This morning a young boy was riding his bike on the footpath along the front of the College on Nicholson Street near the Senior parking entrance when he was swooped by a magpie. The magpie swooped again when the boy was leaving and passing through the vacant area on the corner of Nicholson Street and Aerodrome Road. The College grounds staff are currently investigting the exact location of the magpie nesting area and will contact Council to determine if anything can be done. It is vital that all students, staff and parents are aware that there needs to be caution when passing by this area. Please advise the College if there are any further attacks.

There are a lot of simple things you can do to avoid being swooped by a protective Magpie defending the chicks, such as:

• Walk quickly and carefully away from the area and avoid walking there when Magpies are nesting.
• Draw or sew a pair of eyes onto the back of a hat, and wear it when walking through the area. You can also try wearing your sunglasses on the back of your head.
• Wear a bicycle or skateboard helmet. Any sort of hat, even a hat made from an ice cream container or cardboard box, will help protect you.
• Carry an open umbrella or a stick or small branch above your head but do not swing it at the Magpie, as this will only provoke it to attack.
• If you are riding a bicycle when the Magpie swoops, get off the bicycle and wheel it quickly through the area. Your bicycle helmet will protect your head, and you can attach a tall red safety flag to your bicycle or hold a stick or branch as a deterrent.

Some of the Year 12 PRAXIS students initiated Cultural Free Dress Day today and it was wonderful to see so many students arriving at school in their cultural costumes and traditional dress. We had students wearing cultural dress from many countries including Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and the Philippines as well as Australia, of course! We even had teachers dressing up in traditional clothing identifying their cultural origins. Mrs Cruickshank donned her tartan skirt and included her tam'o'shanter to complete the look of someone from Scotland.

Students gave a gold coin donation which will be counted up and donated to Give2Asia, an organisation which is assisting the Philippines with their Covid-19 pandemic response. We are very proud of how our students recognise the needs of others and create opportunities where our whole College community can help.

Those students in MacKillop House celebrated their icon's day last week with some fun activities on the oval during second break. Mrs Twidale was handing our red rippers to all the ripper students in MacKillop house.

It’s remarkable to think that we are at the halfway mark for term 3 already!  We have an exciting few weeks coming up where we take an indepth look at the reading progression of our students, as well as receive the 2021 NAPLAN results for our students in Years 3, 5, 7and 9.  Mr Paffey has already been digging into the raw writing data to determine the impact of Write That Essay.  The results so far are pleasing and we look forward to sharing independent student success when the individual reports are distributed later this month.

Exciting News

Mr Matt Hodge has accepted a very exciting opportunity in school leadership for 2022.  He will be moving with his wife and children to Gladstone and will take up the role of Deputy Principal at Chanel College.  We congratulate Matt and wish him all the best for next year, though know of his dedication to ensuring our Senior Years staff and students are best prepared for 2022.  An advertisement for Mr Hodge’s replacement will be placed on SEEK in coming days.

Come and Try Day

Each term we host a Come and Try day where students from other schools can become an OLSCC student for a day.  It’s not a fancy or special day, just a regular old day, with normal teaching and learning, normal playtimes and normal expectations.  Last Monday we welcomed prospective students to the College and the feedback from the students and parents was remarkably positive.  We look forward to welcoming some new students into our College in term 4, with many new enrolments for 2022.  Please encourage friends and family to come and see what we have to offer at OLSCC at our next Come and Try Day.

New Instrumental Music Teacher – Mr Stewart Sloan

Today we welcomed Mr Stewart Sloan to the College as he begins teaching brass, woodwind and percussion to our existing students, as well as continuing to work with our ensemble.  We look forward to inviting more students to engage in Instrumental Music with Mr Sloan in the future.  I would like to thank Mrs Baxter who has been working with our instrumental students for many years now for all the work she has put in to develop their skills.  Mrs Baxter will now have more time to focus on her role as Career Development Practitioner.

Year 10 Set Planning

It has been pleasing to overhear many of the conversations with Year 10 students this week as they set their sights on career pathways and establish their subjects for Years 11 and 12.  With the benefit of experience from our first round of the “new” QCE system last year, we are certainly far more confident in guiding students along the best path for them to achieve in their pathway. Thanks you to Mrs Baxter and Mr Hodge, as well as all of their teachers for their support of the Year 10 students at this important time.  

Have a wonderful fortnight, and please keep an eye out for further COVID updates via email and parent portal.  We will be gradually phasing out SZapp for these communications and focussing our communication direct to families.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal 

Alexa Brisson once said, “Train yourself to find a blessing in everything”. I truly believe that with God’s love and guidance, we will not meet a situation that we cannot conquer. Seeing the light in the midst of darkness is a lesson we all should learn, not only during this difficult time but all the time. Keep God on your side and continue to acknowledge his unchanging love for us. 

Dear Lord, 

At this time of pandemic, 

Let us foster respect and solidarity with others, especially those who are weak or poor. 

Let us remain calm and ignore unsubstantiated rumours. 

Let us take advantage of living together as a family. 

Let us attend to moments of prayer. 

Let us cultivate responsibility, patience and hope. 

Amen. 

OUR LADY OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS DAY 

In a few weeks time, on 1 September, we will celebrate Our Lady of the Southern Cross’ feast day.  Our Lady of the Southern Cross is the title given to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  On this day we will begin our celebrations at 12:15pm with Mass in the MPC.  After Mass we will have a P-12 afternoon tea picnic on the oval where we will cheer on the athletes as they compete in events postponed from the Athletics Carnival at the end of last term.  These events will be the all age relay, the Tresillian and Gillespie Gifts and the Teacher/Student Relay.  

STUDENT LED CONFERENCES 

Student Led Conferences are planned for Week 9 of this term. We will use Sentral for Parents Portal to book these times for all year levels.  A letter will be emailed home next week detailing the interview schedules and ‘how to book’ instructions, so time to dig out those passwords and check you can access the Portal.  Parents are encouraged to contact class teachers via email to make a time to discuss your child’s progress throughout the year, this is just one of the two formal occasions we host these.  It is important that students attend their conferences with their parents, as the name indicates the student will lead these conversations about their progress and learning with their teacher’s support. 

COVID and SIGNING IN  

As a College, we have always had a sign in system for all visitors to our campus, as we are required to collect this information.  With the introduction of the Qld Government QR Code, signing in at businesses and venues has now become the ‘new normal’.  We will continue to use our College system ‘Passtab’ for visitors to our campus throughout the general working day.  This system requires visitors to manually enter their details (some phone models will store this information) or use their College Quickpin when entering and exiting the College grounds; eg classroom volunteers, service providers and staff use this system.  In the case of special events, eg Sports, Art Showcases, Performance, and other Community events outside of office hours we will use the Qld Govt issued QR Code as our sign in register.  Thank you for your support in following our signing in processes.  As we ask parents to limit their time on campus at drop off there is no need to sign in at this time.   

DANIEL MORCOMBE CHILD SAFETY CURRICULUM 

Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum - React  

Our students have been learning to recognise if they are safe or unsafe in the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum. Our safety lessons will now be focusing on the second safety message: react. 

When children recognise that they are in an unsafe situation, we encourage them to think about what they could do to be safe again. They will have opportunities to think about ways to react using real-life scenarios. Our students will also learn that breaking the rules (e.g. saying no to an adult who is behaving inappropriately) is sometimes necessary so that they can become safe again.  

Please take the time to talk with your children about what they have been learning about safety and, in particular, the ways they could react if they are unsafe to make themselves safe again. Talking with your child about ways to stay safe will help them to develop life-long safety skills.  

It is important that the key safety messages of the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum: Recognise, React and Report are reinforced, both at school and home. I encourage you, wherever possible, to talk with your child about safety to help them stay safe now and in the future.  

Information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum will be published in the newsletter and can be found at www.education.qld.gov.au/child-safety-curriculum or see your child’s class teacher.  

Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Religious Education

Late Arrivals & Absence

As we start to enter the Term 3 assessment period, I have been spending time looking through absence and late arrival data. There has been a spike in students arriving late to school. While this may happen once in a while, we have a number of students who have been late over 6 times in the first five weeks of this term. When you add up the missed minutes, this can equate to over 80 minutes… the equivalent of a double period of Maths!

Recent research shows that there is a negative correlation between attendance and academic success at school. In addition to missing minutes in the classroom, non-attendance has also been shown to link with:

• early school leaving
• leaving school with fewer qualifications
• reduced opportunities for students to learn and access educational resources, further limiting achievement
• further absenteeism in higher year levels
• increased alcohol, tobacco, and substance use in adolescents.

The development of positive attendance habits is a priority for students in the Senior Years. A few years back I heard a past student from St. Mary’s emphasise that it is important that you arrive early, ready to work as a skill to be successful in the workforce. This quality is one that we still value here at OLSCC. Students need to arrive on time, ready to learn!

Assessment & Exam Dates

A reminder that parents and students can find the assessment and examination calendars on our College website. Now is the time to start mapping out how students will schedule their independent study time in the lead up to final submissions and exams.

Good luck to our Year 11 students who will complete their IA3 exams in Week 6.

https://www.dalby.catholic.edu.au/assessment

Communication and Pastoral Concerns
Throughout the year, parents are encouraged to communicate with their child’s subject teachers as an initial point of contact for any pastoral or academic matters. For further matters, please contact me through the College Office or by email matthew.hodge@twb.catholic.edu.au

Matt Hodge

Assistant Principal Senior Years

Containers for Change

The Year 7B PRAXIS group has taken on the Containers for Change project at the College for this semester. These young students have been organising themselves into small groups, collecting the bins, sorting the containers, and tallying up the totals during their PRAXIS class each Friday. It has been great to witness their growth as they independently allocate the tasks and then work together to complete all jobs within the allocated timeframe. So far, the group has raised over $150 through this process this term.

If you would like to support the students with their project, this can be when returning containers to the depot. Families can use the College’s code [C10003725] when returning the containers. Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Middle Years Plaza - UPDATE

In exciting news, the construction phase of the Middle Years Plaza has now commenced. The Groundsmen Shed has now been dismantled and their equipment has been relocated. Some other areas around the Yellow and Blue teaching blocks have been cordoned off in preparation for other scheduled work.

We look forward to this space being transformed with the inclusion of:

1. A new, large locker area
2. An undercover area for sector activities
3. An outdoor classroom
4. A large, landscaped eating area for Middle Years students
5. Additional court areas for handball and other lunchtime games. 

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years

Let’s talk about lunchboxes……

Your child has a very full day of playing, learning and socialising at school. The lunchbox is a key part of setting up your child to get the most out of every part of every day. What happens in the Early Years of schooling sets the platform for your child’s future health and wellbeing. A nutritious lunchbox should provide foods that meet their energy needs, reduce the risk of diet-related conditions like obesity and minimise the risk of chronic diseases later in life.

Lunchboxes don’t need to be complicated! A simple lunchbox that contains a variety of foods from all five food groups is often the easiest to pack and the most welcomed by the children. If you are needing ideas on where to look for ideas, the Queensland Government Growing Good Habits site has excellent information.

As a Catholic school, we are committed to embedding the Catholic Social Teachings into our work with our students. One of these is Stewardship of Creation. We are called to respect the gift of Earth and all of life on it. In doing so, we are responsible – all of us – for taking care of the world we live in and for sharing the wonders and resources the earth gives us. Currently, our student lunchboxes generate an enormous amount of non-recyclable rubbish due to an increasing amount of pre-packaged food items. Many of these are small serves individually wrapped. The foods contained in these can often be purchased in larger quantities that simply require decanting into a reusable plastic container. Yoghurt is one example of this, and small packets of crackers or biscuits are another. I challenge you to stop and think about how we live – it is the world’s poorest communities who are affected by changes to our planet. Make a commitment to look for alternatives for these small packaged items and in doing so, help us to be more mindful stewards of our earth – and no doubt save money in the mean time as the cost is often halved when purchasing in larger quantities!

Attendance Data

The College has recently reviewed student attendance data across all classes and this has identified an issue with a significant, consistent number of late arrivals for some of our Early Years students. Please be advised that learning BEGINS and rolls are marked immediately at the 8:50am bell, so students need to have arrived, be unpacked and ready to begin learning by 8:45am. Failure to do so results not only in loss of learning for the late student, but significant disruption to the teaching and learning of the whole class. To avoid difficult conversations in the coming weeks, please ensure your child is at school on time every day. This also sets up students with the best chance for success. Parents are asked to notify the College office if they know their child will be late due to a valid reason (eg speech therapy).

Katrina Walton

Assistant Principal Early Years

Art Awards Ceremony

Artist’s Awards for those students whose work was showcased at our Music Art and Drama event in Week 3 will take place at the whole college assembly next Monday. Student recipients of Peer Awards, Art Critic’s Commendations, and Innovative Design Awards will be presented before the whole College as well-deserved recognition for their contribution to Culture at OLSCC during Semester 1, 2021.

Instrumental Music Program

Students and families are advised that there are limited places available in the Piano program with Mr Dore, and in the Instrumental program with our exciting new tutor Mr Sloan. If you have ever wanted to master a musical instrument, there is no time like the present to begin! Application forms for the instrumental music program are available at the College Office.

Music and Vocal Expo Term 4

Stay tuned for more details as we begin organising an evening of scintillating entertainment for families and friends at OLSCC, showcasing the talent of our instrumental musicians and vocal students. We look forward to staging this exciting performance opportunity and welcoming you all to enjoy our hospitality!

Undergraduate Scholarships now open for NIDA

Now is the time to apply for undergraduate scholarships to the nation’s premier performing arts institution. This is an opportunity for performing arts students to pursue an exciting career!

Teachers and students can register now for an online info session with our Heads of Courses to find out more.

This year there will be NO APPLICATION FEE, giving more people the opportunity to apply, and over $600,000 in scholarships will be available to our students in 2022. We want to break down barriers to ensure talented individuals all around Australia feel represented, welcomed and supported.

Glistening Deepwater

Middle Leader Culture

Junior Rugby League

Congratulations to Archie Martin who has been added into the Darling Downs under 11 Rugby League team for the State Championships in Cairns in the September holidays.

Senior Rugby League

Game 3 of the Berwick / McCullough Shield

OLSCC defeated Dalby SHS 34-12

OLSCC wins the series 3-0  

SWQ Touch Football

The SWQ Swans Secondary All Schools Touch Football Carnival was postponed on Sunday 8 August. This carnival has been rescheduled to Sunday 17 October (Term 4 Week 2). The SWQ Primary All Schools Carnival will also be held in Toowoomba on this day.

QLD Secondary All Schools Touch Football

Version 3 of the QLD Secondary All Schools Touch Football draw has been passed onto our Under 15 and Under 18 teams. At this point the draw has been kind to the College, with the under 15 teams having games only on Thursday, 8 October and Friday, 9 October (no Wednesday games). The under 18 mixed team has games on Friday, 9 October and Saturday, 10 October. More details about the carnival will be available towards the end of the term.

Catholic Schools Netball and Touch Football Results

Thanks to Mrs Bennie, Mrs Geiger, Miss Price, Miss McDuff, Mrs Tresillian and Mrs Griffiths along with Senior School Students – Monique Smith, Kaitlyn Harms and Maddy Pascoe for attending the Annual Catholic Schools Netball and Touch Football Carnival as part of Catholic Education Week. The College had a successful day with all results listed below.

Netball

Year 5 Team

Loss to Downlands 5-7

Win vs St Saviours 2 14-2

Win vs St Thomas Mores 10-0

Win vs Our Lady of Lourdes 18-3

Win vs St Saviours 1

Year 5/6 Team

Win vs Mater Dei 12-3

Win vs St Stephen’s 5-0

Win vs Downlands 3-2

Win vs St Saviours

Year 6 Team

Win vs Sacred Heart 14-0

Win vs Mary MacKillop 14-1

Win vs St Stephen’s 13-2

Loss to Downlands 5-7

Win vs St Thomas Mores 12-2

Win vs St Saviours

Touch Football

Year 5 Team

Loss to Our Lady of Lourdes 1-10

Loss to St Thomas Mores 1-6

Win vs St Anthony’s 8-0

Loss to Mater Dei 1-7

Draw with St Mary’s 4-4

Year 5/6 Team

Loss to Holy Name 1-5

Win vs Our Lady of Lourdes 10-1

Win vs St Mary’s 4-1

Win vs St Stephen’s 5-0

Win vs Sacred Heart 5-2

Year 6 Team

Draw with Mary MacKillop 3-3

Win vs St Saviours 3-0

Win vs St Mary’s 4-2

Win vs St Anthony’s 4-2

QLD Combined Independent Schools Athletics Carnival

The QCIS Athletics Carnival was postponed on Friday 6 August. They are hoping to reschedule this carnival to later in the term.  

Darling Downs Athletics Carnival

Both the Darling Downs Under 9-12 and 13-18 Athletics Carnivals which were due to be held at the end of August have been cancelled and won’t be rescheduled. This is due to the uncertainty around covid and the fact students from the Lockyer District Schools will be unable to attend. Whilst this is very disappointing for our students – it is a consistent approach across all 12 School Sport Regions across QLD.

Rugby Sevens

Upcoming Carnivals

QCIS Girls Carnival

Under 13, Under 15, Under 18

Friday, 20 August at Downlands College in Toowoomba

Games will run from 2.45pm – 5.45pm

Schools involved include Scots Warwick, Toowoomba Anglican School, Concordia College and Downlands College.

Scots College Warwick Sevens Carnival

Saturday 4 September

Under 13, Under 15, Boys and Girls Teams and Under 18 Girls  

This is a spectator free carnival. Students will travel to Warwick on the College Coach.

Tim Lincoln

Middle Leader Sport

Students have been conducting some interesting experiments in the Science labs over the last few weeks including the coolest Ash Snake activity which had everybody amazed. In Year 8, students are working on their unit about chemical reactions and the Ash Snake experiment demonstrated how a simple sugar and bicarb soda mixture can combust with low flame to create a very funky looking creature that rose from the sand on the bench. Mrs Kidd's Year 10 class extracted DNA form strawberries that was then visible under the microscope while Year 6 learned about the gasses produced from different chemical reactions. Gemma has been busy in the gardens outside the Science labs and despite the frosts and cold winter, is harvesting a whole tray of tomatoes twice each week.

Our MS Readathon participants are off and racing! It appears we have some voracious readers here at OLSCC, with many books being logged and a lot of money being raised for multiple sclerosis. If you would like to join in, you can still do so at:

https://www.msreadathon.org.au/join/ourladyofthesoutherncrosscollegedalby

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2020, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future.

Between August and September, these school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2021.

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

TUCKSHOP

We are very pleased to hear that Mrs Crump is on the mend and that the Tuckshop will be open on Monday. Flexischools orders and paper bag orders only. If you can spare some time to give Mrs Crump a hand, please call in to the Tuckshop or email Mrs Crump Kathy.Crump@twb.catholic.edu.au

WEARITTO Uniform News

Mrs Nothdurft would like to advise that she now has sizes 26 and size 28 available in the poly cotton jumpers. Uniform Shop opening hours are Tuesday 8 to 9.30am and Thursday 3.00 to 5.30pm