Student Leaders 2019

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting with our current Year 10 and 11 students to discuss student leadership at the College for 2019.  In the room we had an enormous amount of leadership potential for the upcoming year and I am already encouraged by the nominations I am receiving for College Prefects and Senior House Leaders.  We spoke about the opportunities that this group has to have significant impact on the progress of our great College over the coming year.  As entrepreneurs and advocates for the student body, it is wonderful to have so many strong people who are able to lead the College.

On Monday, our staff will be hosting discussions with year levels to discuss the process of student leaders selection as well as have conversations about the roles and what other students expect of them.  The application packages are currently available at the Office including all of the details for our applicants.  Please note that no late nominations will be accepted.

The student leadership positions in 2019 are as follows:

CTJ Day

Monday, 22 October is the annual pupil free day where senior panels meet to moderate senior student work and all other teaching staff in the Diocese meet with others to discuss student learning and achievement, plan for upcoming changes and challenges, as well as celebrate success!  As such all of our primary teachers will be attending St Mary’s College in Toowoomba where we will be presenting our story and success so far in Visible Learning.  We will also have the opportunity to see where other schools are gaining success in their improvement journey.  Our secondary teachers will be attending St Joseph’s College in Toowoomba where they will be working in collaborative groups planning for the implementation of the new senior syllabus for every subject going into the new ATAR and QCE system for Year 11 students in 2019. 

Please ensure you have made suitable arrangements for your child/ren for Monday and we look forward to seeing the school return to life on Tuesday!

2019 Classes and Timetables

Mr Hobson and I are currently finalising the draft timetable for 2019 and are intending to have the Year 7-12 timetables out shortly. We acknowledge that it is well past our intended date for this, though we are doing all in our power to get it finalised ASAP.  Year 9/10 subject choices are out tomorrow and we request these are returned ASAP.  Although this does not affect the timetable as such, it allows us to give students a timetable that is accurate for them. There are a few critical changes to our timetable for next year to align our educational agenda with our educational practice.  These include:

• The timetable is now based on 40 minutes, rather than the current 30 minute basis. 
• There are 5 lines for Years 11 and 12 and no more “study”. 
• Accordingly, the bell times will change.  School will still start at 8:50 and finish at 3:10, though First Break will be from 11:30 – 12:10 and second break will be from 1:30 - 1:50. 
• In Years 11 and 12, students will have 4 hours for each subject – 2 single lessons and 2 doubles
• Assemblies will take place on a weekly basis alternating from sector (Early Years/Middle Years/Senior Years) to whole school.  This is a great way for parents and community to see what is happening at the College!
• We are implementing “Living Your Faith” (LYF) at the College.  This includes Religious Education, as well as Praxis, which is practicing our faith.  Religious Education and Ethics will be everyone’s sixth subject, with the exception of 2019 Year 12 students who have already started Study of Religion (SOR).
• We are also introducing bells that signal the transition time to go from one class to the next.  This will improve the amount of time students are actively engaged in learning.

Enrolments (Again!)

Our primary staffing model is largely complete and our secondary is only dependent on adjustments according to those who are successful in their application for Middle Leadership positions at the College. As such, if anyone you know has children they intend on enrolling at our College, please let them know so we can include them in our calculations and make our staffing model the best fit possible.  We have a great intake of Preppies for 2019 with over 50 on the books already! 

Peter Cuskelly

Principal