The 2019 Academic Year at OLSCC

2019 has seen many challenges for our College as we have implemented the Living Your Faith program, the new QCE system and the new College Leadership structure.  As is a common issue for rural and remote schools across the nation, we have also had many staffing challenges to meet in addition to the narrowing focus on the improvement of student learning outcomes across all sectors.  Underpinning all of this is the development of both staff and students as lifelong learners.

Our LYF program has progressed significantly over its first year in a staged sequence where we aspire to develop faithful, confident learners into a world where a sense of purpose is formed for all students.  Through the gathering of community, faith development, Praxis and re-creation, we have seen students and staff grow in leaps and bounds in their efforts to live like Jesus, and come to realise their Christian values through active service to the community. 

The implementation of the new QCE system has been demanding for all staff in the Senior years, and under Mr Hodge’s guidance, we have seen the staff reach very high standards of performance with over 60% of initial tasks being endorsed in the first round, a challenge met by very few Colleges. In doing so, the teachers continued to enact the existing OP system concurrently in composite classes, of which we are extremely proud.  This composite challenge sees our 2020 students in an even better standing as we look forward to the first external assessment period at the end of 2020.

Our new College Leadership Team, formed in January of 2019, has been very progressive in meeting the feedback provided to the College through the 2017 independent review.  Feedback from the School Renewal and Improvement Review in August (available on the website) clearly showed that parents, students and staff have far greater clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of staff, and greatly appreciate the simplicity and accountability that comes with this structure.  The aligned implementation of Early Years, Middle Years and Senior Years sectors are also greatly appreciated in providing clarity, and we look forward to this structure aligning further with individual teaching staff from 2020 and beyond.

I am proud to say that as of today, we have a full roster of teaching staff for 2020, and have only 1 school officer position to fill for 2020, as advertised in this newsletter.  In addition, timetables and class lists have been completed and communicated well in advance compared to other Colleges across our state, and this is greatly valued by parents, staff and students alike.  Accordingly I would like to announce the following positions:

Year 6 – 6M – Miss Leah McDuff – Leah is a talented graduate from a strong educational family who has already taken 6M during Up Day.  She shows great initiative in utilising modern pedagogy to engage students in learning.

Year 7/8 Math and Science – Ms Louise Connellan – Ms Connellan has worked at OLSCC as a relief teacher and comes from a scientific and humanities background deeply embedded in real life learning enacted through industry.

Year 9/10 Maths, Science, HPE and STEM – Miss Amy Parker – Miss Parker taught many of her classes on Up Day and has great experience both as an athlete and as a teacher at Assumption College Warwick in 2019. 

Senior Years Humanities – Mr Tyron Fraser – Hailing from South Africa, Mr Fraser has been a deputy principal before immigrating to Australia and comes with many, many years teaching across various subjects both in South Africa and in Western Australia.

Senior Years Science – Mrs Nikhat Fatema – A recent graduate as a specialist senior Science teacher, Mrs Fatema is looking forward to settling down her roots with her family as she embarks on the start of her teaching career.

Middle Leader Culture and The Arts + Year 2-12 Music – Mr Neill Thacker – Mr Thacker has extensive experience in this role across Catholic, independent and international Colleges, as well as being an active musician.  His experience complements the current staff at the College and adds further promise to the development of Culture and The Arts at OLSCC.

Assistant Principal of Middle Years - Mr Craig Cullen - Mr Cullen comes to us from Marist College Emerald where he was Deputy Principal and head of the Pastoral Care Team and previously Head of House. Prior to that he gained 5 years experience at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. Mr Cullen has experience teaching Junior HPE, Religion, Science, Geography and History and has been instrumental in implementing many improvements to enhance student learning outcomes. 

Our progress as a Visible Learning Lighthouse College has also been significant in 2019, and we greatly look forward to consolidating consistent expectations in this regard in 2020.  The mindset and development of staff is ever-increasing and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort, dedication and the growth mindset of the staff in this regard.

We sadly say farewell to Mrs Melissa Irwin, Ms Anne O’Reilly, Mr Aaron Aislabie, Mrs Maree Cannavan, Mrs Cesari and Mrs Ruhle this year.  Our College will not be the same without the experience and capability of these staff as we head into 2020, though we know that their skills will continue to make a difference for children across the state as they move to new challenges.  I would like to thank and recognise their work in making our College the great place it is, and wish them all the very best for the future. In addition, we wish Mr Garside, Mrs O’Brien and Mrs O’Shea all the best as they embark on leave for 2020.

Lastly, I wish everyone in our community a safe, happy, and holy Christmas period.  As we spoke about yesterday at the Early Years Nativity performance, we should focus our efforts on presence rather than presents this year so as to make the world a better place where people take the time to genuinely care for and support one another.  May God bless everyone and keep them safe until we meet again for an even better year for OLSCC, 2020! From my family to yours – Merry Christmas!!

Pete Cuskelly

Principal