Welcome back!  It has been great working with our staff since last week, but it was excellent to have our students back with us since Tuesday.  They were full of smiles and stories as they quickly settled into their new classes.  We welcome 85 new students across Prep to Year 11 this year and 11 new staff.  I know that our community will embrace these new OLSCC family members and extend welcome to them too. On Friday the staff spent the day at the Bunya Mountains on retreat.  It was great to immerse ourselves in the rich history and culture of our First Nations peoples. Here we walked in the footsteps of many who have come before us.

Commencement Mass

Next Wednesday, 1 February, we will formally celebrate the commencement of the Academic Year and celebrate the achievements of our 2022 Year 12 students at our Commencement Mass at 1:50pm in our College Multi-purpose Centre (MPC).  All students from Prep to Year 12 will attend this Mass, with a special welcoming of our Prep students as part of this.  Parents and families are welcome to join us for this occasion.  As this is a formal occasion all students are asked to wear formal uniform on this day.  To assist families students may wear sports uniform on Thursday 2 Feb instead of Wednesday. 

NAPLAN Online

Students in Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 will complete NAPLAN in March this year (15-27 March), this is earlier than previous years.  Practice tests for NAPLAN Online will be conducted in the test window from 13-24 February.  The aim of these sessions is for students to interact with the NAP Browser online platform and experience the types of questions that will be asked. 

To assist Parents to have the same experience I encourage you to check out the NAPLAN website, in particular the NAPLAN Online page https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment.

There is a great short video (only 2m 11s) called Understanding NAPLAN Online that outlines the move to the online platform.  The other place I would highlight on this website is the Public Demonstration Site – here you can click on your child’s year level and explore what the online platform looks like, sounds like and how they can interact with it.  Perhaps dedicate some time with your child to explore this together – let them show you around.  If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online not answered by this site I am always happy to meet with parents to discuss it further.

Each fortnight leading to NAPLAN we will include general NAPLAN information in the College Newsletter.  If you would like to discuss your child’s participation in NAPLAN please contact your child’s core teacher, Kristen Bennie or myself.

Volunteers in our College

Volunteers are welcome to assist in the classroom, on excursions and at our tuckshop upon completion of Volunteer Induction Module and return Declaration form.  Declaration forms must be submitted before your day of volunteering to ensure approval is granted.

Information regarding the Volunteer Induction Module can be found on Parent Portal or via the link: https://www.twb.catholic.edu.au/work-and-learn-with-us/volunteers-and-visiting-service-providers/

INFORMATION SESSION – SCHOOL PLATFORMS

Want to know more about our College Platforms – like Parent Portal, Canvas, Flexischools (Tuckshop) – practical sessions will held on Monday 30 Jan at 2:45pm, Wednesday 1 Feb at 8:45am, Thursday at 5:00pm in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) which is the large room between the Prep rooms and the College office.  Bring along your phone or device to set up as we go.