What If?
By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal
What If?
‘What if...?’ was the theme chosen by our Student Executive for 2023. This theme allows us all to explore the possibilities of the way we think, act and behave.
As we begin to approach a busy time of year, I wonder ‘what if’ we are calm, kind and caring?
One of my favourite sayings is; “do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). I often think about this and wonder about the impact if we were all able to live by these words. Imagine if we all treated each other with genuine respect, love and compassion how different our world may be. Imagine if before we posted something unkind about others on social media we thought about the impact the words might have. What if before we sent the email we reflected on the impact of our words? What if when we walked past somebody we smiled and said hello and asked them how they were? What if we asked others whether they were ok or not? And what if we thought about our actions before we enacted? There are many more ways that we can have a positive impact on others and at the same time impact ourselves in a positive way.
I wonder if a conversation with your child about this might be a way of impacting their world, supporting them in their endeavours to continue to be the best version of themselves that they can be?
Farewell to our 2023 Graduates
Last week we farewelled our Year 12s from the College. While for some of our students their formal education is now complete many others have exams ahead of them. We are proud of all of our graduates and hope that each of them find a pathway that brings them happiness and joy - whether this be studying, working or taking some time off for a period of time.
The last week was one of celebration and reflection. Dress Up Day saw many fantastic costumes and a great day had by all. On Wednesday our students celebrated in their Tutor groups and Houses and then participated in the final Academic Awards celebration. This event concluded with our Year 11s sending our Year 12s off with a guard of honour after a great rendition of O’Patrick Hail.
The Mass on Thursday night followed by the Valete Dinner were further fantastic celebrations. Celebrating Mass together before sharing a meal with parents/guardians and staff was a highlight. At the Valete the prestigious Francine Allan and Garry Wainwright Awards were presented. These awards are presented to students who are all-rounders, who contribute to others and the school community with humility and commitment. Students select the recipients of these awards adding to their prestige. Congratulations to recipients Olivia Brown and James Leake.
We look forward to seeing our Year 12s along with their parents/guardians again when we come together as a whole College for the End of Year Mass and Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday 12 December at the Silverdome.
Final Weeks
As a College it is important for all in our community to be aware that we continue to have high expectations of all students until the completion of classes on Monday 11 December 2023. This includes expectations around wearing the correct College Uniform, attendance, punctuality and all other standard expectations at St Patrick’s College.
We thank you all for working with us to support your students as we continue to focus on teaching and learning and all other activities that make St Patrick’s College the flourishing community that it is.