Senior School Report – February 9, 2017

We had a very smooth and orderly start to the academic year for which I acknowledge and thank all parents and carers for their behind the scenes support in ensuring that their son was equipped with the correct St Patrick’s College uniform and the required books and resources.

Student Hairstyles

Following on from Mr Sullivan’s letter forwarded out mid-January all students with hair touching their collar have been asked to have it tied up while they are wearing the school uniform. Students who fail to cooperate with this request are being asked to have their hair cut. This request usually follows two reminders of our expectation in this area. Thanks for your cooperation and support in this matter.

Monday February 13 – Year 11 Seminar – ‘A Day of Hope / Men of Honour’

This coming Monday there is an all day workshop for Year 11 students in the Pavilion. – This day is the introduction to their Pastoral Care program “Men of Honour” run by Glen A. Gerryn. This programme explores what it means to be a man in the 21^st century. Students are required to wear their full school uniform.

For your interest, please check out his TEDTalk:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtVr7_URNCU

Year 12 Retreat

Last Friday the entire Year 12 cohort embarked on a one-day spiritual retreat. This fantastic opportunity allowed each student time to reflect on their -game plan- and the -tools-, both spiritual and personal, which they have to help them implement it.

The boys also had the opportunity to hear Australian missionary Mr Samuel Clear speak. Sam shared with the boys his 568 day, 15,500km journey on foot around the world. His talk gave the boys the opportunity to hear his message to place their trust in God and to put love for all mankind into action.

Father Rob Galea, an ordained Catholic Priest, currently serving in Bendigo, was the also a key note speaker. Father Rob is a singer and songwriter with a comparable international fan base. Apart from a series of recordings and CD releases, Fr Rob has also written a number of songs for various campaigns and international conference and recorded with several renowned artists such as pop idol Guy Sebastian. – Our year 12 students were given the opportunity through music and song to assess their relationship with God. Father Rob believes that music is an important instrument in helping people understanding the need for intimacy with God.

Refreshed spiritually, the boys return now to embrace fully their academic studies.

The VCE and Year 10 Semester One Assessment Calendars

The VCE and Year 10 Semester One Assessment Calendars will be finalised on this coming Monday and distributed to boys electronically and available for all to access on the College homepage. This calendar is a valuable resource for parents as it allows you to track your son’s upcoming assessment tasks and encourage planning and preparation.

Year 12 Motivational speaker: Wednesday February 15 at 1:55pm

On Wednesday the 15^th of February all Year 12 students will have the opportunity to join with the Boarding community to hear Jake Bailey speak. Jake, aged 20 is an old ex-Christchurch Boys’ High School senior monitor (Head Boy), who at the age of 18 delivered a prize giving speech made worldwide headlines after going viral in November 2015. A week before he was due to deliver this speech he fell ill and was diagnosed with Burkitts non-Hodgkinson lymphoma, the fastest growing cancer known to man, and given- three weeks to live if this was left untreated. He persevered through to make his speech to his school, and the video of this went on to touch the hearts of millions across the globe. He was the -clear winner- of Massey University’s 2015 New Zealand Quote of the Year after receiving an unprecedented 77 per cent of the public vote. Since being announced in remission last January, Jake has gone on to share with audiences his experiences, his courage and the things he has learned that have given him clarity throughout his journey, in the hopes of helping other young people facing difficulties. We hope this inspiring speech will capture both the hearts and imagination of our boys and they journey through the highs and lows of Year 12.

May God’s peace be with you and your families.

Mrs Elizabeth Ryan