Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. On Shrove Tuesday this year, Mr Cullen and Mr Fraser along with the help of Mrs Biggar cooked and served pancakes at the main entrance to the College. Mr Fraser donned his chef gear and both he and Mr Cullen flipped delicious pancakes on the P & F barbecue. Mr Fraser made all the batter from scratch at home and he estimated there were about 300 pancakes made. Mr Cullen said he had no idea how it would go but there were only about 20 pancakes left by the time school started. There was a terrific line of students, teachers and parents who gave a gold coin donation to enjoy a fluffy pancake with maple syrup. A total of $242.50 was raised which will be donated to Caritas.

One of our seven focus Learning Dispositions is Optimism.   

Optimism is being able to expect the best out of life’s experiences. It means having hope and a strong belief and confidence to deal with situations. Optimism is about thinking positively. Being able to look on the bright side helps all of us to get on top of challenges and manage life’s difficulties.  

O God,  

Help us to understand that our human tendency to see failure at every turn is not an attitude that is healthy or good for us.  

When the projects for the week seem unsurmountable help us to “just start” and trust that the little step of faith will bring continued success.  

Help us to lay aside fear of failure and embrace trust in the process of just putting one foot ahead of the other.  

When we think we are alone in our struggle and no one knows life quite like we do, show us how beautiful and wondrous life can be for us today, if we just adopt an optimistic attitude about life. 

AMEN 

Morning Supervision Before School 

Please be aware that students are not directly supervised at the College before 8:30am.  Students who arrive before 8:30am are expected to be sitting in the Pavilion; working in the library, dropping off bags and preparing books for the day or sitting in Senior Plaza.  The College Library opens at 8:00am, the library facilities are manned by staff for borrowing of books and students are free to come and go from this location.  At 8:30am the teachers on duty supervise students in two areas; the Basketball Court/Main Oval area and the Senior Plaza.  Students may be permitted access to their classrooms at 8:30am although this is dependent on their teacher. This information has been disseminated to students. Please consider this when making arrangements for your child before and after school. 

NAPLAN Online 

NAPLAN Online will be rolled out in our College in 2020.  We will conduct practice tests for students in Year 3, 5,7, 9 in Week 9 and 10 of this term.  I encourage all parents of children in these year levels to familiarise yourself with the test platform via the link button below.

Volunteers at the College 

Volunteers are an essential part of our College community including supporting the tuckshop, working with classes attending excursions, coaching and managing teams.  Working together we aim to create and maintain safe environments for our students, staff and families.  We require all volunteers to read, understand and follow relevant code of conduct and student protection information.  All volunteers at the College need to complete a Volunteer declaration form annually as part of our this safeguard.  Packs with relevant information are available from class teachers or the College office or directly from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website.

I am also available to assist with this process if needed.  If you are planning to assist this year, please complete the online module and form and return to the College Office. 

Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

Exam Stress

It’s hard to think that the term can get even busier! Students have been busy attending sporting trials, attending instrumental music lessons, keeping on top of homework, revision and assignments, and the list goes on. Students in the Senior Years lead busy lives!

As we reach the halfway point of the term, students add the preparation for their exams to their to-do lists. For our Year 12 students, their exams next week will be their first of their three internal assessment pieces for their general subjects. Stress levels can get high if students do not stay ahead of their preparation.

The follow infographic from Reach Out.com highlights five steps for study success. I encourage all parents to have a discussion with their students on the best way to prepare for their exams. Further information can be found at the following website https://au.reachout.com/everyday-issues/exam-stress

I wish all students well in their exams.

Matt Hodge

Assistant Principal Senior Years

Junior

SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2020- RESULTS

Junior Mixed Relay

1^st Nolan, 2^nd Rice, 3^rd MacKillop, 4^th McAuley

Presentations will be made at 2.30pm on Monday 2 March

Bunya District Swimming Trials

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in the Bunya District Swimming Team to attend the Darling Downs Trials in Gatton on March 4; Alex Boland, Ava Boland, Charlotte Colquhoun, Carla Nobbs, Gemma Sullivan, Thomas Calver, Hamish Colquhoun, Innes Dellit, Lachlan Fraser, Louie Machin, Hayden Koehler.

QCIS Swimming Carnival

The College will be attending the QCIS Swimming Carnival on Monday 16 March at the Milne Bay Pool in Toowoomba. Students will be notified next week if they have been selected to swim at this event. This is for students aged 10 and up.

Darling Downs Under 12 AFL Trials

Any Boys or Girls who would like to attend Darling Downs Under 12 AFL Trials in Toowoomba on March 19 need to see Mr Lincoln for more information. There will be no Bunya District trial this year in AFL so students will need to be of a high standard to be directly nominated to the Darling Downs Trials.

Bunya District Rugby League Trials

Any Boys born in 2009 or 2008 who wish to attend Bunya District Rugby League Trials need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board. The trials will be held on Tuesday 17 March.

Bunya District Netball Trials

Any Girls born in 2009 or 2008 who wish to attend Bunya District Netball Trials need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board. The trials will be held on Tuesday 17 March.

Aquathlon

Congratulations to Carla Nobbs who competed at the State Aquathlon Championships at Hervey Bay last weekend. Carla finished 28^th out of 102 competitors in the Under 12 event which is a fantastic effort.

Senior

Netball

Congratulations to the Girls Laura Gietz Netball Team who competed in Toowoomba on Sunday. The girls had a successful day winning their pool rounds before a bizarre finals system saw us finish in 5^th place overall. Thanks to Mrs Appleton for coaching the girls and to Claudia Child for umpiring on the day. Game results are listed below.

Round Games

Loss to Mary MacKillop Highfields 7-8 (finished 3^rd)

Win vs Concordia College 22-0

Win vs St Joseph’s Stanthorpe 10-6

Loss to Harristown SHS 6-8

Win vs St Saviours 13-0

Win vs Pittsworth SHS 8-7

Finals Games

Loss to Stanthorpe SHS 9-10 (Penalty shot after the siren, overall winners)

Win vs Highfields SSC 12-5 (finished 2^nd)

Win vs Lockyer SHS 10-5

Cricket

The College will compete in the Darling Downs 20/20 Competition with a Round 1 game against Oakey SHS next Wednesday afternoon. The team has a bye in Round 2 before playing Dalby SHS in Week 7.

Rugby League

The College will be playing in the U13, Under 15 and Under 18 Darling Downs Schools competition next term. We have organised a trial game against Dalby SHS on Wednesday 11 March at the Dalby League Grounds. The Under 18 team will be the same boys that have been training for the Confraternity Shield Carnival, however boys interested in playing in Under 13 and Under 15 team need to see Mr Gillespie or Mr Lincoln to register their interest.

Inner Downs Cluster 2 Trials

Congratulations to the following students who were selected in Inner Downs Teams following trials at Highfields this week.

Under 15 Netball

Hannah Pattison

U16 Soccer

Kiya Shorter

U18 Basketball

Gab Sombrero

U15 Rugby League

Bailey Rathmell, Will Herbert, Lleyton Dodd, Joe Gillette, Lyhkan King Togia, Harry Cooper, Brock Sankey, Hayden Doherty

U18 Rugby League

Wil Brady, Brayden Falvey, Hugh Clarke, Sam Gillespie, Ryan Welsh, Jack Welsh

Darling Downs Trials

Students will directly nominate to Darling Downs Trials held in March for the following sports;

Under 14 Boys and Girls AFL, Golf, Hockey, Squash, Girls Under 16 Rugby Sevens, Boys Under 18 Rugby Union and Girls Under 15 and Under 18 Rugby League. Students interested in attending any of the above trials need to sign on via the Sports Notice Board. Students will need to be of a high playing standard to attend the trials.

QCIS Swimming Carnival

The College will be attending the QCIS Swimming Carnival on Monday 16 March at the Milne Bay Pool in Toowoomba. Students will be notified next week if they have been selected to swim at this event.

SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2020- RESULTS

Record Breakers

Patrick Boland

100m Freestyle 1.01.36 (2019 Patrick Boland 1.01.50)

50m Backstroke 32.26 (2019 Patrick Boland 33.20) 

Jennifer Nothdurft

100m Freestyle 1.06.94 (2017 Claudia Nothdurft 1.09.00)

200m Individual Medley 2.44.74 (2019 Jennifer Nothdurft 2.49.10)

50m Breaststroke 42.69 (2005 Jamie Bailey 42.82)

50m Butterfly 33.96 (2005 Jamie Bailey 34.19)

Boys 200m Individual Medley Results

1^st Pat Boland, 2^nd Bailey Martin, 3^rd Clancy Biggar, 4^th Alex Nothdurft, 5^th Joe Walsh

Girls 200m Individual Medley Results

1^st Jennifer Nothdurft, 2^nd Clare Griffiths, 3^rd Charlotte Crothers 

Senior Boys Belly Flop Competition

1^st Harrison Quinlan, 2^nd Isaac Halling, 3^rd Mitchell Portbury, 4^th Ryan Welsh

Senior Girls Bomb Dive Competition

1^st Vivi Vadasz, 2^nd Bree Tanks, 3^rd Sarah McQuaid, 4^th Hannah Nimmo

All Age Relay

1^st McAuley, 2^nd Nolan, 3^rd MacKillop, 4^th Rice

Staff / Captains Relay

1^st MacKillop, Rice, McAuley, Nolan

Boys Principals Gift

1^st Josh Nimmo, 2^nd Bailey Martin, 3^rd Ethan Horrigan, 4^th Patrick Boland, 5^th Hunter James

Girls Principals Gift

1^st Jennifer Nothdurft, 2^nd Clare Griffiths, 3^rd Olivia Koehler, 4^th Emily Griffiths, 5^th Sarah McQuaid

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

A Sign-up for Jade

Congratulations to Jade Alderton from Year 10 who signed up at the end of last year for a Certificate III in Hairdressing with Elite Hair Design's Tammy Alderton. If you or your child is interested in pursuing a Certificate in any field, please contact Mrs Baxter for more information. Our College is proud to be able to offer students tertiary opportunities while still studying at school and we commend students like Jade who are taking a big step on their pathway to a dream career.

University Open Day Dates 2020

Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo - Friday 8 May and Saturday 9 May

University of the Sunshine Coast - Fraser Coast - 21 June 10am to 1pm

Tertiary Study Expo @ Brisbane Showgrounds - Sat and Sun 18 - 19 July

University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs - 19 July

QUT Garden Point - Saturday 26 July

UQ St Lucia - Sunday 2 August

University of the Sunshine Coast Caboolture - 2 August 10am to 1pm

UQ Gatton Campus - 9am to 3pm 16 August 16 

USQ Toowoomba Campus - Sunday 16 August

James Cook University Open Day Cairns - 23 August 

USQ Springfield Campus - Sunday 30 August

Libby Baxter

Careers Development Practitioner

Last week, our Year 12 Biology class along with teacher Miss Belonogoff, travelled up to the Bunya Mountains for an excursion to collect ecological data in a rain forest and woodland area. The students had to learn to develop their skills in using lab equipment to measure abiotic and biotic factors within the environment. The first stop on the trip was Burton's Well where the students split into two groups to make a 50 metre transect line in two separate areas of the woodland. A variety of data and samples were collected including the gradient of the line, soil and plant samples, light, temperature, humidity, wind speed and soil moisture. The second stop was the rainforest at Dandabah and again, two transect lines were formed with a different set of data and samples collected. The students have now brought all their information and samples back to the labs and a range of investigative tests have been performed including plant identification, soil pH, moisture and mineral content. The excursion and the skills learnt both in the field and back in the lab aligns with the QCAA Biology syllabus in which the students are learning about biodiversity and the interconnectedness of life.  

Thank you to all those who have shown an interest in my new Tesla 3. I wasn’t expecting quite this much excitement considering there has been a Tesla model S in town for some time. It belongs to a colleague who took me for a drive two years ago and I was convinced then that electric cars were the future....for some people.

It’s not my first electric vehicle. I built an electric bike a dozen years ago and have been gliding around town since then; but the Tesla is more fun!

It’s worth considering how I got to this point. I made a start in 2004 when my family invested in a solar hot water system. Four years later we installed a PV system. At the time each electricity bill was hundreds of dollars. However, while these systems cost a lot of money I had calculated that the payback time was less than ten years. Today I’m reaping the benefits because my electricity bills are no longer...I’m now in credit. I’ll be using some of that excess electricity to charge the Tesla.

I know that many of you are concerned about climate change. There are two ways you can approach this problem. You can make a lot of noise and badger business or politicians to ‘do something’ and hope that they take notice, or you can start doing things yourself...right now! If you reduce your own carbon footprint it will reduce the power and fuel bills that your family has to pay. Your parents will regard you as a hero, believe me.

Start by switching off unused lights, TV’s and other electric devices when they are not being used. Turn them off at the wall if you’re not planning on using them for extended periods. Check chargers, wi-fi extenders and the like by touching them...if they are not in use and are warm, they are wasting electricity. Try halving your shower time because hot water uses a lot of power. Learn to read your electricity meter or the electricity bill if you want to track the difference.

We are only on earth for a short while. When you go leave only footprints...and small ones at that.

Mr Bob Cook

Relief Teacher 

Every family has its own unique routines and rituals, which support families to be organised and spend time together. From getting ready for school and work in the morning, bedtime rituals in the evening or spending time with friends and family on the weekends, routines are important to help children feel safe and have a sense of predictability within their home environment. A good example of this, for younger children is reading a story together before bed. As parents and carers, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. Every day you are helping your child to learn new information, skills and ways of behaving. Encouraging independence will help your child to develop essential life skills and feel self-confident. New skills can take time to develop, here are some tips to help support this process.

• Discuss with your child what the routine will look like and set time frames (e.g. what time is bedtime), as well as time limits (e.g. TV or technology time).
• Give clear instructions, getting your child’s attention before you start. Turn off the TV and reduce any other noise or interruptions. To increase your instructions effectiveness, try the ‘when…then’ approach e.g. When you have brushed you teach, then I will read you a book in bed. When we have finished reading, then it will be time to sleep. When you eat your vegetables, then you can have dessert. When you have put your uniform on, then you can have breakfast. This approach helps motivate, especially when the first direction isn’t overly appealing. Model how and what you want your child to do step by step. Remember it may take time to get it right, and sometimes you may need to hold their hand to accomplish it to begin with.
• For younger children you may choose to use a poster to remind about the steps to complete (e.g. for brushing their teeth).
• Give praise and encouragement for all your child’s efforts.
• Consider if your child is physically able and mature enough to complete certain tasks (e.g. getting dressed, stacking the dishwasher) and consider what will help them to grow in their independence and ability to learn new skills.

Here are some links for more information:

Luke Holmes

College Counsellor

LAST CHANCE TO WIN ONE TERM OF COLLEGE TUITION FEES 

ECSI SURVEY and Catholic Dialogue in Schools Project 

With families restricted in movement and outing opportunities we have decided to extend our competition in case you now have more spare time to complete the ECSI Survey and enter our draw.  Only 29 families of our 366 families have completed the survey.  It is important that as many families as possible are represented to give us useful information about our community.  All College families are asked to complete the ECSI Survey to assist with the direction setting in regard to Catholic Identity of the College.  As an extra incentive for parents to take part in the survey we are offering a prize for one family whose parent completes the survey.  To be in the running for one term’s tuition fees taken from the oldest child in the family you must complete the survey in full, save your Certificate of successful participation (with parent contact name filled in) and email to cate.brennan@twb.catholic.edu.au or drop it into the entry box in the office foyer by Friday 24 April at 9am. The certificate verifies your completion of the survey but does not link to any of the answers you give.  

Thank you for your support and participation in this valuable research project.  Information on how to complete this survey is detailed below. 

A pair of small blue/black glasses were left in the Library over a week ago, and despite best efforts from Mrs Jenkinson, an owner has not been found. The glasses are from Specsavers and are a small size to fit an Early Years sized child. The arms have been chewed on the ends. If your child has a pair of glasses that sound like these ones, they will be available for pick up at the College Office.

The lost property box at the College Office also contains a pair of red framed glasses that were found at the Swimming Carnival on 14 February as well as two other pairs, one straight black and another black frames with red arms. There is also four digital watches and a fitbit watch. Please ask your child if they have lost anything that sounds like these itams as we would like to see them all go back to their owners.