20 July 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Message:

By Mr Kort Goodman - Principal

Catholic Education Week

29 July – 4 August 2018

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland from 29 July – 4 August this year.

This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Discovering New Horizons. Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

During Catholic Education Week 2018, Catholic education communities across Queensland are invited to celebrate how they are discovering new horizons.

There are 304 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 147,000 students and employ more than 19,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way.

Our school is planning a number of activities during the week including a shared liturgy and activities morning with St Mary’s school on Monday 30th of July and our Assumption College Arts Showcase on Thursday 2nd August. We hope that you are able to join in these celebrations with us.

I thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to seeing you during Catholic Education Week 2018.

Congratulations and Thank You

Congratulations to our netball and rugby league teams who travelled to North Queensland to represent our College over the holidays. I have received numerous reports from parents, staff and other people not linked to our College, about the wonderful manner in which both teams participated in the carnivals and engaged with the complete experience of confraternity.

Thank you to the amazing teachers, community members and parents who sponsored, trained, organised, prepared and cared for the students. The opportunity to attend and participate in such an event is one that the students will never forget, and this could not happen without your commitment and generosity.

Have a lovely week
Kort

TERM 3 – 2018 DATE CLAIMERS

APRE News:

By Mrs Kate Cullen, APRE

Religious Education Classes

Year 7

Abrahamic Religions: From Jew to You. The first religion assignment for the students is an investigation task that works in two parts. As a class group, with their teachers guidance, students will examine three different Old and New Testament scriptures that reveal key moments in the development of the Christian Faith out of its Jewish roots. This investigation or research in class will be the Part A of their assignment and the Part B they will work individually to address the fertile question: How has the Christian faith been expressed, professed and lived inspired by scripture? The answer is in those three scriptures and the teachers will lead students through the traditions of Jewish faith, the life of Jesus the Jew and the development of a new understanding of covenant and relationship with God through events like Pentecost.

Year 8

What Would Jesus Do? This unit looks at how religious beliefs about grace and virtue are explored in media texts with students considering if religious beliefs are also secular values through a stimulus film.

Year 9

What inspires the actions of the faithful? Students will learn about the social justice issues, value of human dignity, value of penance and reconciliation and examine a social justice issue in their investigation task.

Year 10

One small step unit focusses on Vatican II and considers if change is good for us. The challenging part of this unit is the students’ research into documents from Vatican II that outlined the changes in the Church in response to the modern era. Classes will choose specific documents to specialize in after learning about the overall themes and developments within Vatican II.

Year 11

Religion and Ethics: the current Good and Evil unit examines social and structural perspectives about good and evil and considers how a concern for all should end evil. Students will complete a response to stimulus assessment task that uses a specific case study as its focus on a particular historical event and the impact on the various stakeholders involved.

Year 12

Religion and Ethics: the last two units closely combine starting with a general introduction to ethics and morality and leading into a more focused look at the ethics of war with a final unit focussing on beliefs and teachings around peace and conflict across religions. The Investigation task this term is a case study which will examine an ethical issue making judgement and recommendations based on ethical viewpoints such as deontological and teleological ethical theories.

Study of Religion students are finishing up their Church, State and Mission unit with an examination of The Crucible and furthering their discussion on Church history, the combining of Church and State powers and the examination of what religious freedom is worth and how it can be obtained. A short response exam will be completed in Week 4 before beginning their final unit for the year.

Events Coming Up

• Catholic Education Week 30th July to 3rd of August. We will share in liturgy with St Mary’s Primary School and experience the first Acts of Mercy Day led by Donavon and McAuley Houses on the Wednesday.
• The Feast of the Assumption will be celebrated with St Mary’s Primary with a combined mass on the 15th of August. Families are most welcome to attend.
• Father’s Day afternoon BBQ. This year we will celebrate the important men in our lives with an afternoon BBQ on the 30th of August.

Henri Nouwen Reflection: Becoming the Living Christ

Whenever we come together around the table, take bread, bless it, break it, and give it to one another saying: "The Body of Christ," we know that Jesus is among us. He is among us not as a vague memory of a person who lived long ago but as a real, life-giving presence that transforms us. By eating the Body of Christ, we become the living Christ and we are enabled to discover our own chosenness and blessedness, acknowledge our brokenness, and trust that all we live we live for others. Thus we, like Jesus himself, become food for the world.

Curriculum News:

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal—Curriculum

Semester Reports

Semester reports have been mailed home to all students. If you did not receive the copy please contact the College office. Please note there are no formal parent/teacher interviews this term but we highly encourage parents to contact the student’s teachers to discuss their Semester 1 progress.

Academic Interviews

Letters have been sent home with students for Academic Interviews for all Year 11 and 12 students.

Tutorials

A reminder that tutorial sessions for students run from 3.15-4.15pm each Thursday and offer students the opportunity for more study time and teacher assistance with school work and assignments.

ICAS

ICAS nominations have now closed. The ICAS English test will be held on Tuesday 31st July 2018, while the ICAS Maths test is scheduled for Tuesday 14th August. Enrolled students will be emailed further information about these papers.

Assessment Calendars

These will go live on the College website over the next week – these should help students keep ‘on top of’ their assessment and plan for important dates. Students are to check the calendar regularly for changes and updates.

QCS

The QCS test will be held on Tuesday 4th September and 5th September. Year 12 students sitting these tests will be unable to leave the College for appointments over these two days. Please be aware of this when scheduling appointments over the next few weeks. Only QCS students will be required to attend these two days.

Year 11 2019 Subject Information Evening

The Year 11 2019 subject information evening is scheduled for next Wednesday 25th July from 6pm in the Hall. This session is invaluable for the information it provides to students and parents. It is also an opportunity to meet with teachers to seek more information and assistance regarding students’ future pathways and subject choices.

Assessment

It is important that both students and parents familiarise themselves with the policy. I wish to point out an integral detail in this policy; students will complete all assessment. If a student chooses not to submit an assessment item by the due date, it cannot be marked and the draft will be marked in lieu. However, that student will still complete the assessment during a detention and hand it in. This will be kept in the student’s profile but will not be marked and graded. It is imperative that all assessment is completed.

Exam Week & Study Leave

There will be an exam block for both year 11 and 12 students at the end of this term. This will run during week 9 (10th-14th of September). Both year 11 and 12 students will have study leave during this time; however, if students have outstanding assessment for subjects, these particular students will not be granted study leave and will be required to stay at school to complete outstanding assessment.

Careers News:

By Mrs Ali Porter, Careers

Noteworthy items:

• University Open Days have begun! A calendar of these and other careers events are available at the web links below
• Warwick Careers Market is on the 24th of July, 1.30-4pm, at Warwick State High School
• Tertiary Studies Expo coming up soon – highly recommended for Year 12 students!
• Year 10 SET Plan meetings are being held in Week 4.

Coming Up…

Monday will see representatives from the University of Southern Queensland visiting the college to talk to interested Year 12 students. This visit follows a visit from the Master of King’s College at the University of Queensland last week to talk to students about university campus accommodation. Following on from this, Year 12 students will have a series of sessions and presentations this term about university applications, tertiary study, apprenticeships and employment.

Year 10 SET Plans

We have been working with Year 10 students to develop their Senior Education and Training (SET) Plans. The Department of Education and Training requires that all schools in Queensland develop a SET Plan with each Year 10 student. The information below, taken from www.qcaa.qld.edu.au outlines the purpose of a SET Plan.

“What’s a SET plan?

A SET plan is a confidential document that a student develops, in consultation with their parents/carers and their school, to map their learning and career pathways.

What’s the purpose of a SET plan?

The purpose of a SET plan is to help students:

• set and achieve their learning goals after Year 10
• include flexible and coordinated pathway options in their course of senior study
• think about their education, training and career options after Year 12 and make decisions about their learning pathways
• structure their learning around their abilities, interests and ambitions
• communicate with their parents, teachers and career guidance officers about their learning pathways and post-school plans.”

What’s involved in developing a SET plan?

Students develop their SET Plans in Careers lessons by using an online tool that guides them with a series of questions and prompts.

What happens next?

Parents are encouraged to be involved in the SET planning process so you can support your child through their learning. You can do this by asking your child to log onto his/her online careers account and viewing the SET Plan online. Year 10 parents have also been invited to join their child and a college representative at a SET Plan meeting. Letters have been sent home regarding these meetings and parents should receive these in the coming week.

Year 10 Work Experience

Year 10 students have the opportunity to complete work experience this year in the last week of Term 3 (17th to 21st of September). We have had some students organising placements already so this is great news. I am hoping that other students wanting to complete the work experience week will organise placements over the coming two weeks.

Warwick Careers Market

Year 12 and Year 10 students have been invited to attend the careers market at Warwick State High School on Tuesday 24th of July. The college is offering interested students to attend as an excursion from 1.15-2.15pm. Letters have been provided to students and permission slips are required for return by Monday the 23rd of July.

Date claimers

• USQ representatives will be visiting ACW on July 23rd to talk to Year 12 students
• Tertiary Studies Expo July 21st and 22nd
• Year 10 Work Experience week scheduled for the 17th to 21st of September
• Warwick Careers Expo is being held on the 24th of July.

School Counsellor News

By Mrs Jenny Gillespie

4 Things to Remember When Starting at a New School

This Term and last we have had the great pleasure of welcoming a number of new students to our College. But, no matter how warm the welcome, starting at a new school can be a very daunting process and can make young people feel nervous and uncertain. This is a normal reaction to have. So, while it most likely won’t be easy, there are a few things parents can know and do, to make it a little easier.

1. It probably won’t be amazing straight away.
   For most of us, change is hard and there will be glitches along the way. It is very normal for young people to feel out of sorts and perhaps somewhat reluctant in a new school environment. It is normal for them to miss their old friends, their old school and to feel nervous about talking to new people.
2. It helps young people to keep doing the things they enjoy.
   Whether it is playing music, sports, making money via a part-time job, writing, pottery, drawing or anything else, it helps to keep it up. These ‘hobbies’ play a vital role in assisting young people craft their emerging identities and their ability to tolerate the discomfort of a new school environment will be helped through continuation of these sorts of pursuits.
3. Talking to new people is hard – but worth it
   Some young people dread the thought of putting themselves ‘out there’ and talking to new people. Reassure them however that they can talk to people they do not know and that it is only through conversations and trial and error that they will soon enough find peers to call friends. No pressure though, some young people may do this within 2 weeks, others 2 months and others longer still. Everyone is different in this regard.
4. A problem shared is a problem halved!
   As a parent, if you feel that your efforts to help your child settle aren’t working and/or another person to talk to is needed please encourage them to pop into my office for a chat or give me a call and I will check in on them. As the College Counsellor, I welcome students to access my support anytime via face-to-face, email or a parent/carer phone call.

Source: https://au.reachout.com/articles

Sport News:

By Mrs Julie Collins, Program Leader Sport

Sport Dates

Athletics Carnival THANK YOU!

Thank you to the College staff for their efforts in supporting students and assisting with events over both days of the athletics carnival. Thank you to the students who participated in the carnival and for the good sportsmanship you displayed.

A huge thank you must go to Suburbs Football Club who allowed us to use their fields, canteen and facilities for our second day of events as the College oval was needed so construction on the new building could begin.

Congratulations to the students who won Age Champions, Runner Up or broke records, details are below.

GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:

BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:

RELAY TROPHY

LEE GUNDERMAN (HOUSE SPIRIT AWARD) DONOVAN

INTERHOUSE CHAMPION

RECORDS

Inter-School State Show Jumping

Congratulation to Abby Grayson who competed at the Inter-School State Show Jumping Competition and finished 5th overall. Abby has also been selected as a reserve rider in the Nationals later in the year. Well done!

Inter-School Horse Sport Day

Congratulations to Abbey Monckton who represented Assumption College in the Inter-School Horse Sports Day in Millmerran. Abbey came 3rd in her age group. Well done!!

Confraternity

Please see next newsletter edition for full Confraternity write up.

Library News:

By Mrs Mary-anne Driver

We are excited to be back in the Library with a busy term coming up.

Some of our students are going to Toowoomba this weekend to participate in the Chess Challenge. We will look forward to the stories next week. Good Luck, guys.

There have been some big UNO games happening with up to 10 students laughing their way through a game and much merriment when someone has to draw 12! We also have some new and interesting two player board games to welcome in the new term. Mrs Wooding had 4 opponents against her during one game of connect four today. We will start our lunch activities in Week 3 with lots of craft and competitions planned.

Hopefully you will notice the tree out the front wearing a jumper and a few other bits and pieces that have been crafted by the students in the library.

Business News:

By Mr Scott Clegg, Business Manager.

Term 3 School fees will be emailed or posted Monday and are due on 24th August 2018. Anyone with a student attending Yr 8 or Yr 11 camp costs are also due 24th August. If you have any questions please contact the College Business Manager – Mr Scott Clegg on 4660 4000. Thank you.

General Notices:

Year 9 Canberra Excursion

On Monday morning 25 June, 64 Year 9 students and 6 staff members departed Assumption College at 4:00am bound for the Brisbane Airport. We landed in Sydney at 10am to a beautiful, but chilly, sunny day. The group enjoyed the sights of Circular Quay before boarding a ferry for a short trip across Sydney Harbour, taking in views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and surroundings. We had lunch at Bondi Beach before a guided tour of Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium, then departed Sydney bound for Canberra, where we called home for the next 4 nights.

Day 2 started with a quick visit to Mount Ainslie Lookout taking in picturesque views of the city then moved to the Australian Defence Force Academy before heading to the Australian Institute of Sport. The group enjoyed a lovely lunch before an informative tour of the sporting complex. Our next stop was the Electoral Education Centre where the students participated in activities surrounding the Australian electoral process. The evening was spent rock climbing which the students thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a very cool start to Wednesday morning, with the thermometer hitting -6 degrees but feeling more like -10. The students looked very smart in their formal school uniforms as they prepared for the busy day ahead. We started the morning off at Parliament House where we were lucky enough to experience Parliament sitting. David Littleproud spoke briefly to the students before we visited Government House and the Royal Australian Mint. Our final port of call for the day was Questacon where the students participated in science challenges.

Our final full day in our Country’s Capital started off at Telstra Tower. The weather was extremely kind to us and we were lucky enough to experience magnificent 360 degree panoramic views of Canberra and surrounding countryside. After lunch, we spent three hours at the Australian War Memorial, which was a favourite amongst all. It was then off for some retail therapy at the Canberra Shopping Centre before ending our tour of Canberra with a game of Ten Pin Bowling.

We departed Canberra early on Friday morning bound for our flight from Sydney at 1:00pm. We arrived back in Warwick at 6:30pm exhausted and glad to be home. Thank goodness for school holidays.

We would like to acknowledge the wonderful efforts of the students who were respectful and engaged at all times and thank the College staff who attend for making this valuable and enjoyable camp possible.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $60 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Australian Stock Exchange Game

In the Australian Stock Exchange game for schools which ended recently, all students were given an imaginary $50000 to invest in the ASX and prices and gains were calculated in real time.

At Assumption College we had 180 of our students actively playing by investing the imaginary money in the stock market and really enjoying themselves. This game does real time trades and calculates all of your profits and losses in your portfolio as if you were an actual investor.

We have been very fortunate to have Pauline Pickering, the director of Globe Accounting, sponsor monetary prizes for our students and this keeps the levels of interest high. Pauline’s sponsorship is much appreciated.

Technical analysis, where you study the graphs of the stocks you want to buy, is a fine real world example of applied Mathematics and many of our students did a great job of purchasing the shares and then trading their way to profits.

Our winners for semester one were:

1. Dylan Marsh $54947
2. Andrew Doyle $54343
3. Joshua D’Arcy $53766

Congratulations to these boys and all students who participated.

Questacon Science

Questacon Science will be visiting Assumption College and Year 7 – 10 students will be attending presentations on Wednesday 25th July.

USQ Aviation Two-Day Experience

Sophie Ryan attended the USQ Aviation Two-Day Experience during the holidays. Sophie fully embraced the leadership, communication and teambuilding workshops over the two days and even had the experience of flying in a world-class flight simulator! (Photo courtesy of USQ Photography)

Year 8 Home Economics

Our Year 8 Home Economics students have produced some amazing pencil cases this last term. Well done to these students for all the hard work and effort that has gone into producing these pieces of work!

St Mary’s Catholic Parish:

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