of core classes, visits to the College and tours.

Over recent weeks, our Year 7s have also had a step up day to Year 8, our Year 8s to Year 9 and our Year 9s to Year 10. These days are vitally important as part of the transition process for our students. Much work goes into construction of classes for our Year 7, 8 and 9 students with many factors impacting class allocation for each student. We appreciate your support in having positive conversations with your student around classes for 2026, so that they enter the year with a positive attitude and growth mindset geared to success and happiness.

END OF YEAR MUSIC CONCERT

The College recently hosted the combined Annual Music Concert; this event allows our musicians from St Patrick’s College, St Finn Barr’s, St Thomas More’s, Sacred Heart and St Anthony’s to showcase their amazing talents to our community. It is an absolute showcase of the talented students and staff that we have involved in this incredible music program. A huge thank you to all our parents/guardians who encourage our young people to pursue their interest in music, and to our staff who work with our young people to nurture and develop their love of music. They say, “Music is good for the soul." I know personally when I left the concert my heart was full.

We look forward to hearing our talented musicians for the last time this year when they play for all of us at the End of Year Mass and Graduation on Thursday 11 December at the Silverdome commencing at 6:30pm.

CATHOLIC YOUTH FESTIVAL 2025

The Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) is a national gathering of Catholic young people established by the Australian Bishops more than ten years ago. The festival was held from Sunday 30 November to Tuesday 2 December in Melbourne, hosting thousands of young people.

The Festival provides young people from all across Australia with the opportunity to come together to connect, deepen their relationship with Jesus, be empowered to live their faith in the world and experience the breadth of the Church in Australia. St Patrick’s College was excited to send Italia, Petalyn, Henrietta and Eliza to the festival this year.

I cannot believe that this is the Term 4 Week 8 Newsletter! There will be one last brief and final Newsletter published on Monday 15 December for your viewing.

Have a great weekend, thanks for your ongoing support of the College and we look forward to seeing you at the Silverdome for our last College event for the year, the End of Year Mass and Year 12 Graduation on Thursday 11 December, commencing at 6:30pm.

Read the latest Parish Bulletin here:

By Mr Nick Foster- Head of School - Croagh Patrick

In the time that I have been at Croagh Patrick I have seen amazing learning in action. I have always been of the belief that knowledge isn’t a heavy burden to carry, though as Alexander Pope wrote; 

“A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.”

In Greek mythology, the Pierian Spring was the fountain of knowledge, said to have sprung forth when Pegasus struck the earth with his hoof. Those who drank deeply from its waters were inspired with wisdom. Pope’s words remind us that true learning requires depth, curiosity, and humility. A sip of knowledge can lead to overconfidence, but a deep drink fosters understanding and growth.

This is a message worth sharing with our children: embrace every opportunity to learn. Learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms—it can occur anywhere, at any time, and often from unexpected sources. As we celebrated the end of the Rite Journey Program with the Sending Out Ceremonies we celebrated a year of growth, of learning, of challenging ourselves to find our place in the world.

As your children receive their reports there will be time for them to reflect on the year that has been and now look to the year ahead. What lessons have they learnt, what do they need help with in the future, what did they use to think and what do they think now? All wonderful questions on their learning journey.

As educators, we are committed to teaching more than facts. I have enjoyed teaching in the Meaning, Values, Purpose and Spirituality unit where we explore ethics and thinking skills—tools that help students examine issues calmly, without prejudice, and consider multiple perspectives. In a world overflowing with information, this ability to pause, reflect, and form a considered opinion is critical.

Oscar Wilde once quipped: “In old days men had the rack. Now they have the Press.”

Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our democracy, but with constant news streams, we must teach our students to be critical thinkers—to question, to listen, and to weigh evidence before forming opinions. This is what Pope meant by “thinking about thinking.” It’s a skill that will serve them for life.

Teachers in classrooms, deliberately avoid sharing personal opinions on contentious topics. Instead, they act as a facilitator—asking questions, playing devil’s advocate, and encouraging students to explore diverse viewpoints. Recently, I read Humilitas by John Dickson, who argues that true humility means balancing moral conviction with compassion for those we disagree with.

“We have forgotten how to flex two mental muscles at the same time:
the muscle of moral conviction and the muscle of compassion to all regardless of their morality.”
— John Dickson, Humilitas

Voltaire expressed a similar sentiment:
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

This is the essence of thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Our students are learning to disagree without division, to argue passionately, yet walk away as friends. That is a rare and valuable skill.

I encourage you to discuss current events with your children. Ask what they think. Listen to their reasoning. These conversations help them develop the courage of their conviction, but also the humility to change their minds when presented with new evidence.

By Mrs Lindsey Hills, Deputy Principal - Learning and Achievement

End of Year Reports

End of Year Reports will be available on Schoolbox from 3pm on December 12 2025. The report is a summary of your child’s achievements in each Australian Curriculum learning area. Please note that Years 10-12 Students studying VET or TASC courses will receive their achievement outcomes directly from the office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) or the Registered Trade Organisation (RTO). Please also note that Senior School students in Years 10-12 are able to access their reports on Schoolbox.

2026 Subject Selections

All students and parents have now had their subject selections confirmed via email. If students wish to make modifications to their 2026 subject selections, please make contact with the relevant Curriculum Director or Mrs Nicole Cullen on ncullen@stpatricks.tas.edu.au

By Mr Matthew McGee - Director of Digital Learning

By Madeline Hogarth and Isaac Pietsch (Rowing Captains)

Schools Regatta No. 1 (22nd-23rd November)

Schools Regatta No. 1 was our first regatta down at Lake Barrington. With ideal weather conditions on Saturday, our crews enjoyed a light tailwind, which made for fast racing, a strong start to the weekend. Sunday afternoon brought gusting wind, challenging our crews who rose to the occasion with impressive determination and focus, showing great team spirit and support for their fellow crews.

St Patrick's College rowers, from Years 7 to 11, competed in 500m to 2000m races. It was amazing to see some of our younger rowers filling in for older crews, competing in longer race distances than their usual age groups and performing exceptionally well.

Throughout the regatta, St Patrick’s College achieved 18 first places, 10 seconds and 9 thirds, an outstanding effort from all rowers.

Tasmanian State Club Regatta No 3 (29th-30th November)

The following weekend, our senior rowers and some junior crews competed in State Club Regatta 3 at Lake Barrington. Over the two days, strong headwinds proved to be a challenge, but SPC rowers showed their resilience by continuing to compete in events, finishing with 14 firsts, 11 seconds and 5 thirds.

Our junior crews now look forward to Saturday December 6, Three Rivers Quad Juniors Regatta on the Tamar River, while in a fortnight our senior crews continue to prepare for Tasmanian State Club Regatta No 4.

Congratulations to Arkie Ivory who placed second in the Tokubetsusanka category (Japanese background speakers) in the JATNET Statewide Japanese Speech Competition. She was recently presented a certificate at Government House in Hobart.

Congratulations to Sebastian Hardinge who was selected for the Tasmanian All Schools Athletic Team and is currently competing in Melbourne Sunday December 7.

Congratulations to Jasper Cassidy, Cooper Harris and Campbell Woodgate who recently returned from Melbourne after representing Tasmania in U13 Boys Soccer.

Congratulations to Olivia Gardner, Samuel Percival, Annabelle Pyke and Jasmine Graham who have been selected by Basketball Tasmania to compete in the U20 National Championships in Ballarat in January 2026.