By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: SENIOR ART EXHIBITION 2024

The recent Senior Art Exhibition was a true reflection of the dynamic and vibrant Arts community at St Patrick’s College. The Exhibition was an opportunity to see the amazing creativity, innovation and technical skills of our incredibly talented students, and an opportunity to celebrate the talent of our staff who work in the Arts area supporting, challenging and focusing our students. Walking through the Exhibition for me is certainly one of those times when I am moved by the ability, resilience, creativity and commitment of our young people.

Congratulations to all students who displayed pieces. Thank you again to our amazing staff who supported the students through the year and in hanging their portfolios for the Exhibition. A fantastic celebration of our young people.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE ST PATRICK’S COLLEGE ADVISORY BOARD AND THANK YOU

We are currently seeking three new members to join our College Advisory Board for 2025 and are interested in community members with varied experiences and interests. The commitment is 6 - 7 meetings per year, held on a Thursday evening during term time.

If you think that you may be interested in joining our College Advisory Board, please email principal@stpatricks.tas.edu.au for further information regarding the application process. Thank you to those who have already expressed interest.

At this time, I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs Bianca Dowde who has served on the College Board for the past six years. Bianca’s children finished up at the end of 2023. Thank you Bianca for your valued contribution.

We would like to thank Mrs Linda Rose who has been on the College Board for the past six years. Linda has also been the College representative on the Tasmanian Catholic Schools Parent Council for the past two years. Linda’s daughter finished at St Patrick’s College in 2023. Thank you Linda for your valued contributions.

We also would like to thank Mr Steve Noone who has resigned from his position on the Board after a period of three years. Steve’s son has recently finished Year 12 at St Patrick’s College. Thank you for your valued contribution.

END OF YEAR MASS AND GRADUATION

Our most important event of the College year is the End of Year Mass and Year 12 Graduation, which will be held on Thursday 12 December, 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start at the Silverdome.

We look forward to celebrating with all students and we encourage all parents/guardians to attend this event with their children.

2024 TERM FINISHING DATES

A reminder that Year 10 students finish classes on Wednesday 11 December, and Years 7, 8 and 9 students finish classes on Friday 13 December 2024.

CELEBRATING - STATE BASKETBALL FINALS

Congratulations to our Basketball Teams who represented the College in the Northern Championships on the weekend of 16 - 17 November. St Patrick’s College entered nine teams. Eight teams made Grand Finals, and seven teams claimed victory. A great picture of the current strength of Basketball at St Patrick’s College. All the best to the four teams representing the College this weekend.

Enjoy the weekend.

Click to view the latest issue of the Launceston Parish Bulletin: https://stpatricks.co/3CHmJNx

Annabelle Pyke has been selected to compete at the All Schools Athletics Championships in December. 

Amelie Millar has been selected to attend a Junior Matildas camp at La Trobe University. She has also been named in the extended monitoring squad for Australia's Under-17 Women's National Team. 

Anna Bester recently secured third place in the Launceston Heritage Sketch Competition.

Congratulations to these students!

By Mr James McGoran, Head of Library and Information Services

Click to read the PDF in full here: https://stpatricks.co/3V3F4ub

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

University of Tasmania

We are here to help!

An opportunity for a one-on-one session with us to help Year 12 students navigate through the maze of course enrolments or even just HECS and Student Amenities Fees applications. Come and visit us at our Hobart, Launceston and Cradle Coast campuses on the selected dates, to officially enrol in your course and talk to us about any concerns you might have.

Find out more and register here.

Bendigo Bank - Scholarship 

Job Opportunities 

The Westbury Gourmet Butchery

The Westbury Gourmet Butchery is looking for an apprentice to join the team, commencing in 2025.

The chosen applicant will:

• Gain full-time employment in a Monday to Friday role.
• Be offered above award wages.
• Be provided with a supportive environment to optimise trade skills with butchers who have over 50 years’ shared experience and are enthusiastic to share their knowledge.
• Collaborate between the workplace and Drysdale/TAFE.

The Westbury Gourmet Butchery strives for excellent product and customer service. This is an exciting opportunity to gain skills and confidence in a unique trade. The chosen applicant will increase their responsibilities over the course of the apprenticeship allowing career progression and an in depth knowledge of small business trade in Tasmania.

Please call Nathan on 0418 527 554 if you would like to discuss this opportunity further.

Douglas & Collins – Fulltime Business Traineeship

Douglas and Collins have a full-time opportunity for a Year 11 or 12 student to undertake a Certificate III in Business.

With responsibility for reception duties - answering the phone, greeting clients and visitors, general administration and some secretarial support for lawyers, Douglas and Collins have proven success in supporting and developing trainees.

Working in a law firm, candidates/students need to be suited to a professional and conservative work environment, have excellent spoken and written English including grammar and punctuation, excellent attention to detail and a general willingness to learn.

If you are interested, please forward your application (cover letter and resume) to HR Consultant Tess Moore at applications@moorehr.com.au.

MEGT

Country Club

Your pathway to becoming a Master Chef begins with an Apprenticeship at Country Club Tasmania!

We are excited to be searching for a talented, passionate, and motivated 1st Year Apprentice Chef to join our professional kitchen team.

For more information, please click here: https://www.seek.com.au/job/80...

West Tamar Health 

West Tamar Health are looking for permanent reception staff to start immediately. Year 12 graduates who have an aptitude and interest in this type of administration work are encouraged to apply. 

Please contact them directly for more information on how to apply.

Over three days in Term 4, some of our Year 10 students participated in the first-ever St Patrick’s College 90+ Day. This event was specifically designed to equip students with practical strategies and tips for excelling in College while fostering a space where like-minded students could connect and build lasting friendships.

The day was facilitated by CET’s School Service Leader for Gifted/Extended Learning, Jacqueline Hardman, in collaboration with Miss Kate Rockliffe (Director of Curriculum- Senior School), Ms Jodie White (Future Pathways Coordinator), Mr Ryan Wiese (Assistant Director of Senior School Curriculum). Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive, with students expressing that the experience was both productive and enriching.

Here are some of the things the students reported about the day:

• "The best part of the 90+ Day was the talk as a group to gain different perspectives from people with similar goals and aspirations." 
• "I liked the yondur activities, I'm curious to see my results. The open conversation was also good, I liked hearing what others had to say"
• "The best part of the day was doing university planning and actually working with others to find the correct courses on each website."
• "I think the best thing that we did was the pathway planning because it helped me think about what I want to do and what I need to do to get there."
• "I really need to think about what I want to do after Year 12 and start putting all my effort into that now."
• "It's important to have collaboration and communication when it comes to important issues, the help of others is generally a positive impact."
• "It was good to hear everyone's strategies to combat stress in the middle block."
• "Achieving highly is manageable if I set myself up well, and utilise the support available to me."
• "I thought about the importance of a dedicated specific time to study and about being organised. I also loved the emphasis placed on universities looking at students as a whole (co-curriculars and accomplishments) rather than just academics." 
• "The 90+ Day has made me think more about my future and what I want to do when I'm older and some more tools and pathways that I need to take to get to that and achieve that."
• "The 90+ Day gave me great perspective and outlook on what the next two years hold for me and my dreams outside of school. Thank you for a fantastic day!"

As promoted at the parent information evenings earlier in 2024, St Patrick's College is a BYOD school. To assist you with this purchase we highly recommend to you to purchase from the SPC Purchase Portal via JBHiFi.

The website to access the portal is Education - JB Hi-Fi Education (jbhifi.education) and the school code is STPATS25. A flyer is below with these details.

On this portal, you will find a range of education-specific products at discounted prices. These products have been specifically chosen as they are the most suitable products for the use of students within schools. Typically these products are non-retail products, meaning you won't always find them in JB Hi-Fi stores. What sets them apart as education products are their stronger design and build (providing additional protection), as well as extra onsite (at school) warranties and accidental repair options.

Parents are strongly encouraged to order early so that you won’t be disappointed. Whilst JBHiFi has ordered plenty of stock, once this runs out there will be delays with orders.

If you have any questions regarding the BYOD Portal, please contact Mr Matthew McGee, Director of Digital Learning, by email at matthew.mcgee@stpatricks.tas.edu.au.

A reminder that Monday 2 December is a student-free day for all students, as we welcome those entering Year 7 in 2025 for their Orientation Day.

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 to assist with End of Year Awards.

By Mr Harri O'Toole, Sports Coordinator 

On November 16 and 17, nine teams represented St Patrick’s College at the Basketball Tasmania Regional High Schools Tournament. Impressively, eight teams reached their grand finals, claiming victory in seven, with only one narrow loss to Queechy High School in the Division 2 9/10 Girls competition.

7/8 Division 1 Girls
Coached by Miss Heather, the team went undefeated throughout the weekend, culminating in a thrilling grand final win over Deloraine High School, 29-24. The victory was a result of a strong team effort, with standout performances from Poppi Reynolds and Stephanie Gardner, both finishing in the top four scorers of the weekend.

7/8 Division 2 Girls
Led by Mr Masters, the team also went undefeated, claiming the Grand Final against Queechy High School with a 30-18 win. Sophie Seen excelled, averaging 10 points per game across the weekend, leading the team in scoring.

7/8 Division 1 Boys
Under Mr Bailey’s guidance, the team split their games against Queechy, but ultimately secured a crucial points-margin win in a high-energy Grand Final. Key contributors included Oscar Blyth and Sebastian Hardinge, who scored 17 and 20 points respectively, with Thomas Davie delivering clutch free throws in critical moments to secure victories over Kings Meadows and Queechy.

7/8 Division 2 Boys
SPC Green, coached by me, finished 2-2 for the weekend but narrowly missed advancing to the finals. SPC Gold, led by former SPC basketball captain Elijah Agaiava, went undefeated, capturing a nail-biting 41-40 Grand Final win against Scotch Oakburn College. Hudson Murfet shone in the final, scoring 14 points.

9/10 Division 1 Girls
Miss Guest’s team delivered a dominant performance, remaining undefeated and winning the Grand Final 63-33. Ali Reynolds led the charge with an impressive display, sinking five three-pointers in the final.

9/10 Division 2 Boys
Coached by parent Mr Jason Gunn, the team finished pool play with a perfect 4-0 record. In the Grand Final against Scotch Oakburn College, Max Matthews and Harrison Gunn stood out, scoring 17 and 14 points respectively, to secure the win.

9/10 Division 1 Boys
My team displayed exceptional form, winning their two pool games by a combined margin of 73 points. They advanced to the semi-finals, defeating Kings Meadows 52-30, before facing Queechy in an electrifying Grand Final. Harry Blyth led the way with 23 points, including four pivotal three-pointers that swung the momentum in SPC's favor for the win.

Looking Ahead
Our four Division 1 teams now prepare for the State Championships, to be held this weekend on 30 November to 1 December at Elphin Sports Centre.

Acknowledgements
A heartfelt thank you to all parents, referees, and coaches for their support in making the weekend a resounding success and fostering a vibrant basketball community for our students.

By Meg Rickerby and William Symons, Rowing Captains

Saunders Wool Long Distance Races and Junior Regatta North 

Over the past few weekends, the St Patrick’s College Rowing Community has competed in the annual Saunders Wool Long Distance Races, held on the Tamar River, and the inaugural Junior Regatta for the North and North West region, held at Lake Barrington. Being the first official regattas of the school season, rowers were both nervous and excited to compete against other schools and clubs from the Launceston region and beyond.

The Saunders Wool Long Distance Races provided a rare experience for junior rowers to row against senior and master crews from around the state, with handicaps in place to ensure a competitive and fair race would ensue.

The Saturday consisted of students from Years 7 to 11 racing in Singles, Doubles and Quads over a distance of seven kilometres, battling difficult conditions to cross the line as fast as possible. The Under 16 Girls Coxed Quad Scull of Ruby Mansfield, Annabelle Marshall, Ava Bucknell and Alexandra Pietsch, coxed by Jorja Hinson, crossed the line first to achieve line honours in the Tom McLeod Cup with a quick time of 29:12. 

St Patrick’s would continue this successful streak, crossing the line in first once again in the Kerry Dawkins Double Sculls, with Under 16 Boys Samuel Dettmer and Jasper Twitchett pulling off an incredible win. Even though they didn’t win, Xavier Soper, Bryce Whelan and Andrew Kingston raced with courage and resilience in difficult conditions in the Victoria Bridge Single Sculls, taking the opportunity as a challenge, and conquering it in fast times.

After the success on Saturday, Open Girls and Boys hit the water once again to compete in the Saunders Wool 11 Kilometre Eights race. Starting 2:56 off the start, the St Patrick’s College Boys Composite crew of Lachlan Tonelly, William Symons, Andrew Kingston, Beau Furlonge, Samuel Dettmer, Jasper Twitchett, Nate Bristol and Isaac Pietsch, coxed by Hamish Goody, made up this deficit, catching and passing older and more experienced crews to cross the line and win by a convincing lead. St Patrick’s College rowers Meg Rickerby, Madeline Hogarth, Emma Johnston and Brianna Pether had the additional challenge of rowing with other girls that they have never rowed with in a Scotch Oakburn College, St Patrick’s College and Launceston Church Grammar School Eight on Sunday. The girls sought to embrace this challenge, exhibiting teamwork and persistence throughout the race.

On the 16 of November, the first Regatta for our Year 7 and 8 rowers for the season started with warm conditions and relatively flat water. They competed in Singles, Doubles and Quads over a distance of 500 to 1000 metres, achieving some exceptional results across the board. With the Regatta only lasting from 9:00am to 1:00pm, races were very close to each other and the juniors did an incredible job to make sure they were organised for their events.

The Year 7 Boys and Girls started the day off by competing in Double and Quad Sculls, with the events being their first time racing 1000 metres in a regatta. The juniors achieved several placings in these races, even winning Division 1 of the Schoolgirls Year 8 Coxed Quad Scull in a time of 4:02.96. This was more than 20 seconds ahead of their next competitor. Our youngest rowers continued to be successful throughout the day, with some very fast times and impressive placings. Eleanor Pietsch, Gabriella Tonelly and Morgan Butler managed to place in the top three, by a considerable length, in every single race they entered.

Overall, the weekend produced exceptional results for all of the junior crews, proving once again that the hard work and dedication shown in training is paying off.

We would like to thank the officials, coaches, volunteers, and parents of the rowers for all of their support. The weekend would not have been possible without the combined teamwork of these individuals. We would also like to make specific mention and thanks to Mrs Illingworth, Mrs McInnes and Mr Symons for their enthusiasm and support for the rowing program.

We encourage all students of every age and ability to try rowing. If you are interested in joining us for the 2024/2025 season please contact Mr Adam Symons, Head of Rowing: asymons@stpatricks.tas.edu.au