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By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

LAP IT UP 2025

At 9.00am last Thursday, 4 September 2025, our Year 12 students began their 24-hour triathlon-style event, walking, running, riding and swimming laps to challenge themselves and to raise funds for charitable organisations. LAP IT UP provides the opportunity for our College community and in particular, our Year 12 students, to put our mission and values into action by raising funds and awareness of the need to support others and to reflect on how effort makes a significant and meaningful impact. For our 17th year, LAP IT UP continues the tradition of Year 12 students coming together to raise funds for our local charities.

Following in the Charisms of our Founders, each House has chosen an organisation to support for 2025. Rice House is supporting the Edmund Rice Foundation; Nagle House - Catholic Care; MacKillop House - St VIncent De Paul and Tenison House - The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Each of these charities is impactful in their work and the support of Lap It Up will allow them to continue to work with those who need their support.

Lap It Up 17 allows our Year 12 students to spend time with their peers, connections and the ¾ÅÉ«Ìà Community one last time as a group. It cements relationships and grows new ones. We are proud of all who participated and thanks those who supported the event through both supervision and sponsorship.

By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

On Friday 26 September, we will be celebrating Founder’s Day. During the day we will officially open and bless our new facility. We are excited to welcome our new Archbishop, Archbishop Tony Ireland to the College for this special occasion.

We are proud to announce that our new building will be named the Penola Innovation Centre. The name Penola holds deep significance in the story of Australia’s first Saint, Mary MacKillop, and her mentor, Fr Julian Tenison Woods. In 1866, in the small town of Penola in South Australia, Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Together they shared a vision of providing education to children, especially those in rural and disadvantaged communities. Penola was the place where this vision came to life. Mary opened her first school there in a disused stable, marking the beginning of a movement that would spread across Australia and beyond.

By choosing the name Penola, we honour this spirit of courage, vision, and dedication to the needs of others. Just as Penola was the birthplace of innovation in education through Mary and Julian’s bold steps, our Penola Innovation Centre will be a place where creativity, collaboration, and new ideas flourish. It will remind us that true innovation is not only about technology or modern spaces, but about using our gifts to serve others and make a difference. We honour the founders of Tenison House and MacKillop House.

Our new Cafeteria has been named the Ballygriffin Cafe in honour of the birthplace of Nano Nagle, the founder of the Presentation Sisters. Nano Nagle was born in Ballygriffin, County Cork, Ireland in 1718. Growing up in a time when Catholics in Ireland were denied the right to education, Nano experienced first-hand the struggles of poverty and injustice. Deeply moved by the needs of the poor, she went on to found schools in Cork, bringing education and hope to children who would otherwise have had none. Her work grew into the foundation of the Presentation Sisters, whose mission of faith, education, and service has spread across the world, including here in our own College community.

By naming our cafe the Ballygriffin Cafe, we honour Nano’s legacy of hospitality, welcome, and care for others. Just as Ballygriffin was the place where Nano’s story began, our cafe is a place where community is nurtured, a space for gathering, sharing, and supporting one another in the spirit of Nano’s vision. We honour our Founder of Nagle House with the name of our new Cafe.

As we reflect on both the success of Lap It Up XVII and the blessing of our new spaces, we are reminded that the story of ¾ÅÉ«Ìà is one of people coming together in faith, service, and innovation. Whether through the efforts of our Year 12 students supporting those in need, or through the inspiration of our founders whose legacies shape our College today, we see the same values at work — Courage, Compassion, and a Commitment to making a difference. These moments not only celebrate our past but also point us forward, encouraging each of us to continue building a community where faith and action walk hand in hand.

By Mrs Rachael Holloway - Head of School - Senior School

Now in its 17th year, Lap It Up 2025 was a fantastic success. Our Year 12 students ran, cycled, and swam for 24 hours to raise money for our four House Charities: St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Care - Tasmania, the Edmund Rice Foundation, and the Indigenous Literacy Council.
An amazing total of $21,132.36 was raised.

Congratulations to our Eyles-Jackson Shield inductees. Each of these students raised at least $500 individually: Sofia Agaiava, Archie Cooper, Fletcher Crosswell, Jorja Donovan, Molly Green, Andrew Kingston, Oscar McGee, Seb Page, Alycia Twynam-Perkins.

The House Cup winner, awarded to the sub-house that raised the highest individual average, was Rice Chisholm.

Thank you to everyone who supported LIUXVII.

A special thank you to the individuals and businesses that sponsored each hour of the event: Bakers Delight, Baxter's IGA Prospect, Bevan Lee's Butchery, Castings Tasmania, Coles (Charles St), Coles (Racecourse), Cripps Bakery, Degree C, Ecocycle Tasmania, Embellish, ENZED, Floorworld Launceston, Greg Titmus, Guerilla Coffee, Insulation Solutions Tasmania, Ivo Agostini, Jailhouse Grill, Jen Shaw, Liz Illingworth, Longford Football Club, Mountain Bike Tasmania, Nigels Gourmet, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, Petrarch's Bookshop, Plastering Solutions Tasmania, Plastering Supplies Tasmania, Priceline Pharmacy, QVMAG Planetarium, Recycal, Relish Cafe, Rotary Club of Longford, Seahorse World, SportsPower, ¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ's College Year 12 Ascent, Statewide Embroidery, Steve's Grill at The Centennial, Tamar Hire, The Plough Inn, Victoria's for Flowers and Gifts, Woolworths Kings Meadows, Woolworths Launceston, Woolworths Prospect, Young's Vegie Shed Launceston.

By Miss Amy Soule - House Head - MacKillop More

On Friday 15 of August, we proudly celebrated MacKillop Spirit Day, an opportunity for MacKillop House to come together as a community to honour the legacy of Saint Mary MacKillop.

This year, MacKillop partnered with St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies), a charity whose mission and values of compassion, courage, faith, and service closely mirror those of our founder. The partnership provided a meaningful way to live out the values we speak about daily, while also raising awareness of the important work Vinnies continues to do in supporting vulnerable members of our society.

The focus of the day was the Year 12 Fashion Parade. Students hit the runway in outfits purchased from Vinnies, embracing creativity and humour while showcasing the idea that fashion can be fun, affordable, and sustainable. In keeping with the spirit of giving, all the clothing featured will be donated back, ensuring the impact of the parade continues well beyond the event itself.

The connection between fashion and service is especially fitting, as MacKillop’s annual charity night began as a Fashion Parade over 30 years ago. By revisiting this tradition, our current students not only celebrated the College’s history, but also carried forward a legacy of generosity and community spirit.

By Mr Jarrod Fawdry - Teacher

On Tuesday 2 September students from the SPC Chess Club attended the Term 3 Chess Tournament held at Kings Meadows High School. The tournament saw around 60 students compete in seven competitive rounds. This also provided the final opportunity for schools to gain entry into the state championship, scheduled to be held in Term 4.

It was fantastic to see our students enjoying themselves while also representing our college with such excitement and enthusiasm. We had some great performances with outstanding efforts being provided by our Captain, Andrew Kingston, and also by Sean McClintock, who achieved our team’s highest score of 5.

Overall, our SPC team scored 16 points which secured us fourth place. All students scored at least 3 points out of a possible 7 which was a fantastic effort. Unfortunately we did not secure a position this year for the state championship, but 2025 was the first year in a long time to see SPC attend all three regional tournaments. This year provided a wonderful opportunity for the SPC Chess Club to build some experience around competitive chess and I hope to see the club continue to grow in numbers and experience over the coming years.

Thank you to the students who formed our final team for the year, Connor Rogers, Finn Cloudsdale, Sean McClintock, Andrew Kingston, and Vaphei Bielu.

Well done!

By Mr Matthew McGee - Director of Digital Learning

As promoted at the parent information evenings, ¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ's College is a BYOD school. To assist you, we highly recommend that you purchase from the SPC Purchase Portal via JBHiFi.

The website to access the portal is and the school code is STPATS26. A flyer is attached below with these details.

On this portal, you will find a range of education-specific products at discounted prices. These products have been specifically chosen as they are the most suitable products for the use of students within our school.

Typically these products are non-retail products, meaning you won't always find them in JB Hi-Fi stores or other retailers. What sets them apart as education products are their stronger design and build (providing additional protection), as well as extra onsite (at school) warranties and accidental repair options.

Parents/Guardians are strongly encouraged to order early so that you won’t be disappointed. Whilst JBHiFi has ordered plenty of stock, once this runs out, there will be delays with orders.

If you have any questions regarding the BYOD Portal, please contact Mr Matthew McGee, Director of Digital Learning, by email at matthew.mcgee@stpatricks.tas.edu.au.

By Mr Jarrod Fawdry - Teacher

Term 3 saw the SPC Legal studies students attend or engage with several different extension opportunities and became the highlight of legal studies for many students.

Year 10 Introduction to Legal Studies students were visited by Senior Constable Annabel Shegog who helped extend student knowledge of police procedures and legislative powers following on from their exploration of police powers and protections for the accused and for the community in our classroom lessons. Students were also given the opportunity to ask questions of Senior Constable Shegog and some were even able to explore recruitment opportunities that will be available to them over the coming years.

On Friday 15 August our Level 3 Legal Studies students had the opportunity to attend the Utas sponsored Lawfest at the Sandy Bay Law campus. Students were able to network with other Legal Studies students from around the state, while also engaging in lectures and other interactive learning opportunities offered by the Utas Law Faculty. Highlights of this experience included a tour of the Law Library/Faculty, listening to keynote speaker, Justice Kate Cuthbertson, speak about her experiences in the legal industry, and the demonstration moot (mock trial) put on by Law students from the University.

On Thursday 21 August Level 3 Legal Studies and Level 2 Legal Studies - Foundations students from three classes travelled to Hobart to visit the Tasmanian Parliament and the Risdon Prison Complex.

At Parliament students were able to participate in a tour of Parliament House and then engaged in a mock parliament sitting where they were responsible for the introduction and debate of a student-chosen bill. This was an incredible experience which saw students take on the roles of Speaker of the House, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Government, Sergeant-at-Arms, and other elected members. The students gained a first hand understanding of the process a bill takes to become law and were able to do so while sitting in the House of Assembly. Students were also provided with the opportunity to visit the Legislative Council and had all their questions answered by the dedicated staff from the House of Assembly Education Office.

Students also visited the facilities at the Risdon Prison Complex. This part of the excursion was designed specifically to provide students with the opportunity to see imprisonment in action - an often contentious sentencing option studied in detail during engagement with the Legal Studies 3 course. Students were able to tour parts of the maximum security prison, the remand center, the medium security prison, library/school facilities, and the visitor center. Along the way students engaged in several conversations with senior Tasmanian Prison Service members and gained an appreciation of the importance of the work completed at the facility.

All students represented the College with distinction and it was a fantastic experience as a teacher to see some of the future lawyers, police officers and justice workers navigating parts of our world which could form their future workplaces.

Thank you again to students and to all staff who supported these incursions and excursions - without your help and engagement these experiences could not happen.

Ally Wilson will be captaining the Tasmanian Under 18 Girls Touch Football team at the National Youth Championships being held in Coffs Harbour from 1 - 4 October 2025.

Erin Wilson, Mackenzie Kilby, Georgia Harmey, Alexis Harmey, Pippa Harmey, Molly Harvey, Max Matthews, Grace Matthews, and Charlie Baker will be playing in the Tasmanian touch football team/s at the National Youth Championships being held in Coffs Harbour from 1 - 4 October 2025.

Earlier this month, Harry French won overall State Gymnastics Champion for MAG (Men’s Artistic Gymnastics) Level 6 at the State Gymnastics Championships in Hobart.

Paige O’Neill has been selected to represent Tasmania this week in the 2025 19&U Australian Pathway Camp for Netball.

By Mr James McGoran - Head of Library and Information Services

This year is the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. CBCA has been central to building the reading culture and literacy of the Nation since the end of World War 2, helping bring the wonder of reading to children, parents, authors, teachers, librarians, publishers and more.

We dove straight into Book Week (the theme was Book an Adventure) with activities and celebrations. Rolling the bingo spinner for a random genre or type of book was particularly popular! Thank you to all the classes that contributed and I hope all ¾ÅÉ«Ìà students had a great time at the Book Week dress-up parade over at Croagh.

Look out for the Library page in the yearbook to see some of the responses from our students about what Book an Adventure means to them!

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

The Cadet Forester Program (ASbA) is a Certificate II in Forest Operations and is the first step on the pathway to a diverse career in Forest Management in an industry which will play an important role in climate change, now and into the future.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Cadet Forester Program (ASbA) is a Certificate II in Forest Operations and is the first step on the pathway to a diverse career in Forest Management in an industry which will play an important role in climate change, now and into the future.

This Certificate II in Forest Operations includes the following training units:

* Work effectively in the forest and wood products industry
* Communicate and interact effectively in the forest and wood products industry
* Follow environmental protection procedures in forest and wood products operations
* Follow workplace health and safety policies and procedures in forest and wood products operations
* Develop knowledge of the forest and wood products industry
* Follow fire prevention procedures
* Provide first aid
* Operate communications systems and equipment
* Work in a team
* Trim and cut felled trees
* Navigate in forest areas
* Collect forest data or samples for assessment and analysis
* Measure trees

Students will work one day a week with their Employer and attend school the other four days. There are three block training sessions with the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) of four days, during each school holiday period.

Under the Australian School-based Apprenticeship model the student is paid for the time they are training both with the employer and the RTO.

APPLICATION:
Applications will close on 21 November 2025.

For an application form see the attached or go to our website:

INFORMATION:

Cadet Forester Program video link: 

Further information contact Denise at Arbre on: hub@arbre.net.au or call 0419 130 557

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

To apply to mainland universities, you need to apply in the state where you want to go to university.

For mainland university applications, you need to go through a Tertiary Admissions Centre for each state and make an account before you apply. There are one off application fees for each Tertiary Admissions Centre which vary from each state.

Applying in more states can INCREASE your chances of getting a place, because you can nominate the maximum number of preferences in each state. This is particularly important if you are considering a competitive course, like medicine or law.

*MAIN ENTRY dates - standard admission reliant on ATAR

EARLY ENTRY dates - check with individual universities regarding available Early Entry Programs

You will need the following information to create an account:

• USI - Government requirement that all students planning to study at university or VET programs need a USI:
• TASC ID – required for all university applications
• Personal email account – do not use your SPC email for applications as it expires at the end of the year

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Early Entry or School Recommendation Programs

• Check with individual universities regarding available Early Entry and School Recommendation Programs
• Check prerequisites and entry requirements - they all differ from each university; some offer direct applications, while others require Tertiary Admissions Centre registration

Apply for SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) - eligible for Tasmanian Students

SEAS adjusts your ATAR in recognition of circumstances that may have affected your education. This gives you a better chance of getting an offer for the course you want.

NOTE: All schools in Tasmania are located in regional or remote areas (SEAS Category 1) based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard - Remoteness Areas.

You may be eligible if you satisfy the criteria for one or more of the SEAS categories:

• Category 1: Personal Information

Indigenous Australian

Born in a non-English-speaking country and moved to Australia after 1 January 2015

Live in a low socio-economic area

Attend a school in a regional or remote location

First in family to attend university

Aged 21 or older on 1 January 2025

• Category 2: Financial Disadvantage
• Category 3: Disability or Medical Condition
• Category 4: Difficult Circumstances

Experienced difficult personal circumstances

Being a refugee or asylum seeker

Applications for SEAS are made through the Tertiary Admissions Centre for each state.

Resources

The Good Universities Guide -

Course Seeker -

UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

Visit us at our Open Day 2025 events

Going to University is an exciting time. Understanding what to expect and how to navigate this new environment can help you make the most of your experience. Come and join us for hands-on activities, tours and talks.

Hobart - Sunday 14 September
Launceston - Sunday 21 September
Burnie - Sunday 19 October

Find out more and register

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

Northern Midlands Council 2025 Further Education Bursary Program

To be eligible for a bursary, applicants must: 

• Have a Northern Midlands home address
• Be enrolled in Year 10
• Intend to pursue further education or training (including apprenticeships) for at least two years post-year 10.

Applicants are assessed on economic need, their passion for pursuing a further education/training pathway, and their community and school achievements to date.

5 bursaries offered – each bursary is valued at $2000.00

A hard copy can be requested by contacting the Council on 6397 7303.

Applications close 5pm Friday 19 September 2025.

Application attached or call into Future Pathways to collect an application form.

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

MECHANICAL SERVICES PLUMBER APPRENTICESHIP

A new local Mechanical Services business, SUBZERO MECHANICAL SERVICES in Launceston, is seeking an apprentice for 2026.

A Mechanical Services apprenticeship trains you in installing and maintaining heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and refrigeration systems for domestic, commercial and industrial businesses such as hospitals, schools, hotels, etc.

The qualification is a four-year VET course, Certificate III in Plumbing (Mechanical Services).

The applicant must be in Year 11 or 12 and hold a driver's licence or obtain one by the start of 2026.

A work trial will be required as part of the application process.

If you are interested, please email or see Ms White to register your interest - jodie.white@stpatricks.tas.edu.au

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

- FULLTIME

An apprenticeship with Degree C is your passport to a rewarding career. With a trade apprenticeship, you’ll earn a wage while you work towards a nationally recognised qualification.

We have 2025 / 2026 Apprenticeships on offer in Launceston for the following trades:

• Electricians
• Refrigeration Mechanics
• HVAC Plumbers

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate the following qualities:

• A good understanding of what your chosen career path involves
• The ability to work as part of an effective team
• Well-developed literacy and numeracy
• A strong work ethic and the motivation to study hard and succeed.

To apply upload the below:

• Your resume
• A copy of your most recent school results (for school leavers)
• A covering letter stating which apprenticeship you are applying for
• Any other relevant supporting information for your application

Apply now via Seek

Applications close 5pm, Sunday 14th September 2025

Late applications will not be accepted

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