29 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Message:

By Mr Kort Goodman - Principal

Dear Parents

Congratulations to all members of the Assumption College Community on a wonderful first term of 2018. From the generous and caring efforts of the parents and ancillary staff in supporting the students and teachers, to the committed and professional work of the teachers in preparing and delivering engaging learning experiences and the organisation and conducting of extra-curricular activities, to the outstanding results of the students in the academic, sporting and cultural life of the College. The first term of 2018 has absolutely raced by and our College community can be very proud of their achievements.

You will no doubt recall that I sent a letter to all our families in January this year asking that parents take the time to ensure that the students of our College understand the expectations that we have about wearing the uniform appropriately, being prepared for class and using appropriate manners. I believe that these high expectations and the supporting conversations have been the catalyst for the great term we have had and I thank you as members of our community for your continued support of Assumption College and your children. We are continuing to grow a culture within our College community of people who get in and have a go, striving to be the best they can be in all aspects of life. This was further reinforced at the great College Cross Country event earlier this week. Assumption College is truly a great community to be a part of.

Best wishes for the break. Please be safe and take appropriate breaks when travelling. We look forward to students returning on Tuesday 17th April refreshed and ready to participate fully and give their best in Term 2.

Holy Week Reflection

Last Tuesday morning prior to heading to our College Cross Country event our staff and students participated in our Easter Liturgy led by Mrs Cullen. The focus of the liturgy was the events of Holy Week and a group of our senior students acted out the events while three of our leaders provided a voice over of the events and the interactions. I would like to thank Mrs Cullen and the students for their efforts in bringing to life and explaining the events of this very important week in our calendar.

Finally, I would like to share with you a reflection on ‘The Last Supper,’ which was written by Fr Shay Cullen SSC who has been a missionary in the Philippines since 1969.

Photo and reflection retrieved from: https://www.columban.org.au

Before we leave on a journey, move house or migrate abroad many of us like to gather with family and friends. We give them a parting gift, something symbolic so our love and friendship will be remembered and our life will be recalled and cherished. It can be a photograph or favourite book, a recorded video or audio message.

Jesus left no such mementoes by which to be remembered. He left something greater, He left Himself present to all.

The meal of bread and wine, The Last Supper, the Eucharist, is much more than a farewell party, more than a religious rite and more than a religious obligation.

It’s a unique spiritual event through which Christians experience His presence and during which the redemption of humankind that He brought about by his life, death and resurrection is re-enacted and renewed.

During the Eucharist we are called to be true and faithful disciples - to be another Christ. We are called to serve others as Jesus did - helping the poor, lifting up the downtrodden, releasing captives, healing the sick, challenging the causes of poverty and oppression, helping orphans and widows. This is the way to extend His presence and love in the world - through unselfish service.

It was not by chance that Jesus shocked his disciples during the Last Supper when He began to wash their feet. This was the work of a domestic servant and Peter refused until Jesus told him he could not be a disciple unless he accepted.

He gave them and us this example of discipleship. This is an important part of the Eucharist, it bonds us to Jesus and to each other in a commitment without asking for rewards.

A true disciple must take an active stand for the truth, justice and dignity of every person. The Eucharist not only gives us the spiritual power to embrace such principles but the courage to act for and on behalf of the abused, exploited, sick and the hungry. When this meaning is lost and the Eucharist becomes more of a church ritual than a dynamic call for commitment to community service then we will have empty pews and fewer Christians.

The preaching of Jesus and his compassion for the poor and the outcasts was at the heart of the Kingdom of God. He uplifted their human dignity and restored them in the ‘image and likeness of God.’

All were to be treated equally as children of God. That’s the basis of our declarations on human rights as we know them today. When we defend them we are taking a stand as Jesus did. We take the risks He did.

He paid the ultimate price for his unwavering faithfulness to the Father - death by crucifixion. The rulers of the day saw Jesus as a threat to their power and authority. Before He was falsely accused, arrested, tortured and executed, He left us the Eucharist.

Food and drink are the essentials of life, spiritual and physical. The symbolism and the reality became one when He and His disciples celebrated the Jewish Passover meal. This recalled the historical deliverance of the Jewish people from the slavery of Egypt when Moses led them into the desert, into a covenant with God.

During the supper Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples and said ‘This is my body which is given for you, do this in memory of me. In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper saying, ‘This cup is a new covenant sealed in my blood, poured out for all.’

When Jesus told his disciples and believers to “Do this in memory of me,” it wasn’t just a sentimental ritual he left, but a memorial of his life, death and resurrection. That is why reading and reflecting on the Gospel account of His life is so important. We are called to imitate Him, “to put on Christ” as St Paul says and be doers of the Word and not just listeners.

The Eucharist is the moment when Jesus is present among us, inspiring us to go out and preach his Word and fulfil his mission. We can’t be true to Him if we don't bend down and “wash a foot.”

Through faith in Jesus Christ we are one with God. When we break the bread and share the cup we celebrate this and commit ourselves to imitate Him and continue His mission to transform the world. Above all, the Eucharist is the living presence of Christ who is always with us.

Have a lovely week

Kort

TERM 2 – 2018 DATE CLAIMERS

Pastoral Care News:

By Mr Craig Frattini, Deputy Principal

Parenting Ideas Insights

Helping Children Who Struggle With Learning

By Michael Grose

Parenting is easy when you have a child who is talented and finds learning relatively easy. You can marvel at their performance and feel some measure of parental pride.

On the other hand it’s frustrating and, at times, heartbreaking to watch your child struggle to attain even mediocre levels of success at school, in sport or in leisure activities. It’s even more difficult if your child repeats a year of learning.

When your child has difficulty at school, your approach as a parent makes a huge difference to their self-esteem, the relationship with their teachers and their attitude to learning.

Here are some ideas to keep in mind if you are parenting a child for whom success at school, or in other high-status areas such as sport, just doesn’t come naturally.

1. Avoid using other children as benchmarks

Benchmarking your child’s progress against that of other children is not a wise parenting strategy. Inevitably it will lead to frustration as there will always be a child who performs better than your own on any scale you use.

Each child has his or her own developmental clock which is nearly impossible to alter. There are slow bloomers, early developers, bright sparks and steady-as-you-go kids in every classroom. It’s the first group that can cause the most concern for parents who habitually compare the slow bloomer to siblings, friends’ kids and even themselves when they were in school.

The trick is to focus on your child’s improvement and effort and use their results as a benchmark of progress and development. “Your spelling is better today than it was a little while ago” is a better measure of progress than “Your spelling is the best in the class!”

2. Focus on your child’s talents

Be mindful that many successful people including Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg struggled at school. Traditional learning wasn’t for them. However they each had supportive adults in their lives who helped them find their interests and fostered their talents. Help your child see beyond any limits they put on themselves (“I’m hopeless at school”) to see the many other talents and strengths they have.

3. Develop a growth mindset

Recent research shows that people who believe they can increase their intelligence through effort and challenge actually do get smarter and do better in school, work and life over time. It’s exciting to know that your child’s talent and smarts aren’t fixed. Their brain can always learn more, continue to grow and be stretched. Communicate a growth mindset to your kids by focusing your praise more on their level of effort rather than on their natural abilities of talents. Praise the strategies they use and look for opportunities to stretch their capabilities.

4. Be your child’s cheerleader

Kids who have to work really hard to achieve need someone in their lives who is able to boost their self-confidence, particularly when they are struggling. Make a fuss over small successes so your child can puff up their chest every now and then. Many adults find it easy to encourage the kids who do well but baulk at encouraging kids who struggle or find learning difficult. But it’s these children who really need encouragement. As much as humanly possible, comment favourably about your child’s effort, contribution and improvement in all areas of life. You can do it!

5. Increase their time in activities where they experience success

As a young teacher I remember when a father banned his son from playing football as his school results were poor. I was incensed. This boy found school learning very difficult and football was one area where he was able to shine. I suggested to the father that his son should spend more time, not less, playing football, as this was the activity where he experienced the most success. Children who struggle at school benefit from spending more time in environments where they feel confident and capable, as those feelings can eventually transfer over to other areas – including the classroom.

6. Be mindful that persistence pays off

Children who have to work hard and persist learn an important life lesson: that success in most endeavours takes effort. Those kids who sail through their childhoods without raising a sweat can struggle when eventually they do have to work long and hard to succeed.

Raising kids who find life a breeze is easy. However, parenting kids who take longer to mature, or kids that must put in a 110% effort to achieve, is challenging for any parent. Parenting a child who struggles, or has to repeat a year level, requires you to develop a growth mindset, focus on kids’ strengths, be liberal with encouragement and have realistic but positive expectations for success.

Michael Grose

Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 10 books for parents including Thriving! and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It, and his latest release Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent children.

APRE News:

By Mrs Kate Cullen, APRE

Passion Play

This year’s Passion Play focussed on the Gospel of John and the key teachings at the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples. Stephanie Lockhart shared with us during the play: There are many messages within the Washing of the Feet. The story teaches that Jesus has come to cleanse our sins, but if we do not allow or accept him to cleanse or wash us, then our sins cannot be cleansed away. He washes the feet and offers cleansing to all at the table although he knows some will betray him in significant but also lesser ways. The story represents that any who ask for forgiveness are offered forgiveness.

Jesus also teaches his disciples that no one is more important than the other…it is not an act of a master to wash another’s feet but rather that of a servant. Jesus symbolically reveals that we are all servant to God, and servant to each other on God’s behalf. Sharing the message of God humbly, as servant to the message of God of a Kingdom for all, is the most important way to share the message.

Thank you to all the students who lead the Passion play on Tuesday morning. They have had to give up their own time in rehearsals for the day and did an excellent job.

Easter Liturgy Folder

Gallery Title: Easter Liturgy Passion Play

Henri Nouwen Reflection: Friendship in the Twilight Zones of Our Heart

There is a twilight zone in our own hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves - our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and drives - large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness.

This is a very good thing. We always will remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That's a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility but also to a deep trust in those who love us. It is in the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.

Curriculum News:

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal—Curriculum

UNSW

Please continue to return the permission forms for these tests. A reminder for any Year 7 students that wish to participate to see me.

End of Term 1 Progress Report

Term 1 Progress Reports will be posted home this week. This report is designed to give parents some indication of how their child is progressing in their studies. You will notice that your child will be awarded a result, yet keep in mind that this may only reflect one piece of assessment or one criteria in that subject. For Year 7 students it reflects classwork. A letter and form accompanies the report. The letter outlines our next scheduled parent and teacher interviews. Whilst teachers may request an interview with parents, we also strongly encourage parents to request interviews with teachers. Please also note that the learning support teachers Karyn Byrne and Rachel Leslie will be available for appointments with parents. We understand that families have busy schedules; however we would really appreciate an opportunity to discuss your child’s education with you. Interviews for both days will be booked through our online SOBS program. An instruction sheet outlining how to do this will be sent home with reports for all Year 7 parents.

Careers News:

By Mrs Ali Porter, Careers

Noteworthy items:

• School-based traineeship and apprenticeship positions are currently available for Year 10 or 11 students in retail and automotive. This is a great opportunity and information has been emailed to students.

University Showcase

Some of our Year 12 students recently attended the University Showcase. This showcase involved representatives from major Queensland universities, along with members of the Australian Defence Forces, visiting Warwick to provide pathways information to Year 12 students. Students viewed a presentation from various speakers about university applications and life in general. Fun was had in the question and answer section as our students participated in a light-hearted competition with the senior students of Warwick State High School. Students also had the opportunity to speak with representatives about courses and pathways options. This was a great opportunity and a ‘kick-start’ for our seniors who need to be planning, researching and preparing for pathways after school.

Year 10 Careers

Year 10 students this term participated in a series of Careers sessions. These sessions covered topics including resumes and cover letters, job application forms, as well as the identification of general job qualifications and personal job interests. Next term will involve a more in-depth look at job interests and education and training requirements of such. This will lead into an investigation of senior pathways and options including a discussion of senior subjects, the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). We will also begin discussion around the organisation of work experience. The Year 10 work experience week block will be held in the last week of Term 3.

Sport News:

By Mrs Julie Collins, Program Leader Sport

Cross Country

Thank you to all students who participated and supported the cross-country. Thank you to all staff for your help in ensuring a smooth running day!

Congratulations to all students on their efforts! Before attendance results were included there was only 1 point separating first and second place! Well done Romero.

HOUSE CHAMPIONS

1st ROMERO
2nd DONOVAN
3rd RICE
4th McAULEY

HOUSE ASHES – SPIRIT AWARD- DONOVAN

Brocken Records:

Age Results:

Sports Dates:

Bill Turner Cup

In 1979, a group of dedicated teachers who were greatly involved in school soccer, decided to introduce a 15 years and under competition. This committee was known as “Northern NSW Schools Soccer” and was chaired by Bill Turner. Bill, a teacher at Booragul High School (now Lake Macquarie High, NSW, Australia), had worked tirelessly in school and youth soccer for many years, and was a well-regarded referee. Bill Turner valued fitness, fun and fair play and the competition pays tribute to these values.

The Bill Turner Cup and Trophy is now one of the world’s largest team sport competitions.

Around 800 school teams from NSW, Qld, ACT and Victoria participate each year, with all players 15 years and under.

The Bill Turner Cup is a school soccer competition for boys aged 15 and under in 2018.

The Bill Turner Trophy is a school soccer competition for girls aged 15 and under in 2018.

Both competitions are a knockout format with early round matches starting in Term 2.

Assumption College Warwick is entering teams into both competitions and our areas are as follows;

Bill Turner Cup 2018 Area 3 Darling Downs – Brisbane West
Bill Turner Trophy 2018 Area 3 Darling Downs – Brisbane West

We will be competing in our first round robin matches on Thursday April 26th at Stanthorpe State High School.

The official website for the Bill Turner Cup and Bill Turner Trophy school soccer competitions and their Facebook page is

That is where you can find more details including the Draws and the Code of Behaviour for Players, Parents, Spectators and Coaches.

If you wish to attend this tournament, please contact Mr Scott Clegg at the College office via phone 0746 604 000 or via email scott.clegg@twb.catholic.edu.au

Library News:

By Mrs Mary-Anne Driver

We have been busy, busy, busy in the Library, with students printing assignments, studying for exams, enjoying some down time with our planned activities or just hanging out with mates.

The highlight for the fortnight was our sideshow alley! A fun way to end a great term in the Library.

Next term we are planning to set up a chess club and also a knitting/crocheting group to implement a Jumpers and Jazz tree. With this in mind, if anyone has any wool, needles etc to donate, please send them along to the Library. If you know of a knitter who has some spare time we would love to have an expert come in and help with this project one lunch time every week. Please contact us at the library if you can help.

General Notices:

Enrolment Applications 2019

Assumption College is currently taking enrolments for students intending to attend the College in 2019. Enrolment applications are available from the College office. Enrolment interviews have commenced and will continue during Term 2. Please return your completed application form as soon as possible if you have a student considering the College for 2019.

Strategic Plan Launch

Say No To Bullying

Assumption College students participated in Anti-Bullying activities at the College last week. Lets stand together – bullying no way!

St Mary’s Catholic Parish:

Holy Week & Easter Mass Times

Community News:

Safety Message

Choose how to add this event to your calendar:

Apple Calendar iPhone, iPad, Mac - Download .ics file

Outlook Desktop Outlook - Download .ics file

Android Calendar Android devices - Download .ics file

Other Calendar Google Calendar, Yahoo, etc. - Download .ics file

Download Event