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Columba Catholic College Newsletter Volume 27 No. 10 - 9th August 2024

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of the College,

We have had a busy but productive few weeks at the College with our students and staff supporting our College mission; demonstrating our values of Courage, Commitment, and Compassion. On Monday Rodney Lane and I attended the College CSPA meeting. We are most blessed as a school to have such a wonderful CSPA parent group, supporting our College. We sincerely thank our CSPA for their continued dedication and commitment to our College. You will see from this newsletter, the wide range of fundraising activities that the CSPA have supported us in. One very real and most appreciated form of support for our Primary classes is the purchase of 7 fridges to be installed in our classrooms so that all Primary students have access to a fridge to store their morning teas and lunches. They will be a very welcome addition to our rooms as the hotter days start coming back, and will ensure that students' lunches remain free from the heat and ants from having lunches stored outside the classroom. Our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful CSPA.

Our recent College activities in Term 3 has included, but not limited to: participation in the Charters Towers Show; College Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences; Polding House Mass; achievements in College Sport, a successful College Secondary Interschool Athletics, Year 11 Retreat, Secondary 2025 student leadership focus; a ‘A Taste of Columba’ and other College events.

Our thanks to our dedicated College staff, students, families, and parish community for supporting our school, as we grow together in faith, purpose, and knowledge.

Wishing you many blessings,

Jacqueline McNalty
PRINCIPAL

A Prayer for the Sick

Please pray for all our community members who are sick and unwell

COLLEGE SURVEY ON EARRINGS

From time to time the College likes to survey all College stakeholders, to gather their views and feedback on different areas of our College provision, policies, and procedures. Please see the link to access our College survey regarding the possible change to extend the choice in earrings allowed, to include pearl earrings no bigger than 6mm wide. Please note the survey will close on Thursday 22nd August.

CCC AT THE CHARTERS TOWERS SHOW

The Charters Towers Show was a highlight of last week! It was a delight to see our College students' hard work and creativity, proudly displaying their gifts and talents in a range of areas at the Show. Congratulations to all for their efforts and to the students who won prizes/ certificates. Congratulations to our students in the Cattle Club and our thanks to Sonia Wood for supporting our students who presented, judged, and paraded at The Show. Thank you to the College staff who supported me on Monday night and on the Public Holiday on Tuesday, speaking to families about our lovely College. Thank you to Phil Capewell and team, Christine Bell, Jo Thompson, Katelyn Crouch, Caroline Jarmey, Maria Peck, Bec Ebelt, Brooke Stevenson, Christine O’Sullivan, Natalie Moody, Dan Kyle, and Bruce McNalty. It was a delight to see many current and past students, families, and community members drop in to say hello at our College marquee and admire our student’s work.

COLLEGE PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES

Thank you to all who attended and supported our recent College Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences. We highly value our school-student-home partnerships; sharing and celebrating the student’s learning journey with you. Our thanks to our dedicated team for their hard work.

POLDING HOUSE MASS

Thank you to Christine O’Sullivan for coordinating this special Polding House Mass. Thank you to supporting staff, parish members, and students who attended on Saturday 3rd August at St Columba’s Parish.

COLLEGE SPORT

Our deep appreciation and gratitude to Andrew Butler, Emma Systa, Bec Ebelt, and all staff involved for their hard work in the set up, planning, support, supervision, coordination, pack away, of the Secondary Interschool Athletics Carnival that was hosted at BTC on the 1st and 2nd of August. Thank you to Annabella Ku, Shirley Fleming, Amy Hartig, Leah James and Cec Louk. Our College secondary athletes and students represented our school with Courage, Commitment, and Compassion and were a credit to the College with their school spirit and sporting efforts. Congratulations to our students who were awarded on the day.

Thank you to SM Campus staff and coaches who have supported the primary netball, soccer, and cricket. Also thanks to our coaches and staff who support our secondary netball and our Rugby League teams and other sporting opportunities. We are planning to host a College Thank You BBQ event soon, to thank and honour all our coaches and volunteers (date TBC).

YEAR 11 RETREAT

Our thanks to Christine O’Sullivan, Michael Ku, Bruce McNalty, Sabia Farnaz, and Jordan Broomhall for their coordination, leadership, and support of the Year 11 Retreat at Bluewater, successfully held this week. Thanks to Megan Cundell and all staff who have helped with the arrangements for the Retreat.

PRINCIPAL UPDATES

JAYE BEUTEL VISITS COLUMBA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

We are very blessed to be given the opportunity to host Jaye Beutel from TCEO at the College over Term 3. Jaye is a very experienced leader who is passionate about High Impact Teaching (HIT), Restorative Practices, and positively supporting teachers and students in teaching and learning, and support in positive behaviour management strategies. He will be working in collaboration with our talented team.

COLLEGE WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY - FIRE/LOCKDOWN DATES

College Workplace Health and Safety- Fire/ Lockdown Dates. Our College is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all. Our College Workplace Health and Safety Committee (WHS) met on Wednesday 7th August. Our Term 3 Lockdown/ Fire Drill dates have commenced and will continue into next week.

SECONDARY COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Secondary College Student Leadership. Thank you to Christine O’Sullivan for leading a series of secondary leadership sessions, to develop leadership capabilities, assisting our College students to better understand the roles and responsibilities of the College Secondary Student Leadership Team before the 2025 student leadership roles are applied for and selected.

A TASTE OF COLUMBA!

This week the College is proud to host ‘A Taste of Boarding’/ ‘A Taste of Secondary’ to give students more information and ‘hands-on’ experience regarding these important parts of our College. Our thanks to Maria Peck, Dan Kyle, Bec Ebelt, Natalie Moody, Caroline Jarmey, Madeleine Carter, and the staff supporting these important events this week.

PREP TRANSITION DAY

Prep Transition Day. Thank you to Lara Burns, Rodney Lane, Brooke Stevenson and the team for their support of the Prep Transition day on Friday.

EISTEDDFOD

The Charters Towers Eisteddfod is a community-based event, which is an Arts based competition. This year the College is proud to be a Silver Sponsor Columba Catholic College will participate in the Eisteddfod from the 19th-23rd August

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER YEAR 12 BLAK EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 12 BLAK Excellence Awards will be hosted on Thursday 29th August from 12.30 pm and will be followed by a Graduation Liturgy. I will be attending this special event along with our College’s First Nations Peoples staff Lorette Tassan and Jessie Huen.

YEAR 6 CANBERRA TRIP 1st SEPTEMBER - 5TH SEPTEMBER

Information has been sent home to all Year 6 families. Our appreciation to Rodney Lane, Gerard Webber, Sonia Wood and Jahana Critchley for their leadership and arrangement of this wonderful opportunity for our Year 6 students.

COLLEGE REFLECTIVE PRACTICE DAY (STUDENT FREE) 30TH AUGUST

The College will host a Reflective Practice Day which is a Professional Development day for all staff (student free day). Staff are focusing on professional development training related to our College’s Strategic Plans in Learning and Teaching with a key focus on literacy.

Thank you to all for sharing your gifts and talents and for being a ‘light to the world’.

Jacqueline McNalty
PRINCIPAL

BOOK WEEK ON THE SM CAMPUS

This year’s Book Week Theme is ‘Reading is Magic’. Is your costume ready? The SM Campus Book Week Parade is on the 12th August. The MCC Book Week Door Decoration is on the 23rd August.

BOOK WEEK ON THE MC CAMPUS

Reading is Magic

August 19th – 23rd August

On the Mount Carmel campus, we are pleased to announce that we will be running a Decorate the Door competition in Week 6. All PC groups will have a week to decorate the door of their PC classroom, ready for judging on Friday 23 August. The best door will win a prize for their PC group!

In addition to our Decorate the Door competition, we will also hold our annual Book Week dress-up day on Friday 23 August. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed in every year level, as well as the best dressed staff member. Start getting your costumes ready!

We are looking forward to celebrating Book Week 2024!

NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION WEEK

This year our secondary campus is participating in the Bullying No Way: National week of action, 12 to 16 August 2024.

Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.

To show our support for one another and our commitment to fight against bullying, our secondary students are encouraged to create their own dollar-store superhero outfit to wear on Wednesday.

The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected.

We encourage parents and carers to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations with their children about the impact of bullying and what they can do if they need support. You can visit the Bullying No Way website for tips around how to have this discussion.

If you have concerns that your child is being bullied, please contact your young person's pastoral leader or teacher in the first instance. If you believe the behaviour constitutes a crime, or is a serious incident of cyberbullying, please refer to the Bullying No Way website for information on how to report to other authorities and access wellbeing help.

Aleesha Watson
GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR | REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST
COLUMBA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

FROM THE ACTING ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PEDAGOGY AND LEARNING

Dear Parents, Caregivers, Staff, and Students,

The beginning of Term 3 has been exciting for me, as I have been given the opportunity to serve the College in a new capacity. While Mr. Lane is filling in for Mrs. Andrews, I am pleased to act as the Assistant Principal for Pedagogy and Learning on the St. Mary’s Campus. For those who I haven’t yet met, I am a past student of the College and returned as a teacher at Columba in 2022, after previously teaching at St. Mary’s in Bowen for two years. I have a passion for working with the Australian Curriculum and am enthusiastic about the upcoming changes we will implement as a teaching staff as we transition to Version 9.0.

Last week, we hosted Parent/Teacher Interviews. Parents and Caregivers, we greatly appreciate your time and commitment to your child's education by attending these meetings. Having a platform for meaningful discussions is invaluable. Your involvement and partnership are essential in creating a positive and productive learning environment, and we thank you for your dedication and support in helping us achieve the best outcomes for your child.

In the coming weeks, our teaching staff will begin interacting with and analysing NAPLAN data of our Year 3 and 5 students. Most importantly, this will help us to celebrate the success of our students and teachers. As well as this, we will identify areas for improvement and tailor our teaching strategies to better meet the needs of each learner. Our goal is to use these insights to foster a supportive and dynamic learning environment where every student can thrive.

Earlier this year, Years Prep-2 students participated in the first stage of Early Years Screening, a diosecan wide collaborative process involving teachers, parents and students. Teachers use the following method of pre-screening, evidence based feedback, targeted pedagogy, alignment with the Australian Curriculum, parental engagement, post-screening and ongoing evidence based feedback. The screening provides valuable information across the areas of oral language, literacy and numeracy for students in Years Prep-2. We are now in the second phase of post-screening. Once this is complete, our Prep-2 teachers will meet with myself, Curriculum Adviser, Kate Sargent, as well as Speech Pathologist, Tamara Bosnjak to celebrate the growth and achievements of their students.

Whilst there has been so much happening in only four weeks of working in this space, it’s a privilege to work beside such talented and dedicated teachers at St Mary’s. We are blessed with the team we have at our school supporting the teaching and learning of our students.

Brooke Stevenson
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL - PEDAGOGY AND LEARNING

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - LEARNING AND TEACHING

We have had a busy and productive start to Term 3 on the Mount Carmel Campus. Students and Parents / Caregivers have had many opportunities to engage in academic, sporting and cultural opportunities on offer at the College.

This term we are excited and fortunate to welcome the following new staff members to the Mount Carmel Campus:

Mr Bruce McNalty – Science and Mathematics teacher
Mrs Louise Duffin – School Officer, and
Mr Ken Blakoe – School Officer.

DEVELOPING GOOD STUDENT LEARNING HABITS

To ensure that students are ready for learning and are well prepared to complete their work and assessments in Semester 2, there are a number of strategies that parents can employ to assist and support students, such as:

Reflecting on students Semester 1 Report Card available in Compass and set specific goals for Semester 2. As well as looking at the grades, it is also important to reflect on teacher feedback provided regarding strengths, areas of improvement, personal effort, and behaviour.

Developing a set routine, for example, a set time for going to bed and getting out of bed.
Ensuring that students allocate time to complete homework / study / assessment each evening. Students should be recording the homework / study / assessments they need to complete in their student diary.
Having a dedicated study area at home to complete homework, assessments, and study.
Knowing when assessments are due by referring to the Assessment Date Calendars in Compass.
Packing the Students bag the evening before with all the necessary equipment, taking into consideration their timetable and extra-curricular commitments.

ATTENDANCE

Research shows that regular attendance at school is associated on average with higher student achievement. Every day and every minute at school counts. Attendance on the Mount Carmel Campus is recorded for every lesson during the day including morning Pastoral Care. Punctuality to school and class each day is crucial. The warning bell rings at 8:25am and morning Pastoral Care commences at 8:30am.

Regular periods of absence may significantly impact on a student’s ability to connect with their teachers, keep up to date with school work, assessment and studies as well as build relationships with their peers.

We understand that occasional absences due to illness, misadventure, sport or cultural commitments are inevitable. However, it is important that students are proactive when absent. If students are absent, they need to contact their teacher and make arrangements to catch up on work missed. Teachers regularly place work on Google Classroom, therefore it is important for students to check Google Classroom for work as well.

Please note that it is a College expectation that students will attend school until the last day of each term.

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE DAY / STUDENT FREE DAY: FRIDAY 30^TH AUGUST 2024

Friday the 30^th August is a Student Free Day as College staff will be involved in Reflective Practice Day. Teaching staff will engage in professional development on this day about the Australian Curriculum v9. No timetabled classes will be held for students on this day.

YEAR 7‐10 ASSESSMENT DATE CALENDARS

Years 7‐10 Semester 2 assessment dates are now available in the year level assessment calendars in Compass. The Assessment Date calendars are also accessible on the Columba Catholic College website / Mt Carmel Campus (7-12) / Academic Life / Assessment Calendars tab. Please take the time to carefully look at when assessment drafts and final submissions are due as well as exam dates. Encourage students to record their assessment dates in their College diary. This will assist students to plan study time effectively and meet all deadlines. A reminder that all assessment is due on or before the due date.

YEAR 8 AND 9 SUBJECT SELECTIONS

This term, we commence the process of elective subject selections for Years 8 and 9 students. For Year 8 students, it is a time to choose subjects that may lead to a pathway in the future, while Year 9 students should be starting to narrow a future direction with their subject selection. An information evening for Year 8 and 9 parents will be held on Wednesday 28^th August 2024.

YEAR 10 SET PLAN INTERVIEWS

This term Year 10 students will undertake subject selections and SET Plan interviews to map a pathway, whether that be ATAR, Vocational or fulltime work/apprenticeship. This is an exciting time for students as they select subjects and pathways for next year.

In the near future, Year 10 parents / caregivers will be sent a Compass notification inviting them to make a Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan interviews with a member of the College staff. All Year 10 students and parents must attend a SET Plan interview. SET Plan interviews are aimed at ensuring that students have considered their post-schooling pathways and have selected subjects which will assist them in attaining their goals. It is important that students have completed their SET Plans prior to the interview.

NAPLAN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT REPORTS (ISR)

Parents and carers of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 who took this year’s NAPLAN assessment in March will receive an individual student report (ISR). Recently NAPLAN reports were posted to parents and caregivers as well as a fact sheet: NAPLAN Individual Student Report Information for Parents and Carers.

These reports provide useful information on a student’s results in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

NAPLAN INDIVIDUAL Student Reports are reported against proficiency standards. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing.

There are 4 proficiency standards:

Exceeding
Strong
Developing
Needs additional support

Along with other school assessment reports, parents and carers can use the NAPLAN ISRs to discuss their child’s progress with their teacher.

Find out more about NAPLAN ISRs.

Read the 2024 Parent and Carer Brochure about the Individual Student Reports.

YEAR 11 AND 12 TERM 2 TAFE REPORTS AND SEMESTER 1 CHARTERS TOWERS SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION REPORTS

Term 2 TAFE Progress Reports and the Semester 1 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:

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)

NEW DATE FOR YEAR 12 2024 CERTIFICATION

From 9 am on Wednesday 11 December, Year 12 students who have completed a QCAA subject in 2024 will be able to access their final subject results and SEP from their learning account in the Student Portal via the myQCE website at myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au.

Depending on students’ individual circumstances, their SEP will comprise one or more of the following documents:

Senior Statement
Statement of Results (students who have completed a QCAA subject who are not in Year 12)
Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA).

QTAC will issue ATARs on Friday 13 December 2024.

YEAR 12 TRIAL MOCK EXTERNAL EXAMS

Year 12 students have just completed their final piece of internal assessment in General subjects. For some this represents 75% of their course and others 50%. Students in General subjects will now begin to focus on preparations for External Assessments.

In Weeks 8 and 9 (Wednesday 4^th September – Wednesday 11^th September) of this term, students will complete mock external assessments. Please note that the final exams will be held on Wednesday 11^th September. Students can expect to have 2 exams timetabled each day. The External Assessment Block will prepare students well for the rigors of the actual external assessments and provide them with valuable feedback.

Students will attend school as usual, coming out of class to undertake the assessments. Attendance until the end of term is important as students will have trial external assessments as well assessment items in applied and certificate courses to complete. Please take this into consideration when making travel arrangements at the end of the Term 3. An exam schedule will be published for students and parents in coming weeks.

YEAR 12 YOUNG DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAM

On Thursday 12 September, all year 12 students will participate in the Drive Safe Schools Program (SKIDS) facilitated by the Advanced Driver Training Centre at the Dalrymple Trade Training Centre and Charters Towers Airport. Further communication will be supplied in coming weeks about this event.

Maria Peck
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - LEARNING AND TEACHING

MYQCE COMPETITION FOR YEAR 10-12 STUDENTS

The myQCE website, e-newsletter, Instagram account and enquiry service 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, including subject enrolments and results.

The myQCE competition opens on Monday 8 July and closes on Friday 13 September. It offers Years 10–12 students a chance to win one of three prizes: a MacBook Air, an iPad Air with an Apple Pencil, or a pair of AirPods Max 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 - LEARNING AND TEACHING

YEAR 12 MATHS AND SCIENCE - ONLINE ACADEMIC BOOTCAMPS

External exam preparation - Online Academic Bootcamps for Year 12 Maths and Science students

Dates: (September School holidays)

Mon 16th - Thurs 18th September - Mathematics Methods or General Mathematics
Mon 23rd - Thurs 26th September - Physics, Chemistry or Biology
Cost: $90 / subject, includes posted hard copy of student study booklet.

The Online Academic Bootcamps are intensive 4-day courses designed as interactive workshops and are delivered by experienced Year 12 teachers who are subject specialists and are currently teaching these units in schools. All sessions will be recorded and shared with participating students on course completion, as an additional personalised study tool for their external exams.

The attached flyer provides all the relevant registration information and QR code. Students can also register directly via the direct link Online Academic Bootcamp or through the 'ONLINE bootcamps: Register now' tab on website: www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-sciences/science-on-the-go/stem-pathways/academic-bootcamps

Also available are financial support bursary positions for students to cover the registration fees for our 2024 Online Academic Bootcamps.

PREP NEWS

Our littlest learners reached the much anticipated 100 days of school, which called for a celebration! The five year olds aged 95 years, as they transformed into 100 year olds. To highlight just how wise they now are, students conducted a short presentation where they reminisced by retelling a special event. Following a parade to showcase their wonderful outfits, we shared a special morning tea. It was a lovely morning, supported by our Prep families, Mrs McNalty and Mr Lane.

After our exciting morning, students created bucketlists of all the exciting things they hope to do before they really do reach 100 years old, and there are definitely some adventures to be had! After having a taste of feeling old, students then reflected on what 100 years will really look like for them:

Alexis- I am going to cook soup with my husband.
Hugh- I am going to travel everywhere and eat Weet-Bix for breakfast.
Reece- I will have cups of tea when people come to visit me.
Leo- I will eat fruit.
Frankie- I will see my grandkids.
Tillie- I will have coffee with my grandchildren.
Leon- I will wear glasses.
Jackson- I am still going to work.
Kash- I will have grey hair.
James- I will still be an Opal Miner.
Jack- I will visit my Grandkids.

Lucy the Lion is also visiting Prep over the next few weeks, as we continue to focus on retelling events. Lucy is lucky enough to go on an adventure each night as she joins into the afternoon routines of the prep students. Following her stay, students then retell three activities to the class as we continue to work on our communication and oral language skills. Hasn’t Lucy had fun so far!

We have so many exciting events happening in the coming weeks that students will continue to consolidate their learning of retelling events.

Lara Burns
PREP TEACHER

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We started back in Term 3 by writing letters to Paralympian, Ruby Storm, who is competing in the S14 swimming events in Paris. Each of the students wrote a letter encouraging Ruby which she will receive once in the Olympic Village in Paris. The students certainly enjoyed being part of this activity and were fortunate to be asked to participate.

Anticipation is certainly building for our upcoming trip to Canberra in Week 8. The class have been looking at exhibits online which we will visit as excitement grows. I hope that all parents can make our Canberra Camp Information Session on Monday 19^th August at 5.30pm in the Year 6 classroom.

We have just completed some assessment in class and recently finished a unit of work in Maths covering units of measurement, shapes, time and reading timetables. We will now move onto perimeter, area and volume.

The class is working on their information reports in English on a country in Asia which incorporates our work in HASS. The students are also looking at how Australia is connected to Asia though trade, immigration, and foreign aid in lessons.

The class has been learning about tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes in Science. We have learnt we are actually quite lucky to live in Australia and not be part of the Ring of Fire.

In two weeks’ time, the class will perform in the Verse Speaking Competition at the Charters Towers Eisteddfod. We also wish our small singing choir, individual and group poem participants well.

On Friday, the class will be participating in Taste of Secondary at Mt Carmel Campus as our students start their transition to secondary schooling. The students are certainly looking forward to the experience.

Finally, we will celebrate Book Week with our annual dress up parade on Monday morning.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, with so much happening in Year 6.

Gerard Webber
YEAR 6 TEACHER

SECONDARY INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Columba athletes performed very well in the Interschool Athletics Carnival hosted by BTC on Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of August.

In the girls’ division, Columba amassed 428 points, finishing second behind ASSG (478) and just ahead of BTC on 423.

In the boys’ division, Columba compiled points 431. ASSG won the boys’ division with 484, and BTC was third on 358.

Overall, ASSG (962) won the carnival from Columba (859), with BTC (781) in third place.

Special congratulations to our Age Champions and Runners Up:

12 years: Runners Up: India Bulsey; Andrew Hancock.

12 years Multiclass: CJ (Christopher) Knox.

13 years: Runner Up: Latika Porter.

14 years: Champion: Jorja Holznagel.

14 years Multiclass: Champion: Peggy Pickering.

15 years; Runners Up: Ruby King and Tahlia Burns (tied); Clay Struckel.

16 years: Champion: Dale Beatty.

Open: Champion: Thomas Scholes. Runner Up: Ashlyn Hoey.

Congratulations to our athletes who set new, electronically timed records:

12 year girls: India Bulsey: 100m 14.43 seconds; 200m 31.68 seconds.

12 Years Multiclass: Christoper Knox: 100m 21.53 seconds; 200m 47.94 seconds; 800m 5:12.38 minutes; Long Jump 2.14 metres; Discus 9.58 metres.

14 Years Multiclass: Peggy Pickering: Long Jump 1.10 metres.

Open boys: Thomas Scholes: 200m 25 seconds; 400m 55.36 seconds.

Thanks to BTC for hosting a wonderful 2-days of competition which was thoroughly enjoyed by our athletes and supporters.

Andrew Butler
ATHLETICS COACH

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FROM THE HASS & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT - MC CAMPUS

Welcome to Term 3, where our approach in Humanities and Social Sciences goes beyond traditional learning to embrace a holistic academic experience. This term, across Years 7 to 10, we emphasise the importance of source analysis, a critical skill that empowers students to discern the reliability, perspective, and relevance of information.

In today’s information-rich world, the ability to analyse sources critically is an essential skill for students. Whether navigating news articles, social media, or academic research, understanding how to evaluate information is paramount for making informed decisions for our young learners today.

Year 7: Our Year 7 students commenced the term embarking on an exciting journey back in time to investigate the fascinating civilisations of Ancient China. Through a combination of research in class, and hands-on projects, students will gain a deep understanding of these influential cultures. For their assessment task, they will choose a personality of interest to research in-depth. Students will present their findings through creative projects such as a poster.

Year 8: The Year 8s will be honing their source analysis skills through an in-depth examination of Medieval Europe, where students will apply their critical thinking abilities to various historical documents and sources from this period.

Year 9: This term, our Year 9 students will delve into the “Making the Australian Nation” unit, with a particular focus on the impacts of the Industrial Revolution in both Britain and Australia. This comprehensive study will explore how industrialisation shaped society, economy, and the environment in these regions, and how these changes contributed to the development of our modern Australia.

Year 10: This unit is the highlight for our students where they will embark on an immersive

Exploration of World War II, uncovering the events, figures, and impacts that shaped our modern world.

Year 9/10 E&B: GDP, inflation, unemployment rates are the three concepts that we will be exploring this term with our students on the understanding of economic performance and the living standards of our country.

I would strongly encourage having these discussions at home with your child to provide different viewpoints, encouraging them to consider multiple angles and develop well-rounded opinions. Asking open-ended questions to encourage your child to have deeper thinking and understanding of these topics.

Michael Ku
MIDDLE LEADER - HASS & LANGUAGES

CHARTERS TOWERS LANGUAGES SPEAKING COMPETITION 2024

RIDE TO SCHOOL MORNING FOR THE SM CAMPUS

As part of the Towers Rush lead-in events Adventurethon are again running our very popular Ride 2 School mornings in 2024. Local Police and Charters Towers Council assist with Rides 2 School to help ensure the safety of participants so it would be fantastic if schools also contributed by helping get the message out to students and their parents to ensure we see good numbers of students ride. These events also provide a great opportunity for teachers to ride and interact with their students outside of the school confines and in a friendly communal atmosphere, something that can help build stronger bonds and understanding between students and teachers.

Additionally, in previous years we have noted that some students who would love to have participated were unable to do so because their bikes were not functional. To assist those students we are presently negotiating to try and provide some bike maintenance workshops to enable students to get their bikes working to a safe standard so that they are not excluded because they lack the knowledge and/or assistance to repair their bikes. We will provide more information about the workshops soon.

The Ride 2 School schedule for 2024 is:

RIDE TO SCHOOL IS BACK NEXT WEEK!

Less than a week to go before we hit the streets for the always popular Ride to School!

Tuesday, 13 August & 3 September

All Souls St Gabriels School, Blackheath & Thornburgh College & Richmond Hill State School

Start from Charters Towers Airport (Corinda Ave)

Wednesday, 14 August & 4 September

Charters Towers Central State School, Columba Catholic College Charters Towers & Millchester State School Cnr Mt Leyshon Rd & Lister St

Meeting time will be 7:00AM.

Don't forget to bring your helmets and enthusiasm!

To register or find information click here https://bit.ly/CTRC-TowersRush

RESIDENTIAL NEWS

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Last week our students participated in the Interschool Athletics Carnival. Many of our Boarders participated and gave their all. Records were broken by India Bulsey (100m & 200m), Thomas Scholes (200m &400m) and Tahlia Burns (400m). These were great achievements and they are to be applauded for their efforts. Even though the College came second this year, a great day was held by all.

As we are now at the midpoint of the school term, everyone is busily completing assessment, attending Homework Help, participating in sports etc. It is about this time in the term when many students start to feel the pressures of school life. For the most part, many have everything under control and are sailing along very well. Unfortunately though some members of our residential community have not managed their time as well as they could have. The Residential Houseparents and Heads of Boarding do their upmost to assist their young charges during allocated study times often contacting teachers and Pastoral Leaders to ascertain what assessment/homework students are currently working on.

This week all year 10 students have been busy doing their SET plans. Mrs Peck has been working with the students in preparing them for the senior phase of learning and careers post Columba schooling. Interviews with students and parents will commence next week in Week 6.

This Thursday, the College will be hosting the Taste of Boarding and Taste of Secondary. This is a great opportunity for our College to showcase an authentic boarding and secondary school experience. Mrs Moody (Acting Head of Girls’ Boarding) and Mrs Jarmey (Head of Boys’ Boarding), Mrs Peck (Deputy Principal - Learning & Teaching) and Ms Madeleine Carter (Year 7&8 Pastoral Leader) are very excited to be hosting this very important event. We are sure our visitors will have a very good experience and will take home some wonderful memories.

Dan Kyle
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - PASTORAL/RESIDENTIAL

IN THIS EDITION OF SCHOOLTV - ONLINE GAMING

Games are an integral part of human behaviour. It is normal and healthy for young people to engage in play as a part of their daily lives, including playing games online. And like most activities, online gaming can have both positive and negative outcomes. It can be intimidating and confusing for carers trying to understand a young person’s online experiences with many considering that staring at a screen is an unhealthy habit. However, the World Health Organisation does believe that as well as the risks, there are also many positive benefits associated with online gaming and these could be key in nurturing bonds with others.

During the pandemic, there was an explosive growth of gaming as people sought much needed connection during isolation. In the media, gaming often gets bad publicity because most coverage tends to concentrate on the minority of gamers who play to such an extent that it compromises all other areas of their life. However, online gaming can teach young people many skills including teamwork, concentration, communication and problem-solving. It requires a level of interaction and skill from the player; unlike watching television, which is more passive.

Online communities provide opportunities for young people to feel socially connected and have a sense of belonging. At healthy levels, gaming can increase their self-esteem and social acceptance. However, any behaviour, when taken to extreme, can also have a negative impact on a young person’s everyday life. Understanding what your young person experiences online and knowing the warning signs if they are at risk, will help nurture a more positive relationship with online gaming and help your family find the right balance.

If you are concerned about your young person’s online gaming habits, it’s important to consider a number of factors. This edition will provide strategies in how to deal with any issues you may be experiencing.

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 Online Gaming edition of SchoolTV
https://columba.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/online-gaming