Faith, Justice and Formation 

Welcome Back Parents

All parents are now welcome back to Friday Morning Masses in the Chapel. Please note the new start time – 8:10 AM.

Everyone is welcome to every Mass, however, to help in your planning, please note which cohort will be leading Masses for the remainder of this term.

We look forward to you joining our staff and students in the celebration of our faith.

Parent Social Justice Action Group

This is an invitation to all parents/carers to help establish and grow a social justice action group for adults. At the College, we have various groups who work for justice including JSJ (Junior School Justice for Year 5 and 6 students), FIAT (the Faith In Action Team for students in Years 7 - 9) and SJAG (the Social Justice Action Group for students in Years 10 - 12), as well as a staff justice group and a staff sustainability group. Aside from the specially dedicated groups all staff, students and families within our community are asked to work for justice. For many years now, I have observed different parent groups in EREA schools across Australia and have desired for a group to grow here at St Patrick’s College.

This group will develop some Terms of Reference and meet a few times throughout the year to plan ways we can deepen our connection with our justice partners and grow some volunteering that is only open to people over 18 years. Once established, the idea is for a parent/carer to chair/coordinate this group and liaise with the Director of Identity (currently me).

If you are interested in being part of the preliminary meeting of this group or would like to ask a question, please email me at gillian.daley@spc.nsw.edu.au by Thursday 17 March. A meeting will then be planned for one evening in the last two weeks of this term.

I know there are many people out there with a passion to work for the marginalised and the desire to build a better world for all. There are so many people and things to drive us and remind us of what we are called to do as a Christian community, most notably the example of Jesus. In addition to this I remind all of us of these words that speak so much to our context….

“Give to the poor in handfuls” (Blessed Edmund Rice)

“Never see a need without doing something about it” (St Mary of the Cross)

If you are called, please join us and if you can’t for now, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer in activities down the track.

Thank  you for your consideration.

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity

Making Blankets for Those In Need

With the summer months going by, many struggle to make the transition into the cold winter. Each night almost 40,000 people are forced to sleep in areas with limited protection from the winter weather. Social Justice Action Group (SJAG) would like students and members of the community to assist with knitting or crocheting a 30cm square, which will be put together into a larger blanket. Students will be able to earn three SOL Service points per square they make themselves. The initiative is aimed at having the blankets ready to give to our justice partners by the time the Winter Appeal occurs during Term 2. We appreciate all the help we can get. If you are experiencing difficulties with accessing any of the links, please email Ms Smith at hannah.smith@spc.nsw.edu.au.

Anthony Karnaout

on behalf of the Social Justice Action Group (SJAG)

Correspondence with Home

There are many times when staff send communication home to parents/carers, such as the information sent home last week regarding SOL Service. I thank everyone who has taken the time to look at these documents. Nevertheless, I make two requests of parents/carers regarding communication of any kind:

1. Please read the information before quickly responding with a question (the answer is often right there). 
    
2. Where possible, have your son find the answer to many questions (this helps empower them and gives them agency in their own activities).

There are definitely times when questions are needed, so please do ask. Though every time the same information that is in the correspondence must be repeated, it takes time away from the work we do with and for your son/s.

It’s not always as easy for younger students to find the answers, but don’t underestimate them. If they find the answers themselves, they are more likely to remember the answer and be engaged in what they are doing. As a College, we try to educate for independent learners with the skills of critical thinking and reflection, among other things. This comes when all of us (school and home) work together, not doing everything for students but guiding them in the process.

With reference to SOL Service, I thank people for using the dedicated email address SOLservice@spc.nsw.edu.au and I appreciate your support in advance of the tightened guidelines, hopefully encouraging greater integrity and commitment from all students and families.

SOL Service runs until 4 November. Fingers crossed for our first smooth year of running this program, after COVID-19. 

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity