Year 12 Week 3

Yesterday was the last day of regular timetable and school routines for our Year 12 students and today they enjoyed their final retreat as a cohort.  This means that the students now focus on their external exams preparation as they progress through 17 days of state synchronised exams. It also means that students on a pathway that doesn’t include general subjects will only return to school for the final few days of Week 7 leading up to graduation. There is a wide range of emotions amongst the students and staff including anxiety, excitement, happiness and sadness, though we know for sure that our Year 12 students are as ready as they ever will be to finalise their assessment over coming weeks and move onto the next chapter in their lives.  Our Year 12 students are a great collective group, as well as great individuals.  They will go on to make a great contribution to our world, and we wish them all the best in their External Assessment!  See you all in Week 7 for awards and graduation!    

Mrs Brennan 5 Year Review

On Monday Mrs Brennan will undergo her 5-year review in her role of Deputy Principal Religious Education. I will have Ms Angela Travers (TCS Senior Leader Mission and Identity), Mr Chris Golightly (TCS Senior Education Leader) and Ms Kellie-Marie Ford (St Jospeh’s College Acting Deputy Principal) join me in the panel as we collate feedback from interviews and surveys to determine her progress in her role as well as informing the direction for the next 5 years.  Thank you to those families who have received and completed the surveys for Mrs Brennan, as well as those who will be attending interviews on Monday to give feedback regarding her role.  This process is crucial for all senior leaders in schools at TCS and we look forward to the insights we gain from this valuable opportunity.

Staffing Updates

We are currently placing recruitment advertisements to ensure we deliver the full compliment of subjects available at OLSCC, with the expansion of the Early Years to three streams in Year 1, as well as Prep again in 2024.  Sadly, we will have some staff departing at the end if this year, which we will announce in the week 5 newsletter.  We are also refining the Middle and Senior Years timetables to ensure we have the best structure for our students to learn.  The roles being advertised include the following:

Teacher: Year 1

Teacher: HPE & Science

Teacher: English & Humanities

Teacher: Physics, Maths & Science

Teacher: Design Technology

These roles will be advertised at the same time as our available Middle Leader positions which have been confirmed for the foreseeable future.  This Middle Leadership Structure is intended to focus on support to enhance teacher practice in the classroom, more precise curriculum planning and delivery, and greater support for early and middle years through more committed time from a primary middle leader.  These Middle Leader positions are not fulltime positions.  The Primary Middle Leader will have 50% release from classroom teaching, and P-12 and Secondary Middle Leaders also receive some release from their teaching loads. Our confirmed Middle Leadership (ML) Structure from 2024 is:

P-12 Middle Leader Roles:

Living Your Faith (LYF)                  - Mrs Carey Twidale (continuing)

Sport                                               - Mr Tim Lincoln (continuing)

Student Services                           - Mrs Andrea Gormley (returning from leave)

Secondary Middle Leader Roles:

Mathematics                                - Recruiting

English & Humanities                   - Recruiting

Science & Technology                  - Recruiting

Pedagogy & Engagement             - Mr Tyron Fraser (continuing)

Pedagogy & Engagement             - Recruiting

Arts                                            - Miss Tamara Creeley (continuing)

Primary Middle Leader               - Recruiting

I have also applied to Toowoomba Catholic Schools for approval to appoint an additional Assistant Principal to the Senior Leadership Team as Assistant Principal - Administration. This role is intended to support the ever-increasing administration demands at the College, take responsibility for the timetable and oversight of daily covers, oversee The Arts, HPE and Languages curriculum areas for Year 7-12, manage all professional learning and development for staff, and be responsible for the development of a “High Potential Learners” framework, underpinning best teacher practices in advancing capabilities of high performing students in every class and lesson across the College. This position also includes a 50% teaching load. Once this position is approved, it will also be advertised.

If you know of people who match the values and mission of our College who would love to work with a fantastic staff such as ours, please refer them to Seek or the Toowoomba Catholic School website where these positions will be posted in the next few days. 

Mr Peter Cuskelly

Principal