The 4J class has had a very special visitor this week in Matthew Cook, our 2016 College Captain who is currently carrying out a two week placement as a Pre-service Teacher under the guidance of Mrs Jensen. Matt is studying a Bachelor of Primary Education at The University of Queensland (UQ) and is pleased to have had the opportunity to come back to Dalby and his old school. So far, Matt has had Pre-service placements at Brisbane schools including Wellers Hill State School where he was in the Prep classroom and Chapel Hill where he experienced the scene with Year 3s. 

Matt started his university journey living at King's College and has returned to OLSCC on a couple of occasions to speak with some of our Senior students about his experiences living on campus. Matt moved out of Kings but is soon to return there to take up a role with Kings Senior Common Room which will see him organising and running events for third year students and above. As an active participant in many activities including Soccer and Badminton, Matt is keen to take part in organising events for students who are not new to university and are looking for more rewarding and structured opportunities to enjoy College life.

When we asked Matt what he has appreciated about coming to OLSCC for his placement, he remarked on how enjoyable it has been to get back to the Junior side of the College. As a College Captain, Matt said one of his goals was to unite all students and he is valuing the to opportunity to spend more time with the younger students in the College. Matt has also said he is enjoying all the familiar faces of teachers and other staff who he knew as a student and appreciates their warm welcome back as a Pre-service Teacher.

Matt has a further two years to complete his degree and is looking forward to two more placements before he embarks on his teaching career. At this stage, Matt has no firm ideas on where he would like to go for his first teaching post but is excited to get into the profession working with primary kids in Queensland.

Fitting Farewell for Year 12

Last week we farewelled our first ever group of students that have completed 13 years of formal education in Queensland. They were the first of the Prep students, are our last of the OP system, and have left a lasting legacy for all who follow at OLSCC. It was a special week for our community and we take from it many great memories, especially the look in the graduates eyes at various stages of the week when they realised they had just conquered one chapter of their life, and that they are about to embark on the exciting journey that is adulthood.  I would like to sincerely thank everyone who was a part of last week, though especially Mrs Cate Brennan, Miss Annie Belonogoff and Mrs Nicole Bryers who spent countless hours making the week great for our graduates, staff and families.   

College Excellence Awards 2019

A special congratulations to all the students who received an award last Thursday.  Every single award was focused on excellence.  Excellence in Academia, Spirituality, Culture or Sport.  If you know a child that received an award last week, be sure to reinforce what excellence means, and how they have exemplified this.  For those who didn’t receive an award, let’s keep building our students to strive for excellence in the future!

Staffing News for 2020

This week  we have interviewed dozens of applicants for 6 roles at the College in 2020.  We have been very pleased with the standards of the applicant pool and expect to announce all positions early next week.  In next week’s newsletter we will be introducing the announced new staff to the community so we get to know them a little better.  Over the next 2 weeks we will be inviting the incoming staff to familiarise themselves with the College, so if you see a new face around, please ensure you make them welcome.

Sadly, we will also say goodbye to some staff members as a community. We will be wishing Ms O’Reilly, Mrs Irwin, Mr Aislabie and Mrs Cannavan all the best for their transition to new positions in 2020, as well as wishing Mr Garside, Mrs O'Brien and Mrs O'Shea a relaxing year of leave.

Football Fever hits OLSCC

At OLSCC, we have the mantra that “what we do, we do well”.  Football is one thing in this list, and this week we see the coming together of years of hard work in this department.  Our 15 years boys completed the trifecta of trophies for Darling Downs, taking out the 15 Years Darling Downs Rugby League, Downs Rugby South West 7’s, and the Darling Downs Super Schools Cup.  Our open boys received “The Spirit of Confraternity Award” in the winter holidays, and most importantly, many boys and girls participated well in all facets of the game.  This week we were also visited by both the Qld Reds and the Brisbane Broncos who met our students and ran some skills sessions which was a great opportunity for our students.  In addition, Darren Burns from Broncos development spoke to our Year 6 students and leaders, as well as running a training session for our Confraternity squad early this morning. It's great to see the students getting active in football, keeping fit, and making some great memories along the way!

Have a great last 2 weeks of the school year!

Pete Cuskelly

Principal

A Call To Prayer For Those Affected By The Bushfires 

God of life and death, our prayers today are where our hearts and minds have been during these last days and where they have been drawn so early in this season; with those communities and individuals whose lives have been damaged in differing ways by the bushfires. 

We pray for all those who have been affected; for the families and friends of those who have been killed.  We pray for those who are missing, for their safety, for the fears of those who love them; bring each one home safe, we pray. 

We pray for those who have been injured and survived: for physical and emotional trauma; for the fear and helplessness experienced; for the anger and frustration at the injustice of unavoidable disaster. 

We pray for those who have lost their home and property or are facing such loss: for those who have been forced to leave their memories and belongings; for the fear & disorientation of all involved; Heal them from their nightmare memories. 

We are aware of those who have lost stock, or are watching their stock suffer sometimes with inevitable consequences; we are conscious of those who are struggling to find feed and water for the stock under their care. 

We pray for all involved in fighting the fire: for our Rural Fire Service and their leadership and all those we know and those we do not know; we pray for courage in a place of fear; for new strength in the face of exhaustion; for people who have travelled distances in order to resource those who experience fatigue. 

We pray for all who offer support and care at this time: for the various agencies, churches and community groups; for disaster response chaplains; for government services as they are activated; for friends and neighbours, known and unknown; for providing a shoulder upon which to lean, or weep; we give thanks too, for the generosity of many, in small and large ways, to those who are struggling. 

We are mindful of the days, weeks and months ahead, for many dangerous days yet to come, for seasons of recovery and rebuilding, of homes, farms, lives and communities; we pray for strength, courage, patience and hope as grieving continues, as frustrations rise and inevitable changes occur. 

We pray, too, knowing that we are entering a harsher climate, less predictable and more volatile; as we care for each other, help us to care for your creation, to be worthy stewards and advocates of all which you have made. 

Keep us faithful and alert in our praying and our action In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen 

Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal 

This is the last Week to bring in your donations for the St Vincent de Paul’s Christmas Appeal.  We look forward to presenting St Vincent de Paul with amazing hamper supplies again in 2019.  Donations can be placed in the College Office or in Classrooms until Week 8. 

Immaculata Mission School 2020 - To Know God, To Love God, To Make God Known 

"My experience at the Immaculata Mission School allowed me to meet new people from all over the country and to journey deeper in the faith with them all". Year 10 student who attended in 2019  

What is it: A ten-day live-in formation school for young people, with talks on the faith from awesome speakers, daily Mass & prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, praise & worship, fun & fellowship & lots more! 

When: 1-10 January, 2020 

Where: The Glennie School, Toowoomba QLD 

Who: 15-35 year olds 

Special guest speaker: Dr Ralph Martin (USA), Professor of Sacred Theology, international speaker on evangelisation and the spiritual life.  Dr Martin is a consulter to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation and has spoken in over 30 countries. 

Other guest speakers: Archbishop Julian Porteous, Vince Fitzwilliams, James Parker, Jess Leach, Paul Elarde, Sisters of the Immaculata & more. 

How much: $390 (cost includes all accommodation, food, speakers and activities) before 18 Nov, $450 after 18 Nov  Funding support available from St Joseph’s Parish see Mrs Brennan or Fr Jim for details. 

For more info or to register: www.sistersoftheimmaculata.org.au/ims or 0406 372 608 

Christmas Carols  

Friday, 29 November from 6:00 to 8:00pm, we begin the Christmas season with our College Christmas Carols.  This will be a great way to celebrate the year of 2019 and spend time together singing a few carols.  Battery powered candles will be available for sale on the night.  Don’t forget to bring a chair or picnic blanket to sit on.  We look forward to you joining us for this occasion as we prepare for Christmas. 

Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

YES ARUSHA – Living our Christian Values

Students of Our Lady of the Southern Cross College are continually committed in their efforts to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Our link with YES Arusha is just a part of the ongoing development of the students understanding of being living witnesses to Christ’s values.

What a wonderful year 2019 has been with our students and families participating in charitable activities at a local, national and international level.

Teaching and Learning in Year 8 English and Religious Education has focussed on the global problem of Poverty. The Term 4 unit has introduced students to the extent of suffering in our world and the ongoing fight for the development of human dignity for all people.  It’s about opening their minds and hearts to the reality of poverty which affects 3 billion people across the globe (that’s half our world population).

The following extract is from the YES Arusha website and captures the essence of the organisation:

“YES Arusha Limited is a small not-for-profit organisation based in Brisbane, Australia. We support young people in Tanzania with access to education. In particular, we work in the Arusha region of northern Tanzania. We are partnered with Haradali Primary and Secondary Schools; a well-established educational institution, which is founded and operated by local Tanzanians.”

Lachlan Miller founder of YES Arusha is currently in Tanzania. Annually Lachlan spends time in Arusha at both Haradali’s campuses, in the Safe House and in the homes of our students. This hands-on approach connects our work with the young people in our care.

How is Our Lady of the Southern Cross involved?

Is it worth it? Nearly 10 years ago a cohort of Year 8 students decided to sponsor 2 brothers so they could access education through the organisation. When Lachlan first met Kelvin and Baraka they were walking 3 hours through the Tanzanian bush to get a handful of rice, a hope of some education and then walking home. The moneys coming into the “orphanage” appeared to be being spent in other places and not on the children. It was at this time Lachlan started YES Arusha and visited our Year 8’s

To provide these two boys an education at a new progressive school would cost $1500 each. This cost covered their tuition, boarding and all school needs.

Kelvin was a natural immediately getting to the top of the class. Baraka the older brother was a worker. When in Year 3 Kelvin asked if he could sit the Year 5 entrance exam, he sat it, gained top grades and jumped Year 4. Baraka couldn’t be left behind and studied and passed with a high enough grade to enter Year 5. And so the path was set for the two brothers. Haradali grew from a class of 27 in its first year to 1000 students in its 10^th year. Kelvin and Baraka grew with it and in Year 7 Kelvin was made School Captain and Baraka a Prefect. One of Yes Arusha’s girls was also made School Captain.

Here are the two boys today as they continue their education and strive to be the best they can be. There will be opportunities for people to help keep Kelvin and Baraka in school at next weeks Christmas Carol Celebration. Please help our students make the difference in the lives of two very appreciative young men.

What’s happening now.

I received an email from Lachlan who is in Tanzania at the moment working towards identifying the boy and girl we will offer our scholarships to in 2020. On reading his email I thought that rather than me summarising, I would attach Lachlan’s words. I found them quite powerful

“Yesterday I travelled with two teachers from Haradali to conduct interviews for the 2020 scholarships. It was an incredible experience. We decided to target an area called Simanjiro in the Manyara region of Tanzania, about 120km south of Arusha. This area has some of the lowest rates of education in the country. Simanjiro is populated predominantly by Maasai people who are living in very traditional ways - we even had to take a teacher who spoke the Maasai language because Swahili isn’t well understood by the locals. We were supported by the village chairman who took us to visit nine children who had been nominated by their schools for the scholarships. These kids were truly remarkable, it was amazing that they had been able to complete primary school, let alone attend school at all. For some, it was a 5km walk each way amongst wild animals to get to school where there was one teacher to every 100 students. We visited two primary schools and the percentage of students who completed Grade 7 was very low - probably less than 10% - and few of those who passed would go on to do secondary. 

The whole experience motivated me a lot and it reinforced the purpose of these scholarships - to provide opportunities to students who have overcome huge challenges and excelled in primary school. As one of the Haradali teachers put it, “if a child can pass primary school even with just C’s in this environment, then they will do amazing things at Haradali!”

I just wish we could support them all… it will be a tough job working through their academic results and looking at their personal backgrounds to determine which two students will receive the scholarships.”

As a member of the YES Arusha organisation I would like to than our College and wider Dalby community for their continued support.

If you are interested in the work of YES Arusha have a look at our website. https://www.yesarusha.org

Steve Gillespie.

Chairman of Directors YES Arusha.

There is much happening in the Early Years over the last two weeks of Term 4 and our students are very busy preparing for a number of events. We have sent home all the information via a letter to parents, but we would like to invite other members of our College community to attend. We will be holding our Final Sector Assembly on Monday, 25 November at 2pm in the PAC. Our under 8 years Swimming Carnival is being held at the Dalby Aquatic Centre on Friday, 29 November commencing at 9am and this is followed later in the day by our College Christmas Carols starting at 6pm on the College Oval. On Wednesday, 4 December we will be holding our Nativity Play in the MPC from 10.30 to 11.30am. We welcome any guests to these events and look forward to the opportunity to showcase the talents of our students as they celebrate the end of another academic school year and the coming of the Christmas season.

Junior Leaders Celebrate Their Efforts in 2019

Our Junior Leaders had a wonderful experience sharing a morning tea with Mayor McVeigh, Dr Gall, Melissa Harms and Darren Burns. The group of young leaders shared their experiences of leading at Our Lady of the Southern Cross College. They identified the importance of working as team, celebrating success and giving time to the outcomes they wished to achieve.

In a round table discussion the students gained insight into the qualities that allow people to make a difference to those around them. That might be a team, a class and importantly their families and friendship groups. They heard about “treating others with respect,” "creating a personal brand", “the importance of trust” and “celebrating the team".

We hope that they took away from this morning an affirmation of the fantastic efforts they have made this year and some ideas moving forward as they grow and continue as contributing members of their community.

Steve Gillespie

(acting) Assistant Principal Middle Years

Junior

Swimming

The Years 1-3 (Under 6- Under 8) Swimming Carnival is being held on Friday, 29 November at the Dalby Aquatic Centre. Nomination forms should now all be returned. Carnival programs will be available early next week. Buses have been booked to leave the College at 8.50am and will return at the conclusion of the carnival. The order of events on the day will be; 100m Freestyle, 12.5m Kickboard, 12.5m Freestyle, 25m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle, 12.5m Breaststroke, 25m Breaststroke, 50m Breaststroke, Little Pool Activities, 12.5m Backstroke, 25m Backstroke, 50m Backstroke, 12.5m Butterfly, 25m Butterfly, 50m Butterfly.

Under 12 Sports Dates February 2020 v1

• Under 9- Under 12 Swimming Carnival Friday 7 February
• Primary Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival Wednesday 12 February (Dalby)
• Bunya District Swimming Trials Tuesday 25 February 9.00am – 11.30am
• Bunya District Under 12 Basketball Trials Tuesday 25 February 3.30pm-4.30pm

Senior

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.

Senior School Sports Dates February 2020 v1

• Thursday 13 February Darling Downs Cluster 1 Sports Trials (Tennis, Touch Football, Cricket)
• Friday 14 February Under 13 – Open Swimming Carnival

SWQ Rugby Sevens Series

13 Boys Round 5 Games

Loss to St Mary’s College 1

Loss to St Mary’s College 2

Under 15 Boys Finals

Semi Final

OLSCC defeated St Mary’s College 34-10

Grand Final

OLSCC defeated Highfields SSC 38-7

Another successful Rugby Sevens Season has come to a close with all five teams qualifying for the final series. The highlight of the season was the performance of the Under 15 Boys team who played perfect team rugby when it mattered most to dominate the semifinal and final. These boys have had a fantastic year winning the Darling Downs Cup 15 A-side Rugby Competition and the Under 15 Darling Downs Rugby League Competition.

2020 Confraternity Shield Rugby League and Netball Training

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. Training for both teams is on Monday mornings from 7.00am – 8.15am. Boys will be training on the College Main Oval and the girls team will train at the PCYC Indoor Courts. The last day of training for the term will be Monday, 25 November.

Touch Football

2019 has been a successful year for the College in Touch Football. The Under 15 Boys team made it through the Preliminary Final of the Men’s A Grade Competition, the Under 15 Girls team narrowly missed a spot in the Women’s A Grade Final Series and the Under 18 Mixed team will played in the A Grade Mixed Grand Final this Monday night. Planning has already started for 2020 and any students wishing to be involved in Under 15 Boys, Under 15 Girls or the Under 18 Mixed College Touch Football Teams need to register their interest with Mr Lincoln. Trials will be held early next year to finalise all teams who will compete in Season 1 of the Dalby Touch Association fixtures which will begin in early February.

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Our College Christmas Carols are on next Friday, 29 November commencing at 6pm. Each class has been very busy rehearsing their Christmas song and we can look forward to hearing from all students from Prep right up to our Year 9 and 10 Music students as well as our Contemporary Vocal Group. There will also be a very special guest performance however details are being kept secret so you will have to come along to find out who else will be singing. There will be a Bar and BBQ and a special visit from Santa as well as battery candles for sale which will help add to the magic of Christmas and our Carols evening. Don't forget to bring a rug or a chair to sit on.

Our Early Years students have also been very busy preparing for the Nativity Play which is being held on Wednesday, 4 December at 10.30am in the MPC. We welcome everyone from our College community to come along and enjoy this performance.

Libby Baxter

Middle Leader The Arts and Culture

Students in the Middle Years held their first handball competition last week during lunch and in knock out style, it was a fantastic event that was very hotly contested. There were three winners, Blake Jacobson, Lachlan Burrows and Hayden Koehler and each received a voucher for $5 to spend at the tuckshop. Mrs Biggar is holding another handball event in Week 8 so students are encouraged to enter again or if they haven't already, to have a go. Students can nominate at the Library circulation desk by Monday, 25 November. The draw will be released on Tuesday ready for play on Friday, 29 November. Lets see if our champions Hayden, Lachlan and Blake will hold onto their titles.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Watermelon Christmas Tree

750g seedless watermelon

½ cup natural greek yoghurt

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1. Cut watermelon to make small wedges about 1cm thick and 6cm wide at base.
2. Cut out the tree base by cutting the rind into thirds and removing the outer two thirds.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place yogurt into a piping bag or zip lock bag (corner cut)
4. Pipe the yoghurt onto the watermelon wedges to achieve desired effect.
5. Top with decorations (eg. Dried cranberries).
6. Place in freezer until yoghurt is firm.

College Staff

• Melissa Irwin
• Peter Cuskelly
• Luke Holmes

TCS Staff

• Peter Simpson
• Barbara Woods