Deputy News
As a Senior Leadership Team we are reading a book together to inspire our leadership, called ‘Legacy’ by James Kerr. This is the third time I’ve read this book in its entirety with a group. Each time I read it I take away a new saying or message that resonates with me. This week’s chapter is all about ‘keeping a blue head’ to control your attention. It is a timely chapter to read as we start to look towards the end of term and the holidays which are nearly here but as we finish off all that we have been working on this term. There is such satisfaction is finishing off tasks whether for our students it’s the assessment they have been drafting or the mock exam they sit in preparation for next term or for our staff the marking of these. In this chapter it reminds us that controlling our attention is about bringing ourselves back into the present (pg 118). I love this notion, as we know it is important but sometimes need reminding. Enjoy the now of the last few weeks. The holidays will come that is inevitable but until then, enjoy the now and be present.
LEARNING DISCUSSIONS TERM 3
Thank you to our staff and families who held Learning Discussions last week. As we are reviewing our reporting this year, if you have any feedback on these discussions we would love to hear it via the form below.
Planning for Learning Discussions is multi-faceted. We consider the learner, where are they at in their learning, is this a good time to give feedback so families can support their learning? We understand that families are busy units, so we consider how can we structure these opportunities to get the best engagement without adding additional pressures to family life? When do we host these so that teachers time is utilised and in a technological age how can we create online opportunities for those unable to come in person? We also acknowledge that we will never be able to suit the needs of every family in our College and that the best way to work with your child's teacher/s to support their learning is through ongoing communication throughout the year. This was highlighted strongly through parent feedback at the end of Semester 1.
Learning Discussions Term 3 Feedback
Your feedback and voice are valuable in our year of review. You may have not seen immediate change from your Term 2 feedback but it is important to note that it all being considered in our review process as we make plans for 2025.
CLASS CONSIDERATION FOR 2025
Creating class lists and allocating students to classes each year is an important task for our College staff. On our College website you will find a page dedicated to the process we follow when creating classes. I encourage all parents to read this information and the FAQ sections to assist parents to understand this process and to talk to your children about their new classes. This page is called Class Allocation and can be found under ‘Enrolment & Back to School’.
COLLEGE EVENTS
We love it when families join us for College events. Our next big College Event is Our Lady of the Southern Cross Day. On this day we join as a whole College for our prayer celebration at 12:30pm in the MPC. Our 2025 Prefects will be announced at this prayer celebration, followed by an afternoon of whole college athletic events on the Main Oval. These events include All Age Relay, the Tresillian and Gillespie Gifts. This is a great afternoon to join us to celebrate the magic that is our Prep – Year 12 College community.
Grandparents are so special, and we celebrate them as a College on Grandparent’s Day. This year, Grandparent’s Day will be held on Friday 13 September. Official activities will commence at 9:30am with our prayer celebration in the MPC, grandparents are welcome to mingle after drop off from 8:30am for a casual cuppa in the Middle Years Plaza. After prayer, grandparents will head to classroom visits to see the exciting ways and concepts our students have been learning in 2024.
If you are new to our College family in 2024 you may not be aware of another big occasion we have in Term 4, our College Awards of Excellence Ceremony. Held during the Year 12’s last days here at the College, it celebrates and acknowledges excellence in all four domains of our College; Academia, Spirituality, Sport and Arts. Awards are presented to students in all year levels as we celebrate our rich College life. At the conclusion of the Awards, we farewell our Year 12 students as a P-12 community and they exit and ring the journey bell. This ceremony will be on 13 November beginning at 9:15am. Parents will be notified via Parent Portal at the commencement of Term 4 if your child is receiving an award. Teachers have already commenced their work on Award nomination and over the coming weeks I will feature the criteria for our Awards in our newsletter.
GRANDPARENT’S DAY – the finer details
Grandparents can be defined in many ways; a parent of one’s father or mother, they are also extended family or even dear family friends who fill the role of mentor and loved one in our lives. We extend an invitation for all Grandparents of our College students (Prep to Year 12) to join us on our annual Grandparent’s Day, Friday 13 September.
The day will flow:
8:30-9:15am - Morning Cuppa offered to grandparents in MY Plaza after drop off
9:15-9:30 - Grandparents and Students move into the MPC
9:30-10:00 - Prayer Celebration
10:00-11:30 Classroom visits - Grandparents asked to go with older students first then they can accompany them to the next one….then the next one….then the next one and so on.
So we can arrange seating we ask all grandparents to RSVP to this event by Monday 9 September using the QR Code below or this link
PUPIL FREE DAY THIS FRIDAY
This Friday is our last Pupil Free day of the year. Below is information that has been repeated in last few newsletters about they WHY of Pupil Free Days and dates for 2025.
WHY DO WE HAVE PUPIL-FREE DAYS?
Are you curious why we have Pupil-Free Days? These days are extremely important for our staff to gather and to be lifelong learners themselves. The Toowoomba Catholic Schools office designates each year which days these will be taken on and over the course of year we have 10 Pupil free days allocated. Five of these occur outside of the school terms either in the week before students start in Term 1 or after school in the form of extended professional learning sessions until 7:30pm. The other five occur during the school term, one at the commencement of Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3, one aligned to Catholic Education Week and the other a Friday usually in late August or early September. On these days the staff collaborate and engage in professional learning aligned to directions set by Toowoomba Catholic School Office as well as annual goals and priorities as set by the College each year. Some of these occur here at the College whilst others occur at different locations like last Friday’s Bishops Inservice Day which was held at St Mary’s College Toowoomba. The dates for Pupil-Free Days for 2025 are:
Week 0 – 21 January – 24 January (before students commence)
Tuesday 28 January
Tuesday 22 April
Monday 14 July
Friday 1 August
Friday 5 September
DATE CLAIMERS – Term 3 and beyond
30 August - Pupil Free Day – Staff Professional Development
2 September – Our Lady of the Southern Cross Day Celebrations
13 September – Grandparent’s Day Celebrations & Last day of Term 3
30 September – First day of Term 4 (10-week term)
7 October – King’s Birthday holiday
21 October – 12 November – Year 12 External Exams
13 November – College Awards of Excellence Ceremony
15 November – Year 12 Graduation Mass
2 December – College Christmas Carols (twilight)
5 December – Early Years Nativity Play (during school day)
6 December – last day of Term 4 (10-week term)
Cate Brennan
Deputy Principal Religious Education