Columba Catholic College - Charters Towers eNewsletter

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

2023 has been another wonderful year of growth, reflection and renewal. As we celebrated 25 years of Columba Catholic College, we have been gifted with ongoing opportunities to provide life-giving experiences for our students and community members. As we prepare to draw the curtains on a wonderful year of learning, let us give thanks for the opportunities and community spirit alive here at Columba over the last couple of weeks.

Last Tuesday we hosted our Annual Mt Carmel Campus Awards Evening. Special thanks to members of our community who donated prizes and continue to support our College in so many ways. Special thanks to Maria Peck, Christine O'Sullivan, Kalinda Large, Megan Lucas and Jo-Anne Thompson for their part in bringing our awards celebration to fruition. Congratulations to all of our student award winners for their success in the academic, sporting, cultural, leadership and Christian service domains of our College this year.

Last Thursday we held the final Assembly with our Year 12 students. This was followed by a Graduation Liturgy and Graduation Dinner on Thursday evening. Special thanks to Haydn Champion for the organisation of the Graduation dinner and to Christine O’Sullivan for the preparation of the Assembly and Liturgy. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the many people who assisted in preparing and organising these events for our students: Nita Dixon, Jo-Anne Thompson, Christine Bell and our Facilities and Maintenance Team who worked behind the scenes to prepare spaces across a number of venues. Thanks also to the CSPA who facilitated the bar at the Graduation Dinner. We are blessed to have such a committed team of people.

Thank you to our students, families and staff for being a part of these special celebrations with us. We wish all of our Year 12 Graduates the very best for the future endeavours and look forward to hearing of their success in years to come.

Last Friday our students participated in the Inter School Volleyball Gala event hosted by BTC. Congratulations to all of the students involved. It was great to see the number of teams involved in the carnival. Special thanks to Callan Newman, Emma Systa, Andrew Butler and Madeleine Carter for supporting this opportunity for the students and encouraging them to get involved.

On Monday night we hosted our Year 7 Transition Day and Information Evening for families. Thanks to Madeleine Carter for their organisation of activities for our students. Special thanks to our staff for facilitating specialist lessons to orientate our new students to life and learning at the College and to our Residential staff for hosting our new Boarding students on Sunday evening. We look forward to the new journey ahead with our new Year 7 students and their families.

This term our Primary Instrumental students have been building their confidence and performing at our weekly assemblies. Special thanks to Liz Ward for her work in supporting our Music students at St Mary’s Campus in 2023 and congratulations to our students. You have provided us with some wonderful entertainment this term. We look forward to growing this program further in 2024.

In 2023 we have actioned a targeted Strategic Plan aimed at improving the educational outcomes of our students. Please find attached here a copy of a report outlining some of our achievements this year. Thank you to our staff, committees, CSPA and the College Board for supporting us in bringing these goals to fruition in 2023. There is much to celebrate.

Staffing Updates- It is with great pleasure that I announce the following appointments:

Lara Middleton joins the St Mary’s Campus teaching team next year. Lara has been teaching locally this year and brings a range of skills to the Columba community. We look forward to working with her in 2024 and wish her both personal and professional success in her new role.

We also give thanks for the contributions of those staff who will be leaving the College at the close of the 2023 school year to pursue new pathways.

We say farewell to:

Madison Mikletic who is relocating to Townsville
Agnes Laffey who is retiring
Portia Simelane who is relocating to Rockhampton
Samantha Heiskell who is relocating to South East Queensland
Cheryl Callcott who is retiring from full time teaching
Wade Willoughby who is taking up an apprenticeship locally
Ted Neilsen is also retiring

We thank each of these staff for their contribution to Columba and wish them well on the next step in their journey.

This week we also announced our Student Leaders of St Mary’s Campus for 2024. It is with great pleasure that I share the following with you:

St Mary’s Campus Primary Captains: Mayah Mulligan and Jacob Gleeson

Benjamin House Captains: Brodie Beatty and Oscar O'Sullivan

McAuley House Captains: Aliah-Rose Eastlake and Reece Taylor

Polding House Captains: Mackaydee Griffiths and Clancy Hodgetts

Rice House Captains: Charlie Webb and Ned Webb

SRC Representative: Isabel Webber

Tomorrow afternoon we will acknowledge the achievements of our Primary students at our Annual Awards ceremony at St Mary’s Campus. I am looking forward to celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students at this celebration.

Next Tuesday our Year 6 students will celebrate the final stage of their journey at St Mary’s Campus at the Year 6 Rite of Passage and we will come together on Thursday evening with Carols on the Green at St Mary’s Campus. We look forward to seeing you there.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to extend a huge thank you to all members of our community for your contribution to the life of Columba. We are a community of people who are drawn together to share in the gift of education through the mission of Jesus Christ. As we near the liturgical season of Advent may we be reminded of the light of Christ in our lives which is celebrated with the birth of our saviour, our model and our guide, Jesus Christ.

To those staff, students and families who will be leaving the College in 2023, we wish each of you the best for the year ahead and remind you that whilst you may be leaving Columba, you never leave our community. We wish you an abundance of God’s blessings.

I wish each of you a happy and holy Christmas. May God bless your family with peace, renew your hearts with joy and fill them with love this Christmas Season.

Many blessings and we look forward to a new year of learning in 2024.

Many blessings,

Melissa Turner
PRINCIPAL

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

Dear Parents/Caregivers, Students and Staff,

First, I would just like to say, its great to be back after an extended period away from school. The last 2 weeks of school have been nothing short of ‘intense activity’ – the Year 12 Big Day Out, Graduation, Awards Night, Year 12 Final Assembly & Liturgy, Year 7 2024 Transition Day, Information Night, basketball and volleyball Gala days, and the list goes on. The effort that our staff and volunteers put in to make the students' school life experience as enjoyable as it can be is unbelievable.

This year has seen many changes at our school. The solar project, the refurbishment of the Comerford residence bathroom and the new roof on Ridley residence certainly have made a difference not only to the aesthetics of the College, but also, the efficient functioning of the school. These top class facilities wills serve the needs of our students and staff for many years into the future.

At the conclusion of the school academic year, students will receive their academic results for this semester. I encourage parents and caregivers to peruse these reports with their children. It is a great opportunity to see where they are at academically and what support they may or may not need in the future.

In terms of Pastoral Care, the Resilience Project will again form the basis of our pastoral care program. Additionally, camps, retreats, reflection days and the Love Bites program will also play an integral role in the pastoral care program.

I would now like to turn your attention to several College Uniform procedures. As of the beginning of next year, boys are to maintain a short back and sides hairstyle. Mullets, long hair, coloured hair etc are not in line with the College uniform policy. Gentlemen must also maintain a clean-shaven face. In regards to the ladies, their hair is to be tied back (if long) and is not to be an outlandish colour or style. Eyelashes and fingernails are to be natural and make-up and nail polish are NOT permitted. Please refer to the College Uniform for more information.

Finally, I would like to publicly thank our prefects and seniors for doing such a great job this year. From my viewpoint and from all accounts of what I have been able to ascertain, this cohort collectively has not only “talked the talk”, but have also “walked the talk”. They have contributed much energy into revitalising the school spirit, through being active in the school community and leading from the front. This group of young men and women have truly done their school and families proud. I sincerely wish them all the best in their future endeavours and would like to thank the parents and caregivers for entrusting the College with their education.

Dan Kyle
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

AWARDS CELEBRATIONS - SM CAMPUS 2023

CURRICULUM NEWS

SEMESTER 2 AND UNIT 2 REPORTING.

Semester Two (Years 7-10) and Unit 2 (Year 11) reports for students will be available to parents / caregivers and students in Compass on Monday 4^th December 2023.

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:

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

Parents and Caregivers will need to access Compass to receive your child’s Semester 2 Report Card.

YEAR 12 RELEASE OF RESULTS

The QCAA will release final student results and Senior Education Profiles (SEPs) at 9:00am on the 15^th December, 2023 from their Learning Account in the Student Portal via the MyQCE website at myqce.qcaa.edu.qld.au. Students will require their Learner Unique Identifier (LUI) to access their results. All students are required to access their results in their Learning Account. Students should check that they can access their Learning Account now. All students have been issued with their LUI numbers. If students do not know their LUI number please contact the College office.

Senior Education Profiles (SEPs) are issued as electronic documents and stored in students’ learning accounts. Students can save their Senior Education Profile on a computer or mobile device and provide it to third parties electronically or they can download it as a secure PDF and print it.

The QCAA no longer prints and posts SEPs to all Year 12 students. Students may print their own SEP.

Students who receive a QCIA will automatically receive a printed copy of their SEP in the mail after the 15^th December 2023.

ATARs

ATARs will be available via the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) at www.qtac.edu.au/atar on Friday 15th December 2023. Students must sign up to QTAC’s ATAR Portal to access their ATAR and need to use their own name (as shown in their QCAA account), date of birth, LUI and email address. All ATAR students are strongly encouraged to share their ATAR with the College. If your child has not registered yet to receive their ATAR, please encourage them to do so immediately.

All Year 12 students need to ensure they have access to their LUI number to access their results.

2024 NAPLAN TESTS

In 2024 NAPLAN Tests will be held during Term 1 from Wednesday 13^th March to Monday 25^th March. All eligible students in Years 3,5,7 and 9 are expected to participate in the NAPLAN Tests. Adjustments are permitted for students with disability to support their access to the tests and facilitate maximum participation.

Parents and students can access demonstration tests on the ACARA Public Demonstration Site here. This site is available as a familiarisation tool for students to see a range of questions types, onscreen tools, timers and interactive navigation.

2024 DTTC UNIFORM

Commencing in 2024, Year 11 students who complete the Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation AUR20720, Certificate II in Engineering Pathways MEM20413 and / or Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation RII20120 will be required to purchase a College uniform to wear to the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre on their allocated day.

The uniform consists of:

Pilbara French Navy Mens Closed Front Work Shirt RM200CF with Embroidery (College crest)
Navy Original Cotton Drill Workpant BP6007

The uniform can be purchased from:

W Titley and Co T/A Worklocker Charters Towers

36 Vulture Street, Charters Towers, Queensland 4820, Ph: 07 4767 8030

Email: charterstowers@worklocker.com.au

Once you purchase the uniform, the shirt will be embroidered with the Columba Catholic College crest. Please allow 5 days approximately for the embroidery to be done. Parents of students enrolled in the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre to complete one of these certificates will receive a letter from the College and this must be presented to Titleys to purchase the uniform and have the shirt embroidered.

Please note that in addition to the clothing outlined above, students must also wear steel capped boots (to Australian standards) to classes at the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre.

Maria Peck
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - ADMINISTRATION

YEAR 12 GRADUATION

Columba Catholic College dominates at the Inter-School Swimming Carnival 2023.

Last week, our school's swimming team participated in the highly anticipated Inter-School Swimming Carnival proudly hosted by Columba Catholic College.

The well-equipped Columba team struck out to an early lead against the other schools and maintained dominance throughout the day. The depth of experience in the squad allowed us to utilise all swimmers on the day and our Swim Captains Chelsea Archer and Clayton Walsh did a fantastic job at making everyone feel a part of the team.

It was a day of personal bests, with all of our athletes improving on their speed and endurance in the water. A notable mention is Isabel Webber who did a 9 second PB to win the butterfly by 11 seconds.

Another memorable moment that we have enjoyed retelling back at school, was the 11 & 12 year old girls freestyle relay, that saw Brodie Beatty hold off a fast finishing All Souls & St Gabriels in one of the best relays you’ll ever see.

Renae Yeo also swam a beautiful 50m breaststroke to finish 2nd ahead of some very competitive swimmers from other schools.

Columba Catholic College were the overall points winners on the day, awarded the Bob Katter Trophy. Congratulations to our students that were announced as age champions and runners up:

12 yrs - Clayton Walsh
11 yrs - Brodie Beatty and Lane McCabe
10 years – Isabel Webber and Owen Neilsen
9 years - Jessica Scharf

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our St Mary’s staff for training and preparing our team for this event and organising and facilitating an enjoyable day for the Charters Towers school community.

Congratulations to all of our swimmers, coaches, and supporters who helped make this carnival a memorable one.

Bridie Johnson
SM CAMPUS PE TEACHER

Year 3 has had a fantastic end to a busy year! On Friday, we went for a swim and a picnic at the town pool as part of our English and HASS units. The excursion provided an opportunity for an experential learning task. After their morning out, students returned to school and wrote a recount of their excursion. They also listed the safety rules and consequences for breaking those rules when using the pool. All of the students were so well behaved and had a lot of fun.

We are looking forward to spending time together and having some fun in our last couple of weeks of Year 3.

Shae-Kia Carroll
YEAR THREE TEACHER

My New Gallery

YEAR 2 NEWS

What an incredible journey Year 2 has embarked upon in Term 4! As we near the end of the year, it's heartening to reflect on the growth, joy, and learning that have defined our time together.

We had the pleasure of hosting a special event – a Pyjama Party to celebrate Miss Mikletic's last day of placement with our Year 2 class. The laughter, games, and shared moments created an atmosphere of warmth and camaraderie, reflecting the strong sense of community that defines our Year 2 family.

We've also dedicated time to focus on the importance of prayer and Christian meditation. In our increasingly fast-paced world, providing opportunities for reflection and spiritual growth is essential. Year 2 students have engaged in meaningful discussions, and quiet moments to emphasise the values of compassion, gratitude, and mindfulness. It's heartening to witness the genuine curiosity and understanding that our students bring to these discussions, fostering a sense of spiritual well-being.

Looking ahead, we are excitingly practising for the Carols on the Green. Our class elf, Rudolph, is making sure we are getting all the words and actions right!

Wishing you all a joyful and restful holiday season.

Madison Mikletic
YEAR 2 TEACHER

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

Dear Parents, Caregivers, staff and students,

The academic school year is rapidly coming to an end. The boarders have completed their assessments and at the end of this week, they will be home with their loved ones for that much needed rest and recreation.

Towards the end of this term our residential students and staff voted on who should be next year’s Residential Leaders. With the collective wisdom of all involved, Max Campbell, Matthew Hewlett, Charlotte Coggan and Grace Kuhl have been elected as the new leaders for 2024. I have no doubt that these students will execute their duties with due diligence and will honour the roles that their peers and staff have entrusted them.

Key Dates for 2024

Sunday 21 January: 5.30pm Boarding Families BBQ at Mt. Carmel Campus

Monday 22 January 2024: Years 7 & 12 commence school

Tuesday 23 January: Years 5, 6, 8, 10 & 11 commence school

I would like to thank the Heads of Boarding and residential House parents for the wonderful job they did this year. They certainly go above and beyond of what is expected. Finally, I would like to thank the parents and caregivers for entrusting your child/ren’s residential care with the College. It is an honour and a privilege to have been associated with them this term. I wish everyone a great holiday, blessed with the rain that much of our country areas so desperately needs. Until next year.

Dan Kyle
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV -HAPPINESS & GRATITUDE

Another year has just about gone by and what a year it has been! The wonderful SchoolTV have even prepared some information all about surviving and thriving in the busy Christmas holiday period, please check it out!

A SPECIAL REPORT: Surviving Christmas

As we approach the holiday season, it’s important to consider what supports our families and young people might benefit from during the ‘silly season’.

Please consider taking a screenshot of the following resources should your family, or loved ones need some extra support over the holidays.

Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 - 24/7.

Parentline - 1300 30 1300 - 8am - 10pm, 7 days a week.

Family and Child Connect - 13 FAMILY (13 32 64)

Or your local hospital for emergency support.

Have a safe and happy holiday with those you love!

Aleesha Watson
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR

Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 26 No. 17 - 23 November

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

AWARDS CELEBRATIONS - SM CAMPUS 2023

Thank you to our 2023 Awards Sponsors

CURRICULUM NEWS

YEAR 12 GRADUATION

PRIMARY INTERSCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL

YEAR 3 NEWS

My New Gallery

YEAR 2 NEWS

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV -HAPPINESS & GRATITUDE

INFORMATION FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS - QPS RECRUITMENT