And so begins the final term of the year, and what a great term it is. So much hard work goes into every classroom in our College each year to set routines and ensure growth and progress for our learners. In Term 4, we get to celebrate all that hard work as students finalise this year’s learning. For our Year 12 students it is the culmination of 13 years of education and we look forward to celebrations that mark this. 

COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERS 2025

Last term we announced our College Prefect group for 2025.

• College Captains – Braithen Crothers and Chloe Manteit
• College Prefects – Karlie Falvey, Jack Hall, Joab Jocson and Taylor Marshall

We now move to appoint our College House Leaders for 2025. To be considered for one of these positions students must be in Year 10 or 11 currently. They write a letter of application, undertake an interview with members of the College Leadership Team and present a speech to students in Year 5-12. Students in Year 5-12 are then given the opportunity to vote to show support for their House Leader. From this process students are appointed to the House Leader position. House Leaders for 2025 will be announced at our next Whole College Assembly on Friday 18 October at 9:00am in the MPC, families are welcome to join us for this announcement. House Leaders will commence in these positions this term and continue in these positions until Term 4 2025.

SAFETY OF STUDENTS AT PICK UP

As the summer storm season begins, we have commenced a new process at the College to ensure the safety of our staff and students at pick up time at the end of the school day. We enacted this process on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. We all know by ‘Murphy’s Law’ that these rain events and storms seem to always hit right at 3:10pm, at pick up time, when we are trying to depart our 650 (approx.) students. To ensure the safety of all when departing the school day on occasions when BOM issues a ‘severe thunderstorm warning’ – involving lightning, storms and wild weather – we will send a text message to all families and staff notifying them that we will not be using Cooper Street as a pickup location. Please note this is to ensure the safety of our students and staff, who would need to cross this open area with large metal structures. We will direct students to the area for pick up in front of the Prep classrooms. On these occasions we do not need parents to contact students or the office to confirm these plans, we will communicate this process directly with our students. We will maintain supervision until all students are collected to ensure there is adequate time for adjustments to be made by parents for pickup. We will not stop students who are travelling on foot or by bike from leaving the college but be aware that in the event of extreme storm activity, we will delay students leaving the campus or classrooms until it is safe. Parents should talk to their children (of all ages) about sensible behaviour in storms to ensure personal safety and what alternate arrangements are in place for your family in the event of storms and rains at school departure time.  

CLASS LISTS

Class allocations for the year ahead will be communicated to the students in advance of ‘Up Day’ each year. They will be released in Week 5 via Parent Portal and displayed at the College for students. Class lists are final on publication to students and parents. There will be no changes to the Year 9-11 class lists from 2024. This decision has been made as Year 9 lists were changed mid-year due to timetable restructure and as students move into Year 11 and Year 12 their core class is only used for a Year Level Connect lesson each week. 

‘Up Day’ will be held on Wednesday 4 December for Year 1-10 2025 students. This is the day where all students enrolled for the following year spend time in their future classes. 

This practice means that:

• Students will experience a day in their future class, with future teacher/s;
• Students will engage in transitional activities that include orientation of new features, structures, areas and facilities;
• Students begin to build relationships with their teacher/s for following year;
• Students will know which other students will be in their class; and
• Parents and carers will have time to talk positively to their children about the class experiences they may have the following year.

Our process for allocating and releasing class lists is explained on our College Website – Enrolment & Back to School – Class Allocation.

COLLEGE AWARDS – what are they?

If you are new to our College family in 2024 you may not be aware of a 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. As part of the Awards Ceremony, 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 have been notified via Parent Portal at the commencement of Term 4 if your child is receiving an award. If your child is listed in an Activity called Awards of Excellence 2024 this means they are receiving an award at this ceremony.

Details for each of these awards can be found on our College Website – About Us – College Awards of Excellence.

DATE CLAIMERS – Term 4

18 October – Year 12 final formal day of school

18 October – 2025 House Leaders announced at Whole College Assembly

21 October – 12 November – Year 12 External Exams

13 November – College Awards of Excellence Ceremony

15 November – Year 12 Graduation Mass

22 November – Year 11 and Year 10 final day of school

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