Mrs Cate Brennan for

Mr Peter Cuskelly

As we reach the halfway point in Term 3, celebrating our wonderful community is a focus this term with many occasions to bring our students together and lift our College spirit. We’ve had pyjama day raising a huge amount for World’s Greatest Shave, BBQ Brigade in full swing every Tuesday, Science Week, Learning Discussions, Catholic Education Week, Book week dress up yesterday and OLSC Day and Grandparent’s Day still to come. Planning is also in full swing for our big events next term College Excellence Awards, Graduation Mass and the Nativity Play just to name a few. Then behind the scenes we have commenced our planning for 2026. Such a busy yet rewarding time to be part of our College family.

eSafety Commissioner

This week I attended a webinar for parents around AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat presented by the eSafety Commission. eSafety is Australia's independent regulator for online safety. They educate Australians about online safety risks and help to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse and intimate images or videos shared without consent. The session I attended was offered online, went for 45 minutes, in a lunchbreak time slot and was both informative and practical. I encourage parents to access the eSafety website to support your learning and development in this rapidly changing space.  They offer parent targeted webinars on many topics all relevant to us as we navigate this online world alongside our children. Their website is a great support and I encourage others to access these webinars Webinars for parents and carers | eSafety Commissioner.

Learning Discussions

Thank you to all families who engaged in Learning Discussion with our teachers. Parents are welcome to reach out to teachers at any time throughout the year, to discuss your child’s progress. One of the best ways to contact your teacher/s is via email as they can reply when time outside of their scheduled classes allows. As stated in our Right to Disconnect Protocols to ensure work-life satisfaction and to maintain the focus on teaching and learning, staff are asked to disconnect from work-related communications between 6:00pm and 6:00am weekdays and weekends and to only check their emails two times a day. Staff will respond to electronic communication within two working business days of its receipt and between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday. 

Our Lady of the Southern Cross Day – Monday 1 September

On this day we have always celebrated Mass as a community sharing our connection to our parish through our Eucharistic celebration. We have marked this day in several different ways over the years with all day house events, talent contests and then the transformation since 2020 of the inclusion of our whole College Athletics relays and P-4 Ballgames. In the past four years we have also announced our new College Leaders on this day. This year, the format of the day will again be transformed to strating with Mass in the morning, followed by House based games in the morning and middle session for House Cup Points, and P-4 Ballgames and fun House based relays in the afternoon session. College Prefects will be announced at the OLSC Day Mass and then House Leader applications open the next day. OLSC Day is a great day of celebration to highlight the P-12ness of the College with all students and staff getting involved. 

Students may wear house colours free dress on this day (no cost) to get into the spirit of the day. If not in free dress students may wear their sports uniform to ensure they can join in the fun activities planned.

Families are welcome to join us for Mass at 9:00am in the MPC and for the Ballgames and House based relays in the afternoon from 1:50pm on the main oval.

Grandparents Day – Friday 19 September

This is a special day in our College calendar each year as we invite in our grandparents to a special prayer celebration and classroom visit. Grandparents are such a great support to our families, and we love being able to welcome them into our College and celebrate them on this day. This is a P-12 event, you are never too old to have your grandparents visit your classroom. The morning begins with a welcome cuppa and chat with fellow grandparents and a prayer celebration before grandparents are invited to join their grandchildren in their classrooms. This truly is one of my favourite days in our College calendar as the joy on the faces of both our students and their grandparents at being able to share this time together is priceless. This year Grandparent’s Day will be held on the last Friday of Term 3, 19 September. Please spread the word with your grandparents for this event. RSVP is now open; this assists us with seating and catering for this event. Link to RSVP or use QR Code

College Excellence Awards

On 19 November at 9:15am, we will host our 2026 College Excellence Awards. These awards are nominated and confirmed by staff at the College and encompass all four of our College Domains: Academic, Spiritual, Sport and Arts. We look forward to this occasion showcasing the great achievements of students at the College this year. Parents are notified via Sentral for Parents in Term 4 if their child/ren are recipients of an award.

Each newsletter in coming weeks I will showcase a different domain (or two) with the awards we present.

Spirituality or Living Your Faith (LYF) Awards

In this category there are four awards that consider the whole child and their contributions to the College in service to self, others and the College team.

Timetable and Class structures for 2026

We are currently in the process of reviewing and setting our timetable and class structures for 2026. There are many layers to this process and quite a lot of work in it. Subject choices and future pathways are a large part of this review process. Later this year, students in Year 8-10 in 2026 will be given the opportunity to select some of their subjects. Students in Year 11 will make choices based on their future pathway plans informed by their SET Plan meetings.

Once structures are finalised the creation of class lists for the new school year will commence. Factors taken into consideration when allocating students in each year level include the following

• projected number of students in each year level and past trends
• gender ratio
• spread of students with respect to academic performance, social development and classroom behaviour
• the best educational needs of the student
• special circumstances such as twins or individual family members
• classroom observations

It is acknowledged by all, that friendships are important. However, to ensure balanced classes as outlined above, friendship groups are not a primary determining factor in class allocation. Parents and carers may provide the College with specific information about their child’s learning or social needs that they believe the College may not be aware of. Such information would not include a request for a particular teacher. The information should be provided in writing by completing the Consideration for Class Allocation form to the Principal during the consultation phase in Week 9/10, Term 3.

In future newsletters I will continue to communicate information about 2026, alongside information communicated by APs to students and families that pertains to specific year levels. 

Crutches

In our Senior Years we have several classrooms upstairs. It is important for student safety that when students are on crutches, we relocate their classrooms to downstairs classrooms wherever possible. If your child is in Year 9-12 or studying Drama in Year 7-8 and they have an injury that requires crutches, please let the College office know so we can make arrangements to move their classes downstairs for the duration of their recovery. Once they are off their crutches we will return their classrooms to their normal location.

Pupil Free Days This Term

There are three student free days this term. There is one remaining on Friday 5 September. On this day, only staff are required to attend for professional learning. 

Mrs Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Mission and Identity

House Connect at OLSCC

This week I thought I would get everyone’s households talking about something that takes place in our college each week. If you are a parent of a student from Prep to Year 4, you may be left wondering, what even is House Connect as they are yet to engage in timetabled lessons. But, for our Year 5 to 12 students, they know all about it.

All students and teachers are expected to become fully involved in the life of the College and positively contribute to the House System.

There are four College Houses: MacKillop (red), McAuley (blue), Nolan (gold) and Rice (green). The Houses are integral to many curricular activities as well as sporting and co-curricular activities. 

House Connect at OLSCC is a weekly lesson where students from Years 5 – 12 have the opportunity to focus on the College’s key virtues of Wisdom, Humanity and Courage, the College’s Learning Dispositions, the College’s House Icons while engaging in building House Spirit. These groups are vertically arranged with students combining into the following class system:

The ‘House Cup’ is presented at the end of year Awards of Excellence Ceremony to the House which has accumulated the most points through the College’s 4 Domains: Academia, Spirituality – Living Your Faith (LYF), Sport and Culture. 

Mrs Carey Twidale

Book Week

Mrs Kristen Bennie

Assistant Principal Early Years

Academic Achievement

August has been a month of academic competition, with our High Potential Learners challenging themselves in numerous ICAS Competitions – so far Writing, English and Science have been completed with Maths held next week. That’s 160 tests complete with another 59 across next week. We wish all competitors the very best and look forward to seeing the results shortly.

Our Maths stars also took to Chinchilla State High School on Tuesday to compete in the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers annual quiz. We had three teams, comprising a total of 9 Year 5 and Year 6 students, competing against another 21 teams in a five round tournament of Mathematics. From problem solving, to general knowledge and estimation, our students performed wonderfully well. Below is a breakdown of the results:

1^st Place – Team #2 - Isabelle Tia, Heidi Hay, Harrison Ryan

2^nd Place – Team #1 – Matilda Kahler, George Todd, Surali Wickramasinghe

3^rd Place – Team #3 – Jean Timms, Frankie Machin, Daniel Brennan

That is an amazing achievement, especially when competing against all those other schools and their teams. Well done, I knew we could count on you!  

Camps

We work hard to design wonderful camp experiences for our students. Ones where they not only learn wonderful things in a wide variety of new settings, but ones that ensure they will have amazing experiences and make memories with their friends that will last a lifetime. Year 7 camp is no exception – this week our cohort travelled to the Fraser Coast region and had a whale of a time … literally. From 4x4 tours on Fraser Island (K’gari) to an indigenous experience on Round Island, from the Maryborough Military Museum to a spot of Mary Poppins, this camp had plenty of fun and learning rolled up into a lovely week-long experience. Next up, we have our Year 5 students heading away in early Term 4.

Late Arrivals & Absences

As we start to enter the Term 3 assessment period, I have been spending time looking through absence and late arrival data. There has been a spike in students arriving late to school, particularly those students who are driving themselves to school. While this may happen once in a while, when you add up the missed minutes, this can equate to over 80 minutes… the equivalent of a double period of Maths for some of our students

Recent research shows that there is a negative correlation between attendance and academic success at school. In addition to missing minutes in the classroom, non-attendance has also been shown to link with:

• early school leaving
• leaving school with fewer qualifications
• reduced opportunities for students to learn and access educational resources, further limiting achievement
• further absenteeism in higher year levels
• increased alcohol, tobacco, and substance use in adolescents.

The development of positive attendance habits is a priority for students in the Senior Years. Students need to arrive on time, ready to learn!

Assessment & Exam Dates

A reminder that parents and students can find the assessment and examination calendars on our College website. Now is the time to start mapping out how students will schedule their independent study time in the lead up to final submissions and exams.

By the time of this newsletter going out, our Year 12 cohort would have completed all internal assessment for their General subjects and teacher will be engaging with QCAA through the process of Confirmation. This means that for these subjects, only the external examinations remain. In Weeks 7, 8 and 9, students will sit mock exams to provide an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the examination format, timing and types of questions. For Applied and Applied (Essential) subjects, student continue to have internal assessment for the remainder of the year. The mock exam timetable has been published to all families through the Sentral Portals.

https://www.dalby.catholic.edu.au/assessment

Ace Your Assessments with Determination

As the term reaches its peak with an array of assessments, it's essential for students to harness their inner determination and focus on their academic goals. The path to success is paved with hard work and dedication, and now is the time to showcase your potential. Remember, each assignment and exam is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and growth. Set achievable study goals, create a well-structured study plan, and maintain a healthy integration between school work and family time. While the road might seem challenging, your commitment and perseverance will undoubtedly lead you to triumph. Stay motivated, believe in your abilities, and watch as your efforts culminate into success.

Year 12 External Examinations

The external assessment timetable for 2025 is located here and can be updated with notice. It is important that all families keep track of this timetable in a digital format.

QCAA external assessment timetable 2025

QCAA has an excellent resource on the myQCE website called the “External Assessment Guide for students”. This is found on the website https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/external-assessment.html 

How can I prepare?

Senior syllabuses

General senior syllabuses provide information about external assessment for each subject.

Sample papers

View the sample papers for the subjects you study, to get an idea of what external assessment will be like. You can find them in the Assessment tab on each General syllabus page on the QCAA website.

Equipment

Each syllabus details the equipment you will need for the external assessment. It may include:

• Blue or black pens
• Pencils (2B)
• A sharpener
• A clear plastic ruler
• An eraser
• Approved calculator
• Specific equipment

On the day, students may bring your equipment in a clear container or zip-lock bag.  Students may also bring water in a clear unlabelled bottle.

Mobile phones, smart watches and/or other electronic devices will not be permitted in the examination room.

The External assessment equipment list (PDF, 175.3 KB) contains information about the approved equipment for all assessments, including calculators, student devices, subject-specific equipment and prohibited items.

Directions for students

External assessments are administered by schools in line with the QCAA’s requirements. Students must also follow the requirements outlined in the Directions for students (PDF, 243.1 KB).

Assistant Principal Senior Years

Miss Tamara Creeley