Great Start to 2024

What an amazing first week!  In recent weeks there has been a buzz around the college as jobs get done, teachers set up rooms, and the staff attend their annual six day training block in preparation for the year ahead.  Then, come Tuesday morning – BOOM! – thousands of people arrived and over 650 students head into classrooms – ready to catch up with all their mates, share stories from the holidays and start familiarising themselves with new teachers and learning environments.  It was energising to see the students, parents, families and little siblings engaging in the hive of activity around the place.  Welcome back everyone – its great to get another exciting year of learning, fun and friendships underway!

Learning First

I love showing people around our classrooms and playgrounds.  I have spent considerable time in classrooms this week and each and every class I have visited has been focussed on routines and learning.  Prep Green were explaining the College Expectations to me yesterday morning, 6B were focussed on math fact fluency, 11/12 Legal Studies were engaged in “beyond reasonable doubt”, and year 10 were learning how the periodic table functioned with Mr Storey.  Our College has an amazing buzz for the start of the school year, and everyone is hitting the ground running.  It is wonderful to have all our people back at school, and I already know that we are going to have a fantastic year in 2024 as we “Think Big, Act Boldly, Serve Others”.

Staff Update

We are fully staffed at OLSCC for 2024, and may I say that we aren't just staffed - we have an excellent team on board!  In case you see some unfamiliar faces around the classrooms, below are listed our new staff and those whose roles have changed for this year.   

Our new staff for 2024 are:

• Miss Kaitlin Stanton - Year 1S
• Miss Louise Pevy - Middle Leader Primary + Year 3PT
• Mr Lyndon Vince - Humanities + Business
• Miss Sophie Boon - Maths + Biology + Science
• Mr Michael Du Preez - Design Technology
• Mr Zachary Storey - HPE + Science
• Miss Laura Richter - Maths + Science

Staff changing roles include:

• Please see Middle Leadership Roles below
• Miss Sophie Twidale - Classroom music + Year 3PT
• Mrs Caitlin Fry - Year 7/8 English + Humanities
• Miss LaSharne Walkinshaw - Classroom School Officer
• Mrs Kathy Morgan - Full time Prep Red
• Mrs Jacqueline Jenkinson - Part-time Teacher Librarian Tues/Wed/Thurs
• Mr Dean Garside - 0.5 Careers Development Practitioner, 0.5 Teacher
• Mrs Melanie Henry - 0.4 4HT only this year (Thu/Fri) + lifesaving relief teacher!

In 2023 we also designed and recruited our new College Leadership Team through realigning the Middle Leadership Structure at the College. The roles of the various members of the Leadership Team are outlined below, and you can expect to hear more from our Middle Leaders as they celebrate their respective progress in the College.

2024-2027 Strategic Plan Launch

Attached to this newsletter is an invitation to attend the launch of the College's new Strategic Plan and commencement mass, and early next week parents will also receive an invitation to the official launch. Both of these events will take place on Monday 5 February, as we share our vision for the future as well as the actions that will underpin our ongoing success. I ask everyone to consider attending one of these events and being informed and engaged in the progress of the College.  The daytime event will include our 2024 commencement mass, a very beautiful mass, especially for the Prep and Year 12 students and their familes, and the late afternoon event will be a smaller, more formal occasion in the PAC which will be followed by canapes and refreshments in the Middle Years Plaza.  I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC)

The process of opening our OSHC at OLSCC is coming along nicely.  Yesterday we began advertising for the staff who will work for Toowoomba Catholic Kindergartens and Care (TCKC), operating on our site.  A letter is attached including the link to registration for your child, which must be done before your child can access this service.  I will continue to keep you informed as we get closer to announcing the date! If you know of any suitable staff, please pass on the details in this newsletter, on the TCS  website, or SEEK.  Exciting times!

Library Opening Times Changing

Starting in week 3, the opening times of the Library will change at OLSCC.  As always it will be open for students to access during lunch breaks at the College, and all through the day to  support their learning.  However, before and after school the purpose of the library will change, as will the times.  The library will be open from 8:30 to 8:50am, as well as 3:10-3:30pm daily for:

• library borrowing
• reading
• completion of homework
• study groups
• printing
• laptop and IT support

Students not in the library for these reasons will be asked to leave.  This means that additional outside of school hours supervision of students will not be staffed by the College as it has been in the past.  Students should arrive at the College around 8:30am daily, though certainly not before 8:15am, and must be collected from the College by 3:30pm.  I understand this may disrupt some arrangements for families, so please prioritise making new arrangements for your child's care before 8:30am and after 3:30pm. In coming weeks, the OSHC will provide excellent service for our 12 years and under students outside of school hours.   The library will continue to be open from 8:00am until 4:00pm in week 2 and begin new hours starting on 5 February 2024.

How to start the year well

There are a lot of conversations in our College with students about how to start the year well.  Below are a few key tips from me:

1. Get into it. Sign up for a choir, a club, a sporting team and make some new friends.  One at school, one in the community. There are fantastic options for everyone in Dalby!
2. Get onto it.  Don't waste time catching up on your learning later on.  Get ahead and start study now!
3. Get onboard.  Staff and students are all on the same team here at OLSCC.  Follow the expectations and focus on having a great time!
4. Get support.  Growing up sucks sometimes.  Luckily for our students, we have 83 staff here every day that are all passionate about working with young people.  When things aren't going your way, please just reach out to your favourite adult at the College for support, and if you can't identify a favourite adult, our Counsellor Mrs Ballantyne and our 3 Assistant Principals are there to support you.

Have an awesome year everyone - can't wait to play on the new prep playground next week!

Mr Peter Cuskelly

Principal

MINOR CONSENT 2024

2024 College Fees

Please see below a link to the College website containing the fees for the 2024 year.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross College (dalby.catholic.edu.au)

School Fee Collection Procedure

A reminder from our last newsletter in 2023, that a new School Fee Collection Procedure has been introduced for the 2024 year.

The College relies on the timely payment of fees and invoices to enable the delivery of high-quality education for our students. From the 2024 year, the College will be adopting the School Fee Collection Procedure as implemented by Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office (TCSO). The new collection procedure has refined payment terms and strict follow up timeframes to ensure the timely payment of school fees.

One of the key changes under the new policy is strict 14-day payment terms for all invoices, including term fees.

It is important that all families are aware of the new terms to ensure fees are paid within the required timeframes unless a suitable direct debit or other agreed financial arrangement or payment plan is in place. Failure to do so may result in debt collection action.

We encourage any families that are concerned about their account to contact the College Business Manager, Sarah Hall, for a confidential discussion.

Sarah Hall

Business Manager

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.  The learning started on day 1 and it is excited to see the knowledge start to develop from the very beginning of the year.  This year our liturgical theme challenges us to “Think Big, Act Boldly and to Serve Others”.  We look forward to the adventures that 2024 will hold for everyone, both staff and students at the College. 

ACADEMIC ASSEMBLY

This Wednesday, 24 January, we celebrated our Academic achievements of our 2023 Year 12 students.  We are proud of the hard work, dedication and resilience of this Year 12 group and the achievements of all students esp the individuals we celebrated on Wednesday.   Congratulations to Felicity Stephen, our 2023 College Dux and recipient of the Western Downs Regional Council Academic Excellence Bursary of $250 and the Dalby & District Friendly Society Dispensary Bursary of $2000.  Congratulations to our Academic Honours students Joshua Nimmo, Majella Stephen and Zahra Manteit who all received an ATAR higher than 90.00.  We thank both Western Downs Regional Council and Dalby & District Friendly Society Dispensary for their continued support of our College.

NAPLAN Year 3, 5, 7, 9 

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.  The test window for NAPLAN is 13-25 March 2024.  

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine how well young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.  

• NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. NAPLAN does not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. A child’s teacher will have the best insight into the child’s educational progress. NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality. 
• NAPLAN questions are directly linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. As such, the best preparation students can do for NAPLAN is to learn what they do in the classroom every day. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so. 
• The assessments allow parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards in literacy and numeracy, and over time. Along with other school assessment reports, NAPLAN supports parents in discussing their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with teachers. 
• NAPLAN results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students ’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress. 
• NAPLAN can support school improvement by enabling teachers to monitor their students’ progress over time against the national measure, to identify strengths and areas to improve in teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy. 
• Students and parents wishing to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN can visit the public demonstration site on the NAP website. Some past NAPLAN papers are also available.

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, Andrea Gormley 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. Volunteer Induction must be completed annually at the beginning of the new school year.  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/ 

Bike Racks 

Bike racks for storing student bikes have been relocated at the College as redevelopments have occurred.  The bike racks are now located at the side of the MPC between the MPC and Senior Years.  Students who ride bikes or scooters to school should store their bikes at the location on the racks provided and use personal security devices to ensure they are secured during the school day.  No students should be in the bike rack area during the school day.   

Parking and pick up 

Before and after school we supervise a number of areas around the College to ensure safe arrival and departure of the students.  The front footpath is supervised at 8:30-8:50am and from 3:10-3:30pm and the Cooper Street fence line from 3:10-3:30pm.  Parking around the College can be congested at peak times and parents are encouraged to make regular arrangement with their children to save confusion at home time.   

Loading Zone Passengers – 2min max 

In front of Prep we have designated loading area that allows 2 min drop and go between 7:00am-9:00am and 2:00pm-4:00pm.  Parking is also Police regularly patrol our school zone to ensure the safety of our students and the compliance of drivers, we encourage this support from the police and we thank parents for following all the road rules. 

Front Car Park & Bus Zone 

It is important that parents and extended family who do pick up and drop off are aware that the bus zone and front car park are not suitable places for drop off and pick up.  Our staff park in this front car park and this is the location of 3 disabled car park which parents can access based on individual needs.  All other student drop off and pick up activity should avoid this area.   

Mrs Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

26 January was the day in 1788 that the British Union Jack flag was first hoisted at Sydney Cove to mark that a British colony had been formally established on the Australian continent. The choice of this date as Australia’s national day has not been without controversy as this arrival of European colonization had enormous impact, often negative, on the lives of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, the proud custodians of this land for over 65,000 years. Increasingly, too, Australia has become even more culturally diverse over the past 75 years as migrants from so many different countries have migrated here to also call Australia home.

Despite constant change over time, Australians together share an abiding sense of hope about the nation’s future. Thus, currently, Australia Day aims to be a day to “reflect, respect and celebrate”, reflecting upon and addressing the pains and injustices of the past, respecting the growing diversity of the present, and celebrating our achievements now and into a future of shared optimism and harmony.

Blessing

May God bless Australia as we care for our unique landscape, its flora and fauna, and the ancient legacies of our Indigenous cultures.

Amen.

May Christ bless Australia as we work in unison for the enhanced well-being of each other.

Amen.

May the Holy Spirit bless Australia with the gifts of peace, compassion and harmony, as together, we forge “a future with hope” for all.

Amen.

May almighty God bless us all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

As we embark on the commencement of a new school year, it is with great joy and excitement that we extend a warm welcome to every member of the OLSCC community. The start of Term 1 brings a sense of renewal, opportunity, and the promise of countless possibilities. Starting back at school can be daunting, but I know that our community will welcome all our present and new students and staff with enthusiasm and empathy. It is wonderful to be back on site with our students in classrooms engaged in learning. It also fantastic to see students socialising and being active during break times and reconnecting with peers and staff.

I would like to say thank you to all parents for your support this week in managing all the needs of your child’s return to school. You are very much welcome here at our College and the support you have given your child this week has translated to a great start to their education in 2024.

We also welcome several new teachers to the Senior Years team. The students have provided great feedback on the quality of their teachers this week and we have been heartened by the positive feedback received about the lessons and support that they are providing in the classroom. I am very much excited by the quality teaching and learning that will occur across the Senior Years this year.

Senior Years students have made a commendable start to the new year, ensuring that their commitment to our dress standards has been adhered to. I thank all parents for your assistance in having your child presented in such a manner.

The College always receives delightful feedback from visitors and community members on how respectfully our students uphold the appearance of their uniform.

A key to success at OLSCC is partnership - partnerships between the students, their teachers and you, the parents. Please remember that we are only an email or a phone call away if you have any queries or concerns. Staff email addresses are as follows: Firstname.Surname@twb.catholic.edu.au e.g. Rodney.Spain@twb.catholic.edu.au

Throughout the year, parents are encouraged to communicate with their child’s subject teachers as an initial point of contact for any pastoral or academic matters. Parents should have received an email of introduction from your student’s classroom teacher.

Please do not hesitate to make contact should you feel there are other topics that may need addressing throughout the school year as we work to help our young people navigate their journey.

A very important element in helping the students to achieve is what we expect of them. Expectations exert a tremendous influence on what each student can achieve. Research urges teachers and students to set their sights high – and mean it.  The result will be improved student learning.

Having high expectations is not all that is needed for students to succeed. Teaching and learning is very complex. But high expectations, from the adults in the students lives, are the launching pad, the base from which students can aim for the stars and, using their own abilities and efforts, achieve their learning goals.

School Attendance

Our goal at OLSCC is for students to experience success by achieving and maintaining a 93% attendance rate.

Classes and learning begin at 8.50am with students required to be at school ready to learn at this time. Students who arrive at 8.50am or later will be late to class which contributes to their absences. 10 minutes late each day roughly equates to 6 and a half days of learning lost in a year.

According to a report by the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, school attendance is a crucial factor that affects students’ academic performance and long-term outcomes. Students who report positive attendance behaviours in Year 7 are on average 3 months ahead in their learning by Year 9, compared with students who have poor attendance behaviours.

Assessment Calendars

Teachers are currently planning assessments for the Semester.  All students and parents & carers will have access to the Semester One Assessment Calendar for 2024 via the College website and the Parent Portal App.  Currently, they are in draft form and will be finalised in the next fortnight.

If you have any questions about assessment, please contact your child's classroom teacher or the relevant Middle Leader Curriculum.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross is responsible for gathering evidence of student achievement on or before the due date for internal assessment instruments.

All students have electronic access to their assessment and it is their responsibility to adhere to these due dates.

Students are responsible for planning and managing their time to meet the due dates.

Students and parents can contact teachers and Curriculum Leaders via phone or email. Teachers are not able to grant extensions directly with students and parents/carers.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross College is required to adhere to QCAA policies about due dates accepting assignments only on or before the due date unless an extension through AARA processes has been approved.  For example, a student who is absent due to family holidays will not be granted an extension for an assignment as this doesn’t meet the AARA guidelines set by QCAA.

Mr Rodney Spain

Assistant Principal – Senior Years

Will and Katie

Welcome back everyone! We hope the holidays treated everyone well, and that it was a refreshing break for all our families.

Firstly, we would like to welcome the Year 9 cohort to the senior years sector we hope this next couple of years are full of great memories, because like I’m sure you’ve heard before, it goes by so quickly. Secondly, we would like to welcome the new teachers that have joined our senior staff this year, Miss Richter, Miss Boon, Mr Vince, Mr Du Preez, and Mr Storey, we hope you enjoy your time at OLSCC.  We would also like to welcome all our new primary teachers and staff.

Grade 12s this is our last year of many lasts so let's enjoy it. I want to congratulate all of us for working together of the last couple of years. We have many exciting events coming up this year that we get the privilege to look forward to. Wishing everyone a great 2024 year and looking forward to seeing everyone back at school.

Welcome back!

Tuesday saw the return of many familiar Middle Years faces and plenty of new ones too. I trust you all had a safe and relaxing Christmas and New Year break and the children are full recharged and ready to give the 2024 academic year a red hot crack!

Welcome back to the returning students and welcome to the family for our new students too. We had a number of new faces across Year 5, 6, 7, and 8 this year and we are excited to have you all as part of the Our lady of the Southern Cross College family. Some have moved across town, while others have joined us from Brisbane and further abroad. We look forward to working with you and your family as you settle into life in the Middle Years.

 

Queensland Police Service visit – Think you know? Program

Think you Know? is a Queensland Police initiative where officers interact with students and present information in the hope of raising more awareness around cyber-safety and to help students better protect themself and their friends online.

Topics covered included:

• Online Challenges
• What the law says
• Getting help
• Staying safe and being share A.W.A.R.E.

We love having the members of the local QPS Branch visit us. Thank you so much to Dan, Jenny, Vinnie, and Liz. We hope to get you back again soon.

Year 7 Induction Program

We had many new faces joining our Year 7 cohort this year and for all in the grade it was their first day of high school – how exciting! Whilst there were many nervous faces at the beginning of the day, the Induction Program provided the staff and students the space and time to settle into the academic year by learning about Canvas, Sentral, OneDrive, Outlook, Microsoft Forms, Headspace, lockers and locks, and much more.

By the end of each session, students were far more comfortable with what was ahead of them high school. Will there be teething in this first week or so? Most likely. However, every student now has a far greater understanding of what to do, how to do it, and how to access help if they need it. A special shout out to the teachers who worked with the students on the day too. Many of them gave up free time just to interact more with our new Year 7 cohort.

Below is a quick breakdown of what was covered on the day:

 Sessions:

• Lockers, locks and setting combinations.
• The Journey Bell
• The College Diary and key sections/policies.
• Eligibility Criteria for Extra-Curricular Activities.
• Middle Years expectations around homework.
• Laptops and logging on.
• Outlook and email etiquette.
• OneDrive and academic organisation.
• Using Canvas independently.
• Student Portal and Sentral.

Students also were afforded the opportunity to meet the following staff throughout various sessions:

• Miss Fry (Classroom teacher: English, Religion, HASS, Praxis, and Netball Coach)
• Mr Cross (Classroom teacher: Mathematics, Religion, Technology, Praxis)
• Mr Storey (Classroom teacher: Health and Physical Education, and Senior Years)
• Mr Gillespie (Classroom teacher: English, HASS, Religion, and Rugby League Coach)
• Mr Lincoln (Classroom teacher: Health and Physical Education, Middle Leader Sport)
• Mr Du Preez (Classroom teacher: Technology and Senior Years)
• Mrs Patterson (Classroom teacher: English, HASS, Religion)
• Mrs Biggar (Classroom teacher: Mathematics, Science, Technology, Praxis and Middle Leader Pedagogy and Engagement)
• Mrs Twidale (Classroom teacher: Mathematics, Religion, Science, Technology, Praxis and Middle Leader LYF)
• Mrs Ballantyne (College Guidance Counsellor)
• Mr Cullen (Assistant Principal Middle Years, Science and Praxis teacher)
  
  

I wish all the students the best this school year. If you or your child has any concerns or questions about the start of the new academic year or the upcoming events, please do not hesitate in reaching out to your child’s classroom teacher for support. In the coming days, all of your child’s teachers will reach out via email outlining the work they will be doing with your child this term.

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years

Welcome to our new students who rang the Journey bell on their first day at OLSCC! 

Our new playground is almost ready! We can’t wait for all the Early Years students to investigate and explore in our new space. 

Kristen Bennie 

Assistant Principal Early Years 

We are looking for two parents in our community who would like to be a member of the College Advisory Council.

If you would like to be involved please read the Constitution

and complete the form below.

College Advisory Council

This will be treated like any recruitment process and you will be advised if you have been shortlisted or unsuccessful.

We look forward to receiving your application – if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the College and we can assist.

Welcome back to 2024! I hope everyone had a great break and is back ready to get creative!

Keep an eye this year for some really great opportunities in The Arts, particularly if you love Visual Art.

Bell Art Show

An email went out to all parents yesterday with an opportunity to nominate their students for Bell Art Show 2024.

Bell Art Show is a great opportunity for our young artists to put themselves out there. I really encourage all artists whether they participate in the show or not to go along and see what our community has made.

The Gala opening and presentation of awards will be Saturday 24 February 6pm at the Bell Bunya Community Centre (Cnr Maxwell and Wallace Streets, Bell). At 7pm it will then move to the Bell Memorial Public Hall (59 Wallace Street, Bell) for the viewing and opportunity to purchase art works.

Admission is $15 per person.

If you completed an artwork (or will have a piece of artwork completed before the submission date) can you please fill out this Microsoft Form by Monday 29 January.

https://forms.office.com/r/LHjapu4xzv

You will need to hand your artwork in to the College Office by the Wednesday 31 January.

All artworks will be considered by a team of teachers, but we are unable to enter all artworks in the show. An email will be sent to all families who provide a piece of artwork for consideration, advising of whether their work has been able to be displayed.

A reminder that there is no entry fee however it is the artist’s responsibility to ensure all entries are framed and able to be hung safely. NB “D” hooks are essential. Unfortunately, unframed works cannot be accepted, except for works done on stretch canvas.

Choir

Information about Choir is coming very soon from our brand-new Early Years Music Teacher Miss Twidale. Keep an eye out for that!

Eisteddfod

In the past few years we have had some amazing performances in Eisteddfod. I’m really looking forward to having even more students participate this year so I’m advertising the Eisteddfod dates super early so you can start thinking about what you might like to do.

Information about specific Eisteddfods will come out closer to each date, along with an opportunity to sign up.

Piano: 10-11 June 2024

Choral and Vocal: 12-14 June 2024

Concert: 18 June 2024

Speech and Drama: 8-10 August 2024

Instrumental: 12-16 August 2024

Concert: 20 August 2024

Miss Tamara Creeley

Middle Leader Culture

Welcome back to the Careers space for the 2024 academic year. There are many career education opportunities planned for the students this year including Work Experience, First Aid, Manual Handling, White Card and Espresso Barista course for year 10 students, Industry Dinner for year 9 and year 12 ATAR registration and QTAC applications in August, just to list a few. Middle Years students will also be involved with career education intensive days in term 3 and the annual Careers expo will also be held in July. Please see all the key dates that will be listed below. The Careers Office is looking forward to developing students career development and education during the year.

School Based Apprenticeship 

Congratulations to Year 10 student, Nate Boundy for his School Based Apprenticeship with Boundy Constructions. Nate will be trained in a Certificate (III) in Carpentry and attend weekly on the job training with Boundy Constructions. We wish Nate, all the best in his chosen career.

Experience UniSQ Days

The University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba Campus will be holding Experience UniSQ Days for Year 11 and 12 students who are interested in attending tertiary studies after school. These days offer students to explore their campuses, take part in specialised sessions in different study fields, and get a feel for student life at UniSQ. If you are interested in attending one of these campuses, you are required to register on the link below. 

UniSQ Toowoomba    14 March         8.30am – 2.30pm

UniSQ Ipswich            15 March         8.30am – 2.30pm

UniSQ Springfield       15 March         8.30am – 2.30pm

Experience UniSQ Days | University of Southern Queensland  

Future Careers – Minerals and Exploration Industry

For students interested or want to know more about careers in the minerals and exploration industries, Central Queensland University have information for students wanting more information on these possible pathways. Please click on the link below.

Shape Your Future Innovate Our World – Start your career in minerals and energy. 

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Jimbour Beef and Bacon Pty Ltd are offering a traineeship in Certificate (11) Meat Processing at their business located in Jimbour. Any students interested or seeking a career in the agriculture sector please contact the business owner Mr. Steve Donovan on 07 46636137 or contact Mr Garside when school returns in 2024.

Key Dates

19 April                        Yr 10               White Card Training

15 May                        Yr 9                 Industry Dinner

29 May                                                Aspire2Health

10-14 June                  Yr 10               Work Experience

(tbc) July                                             Dalby Careers Expo

August                         Yr 12               ATAR Registration & QTAC Applications

2-4 September            Yr 12               Barista & RSA

9-10 September          Yr 10               Manual Handling & First Aid Course

11-13 September        Yr 10               Barista Course

(tbc) October               Yr 12               SBA/Traineeship Employer thank you lunch.

University Open Days 2024

UniSQ

Ipswich                        11 August            10am-2pm

Springfield                   11 August            10am-2pm

Toowoomba                 18 August            10am-2pm

UniSQ 2024 open days

Griffith University

Nathan Campus          11 August

Gold Coast                  11 August

Griffith University Open Day

QUT

Kelvin Grove                     28 July                  9am-3pm

Gardens Point                  28 July                  9am-3pm

Mr Dean Garside

Career Development Practitioner

Sports Dates Early Term 1 2024

Early Years Swimming Carnival Results November 2023

Points

Nolan                379

MacKillop          346

Rice                  312

McAuley           154

Volleyball

Congratulations to the Girls Volleyball Team who attend the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup Competing on the Gold Coast in the first week of the holidays. The team played in Year 10 Girls Division 1 which had 16 teams in the division (with 5 interstate teams). A huge thanks to Mrs Lincoln and Mrs Wilkins for their time and effort with the girls and to all staff, parents and families who came to support the team during the week. For the team to finish with a Silver Medal and be the 10^th ranked team in the country is a remarkable achievement.

Year 10 Girls Division 1

4 Pools with 4 Teams in each Pool.

Pool B – 2^nd

Win vs Nambour SHS                2-1 (3^rd Overall in the Division)

Win vs St Scholastic SHS          2-0

Draw with Kelvin Grove SHS      1-1 (4^th Overall in the Division)

Crossover Game

2^nd in Pool B vs 3^rd in Pool A

Win vs Brighton SHS                  2-0

Finals Pool M

Win vs Nambour SHS                3-0

Win vs Bray Park SHS               3-0

Draw vs Rochedale SHS            1-1

Semi Final

Win vs Kelvin Grove SHS           2-0

Gold Medal Match

Loss to Stretton SC                    0-2

Inter House Swimming Carnival

The Under 9 to Under 18 Swimming Carnival will be held next Friday morning 2 February and at the Dalby Aquatic Centre. Students will travel on Buses leaving at 8.50am. Students will be back at school by 3.00pm. The canteen at the pool can be accessed on the day. Swim shirts are optional for all races. Students may wear their house colours on the day. All students who are swimming in the 100m Freestyle event need to be ready for an 8.30am start, beginning with the Under 9/10 event. These students need to get dropped off at the pool and do not catch the bus. Further information and a timetable for the day will be published next week.

Catholic Primary Schools Swimming Carnival

The Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 9 February at the Glennie Aquatic Centre in Toowoomba from 9.00am – 2.00pm. This is for students in Years 3-6 only. Students will be notified shortly after the school carnival if they have been selected to attend. The College Coach will transport students to this event.

Bunya District Swimming Trials

The Bunya District Under 9-12 Years Swimming Trials will be held on Monday 19 February at the Dalby Aquatic Centre. Students who meet qualifying times to attend this carnival will be notified after our school carnival. Any students who wish to submit times to be considered for 100m or 200m events need to see Mr Lincoln.

Bunya District Under 12 Sports Trials

Sign on sheets will be placed on the Notice Board before each trial date for any students wishing to attend. Depending on numbers, a school trial may need to be held in some sports.

13 February – Cricket

19 February – Netball

Inner Downs Cluster 1 Sports Trials

• These Trials will be held on Thursday 1 February at Highfields
• Sports Involved will be U15 and U18 Netball, U15 and U18 Basketball, and U16 and U19 Soccer.
• Students interested in attending need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board.

Darling Downs Cluster 1 Trials

• Students will nominate directly to Darling Downs Trials in Volleyball, Rugby Sevens, Softball, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and Water Polo.
• Students interested in attending need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board.
• Students will need to be of a high playing standard to attend the trials

Mr Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Welcome 

A very big welcome to all our returning families and new families starting at our college.  I hope the first week of school has been kind to both families and students. If you would like your student to access counselling, there are various ways to go about this. High school students can self-refer and either email me for an appointment or book an appointment with me from one of the admin ladies in the office. If students are in primary school, I require a parent consent form to be completed. I’ve mentioned to students many times that we want them reaching out for support before the problem or problems get too big. Some students, for multiple reasons, may not wish to disclose to me or at school. I can still provide support by connecting them with external agencies that they are comfortable with. If you wish to contact me, please call the College Office or email me on: Katrina.Ballantyne@twb.catholic.edu.au  

Now and throughout the year I will remind families of some excellent resources that they can access to support their children and families throughout their schooling journey. We are lucky to have a school membership to Justin Coulson’s Happy Families. Justin is a psychologist who specialises in everything parenting and family related. This school membership includes pre-recorded webinars that you can watch at your leisure as well as articles covering a wide range of topics. Please utilise this excellent resource where you have a psychologist at your fingertips.  Please find the link and password below.  

https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/olotscc 

Password: happyolotscc  

Please find below some examples of the webinars that the membership offers (plus plenty more).

I’m looking forward to another year where students and our school community experience belonging and personal growth.

Mrs Katrina Ballantyne

College Guidance Counsellor