MSPC Newsletter - Term 3, Week 10, 25th September

Principal

Assistant Principal - Mission

CARPARK GIVEAWAY        Saturday 27^th September till Monday 6^th October
MSPC will be giving away staff desks, hutches, small tables, chairs, filing cabinets and miscellaneous items from the College Staff Car Park next to the Church. You will need to organise transporting the items home. If you are interested please collect between these date.

GRADUATION DAY        Thursday 25^th September
God provided us with a lovely day to farewell Year 12 2025. There was a beautiful Graduation Mass celebrated by Fr Peter Wood and Fr Anthony Lemon in the Sacred Heart Church followed by a delicious morning tea. A Farewell Assembly took place in the Gilbey Centre from midday. Photos in the next Newsletter!

TERM 4        Monday 13^th October
The return date for Years 7 – 11 students and staff is Monday 13^th October which is Day 6 of the timetable. The HSC Written Exams begin on Thursday 16^th October in the Gilbey Centre with an English Exam and conclude, for our students, with the Physics paper on Friday morning 7^th November.

There will be two Professional Development Days next term when Year 7 – 11 College students will not be required to be in attendance at school. These are Monday 27^th October and Friday 7^th November. The first is to set goals based on our recent school reviews, and the second will be devoted to developing new curriculum in line with NESA mandates.

Best wishes to all students and staff for a relaxing and enjoyable break. Stay safe on the roads those who are travelling. Year 12 and Accelerated Year 11 students, study hard.

    Mary-Anne McShane
    Assistant Principal: Mission

Curriculum

As the term draws to a close, students in Years 7–10 have been finishing their final assessments, while Year 11 have now completed their Preliminary HSC examinations.

This week our Year 12 students will gather to celebrate the end of their school journey with a number of special occasions, including the Senior Honour Awards, Graduation Mass and Graduation Assembly. These are treasured moments to honour their hard work, dedication, and the many ways they have grown and achieved. Our Year 11 Accelerated students have also shown great dedication, and both groups are encouraged to pause, take a breath, as they prepare themselves for the next step, the HSC written examinations.

To help them feel supported, students have been provided with clear information about HSC procedures through meetings, emails and the Assessment Portal. This guidance will be shared again with students, parents and carers before the examinations begin, ensuring everyone feels ready and reassured.

As we move into the break, I hope students and families find time to rest and reconnect. To our Year 12 and Year 11 Accelerated students, I encourage you to care for yourselves, stay focused, and approach the coming weeks with courage, faith, and confidence. We are deeply proud of all you have accomplished, and we hold you in our thoughts and prayers as you prepare for your examinations.

    Jo McDonald
    Leader of Curriculum

Faculty News

MUSIC NEWS

BIG BAND DAY OUT
Well done to the band students who attended the combined primary schools Big Band Day Out as mentors on Friday 12^th September. We were very impressed with your behaviour and role modelling to the younger students as you perfected your parts and performed together as a full orchestra. These students include: Olivia Bagnall, Austin Rockwell, Eva Brzoson, Clara Aitchison, Eliza Sonter, Lewis Bottle, Harrison Bottle, Gabriel Rockwell, Grace Severs and Annabelle Wiseman.

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YEAR 12 MUSIC HSC PERFORMANCE
A big congratulations to our Year 12 Music class for the hard work put into their final HSC performances last Tuesday. These students performed extremely well under the pressure of the HSC markers and should be extremely proud of themselves. Thank you to Mr Rice for his tireless preparation to help these students succeed.

FAREWELL TO OUR YEAR 12 BAND AND CHOIR MEMBERS
It is with great sadness at this time of year, to have to say goodbye to our long standing Yr 21 members of choir and band: Isabelle Biersteker (choir and band) and Josh Hawkins, Jack French, Lakota Sutcliffe, Lachlan Maclean, Felix Kos, Lonnie Maher (band). Thank you all for your leadership and commitment to these groups over the course of your schooling- the Anzac Day ceremonies, school masses & liturgies, Christmas Tableau’s, CAPA Showcases, Musical Band, Big Day Out performances. For all of the times you have shared your talent with the school community! We wish you all the very best for your future endeavours.

    Kaitlyn Rennes-Nadal
    Leader or Learning: Creative Arts (Music)

FROM THE SPORTS DESK

NSWCCC ATHLETICS
A small but talented group of MSPC athletes made the trek to Sydney to be part of the Lismore Diocesan team at the NSWCCC Athletics Championships on Monday 15th September.

Cain Twomey came away with a silver in the Open Boys Discus and a bronze in Shot Putt.

Amali Moore placed a respectable eighth position amongst a competitive field

Orlando Wood, running in the U13 1500m and 800m finished second place in both events.

Orlando’s Training partner William Chant also ran in the 1500m race and finished a creditable 9^th.

ELLIE DURRINGTON ran into fourth position amongst a very competitive field in the U14 800m event.

U16 STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys
Late injuries saw our U16 boys team travel to Penrith undermanned but definitely not outclassed. Being placed in Pool A saw us take on the powerhouse team of Smiths Hill - a well drilled tall team with depth off the bench. Our opponents had to work hard to assert their dominance as the boys from MSPC showed that we had weapons both in offense and defence. Smiths Hill were too strong in the end. 

Game 2 our opponents were Orange Anglican College and Zac Stuart proved unstoppable with a near perfect record from beyond the arc and many penetrating drives. He ended the game with an impressive 27pts ably assisted by Jarrah Wright, Chad Whyte and the birthday boy Noah Flores Bernardes.

Game 3 was played on Thursday morning and we had a tough William Clark College from North Sydney, needing to win to progress. There was much at stake for both teams. WCC jumped to a 10-0 lead before our shots started to hit and our pressure defence caused many turnovers. MSPC had the half-time lead by 2 points at the break. Inspired by their first half our boys led by Jarrah W and Zac R tried tirelessly to hold the lead. But in the end WCC opened a slender lead which they did manage to hold to the final whistle. A thrilling game and certainly one of the best in Divion 2 for the tournament.

A learning experience for all involved. They now have had a taste of basketball at this level and have shown that through hard work, commitment and perseverance good things are coming.

Girls

The girls showed glimpses of what they were capable of in our first two games but simply could not hold the intensity for the entire game and day one we were beaten by two better teams. Day two we had the first game of the day and it was a cracker. 12- 11 at half time our way and then it clicked for us.

Someone removed the glad wrap from atop the hoop and our shots started to drop. It was a thing of beauty, hard structured defence led to us forcing turnovers and we ran the fast break to convert and by the end of the match we came away with a victory 46 - 20. That's the level to which we now aspire. Thanks to Coach Stanley and Frankham and their unwavering support of all the girls in our 2025 campaign.

BERG SHIELD CRICKET
A keen group a young cricketers played against Xavier, Skennars Head in the first round of the Berg Shield. Xavier put on a valiant effort of 112-5 after their 20 overs. MSPC started badly, losing a wicket in the first over of their reply chasing. Wyatt Greenhill and Kade O Shea then displayed some fierce batting, polishing off the total in 12 overs. A big shoutout to Wyatt, who was 76 not out and really punished the bowlers everywhere with some sizzling shots.

MSPC faced St John's College, Woodlawn in the 2nd match and were quite below par. St John's batted first and put together 212 for 2 off their 20 overs. A diminished MSPC team tried their best, but were put to the sword and only managed 86 off 14 overs.

TITANS 9s RUGBY LEAGUE

Under 16s Titans 9s Boys Rugby League Team
The under-16s Rugby League 9s team had a strong day on the field, securing wins and ultimately becoming the overall winners of the tournament, defeating Ballina Coast High School, Kingscliff High School, Rivers Secondary College and Maclean High School.

The team demonstrated great teamwork and determination throughout the matches when key players suffered injuries, adapting well to the various challenges presented in each game. Standout performances came from Zayd Alexander, whose skill and speed were vital in attack and defence, and also Rylan Hall, who contributed solid defense and impressive ball handling before unfortunately sustaining an injury during the third game against Rivers Secondary College. We wish Rylan a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the field soon.

Mason Staples was also instrumental in the first game. We wouldn’t have been moving forward to the next round in Coffs Harbour without his defensive efforts in the first game, where he unfortunately suffered a broken hand.

Riley Newman was another key player, showing consistent effort both with and without the ball, while Ky Andrews impressed with his solid tackling, helping the team maintain pressure on the opposition.

Overall, the team’s hard work paid off with four wins and plenty of positive moments to build on for the next games. We’re off to Coffs, AGAIN!

Great job, team!

Under 16s Girls

The Under 16s Girls showcased amazing skill and determination at the recent Titan’s 9’s Rugby League competition held in Ballina. Competing against tough opposition, the team won 2 out of their 3 games, demonstrating not only their athletic ability but also their grit and teamwork on the field.

Throughout the day, the girls played with heart and represented our school with great pride. Their commitment and sportsmanship were clear to all spectators and opponents alike, making us proud of their efforts and achievements. They really supported each other and this was reflected in their performance on the field. A special thank you to our water girls on the day - Liv Andrews and Piper Boddie.

Congratulations to the Under 16s Girls for their outstanding performance and for embodying the true Patties spirit and teamwork. We look forward to cheering them on in future competitions!

Under 14s Boys

The Titans Northern Rivers 9’s comp was a fantastic way to round out a solid year of footy. Our 14’s boys went in slightly undergunned with a few players out due to injury and a mix of playing experience.

Our first game versus Woodlawn might as well have been the Grand Final. It was back and forth footy for 5 minutes before Woodlawn finally broke through with a long range try (first try worth 5 points). We struck back straight away with some excellent ball playing around the edges. Another try soon after put us in the lead after a number of Woodlawn errors, however, Woodlawn bounced back, scoring in the dying minutes and taking the win 9-8.

Over the next 3 games, the boys continued to grow as a unit and played some excellent footy. They only conceded 2 tries while scoring 9 in the process. They had convincing wins against all 3 opponents; Byron High, Emmanuel College and Maclean High. Special mention to captain Lucas Singh who showed class and skill all day at fullback, whilst Chase Deegenaars and Kade Coughran and Lincoln Barlow laid a strong platform up front.

TERM 4 INTEGRATED SPORT YEARS 9-11
Parents of students in Years 9 -11 will be receiving a compass notification shortly about Term 4 Sport. As the weather heats up there are more opportunities to get to the beach and all students will need permissions to attend. Please keep an eye out for those and provide consent for your child.

UPCOMING DATES TERM 4

• 22nd October Week 2 U16 Regional finals of Titans 9’s Rugby League Coffs Harbour
• 24th October Week 2 Diocesan Volleyball Championships Coffs Harbour
• 28th October Week 3 Lord Taverners Cricket Gala Days Lismore
• 6th November Week 4 Diocesan Junior Water Polo Alstonville
• 10th November Week 5 Diocesan Golf Championships Casino
• 13th November Week 5 Diocesan Senior Water Polo Alstonville

    Tim Whitney
    Sports Co-ordiantor

College News

2025 COLLEGE CAPTAIN'S SEND OFF

Dear MSPC Community,

As our Year 12 journey comes to an end, we would like to begin by extending our deepest gratitude: to the teachers and staff who have guided us with patience and dedication; to our families who have supported us through every step and to our cohort who have shared in the highs and lows of this unforgettable experience.

We could never have imagined what our high school years would look like when we first began. Starting during COVID, our classrooms quickly became bedrooms, four houses grew into eight, and with each change we were reminded that nothing stays the same for long. Yet this is not a story of hardship, it is a story of resilience. As a year group, we’ve embraced every challenge and emerged stronger, more spirited, and proud of the culture we’ve helped to build.

There have been countless moments that reflect this spirit. A highlight was the introduction of the Louise Shields Shield, where our cohort came together in a vibrant inter-house competition and a true demonstration of camaraderie and school pride. We also witnessed incredible spirit at swimming, athletics and cross country carnivals, where students supported each other wholeheartedly. Beyond sport, our house leaders showed immense dedication, from Loreto’s kindness campaign supporting Do It For Dolly, to Nagle’s stationery drive for the Solomon Islands, to Romero’s food drive for refugees. These initiatives are just a few examples of the leadership, compassion, and commitment that have enriched our community.

As we prepare to leave MSPC, we do so with immense pride in how our cohort has embraced this year’s theme of Strength in Spirit. We are confident that this spirit will continue to grow within the school community, and we thank everyone who has been part of our journey.

    Kind Regards,
    Makaylah and Ewan

Awards

YEAR 12 AWARDS

Community News