MSPC Newsletter - Term 1, Week 6, 8th March 2024.
Principal
We are moving very quickly through the term, and as always there are lots of things happening at Mt St Pat’s!
We had our first House assembly last week with Romero House leading us in prayer and telling the story of (Saint) Archbishop Oscar Romero, who stands as an enduring symbol of courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the welfare of the oppressed. Romero, who served as the Archbishop of San Salvador, dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of the poor and marginalized, embodying the teachings of Jesus Christ in the pursuit of justice.
Romero's impact on social justice within the Catholic Church is the reason why he was canonized as a saint by our current Pope, Francis. His vocal opposition to social inequality, political oppression, and violence in El Salvador during a tumultuous period in the late 20th century marked him as a champion for the voiceless. Romero's legacy extends far beyond his tragic assassination in 1980, as his courageous stance continues to inspire movements for justice and equality worldwide.
Our school theme for the year of "being better together" finds a strong connection to Romero's legacy. His unwavering commitment to social justice underscores the belief that collective action and solidarity are essential in fostering positive change. By following Romero's example, we as a school community can work together towards creating a world where compassion, equality and justice prevail.
Have a great weekend!
Gavin Dykes
Principal
Assistant Principal - Mission
Year 7 Treetops Challenge, Currumbin
Three Year 7 Learning Groups (B, C, D) had a fantastic day at Currumbin last Friday 1st March. It was a very pleasant day to begin the autumn season. Thanks to Mr McCulloch and Mrs Rawson for organizing the excursion and the teachers who accompanied each of the groups.
Immunisation Programme for Year 7
All students in Years 7 were given a leaflet about the free immunisations offered by NSW Health. Parents can use the QR code on the leaflet to provide permission online. There are some hard copy Information Kits available from the front office. The immunisations will be given by trained nurses at the College on Friday 14th June for Year 7, and some Year 8 students who missed out on their final dose last year.
Romero and Nagle Parish Mass 9am Sunday 17th March (St Patrick’s Day)
All students and families are invited to attend the 9am Mass on Sunday 17th March and enjoy morning tea afterwards. Wear purple or gold or both colours to mass. Romero and Nagle House members will be speaking at the mass and serving the morning tea.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Since St Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, and we are of Irish heritage, we are going to celebrate this important College feast on Wednesday 20th March. It will be a no cost green mufti day with mass in the Sacred Heart Church at 9.30am and activities at lunchtime including a ‘Wide World of Cricket’ staff v students match, a Bunney (ings) BBQ and lime spider drinks to raise money for the Solomon Islands and Project Compassion, respectively. Please provide students with a few gold coins to purchase one or both refreshments!
Mary-Anne McShane
Assistant Principal: Mission
MINISTRY
Year 12 Retreat
A big thank you to Year 12 on their amazing effort and participation on their retreat at beautiful Camp Bornhoffen on Wednesday 21st - Friday 23rd February. Thank you also to the wonderful staff who attended: Mr Gavin Dykes, Mrs Narelle Sherrah, Mrs Louise Shields, Mrs Vanessa Galvin, Miss Lisa Fauvette, Mrs Kyllie Bevan, Mrs Maureen Reynolds, Mr Hamish Bunney, Mr Corey Nix, Mr Rick Van Den Driest, Mr Mitchel Rice, Mr Carl Windhorst, Thomas McGhee, Sophie Kirk and Layla Marr. Thank you also to Ms Simone Kendrick, Miss Mary-Anne McShane, Fr. Peter Wood, Halle McClymont and Jessica Whitelum who popped in and visited at different times.
What an amazing few days with Year 12!
Student Testimony
My Experience…
“On this retreat I had the privilege of getting to know the members of my grade a bit more, to be open and honest with these people that I don’t usually talk to.
My favourite part of the retreat was the last night when the whole year engaged in the activity led by Mr Bunney. It was a wonderful moment for everyone to show in the simplest of gestures how much we all care about and value each other.
There’s a lot of people here today that make my school day that much brighter.
What I saw…
“As for what I saw - well, I saw a lot of love. I don’t think we all realise just how special each and every one of us are, individually, and together as a year group. Over the last few days we celebrated two birthdays, we sang karaoke together, played footy in the sun, went swimming at the waterfall and engaged in reflective activities. In our small groups we supported each other, even when some of us didn’t have much in common.
I think this retreat has taught me the importance of being part of a community. Everyone here is a giver, everyone here has a place and we will continue to support each other through our final year of school as the last three days have shown, we are all ‘Better Together’. When we leave school we will always have these memories of our time together, and I hope they make you smile like they will make me.
- Maya Rogers Year 12
Student comments
“This retreat was, in my personal opinion, the best retreat that we have gone on”.
“The retreat was an overall great experience that brought us closer together”.
“The retreat was a very thoughtful and unique experience that allowed Year 12 to become a closer cohort and become a better team”.
“Extremely enjoyable as you gain closer connections within the grade whilst having fun with friends, others and staff”.
“My experience on the retreat was overall amazing and jam-packed with fun. The activities we all participated in most definitely brought the cohort together and created new friendships and bonds that are cherished by many. The retreat was definitely enjoyed by all teachers and students. In conclusion, memories were made, new friendships were formed and old friendships were brought together by the many activities”.
“The Year 12 retreat was an eye-opening experience for the entirety of our grade, as it allowed us to grow new connections and relationships with one another allowing for us to grow our theme of "better together".
“Yr 12 retreat was unlike any other school excursion I have ever experienced. I had an eye-opening time, connecting even more with friends, peers and teachers”.
“I found the Year 12 retreat to emotionally expand our minds into understanding one another realising we are all in this together, we're not here to stress over or fight each other but work collectively towards our common goal as a year group”.
Year 10 Retreat - Wednesday 3rd April to Friday 5th April, 2024 (Week 10)
Parents and carers of Year 10 students are reminded to complete the online compass permission form and payment by Friday 22nd March.
Please check your emails for other instructions regarding the retreat.
Year 7 Transitus
During the week, Tom McGhee, our College Youth Minister, introduced Transitus to Year 7 students. Transitus is a retreat for Year 7 students to grow in their discipleship of Jesus Christ, membership of His Church and to strengthen their transition into Catholic Secondary School. The word ‘transitus’ was chosen because it is the Latin word for passage, crossing, movement over, transition, transit.
We encourage you to have a discussion with your child about attending Transitus. If they wish to attend please ensure that your child speaks to the Leader of School Evangelisation Miss Molloy or our CYM, Thomas McGhee. There are only 13 places available.
Applications close on Tuesday 12th March and shortly after you will receive all of the details of the retreat through the events module in your Compass portal. There you can give consent for your child to attend if they are successful.
LEAD
Thank you to all those students who applied for LEAD. Students will travel by bus on Thursday 21st March down to Grafton for the event. Further information will be sent to students next week.
Romero and Nagle House Parish Mass
Students and staff of Romero and Nagle House will celebrate their parish House Mass on Sunday 17th March, which also happens to be St Patrick’s Day. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and students of these houses to attend the mass and celebrate with our parishioners. Morning tea will be provided after mass. Our new Year 7 students and their families are also invited to attend the mass.
God bless,
Grace Molloy
Leader of Evangelisation
LA CONGRESS
I was very fortunate to be one of fourteen teachers and CSO staff selected from the Lismore Diocese to attend a Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles recently. Some free time in LA included walking Venice Canals to Santa Monica Pier; watching the Lakers verse the Pistons; and a tour of Dodgers Stadium. A visit to Homeboy Industries was inspiring, seeing the work of Fr Boyle in providing hope, training and support to formerly gang-involved and incarcerated men and women, to redirect their lives.
The four day conference was amazing, including keynote speakers, workshops and liturgy.
One particular highlight for me was attending the workshop ‘A Catechesis of Joy’ with David Wells. Based on the words of St Paul, “Rejoice always. Pray continuously. Give thanks” and Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ (The Joy of the Gospel), David spoke about living life with joy, not seeking joy, but finding joy in the simple things in our daily lives.
Celebrating the many Masses had a profound impact on me also. The Eucharist is shared worldwide in different Churches and Cathedrals, with different languages and hymns, and different Priests and celebrants. However, it is understood by all that Jesus is our saviour. It certainly highlighted for me Communion as Community.
Angela Finkel
Leader of Catechesis
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
Mt St Patrick Students are provided with many opportunities outside the classroom to motivate their learning and shape their future. Two such opportunities are reported on below.
National Youth Science Forum - Naomi Jeffrey (Year 12)
Stepping into the world of science has always been a dream of mine, and recently, I had the incredible opportunity to turn that dream into reality. Last summer holidays, I had the privilege of attending Brisbane’s National Youth Science Forum as a proud representative of our school. The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is a program that provides students with an immersive experience in STEM fields through workshops, lectures, and hands-on activities. For nine days, NYSFers eat and sleep on the University of Queensland campus, and attend a number of lectures, activities and tours. I learnt about possible careers in science, from entrepreneurs to ABC science reporters, social scientists, researchers and scientific government positions. I did tours of the Ecosciences Precinct and CSIRO labs where biocontrol tests for insects were taking place, and visited Brisbane’s Sustainability Agency to discuss and collaborate on climate science.
Overall, it was an amazing opportunity, furthered by the awesome people that I met, from scientists, speakers, staff and fellow students. I gained insight into potential career paths in STEM that I never knew existed, and motivation to pursue further study in science. I recommend the program to any Year 11 student who loves science, as it is a great way to meet like-minded friends and learn about possible jobs in STEM.
National Schools Constitutional Convention - Amelia Keyes ( Year 12 )
From Tuesday 19th to Thursday 21st March 2024, Amelia Keyes will be among 95 Year 11 and 12 students from around Australia attending the 29thNational Schools Constitutional Convention (NSCC), which will be held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra. The program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education (DOE), coordinated by National Curriculum Services (NCS) and supported by the Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA) and department of education from all states and territories.
The aim of the program is to provide senior students with an opportunity to become better informed about how Australia’s Constitution provides a democratic framework and encourages them to take an active interest in the operation of government. The topic for the 2024 Convention is: ‘Section 96 of the Constitution allows the Commonwealth to grant funds to areas that fall outside those prescribed in Section 51. Should Section 96 be amended to decentralise the power of the Commonwealth?’.
Emeritus Professor Clement Macintyre will facilitate the Convention where Amelia along with other delegates, will spend two days exploring the topic. During the 2 days, students will hear from experts, debate the main issues relating to the topic and vote in a mock referendum conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. The program also includes the Prime Minister’s Reception at Parliament House, a meeting with the Governor-General, The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) at Government House, and a dinner at the National Press Club of Australia. The program will be available from mid-March on the following website: https://ncsonline.com.au/projects/national-schools-constitutional-convention
As a national delegate, Amelia was selected from hundreds of students from government, independent and catholic schools, most of whom took part in feeder conventions in their home state or territory. I encourage you to acknowledge this achievement in the local media and/or within your school community. A sample media release is included with this email.
Miss Zoe Boxshall is attending the convention with Amelia and we look forward to hearing from both participants on their return.
Solomon Islands Immersion program
A group of 22 students have been selected to participate in the Solomon Islands Immersion Program for 2024. The students will travel to the Solomon Islands in August to participate in cultural immersion and community service. The students have commenced their fundraising to provide building materials for their community service activities. One such fundraising activity is each student is seeking out a sponsor to support our endeavours. Sponsors who contribute $50 or more have their name placed on the participants travel shirt so they can accompany us on the trip. If you would like to sponsor the trip please contact the finance department at the school and you can make your contribution over the phone. A receipt will be emailed.
The 2023 Group in their Travel Shirts
Community service in the Visale Mission with our friends the Nuns
Narelle Sherrah
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
Welfare
Student Welfare
The following information was shared with students today to help educate them about bullying.
Bullying is not on.
Bullying is a relationship problem in which an individual or group uses power aggressively to cause distress to another.
The student who bullies is learning to use power and aggression to control others.
The student can acquire power through:
- - advantage in social status or popularity
- - advantage in size and strength, number of allies, age, skill
- - membership of a socially defined dominant group that could be based on such things as wealth, sporting ability, etc.
Students who bully may have…
- - not acquired the skills, motivation, and understanding necessary for healthy relationships, or
- - serious problems with aggression and behavioural regulation, or
- - a different understanding of empathy and respect and bullies others to acquire and maintain social status.
Staff have ongoing professional development to ensure that we know how to listen, support and respond to bullying situations.
Bullying can be obvious but mostly it is very subtle and often includes excluding others.
As students, the best way that you can help someone who is the target of unwanted behaviour is to call out wrong doing and to say things like ”leave it” and to include the target in your group. This is an example of upstander behaviour and assists the target of the unwanted behaviour. We are very proud of a few students, who have recently displayed these positive actions and called out poor behaviour in an assertive but non-confrontational manner.
We encourage students to call out poor behaviour towards others.
The vast majority of our students are not bullies, nor do they exhibit bullying behaviours. There are however some behaviours towards others that are not acceptable in our community. Together, let’s make a commitment to not empower these behaviours but to call them out so that all students can feel safe, respected and engaged.
If you need help in dealing with a situation please talk to a trusted member of staff or your parents. We always do what we can to protect the people alerting us to bullying behaviours that hurt others - but maybe this is part of the problem and if we create a school culture that is proud to call out bullying behaviours - then the bully has nowhere to hide and may get the help they need.
It is important for the school, students and parents to have the same understanding around bullying. Could you please speak to your children about the issue of bullying. The strategies given above aim to minimise bullying whilst responding to it in an appropriate and proactive way.
Louise Shields
Leader of Student Welfare
Curriculum
The Importance of Planning, Drafting, Proofreading and Editing
In order for students to submit their best work, it is important that they allow enough time to plan, draft, proofread and edit their responses. A helpful tip for students proofreading their own writing is to read their work aloud. This can help them detect grammatical problems if a sentence is not structured clearly. Proofreading is an important skill for students to develop and a key strategy for improving their writing and progressing their learning.
In planning for assessments, organisation is key. There is an electronic study planner on the Assessment Portal that can be downloaded to help students keep track of their coursework, homework and assessment tasks for each of their subjects. Students can detail their commitments on a daily, weekly and term basis. Students can find planners on the MSPC Assessment Portal on their year group page.
If students do not have a diary in place, they can use the Compass Online Diary to record their homework. It is found on the student profile page.
As I mentioned in my last post, students are encouraged to be proactive and seek advice from their teachers if they are struggling or unsure of what is required of them with their learning. Sending an email to a teacher can be an effective way to ask for clarification or assistance.
The Assessment Policy is detailed on the front page of the Assessment Portal which can be accessed on the MSPC Moodle Page. Information Handbooks are on the Portal.
If a student is sick and unable to complete an assessment on the due date, Years 7, 8 and 9 require a letter from a parent / carer or email to the class teacher, detailing the student’s circumstances for non-completion of an assessment task.
For Years 9 Accelerated, 10, 11 and 12 a medical practitioner is required to complete the MSPC Assessment Variation Illness Form. A copy of this document can be found on the student’s year page of the Assessment Portal.
The Year 11 Assessment Block has been scheduled to begin on 22/03/24 and will conclude on 28/03/24. Year 11 classes will not run during the assessment week. Year 11 students need only attend school to complete their assessments during this assessment block. They are required to sign in and out of the College at the front office daily.
The Year 12 Assessment Block has been scheduled to begin on 03/04/24 and conclude on 09/04/24. Year 12 classes will not run during the assessment period. Year 12 students need only attend school to complete their assessments during this assessment block. They are required to sign in and out of the College at the front office daily.
Below is the schedule for assessment tasks for Weeks 5 and 6:
Jo McDonald
Leader of Curriculum
Faculty News
GEOGRAPHY
Year 7 Geography
Year 7 Geography classes have been visiting the Tweed Regional Museum to primarily view the display "Land, Life, Culture", which is a permanent exhibition that introduces visitors to the unique natural and cultural heritage of the Tweed. This was part of their topic "Landscapes and Landforms". They learnt about the Tweed's geographical history, with a timelapse graphic that depicts the caldera formation over 25 million years.
The students also viewed images of the Tweed's natural and managed environments and completed worksheets identifying prominent Tweed landscapes and landforms. There was also a display on native species and their links to indigenous culture, as well as a section on introduced species.
The Museum also had a feature display "Supertonic" on the culture of the Northern region via music, and "Game On" which had a trove of vintage toys and games - right up to the early electronic games. Some of these proved popular with the students! A big thank you goes to the Museum staff who opened early to specially accommodate our classes.
SPORTS, LIFESTYLE AND RECREATION
Year 11 SLR Excursion
Year 11 SLR students are studying Outdoor Recreation this term. They have been busy completing Outdoor Recreation tasks such as erecting tents, using compasses for navigation, cooking on trangias and starting fires with flint in preparation for their camp in Week 3 of Term 2. Along with this, they have also had two field trips to Fingal and Kingscliff where they have learned about the history of both areas and the recreational activities available.
Mr Forrester
A NOTE FROM THE SCIENCE DESK
On Monday 19th February the College celebrated the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The event was about inspiring girls to become more than what they think they are capable of achieving.
During the celebration, the girls listened to ex-MSPC students talking about their career and their inspirations. I’m sure that the girls were inspired to want to make a difference. Now, they just have to decide, what kind of difference they want to make.
Follow the link below to watch a video presentation of alumni girls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flJ7kS6lwt4&t=1492s
On Tuesday 20th February Year 11 and 12 Earth and Environmental Science students were fortunate to participate in ‘hands on’ geology practicals from AusEd Education in Sydney. They learnt about minerals, rock types, fossils, relative and radiometric dating.
On 26th – 27th February, Year 11 Earth and Environmental Science students attended an immersion at Lamington National Park. Complimented by the unique surroundings of Lamington National Park, Binna Burra Mountain Campsite offered a memorable and fun learning experience for the students.
Students were provided with opportunities to learn about, and become immersed in, the diverse geological formations and environments first hand. The students and accompanying teachers hiked during the day and stayed in safari tents at night.
On Monday 4th March the school participated in Clean Up Australia Day. We started at Cabarita Surf Lifesaving Club and picked up rubbish both north and south of that area. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of protecting the environment, living more sustainably and reducing waste. Encouraging students to remove and recycle as much rubbish as possible.
Jackie Tilsley
LOL: Science
College News
On Thursday 15th February, Lucan launched the second annual Pet Photo Competition at our College Assembly. This is our activity to promote awareness for our charity, Friends of the Pound. Sonia Trichter (President of Friends of the Pound, Tweed Heads) attended the assembly, sharing with staff and students the work that the organisation does and the help that is needed by the public. She also brought along with her the adorable Billy, a well-behaved pooch, who won the hearts of many. I encourage you to follow Friends of the Pound on social media. Word of mouth and people power is what is needed. Below is an extract from Sonia’s address at our assembly:
Friends of the Pound – Who Are We?
We are a non profit animal rescue organisation primarily for dogs and cats, but
sometimes the odd rabbit or guinea pig.
We are all volunteers, our role is to support the animals who find themselves
in the Tweed Shire Pound and those being offered as surrenders by the wider
community. We are the Tweed Shire Pounds re-homing partner.
The past months have been very demanding. More animals are being offered
to FOP as rescues from the Tweed Shire Pound and directly from the public,
and less are being adopted. Eventually we can only take what we can house,
either in foster care, kennels or our two cat adoption centres.
Last year when I was at your assembly I asked for your help to raise the
profile of the homeless dogs and cats as our FP ambassadors which you did
(and continue to do) through your google classroom, thanks to the initiative
of Susan Waters and the google classroom group. Some of the animals on our social media sites have been waiting for their special home since 2021.
Today I have Billy with me. He is a young dog, 18 months old and very placid, he would love a happy forever home unlike his previous one. Billy was surrendered to Friends of the Pound because his owner replaced him with a dachshund puppy. Billy became a superfluous
item, animals should be for life not thrown away.
Friends of the Pound, unlike some other welfare organisations, do not euthanize for convenience, we keep our dogs and cats until they find their furever home, which in the
in the case of some, can be quite a lengthy time.
How do we stop the plight of unwanted pets?
Through logical thinking we believe that we can stem the tide of unwanted
pets by offering low cost de-sexing to the pet owners in our community. We
can do this by applying for grants offered by our supporters. Supporters are
our business partners such as Petbarn and SavourLife but we also had the
good fortune that the staff of the South Tweed Commonwealth Bank thought
our cause was worthy and so did the NSW Office of the Local Government.
We have a round of dog and cat de-sexing being offered now sponsored by
the Office of the Local Government until the end of June or until our funds
are spent. Every female dog or cat de-sexed will see a reduction in the
number of unwanted pups and kittens, there are usually 6-8 in a litter.
We, with the help from our supporting vets and financial supporters have
de-sexed 510 community animals in the past year, and half were female.
Desexing the community’s dogs and cats has reduced the number of
unwanted animals by approximately 1530.
Undesexed animals are a problem, the males will roam to find a mate.
Roaming dogs usually find their way to the local pound. If they are
microchipped, they are returned home by the local ranger with a warning. If
there is no microchip then they go into the pound where they will stay until
claimed or if not claimed and they have stayed their mandatory seven days
they will then be offered to FOP.
Undesexed animals are a cost to the Council and to Friends of the Pound.
This past financial year saw 59 dogs come into care with Friends of the Pound
and 360 cats approximately half of these cats were kittens and our expenses
were horrendous. (Vet bills were $191,864 and our food expenses were
$117,775).
We are hopeful that through our community de-sexing programs that this
year will see a slowdown in the flow of dogs and cats coming into our care
and through your help will see the long term dogs and cats find their Furever
Home.
Thank you for your help.
Indigenous Sport Shirt
If you are interested in ordering an Indigenous sports shirt, please complete this expression of interest below. Please fill it out before the 19th of March, no later. Payment requests will be sent at a later date via Compass. The Indigenous Sports shirts are for everyone in the school. The shirts are to be worn with the sports uniform on the allocated sports/PDHPE practical days, they are not to be worn on school excursions unless told differently. $40 per shirt
https://docs.google.com/forms/
Awards
Community News
If you're looking to earn 20 Logbook hours towards your NSW Learner License, then this 5-hour Course is for you, and if you book with a friend, you can do your Module 2 component together.
The Safer Drivers Course aims to provide learner drivers with the knowledge they need to reduce road risks and prevent accidents by becoming a safe driver.
As an Accredited Provider of the transport for NSW Safer Driver Course, PCYC NSW know that our students will complete the course with a greater understanding of how to be a safe P-plate driver.
Students are required to have completed 50 Logged Driving Hours prior to signing up to the Course.
The Course Fee is $140.
PCYC Tweed Heads is running Safer Drivers Programs for February 2024 and March 2024 on the below dates:
Date - Saturday 16/3/24
Time - 8:00am - 11:00am
Location - PCYC Tweed Heads
Date - Saturday 23/3/24
Time - 9:00am - 12:00pm
Location - PCYC Tweed Heads
PCYC Tweed Heads “Safer Driver” courses for February 2024 and March 2024 are now LIVE on our website!
Simply click on the below link and Type in Tweed Heads 2485 and book in to the course!
https://www.