Grow great people. This is the moral imperative of our College. A simple idea, but one that is at the heart of what we do. With this in mind, we are pleased to announce that after a period of reflection and review, our student leadership model, and more importantly our student leader development process, has been refined and renewed. This year we are launching the Leadership Passport model. 

To fully understanding why a shift in student leadership was necessary, we first must agree that like any other skill in life, leadership can be learned and strengthened through coaching, practice, and by receiving feedback along the way. Leaders are made, not born.

Being a good leader takes time and we know that students learn best from a lived experience. Schools run the risk of losing leadership potential among students when cohorts start to believe that only a small group of their peers can be leaders. Realistically, every student can grow into leadership, but they may simply do it in different ways to their peers and at different rates. A quick review of personality types, such as the categories used in a Myers-Briggs style analysis, would indicate that in every company, organisation, school, and even family group, there are different styles of leadership. Some leaders are extremely detail-orientated, others more decisive, and some styles involve more thoughtful deliberation prior to any decision making occurring. Each style has their strength, and all have areas of improvement. This makes the development of specific leadership skills here at the College an integral part of student growth.

Much research has been conducted on exemplary leadership and the traits that all quality leaders possess. The consensus rests that five practices, identified initially by researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner, greatly improve a person’s leadership skills, and have the potential to transform their leadership into one that can engage others and lead to extraordinary results.

These practices include:

Model the way.

Words and actions must be consistent. Leaders set the example by aligning their actions with shared values.

Inspire a shared vision.

Students need to feel that they are part of something that matters, something that will make a difference, and something that is important.

Challenge the process.

Challenge is the crucible of greatness. Students must overcome minor adversity and embrace opportunity to grow, innovate, and improve.

Enable others to act.

When you strengthen others by increasing self-determination and developing competence, they are more likely to give their all and exceed expectations.

Encourage the heart.

Appreciating the contribution of others allows individuals to connect their actions with their personal values and the values of others.

The Leadership Passport model aims to encourage and foster these practices throughout each level of student development.

So how does it achieve this?
Well, being a good leader takes time, effort, and lots of practice. This model provides students, across a much wider age bracket, a clearly defined structure that promotes more frequent leadership skill development through action and feedback. It also encourages the use of initiative to seek out further opportunities for personal leadership growth.  

How is it different from the previous model?
In short, the Leadership Passport model will provide more students with more opportunities to develop their leadership skills across more year levels so that by the time they reach their Senior year, they will be better-developed and well-refined leaders who are great role models for all other students and the wider community.

The table below highlights some of the similarities and differences between both models of student leadership:   

How does the model work?
To effectively develop the leadership skills among our students, we need to ensure that:

1. The skills needed have been clearly identified,
2. We offer students opportunities to refine these skills through experiences,
3. We provide quality feedback to students on their practice to aid in their progress, and
4. We acknowledge and recognise growth to maintain momentum.

This model utilises six guiding principles to ensure that the students we develop through this model are well-rounded leaders who turn vision and goals into action and that we do not discriminate against students based on their age. The six principles, along with an explanation of each are depicted in the graphic below:

What is the model similar to?
In society, there are other successful models that operate in a similar way to the Leadership Passport. For instance, the Duke of Edinburgh Award has multiple levels - Bronze, Silver, and Gold - and it encourages students to demonstrate competence in physical recreation, specific skills, and volunteer service. Similarly, Surf Life Saving clubs offer a progress recognition system that requires clearly defined challenges to be accomplished so participants can be recognised and praised for progress through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold medallion courses. The coloured belt system in a Karate dojo is another example of a tiered development program that sets specific challenges that participants must demonstrate competence in before they can progress to high levels of achievement.    

What does it look like?
Our model contains seven leadership levels. Students who volunteer to enter their leadership journey will be issued a Level 1 passport that clearly identifies what must be accomplished to progress to the next level. The challenges begin small and each challenges provides an opportunity for feedback so that students can easily identify areas of strength and areas that need some focus to further develop. Participation in this process is completely voluntary and students can opt out at any time. There are also no time limits set for completing any level of the model.

Over time, through the feedback and their lived experience, the students will enhance their skills becoming more competent and confident leaders. At the end of their journey, they truly will have grown into a great person.  

Below are some images of the Level 1 Leadership Passport:

What do you mean by leadership challenges?
Each leadership level has a different number of challenges. They can be broken into the following categories:

How does my child get involved?
We are still in the communication phase. Members of the College’s Senior Leadership Team have been visiting cohorts of students and discussing this model and providing opportunities for students to ask questions. Some cohorts still need to participate in these sessions and the whole College will be addressed at Assembly in Week 5. After the communication phase has been completed, students will have further opportunities to discuss the model with their Assistant Principal prior to the Leadership Passport model going live in Term 2. 

A parent engagement session will be hosted at the College on Tuesday 21 February at 5pm in the PAC. All parents/carers are welcome to join us for more information on the Leadership Passport. More information regarding this event will be distributed to parents via email and our social media platforms.

The 2023 academic year is starting very well, with our new staff settling in and classes focussed on learning. It has been a pleasure to see our new students, especially our Prep students, working well in classes and learning so much, so quickly. Despite not being so prominently advertised, our embedded processes regarding the teaching of reading remain pertinent in the minds of all staff, and our consistent approaches in both the teaching of reading, as well as intervention for those requiring more support, continue to shine in our classrooms and specialised programs.  Due to political concerns, our NAPLAN achievements against the state achievement levels have only just been released, and I am very pleased to say that our College again performed strongly with all but 3 of the 20 areas having OLSCC above, and well above, state means of achievement.  While we do not teach 'NAPLAN', the tests demonstrate how our students are performing against the achievement standards across Reading, Writing, Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling, and Numeracy.  This is always a great affirmation of the progress we are making as teachers and support staff at OLSCC.  Mrs Brennan will be keeping everyone up-to-date regarding NAPLAN this year through her section of the newsletter, so you may support your children throughout this time. 

Student Support Committee (SSC) Meetings

In Week 5 we undertake the SSC meetings for students who may require additional support.  These meetings happen on a termly basis and often yield great results for those students whose learning is addressed. Should you receive information regarding your child's involvement, please promptly return the forms so that our teachers can collaborate and create a plan moving forward to address the learning needs of your child.

Website Updates

We are gradually reviewing the information and organisation of our website in order to make everyday information available to both current and prospective parents.  We have recently updated the Camps and Retreats page and will be creating a "How we communicate" page to make it clear how, when, and why we communicate via various modes throughout the year.  We also intend to make the website more up-to-date and easy to follow, as well as contemporary in its layout over the coming term.  If you have feedback regarding what information you would like available to you via the website, please email dalby@twb.catholic.edu.au

Teaching of Mathematics

Last year I engaged a specialist to analyse our P - 10 learning data in Mathematics in order to create a plan moving forward that will enhance the teaching of Mathematics at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.  The first key action as a result of this is to develop consistency in understanding and teaching practice regarding Key Number Concepts. Our Middle Years and Senior Years teachers will engage in professional development of Mathematics on 24 February which will address this key action.  Our Mathematics teaching team is stronger than ever and this alignment of common ground for our Maths department is an excellent stepping stone for improvement in the Mathematics journey. 

Quadrennial School Review

Every 4 years, each school and college in the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools engages in a school review to determine what is working well as well as the areas requiring improvement.  In this process, parents and community members are invited to contact the College to organise a time for them to talk to the review team and give their feedback.  This will occur in just a few weeks, Week 6 of this term.  If you would like to be included in an interview, please email Nicole.Bryers@twb.catholic.edu.au and express your interest in providing quality feedback.  It is important to note that the purpose of the review is to ascertain general trends to drive College improvement for the coming 4-year period.  

Principal Professional Renewal Leave

In the first 6 weeks of Term 2, I will be taking professional renewal leave in the form of a pilgrimage from France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, known as St James Way, the Camino, or The French Way.   It is a walking voyage of over eight hundred kilometres from southern France to the burial place of St James.  I will be completing this pilgrimage with two other TCS principals and I thoroughly look forward to the experience as a means to reflect on my journey at OLSCC thus far and consider the ways forward for my leadership of the College.  Shortly I will be announcing the acting principal of OLSCC during my absence, and am very confident that the candidate will add a considerable contribution to the College in their time here. Upon my return, I will lead the development of the 2024-2027 OLSCC Strategic Plan, which will lead us toward the 150^th year of Catholic education in Dalby, from when the Sisters of Mercy began our generational legacy by establishing the 'Convent School' within the Old Plough Inn in 1877.  

Peter Cuskelly

Principal

Last Wednesday’s Commencement Mass will go down as one of my favourite moments of 2023, as the Year 12s walked the Preps into the MPC as a sign of welcome to our College.  Together they represent the Alpha and the Omega – those in the first and the last year of their educational journey at our College.  Once they reached the front of the MPC, the Year 12s were presented with their SENIOR badge by our Prep students and the Prep Students were presented with their JOURNEY PIN by our Year 12s.  Read on in my news about the significance of the Journey Pin, a new tradition we have begun this year. 

Journey Pin 

This is the first year of the JOURNEY PIN at OLSCC.  The Journey Pin is presented at the commencement mass of the College year.  The pin is only given to students who commence their educational journey at our College at the commencement of Prep.  Only one pin is ordered for each child and we hope they will treasure this symbol of their joining the OLSCC family as Preppies in 2023.  The pin for 2023 includes the year and the letters OLSC – Our Lady of the Southern Cross - in black writing on a background of white.   

This is the first year of our “Journey Pin” and a symbolic tradition we hope to incorporate for many years to come.  We look forward to these students being able to wear this when they are in Year 12 in 2035 at the College to reflect on being a part of the Prep class of 2023. 

NAPLAN  

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 15-27 March 2023.  Over the next two weeks we will conduct NAPLAN practice tests in Year 3, 5, 7, 9.  These practice sessions will be used to test our IT system and ensure its readiness for the tests in March and also to allow students to experience the conditions and platform that will be used in the actual tests.  A letter will be emailed home to parents of students in Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 to elaborate on the details of practice tests and the NAPLAN test window in March.   

I encourage parents to explore the NAP website especially the area called Public Demonstration Site that outlines the online test environment and allows both students and parents to explore the functionality of the online testing and example questions.  https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site.  Another helpful section on this website is information for Parents and Carers https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers, this page outlines why tests are conducted, what to expect and how test results are reported and used.   

Season of Lent  

Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar.  Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is February 22 this year.  On this special day of reflection, our students and staff will take time to pray and be blessed with ashes on the forehead.  The ashes are a tangible symbol of our repentance, they show that we are willing to change, to turn our hearts toward God.  The day before Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday.  Traditionally during Lent, Christians would give up rich, tasty food such as butter, eggs, sugar and fat.  Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to eat them – hence the tradition of pancakes!  Lent is a time for us to pray, fast and give of ourselves to others, almsgiving not just a time to “give something up”.  In each classroom, the office and at the tuckshop throughout Lent we will have project compassion donation boxes, any spare change dropped in these boxes during lent will be donated to the amazing work of Caritas, Project Compassion. 

2022 Academic Awards  

Congratulations to our 2022 College Dux, Georgia Bumstead.  As well as receiving our College Dux Award, Georgia is also the recipient of the Dalby and Districts Friendly Society Bursary valued at $2000 and the Western Downs Regional Council Individual Excellence Bursary valued at $250.  Georgia begins her studies of a Bachelor of Physiotherapy this year.  Congratulations to our ATAR Excellence recipients, Jaiken Crothers and Claudia Child, both receiving ATARS over 90 in 2022.  Both are off to university this year to begin their bachelor's degrees.  Jaiken was also the recipient of the Jenny Thornton Bursary valued at $300.  We look forward to following their journeys into the future.   

Harvard Book Prize 

In late November 2022 a new prize for our College was awarded by the Harvard Club of Australia, the 2022 Harvard Book Prize. Due to the late timing of this prize , this award was presented at the Commencement Mass.  The prize is awarded annually to a year 11 student of high potential and is administered by the Harvard Club of Australia.  The Harvard Book Prizes are awarded to outstanding students in the next to-graduate high school class who display excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievement in other fields. Donated by Harvard Clubs and Shared Interest Groups (, Book Prizes are presented annually in over 2,000 high schools around the world. The goal of the Harvard Book Prize program is to recognize outstanding high school students who display general excellence and high character. Awards should not be tied to such criteria as athletic achievement or work in a specific community. Book Prizes are awarded without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or political beliefs.  Congratulations to our 2022 recipient is Felicity Stephen. 

Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

Let your light shine!

We are each made in the image and likeness of God. “Yes, even you!” We can put a lot of pressure on ourselves in our attempts to be the ‘light of the world,’ in trying to save the world single-handedly. But to be the light of the world, to be truly humble, is to do that which gives praise to God. In a dark room – which is how the world can often seem – even a small, gentle flame makes a big difference, and we never truly know the impact that exposing our flame has on others.

Take a moment to consider who the most influential and inspiring people in your life are. You may have met many ‘impressive’ people in your life and realised that it is always the people who are kind that you ultimately remember the most. This can give us confidence to not be disheartened when our actions seem small.  

God of all light,
let your light shine in me.
Whenever I want to run and hide
give me the courage to act in the darkness,
to the glory of your name.
Amen.

We are charging towards assessment, with plenty going on in the Senior Sector. Our assessment calendars are available from our College Website at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College (dalby.catholic.edu.au).

On Monday we hosted our Senior Years Student-Led conferences. Thank you to all the parents who attended to support our staff in knowing how your child learns best in our classes. The approach of being proactive in our conferences rather than reactive and result driven provides our community with opportunities to collaborate with our staff before we are locked into assessment. We encourage all those who were unable to attend to engage with the teachers early so we can adjust the rudder early and celebrate your child’s success

Our students are performing very well engaging with classes in all the modes we are availing to our students, face-to-face, hybrid, flexible learning agreements, school-based traineeships and apprenticeships and work experience opportunities.

All of these modes support our students to be critical learners, supporting their development as critical thinkers with the ability to adapt their knowledge to unknown problems growing them as learners.

Students can do a range of things to develop their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, reflecting and developing thoughts.

Here are some things you can do to enhance critical thinking.

1. CLARIFY YOUR THOUGHTS

The best way to clarify your thoughts is to try and explain your thinking to someone else. Even if you are talking to an imaginary person, you will find that explaining your thinking out loud helps you to see the flaws in your argument.

2. QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS

Don’t take your thoughts for granted, every now and then think about why you believe a certain thought or how you know things to be true. Get in the habit of pausing, looking at what you are thinking, and questioning what thoughts underlie your assumptions. Don’t just conform and accept a view because it is the popular one, instead pause and reflect on the arguments for and against that viewpoint and the strengths of each argument.

3. LOOK FOR OTHER PERSPECTIVES

When you are presenting an argument, imagine yourself in a debate and think about what the opposing side might say. What would someone with a completely opposite view to you believe? Can you understand why they might think that way? Can you see some validity in their viewpoint?

4. KEEP AN OPEN MIND

In order to look for other perspectives keep an open mind. If you immediately dismiss any thought that does not fit into the way you see the world, you will never be able to expand and develop your viewpoints, you will have a very fixed and limited view of the world.

5. BE CURIOUS

Start to look outside the things you normally read and watch and think about. Learn more about things you know nothing about and were not previously interested in. Listen more to what people say, we learn so much more when we really listen rather than spend time planning what we will say next.

6. MAKE INFORMED JUDGEMENTS

It is ok to not have an opinion about something because you don’t have enough information yet. Avoid rushing to judgements, take your time to gather information and evidence and assess it before making a decision. Try not to let yourself be swayed by emotion as this can affect your ability to assess information intellectually.

On Friday we have our swimming carnival, and parents are very welcome to attend to support their children. We look forward to all the students participating and offering support to their fellow classmates.

Rodney Spain

Assistant Principal Senior Years

It has been a big start to the year for the Middle Years. New students to the College in each year level, some new teachers taking on some of our elective classes and we welcome a whole new cohort of Year 5s into the fold.

In the first week, we were lucky to have our Adopt-a-Cop present to all students about cyber-safety and creating good habits online. It was wonderful to see the students interacting so well with Lindsay and the questions came thick and fast at the end of each session.

Just a reminder for parents as we settle back into the rhythm of school that we all need to help students establish safe habits in a digital world. Children are extremely trusting when it comes to online contact and this can easily create unsafe situations, over-sharing and privacy issues. In protecting your child online, please review the tips below:

• Start having a conversation about privacy.
  • It is important that cyber safety education begins early. Hence the reason we are having all students in the Middle Years engaging with sessions in this space. Discuss with your child the reasons for age-appropriate content, the need for age restrictions, and explain the risks in an age-appropriate way.
• Encourage children to think before they share.
  • Children will often feel pressure to share their thoughts, feelings, and images online. Often this occurs through game platforms, and it is not just restricted to social media. Most students are becoming aware of the term digital footprint. Encourage them to seek advice if they ever feel unsure about whether they should share something online. They can always turn the device off without responding.
• Update privacy settings.
  • Children should know about privacy settings and who can access their personal information online. Applications that share the current location of users are dangerous and children should not activate these elements of their social media platforms. As children update applications, the privacy settings can often reset so it is important that students check their settings to maintain appropriate levels of privacy.
• Read through the privacy policies with your child.
  • Most students are not aware of who owns the information they post online. Many are students naïve in this area. Don’t just click Agree – check the fine print.
• Manage Passwords.
  • Strong and secure passwords are essential in maintaining privacy. Students will often not enable passwords on their personal devices or will share passwords with others. Simply using your birthday is not ideal, especially if people know this information. Passwords should never be shared online.
• Encourage respectful behaviour online.
  • When online, students should conduct themselves in the same way as the would in real life. Cyber issues still have real world consequences. If you wouldn’t share it or say it in real life … don’t do it online.
• What do I do if something goes wrong?
  • Following the tips will help minimise the issue. But if something does go wrong it is important that children speak with a trusted adult. Together you can seek solutions, such as, blocking users or deleting apps, or even contacting the office of the eSafety Commissioner for more extreme matters.

When it comes to being safe online, remember that prevention is better than cure.

Headspace 

All Middle Years students have now set up a Headspace account. This platform provides a wonderful bank of resources for parents and students for dealing with all matters relating to mental fitness. I encourage parents to speak to their child about the website, and even peruse some of the materials on their so that we can all start talking about issues that are negatively impacting our young people. We are also hosting a parent and carer session later this month with a representative from Headspace – I encourage all parents and carers to come along and engage in the conversations on this evening.

Extracurricular Activities

Gettings involved in extra-curricular activities is a great way to make friends and feel part of the College community.  The College has a lot of extra-curricular activities coming up. Mr Lincoln has placed sign up sheets outside his office. I encourage all students to walk past and check out what is on offer. We also have a musical this year. Whilst your child may not wish to be cast, perhaps they would like to help out behind stage and form part of the backstage crew. Miss Creeley would be the best contact for matters involving the Culture domain at the College.

Assessment and Drafting

Why students should take drafting more seriously.

Drafting is an important part of the writing process, however, I often hear students say “Well, it’s only the draft … that’ll do”. This is a dangerous mindset for students to possess.

Rarely does the first plan for anything end up being the best plan moving forward. Consequently, this may be the reason why some students feel like the draft of an assignment is of little value to the end product – how wrong hey are! Taking the drafting process seriously allows students to put their ideas on paper so they can rethink and rewrite them. By doing this they will be able to ask themselves whether the ideas they are presenting seem logical, whether their argument is clear, and where additional information and evidence is required.

Drafting is critical in terms of thinking the topic through; in fact, there are all sorts of questions students can ask themselves once they have written an initial draft. A draft also gives them something to show their teachers and to get vital feedback on.

Writing is a process that is made up of many steps. This process has been summarised in the diagram below. For some tasks, students will need to re-visit each step serval times as they refine their ideas and enhance the quality of their written work.

Before students start their work
The first step in writing is to get some ideas down without attempting to structure or order them. This process is often called free-writing. At this point students should not attempt to edit but rather keep the ideas flowing. Brainstorming and creating concept maps are examples of simply getting some ideas out of the brain and down onto paper.

Organising Ideas
Once the ideas are down, now it is time to evaluate those ideas and to decide which ones would be best to use moving forward. Students should always double check the assessment at this point to remain aligned with the task at hand. Box plans are one structured way of organising ideas that are commonly used in the Middle Years. I encourage students to continue this process until it becomes second nature.

The First Draft
At this point, students need to follow their plan and write the first edition of their work. It is important to focus on the main idea and ensure that these are highlighted to the reader in a clear and succinct way. This step should focus on ensuring that the writing flows and that the necessary evidence is supplied to support the student’s argument. The editing does not happen at this stage.

Reviewing
Feedback is vital. It is great to have another person’s perspective on your work … especially if that person is the one who will eventually mark the assessment item. Student’s should not fear feedback form their teachers. It’s gold!

Editing
All too often, students re-submit their draft without taking on-board any of the feedback from the teacher. There is no logic in that decision. Instead, it is one of sheer laziness. Just imagine if inventers never considered feedback or modified/edited their inventions. Remember the first version of the motor car, aeroplane and mobile phone?

How can parents help?
Parents have an important role to play in the development of their child’s work. Encourage them to see the draft as a vital step on the journey to success. Do not accept that an incomplete draft is satisfactory. Do not let them think that “near enough is good enough” and ask them to read their work out load. If you cannot understand it, or they cannot even read it smoothly, then there is a great chance that it needs to be adjusted. Due dates are also deadlines.

As controversial as this next point may seem, if you want more evidence that an edited version of a written piece of work is better than the original, then consider Jimi Hendrix’s version of All Along the Watchtower and Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah. They were both superior to that of the originals composed by Bob Dylan and the great Lenny Cohen respectively.  

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years

I know that our Early Years teachers have been finding time in their busy schedules to check in with all families to see how your child is settling in. This is in addition to emails sent in late January that outlined classroom routines and expectations, as well as term overviews of the learning happening in each Key Learning Area this term. The intent of this is so that parents can engage with students during the learning process rather than finding out what has been covered in the classroom after the learning has occurred, as well as being able to support your child with their organisation and routines for success. If you feel you have missed receiving this important communication, please contact your teacher via Class Dojo or email and they will be very happy to re-send it to you.

Another great way of keeping in contact with what is happening in the Early Years is to join us at Early Years Assemblies which occur in the PAC, or Whole College Assemblies which occur in the MPC, on alternate weeks. These take place first thing on a Friday morning and we love having parents join us at either event. Simply stay for a little longer after drop off!

Thankyou to our Year 1 classes who have recently updated our Early Years Noticeboard at the end of orange block. Be sure to stop and take a look as you go past! This noticeboard is updated each month by different classes and always gives an interesting glimpse into the exciting things happening in our classrooms.

Extra curricular offerings

The College Extra-Curricular Program has seen huge growth this year, with many students expressing an interest in Piano, Guitar, Violin, Percussion and Performing Arts. Another extra-curricular offering that many of our Early Years students get great joy from is our Early Years Choir. This year, our secondary music teacher, Miss Amie Stolz, will be facilitating choir. She is looking forward to meeting the Early Years participants from Week 4. If you are yet to sign your child up, please click the link to the form below to do so:

Early Years Choir – Wednesday mornings, 8:15am. (Middle and Senior Years choir meets on Mondays at lunchtimes).

Future Enrolments

We are very excited to have our third Prep class operational this year! Enrolments are now open for 2024, with Round 1 closing Wednesday 21 June. Applications can be lodged online via the College website:

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

• If you have friends who are wondering what life at OLSCC is like, please let them know we provide several opportunities to find out!
• Preppie for a Morning is particularly targeted to kindergarten-aged children and parents who are new to the College community and want to see what the inside of a Prep class looks like. This is a one hour glimpse into the Prep world, and an opportunity to meet the teachers. A more rigorous transition program occurs later in the year for enrolled students, including our Shooting Stars pre-Prep program.
• Come and Try Days are targeted to students from Yrs 1-10 who are invited to spend a part or full day in a classroom to see what a day at OLSCC is like.

Both our Preppie for a morning and Come and Try Day will be offered on

• Monday 6 March.

Registration is essential for both events and can be made by telephoning the College office.

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years

Inter House Swimming Carnivals

Under 9-12 Carnival Points

Nolan –             670

Rice –               661

MacKillop          528

McAuley -          495

Age Champions and Runners Up

The Under 13 - Under 18 (Born 2005 – 2010) Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 10 February at the Dalby Aquatic Centre. Students will travel on the College Coach leaving at 8.50am. Students will be back at school by 3.00pm. Swim shirts are optional for all races. Students may wear their house colours on the day. The order of events is listed below. 

Boat Race, 100m Freestyle, Pool Toy Dive Competition, 50m Freestyle, Noodle Race, 50m Backstroke, Bomb Dive Competition, Belly Flop Competition, 200m Individual Medley, 50m Breaststroke, Across the Pool Relay, 50m Butterfly, Boys and Girls Gift Races, Staff / Captains Relay, All Age Relay.

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.

16 February – Touch Football

21 February – Basketball

Inner Downs Cluster Touch Football

Congratulations to the following students selected in the Inner Downs Touch Football Teams to attend the Darling Downs Trials on 21 February.

Under 15 Girls

Carla Nobbs, Charli Coleman, Emmysen Crothers, Lana O’Callaghan

Under 15 Boys

Jasper Filewood, Ryker Filewood, Lachlan Fraser, Travis Collins

Under 18 Boys

Brock Sankey, Daniel O’Callaghan

Darling Downs 13-19 Swimming Trials

Any students interested in attending the Darling Downs Trials need to see Mr Lincoln next week with a list of events and times swum at previous carnivals. The Darling Downs Trials will be held in Gatton on Wednesday 1 March.

Inner Downs Cluster 2 Trials

Inner Downs Trials in Netball, Rugby League, Basketball and Soccer will be held on Wednesday 22 February in Highfields. All these sports will select separate Under 15 and Under 18 Teams. The College Coach will transport students to the trials. Students interested in attending need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board. 

Darling Downs Trials

Students will directly nominate to Darling Downs Trials held in March for the following sports;

Under 15 Boys and Girls AFL, Hockey, Squash, Girls Under 16/18 Rugby Sevens, Boys Under 18 Rugby Union and Girls Under 15 and Under 18 Rugby League. Students interested in attending any of the above trials need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board. Students will need to be of a high playing standard to attend the trials.

Laura Geitz Netball

Any Year 7-9 Girls who would like to be considered for the Laura Geitz Netball Carnival need to nominate via the Sports Notice Board. Trials to select a team to a team to attend the carnival will be held in the next week. The carnival will be held at Downlands College in Toowoomba on Sunday 12 March.

Sports Darling Downs Awards

The College has been shortlisted for the Darling Downs Secondary School of the Year Award for 2022. This is based on the outstanding achievements our high school students had last year. The other finalists are Downlands College, St Mary’s College and Harristown SHS. The Year 9 Girls Volleyball Team has been nominated for Team of the Year and Mrs Lisa Lincoln has been nominated for Coach of the Year. Awards will be presented this weekend in Toowoomba.

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Opportunities abound. The number of career choices and opportunities provided for the students at the College by the Dalby commercial and industrial community has been brilliant and encouraging for the future of our young people. As a member of the College community since 2013, I can recall that the main choice for graduating students in the distant past was to move to the Gold Coast, Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast to seek employment or to attend University. By providing opportunity for local training and employment, the Dalby community ensures the reduction of the pull of our young people to these metropolitan areas, ensuring we keep our youth in the region as future contributors to the local community, economy, and society. The following students have all been offered and accepted positions of school-based apprenticeships or traineeships in the last few months.

Sonny Redding – Carpentry SBA, Cassidy Homes

Judd Alderton – Boilermaker SBA, Simplicity

Alex Nothdurft – Certificate 3 in Agriculture, SBA, MJB Farms  

Emily Clapperton – Early Childhood Education SBA, Beck Street Kindergarten

Amy Cartwright – Early Childhood Education SBA, Beck Street Kindergarten

Karlie Falvey – Certificate 3 Community Health SBA, Ningana

Patrick Forbes – McDonalds Traineeship

Lexie Kimpton – Heavy Diesel Mechanic, SBA, RSA Dalby

Cooper Wedrat – Heavy Diesel Mechanic, SBA, CLASS Harvesters

Gabby Anderton – Certificate 3 in Agriculture, SBA, Wenham Farming

Nadine Garside – Library Services Traineeship, Western Downs Regional Council

Brett Young – Carpentry SBA, New State Builders

Samuel Garside – Refrigeration Mechanic, SBA, Goldings Airconditioning

Joey Sankey – Carpentry, SBA, GJ Gardner Homes

Congratulations to all these students on their first steps on the journey into the world of work.

Opportunities currently exist for several positions.

1. CLAAS Harvesters are currently offering a school-based apprenticeship as a parts interpreter at their office located in Dalby.
2. Golden West Joinery are currently offering an apprenticeship and school-based apprenticeship in Certificate 3 in Cabinetmaking.

Please speak to Mr. Dean Garside or Mrs. Tracey Boland if you are interested in any of these opportunities.

Future Career Education Events

Year 10 students will undertake career education courses at the College in Week 4 of Term 1.

13 to 15 February: Expresso Barista Certificate 2 – Aroura Training (Elective)

16 February: Manual Handling and First Aid Theory - DGT Training

17 February: White Card Safety – DGT Training

20 February: CPR and First Aid practical – DGT Training. 

Important Dates: Up and Coming Events – Save the Date

• Thursday 9 February 2023 University Showcase (at UniSQ)
• Wednesday 10 May 2023 Industry Dinner (Yr 9 & 10 Students)- information will  

be forwarded soon.

• Monday 13 March 2023 St Leo’s & Women’s College (UQ Residential Colleges)                   

Visit for Yr 11 & 12 Students - PAC

• Tuesday 28 March 2023 UniSQ Experience Day – Toowoomba Campus

(See below)

• Thursday 30 March 2023 UniSQ Experience Day – Springfield & Ipswich

(see below)

• Friday 21 July 2023 Dalby Careers Expo (information will be sent)

University of Queensland Residential Colleges Visit

St Leo's and Women's College Visit year 11 & 12 students

Stephen Foley will be visiting the College on Monday 13 March to speak with students who are interested in applying for College Accommodation for University placings (UQ, QUT, Griffith, ACU) for 2024.  Please encourage your child to attend this meeting if they are interested in University Accommodation in Brisbane.

Where:            Performing Arts Centre

Who:                Yr 11 & 12 Students

When:              Monday 13 March

Time:               11.30am

2023 Experience UniSQ Days

If your child is in Year 11 or 12, they can get an exclusive sneak peek into study areas to help them explore the different directions for their life after school. They will hear from our world-class lecturers, take part in real-life experiments and activities, and get a feel for life as a university student.  Spaces are limited, so register now to secure their spot by clicking on the link below. 

UniSQ Experience Days

Toowoomba Campus                   28 March      8.45am - 2.30pm

Springfield Campus                      30 March      8.45am – 2.30pm

Ipswich Campus                          30 March      8.45am – 2.30pm

University Of Southern Queensland Announcement

Important information for current Year 12 students.

We are excited to let you know about the Toowoomba University Showcase evening scheduled for Thursday 9 February. This evening will have a variety of Tertiary Institutions visiting the Toowoomba region. Expected institutions include: UniSQ, Griffith Uni, Bond, QUT, ACU, UNE, QTAC, UniSC, JCU, SCU and UQ.

This evening will include an opportunity for students and parents to hear from current university students about their journey and experience at university. It is also a chance for students to engage and ask any questions related to getting into university, managing university studies and what university life is like. This event will conclude with a career expo style session where students and parents can speak with each university representative, ask questions, and collect information. 
 

When: Thursday 9 February 2023

Where: University of Southern Queensland | Steele Rudd College

Time: 5:30pm Start – 7:00pm

We are excited to invite your Year 12 students and their parents/guardians along for this fantastic opportunity to engage with a variety of institutions and discover the options available post-school. 

Dean Garside

Careers Development Practitioner

As always lots of exciting things happening in Culture at the moment!

Choir

We are very excited to announce that both of our College choirs will be starting up again very soon. These choirs will be invited to show off their performance skills at assemblies, eisteddfods, choral events and much more throughout the school year. OLSCC is rich with vocal talent and it will be marvellous for those skills to be on display in our choir! Students can be registered to participate in choir by completing the form that was emailed to you.

Students gain so much from being part of a choir. They develop skills in memory, concentration, singing, articulation, reading (words AND music notation), teamwork, confidence, and many other skills! In fact, research tells us that students that study music develop skills to assist them in all other academic areas at school. 

Early Years Choir

• Open to students from Years 2 - 4
• Meet to rehearse every Wednesday morning, 8:15am-8:45am
• Music room (enter via the MPC)
• Begins Wednesday 15 February (week 4)

Middle and Senior Years Choir

• Open to students from Years 5 – 12
• Meet to rehearse every Monday lunchtime, 11:30am-12.10pm
• Music room (enter via MPC - bring your lunch with you)
• Begins Monday 13 February (week 4)

In completing the form that was emailed to you, your student is committing to their nominated choir, which will require he/she attend rehearsals at the designated time, and performances for the remainder of the school year.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions - via email is best! Amie.Stolz@twb.catholic.edu.au 

CECP

It’s amazing to see the growth in the Culture Extra-Curricular Program over the past year! So many students are loving performing and learning about the Arts.

Agreements have officially gone out and CECP classes will begin this week. It is very important that all agreements are returned to either Miss Creeley or the College Office as soon as possible. Students will not be able to participate in their lessons during week 4 if their agreements have not been returned.

Spots are limited but if you are interested in your student joining the program, contact Miss Creeley ASAP via email Tamara.Creeley@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Musical

Thank you to all the students who auditioned last week! It was amazing to see so many students excited and enthusiastic to be a part of our performance!

Our first rehearsal will be this Sunday 12 February

Future rehearsals will be:

• Thursday afternoons 3.30pm - 5.00pm
• Sunday afternoons, 1.00pm - 4.00pm, extending to 10.00am - 4.00pm as we get closer to the performance date.

Rehearsal this week will take place in the PAC to combat the heat. Roles will be announced at this rehearsal. Additionally, scripts and rehearsal schedules will be distributed.

All leads and anyone who has expressed interest in being part of the chorus is expected to attend.

Tamara Creeley

Middle Leader Culture

Learning Support Team 

Apart from myself, we have a new learning support team. We have Kristin Bennie Kristen.Bennie@twb.catholic.edu.au replacing Mrs G and Danielle Skerman Danielle.Skerman@twb.catholic.edu.au replacing Mrs Martin and last but not least we have Dean Garside Dean.Garside@twb.catholic.edu.au replacing Mrs Baxter. Although it is early, the experience and strengths of our new members is evident, and I am excited to be apart of our future success.

Student Representative committee (SRC)

SRC are meeting every Tuesday at recess in Mrs Hemming’s room. We have started well but are looking for more members. The SRC helps to organise student driven events such as kindness week, the colour run and Naidoc week. This term we are working on supporting Harmony Day. If your student is in years 5 -12 and is interested in representing the student body, connecting with the wider school community, and developing their creativity and leadership skills, SRC is the place for them. All they need to do is simply turn up to the meeting.

Headspace School Visit

Headspace is visiting our school in week 6. If you think your student may be triggered in these sessions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Riki from headspace will also be delivering a parent and carer information session on Tuesday 28/2/23 at 5:00pm. Please refer to the flyer for details. Although the flyer states that the presentation is for supporting the mental health of adolescents, I would recommend all parents and carers attend, regardless of your child’s age. Strategies discussed by Riki can be implemented immediately into the household. I promise lots of Aha moments. Please click on the forms link to RSVP to the event https://forms.office.com/r/khkCgEmYn9

Lastly, if you wanted to contact me, please do not hesitate to email me: Katrina.Ballantyne@twb.catholic.edu.au or call the office to transfer through to me. High school students can self-refer and I will need a parent consent form completed and signed, for primary aged students. If you do miss me, I will reply within 48 hours (business days). May our and our children’s mental health flourish!

What better way to investigate Australia’s multicultural cuisine, than to begin exploring the native foods our Indigenous Australian peoples have eaten for thousands of years. Taking a modern twist, the Year 8 Food Technology students recently enjoyed making kangaroo burgers with a bush tomato chutney. Yum! Kash Hunt and Harry Burton thoght their kangaroo burgers were pretty tasty.

Leah Parker

Senior Food and Nutrition Teacher

Vaccinations for all Year 7 and 10 students will be held at the College on Thursday, 30 March 2023. A team of authorised registered nurses will conduct these vaccinations. Students will receive the following vaccinations:

Year 7:            Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (1 dose)

                        Diptheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (dTpa) (1 booster dose)

Year 10:          Meningococcal ACWY (1 dose)

Year 7 students will now not receive a second HPV six months later. Please advise Sandy at the College Office if your child is unwell on this day.

If you have any queries regarding the immunisations, please contact Sandy Brookes at the College Office or via email Sandra.Brookes@twb.catholic.edu.au

Our Lady of the Southern Cross College is scheduled for a Toowoomba Catholic Schools (TCS) quadrennial school review from 27 February to 3 March.  

Toowoomba Catholic Schools has a School renewal and improvement framework which has, as a key element, a quadrennial school review. In this review, a review team consisting of senior staff from TCS’s Education Services and a peer principal from another school in the Diocese, visit the College for three days.

The aim is to assist schools and colleges to strategically plan to improve teaching and learning. These reviews occur in all TCS schools and colleges.`

Through a process of appreciative inquiry, review team members interview staff, parents/carers, students and community members. The questions asked are, ‘In your opinion, what is going well at the College?’ and ‘What could be done better?’.

As a result of the interviews and analysis of data, a report is provided to the College community and the review team share in this report their findings and suggested improvement strategies. These findings and strategies inform the development of the College’s strategic and annual action plans.

The review team would like to hear from representatives of our College community and I encourage anyone who is interested to have their say. Your feedback is important.

Feedback can be provided to the review team in person or by telephone. All feedback remains confidential. Please contact the College Office (Nicole Bryers) if you are interested in speaking to a member of the review team. You may also register your interest by emailing dalby@twb.catholic.edu.au with “College Review EOI attention Nicole Bryers” as the subject.