Columba Catholic College - Charters Towers eNewsletter

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

I am excited to be your College principal for the remainder of Semester One. Mrs Jacqueline McNalty will commence her role as Principal of the College as of July 1, 2024. As you know, I am not new to the school and I have a long history with the College as a student, a parent and now a staff member. My wife is also a past student and I have been employed by the College since its amalgamation in 1998. Most of my experience as a staff member has been on the Secondary campus and I am very much looking forward to working with the staff and families on the Primary campus as well.

The first two weeks have been extremely busy with the CSPA AGM and Board Meetings, Twilight Professional Development sessions and a range of meetings with key stakeholders.

Columba is certainly a busy place to be and over the last couple of weeks students have been involved with TBall, Softball, Rugby Union Gala Day (primary students), NQ Rugby League, Netball and Touch Football trials, Interhouse Swimming Carnival (Secondary students), and the list goes on. These extra-curricular activities only occur due to the goodwill of our staff, parents and past students. They are amazing, and go above and beyond for our students.

This week the Year 12 students, led by Ms O’Sullivan and the Passionist Youth Retreat Team, and accompanied by Ms Large, Mrs Exarhos, John Pauling, are attending the Year 12 Retreat at Gumburu, Paluma (Hervey’s Range). This year’s theme is "to love and be loved". Retreats are a very important component of the religious life of our school. I trust that everyone will enjoy the experience and will take home many key learnings.

This week our students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 are involved in NAPLAN testing. Whilst these examinations are important, it is also important to acknowledge that they are point in time tests and need to be considered as part of the individual assessment portfolios. You will have received information from the College already in relation to NAPLAN. Please take the time if you have not already done so to make yourselves familiar with the testing regimes and what materials your child/ren need/s to undertake the examinations.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Mr Jordan Marty and Ms Kitrina Otto to the Columba Staff. Mr Marty joins us as the acting Acting Deputy Principal - Pastoral/Residential and Ms Otto a School Officer. I wish them both well in their roles at the College.

Before I close, I would like to acknowledge the previous principal Mrs Melissa Turner who has led the school tremendously over the last few years. I have the utmost respect for Mrs Turner, having worked closely with her for the duration of her principalship here at Columba. I wish her well for the new position that she has taken up in the Cairns Diocese.

Finally, I want to thank the staff and parents/caregivers for all of their support over the past two weeks. It has been very much appreciated, and it is an honor and a privilege to serve the Columba community.

Dan Kyle
ACTING PRINCIPAL

FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

Dear Parents and Caregivers

I'm thrilled to be back at Columba Catholic College for the remainder of the semester. My return has been a wonderful reminder of the tight-knit community we have here. After leaving at the end of 2021, I spent time in Townsville as a Pastoral leader at Saint Anthony's Catholic College. Now, returning to Columba in an acting capacity, I am excited to share my experiences and continue my professional development. The warm welcome from familiar faces, now all grown up, has been heartening. Reconnecting with the Charters Towers community has been equally rewarding.

Hitting the ground running in Week 7 has afforded me with several opportunities to see our students engaging in College life. None more so memorable than the interschool swimming carnival. It never fails to amaze me that as a community we come together to support our young people as they push their bodies to the limit in the pool. Not only did I witness students do great things in the pool, but it was the actions of other outside of the pool that left me equally as impressed. I hope that this continues across the wide range of extra-curricular events that the College has to offer.

In the Pastoral Care space our students have continued to engage with the Resilience Project where they are learning how to incorporate GEM into their day-to-day activity. Just as we promote healthy wellbeing in our students, I would like to remind families of the invaluable resource of SchoolTV. There are a number of helpful series found on the site that may provide some valuable insight for you at home. I want to wish our Year 12 students well as they embark to Gumburu on their leadership retreat.

As the term draws to a close, I would like to turn your attention to the College Uniform Procedure. It is the responsibility of every parent/care giver to ensure that their child is well presented within our community. Correct wearing of school uniform allows us to demonstrate pride in the College, respect for ourselves and our traditions. Please ensure that any student haircuts over the holiday period are inline with our policy ensuring they are not outlandish. Similarly, that any piercings that students may get over the holidays are also inline with our policy. Two small, plain studs or sleepers per ear only and they must be a matching pair worn in the ear lobe.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our school community. Together, we make Columba a place of growth, learning, and positivity.

Jordan Marty
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

NAPLAN TESTING

SECONDARY INTERSCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Celebrating Success at the 2024 Interschool Swimming Carnival

We share the highlights of the 2024 Interschool Swimming Carnival, where our talented swimmers showcased exceptional talent. Here's a glimpse of the achievements from our athletes:

Champions and Runners up

Mackenzie Simpson: 14 Years Champion
Liam Bartschat: 14 Years Champion
Chloe Archer: 15 Girls Runner-Up
Ethan Ford: 15 Years Champion
Charlie Limpus: 16 Years Runner-Up
Dale Beatty: 16 Years Champion
Layla Ford: Open Runner-Up
CJ Knox: 12 Boys Multi-Class
Azariah Hunter: 15 Boys Multi-Class

Record-Breaking Feats

Dale Beatty set the pool ablaze with record-breaking performances:

100m: 1:01.49
50m Freestyle:27.56
50m Breaststroke:35.53
50m Backstroke:32.72

Trophies and Award

Mrs. C.C Morton Trophy Girls Relay and Rattray Shield Girls 16 & Opens.

Girls Aggregate: Recognising the collective excellence of our female swimmers

Acknowledgments

A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Butler and Miss Systa for their dedication and coaching prowess.

Congratulations to all our swimmers for their efforts throughout.

Callan Newman
SPORTS MIDDLE LEADER

Monday 25th March 2024

Charters Towers Airport

On Monday 25th of March, our secondary students will be off-campus for our annual inter-house cross country at Airport Reserve - Charters Towers. The Cross Country is a compulsory event which all students are expected to attend.

Day students are to arrive at the Airport at 8:25am and move into their allocated areas for homeroom roll marking. The first race will commence at 8:45am.

Residential students will be transported by bus to and from the airport. Day students are to go straight to the airport. After the event, buses will transport students from the airport back to the college in time for lesson 4. There will be Powerade and other drinks available for purchase on the day.

Distance

3km- 12 – 13 Boys & Girls
4km - 14-15 Boys & Girls
6km - 16-Open Boys & Girls

Uniform

All students are to wear their house sports uniforms on the day. Please bring hat, water bottle, sunscreen, runners and running skins/bike pants/shorts.

All students will run the distance required for their age group. If they are not able to participate a note is required from their parents/guardian. Parents and relatives are more than welcome to attend. Students are encouraged to complete their own stretches/warm-up prior to their races.

YEAR ONE NEWS

Year 1A and 1B have been off to an extremely busy start to their year. It is hard to believe that they have already completed seven weeks of their learning journey. Both classes have completed many fun activities to engage them in their learning. We especially enjoyed the pirate activities and making the balloon powered cars so far.

We are looking forward to a lot more fun over the coming terms.

Belinda Hourston and Deirdre Martell
YEAR ONE TEACHERS

Dear Residential Families,

My name is Jordan Marty, and I am the current Acting Deputy Principal - Pastoral and Residential here at the College. I have previously worked at the College from 2017 – 2021 and have returned to fill the position until the end of Semester One. My return to the College in Week 7 was met with a largely warm embrace from the older years who I had the pleasure of teaching a few years ago. I am delighted to see what wonderful men and women they have grown into. The homely environment has made the transition back to the College easier and I am grateful to the dorm staff and our students as I know this would not be possible without them.

On Tuesday night I had the privilege of being present when our Boarding Council was announced to the students. It was great to see our students take on the responsibility and be a representative of the student voice within our residences. I would like to congratulate the following students.

	Boys Residence	Girls Residence
6/7	Cooper Jonsson	Zahli Scott
8	Jordie Verdon	Abby Leslie
9	Dakota Struckel	Ruby King
10	Shaun Gould	Krystal Kalipa
11	Duncan Hewlett
12		Bella Duddy

This vibrant group of students will be lead by our Boarding Captains; Max Campbell and Matthew Hewlett for boys residence and Charlotte Coggan and Grace Kuhl for our girls residence.

The second of our Term can be a challenging time for some students as the curriculum demand steps up simultaneously with the beginning of a lot of club and extracurricular activities. Additionally, some of our students are trying to balance work commitments as well. Ensuring they have the right balance is critical to their success and sometimes it can be difficult for them to recognise where the strain is becoming too much. As a result, I urge you to check in with your child/ren to see how they are managing the demands of the term and provide support and advice where needed.

The school’s wellbeing program, The Resilience Project, offers some wonderful resources to assist with not only your student’s wellbeing but your own. You can access these resources through TRP@HOME which can be found on the The Resilience Project website.

As the Easter holidays approach, we want to remind our boarding school families of a few important points. Firstly, please ensure that any travel arrangements for your child during the break are communicated to the boarding staff well in advance. This helps us ensure a smooth transition for your child between school and home. Additionally, we encourage you to take this time to discuss with your child their plans and expectations for the holiday period, including any academic or personal goals they may have. It's also crucial to remind them of the importance of self-care and maintaining a healthy balance between relaxation and study. Lastly, we would like to extend our warmest wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday season to all our boarding school families. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to the boarding staff for assistance.

Jordan Marty
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - ANXIETY

Most young people today experience anxiety at some point in their life. There is a difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ anxiety. Statistics show that the psychological health of young people today is far worse than it was a generation ago. This is having an adverse affect on children in both primary and secondary levels. Some of their issues of concern include stress, school, study, body image and friendship.

Parents need to be aware of the warning signs of ‘bad’ anxiety. There are preventative measures parents can implement as well as teaching kids the skills to cope more efficiently with their anxiety.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Anxiety edition of SchoolTV
https://columba.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/youth-anxiety

ALEESHA WATSON
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR | REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST
COLUMBA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

PUPIL FREE DAY - FRIDAY 26TH APRIL

Townsville Catholic Education Office has approved an additional professional development day in 2024. The date will be Friday 26th April, 2024 and will be a pupil free day. This day follows on from the ANZAC day public holiday on Thursday 25th April. The reason for granting this additional professional development day is to provide the time and opportunity for all teachers to prepare for the implementation of V9.0 of the Australian Curriculum at the commencement of 2025. This planning day will focus on supporting teachers to have a deep understanding of the changes to content and assessment from the current Australian Curriculum to the newly revised curriculum. There is much planning already occurring in all schools to ensure all teachers are well placed to provide rich learning experiences for their students. This additional professional development day (pupil free day) will only occur in 2024.

2024 Next Step Year 12 Completers Survey

All Year 12 completers from last year will soon receive an invitation to do the Next Step survey. This is their chance to help our school to understand the different pathways of the 2023 Year 12 students and to improve our senior programs and supports for future students. The survey only takes 5 minutes and asks graduates about their study and work activities since finishing school.

As a thank you for participating, Year 12 completers will be entered into a draw to win a MacBook Air.

We ask parents, siblings and friends to encourage our graduates to complete the survey. If their contact details have changed, please assist survey interviewers with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate. Graduates may receive an invitation by mail, email or phone. The survey can be completed online or by phone.

For more information about Next Step, including previous results, visit http://www.qld.gov.au/nextstep.

Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 27 No. 4 - 14th March 2024