Newsletter 26 – Term 3, Week 6

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Last week I was fortunate to listen to a key note speaker, Dr Anna Rowlands, St Hilda Associate Professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice, Lecturer in Contemporary Catholic Theology and Deputy Director of the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University, UK. Dr Rowlands’ theme was “Catholic Social Teaching for Our Age”. As an Edmund Rice School, we see in his words how actions and legacy,  continue in his  ministries today and remain at the forefront of key principles in Catholic Social teaching: the dignity of the human person. Her presentations were particularly helpful in these uncertain times as parents, teachers and students sometimes struggle to find meaning and hope in their lives.

I would like to share with you a few insights from Dr Rowlands in relation to Hope from a scriptural lens.

• Hope is not the same as optimism….
• Hope and desolation are often placed side by side in Scripture…
• Hope and restlessness are not opposites…
• Hope belongs, above all, to the historical relationship with God…
• This is a hope for both what we do NOT know as well as what we do…

Today’s students can become concerned about their future, where will the world be in 10- or 20-years’ time?- the concern and implications of global warming, the replacement of careers with artificial intelligence. It can be a worrying time for students. Our students need hope, a hope for a bright and happy future.

Hope is the virtue which goes places. It isn’t simply a path we take for the pleasure of it, but it has an end, a goal which is practical and lights up on way. Hope is a path taken with others.  An African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go with others”. Isolation and aloofness never generate hope, but closeness to others and encounters do. Left to ourselves we will go nowhere forward. (Pope Francis)

Reflection

The fact is that we come into this world empty handed and we leave the same way, so why do we send so much of our life trying to acquire things. The need to have things and control others is insidious. It means that nothing is ever good enough for us. We have missed the fine art of letting go and the freedom that comes with it.

Desiring little means there is nothing that can be really be taken from us.

Look around. Do you have everything you need? Then why are you exhausting yourself trying to get more? Learn to enjoy what you have, and you will have everything life has to give.

Joan Chittister – ‘Aspects of the Heart’

Rosies

Another cold but rewarding night at Rosies on Wednesday. Thank you to Madeline Woodall, Bianca Gotze, Patrick O’Brien and Molly Bashford for their participation and thank you to the ladies in the Canteen for their preparation of the food.

A special thank you to Molly Bashford for her continued assistance and growing expertise. She is a tremendous support.

A B5 Reunion

Past student Alex Healy (Year 12 2015), a Rosies team member, met up with his former buddy, Patrick O’Brien (present Year 12), giving them both an opportunity to relive some of their memories from their time in B5. Alex was the recipient of the Rotary Award for Service to the College and the Community in 2015 and a dedicated member of  Breakfast Club, Rosies and Liturgy Group. It is great to see that he is still involved in social justice in our community.

We are still looking for parent volunteers to help us with the BBQ so the students can focus more on interacting with the patrons. If you can assist please email jrasmussen@sjc.qld.edu.au.

Year 8 Retreat

Year 8 Retreat will be held this Tuesday 27 August in the MacKillop Centre. This day will be facilitated by ‘Real Talk’ and will focus on the topics of self-worth, personal identity, good decision making, love and relationships.

Parents, please check your emails for a letter with more details about the day.

MND Fundraising

Thank you everyone for the support shown to the sausage sizzle which was held on Wednesday.

Remember to wear something orange with your school uniform next Wednesday for a donation. Orange bandannas will be sold on this day outside student entrance for $2. We hope to see everyone involved.

For donations directly to the St Joseph’s College MND team please follow this link:

https://www.mycause.com.au/page/207285/sole-mates

QCS Test  INFORMATION

TUESDAY 3 AND WEDNESDAY 4    September 2019

NO Mobile phones, Smart watches allowed.

Not sitting QCS ?

Students not sitting QCS (who are not OP eligible) do not attend school on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 September.

Year 7

All Year 7’s have been asked to select a language for 2020.  Please ensure that you have checked and signed their preference form and return to the College. This was due on the 12 August.

Year 8 and 9

All Year 8 and 9’s should have finalised their preferences for electives in Year 9 and 10, 2020.  Some students have not returned their signed forms to Student Services. Please check with your son or daughter if you have not seen this form to sign.

Year 10

All Year 10’s have been completing their Setplan and interviews this week with myself, Ms Wilson or Ms Masters. Subject selections for Year 11, 2020 should be finalised by Friday 23 August. Some students may have missed their Setplan interview and have to complete this next week.

If you have any questions, please contact me at the College.  It is important that parents check the prerequisites for subjects students are selecting for 2020. These can be found in the Senior Subject handbook located on the College Website at : https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/SJC_Senior_Handbook-2020.pdf

During this week parents will receive a letter with information about an upcoming Student Protection Survey. The survey is intended to gather feedback on how well we are implementing our student protection processes. We would like all parents to participate in the online survey, which is confidential and voluntary. Students and staff will also be completing a survey.

The survey is being administered by an independent research organisation, who will collate results and provide us with recommendations for improvement. We will give you more information soon about how and when you can access the survey online.

Student safety is very important to us and we value the input of our school community. Please contact the office if you do not receive a letter by Tuesday, August 27, (via email) or if you specifically do not wish your child to participate.

Business education at the College offers all year levels the opportunity to develop their business skills in real-life situations. We endeavour to engage our students through practical, hands-on experiences to improve their financial literacy and perhaps unlock the entrepreneur within.

This semester the Year 8 students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their initiative, creativity and problem-solving skills as they design a new product for the Australian market. They will collect and analyse data, make important business decisions and create a prototype of their product. This unit of work allows students to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test.

The BEB students have been working hard to improve their understanding of bookkeeping and developing the skills required to prepare the books of a business. In Term 4 they will be introduced to computerised accounting using the MYOB accounting software package.

Run Your Own Business unit continues to be very popular with our students. I asked the current Year 10 students why they chose this unit and here are some of their responses:

Allowing students to put theory into practice drives innovative and creative thinking. They must communicate and work effectively as part of a team, be willing to take risks and learn to change and adapt when things go wrong. We wish our students well in their entrepreneurial ventures next term.

The year 11 and 12 students are working towards their Certificate 2 or 3 in Business. The course provides practical real-life situations to help prepare students to smoothly transition into the work environment.

M9, Mr Cook, Ms Unsworth and the students of the Year 11 co-ordinating group had a great time at Breakfast Club this week talking and dancing with the students of Clifford Park. As always thank you to these people and thank you to the tuckshop staff for always having everything organised.

Roster

Liturgy of Word with Holy Communion:

Celebrated in the College Chapel on Fridays at 1.30pm

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading

Try your best to enter by the narrow door…

Luke 113:22-50

https://theaxattheroot.blogspot.com/2016/08/homily-notes-for-21st-sunday-year-c.html

Summary:

Jesus explains who will be saved; it will be those who truly know and follow his teachings, not those who just associate themselves with Jesus.

The world behind the text:

The Jewish religion, and subsequently Christian religion, is one of salvation. It recognises that we need God to save us. Who will be saved and what they need to do to be saved are questions that have always been focused upon.

The world of the text:

Jesus is asked about how many people will be saved. His answer is somewhat of a shock to those who follow the Mosaic Law and to those who follow his teachings. His statement, in the final verse, is quite telling, “…there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.” This would have turned the status quo on its head!

The world in front of the text:

We all have to try our best to do our best if we want to be saved. Jesus’ teachings about life – a loving relationship with God, others and self – need to be lived, not just understood in some superficial or academic way.

On Wednesday August 21^st, we held our first fundraiser (Sausage Sizzle) to help raise funds and awareness for Motor Neuron Disease ( MND ). It was fantastic to see so many people support this event and it was a great start to the St Joseph’s fundraising effort to help combat this cruel disease.

Thanks also to the helpers, cooks, servers, Canteen ladies & office staff for their assistance.

Next Wednesday August 28^th, students may wear an ‘orange accessory’ with their sports uniform. We are asking students to give a ‘gold coin’ donation, for this fundraiser.

Students have also been given the opportunity to purchase some MND merchandise if they wish.

They can see myself , staff at the student entrance or their Pastoral Care teacher if they wish to order anything and I will do a bulk order towards the end of next week. Students will need to bring their money in, before the items are ordered.

If you’re wondering why we are concentrating our efforts towards Motor Neuron Disease, it’s because a very special member of the St Joseph’s Staff, is suffering from MND.

Great News! Our school now has a mobile phone app. It will give you instant access to our school information when you click on it, 24/7. The app is going to give parents the ability to instantly access newsletters without going to the website, or to send in an absent note. You can download it to your smartphone by going to either the Apple App Store or Android Google Play Market and search for St Joseph’s College Toowoomba. Once you have found it press install or download. Instructions are attached with this newsletter. We look forward to a great year of communication!
Please ensure you upload the correct St Joseph’s College icon

On Thursday 15 August, Just Joeys hosted a picnic on the oval.  We asked that people bring along blankets to donate to the St Vincent’s De Paul winter appeal.

With the help of Interact, who provided delicious slices and biscuits to sell, we were able to able raise $119.60 for St Vincent De Paul. Along with 35 donate blankets that will help keep our local homeless warmer in these cold nights.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a Milo!

Key Dates 2019/20                                                                          

August

• 1 QTAC Applications open

September

• 4-5 QCS test
• 28 early closing dates for some courses
• Scholarship applications due for some institutions

October

• Reminder to get EAS & supporting documents submitted before Yr12 finishes

November

• 15 First Offer Round for Year 12

December

• 14 OPs are released
• 23 Offer Round

January

• 7 last day to change preferences
• 15 Offer Round
• 24 Top up Round
• 31 Top up Round

February

• 4 onwards – Top up Rounds

QTAC Application Checklist

To fill out your application you’ll need:

• A valid email address – make sure you will have access to this email account after you finish school; don’t use your school email.
• To create your own password.
• Your Learner Unique Identifier (LUI) – must be 10 digits, preface with zeros if necessary
• Authorise someone (eg: a parent or older sibling)
• List of preferences, in correct order – it is easier to have the QTAC codes written down in order
• Credit card to make a payment which is processed overnight. Other options include B-Pay

Myths around OP Scores

I got an OP score a long time ago. Is it still valid for tertiary admission?

and

My OP only lasts one year, so it doesn’t matter what my OP is

Regardless of when you completed Year 12, your OP score will be converted to a selection rank for university admission purposes.

However, OPs are not directly comparable from year to year so the selection rank you receive from an older OP may not be equivalent to the same selection rank as a current OP.

You may need to look at getting a more competitive rank.

Each university will have their own policies for upgrading an entry rank, for how VET and other qualifications will be considered for entry, which subjects will meet subject prerequisites, and how adjustment factors will be applied.

We need to check with each institution you are thinking of studying with.

How can I increase my rank?

There are a number of ways you can gain a new, additional and more competitive selection rank that can be used as part of an application.

Upgrading your rank: you can gain a new, additional and more competitive rank by completing further studies such as one year of a bachelor’s degree, a diploma or certificate and even life experience. Your new rank may be better than that achieved in Year 12 and can be considered together with your Year 12 achievements – for each qualification that you have, you will have a separate selection rank.

Year 12 Students: Eligible applicants may receive adjustments such as QTAC EAS, Elite Athlete adjustments, Regional Preference, Year 12 Subject Adjustments, and others

For more information please see me and you can also contact the University you wish to apply to.

USQ Open Day 2019

“Find out how you can Become More with your local university at a 2019 USQ Open Day.

Whether you’re looking to be more employable, more inspired, more experienced, more knowledgeable, more prepared or more connected, we have the people, the facilities and the industry connections to help you

Become More of what you want to be.”

USQ Ipswich Open Day 2019   24 AUG 2019

10.00 AM – 1.00 PM  USQ Ipswich, 11 Salisbury Road, Ipswich

USQ Television and Radio Two Day Experience

Places are filling fast for students who aspire or have an interest to work in Television and Radio.

This is an opportunity, limited to just 35 school students (25 Television and 10 Radio) to take two days out of their school holidays (Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 September) to engage with USQ academics, current students and our industry partners.

Register now to attend an event that will outline some of the opportunities and the future needs the industry is facing, and give you a chance to experience the industry first-hand.

See me if you need assistance with registering for this event.

Managing your money                                                   

MoneySmart for Under 25s

The Money Smart website could be useful in assisting you with some first-time experiences like buying your first car, moving out of home, first job or getting your first big bill?

The website contains information on: credit and debt, getting a car, first job, moving out of home, mobile phone deals and plans, online transactions & studying

https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-and-you/under-25s

Certificate III in Business

https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/37-19-Certificate-III-in-Business.pdf

Current School-Based Vacancies

https://mailchi.mp/dc0815d2c925/golden-west-apprenticeships-current-school-based-vacancies-1642969?e=4905a922b4

Certificate II in Business (Event Planning)

https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/36-19-The-Event-Group-Certificate-III-in-Business-Event-Management.pdf

Congratulations Nathanael Ganly on your placement with The Fitlab

2019 Premier’s Reading Challenge has now closed

Students should ensure they have informed their English teacher of books read so their online reading record can be updated.

This week St Joseph’s College celebrated CBCA Book Week with the library hosting some much-loved activities.

The week started with the mesmerising, soothing voices of Ms Cockfield and Mrs Ramage during Story Time, as well as, the screening of the first episode of the Original BBC Narnia Chronicles from the 1980s. As each screening had a lucky ‘Golden Ticket’, the song, I’ve got a golden ticket, from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory played.

Story Time with Ms Cockfield – Day 1

Mr Fitz and others enjoying the screening of the 1st episode of the original BBC Chronicles of Narnia – Day 1

Day 1 Golden Ticket winner, Ella Prior.

Miss Harris and students enjoying the screening of the original BBC Chronicles of Narnia which showcases many Secret Powers – Day 2

Day 2 Golden Ticket winner, Monique Theile

On Wednesday, Ms Wighton presented Book Tasting with some appetising treats including hot milo and soup with thanks to Mrs Tory, mouth-watering biscuits from our very own Debbie Ditchmen and Anne Willett, and finishing off with some after dinner lollies.  It was a perfect way for students to nibble on a book and decide if they wanted to devour the whole thing. Students were exposed to new genres, authors and styles. Students were able to develop their first impressions of a variety of books.

Day 3 Golden Ticket winner, Pierce Wilson

Look out for more Book Week snapshots and news in next week’s newsletter.

POPULAR BOOK PASSAGES

The business of books is seldom about light-hearted virtues such as the personal experiences felt when reading a book. Books are about eye and page, about one human brain in conversation with another. Publishing usually centers on the mass: What do people want? What will most people buy? What do people respond to?

The next few newsletters will showcase some favourites.

The Popular Book Passage from last week was taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Can you guess from where this passage is taken?

‘You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!’

The book title will be in next week’s newsletter along with another passage.

Next Meeting :: September 3, 7 pm, Library.

Friday 23 August

Book Week
Year 7 Retreat
DD Cricket 10-12 years
Toowoomba Hospital Foundation Luncheon

Saturday 24 August

Sunday 25 August

Monday 26 August

Tuesday 27 August

Year 8 Retreat
Paul Morton Choral Festival – Downlands

Wednesday 28 August

Thursday 29 August

DD Track – Glennie

Friday 30 August

DD Field – Warwick

Saturday 31 August

Sunday 1 September

DD Cricket boys 10-12 years
Diocesan Feast Day Mass
Junior Vicki Wilson Gala Day

Monday 2 September

DD Cricket boys 10-12 years

Tuesday 3 September

QCS Test
P & F Meeting , 7pm

Wednesday 4 September

QCS Test

Thursday 5 September

Year 12 Study Day
Year 9/10 Drama Excursion  ‘The Twits’  9:30am

Friday 6 September

Year 12 Block Exams

Saturday 7 September

Sunday 8 September

Full 2019 Calendar

Click here to all upcoming events…

https://www.sjc.qld.edu.au/calendar/

Canteen Roster

Monday         26

Tuesday         27    Kristy Reynolds

Wednesday   28    Adul Lual

Thursday       29

Friday            30    Christina Geldard

In stock:-

Boys Formal Hats in size S, XS & XXS

All orders have been put on hold.  Please collect ASAP

Murphy Bucket Hats L-XL

Out of stock of the following:-

Cotton tights size  XTall

If you have items on hold at the uniform shop please call in and collect.  If you are unsure, please email sjct@midford.com.au or call 4631 8514 to check.

Online ordering is available at www.midford.com.au

Pass phase StJC1956

Second hand uniforms are also available at the Uniform Shop.

If you have used uniform items that would like to donate, please drop off to the Uniform Shop during opening hours.  Donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have used uniform items that you would like us to sell for you, please call into the uniform shop and collect a “Used Clothing” form. Used uniforms items MUST be in good condition, no holes, stains, missing buttons and hems intact. They also need to washed, ironed and current uniform.

If you have any questions, please call us on 4631 8514 during opening hours.

Please remember to send a note with your child, to show the classroom teacher, if they need to leave the College early for any reason.  Parent/Guardian are require to be physically present to sign out and collect a student.

Student Absentees

If your Child is absent please notify the College before 8:30am by either phoning, 4631 8500 using the new App or emailing office@sjc.qld.edu.au 

When phoning, please remember to speak clearly and leave the child’s full name and PC class.

Are your details correct in our system?

Is your information up to date?
Will your report card go to the right address?
Don’t miss important messages and updates on excursions send through the email system or App notification.

Please email any changes to office@sjc.qld.edu.au