Getting Ready for 2019!

We are reflecting on yet another great year for our College and we are well into organising for yet another year of success in 2019.  There are a few critical items that I will share below to ensure that everyone is up to speed with some of the organisational issues as we prepare for 2019:

• Uniforms – please note that the joggers that are in the uniform are black.  I will be discussing the uniform with local shops to ensure that good quality black joggers are available in the new year.  As an alternative, black joggers are available readily at most good sports shops in Toowoomba, especially in January, as some schools in Toowoomba have the same policy. 
• School Sectors – The school will be organised and led in 3 sectors from 2019.  These are Early Years (P-4), Middle Years (5-8) and Senior Years (9-12).  Our classroom placement, diaries, College Leadership etc have been aligned to this structure and greater shifts will take place throughout the year (play spaces etc).
• College Calendar – It is filling fast and we barely have a day without anything on already.  The sports calendar is also almost finalised.  This will be available on SchoolZine by 14 January so you can plan ahead. You now have the ability to sync events from our College Calendar directly to your own calendar on your mobile device enabling you to schedule College events amongst your other activities.
• SchoolZine and SZapp – This is our primary communication method.  If you don’t have SchoolZine and SZapp, you will miss what is happening at the College.  Download it from your preferred app store or access it online via our website.
• School starts on 29 January for students and 22 January for teachers.  There are also additional pupil free days on the last days of Terms 1, 2 & 3, so be sure to sync or place these in your diary.
• To not impact learning, student attendance must be over 93%.  Students with attendance lower than this will be contacted in 2019, and those whose attendance is below 85% will need to consider their enrolment at the College.
• Book packages will be available for all students in the Early Years (P-4). These students will not receive a book list. Parents will pay a Book Pacakage levy at the College Office and students will receive books and stationery in the classroom throughout the year.
• Considerable changes have been made to book lists for 2019 and as such, costs for students books and stationary will be considerably less.  Book lists for all Middle Years (5-8) and Senior Years (9-12) will be sent out via SchoolZine and will also be available at the Dalby Newsagency.
• All other updates will be made through SchoolZine.

Junior School Swimming Carnival Tomorrow

The Junior School students are very excited about their swimming carnival tomorrow!  If you have the chance please come down to the pool between 9am and 12:30pm to cheer them on.  See you there! 

Rugby 7’s

What a year our teams are having in the Darling Downs Rugby 7’s competition.  The under 14 girls had a great season and learnt a tremendous amount, as well as surprising themselves with how much they have improved. This afternoon we see our boys under 14 and under 16 teams playing in the finals at Gold Park in Toowoomba.  Our games start at 4:40pm and both teams are in great form and condition as they strive for excellence this afternoon!  An update will be on Facebook later on this evening.

Laptop Information Session – Parents and Students

On Wednesday, 5 December we will be hosting multiple information sessions regarding the roll out of 1 to 1 laptops for all students in Years 7 to 12 in 2019. The first wil be on from 3:15 - 4:15pm and a repeated session from 6pm - 7pm.   There are many components to this program running successfully, and some very critical considerations regarding safe and responsible use of the laptops.  Please come along if you would like any more information and to clarify exactly what this will look like in 2019. 

Year 10 and 11 Students 

All the best to our Year 10 and 11 students as they finish their school year tomorrow.  I greatly look forward to spending more time with our Seniors in 2019 as our Year 12’s are the last of an educational era, and the Year 11’s the first of the next generation.  Thanks for a great year and we’ll see you raring and ready to go in January!

Peter Cuskelly

Principal

As the end of the term and school year gets ever closer, we pause with Irish Blessing and consider all the times God has been with us this year. We thank those who God has placed in our lives to support us and we look forward to a well-earned break in a week’s time. 

May the road rise up to meet you. 

May the wind be always at your back. 

May the sun shine warm upon your face; 

The rains fall soft upon your fields 

And until we meet again, 

May God hold you  

In the palm of His Hand. 

ST VINCENT DE PAUL 

Each year, we as a College make every effort to support St Vincent De Paul in their challenge to help the needy in our community.  The focus for St Vincent De Paul this year is "supporting families”, who they feel are most in need at this time.  We are seeking donations of gift cards, day to day items, tinned food, as well as some traditional Christmas treats.  These could be items that are considered treats at Christmas or staples to fill a pantry.  To streamline your donations, we are asking each class to donate item as listed in the letters sent home last week.     

Even the smallest donation will make a huge difference to families doing it tough this Christmas.  Please place your donations under the giving tree in the College Office Foyer or in the box / basket in your child’s classroom by this Friday 30 November.  These donations will then be passed on to our local St Vincent de Paul Society at the College Christmas Fair on Sunday 2 December.  

WOOL DONATIONS 

Donations of 8 ply wool preferably dark colour but any colours welcome as being sought by the Catholic Community of Ipswich to knit and crocheted into blankets for the homeless.  If you have any unused wool you would like to donate please drop it into the College Office by the end of the term and Cate Brennan will organise delivery to the knitting group.   

Cate Brennan

Assistant Principal Mission

One year after his last visit, the College again welcomed St Nicolas' little helper Piet. St Nicolas is Santa Claus' cousin and the children's friend in Western Europe. He celebrates his birthday on 5 December with loads of presents for the children. He has many helpers who all go by the name of 'Piet' and St Nicolas usually sends one of them to Australia each year.

This time it was 'Sustainability' Piet who was sent over to visit the school. He caused some excitement among the students since nobody knew exactly who he was! Sustainability Piet was there to encourage our teachers to attend a lunch time meeting organized by our P&F. Megan Cartwright and Sue Johansen were present to explain some ideas for our school for next year, involving gardening, recycling and sustainability. The teachers were treated to a no-waste, home grown, home made lunch which was received very well. It turns out we have many keen and interested teachers for this subject. We can now start working with these teachers and the SRC to start our own journey as an eco-school next year. 

Thank you to the teachers for attending the meeting and your enthusiasm! 

Sustainability Piet

Junior

Swimming

The Years 1-3 Swimming Carnival is being held on Friday November 30. Programs are available from the College Office. Buses have been booked to leave the College at 8.50am on Friday and will return at the conclusion of the carnival. There will be no Age Champions for the Under 9 Age Group (Born 2009). The current nine year old students in Year 3 were all invited to the Year 4-6 carnival in February if they wished to swim for age champion and go on to further representative swimming trials.

Under 12 Sports Dates February 2019

• Years 4-6 Swimming Carnival Thursday 7 February
• Years 4-6 Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival Thursday 14 February (Dalby)
• Bunya District Under 9- Under 12 Swimming Trials Thursday 21 February
• Bunya District Under 12 Basketball Trials Tuesday 26 February 3.30pm

Senior

Rugby Sevens

SWQ Sevens Series Results

Boys Under 14

Wins against Faith Lutheran College and Mary Mackillop Highfields

The team has finished the season first and will play finals this week

Boys Under 16

Win vs Scots College

Loss to St Mary’s College 1

The team has finished the season in fourth place and will play finals this week

Girls Under 14

Win vs Glennie 2

Loss to St Ursula’s 2

This was the last round of games for the girls this year. Thanks to Mr Garside for his commitment in coaching the girls. All girls were new to the game of Rugby Sevens and most will play again in the U14 age group next year. Thanks to the parents for their support at games and for transporting the girls throughout the season.

Return of Sporting Uniforms

As the end of the year is fast approaching I am making an urgent request for the return of any sporting uniforms that may be still outstanding. Please return them ASAP. Replacement bills will be issued to students with uniforms not returned. This include Netball Dresses, Touch Football Shirts and Singlets, Rugby Jerseys and Athletics Singlets.

Touch Football

2018 has been a successful year for the College in Touch Football. The Open Mixed Team has made the  A grade Grand Final of the Dalby Touch Competition, the Under 13 Boys and Under 15 Boys were both knocked out in the Men’s B and A Grade Elimination Finals and the Under 15 Girls made it through to the Preliminary Final of the Women’s B Grade Competition. Planning has already started for 2019 and any students wishing to be involved in Under 15 Boys, Under 15 Girls or the Open Mixed College Touch Football Teams need to register their interest with Mr Lincoln. We won’t be fielding an Under 13 Boys Team next year. Boys in this age group will be able to play in the Under 15 division like the Girls do. Trials will be held early next year to finalise all teams. 

Senior Sports Dates February 2019

• Years 7-12 Swimming Carnival Friday 8 February
• Inner Downs Open Tennis and Under 15 / Open Touch Football Trials Tuesday 12 February (Dalby)
• Darling Downs Cluster 1 Trials Tuesday 19 February (Toowoomba) – Sports Include; Tennis, Touch Football, Volleyball, Baseball, Softball
• Inner Downs Under 15/ Open Rugby League Trials Thursday 21 February (Pittsworth)
• Inner Downs Cluster 2 Trials Under 15 / Open Netball, Basketball, Soccer Trials Wednesday 27 February (Highfields)

Tim Lincoln

Sports Coordinator

This week we were being amateur volcanologists and seeing whether we could predict when a volcano would erupt. We found that it was hard to predict an accurate time but we could estimate an approximate time frame. The gas released during the chemical reaction caused the top to pop off the container. We concluded that it would be unsafe to live near a volcano if it had an eruption with pyroclastic flow. We enjoyed doing this experiment.

Miss Crow

Year 6 Teacher

The College year draws to a close; as do the years for students all over the world. I sit in an air-conditioned office, word processing on a very good quality laptop and writing for an audience who live in a country that can pride itself on its standard of living and the freedom of its people. This is not the case in our “Global Village,” for the 80% of the population who live in “Third World” countries.

The College’s continually growing association with the not for profit organisation YES Arusha continues to maintain its strong bond. This involvement gives our community the opportunity to be a part of Christ’s living spirit which is alive today. The idea, that the person who gives benefits more than the person who receives was a message Sir Bob Geldof conveyed to the then Prime Minister of Britain Margaret Thatcher in 1985. As a young person I didn’t quite understand this but the older I get the more wisdom I see in this statement.

I was watching morning television news and saw a extract from a speech made by Prince William at a memorial service for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in Leicester. I was struck with awe at the emotional outpouring for a bloke who owned a Football Club. Why did I think that? Maybe because he was rich and the history of the world points to the old adage “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” Yet fans adore players not owners, but here we have a Thai billionaire that had gained the respect and love of the people in the biggest city in England’s East Midlands. So it was this morning that Prince William said Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha “did not let his wealth disconnect him from the community around him.”

The power in the statement has hit me, we can sit in our First World lifestyle and feel that we are superior to everyone because we have a fat bank balance. When you think deeply - without arrogance or prejudice - are we just supremely lucky to have been born in Australia? The outcome of that thought linked with our Christian Values opens up the world to us. Jesus teaches us that it doesn’t matter if you are an “poor widow with two copper coins” or the owner of a football club we can make a difference in the lives of others.

At this time of year, we are called to show our love for one another. If you have visited the College Office recently you will see the efforts of our families to accumulate a vast array of items destined for St Vinnies. These will bring, our compassion to those less fortunate than us in our local community. The generosity of the OLSCC family glows like a beacon throughout the year. Our compassionate heart is beating strong.

On Sunday we come together as a community to celebrate the year and look forward to Christ’s birth and the Spirit of Christmas. The Christmas Fair keeps reinventing itself, starting form a “pop-up” market in the car park to what it is now. Its origins came from a group of our students committing themselves and those to follow on a journey of Education and Support for two Tanzanian boys. Kelvin and Baraka are now in Secondary School, they are shining lights that represent the power of compassion.

YES Arusha continues its journey and work. Our new phase of support; the provision of Scholarships to students entering Secondary School is in its infancy. If you and your family are looking for a way to connect with our “Global Community” please contact me. Our year 8 Class hold a Prayer Gathering each year to bring awareness of the lives of those less fortunate. Come along next Thursday at 9:30 in the College Performing Arts Centre and see our young people living their faith.

As you walk around our College this weekend and in the future rejoice in the efforts of the problem solvers. Our Christian values are being lived everyday within our community. Look for the good around you and it will put a smile on your face and warm your heart. It is our spirituality that drives so many of us forward grasping the opportunities that present themselves. “Aspire not to have more, but be more.” The lasting advice of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

Steve Gillespie

If your child has medication which is kept in the College Office, could you please ensure you collect medication on Friday 7 December between 2.30pm – 3.00pm.

If your child will require medication in 2019, please bring in new medication (please see Medication guidelines via the link below) and Administration of Medication form to the College Office on Tuesday 22 January 2019.  All Medical Action Plans (e.g. Anaphylaxis, Diabetic etc) will need to be renewed in January 2019. This will allow medical folders for the College to be updated prior to the commencement of the Academic year.

My name is Brodie RYAN (Year 11) and for much of 2018 I have been a member of an Esports Online Gaming team in Australia called Kanga Esports. The team is made up of 5 players and a coach, and I play in a game called Paladins.  Paladins provides various characters, called Champions, for the players to choose during their games. Each of these Champions falls into one of the following categories: Front Line, Damage, Support, and Flank. Being a team-based shooter, players must rely on strategy, character knowledge, coordination, and teamwork in order to attain victory against their opponents.  In my team I play a Tank role and have leadership responsibilities to make and call plays like a half back in Football.  

This year my team in Kanga Esports has excelled in the Australia and Asia region where we competed and won, without losing a game.  Notwithstanding our team winnings of $3500 we were invited to attend the Paladins HRX Qualifiers 2018 played in the first week of November in Atlanta Georgia USA. This trip is all expenses paid where the gaming company of HRX flew my team to the USA and gave us accommodation and food.  We first headed off to Houston Texas where we boot camped by playing over 100 prep games against teams in North America.  We then flew to the Paladins HRX Qualifier event in Atlanta Georgia, prepared and ready to go.  Out of the 15 invited teams from all around the world including Russia, Brazil, England – only 4 would move on.  My team ended playing 6 games and winning 5, losing to a professional team FNATIC.  We qualified in 3rd position and earned the opportunity to then be invited to the Paladins World Championship at DreamHack in Atlanta on 16th November.  DreamHack is a large esports and gaming convention run in Atlanta and attended by tens of thousands of people over 3 days.

At the World Championship, my team, Kanga Esports came up against ENVY – a professional North American team. Almost all the top teams were professionals where individual players’ salaries are in the range upwards anywhere from $20K - $50K. Unfortunately, we were beaten, with ENVY going on to win 2 more games to win the competition where they took home $135,000.  My team, Kanga Esports took home $7000 for our 6th placement in the world.   At this event I was very happy with my performance and I had several “shout outs” by the commentators who were casting our game.  At this event I was the youngest in the competition with the average age being 23.   

After the game my team mate and I entered an Open Qualifier for a new game being displayed at the event, Realm Royale.  The game plays similarly to other games in the Battle Royale genre, in which players must traverse a shrinking safe area, collect equipment such as weapons to fight and eliminate opponents, and aim to be the last remaining team.  My teammate and I qualified for the final, which was played with a points system over 5 games.  Taking out opponents gets you points as well as staying alive the longest in the game.  By the 5^th and final game my team mate and I had established such a lead that it was impossible for any other team to beat us.  We ended up winning the competition, being interviewed on the large stage and were successful in taking home $30,000 of the total $34,000 prize pool.

The event and tournament were great.  I got to meet and make friends with many different people from all over the world, who all speak different languages.  All of my games had professional commentators narrating the game and they were also streamed on the internet and had upwards to 35,000 people watching at any one time.  It was great to have the support of Our Lady of the Southern Cross College to assist with the school schedule while I competed in this once in a lifetime opportunity. 

Brodie Ryan

Year 11 Student

The College has registered for the Containers for Change refund scheme so anyone wishing to donate to the College can do so using our Scheme ID. Simply drop off your containers at any refund or drop off point and include our College Scheme ID to ensure the 10 cent per container refund is deposited directly to our school account.

You can click on the link below to find out more about drop off and refund points and which containers are eligible for refund.

Click on the image for our College Scheme ID number which you must quote when dropping off or exchanging containers.

As holidays approach, the role that screens and devices will play becomes an increasing concern for parents. Days when kids are usually tied up with school and activities make way for many an idle hour and, as such, parents fear those hours will be spent largely engaged with a screen or gaming console. While there is certainly no harm in some well-balanced screen time and developmentally appropriate online activities, we must remember that, as parents, we have an important role in helping our kids manage and balance that screen time. Here are a few things we can do:

Understand the battle
It is important parents know the beast they are dealing with. It is easy to shout from another room to get off a screen or whinge to our friends that ‘kids of today’ are all addicted to their phones, but we need to recognise the pull that many of these devices have. The social networks are designed to keep us liking, commenting and sharing. The games cajole us into having ‘just one more’ turn at being the last man standing. These technologies tempt us to reach just one more level, or to scroll for just a few minutes more. Our brains experience a dopamine release and a sense of insufficiency when we use a device. There is always something else to do or something else to scroll through, or one more YouTube video to watch. So our kids are up against it when trying to control their time on a device. We need to help them with that.

Get outside
We can complain that kids never go outside and play anymore, but sometimes we have to physically get out there with them or offer opportunities in which being outside and active play are appealing. We have to work a little harder at this today because we are competing with a device that answers many of our kids' perceived needs. We need them to know that their needs are greater and more varied than what their screens can offer.

Have some rules
Despite their apparent dislike of rules around technology, kids will (one day) appreciate having boundaries to help them manage their screen time. Rules can be established regarding time limits, devices in bedrooms, device-free meal times, etc. Whatever you decide is important, be sure that you have those discussions with your kids. And any discussion around rules or consequences should happen away from the screens so they are clear on the expectations. (Talking about their screen-time habits while they are just about to be the last man standing on Fortnite is probably not going to make for engaging conversation.)

One console on one television...outside the bedroom
Having only one television that is connected to a gaming console or to Netflix is a good way of ensuring that the device gets shared and one child doesn’t monopolise the screen. And leave consoles out of bedrooms where the appeal of just one more quick game can very quickly rob them of important sleep time.

Role model
Make sure you are showing your kids how you want them to be. Have times when the devices are put away and you give full attention to the people around you. Don’t answer calls or emails at the dinner table. Don’t fall asleep with a device landing on your forehead. Take time to get outside and do things active and in nature. Don’t ever use a phone while driving. Use the Screen Time feature on iOS products to monitor just how you are using your technology and whether you could be making some changes. Kids learn more from what we do than what we say.

We know the technology isn’t going anywhere, and we know there are many wonderful benefits that screens provide. But ensure that holidays and downtime hours can be filled with many different experiences and in ways that leave your kids in control, even if you have to work a little harder to give them that.

By Martine Oglethorpe

From the Parenting Ideas Website

Holiday Times for Uniform Shop

Festival of Small Halls

The Festival of Small Halls will be visiting our area again and will be at the Cooranga North Memorial Hall on Saturday, 1 December at 6pm. This year's Festival features Old Man Luedecke from Canada and Lucy Wise from Australia as part of the entertainment line up. Tickets are available from Active Physio, Pips and Cherries at Bell, Jampack'd at Jandowae or online using the link below. Adults are $25, Children $5 and kids under 5 are free.

TUCKSHOP ROSTER

Online ordering cut off time is 8.50am. If you miss ordering before the cut off time, you can phone the tuckshop to place an order no later than 9.15am.

Tuckshop Volunteers Welcome from 9am until 12 pm on any day. Please contact the College Office if you can assist.

Price change for Frozen Yoghurt - $2.50