What a Wonderful Year!

What another amazing year we have had at OLSCC in 2022.  Our Awards Ceremony last week highlighted some of the excellent achievements by our students throughout the year, and a very special Graduation Mass and Valedictory Dinner took place with some amazing graduands last Friday.  Between these three events, a school may make a real judgement of their success in any given time period.  Although not publicly recognised specifically during the awards, many of the students who stood before us are actually in the top echelon of their field in the state.  From NAPLAN results, to maths competitions, to sport, to classroom learning, to university applicants.  Our community, as I emphasised last Wednesday, is outstanding at growing great people. And this was further enforced by the amazing young adults who walked out of St Joseph’s Church last Friday morning- ready to take on the world.  What an amazing group of students we were able to wish the best for their adult life!

Though our year isn’t quite finished yet.  We have Carols tomorrow night on the oval, the Early Years Nativity Play, 5-8 year old swimming carnival, classroom celebrations, and the sharing of report cards.  Our classes will be having parties and our Year 10 and 11 students will be finishing up tomorrow afternoon. UP DAY next Wednesday will be a highlight yet again, and our final whole college assembly including staff farewell will take place next Thursday.  

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this College this year.  Parents, grandparents, carers, guardians, students, staff, TCS support staff and the general community.  I look forward to an exciting year ahead where we continue to develop into the College that we aspire to be.    

2023 Staffing

Our staff that are new to the College in 2023 are visiting and transitioning to OLSCC over the next 2 weeks, with many attending UP DAY next week.  Yesterday we welcomed Ms Leah Parker (SY Maths/Design Tech) to the Senior Years where she was able to meet some students and also network with her peers prior to the holidays.  Today we have Miss Sophie Twidale (3T) meeting with staff, students and the current Year 3 teachers to get her head around how we work at OLSCC, and Miss Abby Henry (Prep Green) has been visiting and interviewing her students in Prep Green for 2023.  For UP DAY next Wednesday, we will have Mrs Madeline Workman (3W), Mrs Danielle Skerman (Learning Support), Miss Amie Stolz (SY/MY Music), Miss Abby  Henry (Prep Green), Mrs Nicole Horchner (Prep School Officer) and all of our wonderful current staff visiting for a day in next year’s structure as all our students move up.  It’s going to be great!

In addition to the announcements made last week, I would like to add the following welcome additions:

• Ms Lily Johannes – Lily come to us from Kalgoorlie in WA, though has wide ranging expertise in the teaching of English, as well as ELICOS.  Lily will be teaching English and Humanities, and is likely to work alongside Student Services to support students with English as an additional language.
• Mrs Madeline Workman – Maddie comes to us from the State sector where she has worked in small schools.  She is a passionate and enthusiastic educator who is very excited about working alongside Miss Twidale in the Year 3 cohort for next year!
• Mrs Nicole Horchner – While Nicole is no stranger to OLSCC after coordinating playgroup and working in Shooting Stars this year, it is wonderful to be welcoming Nicole to a regular position as a Prep School Officer.  Nicole is a kind and compassionate soul who is perfectly suited to working with our newest additions in Prep Green next year!

We are finalising the appointments of the following positions:

• SY Physics/Maths (we are very close to announcing this once final documents are submitted)
• School Guidance Counsellor (as an addition to Mrs Ballantine as we are now a hub for other schools in our area)
• Admin Officer: Reception
• Admin Officer: Enrolment and Finance

Unfortunately, we are re-advertising the position of Senior Math/Science Teacher.  If you are aware of a great Maths (9/10 + General or Essential)/Science (Science in Practice) Teacher keen to get on board with a great College – please put them in contact with us!

Helping Families Plan for Fees

Last week Mrs Hall, the College Business Manager, distributed the College Fees Schedule for 2023, as well as the direct debit request (DDR) form for families.  In addition to this, the table below outlines the overall costs for fees for the 2023 school year, including planned costs for events such as camps, excursions, retreats and incursions for all year levels.  This document will assist families in calculating how much per fortnight they could be paying by direct debit to avoid periodic large bills for fees and camps etc coming in at one time.  It is important to note that if you are planning on using DDR for your fees next year, the time to start the payments is now.  I often see families start their payment plan after the first fees have been issued, and they are constantly behind by a term because they didn’t plan to start before the fees were due.

It is important to note that Catholic schools across the Diocese continue to have significant outstanding fees, and as such, the Diocese will be introducing more stringent measures to ensure that families choosing a Catholic Education are also choosing to contribute to the education of their children, as Catholic Schools are not funded to the same level as State Schools and require a parental contribution.  Please keep this in mind as you plan financially for 2023 as continuity of enrolment will not be an option for students with ongoing outstanding fees in the new year.  Please see the fee structure below or head to the College website where you can access this information as well as DDR forms and bank details. https://oloscdalby.schoolzineplus.com/college-fees

See You in 2023!

The Cuskellys are heading off to visit Jo’s family for Christmas in the UK, so won’t be around Dalby to celebrate Christmas this year.  We wish everyone a joyful and hope-filled Christmas spent with families and friends.  As was reinforced with the seniors of 2022, our Catholic foundations underpin everything we do, who we are, and what we inspire to achieve at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.  I trust that our community celebrates the true meaning and significance of Christmas with their friends and families this December.  What’s more, let us all consider how we can in some way walk in the margins this festive season, like Jesus did, and spend some time and energy helping out those less fortunate and privileged than us. 

I’ll leave you for 2022 with a few of my favourite photos from the year.  It’s important in our world where everyone strives for more, that we sometimes take the time to practice gratitude for the amazing world we share with some amazing people. See you next year!

Peter Cuskelly

Principal