Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 27 No. 5 - 28th March 2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

This term has been a challenging but rewarding experience for me both personally and professionally, and I am very proud to have been granted the privilege of leading our College community. In saying this, I have had great support from our parents and caregivers, along with our wonderful staff. Without their support, the role would have been so much more arduous. Where there have been challenges, our community has brought forward solutions to particular issues. So much happens in a Boarding school that it never ceases to amaze me how much effort everyone puts in to make sure the wheels of our school seamlessly keep turning.  

On Monday 11^th March, our students and staff participated in the Secondary Interschool Swimming Carnival. This year, the event was held during the school day. Even though we achieved second place overall, the students had a great day.  Special thanks to Andrew Butler and Emma Systa for training the team, and for Callan Newman and Vicki Kennedy for assisting with the facilitation and administration of this event.

Over the last fortnight, students across Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 engaged in NAPLAN testing. Thanks to Joanne Andrews, Maria Peck and our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 teaching and support staff who assisted in facilitating this testing. 

School spirit is essential for a thriving school, and this was clearly evident at our recent Primary Interhouse Cross Country. Congratulations to Benjamin House who took home the chocolates this year. I would like to thank Bridie Johnston and her willing team of staff helpers for making the event such a great success. Unfortunately, the Secondary Interhouse Cross country had to be postponed to Week One of Term Two due to the inclement weather experienced on the scheduled day of the event.

On Monday 18^th March, Columba became a sea of green as we encountered St Patrick’s Day celebrations aplenty at both St Mary’s and Mt Carmel Campus. Mt Carmel had a lucky shamrock competition and bake sale. Special thanks to Christine O’Sullivan and Donna Maxsted for organising these events.

It is extremely important to be reflective in our everyday lives. To have high expectations and a strong learning culture, we need to always strive to be better than we were yesterday. We need to be more committed to learning, our community and our faith life. In synergy, we can achieve great things. The holiday period will be an opportunity for us to reflect on our academic progress, and the teaching staff next term will work with our students to set goals to improve the various aspects of their academic life at the College.

Throughout Lent this year, Pope Francis has reminded us that ‘through the desert God leads us to freedom’. This central theme was also echoed in our Holy Week liturgies here at the College where we focused on ‘from suffering to freedom’. Holy Week - the most significant liturgical week in the Church - is from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Let’s make the time this Easter to focus on Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, and to consider how we can choose spiritual renewal and freedom in both our personal and community life here at Columba.  

As we move into the holiday period, I wish everybody a safe, happy and holy Easter. I hope that the holidays provide an opportunity for you to enjoy the people and places that give you joy. We look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Dan Kyle
ACTING PRINCIPAL

CSPA CORNER

After the AGM on Monday the 4th of March the CSPA is pleased to announce the following positions:

• President - Erin Bryant
• VP Events - Fiona Murray
• VP - Jess Boyden
• Secretary - Kate Philipson.

ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION MC CAMPUS

We have just entered the most significant time in the Catholic Church: Holy Week. Holy Week began on Palm Sunday (24^th March) and continues until Easter Sunday (31^st March), and includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. These significant days - from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday - are known as the Holy or Easter Triduum. During Holy Week, liturgies will be held on both St. Mary’s and Mt. Carmel campuses for all students and staff.

Holy Week and Easter:  Holy Week – a time of devotion to the Passion (suffering) of Jesus Christ. From Palm Sunday (Sunday 24^th March) through to Easter Sunday, Christians recall the events leading up to Christ’s death by crucifixion and his resurrection. The three days prior to Easter are important for Catholics, but do we know why?

Holy Thursday is typically when we re-enact the Lord’s Last Supper, the meal that He shared with his apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. Like Jesus did with his apostles, our priests usually wash the feet of 12 worshippers. At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Mass (Eucharist) and we are reminded of his sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.

Good Friday is the day of Jesus’ crucifixion and death, and it is a time when we venerate (honour and respect) the Cross. This service is usually held around 3pm (the hour at which He is believed to have died), we go forward and kiss the Cross and in doing so show our profound respect for Christ’s sacrifice for us.  Many parishes have ceased including the Rite of Communion in their celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. In other parishes, parishioners will receive Communion (usually from the tabernacle) that was consecrated the night because there is no consecration of the Eucharist on Good Friday.

Holy Saturday is a vigil (at night fall) when we keep watch for the rising of Our Saviour. It is known as the day He went down into the netherworld to bring back up with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam. Jesus changed all that. By paying the price for our sins on the Cross, He gained for us eternal salvation and heaven was opened up once more (https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/the-meaning-of-holy-week.html).

If you are in Charters Towers and able to join us at St. Columba’s Parish, the times are as follows:

Holy Thursday (28^th March) – The Supper of the Lord - 6pm

Good Friday (29^th March)  – 3.30pm

Holy Saturday (30^th March) – Vigil Mass - 7pm;

Easter Sunday (31^st March) – The Resurrection of the Lord - 8.30am.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, spending quality time with family, friends and loved ones is actively living out Jesus’ second greatest commandment – loving one another.

Term 1 has been very busy in the Religious Life of the School and the Religious Education Department. Outlined below are just some of the happenings:

Caritas’ Project Compassion: As part of Lent and our focus on almsgiving, staff and students across both campuses have participated in a range of activities to raise funds for Project Compassion. The 2024 theme is ‘For All Future Generations’. In our Religious Education classes, we’ve shown students the Project Compassion videos highlighting the stories of people whose lives have changed through funding and education from Caritas. Empowered by an understanding of the ‘how’ and ‘why’, students and staff have sold pikelets on Shrove Tuesday (thank you to Girls’ Boarding and Mrs Burns for making them), a green-themed free dress day including the awarding of greenest fashions, Lucky Shamrock competition, games and bake sale on St. Patrick’s Day. In addition, students and staff have been encouraged to donate money (we call this almsgiving) to this worthy cause. We thank you for your generosity.

2024 Immersion Trip: In the last week of Term 2, 8 students and 3 College staff will be travelling to Santa Teresa in the Northern Territory to participate in the Immersion Trip. Throughout late last year and this year, they have been attending sessions about this pilgrimage, including a focus on Country, language, culture, faith and other details about food and clothing. This is a pinnacle service-learning opportunity in the College, where our students and staff will work alongside the Arrernte people in this faith-filled community. To assist with the funding of this trip, students and families have generously donated items and assisted with a range of fundraising initiatives, including ‘Oh, sweet Friday’, selling Zooper Doopers, two Easter raffles, and other projects in the near future. Thank you to local businesses and individuals who’ve supported us including Woolworths, Robbie Katter, Chop Chop Hair Salon and Titley’s.

St. Vincent de Paul Teen Vinnies’ Group: Teen Vinnies at Columba is passionately dedicated to social justice and community service in our College and the wider community. We have a small, yet dedicated group of students who are leading the way in 2024.  The following students were nominated and accepted office bearer roles for 2024: President – Grace Taylor; Vice-President – Bella Duddy; Secretary – Abbey Turner. We thank Teen Vinnies’ members for selling pikelets on Shrove Tuesday and helping out with St. Patrick’s Day. More good works are planned for Term 2 and beyond!

Year 12 Retreat: Year 12 students participated in their final Retreat at Gumburu, Paluma, from 28-30^th March. The theme was ‘To Love and Be Loved’ and the Retreat will be led by Tom from the Passionist Youth Retreat Team. Thank you to the following staff who assisted me on the Retreat: Mrs Exarhos, Miss Large and Mr Pauling. Our Retreat Program offers students a special opportunity to foster their spirituality and religiosity, and make lifelong memories.

Service to Columba and the Wider Community:  At Columba, we offer a range of opportunities for students to share their gifts and talents, to feel that they belong and to give back to the College and wider community. These include, but are not limited to:

Staff and Student Prayer: This is held each Friday in the MC Chapel at 8.10am. Everyone is welcome.

College Masses: Each term, particular year levels are rostered on to participate in Mass in the MC Chapel. We invite all students to participate, and the responses and hymns, as well as directions about when to stand/sit/kneel, are provided on the PowerPoint.

CCC Recycling Club: This Club meets fortnightly (listen to notices or check your emails for further details). Our Student Leaders bring House members along and help to organise the recycling, which includes sorting out the rubbish, and removing lids and straws. All money raised goes to the Student Representative Council who purchase items for our students and College community.

SRC Breakfast Club/Morning Munchies: Each Tuesday and Friday morning, Secondary students and Primary students serve breakfast on the Primary campus.

Reading or Helping At Mass: Students and staff are invited to take up the opportunity to help at Mass by reading or doing other jobs such as taking up the Offertory gifts or doing the Collection. If you’d like to help out with these jobs or become more involved at Mass, please see me. Mass is held at St. Columba’s Parish each Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 8.30am.

God Bless.

Christine O'Sullivan
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - MC CAMPUS

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MC CAMPUS CURRICULUM UPDATES

NAPLAN 2024

NAPLAN testing has concluded this year for students on the Mt Carmel Campus. Thank you to all parents and caregivers who made sure that students were prepared to complete the tests during the scheduled testing period. Results will be mailed to parents when released later in the year.

LEARNING TASK RESULTS IN COMPASS

This year, parents will be able to access results for assessments completed during term 1 in Compass. To view students’ results parents will be able to access them on Compass thorough your Child’s Learning Tasks. Results will be released at the commencement of Term Two and progressively throughout the year as assessments are completed and marked. Curriculum Leaders will email parents to indicate when results can be viewed on the Learning Task.  As a consequence, Term 1 Progress Reports will not be issued as we will be using the Learning Task to communicate student  progress with parents. 

If parents / caregivers are having difficulty accessing Compass to view your child’s results, please contact the College.

Parents / Caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming Parent / Student / Teacher Interviews at the start of Term 2 on Wednesday 17^th April to have conversations about academic progress and to set academic goals for Term 2.

PARENT STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Years 7- 12 Parent Student Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 17th April from 3.30pm – 6.30pm. Years 7 - 12 interviews will take place on the Mt. Carmel Campus in the Dining Room. If parents / caregivers have children based on both the St Mary’s and Mount Carmel Campus please allow time to travel between campuses when booking interviews.

Students are requested to attend Parent Student Teacher interviews in their day uniform. This will provide students with an opportunity to express their needs and set goals in partnership with parents/caregivers and teachers for Term 2.

Parents/caregivers of Boarders who are unable to attend the interviews can request a phone interview with teaching staff. Please book an interview time with the teacher/s you would like to meet with and then email the office (office@columba.catholic.edu.au) to let the College know you would like a phone interview and provide us with the time booked and best phone number to contact you on.

Bookings can be made from Thursday 28^th April until 3:00pm Monday 15^th April 2024. Parents and Caregivers will be able to book Parent Student Teacher Interviews in the Compass Parent Portal.

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
• enter details of upcoming absences or explain past absences or late arrivals for your son or daughter
• 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)

TERM 2 HOMEWORK CLUB

Years 7-12 Homework Club on the Mount Carmel Campus will commence in Week 3 of Term 2. Homework Club will commence on Thursday 2^nd May 2024.

CULTURAL COMPETENCIES AND CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Recently Teaching Staff and School Officers participated in a twilight professional development opportunity about Cultural Competencies and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures  Cross Curriculum Priorities. During the  PD session staff developed an awareness of why cultural competence is important, what is cultural competency and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross Curriculum Priorities evident in Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. Kim McCosker, the College’s Indigenous Education Adviser from Townsville Catholic Education, facilitated the informative professional development session. Thank you, Kim.

Maria Peck
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL LEARNING & TEACHING

CAREERS UPDATE

Welcome to Mrs Helen Milton. Mrs Milton is the College’s new Careers Adviser and will be available to assist students on the Mount Carmel Campus to explore their career interests, discover their strengths and chart a course towards fulfilling careers.

Mrs Milton will be on campus on Tuesday and Wednesday each week and will be based in the Careers Office located in Kelly Block. Students are encouraged to book appointments and meet with Mrs Milton.

YEAR TWO NEWS

Our first term of Year 2 has been so busy, we can’t quite believe the Easter holidays are here already! There has been lots of growth, success, challenges and laughter in our classroom as we cover all our learning, as well as participate in other activities around the school. Some of our highlights have been spending time with our Year 4 buddies, Interhouse Cross Country and St Patrick’s Day. We were also especially lucky to have five new students join our Year 2 class this year, so it has been wonderful watching lots of new connections flourish. 

Let’s hear what the Year 2 students are loving most about their year so far: 

“I love playing with my friends” - Poppy Lavery

“Sound Waves is my favourite part of Year 2” - Ollie Hodgetts

“I loved meeting my buddy in Year 4” - Jaxon McGeorge

“It was fun making shape pizzas after we learnt about shapes in Maths” - Mercy Lai

“I love learning new things in Maths” - Wyatt Neilsen 

“I like Religion and learning about God” - Piper Barnes

“My favourite part of Year 2 is Maths” - Alexis Hardy

“I liked meeting my buddy in Year 4” - Cory Pollock

“I have loved learning about the Easter story in Religion” - Ava Bailey

“I loved learning about shapes in Maths” - Noah Webber

“I love PE with Miss Johnson, especially when we play T-Ball” - Cruz Bryant

“My favourite part of Year 2 has been decorating eggs for Easter” - Mia Cooper

“I liked when we learnt about adjectives and made our writing pop!” - Liam Standfast

“My favourite thing to do in Year 2 is spend time with our buddies” - Jaxx Archer

We are very egg-cited for the Easter holidays, but we are just as excited to continue growing and achieving success in Term 2. It’s shaping up to be a great year!

Brooke Stevenson
YEAR TWO TEACHER

YEAR THREE NEWS

In Science recently, Year Three have been investigating a range of conceptual understandings of Heat Energy. On this learning journey we have also researched heat sources and looked at the amazing and miraculous properties of our Solar System. We have learned how heat can be generated, transferred, and measured.  In one experiment we measured the water temperatures of hot water and cold water, in a room, changing over time, and analysed our results in comparison with our predictions. After we discussed our results, we wrote up our explanation and discussed how our new learnings could be transferred to new situations.

Rodney Lane
YEAR THREE TEACHER

YEAR FOUR NEWS

What a great term it has been getting to know our amazing year four students!  We have settled in and developed great learning routines in our class.

For literacy we have been developing our reading comprehension ensuring that we can make meaning of our texts.  Using  phonological understanding to decode unknown words and then transfer this in our writing.  The last two weeks we have been learning how to use The Writers Toolbox to help enhance our writing - we were all learners in this situation.

Our science focus this term has been around biology completing a Friends or Foe unit.  We have learnt about plant life cycles, parts of plants and how seeds are carried and moved around.  This led us to carry out an investigation around different types of seeds and also how ants move seeds around.  

We experienced our cross country in week 9 and our class did extremely well with several students attaining top placings and are very excited to be included in the Interschool Cross Country during Term 2.

Have a fantastic Easter.

Karen Brew
YEAR FOUR TEACHER

INTERSCHOOL TENNIS COMPETITION

This year the gala tennis day was held at the Town Courts on Friday, 15 March. Students from BTC, ASSG and CCC competed in 3 age divisions: 13s, 15s and Opens.

All students enjoyed the tournament experience and played some sparkling tennis. Outstanding players for Columba included team captains Bailey and Ella MacPherson; Harry Pickering; Imogen Dawson-Murray; Aaron and Zander Murray; Nikki and Bobby Bethel; and Anant Pujar.

Special thanks to Bridie Jenkins who filled in at the last minute and did a great job representing Columba.

When results from the 3 Age Divisions were tallied, host school BTC were the champions.

Many thanks to BTC for running the tournament, and to Mr Haydn Champion, Mr Tom McFarlane and Mrs Mary Butler for coaching our team and officiating on the day.

In the Columba Tennis Age Championships, results went this way: 

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Age Championship matches.

Andrew Butler
COACH

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SECONDARY INTERHOUSE CROSS COUNTRY

Charters Towers Airport Friday 19th April 2024

The Cross Country is a compulsory event which all students are expected to attend.

All students will be transported by bus to the airport.  Students will be dismissed from the airport after the event. Early bus students will be taken back to the College before presentations.  All Residential students will be bussed back to the College.

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. 

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

Dear Residential Families,

Over the past fortnight, our residential students have been remarkably active. Several of our Year 7 and 8 Boarders attended the ‘Rock-n-Rainbow’ Disco and Karaoke Night hosted by Miss Carter in the Dining Room. Additionally, our Boarders have been keeping themselves occupied on the weekends with club sport, trips to Fletcher Creek for fishing and swimming, visits to the markets, or even outings to the drive-in cinemas.

As of the time of writing, some Boarders have already begun their journey home. I hope that all of our students and families have safe travels over the holiday period and enjoy being reunited with one another. Hopefully, your child/ren take some time during the holidays to reconnect and recharge in anticipation of Term 2.

The Boarder Parent Council meeting will be held in the Edmund Rice room (Mount Carmel Campus) on Monday, April 22, 2024, at 7:00 pm. All parents and caregivers are invited to attend this meeting. A Zoom link will be sent out to parents and caregivers over the holiday period for those who are unable to attend in person.

I would like to extend my thanks to all the staff who keep our residential community thriving. The team around me epitomizes the principle of "many hands make light work," and they have made my transition into the role as smooth as possible. I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact these individuals have on your child/ren’s lives, which is a true testament to their character and the residential culture of Columba. Lastly, I would like to thank you, the parents and caregivers, for entrusting us with the care of your children.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Easter holiday and I look forward to hearing all about it at the start of next term.

Jordan Marty
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - UNDERSTANDING ADOLESCENCE

Adolescence is the transitional stage of development that is usually associated with the teenage years. In 2018, the Australian Curriculum Assessment Authority, redefined adolescence as affecting young people aged between 10-24 years. During this time, they experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth which affects how teenagers feel, think, make decisions and interact with the world around them.

During adolescence, a child's brain can be considered as being “under-construction”. The rate at which this progresses will vary depending on the individual and also their gender. As a result, some parents may view adolescence as stressful or difficult. However, it does not need to be. Setting boundaries, implementing consistent monitoring and maintaining a strong and loving connection will help families adjust during this time.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to guide and best support their young person as they transition through adolescence.

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

Here is the link to the Understanding Adolescence edition of SchoolTV
https://columba.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/understanding-adolescence

PUPIL FREE DAY - FRIDAY 26TH APRIL

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.