Today's Festival of Fun for all our under 8 year old students plus many young and excited under 8 visitors was a morning filled with interactive activities and opportunities to learn and create. Many of our younger kindy and daycare visitors were picked up and chauffeured in style to the College in our coach, driven by Mr Peterson. Once here, there was a vast array of things to do and see including making fairy bread, playing with rubix cubes, decorating glasses, jumping on the jumping castle and petting a guinea pig at the petting zoo to name only just a few. Nikki Morrison ran yoga sessions, Mrs Jenkinson was there representing our Library as a pirate in her pirate ship and the Filipino community were there with young dancers and games. There was something for everyone and lots of cool things to do and take home.

Thanks to the following supporters who donated money or items for our Under 8’s day:

OLSCC P and F

Golding Air Conditioning

Urban Paddock

Andersons Carpets

Woolworths

Dalby Rural Supplies

Thanks also to those who provided support with activities including Bec Martin and her animal show, Luke Holmes, PCYC, WDRC Library, Mrs Jenkinson, Nikki Morrison Yoga, Police, Ambulance and Fire Services, Paul Conlan Indigenous Art, our Year 12 students, Junior leaders and Prep – Year 2 staff, Mrs Irwin and our wonderful school officers who helped out with visitors. What a fabulous morning!

Our gallery of images show the enjoyment of all who attended and just a sample of the vast array of activities on offer.

Please use the link below to access the Quadriennial School Review Report.

What a week!

This week, we have seen Under 8’s Day, Year 11 Leadership Camp, Year 8 Camp @ Cooby Dam, Year 10 Work Experience, a Magical World of Crazy Science show, Year 12 verification submissions, Internal Assessment Endorsement submissions  as well as lots of other initiatives in planning for next year. Of particular note this week, we farewelled Miss Berwick as she departs on maternity leave after several years of coaching and training our Vocal lessons at OLSCC.  Last week’s performance from the vocal students consolidated her excellence, as well as that of the students.  Jessica will be dearly missed by the staff and students alike, though I am sure she will not be a stranger.

In addition we wish Mr Holmes all the best as he and his fiancee Phoebe are married next weekend.  We wish the Holmes’ all the best for their future in marriage together!

Especially in this spring holiday season, I wish all families the safest of travels and the greatest of family times together. My wife and I are watching our little boys growing up at a rate that we no longer seem to be able to control, and will be taking some time to hang out and have some fun exploring together before they are all grown up.  I encourage all families to try to find the time to do the same.  Take care, look after one another and please return to us safely for the last term of another great year at OLSCC!

Leadership Camp Success

Last night Mr Hodge has the pleasure of visiting the Leadership Camp for our current Year 11 students at Emu Gully.  It was excellent to see the students working on their ability to work and lead together as a cohort.  Of particular note from the group I worked with was their realisation that less talk and more action was the best mode of leadership to contrast to the “noisy leader” which the public media often portrays.  I look forward to seeing these skills and learnings impact the leadership capacity of our Year 11 students as they develop into our College Leaders of 2020.

Thanks Ag Knowledge

This week the advertising from Ag Knowledge Australia Pty Ltd was applied to our new College Coach!  Not only does this look fantastic and promote local businesses in times of drought, it also greatly benefits all our families as the sponsorship offsets the cost of the capital repayment on the Coach, covering approximately 9% of the overall capital on an annual basis. Feel free to check out the ad on the Coach or give Scott or Sharryn a call to discuss all your GPS and precision farming solutions! 

Preparation for 2020:

Student Enrolment Numbers

We have seen a considerable increase of enrolments in preparation for the 2020 Academic Year.  We are currently predicting a greater than 10 % increase in student numbers from the start of 2019 to the start of 2020.  Of course this is going to have significant impact on the staffing structures at the College, and as such, as always, I would like to encourage all families, friends and community members to contact the College should they wish to apply for enrolment at their soonest opportunity.  We have multiple classes where we are considering structures very seriously, though we need very accurate numbers to make the best choice.  In this instance, it may mean that there will be little or no enrolments able to be taken for particular year levels throughout the year without being on a waiting list. Hence, if you have any change of places and would like to have your children attend OLSCC, please contact Tracey at the Office and arrange a tour and/or interview today!

On the bright side, it looks as though we will be required to add a class to our 2020 Year 7 cohort due to the enrolments currently taking place.  This is great news for our students for next year!

Timetable Preparation

Mrs Brennan and Mr Hodge have been locked away in the boardroom for most of this week working on the 2020 Year 7-12 timetable.  It is a considerable undertaking and although we’re not quite there yet, we envisage having a draft out very early next term. With the shift in student numbers and the change of senior subject on offer due to our cohorts, there is much to be considered.  Drafts will be released early in Term 4 so that families have an idea what the 2020 timetable may look like.

Camp and Retreat Considerations

The College Leadership Team is considering how we can best engage students in real life learning through curriculum camps as well as retreats in 2020 and beyond.  There have been many fantastic ideas in the past that have disappeared due to ever increasing transport costs, however, now that we have an alternative we can access camps and retreats at a far more affordable price for our families.   Over the next 2 years, we will be working on developing a camp, excursion and retreat schedule for all classes to ensure children are given the opportunity to experience real world problems and learning.  Our terminology has shifted slightly in that “Camp” refers to an overnight curriculum excursion, “Excursion” a single day curriculum excursion, and “Retreat” referring to a spiritual excursion, whether it be for a day, or overnight. The areas of social and personal learning, personal development and leadership skills will be expected to be an embedded aspect of all camps, excursions and retreats from 2020 onwards.

2021 Online Subject Provision

Mr Hodge and I are working with 3 other Diocesan Colleges and the Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools staff in order to create the opportunity to offer 4 online subjects for Year 11 and 12 students from 2021, with an ideal future to be the provision of 12 additional subjects across the Diocese.   By sharing the load across the 4 Colleges, with support from TCS staff, we will be utilising 2020 to ensure that the best model is rolled out to create greater flexibility in staffing and subject selection for our students.  There will be plenty of detail to come over the coming 6 months as we prepare to trial and then roll out online subjects in 2020.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal

Revelation 15:3,4 (NIV) 

“Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.  

Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.  

Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? 

For you alone are holy.  

All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” 

As this newsletter goes to print, our students are all actively involved in fabulous learning opportunities right up to this very last day of a long term. Yesterday, as I walked around our sector area, every single class was fully engaged in learning. Students were working as persistently as they were in Week One. Today, we were all able to partake in learning opportunities beyond the classroom wall, with the P-2 children joining with ALL of the community kindergartens, several of the Early Learning Centres and other visitors from around our district as we held our annual celebration of Under 8’s with our Festival of Fun. While this was occurring, our Year 3-6 students were involved in a Youth Arts performance that was based around the science of weather, linking closely with our Australian Curriculum Science units. 

These are wonderful experiences that bring learning to life for our students in creative ways. Being creative is one of our learning dispositions and it was certainly on show today. Another of our dispositions for life long learning is curiosity and both the dramatic performance and the “hands on” play and inquiry involved in the Festival of Fun will fuel wonderings for students, which in turn fosters further learning. 

Thanks must go to all of our families who continue to work so closely and collaboratively with the teachers. Your support and your role as each child’s first and greatest teacher is never underestimated or taken for granted. We are fortunate to have a community of wonderful children in our care and they have worked diligently throughout this term. I urge families to take some time out over the holidays for rest and rejuvenation so that we return for Term 4 ready and raring to go. 

Swimming

Students from Prep – Year 3 will have Swimming lessons at the Dalby Aquatic Centre next term. The instructors from the pool will be running all classes. Information about all lessons has gone home with students this week. Year 3 will complete an intensive block at the pool beginning on Tuesday, 8 October (first day of Term 4) and will swim every afternoon until Friday, 18 October. Students from Prep – Year 2 will start swimming in Week 3 on a Wednesday and finish in Week 6. There will be a Year 1-3 Swimming Carnival held on Friday, 29 November from 9.00am – 12.00pm.

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years

Junior

Netball

Congratulation to all girls who competed at the QLD Primary Schools Cup last weekend at Maroochydore. Thanks to all parents who came to support our teams, to Donna Smith for umpiring on behalf of the College and to Miss Crow and Mrs Wilkins for coaching the girls. Game results from both days are listed below.

OLSCC BLACK - Championship Division

Saturday 

Game 1 vs Sunshine Coast Grammar Loss 7-8

Game 2 vs St Anthony's Dragonflies Loss 5-7

Game 3 vs Chapel Hill State School Loss 4-12

Game 4 vs Kuluin Jade Loss 9-10

Game 5 vs Rochedale State School Loss 4-14 (overall winners of the Primary Schools Cup)

Game 6 vs Oxenford State School Loss 5-11

Re-pooled into Championship Division 4

Sunday

Game 1 vs Brightwater Stars Win 9-4

Game 2 vs Noosaville Allstars Win 8-5

Game 3 vs St Joseph's Stanthorpe Win 14-2

Game 4 vs Fraser Coast Anglican College Win 4-3

Game 5 vs Chancellor State College Win 13-3

Game 6 vs Sacred Heart College Booval Loss 6-11

OLSCC RED - Development Division

Saturday

Game 1 vs Redlands College 2 Win 10-0

Game 2 vs Brightwater Stars Win 6-3

Game 3 vs Fraser Coast Anglican College Win 9-0

Game 4 vs St Anthony's 2 Loss 3-11

Game 5 vs St Martins Green Win 4-2

Game 6 vs Hillcrest Christian College Loss 2-5

Game 7 vs Eatons Hill 2 Win 4-1

Re-pooled in Development Division 2

Sunday

Game 1 vs Victory College Loss 1-7

Game 2 vs Emmanuel College Loss 1-11

Game 3 vs AB Paterson College Loss 2-3

Game 4 vs Mango Hill State School Loss 1-6

Game 5 vs Oxenford State School Win 3-1

Aquathlon

Any boys or girls turning 11 or 12 in 2020 (born 2008 or 2009) who would like to participate in the Darling Downs Aquathlon Trials, please see Mr Lincoln for more information. An Aquathlon consists of a 1km run, 200m swim, followed by another 1km run. These trials will be held at the Dalby Aquatic Centre on Friday, 25 October (this is the day after the Year 6 Canberra Tour returns).

Senior

DD Futsal

Any boys or girls turning 13 this year (born 2006) who would like to attend Darling Downs Futsal trials next term, please see Mr Lincoln for more information.

Volleyball

Training has commenced on Monday mornings from 7.00am – 8.30am for any students in Years 7-12 who would like to attend the Darling Downs Schools Cup Competition in Toowoomba on Wednesday, 23 October.  

Return of Sporting Uniforms

As the end of the term 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 term. This includes Netball dresses and Athletics singlets.

Scots College Sevens Carnival

Congratulations to all students who competed at the Scots College Warwick Rugby Sevens Carnival last Saturday. It was a 12 hour day for all involved at the end of a busy term with sport. Thanks to Mr Cuskelly, Mr Routley and Mr Garside for coaching our teams and to Debbie Welsh for providing first aid. Unfortunately playing numbers were down for all teams, however it was a successful experience for all who attended. The highlight of the day was the Open Boys Team making the Final against Scots Warwick. The boys played five games of Rugby with only seven players. The low-light of the day was the Under 16 Girls Semi Final against Downlands College. Our girls had won Pool B and played Downlands who were second in Pool A. The scores were tied at full time and instead of playing extra time, a field goal shoot out, promoting the team with the most points for the day or the higher ranked team to go through to the final, a coin toss decided the outcome of the game. The team was very disappointed with this outcome and rightly so. Our Under 16 boys had a tough day whilst not recording any wins, did improve throughout the day and played against the largest Under 16 boys team ever fielded at the event from St Francis College at Logan. The Under 14 Girls team lost three tight round games before finishing the day with a victory against Glennie.

SWQ Rugby Sevens Series

Six College Teams will compete in the SWQ Sevens Series in Term 4 in Toowoomba. Girls will play on Tuesday afternoons starting 15 October and boys will play on Thursday afternoons from 17 October. Age groups for this competition are Under 13, Under 15 and Open. A draw for the season should be published on the SWQ Seven Series Facebook page over the holidays.

Touch Football

The first week of next term will be the QLD All Schools Touch Football Carnival at Whites Hill in Brisbane. The Under 15 teams will be playing from Wednesday, 9 October to Friday, 11 October with finals on the Saturday. The Open Mixed Team play from Friday, 11 October to Sunday, 13 October. Draws have been passed onto students. The current draw is at version 3, but this has no changes for College teams from version 2. Any late draw changes or last minute information will be placed on the QLD All Schools website www.qldallschools.com.au  and sent out via the Schoolzine app over the holidays. Students are expected to attend all games in College Sports Uniform.  No representative attire is to be worn. The standard of dress at all sporting events should reflect the uniform standard expected at the College.  College Sports Caps are now available at the office for $15. These are to be the only headwear worn on the field.

2020 Confraternity Shield Rugby League and Netball Carnivals

The 2020 QISSRL and QISSN Carnivals will be held in Brisbane in the first week of the June/ July holidays. The Rugby League Carnival is open to any boys turning 16 or older in 2020. The Netball Carnival in open to any girls in Years 9-12 in 2020. An initial meeting about these carnivals will be held on Monday, 14 October (Week 2, Term 4) in the PAC at 6.00pm. Morning training for both of these teams will also begin in Week 2 as it is anticipated that playing numbers for both teams will be high next year.

Water Polo

Any boys or girls wishing to attend Darling Downs Water Polo Trials on Wednesday, 16 October, please see Mr Lincoln for more information.

Triathlon

Any boys or girls wishing to be a part of the Darling Downs Triathlon Team for 2020, please see Mr Lincoln for more information. This can involve any student turning 13 or older in 2020. Students must compete at the Oakey Triathlon on 10 October to be eligible for selection.

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Our Year 11 students have enjoyed a couple of days at their Leadership camp at Emu Gully. This camp is highly anticipated by the Year 11 students due to the challenges of the activities and the opportunity to explore leadership and teamwork with a vision towards their final year of schooling. The photos in the gallery below show 'The Bridge of the River Kwai' activity, the mud pits and the activity called 'The Siege of Tobruk'. There has also been a paint ball session and according to Mrs Baxter, "Paintball hurts!"

This morning, all Year 3-6 students attended the Crazy Science show hosted by Richard and his DJ.  He was showing us all kinds of magic tricks including mixing and pulling out various colours that he mixed, making nitrogen bubbles including the fact that the top of the bubble is the thinnest thing that the human eye can possibly see, magic ring tricks which could join, spin and come apart again as well as an optical illusion involving a hypnotic wheel.  We stared at the wheel for 30 seconds and when we looked at his head it went bigger and bigger like it was going to explode.  It was so weird! Luckily his head didn’t explode and he was able to finish the wonderful show.  He also made coins disappear and kept producing balls that came from his tummy.  We hope his tummy is feeling better tonight.  Thanks Mrs Walton for organising this for everyone.  It was a great way to enjoy some CRAZY science.  

By Henry Stephens and Hayden Koehler – Year 5C

 

Year 2J has again created a hanging basket entry for the Cobb & Co Museum's Hanging Basket competition which coincides with the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. Last year, Mrs Joyce's class gained a third place with their entry and despite not gaining a place this time around, you would agree that their basket is quite creative in design and very colourful with some lovely blooms.  Well done to those students and Mrs Joyce for their effort with the hanging basket.