Star of Peace

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends,

We welcome our new students, staff and families to St Patrick’s Marist College and I am very excited for the year ahead. We have had a wonderful start to 2019. There is such a positive energy both within and outside the classrooms and our new Year 7 students have settled in really well.

At the start of the year, staff came together and we were reminded of our role as teachers and staff in a Catholic School in the Marist Tradition and of our collective and individual responsibilities in the holistic development of each young person: in forming and transforming young people to be people of and for God.  We continue to have our Mission, Vision for Learning and Wellbeing Framework driving our focus and direction.  

The Mission of St Patrick’s Marist College is to lead young people in the way of Mary, to know and love God in the belief that they can all become good Christians and good citizens. Inspired by the Gospel, we commit ourselves as disciples of Jesus, and in the spirit of Marcellin Champagnat strive to help all people grow to their full potential.

Last week at assembly, I reminded students that every teacher believes in them, believes not only that they are a good person, but also that we recognise that people make mistakes and poor judgment can happen, but we believe they can learn and grow through the experience. “Walk into a classroom believing that your teacher is seeing you with fresh eyes in a new year. You have a clean slate! How your teachers respond will be completely up to you: your behaviour and the attitude you bring to your learning will be key to how your year unfolds.”

This week we gathered to recognise and congratulate our 2018 High Achievers. What wonderful graduates who exemplify what it means to be a Marist. As I look at these students, I don’t just see a HSC result. I see a group of young people who took the opportunity to be part of the full experience of St Patrick’s Marist College. Through cultural pursuits, in sport, through their service to the community and many took roles as leaders both formally and informally in the School.

While honouring these individuals we also recognise the outstanding success of the whole cohort. Last year we were recognised in the SMH for our outstanding growth moving from 140 to 88 in the state, the third ranked Catholic Systemic School.  

In 28 of the 30 courses offered we were above state average, with 52% of students named on the Merit List, 24% of students gaining an ATAR above 90 and 60% Band 5 and 6 results. It was very pleasing to see Standard English ranking 10thin the state and General Mathematics 20th.

We recognise and congratulate:

• 1st Place ATAR and Dux of the College - Jonathan Nakad (99.05)
• 2nd Place ATAR - Theo Sugita (98.2)
• 3rd Place ATAR - Daniel Shan (97.45)
• Dominika Zhigunov - twelfth in the State for Standard English
• All Rounders (Band 6 in every subject) Jonathan Nakad and Chloe Bou Serhal.

Importantly I want to acknowledge all of the students that performed well above what was expected. They are the silent heroes that don’t get acknowledged in the newspapers and on High Achievers days, but we recognise their commitment, hard work and achievements and our staff are very proud of each of them.

I thank the staff for their dedication, the many, many extra classes before and after school and during the holidays, their willingness to respond to last minute requests for assistance and feedback  and their genuine commitment to ensuring that all of our students achieved their personal best.

As always, I remind students as we start the year that we own our own behaviour. That together we create the great Marist spirit that is evident particularly in our relationships with one another. We are responsible of our learning and our teachers are there to help us be successful.

Swimming Carnival

Another awesome St Patrick’s Marist Swimming Carnival. I could not be prouder of our students. Their enthusiasm, participation and respect for themselves, each other and the environment were outstanding. A very special thankyou to: Mrs Pavlovich for her organisation of the day and to the parents and families who attended. 

Our Year 12 House Captains exemplified all that we wish to see in our College leaders. Their house performances were creative and entertaining and they rallied students to participate.

Congratulations to Edwin for taking first place in the carnival and to Paul and Edwin as joint winners of the Spirit Cup.

Annual Reminders

As we started the year together we have talked about our individual and collective responsibility in creating a positive tone both in and out of the classroom. We have no tolerance for behaviours or actions that impact on the wellbeing or happiness of others. We will continue in our education and discussion with our students about the use of mobile technology and social media to inflict intentional hurt on others, or on occasions posting things that impact on ourselves. Please keep the conversation going with your children, know how they are using social media, who they may be following, let us know immediately if you have any concerns. 

I remind everyone about the College expectations including:

• Tolerance and respect
• Being ready to learn and to be active in that learning
• School procedures
• Rights and responsibilities
• Prohibited substances (refer to page 9 of the College Diary)

Concerns or Complaints

From time to time you may have a concern or complaint. I encourage you to contact the College so it can be resolved as soon as possible. For subject specific matters contact the relevant Leader of Learning KLA, for general or Wellbeing concerns the relevant Leader of Learning Pastoral or a member of the College Leadership Team. Names and information can be found on Page 1 of the College Diary.

Parking

Our afternoons on Kirby Sreet are very congested, it is important that we always obey the traffic and parking rules, not only providing good role modelling for our students as future drivers, but ensuring we maintain the positive and respectful relationships in our community. Mr Paton will be sending you an email regarding parking and driving in Kirby Street. There are very clear ‘No Parking’ signs. We have always had a very positive relationship with our neighbours; however there is mounting frustration at parents parking across driveways and in ‘No Stopping’ or ‘No Parking’ zones. If the matter is not redressed, the council will restrict parking on Kirby Steet to residents only. There is supervision in the bus bay until 3:45. It is not essential that you pick up at 3:15, coming a little later will ease the congestion.

Absences

TWO DAYS ABSENCE PER MONTH = ONE MONTH OF MISSED SCHOOL PER YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last year at our System Leader’s day we spent time discussing the importance of regular attendance.  Simply put in order for students to receive quality learning experiences, to be able to engage in their learning fully they need to show up each and every day, every day counts. We had a goal as a system and as a school to reach 90% attendance. I am very happy to say that last Year’s 7, 9 and 12 met that target, with Year 10 very close to that target. 

This year we will continue with our College Attendance Plan. Our goal in partnership with you is to have a consistent daily attendance rate over 90% for every year group.

There is no substitute for being in class. I would encourage parents to make all appointments for outside of the school day (this includes Thursday sport) and reconsider family holidays during the school term. We need as parents and teachers to be sending the same message. Being at school is a priority. We certainly understand that there are times when students are sick and need to be at home to recover. If you are having problems relating to attendance or would like further advice, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant Leader of Learning Pastoral, Mr Matthew Paton our Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing or one of our school counsellors Helen Holubinskyj and Kathryn Rogers.

A reminder about our processes for attendance can be found in the student diary.

I was very pleased to see our students return to the College well dressed and conforming to our College expectations. We appreciate your support in ensuring that our staff can focus their conversations with our young people around their learning.

A reminder that our P and F Meeting (7.00 pm) will be held following the Year 7 Parent Information Evening (6-7 pm) on the 27thFebruary held in the La Valla Centre.

Insurance Cover: As you know the College is part of the Diocese of Parramatta. Our Insurance for students is made at this level with CCI Insurance. I have included a copy of the schedule of payments as a result of an accident. This insurance would be termed as a light level of cover, it is therefore important to understand the benefits paid out, will not fully cover medical costs. I thank the parents that have given feedback regarding the level of cover. I have relayed this to the relevant director at CEDP.

School Fees

It is almost time for Term 1 school fees to be sent out. We have attempted to include all costs throughout the year to the schools fees, which helps for the costs to be spread over the year. There are a small number of exemptions including fundraising for Caritas and our College Walkathon, please see the Fees Schedule for more information. There is further information regarding fees in this newsletter.

A reminder of the Diocesan policy regarding a student leaving the College during the year. A term's notice (10 school weeks) in writing must be given to the Principal before the removal of a student or a full term's fees will be payable. The notice can be given any time during term for the next term. If at any time you find yourself in difficulties with the school fees please contact our Fees Secretary Ms Rolla Wadih or myself as soon as possible. 

We are looking forward to a successful and rewarding 2019.

Mrs Angela Hay

Back Row:  Mrs C. Thompson, Mr J. Palmer, Mr L. Malkoun, Mr D Boulous, Mrs I. Clayton

Front Row: Mr A. Agius, Mr J. Zhou, Mrs V. Colman, Miss K. Tripodi, Ms W. Curry, Mr A. Shaw

Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends,

Welcome back to another school year at St Patrick's Marist College.

We certainly look forward to another fantastic year with lots of opportunities for our students to thrive.

Throughout the year we will have a significant focus on student wellbeing.  There will be times throughout the year for you to engage with the College in having a say in what we can do together to help our students in the area of Wellbeing.

To begin this year, there are just a few important items that we need to make you aware of at the beginning of our school year.

SAVE THE DATE

Parent CyberSafety Information Session

Thursday, 28 March @ 6.00pm

Towards the end of Term Four 2018, the students had the opportunity to listen to Susan McLean, not only nationally recognised, but recognised worldwide as one of the foremost authorities on Cybersafety. We have booked Susan in for a Parent Information Session on Thursday 28 March at 6.00pm. 

We certainly would encourage you to come along and listen to Susan as she will provide the skills as to how you can monitor and promote safe online behaviours at home.

Please register your attendance at the office. You are more than welcome to invite members of your family who have students who attend other schools to the evening. Please just indicate how many will be attending when you confirm your attendance.

This night will be held in the College library. registrations will close on 14 March 2019.

FORMATION

"Holy Today! - We Are called to be Holy by living our lives with love and
by bearing witness today”  Gaudete Et Exsulate

Our goal is a call to holiness in a practical way (Mission) for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. The invitation is to all of our community to experience opportunities for spiritual formation and learning. This is the second year of our three year formation plan, with 2018 focusing on Reflection which leads us into Mission in 2019.

Daily experiences are special places of encounter with God. We find God’s presence in creation, in the events of every day - work and relationships, silence and noise, joys and sorrows, achievements and anguish, tragedy and death. Through experiences of Eucharist, prayer, community and service, St Patrick’s Marist encourages within young people their God-given gifts, empowering them to go out and build the Marian face of the church, to become agents of change in the world, especially among the young and needy

PARKING ON BARONBALI STREET

As we are situated in a residential area, we do need to be mindful of our neighbours. Over the past couple of years, there have been concerns raised in regards to parking on Baronbali and the surrounding streets. Attached to this newsletter is a letter we received from Parramatta Council in regards to this.  I have spoken to Year 12 students and those who are driving, about being more considerate about where we park. We would ask that you also do the same. If this was to continue we may end up losing these spaces for our community to use throughout the year.

VACCINATIONS

Included in the newsletter is some information for our Year 7 and 10 parents in regards to vaccinations this year. Students will be handed out the consent cards this week which will need to be returned by the end of Week 4.

If you do not want your child to participate in the vaccination program, could you please indicate this by writing a letter addressed to your child's Pastoral Leader of Learning stating that you would NOT like your child to participate in the Vaccination program for 2019.

TRANSPORT

We have very high expectations of our students as they travel to and from school, as it reflects upon the pride they have in themselves and in the College. While travelling on any form of public transport, the usual College expectations apply with regards to behaviour. Students are expected to be considerate of the rights of other travellers, to follow drivers’ and all State Transit personnel’s instructions and to board and alight from transport only at designated stops and in a considerate manner. Additionally, all students are expected to use their OPAL cards when and if necessary.

Mr M. Paton

Assistant Principal - Mission and Wellbeing

Teaching and Learning

A new school year brings excitement, new beginnings, new opportunity and challenges. Learning is at the heart of our College community with every aspect of life engaging our students to reflect, think creatively, and to connect with others and God.

In 2019 we continue our focus on our theme for learning - ‘Reflect to Grow’.  For us here at St Patrick's Marist, learning that builds young men and women for a wonderful and yet unknown future is encapsulated in Enquiry Learning. This year our teachers continue on a journey of learning, exploring student data, research around Enquiry Learning as a model and pedagogy. Enquiry learning places students at the centre of learning, challenging and affirming them in their roles as ongoing learners. We recognise the importance of positive relationships, of the need for academic rigor for all students and that work needs to be relevant for students. Students are engaged in collaboration work to build the necessary skills for their futures in working others, communicating in various contexts solving complex problems. Teachers will continue to build their knowledge and skills as contemporary educators through professional learning which will be centred on key aspects of our Vision for Learning – Clarity | Challenge | Culture.

This focus seeks to build learning experiences where students have clarity in what they are learning, how it connects within their subject area, what success will look like through the evidence of understanding they produce and next steps in forging broader connections with other or new ideas. Each learning experience will also bring each student challenge, engaging each learner in learning that seeks to stretch their knowledge and understanding whilst building resilience and a growth mindset. Lastly, our learning experience is cultural, where high expectations, skills development, positive relationships are engendered.

In 2019 the College continues with its key focus on literacy and numeracy skills for all students. We continue to work on improving literacy; teachers and students will continue to use 'Thinking Note Keys' as a primary strategy for comprehension and text annotation in all subjects. Further to this teachers will also target writing skills with students supported in their writing using the PALS strategy - PURPOSE | AUDIENCE | LANGUAGE | STRUCTURE.

o   Purpose - What do I want to achieve through my writing?

o   Audience - who am I writing for?

o   Language - What type of words do I need to select  to achieve my purpose and reach my audience?

o   Structure - What structure do I need to use to achieve my purpose and reach my audience?

This year the College continues its BYOD device program so that students may now bring any Windows or Apple device as part of their tools for learning, enabling students to engage in enquiry learning. Thus far, a smooth transition has occurred for students with their devices, with the usual small connectivity issues for devices which will be resolved next week.

Parent partnerships are central to the success of student learning and this year we continue to encourage parents and caregivers to attend our Parent Learning Forums throughout the year. These information nights will provide parents the opportunity to observe the College's approach towards their daughter’s/son’s learning and support this learning in the home environment. 

High Achievers Assembly

Our Year 12 Graduates of 2018 have excelled in the Higher School Certificate.  Our High Achievers have received an ATAR, that is a rank, of 90 or above.  All our students from the class of 2018 did exceptionally well with 100 band 6 results and many Year 12 students receiving an ATAR in the high 80’s. Our College is now ranked 88 in the State and second within the Parramatta Diocese, a wonderful achievement for our St Patrick's Marist community.

It is an opportune time for our current Year 12 students to reflect on the journey ahead in their final year of secondary education.  I urge all Year 12 to make the most of the opportunities.  The often quoted phrase "do your best, no regrets" has many facets – commitment, organisation, routines, research, practice, dialogue, enquiry and feedback. These attitudes are actions that impact deeply upon your learning. What is central is that learning is not simply an isolated and independent venture. Learning occurs through deep connections, this builds the necessary skills for further learning in the adult realm such as resilience, collaboration and diversity.  We encourage Year 12 to set their goals, set them high, set them now.

Some advice given by Greta White and Jonathan Nakad  (our 2018 College Leaders) was to always have a positive attitude towards your learning, work with your teachers, work with your peers and remain motivated.  Remember your learning is not simply about six or seven subjects, its about transforming your mind and heart. It was also reflected that our Year 12 parents and families are also accompanying our HSC students with support and understanding. The HSC is truly a shared journey. 

We congratulate our high achievers for 2018.

Chloe Bou Serhal (97.0); James Broekmans (96.65); Claudia Broekmans (93.55); Christine Chen (96.75); Christopher Fahey (91.9); Niamh Gallagher (90.85); Danielle Hamilton-Gibbs (95.05); Nicole Juric (94.95); Lukasz Lewandowski (95.05); Rebecca McCaughey (92.7); Jonathan Nakad (99.05); Andrew Nipperess (91.7); Laura Nipperess (96.2); Thomas O'Hearn (91.9); William Olive (92.75); Rebecca Ozer (95.1); Eric Saba (96.6); Annalise Schiraldi (92.45); Danial Shan (97.45); Brian Smith (96.9); Theo Sugita (98.2); Jacob Taylor (93.4); Gabriella Vancuylenberg (97.05); Grace Whatson (95.2); White, Greta (91.4).

The College also celebrates with our All Rounder Award recipients who achieved five or more Band 6s: Jonathan Nakad and Chloe Bou Serhal

This year St Patrick’s Marist College celebrates with an amazing 12th in the State in Standard English awarded to Dominika Zhigunov.

Recipients of the College Dux Awards for 2018 were: 

3rd Place Aggregate 2018  –  97.45 – Daniel Shan

2nd Place Aggregate 2018  –  98.2 –  Theodore Sugita

Dux of the College 2018 –  99.05 – Jonathan Nakad

 We congratulate our high achievers for 2018, and the entire cohort for their work, committed and personal achievements in their senior schooling.

Student Diaries

I ask that you assist your son/daughter to use their diary well. Parents are asked to sign the front of the diary accepting all policies contained in the diary. Good planning and organisation will greatly assist them in their learning. Please make sure that you sign the diary each week; it is an excellent resource that, when utilised, will assist students with their learning.

Students need to get into the habit of writing down each subject for each period each day.

Ideally this should be done on the weekend for the week ahead (highlight practical subjects that require students to bring equipment). Students are to write down homework when it is set and revision is to be undertaken when there is no set homework. Assignment due dates can also be placed in this section.

Use of Devices at Home

Technology is normative part of our contemporary world and at school the use of technology is a tool to build the necessary skills of communication, collaboration and creativity. However, can I remind parents and caregivers that students can use their workbooks to complete homework, hand written work that is neat is also encouraged. We also encourage our students to be visible in the home environment when using their devices or to use the family device rather than their personal one. The College only uses the Google Platform (Google Classroom, Doc, Slides etc) which all students can access through any device at home. Your supervision and support when students are completing tasks at home is recommended.

Homework

Homework learning/revision is an essential part of your child’s learning and I ask for your support in ensuring your son/daughter completes their homework each night to a high standard. Work set by teachers usually prepares your child for what is coming up in class and reinforces work covered. Homework can also take the form of preparation for assessment tasks. There is no such thing as NO HOMEWORK. It is an expectation that each student would revise work completed in class each day, read and plan for upcoming work, commence assignments and as such will always have work to complete.

Mr J. Scanlon

Assistant Principal - Innovation, Teaching and Learning

Over the holidays….

A lot of behind-the-scenes holiday maintenance work was done during the summer break, including:

• re-paved the edge of Harrington courtyard
• re-turfed the front lawn along main pathway from Gate C
• renovated BG06 and painted junior breezeway
• received extra benches for senior COLA

Building Projects Update

• 3 new demountables were brought in and the “shells” are being fitted out
• shade structure over basketball court is expected to be installed in the next few weeks and then the court surface will be repaired

Working Bee

At the last P&F meeting for 2018, we were asked whether we needed assistance from our parent community in the form of another working bee. As the grounds of the school are so large, this is always much appreciated. So, I’m looking into organising a working bee for the morning of Saturday, 23rd February 2019. Further details will be sent separately, however, if anyone is interested, please mark this date in your calendar.

Parking around the school by parents/students

We recently received a letter from Parramatta Council re parking conditions in Baronbali Street.  Council advised that they received reports regarding parking by students and by parents during drop off and pick up times which is too close to property driveways as well as on both sides of the street effectively restricting two-way flow and access to driveways.

Attached to this newsletter is a copy of the letter from Council and we urge students and parents in our school community to give consideration to local residents by parking in a legal manner as far away from driveways as is practical and when possible to park on one side of the street only.

Please also consider local residents of other surrounding streets. Also, consider whether your child(ren) could use school buses and/or public buses, instead.

Lockdown and Evacuation Drills

Last Thursday we conducted both a lockdown drill and an evacuation drill. These drills are part of our routine WHS practice to ensure all staff and students are aware of our procedures. We will conduct these again at later dates during the year. 

Please note that students should not be contacting parents during these drills. In the event of an actual emergency, use of phones could alert an intruder or could result in parents calling the school and tying up our phone lines which we need to keep clear to liaise with emergency services. You do not need to come to the school as you could be endangering yourself and/or our students and staff. Our procedures are designed to keep students and staff safe while emergency services deal with the situation.

Payments at Office

Most excursions and incursions are included in the school fees. The Catholic Education Office will send school fees invoices soon and flexible payment arrangements will be offered by direct debit, BPay or Centrelink. This is the best way to pay your school fees, as they are processed via their office on our behalf and reduce our need to handle such payments. However, you can also pay school fees by Billpay at the local post office (most are open on Saturday mornings too, credit card over the phone or by EFTPOS or cash at reception. Please consider your child’s personal safety and do not send large sums of cash with them.

For any other incidental payments eg money for formals, disco, etc. money should be put into a sealed envelope with student’s name, homeroom, amount and what it is for, on it and students are to put in the drop box at student counter. These are not collected by teachers. It would assist us greatly if you could put correct money in envelope.

Gates

We have numerous gates around the external perimeter of the school as well as the internal perimeter and other specific areas. These are locked and unlocked by our general assistants, in the morning, after school starts, before school finishes and the end of day. In reviewing this process, last year, the decision was made that the gate at the rear of the school (at Dorahy St) will be locked by 8.30am and opened at 2.30pm, from the start of the 2019 school year.

Position Vacant

We have a vacancy for a part-time grounds/maintenance person (Monday - Friday 1.00pm – 5.00pm, negotiable).  Indicative duties include (but is not limited to) lock up school’s gates at end of day, emptying rubbish bins in courtyard after lunch, and various grounds and/or maintenance assistance, as required.

If you know anyone who may be interested, the role is advertised on the Catholic Education Office website, or contact me on 8841-7900 or vfraser@parra.catholic.edu.au.

Change of Official Address

Recently, we were advised by Parramatta Council that the official address of the school is actually 171 Kirby Street, Dundas (and not 151 Kirby Street which has been used for many years).

We will be changing our letterhead, website, etc in due course.

Ms V. Fraser

Business Manager

FIRST INSTALMENT

 A statement for the first instalment of the School Fee will be mailed to all families on 18 February 2019 and due on Wednesday 20 March 2019. 

Flexible Payment options are offered to all families at the start of each year, this provides families with the opportunity to select a payment plan that best suits their financial circumstances.  Payments can be made via direct debt or BPAY on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis at no additional charge. 

Payment of fees can also be paid by:  Credit card, direct debit, cheque, BPAY, Billpay, Centrelink payments, eftpos or cash.  If you are paying with a large amount of cash this can also be paid at your local post office using Billpay.

The 2019 Schedule of Fees has been published on our website.  Please take the time to look over it.    http://stpatsdundas.catholic.edu.au/en/Enrol-Now/School-fees 

The College is happy to assist those parents/caregivers who require more time to pay off their child’s school fees.  If any family is experiencing financial difficulty or would like to organise an alternate payment plan please contact me on – 8841 7955 Monday to Thursday or email rwadih@parra.catholic.edu.au

STUDENTS LEAVING THE COLLEGE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR

A reminder of the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta’s policy regarding a student leaving the College during the year. A Term’s notice in writing must be given to the Principal before the removal of a student or a full Term’s Fees will be payable.

Further details on this policy can be found on http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/school-fees

Ms Rolla Wadih

School Fee Administrator

PARENT / COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP

At St Patrick’s Marist we value our teacher/parent/caregiver partnership. To enable good communication, please find below email contacts of our Leaders of Learning, both Pastoral and Key Learning Areas (KLA). Timely communication builds strong partnerships with parents/caregivers and teachers to support each student with their learning and to develop ongoing strategies to experience success, both at school and at home. Please contact our Leaders of Learning if you have any concerns, require information or further clarification about College life.

Leaders of Learning Pastoral   

Leaders of Learning - KLA

College Communication

Our newsletter, ‘The Star of Peace’ is published fortnightly on our website and through the Skoolbag App which the College will be using as it's main source of digital contact to parents and caregivers. A link is also emailed to parents. The newsletter highlights the latest news and achievements from our students, staff and our Marist community.  If you do not receive the emailed link to the newsletter, please contact the College Office on 8841 7900 to rectify.  It is important that an up-to-date email is on file at the College to ensure that not only the newsletter but other important information is delivered to parents/carers in an accurate and timely manner.

You can contact me at clemottee@parra.catholic.edu.au if you wish to provide feedback, let me know of your son/daughter achievements outside of the College or if you have any concerns around communication here at the College.

Mrs C. Le Mottee

Communications

A warm welcome especially to our families who are new to the College.  We are very grateful for this community and the servant hearts of our volunteers who generously give of their time and resources.  We look forward to a great year!

Dates for the Diary

• P&F AGM and General Meeting – Wednesday 27 February at 7.30pm in the La Valla Centre
• Year 7 Parents Welcome Cocktail Night – Friday 15 March at 7.00pm in the La Valla Centre Look out for your email invite that will be sent out shortly.

Opportunities to serve: This year we will be involved in partnering with the College with the following events:

• Open Day
• Year 7 Parent Cocktail Night
• Working Bee
• Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations
• Teachers Thank You Morning Tea

If you have ideas, feedback or would like to be involved in serving please send an email to pandfstpatsdundas@gmail.com.

St Patrick's Marist P&F Executive

I am very pleased to be working with this fine group of students once more. Year 11 have settled into Senior School really well and are becoming well acquainted with their supportive Homeroom Patrons, Mr Agius, Ms Gray, Ms Papoulias, Ms Dunston, Mr Shaw and Mr Moussa.

For students the key message has been that everything from this moment on has an impact on their HSC performance and it is important that they continue to work diligently in class and maintain high standards in all activities. On another note, there is a Year 11 Parent Information Session on Tuesday 12 February from 6.00pm. Details to come. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your son or daughter's well-being, please feel free to email me at the College at dbonora@parra.catholic.edu.au.

• Briana Mekary
• Tanushree Sathyanarayanan
• Alexia Talia
• Kimberley Taylor

UNIFORMS

The College is aware that the Senior College Summer dresses are not in stock at the supplier. Students are to wear their 2018 uniform until the dresses come into stock.

Mr D. Berner

Pastoral Leader of Learning - Year 10

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back Year 8 for 2019. It has been a great start to the year already with a smooth transition back to classes and getting involved in our annual swimming carnival. No longer the babies of the school, Year 8 can be a difficult year working out who they are as individuals. We have a focus for our year group of working on getting the little things right so that the big things fall in place! Making good choices and being kind.

All students have already been working on wearing their uniforms correctly. Majority of boys haircuts have been excellent and girls length of dresses/skirts have been fantastic. A few things that we need to think about are jewellery and chewing gum. Please understand that chewing gum is an instant Wednesday Detention.

Again this year, we will be having "Keeping Track" running on Wednesday afternoons from Week 4.  A letter will be coming home soon about this.  Lastly, please ensure that you read and sign the front of the diary, it is a very important document that outlines all expectations of the College.I look forward to working with you and your child this year.

Mrs N. Padden

Pastoral Leader of Learning - Year 8

CONGRATULATIONS

Our wonderful Year 10 Band has represented the College at two Battle of the Bands competitions recently - and won both of them! They competed against many schools in the Parramatta and Hills Districts to be chosen to perform in the Castle Hill High School Battle of the Bands Competition last December in the last week of school, and won First Place as the Judges favourite Band, winning professional recording studio gear so that they can start to record their own original songs.

The Second Competition was the recent Ryde Battle of the Bands on Australia Day where they were chosen as one of the top three bands that would compete on the day in an outdoor gig at North Ryde Common to a couple of thousand people. They played a 15 minute set of three original songs that the Band composed. Again, they were voted as the winners and won a top prize of a $1000 cheque and a recording and mastering session at Studio 301.There were six judges at the event, including lead singer of the band The Preatures, Isabella Manfredi and Ryde Councillor Penny Pederson who later offered them a radio interview on her station 99.3 - The Northside Radio, which went live to air on Friday 1st February at 6:20pm and she played their original song ‘Paralysed’ over the radio.

Congratulations to the Year 10 band members Alexander Bozanic, Marissa Browne, Toby Gott and Anthony Khatchigian for sharing their creative talents with others and for so proudly representing our College with the guidance of their Music Teacher Mr Liam Heffernan.

Any students wishing to commence private or group instrumental music lessons this year need to collect a permission note from Ms Andrews in the Music Centre. Lessons will commence in Week 3. There are still some places available for the following instruments:

• Voice
• Guitar
• Bass Guitar
• Drums
• Piano
• Clarinet
• Flute
• Ukulele.

Please direct further inquiries to Ms Andrews by email at: tandrews2@parra.catholic.edu.au.