Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 27 No. 7 - 9th May 2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Columba Families,

The last fortnight has certainly been a busy one with lots of activities and events taking place. ANZAC Day, one of the most important days on the College calendar, was a great day for our school and town community. Many of our students and staff not only attended the Dawn service but also presented and marched at the ANZAC Day Mosman and Gill Streets parade. The students marched out like old soldiers and they certainly did themselves, their families and the College proud. I would like to thank all of those who assisted with the march, in particular Mr Marty and Mrs Andrews who were instrumental in forming up the students in readiness for the parade. I would like to thank Ms Terrina Muston, the College nurse, for ensuring the students remained well-hydrated and cared for on the day.

On the 3rd May, the College hosted the Secondary Interschool Cross Country. The students gave it their all and once again did themselves and the College proud.  Congratulations to Mr Marty and Ms Kennedy, and their capable assistants who ensured that the event ran like a well-oiled machine. 

As many of you would be aware, Charters Towers hosts the annual Country Music festival. People come from all over the country attend this well-renowned festival. Both the St Mary’s and Mount Carmel campuses hosted their own country music concerts on Friday 3rd May to set the mood for the weekend. Many thanks to Ms Ebelt and Mrs Andrews for organising the concerts. This was followed up by the Float procession down Gill Street. This year’s theme was “Aussie Bangers”. This year our students and staff wore white t-shirts, blue jeans, boots and cowboy hats. They marched behind our fantastic float all kitted out with all the regalia and a very fancy ute manned by the Prep students. Congratulations are in order especially to Ms McIntosh, Mrs Andrews, Mr Whitby, Mr Paxton, Ms Wood, Mr Hope and Ms Buck for all of their efforts in organising the parade and or dressing of the Float. 

Last week the Under 13s, 15s and Seconds Rugby League teams played ASSG at ASSG. The College teams performed admirably and came away with solid wins in all divisions. Their girls played ASSG in netball. Even though the Junior teams weren't able to win this time, the First Girls’ Netball team had a comprehensive win over their rivals.  Many thanks are extended to the coaches and support staff who have trained these young men and women. As mentioned in a previous newsletter article, all of the College's coaches, managers and support staff give of their time freely. It is therefore imperative that students always extend gratitude to the staff and volunteers for taking their respective teams, for without them the College would not be in a position to field teams. 

The College staff participated in professional development opportunities on the 26th and 29th of April. The two days provided the platform for improving effective pedagogical practices and planning for the introduction of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. Many thanks to Maria Peck and Jo-Anne Andrews for organising these mandated professional development opportunities.

I feel it is timely to mention the School TV resource to families. This is a free resource for raising happy, healthy and resilient children. Topics such as bullying, on-line gaming, healthy & respectful relationships, body image, resilience, diet & nutrition, dealing with grief and loss, exercise etc can be accessed from this platform. I fully encourage parents and caregivers to utilise this highly regarded resource. 

Next week is National Boarding Week. This is a special week for the Boarding community as it provides the opportunity to celebrate all things boarding. This year the theme is “What Makes Boarding Tick?”. Mrs Jarmey and Mrs Moody have been very busy organising activities such as Boarding MKR and the Boarders’ Dinner. 

As we approach the winter months and the dreaded flu season, I encourage students to take extra precautions to stay healthy. If your child falls ill, please keep them home until such time they are symptom free. I encourage all parents and caregivers to take advantage of the free influenza vaccinations for their children. Our College nurse, Terrina Muston, sent communication to parents earlier this week about the free influenza vaccinations available to students. 

On Wednesday 9 May the College staff were invited to attend the staff Retreat. This was a great opportunity for staff to work on the “Ten Characteristics  of Prayer”. Congratulations to Ms O’Sullivan for a well-organsied retreat.  This was a fantastic opportunity to reflect on our own prayer life and College prayer.

On another note, the  Catholic Identity Team will be meeting next week to begin re-writing the College Prayer. It is envisaged that this will be completed by the end of the school year.

This Sunday is Mothers’ Day and it  is an opportunity for sons and daughters to show their love and appreciation of their mothers. Mothers afterall are our first teachers, and they nurture and shape us as human beings, often making many sacrifices along the way for our benefit. At the parish supported  Rice House Mass this weekend, a blessing for  mothers and mother-like figures will take place to show appreciation for our mothers. 

Dan Kyle
ACTING PRINCIPAL

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - LEARNING AND TEACHING

Dear Parents/Caregivers

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

On Friday 26^th April, while the students enjoyed an extra-long four day weekend, our committed teachers engaged in professional development to continue becoming familiar with version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum and to plan for its implementation in 2025. Staff spent the day working in departments to explore and plan in their learning areas. School Officers also engaged in professional development opportunities that will assist them in their roles supporting student learning.

On Monday 29^th April teaching staff engaged in further professional development facilitated by Writer’s Toolbox. The professional development focussed on teaching students to write and developing effective assessment instruments using Writer’s Toolbox.

We would like to thank our staff for their dedication and commitment to ongoing professional development to ensure our students receive a quality education.

TERM 2 YEAR 11 AND 12 ASSESSMENT PERIOD: 10 MAY - 2O MAY 2024

Year 11 and 12 students will complete many assessment items, as indicated on the Assessment Calendar in Compass between the 10^th – 20^th May 2024. Students are expected to attend school during this period to complete examinations and submit assessment items, on or before the due date.  During this time students will be attending normal lessons unless they are required to complete an examination.

It is crucial that students set aside blocks of time to study and complete assessments each day and establish a routine. At peak assessment times it is expected that students will need to dedicate additional time to study.

Unit 1 and 3 for most Year 11 and 12 subjects will conclude on Friday 17^th May 2024. Year 11 students commence Unit 2 and Year 12 students Unit 4 for most subjects on Monday 20^th  May 2024.

If students are absent for an exam they must follow the procedure outlined below.

ASSESSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES

A copy of the Columba Catholic College Assessment Policy and Procedures is available on the College website. This document should be referred to by all Year 7-12 students and parents. The document includes details about:

• Submission of assessment.
• Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA).
• Drafting, scaffolding and response length.
• Academic integrity.

YEARS 7-12 ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS AND REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS (AARA), INCLUDING ILLNESS AND MISADVENTURE

Columba Catholic College recognises that some students have disability, impairment and/or medical conditions, or experience other circumstances that may be a barrier to their performance in assessment. Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) are designed to assist these students.

AARA are provided to minimise barriers for eligible students so that they can demonstrate their learning, knowledge and skill in assessment. These barriers could be permanent, temporary or intermittent. Students may also be eligible for AARA where illness and misadventure (i.e. unforeseen circumstances) or other situations may prevent students from demonstrating their learning, knowledge and skill.

Students are not eligible for AARA on the following grounds:

• unfamiliarity with the English language
• matters that the student could have avoided (e.g. misreading an examination timetable, misreading instructions in examinations)
• matters of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own choosing (e.g. family holidays, leaving early at the end of term).

Application forms for AARA (including applying for extensions or to sit a comparable exam due to illness, injury or unforeseen circumstances) can be obtained from the College Office. All Year 11 and 12 applications must be accompanied by a detailed medical certificate or relevant documentation from another professional.

Please note that all drafts and final assessments are due on or before the due date.

If students do not submit drafts and final assessments on or before the due date they will be placed on Academic Detention on Wednesday afternoon from 3:05-4:05pm to complete outstanding work.

YEAR 11 UNIT 2 SUBJECT CHANGES

If Year 11 students wish to investigate the possibility of changing subjects they need to email Mrs Peck and make an appointment to investigate the possibility. Subject changes during Year 11 and 12 are not recommended as they may disadvantage students as they may not have the foundation skills needed to achieve on Year 12 assessment. Subject changes may also impact on a student’s ability to achieve a QCE. Year 11 subject changes must be finalised by Monday 3^rd June 2024. Subject changes will be considered based on curriculum merit and students must be prepared to explain the reasoning behind their application to change subjects. Please note that some subjects are full.

Year 12 students are unable to change subjects at this stage as Units 3 and 4 must be studied as a pair.

2024 CHARTERS TOWERS CAREERS EXPO

Year 10 and Year 12 students will be attending the Charters Towers Careers Expo on Thursday 30^th May 2024 at the Charters Towers PCYC. Students will be transported by bus to and from the PCYC. Year 12 students will attend between 8:30-9:45am and Year 10 students between 10:00-11:15am.

YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE

All Year 10 students will participate in Work experience during Week 10 of this term (Monday 17^th  June until Friday 21^st June 2024). All parents and caregivers have been sent a Google Form to complete with their Year 10 student detailing what industry area they would like to complete work experience in. College staff will endeavour to place students in their preferred industry area. Work experience will provide Year 10 students with an opportunity to explore career options and develop work related competencies and skills. It would be appreciated if when parents / caregivers receive a Work experience Contract to sign that they do this immediately and return it to the College.

Maria Peck
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - LEARNING AND TEACHING

YEAR OF PRAYER

Early this year, Pope Francis announced that 2024 is the Year of Prayer. In line with this, and as part of the hermeneutical shift project through the Townsville Catholic Education Office, we are working closely to deliver professional development to upskill our staff on prayer and re-writing the College Prayer.

At this week’s Staff Retreat titled ‘The Ten Characteristics of Prayer and Re-Writing the College Prayer’, staff reflected on and discussed the first of the two characteristics:

Characteristic 1: Prayer builds a personal relationship with God. In our Christian faith tradition, this means that our prayer is addressed to God and expresses a relationship with him; in other words, the prayer is between and with God and the person or people.

Characteristic 2:  Catholic prayer refers explicitly or implicitly to the Catholic faith tradition. It expresses an authentic witness to the ongoing Catholic faith tradition and incorporates elements of, or references to, a distinct Catholic approach.

This professional development will continue in Staff Retreat 2, as well as two upcoming staff meetings.

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

YEAR 6 NEWS

It has been a busy start to the term with ANZAC Day and the Country Music Festival. The class did themselves proud with a good representation during the Dawn Service and the march up Gill Street. The class performed a line dance to Cotton Eye Joe for their country music act as part of the St Mary’s Campus celebrations for the Country Music Festival and looked the part dressed in their country outfits.  

In English, the students have been learning how to write narratives using the correct structure and language features. Students have been learning skills to engage the reader’s attention and how to build suspense or humour into their stories. We have been reading and comprehending the Paul Jenning's novel, A Different Land to help us develop our narrative skills.

During Mathematics, the class has been learning about angles and how to use a protractor. Mrs Maxsted and I have certainly been impressed with how well the class has grasped these concepts.

In Religious Education lessons, students have been learning about the Eucharist and the order of events during Mass.

As we get ready to go to Parliament House in September, when we embark on school camp to Canberra, the class is learning about the roles of the Federal Government in HASS. Although it is a difficult topic for younger students, they are engaged and keen to understand how our Federal Government operates.

In Science, we are exploring the Chemical Sciences strand. In particular, we are looking at reversible and irreversible changes and how physical and chemical changes are different.

Students have started their preparations for the Interhouse Athletics Carnival during HPE lessons. This carnival will take place in the last week of this term.  

Interschool touch started last Friday afternoon against BTC. We look forward to seeing how well the students progress throughout the term.

It is certainly going to be a very busy Term 2 with so much happening inside and outside the classroom.

Gerard Webber
YEAR SIX TEACHER

SECONDARY INTERSCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

On Friday the 3^rd of May 70 of our top runners descended on the Charters Towers Airport Reserve for our annual Interschool cross country. The morning was shaping up to a lovely autumn day with a crisp breeze blowing around the track. Although our preparation was minimal this year due to the delay in our own carnival, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of our athletes.

At 9am, silence fell over the crowd as the starters gun fired and the Open boys started their 6km trek. Like clockwork the runners all marshalled, did their final stretches, and took off to compete against the other schools. Throughout the morning we watched several students achieve individual success gaining age champion or selection in the Charters Towers team (full list below).

Despite some incredible performances it was not our year, as we finished an admirable third behind BTC and ASSG. Full points breakdown below. I would like to congratulate all the runners on a fantastic morning of competition and sportsmanship.

Age Champions

• 12 Years Multi Class – CJ Knox
• 14 Years Boys – Tully Kempster Barry
• 16 Years Boys – Jackson Walsh
• Open Boys – Tom Scholes

Charters Towers Team Selection

Andrew Hancock, Bobby Bethel, Tully Kempster-Barry, Evie Harrington, Bronzon Mara-Skellern, Liam Mitchell, Jackson Walsh, Dale Beatty, Ella MacPherson, Ashlyn Hoey, Adam Brandis and Tom Scholes.

Girls’ Aggregate

• ASSG – 578
• BTC – 546
• CCC – 444
• CTSHS - 87

Boys’ Aggregate

• ASSG – 632
• BTC – 476
• CCC – 457
• CTSHS - 150

Combined Aggregate

• ASSG – 1210
• BTC – 1022
• CCC – 901
• CTSHS - 237

Lastly, I would like to extend a thank you to all staff who helped organise, set up or supervise at the Carnival.  In particular, Vicki Kennedy, for everything she did behind the scenes.

Jordan Marty
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

IMMUNISATION CLINICS

Hello Parents/Caregivers,

Just a reminder that the Year 7 and 10 Immunisation Clinics are coming up in Week 6. The consent forms were sent home with your child in Week 3. Please complete and return the forms at your earliest convenience. For those parents of Year 7 and 10 students who did not receive a form, please ask your child to fish it out of their school bag and if that doesn't work, please contact me and I will arrange to have another one sent to you. For boarding parents, you would have received an email from healthcentre@columba.catholic.edu.au on or around the 2nd of May, if the consent form had not already been returned. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Terrina Muston
COLLEGE NURSE

Ph: 0407165583

Email: healthcentre@columba.catholic.edu.au

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

The last fortnight has been incredibly busy in the residences. Back to back long weekends have meant students have engaged in a number of onsite and offsite activities. I am incredibly proud of the young people who represented the College with pride at both the ANZAC Day activities and the Country Music Parade.

Our Boarding Student Council is progressing well with students meeting regularly with their boarding heads. There has been a slight change in the Girls' council with one member leaving the College. As a result, I would like to congratulate Anastacia Johnson on being elected the Year 10 representative for Girls' dorms. 

At our recent Parent Boarding Council meeting it was discussed that there will be an increase in the cost of travel for medical appointments. This increase was implemented on the 1st of May and was necessary as it hadn’t been reviewed for many years and now accurately reflects the cost of travel and also staffing. The new fee will now be $120 per student for half day (4 - 4 ½ hours) and a full day will be $240 (5+ hours). 

This year National Boarding Week will take place from the 12-18th of May. The theme for this year is ‘What Makes Boarding Tick’ and Mrs Jarmey and Ms Keough have collaborated with Residential staff to ensure this week will be celebrated with a number of events.

Lastly, each fortnight on top of my newsletter I have asked our Heads of Boarding to provide some insight into the lives of our young people. Please see below a message from our Head of Boys boarding, Caroline Jarmey. 

From the Residence

We certainly have hit the ground running so far this term with a host of sporting  commitments, football games, ANZAC Day Parade and two long weekends. 

These long weekends have given us a great opportunity to get out and about with our students and enjoy a range of activities including a Townsville shopping trip  and  a visit to the Strand, fishing and dinner out at Marybank, watching the North Qld Cowboys and enjoying  a combined BBQ and games on the oval with the girls from GSR.

National Boarding Week runs from the 12th -18th May. This is an important event for us as we celebrate all aspects of boarding life and, most importantly, our students. The theme this year is “What Makes Boarding Tick”?

The week will start with our students creating some posters or a backdrop to display at day school and in the dining room for Monday Night where we will host our National Boarding Week Dinner. This is a wonderful opportunity for all our boarding students to dress up and have some fun together and enjoy some delicious food.   

The week will finish with the highly anticipated MKR being held on Saturday the 18th May. Our theme for this year's competition is “A taste of Italy”. Look out girls, the boys are busy researching their recipes.

 Jordan Marty
ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

GET TO KNOW OUR RESIDENTIAL TEAM

Jessica van der Merscht

Role: I’m a residential houseparent and have been for almost 3 years.

Originally from: South Africa.

An interesting fact: I speak three different languages.

Hobbies: I love sports specifically water polo and netball. I enjoy reading and in my spare time I enjoy scrapbooking.

Something I’d like you to know: It doesn't matter what age you are when you're a residential houseparent. As long as you're capable of taking on the responsibility of students and making them feel safe, that's all that matters. I have made so many connections with so many and I wouldn't change it for the world.

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - DEPRESSION

When kids feel sad, irritable or anxious most of the time, this is not considered a ‘normal’ part of adolescence. Depression may be indicated by uncharacteristic behaviour such as social withdrawal, changes to academic performance, use of drugs or alcohol, or even engaging in risky behaviour. The symptoms and signs are a combination of what a parent can see externally, plus what a child is feeling internally.

Every child can feel sad or down in response to a particular situation. However, these feelings should only last a short time and should not interfere with a child’s day-to-day activities. Should the sadness continue for longer than two weeks, then your child could be at risk of depression. Usually depression is the result of a combination of things.

In this edition of SchoolTV parents will learn how identify the signs of depression and what the effects are on their child’s wellbeing and overall health.

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 Depression edition of SchoolTV
https://columba.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/depression

CATHOLIC WOMEN'S LEAGUE PLANT AND GIFT STALL - SATURDAY 11th MAY 2024