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Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 26 No. 10 - 27 July 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

The term has certainly got off to a flying start with many curricular and extracurricular activities igniting the light in our community to commence a new term. This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. A time for us to give thanks and remember our history, tradition and culture. Celebrated annually at this time, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for the 309 Catholic Schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos. The theme for 2023 is "Communities of Faith, Hope and Love".

During the first week of the school holidays our Firsts Netball Team participated in QISSN in Brisbane. I would like to congratulate Mrs Kim Lynch and Miss Madison Mikletic for their leadership of our girls and for organsing this opportunity for our students. The girls were placed 3rd in their division and were great ambassadors for the college. Thanks also to Miss Emma Systa for assisting the students and staff across the week in Brisbane.

We also had three of our students join the team from St Margaret Mary’s College to participate in the Girl’s Rugby League competition at Confraternity. Congratulations to Ashlyn Hoey, Bridget Wilson and Shakira Fogarty. The students played very well and were overall Runners- up in their division.

Congratulations also to our Firsts Rugby League Team who participated in the Confraternity Cup in the holidays and won their division in a hotly contested final against host school St Lawrence’s. A very big thank you to Mrs Anita Dixon, Mr Gerard Webber, Mr Rohan Dixon, Mr Scott Bliss, Mr Justin Dixon and Mr Neil Brown who supported our students across the week. The students performed very well on and off the field and we are blessed to have such good people who give so freely of their time to enable our students to engage in experiences such as this. Thank you to the many parents and community members who joined the players, coaches and managers in supporting our students. Your presence is valued and appreciated.

Special congratulations to Mr Rohan Dixon who was named Coach of the Quensland Merit Team at the carnival. This is recognition for the wonderful work he does in coaching and leading our boys. We extend our thanks to Rohan for all he does for our community.

Congratulations to Firsts XIII Rugby League Captain Assariah Lenoy who has been recruited to the Cowboys Young Guns. Assariah debuted with the Under 19 Development Squad last Saturday at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. They defeated the Titans 24-18.

Across the holidays Columba played host to the North Queensland Cricket Camp. Special thanks to Ms Daisy Zhao and members of our Facilities and Household Team for supporting the management and participants of this clinic during their camp. We look forward to hosting them again in 2024.

Staffing Update: I wish to advise that Mrs Kimberlee Lynch has tendered her resignation as Middle Leader Inclusion effective as of August 11. Mrs Lynch will be returning to Townsville. I would like to thank Mrs Lynch for her contribution to Columba and wish her well. Recruitment for this position has commenced. An Inclusive Practices Teacher will be recruited for St Mary’s Campus and the Middle Leader Inclusion will be recruited to support the students and staff at Mt Carmel Campus.

On Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th July past students of Columba Catholic College gathered for the Annual school reunion at St Patrick’s Church, Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Coordinated by past student Ms Carmel Brougham (nee Lyons) students from Mt Carmel College, St Mary’s College, St Columba’s Primary and now Columba Catholic College gathered to share stories and connect. Along with Year 11 student Abbey Turner, I attended a Mass, Morning Tea and Lunch with past students. It was an important time to hear about our history and tradition and to share updates of progress at the college in 2023. Special thanks to all in attendance. Thanks to Abbey for her engagement with community members. I was fortunate to gather some more memorabilia for our museum lovingly donated by our past students. Special thanks to all who attended and to Carmel for her efforts in bringing this event together.

Last week students across the College participated in the Mulkadee Arts Festival in Townsville. I would like to extend my thanks to Mrs Gina Porter and Ms Daisy Zhao for their organisation of the travel, accommodation and arrangements for the week and to Miss Kalinda Large, Mr Khalid Almaktoum and Miss Samantha Heiskell for supervising and supporting the students across the week. Special thanks also to Mrs Erin Townley for her assistance as a Parent Volunteer accompanying our staff and students last week and for organising daily meals. Her support was invaluable and greatly appreciated. Thanks to all involved from Townsville Catholic Education and within our school for enabling our students to shine on stage as they performed in the culminating performance of Robin Hood. Congratulations to our students who were shining both in rehearsals and in the final performance.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week we hosted our Year 7-9 Reflection Days. Special thanks to Christine O'Sullivan and our supervising staff for supporting this spiritual experience for our students. Congratulations to our students also. In speaking with the facilitators from the Passionists they were very impressed with the attitude, commitment and behaviour of our students.

On Wednesday evening we hosted Parent/Teacher Interviews. Thank you to all Teaching staff for their preparation for these interviews and to Mrs Maria Peck, Mrs Joanne Andrews and members of our administrative team for assisting with the organisation of these interviews for us. Thank you to our parents and caregivers for engaging in these learning conversations. It is this partnership that enables us to continue to build a strong focus on learning. We strongly encourage parents/caregivers to speak with their children about their academic reports and to seek support from the college if required. We are all on the same team and want to work in partnership with you to support your child to do their best, and to be their best.

Last week we celebrated NAIDOC Week at Columba. Thanks to Mrs Natalie Grant for the organization of DIYDG activities and our parent evening on Thursday. We also hosted a NAIDOC Liturgy at St Mary's Campus on Thursday. Thanks to Mrs Donna Maxsted and Mrs Joanne Andrews for their organisation of this for our community. Thanks to Mrs Grant for organising the support of some of our Emerging Leaders who assisted in the liturgy and supporting our wonderful staff who led activities at St Mary's Campus also. It was great to see members of our community in attendance.Special thanks to Traditional Owner Tanya Ault for her contribution and attendance. This was then followed by our Liturgy on Friday at Mt Carmel Campus. Special thanks to Ms Christine O'Sullivan and Mrs Natalie Grant for leading this. Thanks to Mr Stuart Whitby and our staff who assisted the visiting staff from the Indigenous Education Team at Townsville Catholic Education with the activities and rotations on the day.

On Friday we also celebrated 100 days of Prep! Thanks to Miss Lara Burns and Miss Brooke Stevensen for their organisation of this event for our students. Thanks also to Mrs Brooke Hamlyn and Miss Jahana Critchely for the support of our students on the day. We also extend our thanks to our families and members of our community who joined our Prep classes to celebrate this milestone.

Last Friday students in Year 11 and 12 attended the Interschool Formal hosted by Charters Towers State High School at Poppet Head Plaza. The students represented the college well and had a great time. Special thanks to Ms Clare Stead, Mrs Leanne Brandis, Mr Haydn Champion and Mrs Maria Peck for supervising the students with me across the evening. Thanks to our families for enabling our young people to participate in this safe and supported experience for the youth in our community. The students looked amazing and had a great time.

Across the weekend we also had a number of our residential students assist with the cleaning and clean up at the Charters Towers Rodeo. Thanks to Mrs Caroline Jarmey and Mrs Michelle Burns for facilitating this and to our residential staff for leading the students. They did an amazing job! Thanks to Mrs Fiona Murray and members of our CSPA for running the canteen at the Rodeo. As always the CSPA did a great job in supporting our community and raising funds for projects to benefit the learners at the college.

On Monday evening members of our college community attended the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards ceremony in Townsville. Lindsay Kirwood was awarded the prestigious Deus Caritas Award Est for outstanding service to our community and commitment to Christian living. She was awarded a medallion and a bursary to donate to a charity of her choice or to put towards her personal goals. Congratulations to Lindsay who has genuinely contributed to community life here at Columba in both the day school and boarding. A very worthy recipient of this award.

Spirit of Catholic Education Awards were also awarded to Mrs Nita Dixon and Ms Terrina Muston. Nita was recognised for outstanding contribution to pastoral care and in supporting and connecting with students and families through her role as a member of our office administration team. Ms Terrina Muston was recognised for her work in providing quality service and support to our residential students and families in the health domain. We extend our congratulations to Lindsay, Mrs Dixon and Ms Muston and thank them for their commitment to our community.

On Tuesday morning members of our Student Leadership team joined Mrs Donna Maxsted, Ms Christine O’Sullivan and I at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Townsville to attend the Catholic Education Week Mass at the Cathedral. We then celebrated our community with a whole school liturgy on Mt Carmel Campus on Wednesday. Thanks to Mrs Maxsted and Ms O’Sullivan for leading us in this celebration.

Tomorrow students from St Mary’s Campus will participate in the Primary Interschool Athletics Carnival at Friemann Oval. We wish our competitors all the best.

Next Thursday and Friday we will host the Secondary Interschool Athletics Carnival at Mt Carmel Campus. We look forward to a great community event.

As we continue to celebrate Catholic Education Week this week, let us consider how we can each continue to live the mission of Jesus Christ. As we walk together as one, let us continue to look for new ways to enable our students to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society in a community of Faith, Hope and Love.

All the best for the fortnight ahead.

Many blessings,

Melissa Turner
PRINCIPAL

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - SM CAMPUS

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to all our returning familes and those new families that have joined the college this term. Last Friday our Prep students celebrated their 100 days of being in school. It was a great morning filled with excitement as our Prep students shared with family and friends “What they want to be when they grow up”. They especially loved dressing up in their chosen career and then sharing their stories. Thank you to all our Prep families for preparing your child for this event and joining us for the morning.

The Inter-School Athletics Carnival will be held this Friday at Friemann Oval. Parents of students participating in the 9-12 yrs events are to be dropped off at Friemann Oval at 8.30. Year 5 - 6 students will be bussed to and from the event throughout the day. 800m only participants will be bussed back at about 10am. We wish our students well in all their sporting endeavours on the day. Inter-School Sport will start next Friday 4th August. Season 2 sports are Netball and Soccer. Notes have been sent home for those Years 5 & 6 students that have indicated they want to play sport this season.

Our students have been preparing for this year's eisteddfod across a range of The Arts. We have many students entering in solo, group poems, class poems and choirs. The eisteddfod takes place from Saturday 19th August - Thursday 31st August. Information related to organisation and performance dates and times will be shared with families over the next week. Our instrumental piano lessons started this week. Ms Ward has three groups before and after school. We certainly have some talented students and we can’t wait to showcase our students' talents in the coming week’s assemblies.

The Charters Towers show begins next weekend. We wish our cattle club students well as they compete in showing and judging their cattle over the show days. The college will also have class and school displays in the halls. If you are visiting the show, drop in to the halls to see the students’ collection of arts and crafts. A reminder that Tuesday 1st August is the Charters Towers Show Public Holiday.

Our Book Week parade will take place on Monday 14th August. The theme this year is Read, Grow and Inspire. Mrs Smith is beginning to read all the short-listed books to the students in their library times. Our book week fair will follow on from Book Week. This is a major fundraiser for our library resources and also a well loved event for our children as they create their book wish lists. Thank you Mrs Smith for all you do to support our students in literacy and the love of books and reading.

We are very excited for all the activities at the upcoming Under 8’s Day on Friday 18th August. The theme this year is “Around the World’. Students in Prep to Year 3 will be participating in the morning’s activities along with our Mary Mackillop Kindergarten students, invited community kindergartens and children from within the Charters Towers community. Our Year 6 & Year 10 students will assist on the day. Students will take their passports and travel to eight countries enjoying art and craft activities from around the world. We look forward to a fun filled morning for our early years students.

A recent concern on the St. Mary’s Campus is the number of students being dropped at school well before the 8.15am morning supervision. At times students are being dropped to school as early as 7.00am. Whilst staff may be at school early they are not on active supervision and will be in their classrooms or staff rooms preparing for the day. It has been reported by our Outside School Hours staff and cleaning/grounds staff that when students are dropped off early they are often wandering around the school, climbing on structures and recently leaving the school grounds. Please consider other options to keep your children safe before school. Our Mary Mackillop Kindergarten offers before school care at a reasonable cost. Contacts for Before School Care can be made by contacting Stacey Purcell on 0447349 859 or email at charterstowershub@mmcnq.catholic.edu

Wishing all our families and students a great term three!

Joanne Andrews
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - SM CAMPUS

CURRICULUM NEWS

ASSESSMENT SUPPORT AND HOMEWORK CLUB

Assessment Support and Homework Club will commence in Week 2 of Term 3. Assessment Support will be held on Wednesday afternoons in M4 and Homework Club on Thursday afternoon in the Library. Assessment Support commenced on Wednesday 26^th July and Homework Club on Thursday 27^th July 2023.

TERM 2 TAFE REPORTS AND SEMESTER 1 CHARTERS TOWERS SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION REPORTS

Term 2 TAFE Progress Reports and Semester1 Charters Towers School of Distance Education Reports have been uploaded into the Compass Portal. Students and Parents will be able to access the reports in Compass.

COMPASS

Columba Catholic College uses the student management system called ‘Compass’. An important component of this software is the Compass Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is our main point of contact with parents. Each parent is issued with an individual login name and password for the Parent portal.

The Parent Portal allows you to:

report student absences
view your child's timetable and the school calendar
view up-to-date attendance information for your child
access your child's Semester Reports
make bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews
view the news feed of school announcements, alerts and updates
communicate by email with your child's teachers
update your contact details (email and mobile phone number)

YEAR 9 AND 10 SUBJECT CHANGES

Year 9 and 10 subject changes for Semester 2 must be finalised by Friday 28^th July 2023.

NAPLAN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORTS

NAPLAN Individual Student Reports will be distributed to families in the near future. In 2023, new standards were introduced to NAPLAN reporting. This reporting replaces the previous numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. From 2023, proficiency standards will be used to provide information about student achievement.

There are 4 proficiency standards:

Exceeding
Strong
Developing
Needs additional support

Parents and Caregivers are invited to read the NAPLAN individual student report Information for parents and carers 2023 information brochure. Information about the proficiency standards has been explained in this document.

myQCE COMPETITION FOR YEAR 10-12 STUDENTS

The QCAA myQCE website, e-newsletter and Instagram account provide information and resources for senior students about the Queensland Certificate of Education, pathways planning and successful learning. The Student Portal gives senior students secure access to information related to their senior studies.

The myQCE competition opens on Monday 10th July and closes on Friday 15th September. Year 10-12 students have the chance to win one of four prizes: a MacBook Air and 3 pairs of Sony Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones.

To enter the competition students must:

follow the myQCE Instagram account
like a myQCE Instagram post
tag three friends in the comments
register for the Student Portal (if they haven’t already), log in and check/update their information such as their personal email address and phone number.

Students can enter the competition and find more information here.

Maria Peck
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - ADMINISTRATION

FROM THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT

It is hard to believe we have already passed the middle of the school year! We are glad that our College is blessed with an abundance of quality learning across our classes, particularly as we approach the final internal assessment due date for our Year 12 students, and almost the end of a formative year for our Year 11 students.

To kick off Term three, the Year 7 to 10 students have ventured into a new strand for their Humanities learning:

Year 7 students will explore two Ancient History units - Ancient China and Ancient Egypt

Year 8 students will explore two Medieval History units - Medieval Europe and Black Death

Year 9 students will investigate the environmental and human characteristics - Biomes and Food security

Year 10 students will investigate the wartime experiences including causes, events, outcome and broader impact of the conflict as an episode in World War Two.

Year 9/10 Economics and Business students will explore Economics - a study of scarcity and its implications for the use of resources, production of goods and services, growth of production and welfare over time, and a great array of other complex issues of vital concern to our economy.

To be successful learners, here are a few pointers below:

Have a growth mindset - it is a deeply held belief that a person can learn anything given enough time and effort. A professor of Psychology at Standford University spoke about the growth mindset in terms of ‘The power of yet’. When your child says, “I can’t do this”, then we might need to add, “Yet. I can’t do this yet”. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. This is the belief that we are born with fixed abilities and these will limit our potential.
Be courageous - Courage is about taking on daunting challenges; feeling the fear and doing it anyway. It is not the absence of fear. Sometimes when we talk to our kids we say, “Don’t be afraid” or “Don’t be silly, it’s going to be fine”. This implies that fear is something to be ashamed of. Fear is human and to be expected, but it also needs to be overcome. However, that will not happen by magic. It comes with modelling, teaching, and explaining.
Be organised - Your child can study as many as seven different subjects with seven different teachers with different sets of expectations. It is impossible to thrive under those circumstances unless a child is highly organised, Using the College diary planner and study schedules, and checking Google Classroom regularly for learning tasks are the best approach in nurturing organisation.
Collaborate with teachers and peers - Student and teacher relationship is fundamental to a student's success at school. They recognise that teachers are their allies. Effective learners contribute to the creation of this strong relationship. Successful learners recognise their teachers as valuable resources whom they need to work with in partnership. These students are easy to recognise, they participate in class, they stay after class and ask extra questions, and they make appointments with their teachers to get support if they need it.

Below is a list of our department’s teacher emails should you like to contact for further information on how to support your child’s learning.

7A and 7B - Miss Fiona Adcock fadcock2@columba.catholic.edu.au
8A History - Miss Kalinda Large klarge@columba.catholic.edu.au
8B and 10A History - Ms Kimberlee Lynch klynch6@columba.catholic.edu.au
8C History - Mrs Tonya Burgoine twalkeyburgoine@columba.catholic.edu.au
9A Geography, 9/10 E&B - Mr Michael Ku mku@columba.catholic.edu.au
9B, 9C Geography, 9/10 E&B, 10C History - Dr Portia Simelane psimelane1@columba.catholic.edu.au
10B History - Ms Neelam Raj nraj1@columba.catholic.edu.au

We are looking forward to working with your child this term in their Humanities learning.

Michael Ku
CURRICULUM MIDDLE LEADER - HUMANITIES

DEBATING

Debating will be on the following dates:

Round 1 25^th July
Round 2 2^nd August (Wednesday)
Round 3 8^th August
Finals 15^th August

Each round will be held at Charters Towers State High School. Students are to meet at the library at 5pm. There is the option to be bussed across from the Mount Carmel Campus, we will need notification before so we know who is coming with us.

Topic selection will occur at 5.15pm.

Students have from 5.30 to 6.30pm to prepare and the debates for all three levels will begin at 6.40pm.

All students will return to the library at the end of their debates for the closing remarks. They can be picked up from there.

Permission forms will be going out with students this Friday for students that have already signed up.

We are still looking for more students to participate.

The format of the debating makes it fun, with no preparation needed before the date but a lot of fun that can be had with the debating topics whilst you improve your speaking, negotiation and all-round debating skills.

We will be looking to meet at lunch on the Monday before each round to have a practice at this style of debating.

Maggie Georgopoulus
DEBATING CO-ORDINATOR

SECONDARY INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Host: Columba Catholic College

Date: Thursday August 3rd (12pm-3pm) and Friday August 4th (8:30am-3:00pm)

Location: Mount Carmel Campus Ovals.

Student information: Non-participating students are to wear Sports uniform on both days of the carnival. Athlete training will be held Monday and Wednesday next week from 3:15pm to 4:15pm at MCC ovals.

More information regarding the carnival including parking, food menu, program and map will be released on Facebook and in student notices in the coming days.

THURSDAY 3 AUGUST

All students will be attending the carnival directly after morning classes with the first event commencing at 12 noon.
Athletes will be required to wear the Athletics singlets which will be issued to all competitors prior the event.
Female competitors wishing to wear bike pants are reminded they MUST be PLAIN NAVY in colour.
All athletes may also choose to wear plain black skins.
Senior students are to wear their Senior jerseys.

FRIDAY 4 AUGUST

All students will be attending the lnter-school Athletics Carnival.
Day Students will need to be dropped at MCC ovals by 8:00 am.
Boarders will be transported from their accommodation.
Day students can pre-order a Boarders’ lunch the day before and it will be delivered to the event.
A food van will be available offering both EFTPOS and cash services - a menu will be released early next week.
All students MUST be in the full College Sports Uniform on Friday (including a CLEAN AND GRAFFITI-FREE College bucket hat).
The carnival will conclude at 3:00pm

Callan Newman
SPORTS MIDDLE LEADER

QISSN

Columba’s 1st Netball team went to Brisbane to compete in the Queensland Independent Secondary School Netball tournament with 64 other schools through the State. QISSN is the biggest Netball competition for Secondary Schools in Queensland and games at the carnival are highly competitive.

Our team finished 3rd in our division, playing some very close games along the way.

Congratulations to Zyanne Bartlett who was named Most Valuable Player for the team. A big thank you to the staff for their efforts with training, travel and supervision of the students for the week. We are already looking forward to next year's event!

Team: Reagan Butler (C), Chloe Girdler (C), Holly McHugh, Falon Hoare, Erin Day, Taelah Morgan, Bridie Shun, Shahara Spratt, Bridget Wosomo, Zyanne Bartlett.

Kim Lynch and Madison Mickletic
COACHES

CONFRATERNITY

Confraternity Rugby League Tour Diary – CHAMPIONS!!!

Below is our tour diary from our trip to Brisbane to attend Confraternity which was hosted by St Laurence’s College. This turned out to be a week the squad would never forget.

Saturday 24^th June

The team flew to Brisbane in the evening. Excitement levels for the week ahead were clearly high.

Sunday 25^th June

The team slept in and departed for the playing fields in the late morning to check out the surroundings for the week ahead and do some shopping at Struddys. They then went to Westfield Shopping Centre for lunch before attending the Opening Ceremony at St Laurence’s College in Southbank in the early evening.

Monday 26^th June

The first match of the carnival was against Villanova College, Brisbane. Columba started very slowly and scores were locked at 4-all at half-time. Columba looked to be in trouble with only minutes remaining as they were behind 16-10 and on their own try line with 2 minutes remaining. Back-to-back penalties managed to get the team up the field and Mathias Santo-Hero scored a solo try under the posts which allowed Cooper Nibbs to kick a levelling goal for a 16-all draw. Although the team had played far from their best, they managed to walk away with 1 point and their week still alive to win Division 2. Cooper Thomas in his first game at ‘Confro’ won Man of the Match for his endless defence at hooker.

In the afternoon match, Columba played St Thomas More College, Brisbane. Fortunately, the team were back to their best to lead 10-nil early thanks to a great individual try by Max Campbell and were up 10-6 at half-time against a much physically bigger team. Columba went on to win 22-16 in a thoroughly entertaining game and Ben Simpson was named Man of the Match. Past student and former NRL Assistant Coach, Kelly Egan, addressed the team after the match about what impressed him and passed on his advice for the week ahead.

An early night was certainly needed for the squad after 2 nail biting games which would become the norm for the remainder of the week.

Tuesday 27^th June

In the final pool game, Columba played carnival hosts, St Laurence’s College, Brisbane. These two teams have always played close games over past years with this one proving to be no different. Columba got out to an early 10-nil lead at half-time but found themselves behind 12-10 late in the match and were unable to get the winning try late in the match. Columba’s Player of the Match was won by Mathias Santo-Hero.

This left the team with one win, a draw and one loss from their 3 pool games but finished 2^nd in their pool on for and against which got the team into the Plate Division which was the goal for the carnival. By the end of the week, it was clear that Columba had played through the ‘Pool of Death’ to gain progression in the carnival.

In the afternoon Quarter-Final, Columba played the unbeaten Aquinas College, Southport. Columba got off to a terrific start scoring back-to-back tries, but only led 8-6 at half-time. Man of the Match, Mathias Santo-Hero scored an outstanding individual try in the 2^nd half to allow Columba to scrape home with a 14-12 win.

The team had certainly earnt their rest day after such a tough day of rugby league with plenty of ice needed throughout the evening.

Wednesday 28^th June

After the team slept the morning away, the squad ventured off to support the girls at QISSN. The boys then ventured off to Westfield Shopping Centre to have our annual game of ten pin bowling.

Thursday 29^th June

Columba played St Columban’s, Caboolture in the Semi-Final. The team once again kept their supporters on edge as they led 10-nil at half-time, before holding on in the final minutes to win 16-10. North Queensland Cowboys signing, Assariah Lenoy, was unstoppable all match at fullback and scored an 80m try off a kick return with his first touch of the game. He was also awarded Man of the Match.

In the evening, the team held their annual Presentation Dinner at Acacia Ridge Hotel with family and friends. Some worthy gimmick awards were presented to all the players by Mr Webber and Rohan Dixon with plenty of laughs. It was great to be able to thank sponsors and all the families and friends who travelled to Brisbane to support the team throughout the week.

The following players received our annual awards:

Player of the Carnival – Mathias Santo-Hero
Spirit of the Carnival – Brady Horan
Rookie of the Carnival – Cooper Nibbs
Travis Green Memorial Players’ Player – Cooper Thomas
Captain’s Award – Assariah Lenoy

Friday 30^th June – Grand Final Day

Columba came up against carnival host, St Laurence’s College in the Grand Final who defeated Columba by 2 points in the final pool game. To give some comparison, St Laurence’s are an all-boy school with 2000 enrolments from Year 5 to Year 12 so this would truly be a David vs Goliath battle in front of a vocal home crowd.

After a bruising opening 15 minutes where Columba withstood repeated sets defending their own line against much bigger opponents, Columba were first to score when Assariah Lenoy threw a cut out ball for Chase Guy to score in the corner. In the following set, Mathias Santo-Hero put in a chip kick on the 50m line to put Ben Simpson away to score and Columba led 10-nil. Unfortunately, St Laurence’s scored 2 tries in the final five minutes of the 1^st half, but Columba led 10-8 at half-time.

Columba got off to the perfect start in the 2^nd half with Jerremy Singleton scoring in the opening set close to the posts to extend the lead to 8 points. St Laurence’s scored with 8 minutes remaining to make it 16-12 and withstood a close call in the final minutes when Mathias Santo-Hero then Callum Bartshcat made try saving tackles on our own try line. Columba went on to win the Grand-Final 16-12 for their first Plate Division title since 2013.

Centre, Naqarne Oui, who worked tirelessly running the ball out of our own end, was awarded Man of the Match in the Grand Final.

Celebrations amongst the players, coaches, parents and friends continued long after the final siren and will be remembered by all for a long time to come.

Presentation

The wins kept coming as coach, Rohan Dixon, was named QLD Coach of the QLD Merit team for the carnival.

Mathias Santo-Hero was named Player of the Carnival for Division 2 after an incredibly dominant week of rugby league.

Thank you

Finally, the team would like to thank our generous sponsors – Will and Lisa Guy from Richmond Spar, Darren and Audra O’Neill from Lontrans Transport, Greg and Terressa Ford, Neil and Kerry Brown from Hi-Tech Solutions, and past students for allowing us to keep the trip affordable for the players. To Mrs Anita Dixon, thank you being the Mum of the trip to 20 players and helping the Manager, Mr Webber, along the way. To Neil Brown for assisting with strapping the players and first aid each day. To Justin Dixon for being the best trainer on the field a coach could ask for. To Scott Bliss for being Assistant Coach and once again being involved in the rugby league program this year. To Mr Rohan Dixon, thank you for coaching the side again this year and allowing the boys to reach their potential. Finally, thank you to the boys for an excellent week in Brisbane where they made memories they will never forget.

Gerard Webber
MANAGER

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PRIMARY INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Date: Friday 28th July - only students who are in the Athletics Team attend.

Time: 8:15am - 2:45pm

Venue: Friemann Oval

Clothing: Columba athletics singlet to be worn under full college sports uniform with college hat. Athletics singlets will be handed out on Thursday 27th July to Athletes in the Primary Interschool Athletics Team.

Food: Canteen will be operating during the day or students can bring their own food.

PREP NEWS - 100 DAYS BRIGHTER!

Since the beginning of the school year, the Prep students have been counting down 100 days of school. Friday of Week 1 was our extra special day. To celebrate, the students came dressed as what they want to be when they grow up. They looked absolutely fantastic! The Prep students also had the very important task of choosing a book that illustrates what they want to be when they grow up, so they could deliver a small presentation to their families. For their first time speaking in front of an audience, the children did a brilliant job. Miss Stevenson and Miss Burns are very proud of this bright bunch and are so excited to see them shine in Semester 2.

Check out what our future leaders are aspiring to be when they grow up…

Beau wants to be a mechanic.
Isha wants to be a princess.
Wyatt wants to be a doctor.
Harvey wants to be a builder.
Kayla wants to be a hairdresser.
Georgie wants to be a vet.
Logan wants to be a worker.
Tyler wants to be in the army.
William wants to be a miner.
James Graham wants to be a police officer.
Blake wants to be a firefighter.
Mia Schmidt wants to be a mad scientist.
Lincoln wants to be a teacher.
Sophie wants to be a nurse.
Cash wants to be a driller.
Ted wants to be a cattle worker.
Darcy wants to be a policeman.
Rhett wants to be a monster.
Rocco wants to be a firefighter.
Pippa wants to be a teacher.
Deegan wants to be a cowboy.
Maggie wants to be a hairdresser.
Sunny wants to be a chef.
Landan wants to be a policeman.
Cody wants to be a pilot.
Maison wants to be a train driver.
Matthew wants to be a crocodile catcher.
Cooper wants to be a Dad.
Jameson wants to be a mower man.
Stella wants to be a teacher.
Riley wants to be a policeman.
James Moody wants to be a teacher.
Mia Griffiths wants to be a Mummy.
Thea wants to be a dance teacher.
Frankie wants to be a teacher.
Archie wants to be a cowboy.
Lockie wants to be a plumber.
Sofia wants to be a doctor.

Lara Burns and Brooke Stevenson
PREP TEACHERS

YEAR ONE NEWS

We have started off Term 3 with a bang. The children were so excited to be back and had lots of stories about their adventures over the holidays.

This term, we are going to become artists and explore the different elements of art. Children will then be challenged to use their imagination and the various elements to create their own masterpieces. We are hoping to have an art show at the end of the term to display all of the children’s hard work and creativity.

Not only are we going to be artists, but we are also going to become poets. This term in English, we are going to explore poetry and will have to write a short rhyming couplet that we will share with our peers.

We are looking forward to an amazing and very busy term ahead.

Below is a collection of snaps of the students’ dioramas and a photo from the Colour Fun Run from last term.

Belinda Hourston
YEAR ONE TEACHER

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NAIDOC CELEBRATIONS

During the school holidays, Australia celebrated NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Observance Committee) Week. The theme for this year’s celebrations was “For Our Elders”. As a school community we acknowledged this important national celebration last week. The students on the St Mary’s Campus, along with children from the Kindy, participated in a morning of activities last Thursday. We began the morning with a liturgy where we were joined by a special guest, Aunty Tania Ault who Welcomed Us to Country and shared her reflections on this year’s theme. Several students from the Mt Carmel Campus also joined us to play the didgeridoo and clapsticks during our liturgy.

The MC Campus students also led an activity, teaching students about traditional dance as well as assisting students with other activities. Aunty Tanya led an activity where students made prayer rocks. The other activities in which children participated included storytelling, traditional games, Move it Mob Style dance and weaving.

On the MC Campus, students in the Emerging Leaders Programme, participated in a workshop facilitated by DIYDG (Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good) on Thursday afternoon, followed by supper with family and community members and further activities in the evening. MCC students then came together on Friday morning to celebrate with a liturgy and activities. MCC students learnt about the importance of yarning circles in First Nation’s culture, including the protocols involved and engaged in healthy discussions within the circle. This session was led by Pelly Morganson. The students also painted prayer rocks, participated in traditional games, face painting and Move it Mob Style dancing.

Donna Maxsted
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - SM CAMPUS

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CAREERS

Work Experience and Career Exploration

Our Year 10s recently had an opportunity to explore a variety of careers through work experience to help them make choices about their future. High school is a great time to start thinking about what you want to do in the future – and one way to do this is by gaining work experience.

Learning New Skills

One great thing about work experience is that it helps you develop new skills. You’ll learn things like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and time management – skills that are important no matter what job you choose in the future.

Making Connections

During work experience, students had a chance to talk to people who work in the fields they are interested in. This can lead to future opportunities and helps make contacts for down the track.

Looking for More Opportunities

Work experience is just the beginning. Keep exploring your passion by looking for more opportunities. Attend career fairs, join clubs or organisations related to your interests, or consider internships. The more you dive into your chosen field, the clearer your career path will become.

Getting Guidance and Support

You don’t have to do this alone. Talk to your PC teachers, careers advisor, parents, or professionals in the fields you’re interested in. They can give you advice and help you along the way. You can also use resources or online platforms to explore more career options.

By exploring careers through work experience, students have hopefully gotten closer to finding their passion and clarifying their goals.

Kim Lynch
CAREERS CO-ORDINATOR

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - SCHOOL REFUSAL

School refusal, sometimes called school avoidance or school phobia, is not uncommon. It is different to ‘wagging’ or truancy and is often related to worry or anxiety-related issues about going to school. School refusal may start gradually or happen suddenly. Although it is normal for a child to occasionally miss a day of school, parents should only be concerned if a child regularly complains about feeling sick or often asks to stay home due to minor physical complaints.

School refusal is a complex issue as there is rarely a single cause. It affects children of all ages across primary and secondary levels. It can often occur during times of transition at school. More recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the educational experience of all students, affecting some more than others. Dealing with a school refusal child can affect the whole family, adding pressure to an already challenging time. School refusal is not considered a formal psychiatric diagnosis. It’s a name given to an emotional and/or behavioural problem.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will learn how best to approach this issue and work towards a solution.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the Guidance Counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the School Refusal edition of SchoolTV.

Aleesha Watson
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

Dear Residential Families,

Welcome back to Term 3 and what a busy start to the semester it has been. Our term kicked off with NAIDOC celebrations, which included a variety of exciting activities for our boarders to engage in. This week we've been celebrating Catholic Education Week, and we congratulate Lindsay Kirkwood who was the recipient of the Deus Caritas Est Award for outstanding Christian service to our community. Lindsay is a tremendous leader, of our school community but her valuable contribution to boarding has been exemplary. Congratulations, Lindsay.

At the weekend, some of our students gave up their time helping out at the rodeo in town. We know the events organisers very much value this act of service and we thank them for giving up their time.

Last Friday night, I had the honour of attending the Combined Schools Formal. Whilst my own partying days are well behind me, it was a pleasure to see our boarding boys and girls dressed up in their finery and more importantly enjoying themselves hanging out with their friends or getting down to some familiar retro tunes on the dancefloor! I encourage you all to check out the photos on Facebook to see how splendid our Senior students looked on the night.

This week we held our first Boarders Parents Meeting of the semester. I'd like to invite you all to attend our next meeting via zoom to find out what's been going on our world of boarding, and have the opportunity to offer feedback and be heard about a variety of issues concerning both you and your sons and daughters. Be sure to look for an email containing the zoom link in the days leading up to our next meeting.

Clare Stead
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL