It has been another packed fortnight of opportunities for staff and students at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College. Our whole College Assembly today celebrated a few of our recent College successes and it resonated with me how many opportunities our students are blessed to have.  I encouraged all students to be curious about what opportunities they could engage in (eg: sport, culture, arts, optiminds, further learning) while also emphasising the importance of commitment to practice whatever they commit to trying. Being in Dalby and not in the big city actually brings additional prospects that sometimes will not be found in the bigger schools.  The fact of the matter is that students at OLSCC are far more likely to engage in richer extra-curricular activities due to the number of students in each year level, the standard that is frequently achieves, and the staff and parents who support, coach and facilitate these activities for our students. 

Most importantly, everyone needs to belong. Everyone needs to be part of a team, a group.  It is simply not enough for student wellbeing to just come to school every day. This is especially important for those who frequently connect to social media platforms.  Students who play team sport often fill this void through a team sport.  Some achieve this diversity through local kids that use communal spaces to play, some engage through youth groups and others engage through activities like dance, singing or playing a musical instrument. It is also important that being part of an online gaming community does not fulfill this need of belonging.  Belonging, even in a digital world, needs human connection, face to face conversation, and frequent interactions.  If your child is seeming a little lonely and hasn’t found their group, the only way to change this is for them to get out and try something new!  

Griffith University Principal’s Dinner

On Wednesday evening I was fortunate to attend a function hosted by Griffith University and had the opportunity to meet with Griffith University staff and principals from the large secondary schools in the Brisbane, Ipswich and Bayside areas.  While we learned a lot about what fantastic programs and student support is available at Griffith University, as well as some hefty scholarship opportunities, I also learned that many of the issues we are facing regarding staffing shortages, human resources in general, student behaviour, vaping, wellbeing, misuse of technology, are all being faced in every school across the South East corner.  This includes some of the most prestigious schools!  It was a great opportunity to share knowledge with other schools and learn from their progress as well as some great connections for the future.

NEW STUDENT Lunch

On Wednesday I invited all new Year 1 – 12 student to share some sneaky hot chips and provide me with some feedback about what the College should be most proud of, what could be improved, and anything I should know.  It was great to get to know some of the new faces better, as well as hear some excellent feedback and suggestions! Thank you to all those students who gave up their lunchtime to come and have a chat and let me know what you think about OLSCC after your first term here.

BGA Meeting

I continue to investigate the opportunity to further advance our facilities at OLSCC.  While we have a long term plan for many of the smaller projects that are coming up, over the next 24 months I will be working with a committee (yet to be formed) in order to advance facilities in the senior years that more closely align with the modern curriculum and upcoming challenges such as teacher shortages.  The intent is to be able more diverse and industry-valued training as well as senior subjects that best prepare students for the employment, university or further training pathways.  It also allows us to move past the limitations caused by the physical spaces which are nearing their end of life.  Mr Paul Bryant from Toowoomba Catholic Schools has always been a great help in this area and we appreciated his visit earlier this week.   

COVID and Influenza A

At the moment we have continual staff shortages due to the illnesses getting around our local area.  There are still impacts from COVID, and Influenza A is causing some concern also.  We continue to encourage staff who are unwell to stay home and recover, as we do with the children, so the sickness only has a limited spread amongst our community.  Thank you for your patience as we deal with the sickness, it certainly isn’t very fun for Mrs Brennan as she constantly strives to ensure that we have the best teachers in front of our classes every day.

New Staff

During the holidays we will welcome several new staff to the College community. Miss Kiara Pethybridge and Ms Linzi Smith will join us in administration to assist Miss Sandy Brookes and Mrs Tracey Boland.  Mr Neil Turner will join our services team and will assist Mr Nathan Pretorius and Mr Anthony Pope. A very special thank you to Mr Pope as he has been on his own for the past week, keeping the grounds and maintenance of the College looking great and working well.

Shout Out to Student Representing OLSCC

On facebook last night we highlighted some of our amazing students who are out and about representing the College through Darling Downs School Sport teams in volleyball, netball, rugby union, rugby league, touch and more. Thank you to all of these students who have grasped this opportunity and are striving to achieve their best. Thanks also to the parents and carers who spend much of their time and funds towards supporting their children in these endeavours. 

I would also like to wish the OLSCC Open Netball (QISSN) and Open Rugby League (QISSRL/confraternity) teams all the best in Mackay.  It has been a long preparation for these teams and the opportunity to participate in a full week of confraternity is certainly something the students will never forget.  Thanks especially to all the staff who make this year around commitment to these teams and then sacrifice 9 days of their holidays to travel with, live with, and lead the students in their sporting pursuits. Best of luck to everyone!  If you would like to keep updated, please keep an eye on the College Facebook page.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal