Today will be a very sad day in the life of Our Lady of the Southern Cross College as we will farewell the Hobson Family and lose a piece of history.....

Brian and Mel came to us in 2003 from Charters Towers with one little princess, Kaitlyn and it wasn’t long and Ashleigh joined the family. A few years later and little Allie made a very quick entrance to Dalby life (lucky Brian is a very calm man and can work through anything).

Brian commenced with St Mary’s College as a Maths/Physics specialist (his passion) and his students learnt quickly to follow Brian's love of Maths. Physics excursions to Dreamworld and the Gold Coast Formula one were apparently all part of Physics.  Over the past 15 years, Brian has seen a number of changes including unification, curriculum, staffing, building and renovations and timetabling a P-12 College which is a challenge in itself.  Brian moved into his current role as Deputy Principal of Our Lady of the Southern Cross College in 2008  and will be especially remembered in the College community for his contribution at the College farewell every year.

As soon as the girls were old enough, Melissa commenced at the College and shared a teaching role in the classroom, prior to finding her passion in Student Services.  Melissa spent many years dedicating her time and ability in assisting teachers and students with disabilities. Mel, finding she had a little spare time 5 years ago, joined the Leadership Team as Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning where she continued to grow her passion in Curriculum while never losing her passion for Student Services or people.

For the past 15 years, the Hobsons have thrown themselves into all aspects of our College, Parish and Community Life. The College became their family and they became part of ours! Chinchilla is a very lucky town to have the Hobson family joining their community.

Melissa will be leading St Joseph's Primary School Chinchilla as Principal and Brian will be returning to his real passion as a teacher of Maths/Physics at the Chinchilla State High School.

Our lives will all be richer to have had them in it. Thankyou Hobsons and take our best wishes with you.

One to One Laptop for Years 7-12 in 2019

Thanks to everyone who attended the workshops on Wednesday evening to access further information regarding the initiation of the laptop program in 2019.  The devices will be HP X360 440 G1 14” i5 256GB 8GB 2-in-1.  Essentially this is a foldover tablet with a full HD display and i5 processoer that will take care of everything we can generally throw at it educationally in 2019 and beyond.  Lots of further information will be available in the new year as we rollout the devices for the students.  This will include further parent information sessions. 

New College Leadership Structure

Please find attached the College Leadership Structure for 2019.  This is a considerable change from the mode of operation in 2018 and creates much greater clarity for parents regarding who they should contact regarding their child.  Of course, it is expected that the first step parents make regarding any issues with their children is to discuss with their child’s teacher.  Their teacher knows them best, and some of our teachers have superpowers and can sort most things out very quickly.  If a situation cannot be resolved by a teacher, either the teacher or parent may contact the Middle Leader or Assistant Principal for that sector of the College (P-4 = Early Years, 5-8 = Middle Years and 9-12 = Senior Years).  This structure is strongly based in the theory of Collective Teacher Efficacy where we depend on the strength of the whole staff to resolve issues in their simplest form as soon as possible so the focus can continue to be on student learning outcomes.  There will also be other leadership team members, as displayed in the structure, that will support the continued improvement of the College in specific areas and will support the College Leadership Team in doing so.  This is a great initiative of our College and I can’t wait to see the greater clarity it brings for staff, parents and students into the future!

Thank You

What a wonderful year 2018 has been at our College.  There have been too many highlights to list in the newsletter though this afternoon I asked all students to reflect on 3 things: something they have learnt at school this year, something they have learnt about life this year, and something they are grateful for.  Its so easy to forget reflecting on the great things that happen in our life, and I encourage everyone to take the time to look back on how great your year has been.  I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas full of fun, laughter and family and a fantastic new year.  I eagerly anticipate starting another brilliant year in 2019 and seeing all the fruits of this year’s labour blossom further. On behalf of Jo, Jack, Harry and I, thank you, everyone, for making our family so welcome in our new home town.  We are privileged to live in such a place with so many wonderful people around us. 

Peter Cuskelly

Principal

May the joy of the Christmas season fill your lives, and may you have wonderful holidays.  This beautiful prayer is a Christmas Tree Blessing.  As you put up your tree this Christmas – take time to consider the reason for the season and thank God for all the blessings in your life.   

Lord Jesus, 

Encircle this tree with your blessing. 

May its twinkling lights remind us of the hope and promise of your coming. 

May we find joy in the memories we share in its tinsel and trimmings. 

May the presents we place beneath it give rise to an appreciation for the gift of your presence among us. 

We ask this in your holy name, 

Amen 

Giving Tree

All the donations of items for our Giving Tree were loaded up onto the College ute today to be delivered to the St Vincent De Paul Society in Dalby. A huge thank you to all families who donated to the Giving Tree this year and we hope that your contribution will make Christmas easier for a family in need.

Cate Brennan

Assistant Principal Mission

Our Christmas Fair last Sunday was an fun and festive event enjoyed by our College families and members of the wider community. Everyone made the most of the chance to purchase something delicious and buy a few Christmas gifts while listening to our talented musicians and singers all followed by Christmas carols in the MPC. Thank you to all those staff members, students, parents, stall holders, volunteers and visitors who helped to make the evening such a success. Please enjoy a few photos from the event.

Yesterday afternoon, staff gathered in the Lunch Room to farewell several staff members, some only going on leave for 12 months, some finishing contracts for 2018 and others who will be leaving our College bound for new horizons. Mr Nott, Mrs Cesari and Mrs Gormely were wished well for a 12 month period of leave all with strict instructions that they must come back. We also gave thanks and well wishes to Tania Fraser, Michelle Patterson, Bec Taylor, Carlin Ruhle, Angela Lowe and Lisa Gwynne who have finished a contract and will either be moving on or continuing as supply teachers or teacher aides into 2019.

We also farewelled Mr and Mrs Hobson, Mrs Hegedus, Ms Foster and Mrs Martin who will not be returning in 2019 and are taking on new and exciting challenges. It was a very emotional occasion as each staff member recalled their journey at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College giving thanks for the experience working with staff and students over many years.

We wish all these staff members well whether they are leaving or taking leave and we give thanks for the contribution each person has made to the life of our College and its community.

The tradition of the end of Term Year 9 versus Staff cricket match took place today with a gold coin donation from all students being donated to the McGrath Foundation. Staff and students were invited to dress in pink for the day and wristbands were a sell out for $3 a piece with those proceeds also going to the McGrath Foundation. Both cricket sides also collected team donations which overall, with the gold coin dnations and the sale of the wristbands came to almost $430.

On the field, it was a flogging by staff with a final tally of 37 to a mysterious negative 17 for the students. They must have been running backwards! The game was played in great spirit and was enjoyed by all participants and spectators.

Students in Year 8 conducted a Prayer Gathering in the PAC today with a focus on the important work of the YES Ausha organisation.

Mr Lincoln and Mr Garside allowed the students to provide major input into the proceedings of the Gathering and those attending would agree it was a meaningful and thoughtful occasion paying special atention to the purpose of YES Arusha and the support they provide to young people in Tanzania who seek an education.

Several students gave readings and read the prayers of the community while another group performed the singing and music to the song 'Fix You' by Coldplay. 

Guest Speaker, Mr Gillespie is on the Board for YES Arusha and he told a moving story of a young 12 year old girl who was taken from the school and sold for slavery. Lachlan Millar, founder of YES Arusha, found out about the young girl's plight and was able to retireve her from where she was and return her back to school where she now lives in the Safe House and attends Haradali School.

The Year 8 students would like to thank staff, students, special guests and parents who attended the Prayer gathering today.

Year 9 Science classes investigated the principles of Light and Heat Energy in Term 4. Their task was to research, design and construct an effective solar oven which integrated scientific principles of thermal energy, convection, conduction, radiation, reflection, absorption and insulation. A variety of designs were chosen and each design successfully heated water - although some better than others.

Below are some of the examples from 09A 

Tania Fraser

Science Teacher

We are very pleased to announce that the Musical for 2019 has been booked and the scripts have been ordered for 'The Wiz' which is The Musical Version of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum.

Move on down the Road! Winner of 7 Tony awards, this beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel, and soul! This beloved classic musical is one of the most popular selection in the Samuel French Catalog, and is appropriate for theatres at all levels.

Everyone knows the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but in this musical version it's a fantasy for today - mysterious, opulent and fanciful - a dream conjured up by a space-age child with Dorothy's adventures in the Land of Oz set to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel and soul. Adapted into a film version featuring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.

A letter will be going home in the first week of Term 1 2019 advising parents of the details for auditioning including the audition song. As this musical has quite a large cast, we will be inviting students from the Junior School to audition for group parts such as Winged Monkeys and Emerald City Citizens. All lead parts will require individual auditions which will be outlined in the note home next term.

Junior

Year 1-3 Swimming Results

Age Champions

Under 6 – Tom Carter & Lainey Geiger

Under 7 – Ethan Koehler & Ava Boland

Under 8 – Noah Cook / Lucas Galligan & Jacinda Smith

Runners Up

Under 6 – Bob Machin & Isabelle Manley

Under 7- Ashton Crothers & Poppy Campbell

Under 8 – Louie Machin & Catherine Carter

Record Breakers

Under 6 Girls 50m Breaststroke

Lainey Geiger 1.19.50 (Chelsea Lockhart 2009, 1.22.69)

Under 7 Girls 50m Butterfly

Ava Boland 1.10.90 (Megan Wolski 2002, 1.11.23)

Under 12 Sports Dates February 2019

• Under 9- Under 12 Swimming Carnival Thursday 7 February
• Primary 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 Finals

Under 14 Boys Semi Final

Lockyer District SHS defeated OLSCC 21-19

Play off Game

OLSCC defeated Highfields SSSC

Under 16 Boys Semi Final

St Mary’s 1 defeated OLSCC

Play off Game

OLSCC defeated St Mary’s 2

Thanks to Mr Routley and Mr Gillespie for their efforts in coordinating the Rugby Sevens program this year. The Under 14 Boys had gone through this season undefeated however they unfortunately went down in a close semi final. The Under 16 semi final was a tight contest until St Mary’s scored a couple of late tries to win the game. Thanks to the parents for their support at games and for transporting the girls throughout the season.

Girls Under 14

Congratulations to Claudia Child, Lily Schloss, Maggie Laffy and Hannah Pattison who have been identified for the 2019 Darling Downs Sevens Squad after their performances this year in the Sevens competition.

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. 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 who will compete in Season 1 of the Dalby Touch Association fixtures.

Athletics

Best of luck to Harry Coman who will compete in the 110m and 400m Hurdles at the National Athletics Championships in Cairns this week.

Senior Sports Dates February 2019

• Under 13- Open 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

A very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year to all OLSCC children, staff and families as well as the wider Dalby community!

We are looking forward working together with you on some exciting projects in the new year. 

Bring on 2019 !

Warm regards, 

P&F Committee

Holiday Office Opening Times

10 to 21 December - Open 9am to 3pm

24 Dec to 4 Jan - CLOSED

7 to 11 January - Open 9am to 2pm

14 to 18 December - Open 9am to 3pm

Holiday Times for Uniform Shop