Friday 24 March - Early Years Bush Dance

Tuesday 28 March - Words Out West School Day

Tuesday 28 to Friday 31 March - Year 12 Biology Camp

Friday 31 March - Nolan Day

Friday 31 March - End of Term 1

Tuesday 18 April - Term 2 Commences

The Term 1 Calendar of events is now available via the link below. You can print this out and have it at home so you know everything that is happening at our College.

Welcome to the last newsletter of our first 'as normal' Term 1 for the last few years.  Its strange that I was going to write 'uninterrupted Term 1', though upon reflection, the years we had COVID actually had far less interruptions than the status quo.  In saying that, it has been wonderful to see so many students so heavily involved in all the opportunities that have been available to them already this year.  I am so grateful for the amazing community in which I work and live everyday! 

NAPLAN

Our students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 have completed their NAPLAN testing this week.  Mrs Brennan and her team of teachers and school officers run a well-oiled machine regarding NAPLAN, and our classroom teachers allow our students to approach NAPLAN as a low-pressure experience.  While there is much bad press regarding NAPLAN, I continue to value and support the current testing opportunity as it clearly allows us to determine areas where we are progressing at better rate than the nation and state, as well as which areas require more work.  It is also an opportunity to verify the school-based student learning data we have at the College, and for students and families to celebrate individual successes too.   The below data is an example of this value:

Our current Year 8 students ended NAPLAN in 2018 behind the state mean in all areas of testing.  Through the hard work of the students and their teachers, this same cohort has progressed at a significant rate to now exceed the State Mean Scale Score in all areas of the test.  The last column shows us that the average OLSCC student progressed significantly more than their average state counterpart over the 4 year period between NAPLAN tests (2020 was cancelled due to COVID).  Please take the time to have a chat with your child when you get the results a little further down the track, no matter how well they achieved.  It is a very important opportunity to talk to your child about learning dispositions, what they want to be, and what they are going to work towards into the future.  I was especially pleased with the way our students approached the writing task this year and greatly look forward to seeing the results! 

FACE – Family and Community Engagement

On Monday evening we had our first gathering of our new parent engagement model – FACE.  FACE replaces the outgoing P&F model as a more contemporary way for us to engage parents and also provides opportunities for parents to access the information or people they need through termly Parent Forums. Thank you to everyone who came along on the night and gave their insight into how this model can come to life at OLSCC in 2023.  Keep an eye on Facebook for updates regarding the work of FACE.

I would also like to acknowledge the amazing service that the OLSCC P&F has provided to the College over many generations.  We are blessed with the facilities and environment we have here due to this committee and their work should not go unnoticed. I would like to reiterate to the College community that any time they engage in the following, the P&F has made possible these opportunities for our students and community:

• The College Coach
• Middle Years Plaza
• Fridges in classrooms
• The Coffee Shop
• The entire College PA System
• The vast library collection
• Air-conditioned classrooms
• Playgrounds
• Saints Race Day
• “Spring Fair”
• And much much more.

Thanks to everyone who has made such a significant contribution to our P&F throughout the years.  We look forward to engaging with the FACE Committee, Mrs Kaitlin Machin (President), Mrs Kate Cullen (Secretary), the Working Parties, and all parents who are welcome and invited to our Parent Forums, soon to be announced for Term 2.

Have a wonderful Start to Term 2!

As mentioned previously, I am departing to undertake the traditional French Camino pilgrimage from St Jean Pied de Port in France all the way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  This pilgrimage will take 40 days in total, and I eagerly look forward to the experience and coming back to this great College in Week 7 of next term.  I intend to send a few updates from picturesque locations to share both at assembly and on Facebook, although I won’t be wearing my usual Principal attire for these!

I wish everyone a Holy Easter, restful holiday, and an outstanding start to Term 2.  Ms Collins visited on Tuesday and she is very excited to spend 6 weeks working at our amazing College – especially working with the little people who she doesn’t have the chance to work with at St Saviour’s College.

Well done to all students in Year 3, 5, 7, and 9 who have completed their NAPLAN tests in the past two weeks.  Here at the College, we strive to instil in our students our College Learning Dispositions and there was an amazing amount of persistence, independence, motivation and creativity shown by these students throughout these tests.  All students should feel proud of their efforts in NAPLAN. 

NAPLAN – what now?  

One of the main reasons that NAPLAN was completed in March rather than May was so that schools could receive the results earlier in the year.  This access to results earlier for schools will better inform our College and our system to enhance the teaching and learning programs we deliver to our students.  One of the benefits of NAPLAN for our College is that it gives us data to inform our practice and allows us to identify trends so that we can target our teaching to cater for all levels and abilities.  ACARA CEO stated “It is the intention that this valuable data will be available earlier to inform teaching and learning programs, and to identify professional development needs.  It also means parents will receive results earlier in the year, helping to inform the conversations they have with teachers.” 

In February of this year, ACARA the governing body for our Curriculum and the administration of NAPLAN, announced changes to the way NAPLAN is reported from 2023 and I encourage all parents to read this media release in NAP news linked below to be better informed about these changes. 

Excerpt from the ACARA Media Release 10 February 2023 

“From this year, parents and carers will get earlier, simpler and clearer information about their child’s NAPLAN achievement based on new, more rigorous national standards.   

New proficiency standards with 4 levels of achievement for each year level will replace the previous 10-band structure that covered all 4 levels tested and the old national minimum standard set in 2008 when tests were on paper. The new proficiency standards include a baseline benchmark to identify students who are likely to need additional support.   

NAPLAN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORT  

The numerical NAPLAN bands and the national minimum standard will be replaced by the following 4 levels of achievement:  

• Exceeding 
• Strong 
• Developing
• Needs additional support. 

The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents what their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and support discussions with their school on their child’s progress.”  

EASTER 

Easter is an important time in the liturgical calendar.  To mark this important time in our Church we will gather on Friday 31 March at 1:00pm for our Easter Prayer Celebration.  Everyone is welcome to join us for this occasion.  The focus of this prayer celebration will be Palm Sunday which is marked in the Church on 2 April.  To symbolise this occasion, we would like each class to create a bunch of leaves and small branches that students bring from their home (local) environment.  These leaves would be bound together into bunches and these bunches will be used to begin our Prayer Celebration to symbolise the palms.  It is requested that each student from Prep to Year 12 bring a small twig of leaves or a very small branch (no more than 20cm in length) into their core class teacher (Prep to Year 4) or their Religion teacher (Year 5-12) by Thursday 30 March. This time frame will allow teachers time to prepare these bunches for Friday’s prayer celebration.  It is symbolic that we gather these leaves from ‘our homes’ and combine them as class bunches rather than just grab these from our College grounds.  These do not need to be palm leaves and we love the idea that each student may bring in a different leaf.  More detail about the leaf request has been emailed home to every family. 

Easter Egg Raffle

We are in the last few days of selling tickets and gathering easter eggs. Tickets are 50c each and sold each day in lunch areas around the College including the MPC and Senior Plaza.  We can’t wait to see how much we can raise for our local St Vincent de Paul (and also who wins all the yummy chocolate)!  Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the Easter Prayer Celebration. 

Year 10 Science Trial Test 

We have been randomly selected to take part in the National Assessment Program – Science Literacy (NAP-SL).  A sample of 20 students from Year 10 will be randomly selected by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to complete this test.  The assessment session will last approximately 2 hours and will be conducted in early May.  We are still waiting on final details for who will complete this assessment and on which date. Once these details are available, students and parents will be notified.   

DATE CLAIMERS FOR LYF 

31 March – Nolan Day 

24 April – 2:30pm – OLSCC ANZAC Day Service 

26 April – all day – Year 10 Retreat Day  

5 May – Rice Day  

12 May – Prep Mother’s Day High Tea  

2 June – 9:00am - Ecumenical Service  

Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

  

Fourth Week of Lent    
(Week beginning Monday 20th March) 

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Thu, who lives in Vietnam. When Thu was 12 years old, he stepped on an unexploded land mine and lost his leg. Living with a disability in rural Vietnam presented many challenges for Thu, who worked mainly as a rice farmer. Thu also took on the role of caring for his wife, Linh, after she suffered a stroke. 

Determined to turn their lives around, Thu and Linh joined the Empowerment of People with Disabilities program, run by Caritas Australia’s local partner in Vietnam, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD). 

For Thu, the greatest impact the program has had is enabling the change in Linh’s physical and mental wellbeing. With the support of a physiotherapist, Linh can now walk short distances with the aid of a walking stick. 

Watch a short film about Thu’s story here.   

Dear Lord,
We pray for those who live in confusion and doubt. May we try to support positive approaches to even the most difficult problems, such as the partnerships created by Caritas Australia through Project Compassion.  

Amen. 

Support Project Compassion by sending donations to school to be placed in the Project Compassion boxes. 

During the term, we have encouraged our students to operate from an 'infinite mindset' - glass half full rather than glass half empty. Below is an article written by Gary Klaben that looks to highlight the practical application which can assist in students achieving their goals through wanting to be part of the journey.

“In school, you likely took a number of exams, many of which were true or false quizzes or tests. The answers were clear-cut, binary choices – they were either right or wrong, with no middle ground. If you didn’t know the answer, you still had a 50/50 chance of getting it right. There’s a simplicity to true or false tests, making them more popular with students (especially the poorly prepared students) than, say, essay question exams.

Now, if life were an exam, the only true/false question would be: “Do you play your life as infinite?” The remainder of the questions are of the more complicated essay question variety.

Simon Sinek writes about the finite versus infinite mindset in his article, “Infinite Life.” If you live your life with a finite mindset, your primary goals are to be richer than others, get promoted more quickly than others, have a bigger house than others…in other words, you’re always looking to win. And if winning is always your goal, then the only alternative to winning is losing. It’s one or the other, a binary result.

However, if you choose to live your life with an infinite mindset, you see a bigger picture in life. You look to build relationships with others, and you work toward a common good. Your goals center around making progress in these areas, as opposed to an end-game win/lose result.

Many areas of our lives can benefit from an infinite mindset. Whereas a finite mindset sees and focuses on scarcity, an infinite mindset will view abundance. Whereas a finite mindset says “I have to do this,” an infinite mindset frames it as “I GET to do this.” A finite mindset will hold on to sorrow. An infinite mindset acknowledges there is sorrow in life, but embraces joy and seeks it out.

For business owners with a finite mindset, employees are viewed as an expense. Infinite mindset business owners view their employees as an investment in the company and the future.

A finite mindset holds on to fear, which, in turn, leads to making poor decisions and to feelings of despair, ultimately closing you off from others. On the other hand, an infinite mindset chooses love, leading to an understanding of the world, opening you up to those around you, connecting you to each other.

Finite Mindset vs. Infinite Mindset | CoyleFinancialBlog.com”

Year 11 RAAP Program

Our Year 11 students took part in the Queensland Fire Services Road Attitudes and Action Planning Program (RAAP) on Monday 20 March. Mr Scott Teakle from QFS spoke to our students about road safety so that they can make an informed decision to mitigate risks and consequences by planning ahead. They were faced with real life senarios which could impact on not only themselves but their entire community group.

Successful Senior School Learner Session

Completing years 11 and 12 can be challenging, and unless people are empowered with the knowledge of what it takes to succeed, they can often be disappointed with the result.  To ensure that students and parents have the right knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a successful senior student, parents were invited to an information session on Tuesday evening discussing "A Successful OLSCC Senior School Learner: Getting Your QCE Right". The session was designed to provide those that attended with important information about how students can succeed in their senior years of schooling and achieve their best possible results.

Assessment

Assessment calendars and exam timetables can be located on the College Website:

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

If you have any questions about assessment, please contact your child's classroom teacher or me.

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

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

Students and parents can contact teachers via phoning or emailing to help with communication. 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.

Happy Holidays

As we approach the Easter holiday, I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very happy and faithful Easter. May this Easter season be filled with the love of family and friends, and may you take this time to reflect on the many blessings in your life. Whether you are celebrating with traditional Easter activities or enjoying a quiet break at home, I wish you all a wonderful holiday filled with happiness and hope.

Rodney Spain

Assistant Principal – Senior Years

We are in the business of growing great people in a calm and respectful learning environment, and as such, we must hold students accountable for their behavioural choices. At times, this involves working more closely with some students who need their choices to be realigned to meet our standards.

Students sometimes tell me that they fear reporting negative behaviours as in their minds it will make the matter worse. Despite this not being reflected in reality, some do fear that this may occur, and it can be a paralysing feeling. Unfortunately, not reporting negative behaviours only serves to condone the behaviour itself and the students exhibiting these behaviours are sadly encouraged to continue. What is important to focus on is that the whole student body is an incredibly powerful force. If the collective group of students acted appropriately to call out their peers and their behavioural choices, it would go a long way to stamping out the low-level niggling behaviours that can fester over time. Students working together with staff can continue to make our College a safe and respectful learning environment for all.

Reporting
If your child has experienced any negative behaviours at the College, it is vital that these matters be reported to staff so that appropriate responses can be undertaken to resolve situations in a timely manner. Below are the appropriate steps in reporting behaviours:

The best practice is for your child to report incidents the nearest staff member so that the mater can be quickly and efficiently resolved. Alternative methods can include reporting to Katrina Ballantyne (College Counsellor), Jodie Biggar (Middle Leader Middle Years) or me for more serious matters.  

Children and Technology at Home
The family home should be a safe place for children. A place where they can switch off from the outside world, leave their worries behind. A place to refresh and prepare for the next new day. At least, this once was the case. We now live in a time where technology opens the door for the outside worries to infiltrate our home. The internet, online games, and social media allow everyone we know and plenty of people we don’t into our homes. That is a scary thought.

Parents would not ordinarily allow a complete stranger to walk into the family home, sit on the couch and start talking to their child about any topic they choose. Even more, this stranger would never be permitted to enter a child’s bedroom at night. Unfortunately, this is a scenario that technology can create in the home.

This intrusion into a child’s safe space – the home – is affecting our children, and it’s a reminder that parents need to set up boundaries for technology in the home to protect their children. Technology in a child’s bedroom is simply a bad idea.

One study has found that children who use devices at bedtime sleep less, get poorer quality sleep and are more tired during the day than kids who switch off earlier.

(Click link to read more on this study: Association Between Portable Screen-Based Media Device Access or Use and Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA Pediatrics | JAMA Network)

Another study goes further to state that it is not just using the devices that interrupts sleep. Even children with a phone or a tablet device in their room, without using it at bedtime or during the night, still had poor quality sleep.

(Click link to read more on this study: A ban on screens in bedrooms may save kids’ sleep | Science News)

Furthermore, if a child is using a device in the privacy of the bedroom, there is no way of knowing who they are talking to, about what topics, or at what time of the night. Please talk to your child about technology in the home and establish clear and precise boundaries to protect them from strangers, the troubles of the world and allow them to get better rest in preparation for the next day.

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years

This week, the Year 7s completed their first dissection in Science. They investigated the skeletal structures of a fish, a prawn and a squid. The students then used this knowledge to look at the two types of skeletons and then classify the marine organisms as vertebrates or invertebrates. This was part of our biology unit and introduced the students to the topic: classification of organisms.

Thank you for your support of your child’s learning journey through your interaction this week in Student Led Conferences. We will be seeking your feedback on the new format and hope you will respond to the form we send out following the conclusion of the conference period.

There has been much happening to contribute to the vibrancy of the Early Years over the last few weeks of term. Various year levels have had visits to St Joseph’s Church, the Choir is in full swing, Cross Country practice is underway, new families visited for Preppie for a Morning, visitors have joined us for assemblies and NAPLAN is over for another year, with a sensational effort by our Year 3’s who embodied many of the College Learning Dispositions!

The fun continues this week! Friday will see us celebrating Harmony Week through our Culture Day, with students joining in by accessorising their uniform with orange as a symbol of building an inclusive community for all. We continue into the evening with our Early Years Bush Dance and Family Picnic. This will be a great opportunity for our families to connect and enjoy the evening together. On Tuesday next week, every student from Prep-Year 6 will attend the Words Out West festival at the Dalby Events Centre, and Nolan Day will be celebrated on the last day of term before a well earned break!

Thankyou to the Year 5 students who are running the Easter Egg raffle for Mini Vinnies. There have been many enthusiastic Early Years customers! Tickets are 50c each so please send money along if your child wishes to make a purchase. You may find it easier for them to manage if you place the money in a ziplock bag. Students will benefit from you writing on the front of the bag eg $2 for Easter Egg raffle tickets + name, to avoid any confusion.

Our Early Years students are eagerly awaiting the 2023 College Musical, The Little Mermaid Jnr. Many of the performers have not long left the Early Years sector and have risen to the task of all that a performance such as this requires. With three shows on offer, including a Saturday matinee, there is sure to be a show that suits all! I can’t wait to see the faces of our younger students as they watch their older counterparts in a live rendition of this popular story. Please come along and support the show!

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years

Darling Downs Selections  

Congratulations to Carla Nobbs who has been selected in the Darling Downs Under 15/16 Rugby Sevens team. Karlie Falvey was named as a shadow player. Fletcher James was named as a shadow player for the U18 Boys Basketball Team.

Laura Geitz Netball

Congratulations to the Year 7-9 Girls who competed in Division 1 of the Laura Geitz Shield. Thanks to Mrs Bennie and Miss Fry for coaching the team and to Kaitlyn Harms for umpiring on the day. Game results are listed below.

Loss to St Ursula’s                     5-6

Win vs Downlands                     5-4

Loss to Fairholme                      3-24 (Overall Winners)

Loss to Glennie                         4-15 (Runners Up)

Loss to St Joseph’s                    4-6

5^th Place Playoff

Win vs Downlands                     14-10

Rugby League

Congratulations to the Open Boys Rugby League team who defeated Dalby SHS 18-10 as part of the Matt Hughes Foundation Games last weekend This win also means the College is ahead 1-0 in the Berwick / McCullough Shield for 2023. The Darling Downs Schools Competition will begin early next term. The College has nominated teams in the Under 13, Under 15 and Under 18 age groups. Games will be played on a Wednesday afternoon in either Toowoomba or Dalby.

Beach Volleyball

Congratulations to the Year 10 Girls Teams that attend the QLD Beach Schools Cup Competition on the Gold Coast. Both teams had very successful weekends finishing in fourth and first place. This is the second straight year we have won this competition. Thanks to Mrs Lisa Lincoln for coaching our teams and to the parents who came and supported all weekend. Game results and set scores are listed below.

OLSCC Team 1

Win vs Faith Lutheran Redlands             3-0

Win vs Harristown SHS 2                       3-0

Win vs The Gap SHS                             3-0

Win vs Calamvale SHS 2                       2-1

Quarter Final

Win vs The Gap SHS                             3-0

Semi Final

Win vs Pimpama SHS                            2-1

Gold Medal Match

Win vs Calamvale SHS 2                       2-1

OLSCC Team 2

Win vs Harristown SHS                          2-1

Win vs Faith Lutheran 2                          2-1

Win vs Bray Park SHS                           3-0

Win vs Kelvin Grove SHS                       3-0

Semi Final

Loss to Calamvale SHS 2                       1-2

Bronze Medal Match

Loss to Pimpama SHS                           0-3

Bunya District U12 Soccer Trials

Any boys or girls who would like to attend Bunya District U12 Soccer Trials please see Mr Lincoln for more information. Trials will be held on Wednesday 19 April (Term 2 Week 1).

Bunya District Netball

Congratulations to the following girls selected in the Bunya District team to attend the Darling Downs Trials next term.

Under 11- Lainey Geiger, Pippa Smith, Lucy Bennie, Harriet Martin, Isabelle Manley, Lexie Forbes, Bella Cusack, Marli Forbes, Mia Johnson.

Under 12 – Matilda Ryan, Lexie Bruce, Miranda Child, Ava Boland, Chloe Cassidy, Sienna Bundy, Milla Barnett.

Bunya District Rugby League

Congratulations to the following boys selected in the Bunya District teams to play Inner Downs as the first stage of the Darling Downs Selection Trials for 2023.

Under 11 – Archie Stephens, Bobby Machin, Flynn Zillman, Jett Price, Nate Sloss, Will Burton, Lyjah King Togia.

Under 12 – Fynn Carmichael, Myles Gilliland

Bunya District / Inner Downs Rugby League

Congratulations to the following boys who were selected in the combined Bunya District/ Inner Downs team to attend the Darling Downs Trials next term.

Under 11 – Archie Stephens, Bobby Machin, Flyn Zillman, Jett Price

Under 12 – Fynn Carmichael

Cross Country

The inter-House Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 19 April (Term 2 Week 1). All students from Prep – Year 12 will run on this day. Please see the attached timetable for the day. Upcoming Representative Cross Country Dates in Term 2 as listed below.

Tuesday 9 May – QCIS Carnival (Downlands College)

Tuesday 16 May – Darling Downs Trials (Toowoomba)

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

If your child is a seasoned worrier, you will know how difficult living on high alert can be. Constantly irritated, often anxious and occasionally withdrawn, worriers are in a never-ending state of fight, flight or even freeze.

An upcoming exam or a nerve-wracking event can trigger a fight-or-flight response, flooding the body with cortisol and adrenaline. This response is designed to power up the body to face real threats, it helped keep our hunter-gatherer ancestors safe. Unfortunately, the part of the brain responsible for keeping us alert can’t tell the difference between a woolly mammoth and an upcoming exam. Both are seen as threats, so the body responds the same. Fortunately, we have an inbuilt relaxation response that can help counteract this stress. Here are some ways your child can regulate stress and anxiety rather than live in a constant state of high alert.

Practise belly breathing

Taking several deep belly breaths is probably the quickest way to engage the body’s relaxation response. Teach your child or young person to breathe in through the nose to the count of five and out through the mouth to the count of seven. Encourage them to repeat this simple exercise a number of times to switch on the relaxation response. Anchoring belly breathing to regular events such as the start of breakfast or family mealtimes can embed deep breathing into daily life. Make this a part of your child’s regular routine to develop a wonderful stress beating habit.

Lift their gaze to the horizon

Next time your child is stressed out, suggest that they go out the front of where you live and look down the end of the street. Long distance viewing sends a message to the nervous system that they are safe, signalling to the relaxation response to take over. If a child or young person is stuck at a desk, they can lift their gaze to the horizontal and move their head from side to side to achieve a similar effect. It’s worth remembering that many positive wellbeing habits are physical in nature, a throw back to the times when people spent most of their time in natural environments.

Splash in some cold water

Hardy types who’ve added ocean swimming to their daily routines know just how invigorating cold water can be. Your child doesn’t have to become an iceberg to experience the stress beating benefits that cold water can bring. Plunging their face in cold water for 10 seconds, turning on the cold water at the end of the shower or holding an icepack to the right side of the neck can achieve the same effect. Their body will be flooded with feel-good endorphins taking their worries away. Cold water use has the advantage of stimulating the vagas nerve, making it easier and simpler for kids to move to relaxation mode in the long term.

Contact family or a friend

A warm chat with a friend, a fun family board game or karaoke dance party will move your child into relaxation mode, away from high alert. While extroverts will naturally connect with others, introverts and shyer types may need some parental encouragement to engage with others.

Do something they love

Ensure your child or young person does something fun and enjoyable every day. Play, hobbies, games – anything that’s not screen-based that your child or young person enjoys brings down cortisol levels.

In closing

Regulating stress and anxiety in the body gets stronger and more responsive with practice. Knowing how to support the parasympathetic nervous system is a wonderful strategy to place in a child’s or young person’s wellbeing toolkit.

For more information, please access the school’s membership to Happy Families

Katrina Ballantyne

College Counsellor

OLSCC leads the Way in SBAs

Being either a student or staff member of the OLSCC community, we have a great deal to be proud of. Attending a Student Based Apprenticeship (SBA) meeting in Toowoomba on 15 March, I came to learn that OLSCC stands out from the rest of the Diocese when it comes to the number of our students with SBAs and traineeships. The number of students with SBAs in the Toowoomba Diocese stands at 249 at this current time. Of this number, OLSCC has 39 students currently undertaking SBAs or Traineeships in Dalby and the surrounding working community. OLSCC has the highest number of students undertaking SBAs and Traineeships within the diocese. Much gratitude and thanks go to the industries and businesses that provide these opportunities for our students to give them a head start in their career.

Year 10 Work Experience

During Week 8, the Year 10 students were handed both the employer and student packs with the aim to have them to start to approach host employers for work experience from 12 to 16 June in Term 2. Work experience is a compulsory curriculum activity for Year 10 students, and it gives them the experience to be involved in future career planning and career choice making. Below are some important dates that the Year 10 students are required to meet with the organisation of work experience this year. Please ensure that your child/children have their host employer details back to the Career’s Office by 23 March.

Timeline – Important Dates

6 March – 19 March - Source work experience provider – If you are experiencing problems finding a placement, please speak with Mr Garside or Mrs Boland

27 March - Return Host Profile – Employer fill out these forms.

30 March - You will receive Work Experience Agreement to have signed by parent/student and host employer. (This date has changed from original            given to students as the Host Profile Sheets have not been returned)

18 April - Return signed Work Experience Agreement returned to the College Office.

University of Southern Queensland

On attending a Career Practitioner Information session last week at Uni SQ it is evident that this academic institution are making university a very viable option for people of all ages to attend and participate in academic pathways. Contact UniSQ - University of Southern Queensland

Important Dates: Up and Coming Events – Save the Date

• Tuesday 28 March 2023 UniSQ Experience Day – Toowoomba Campus
• Thursday 30 March 2023 UniSQ Experience Day – Springfield & Ipswich
• Wednesday 10 May 2023 Industry Dinner (Yr. 9 & 10 Students)
• Friday 21 July 2023 Dalby Careers Expo (information will be sent next term)

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

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Golden West are offering an apprenticeship in Cabinet making in Dalby please see the link Golden West Apprenticeships - Current School-based Opportunities (mailchi.mp)

Urban Paddock is offering a School Based Apprenticeship (SBA) in the kitchen in commercial cookery if a student at the college is interested. Please see Mr. Garside or Mrs. Boland for details or Melissa Harms at Urban Paddock directly.

Work Experience Opportunities

Ergon Energy and Energex are offering work experience opportunities for current Year 10, 11 and 12 students to attend work experience this year in the areas of electrical, communication technology, linesperson, underground cable joiner, or diesel fitting (Cairns only). If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please contact Ergon at workexperience@energyq.com.au

 Mr Dean Garside

Careers Development Practitioner

 Vaccinations for all Year 7 and 10 students will be held at the College on Wednesday, 31 May 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 (07) 4672 4111 or via email Sandra.Brookes@twb.catholic.edu.au

Every Monday

Afternoon

(Starts Monday, 13 March 2023)

3:15pm – 4:00pm

Please meet at the pavilion with your running gear and water bottle.

Look forward to seeing

you there!

Mrs Tresillian