NAPLAN

Year 7 and 9 students completed NAPLAN practice tests last week. 2024 NAPLAN testing will take place in March on the following dates:

• Wednesday 13 March – Writing
• Friday 15 March – Reading
• Monday 18 March – Conventions of Language
• Wednesday 20 March – Numeracy

More detailed timetables will be published closer to the testing.

We ask that all students try their best in the testing so that we have accurate information. The results from testing are used in conjunction with other data to assess individual and cohort strengths as well as areas to improve on. We review existing initiatives and develop teaching programs to support students based on the data.

Earphones (not Bluetooth) are compulsory for NAPLAN testing. Students who present to the test session with Bluetooth earphones or without earphones, will be sold a set - $6 charged to the students’ account. We urge all students to keep the earphones in their pencil case ready for testing sessions. The uniform shop has a small supply of earphones for $6. Earphones must have a 3.5mm standard jack. See images below. Wireless/Bluetooth earphones (e.g. Apple air pods) are not compatible.

If you wish to withdraw your student from NAPLAN testing, please contact Megan Munckton, Dean of Middle School, megan_munckton@shalomcollege.com

2024 Elevate Education Parent Webinars

Elevate Education delivers high-impact workshops that help to develop student study skills, motivation, and exam preparation. Over the next term, you are invited to join their parent webinar series, where you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills that will support their learning at school.

Upcoming Webinars:
• How You Can Help Your Child Manage Their Time - Wednesday 28 February 6:30pm
• How You Can Make Technology an Ally (& Not the Enemy!) - Wednesday 13 March 6:30pm
• How You Can Help Improve Your Child's Memory - Wednesday 27 March 6:30pm

Register for the series by clicking the link below and learn some practical strategies to help support your child this year. https://go.elevateeducation.com/auschoolwebinars 

Senior School

LUI Numbers

All Year 10 students now have a LUI number generated for them by the college. Students can view their LUI number on their SIA page by clicking on their photo ID and then select profile. Year 10 students will need a LUI number in term 3 when students set up their QCAA Student Portal account.

2023 ATAR Scaling Report

Last week the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) released the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) Report. This document provides an overview of the calculations of the Queensland ATAR for the 2023 Year 12 student cohort. This report can be found on the QTAC website in the publications area. https://www.qtac.edu.au/publications 

QCAA Student Portal Account

All Year 11 and 12 students by now should have registered and set up their QCAA Student Portal account. Could you please confirm with your child that they have set this up. Without this a student will not be able to monitor if they are on track to receive their QCE or have access to their Senior Education Profile. The SEP contains students’ results, senior statement and their QCE. This information is only available through the QCAA Student Portal account.

If your student has not yet set up their account or is having difficulty, please have them contact me at Student Reception for assistance.

Mrs Gail Norris
Assistant Principal - Curriculum
gail_norris@shalomcollege.com

New Feedback Method-  Learner Attributes

In 2024, Shalom College is excited to announce we are changing the way we give feedback on ‘learning attributes’ of our students to parents. In previous years, Shalom has issued an Interim Report card at the beginning of Term 2 as well as the normal End-of-Semester Report cards. Our new method of feedback will replace the Interim Report card. Additionally, the End-of-Semester Report cards will no longer show Application and Behaviour.

Instead, teachers will give feedback through Sia on the learning behaviours of students in each of their classes, as well as PC classes. This will be published to parents at the end of Week 5 in Term 1 & 3 for all Year 7-12 subjects and PC classes, and at the end of Week 5 in Term 2 & 4 for the Year 7/8 rotation subjects that occur in those terms.

Each student will be awarded either a Consistently (4), Mostly (3), Sometimes (2), Rarely (1) or Never (0) in the following criteria:

• Organisation - punctual to class, correct equipment in good working order, laptop charged, record book present
• Application - actively engaged in learning, appropriate use of technology (laptop, phone etc), homework complete
• Presentation - uniform worn appropriately, follows school guidelines for hair, make-up, jewellery etc
• College Values - treats others with dignity and respect, displays a positive attitude

This will appear on Sia Parent Dashboard under ‘Grades’.

and will appear as a mark out of 16.

More detailed information can be found by clicking on the ‘Learning Attributes’ link on the above screen.

After the initial feedback is published, teachers are able to update these criteria and re-publish them to parents at any time throughout the year and add a comment if necessary. Parents are advised of updates via Notifications in Sia. In this way, reporting on your child’s application in class is ‘live’, improving the quality of feedback for parents. We believe this is a significant improvement in our communication with parents, compared with the previous ‘point-in-time’ reporting.

Please note that end-of semester reports will still be issued as normal, however there will be no grade for Application and Behaviour on these reports.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions/concerns about our new method of providing feedback.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR SHALOM COLLEGE PHONE APP

Recently, Shalom has had some important updates to the phone app. Most notably, there is now a new button called ‘Clipboard’.

Clipboard is the application our sporting coaches use currently to record results and attendance at school sporting events. This year, we are allowing access for parents and students. This will allow students and parents to see:

• the schedule for upcoming sporting events for you/your/child both through the phone app as well as in the Sia Calendar
• the teams you/your child has signed up for
• any changes to the draw/venue etc which will be communicated via notifications on the phone app

Some of these functions are currently available while others will be rolled out over coming weeks. In the future, Clipboard may also be used for music groups, community groups etc and we may unlock other features through Clipboard – watch this space!

To enable these features to occur, could all members of the Shalom community update their Shalom phone app as soon as possible? Those who have automatic updates should have this installed automatically. If your screen looks like the picture below, with the ‘Clipboard’ button showing, then your phone is updated.

If you do not have automatic updates, you will need to go to your App Store, search for the Shalom College phone app, and press update. The update only takes seconds to do.

Please complete this update as soon as possible to gain the benefits that Clipboard offers.

Mr Brendan Maher
Assistant Principal - Administration
maherb@shalomcollege.com 

Pathways Information

UNIVERSITY

• QUT Advice Night –Tuesday 12 March
  

• Register for Work Experience or Professional Shadowing
• Work Experience Success in the School Holidays

ADDITIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

• Online Job Application Tips
• International Paramedic College

EVENTS

• The ADF are Visiting Shalom Tuesday 27 February

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• Cheshire Machinery – Administrative Assistant – Cert III in Business
• Active Security Group - Locksmith Apprenticeship

Click on the HERE for complete Pathways Newsletter for further information.

The Pathways Team
Mrs Liza O’Donnell, Mrs Kim Toll, Mrs Kathryn Laing, Ms Jacinta Cook & Mrs Cristel Simmonds
Liza_ODonnell@shalomcollege.com
kim_toll@shalomcollege.com
kathryn_laing@shalomcollege.com
jacinta_cook@shalomcollege.com
cristel_simmonds@shalomcollege.com

Parents and Carers of Year 11 & 12 Students 

If your child has obtained their Provisional Licence and wishes to drive to and from school you are required to fill out a Permission to Drive Form and return it to Student Reception for approval by Mr Aaron Brown.  Once approved the details will be placed on our School Register.

Preferred Student Absentee Option 

Parents are able to inform the College of student absentees via Parent Lounge, using the below pathway:

Parent Lounge> Student Details> Attendance> "+Add Absence Notification"

The Shalom College App has now been updated so when parents select "Absentee" it will re-direct to Parent Lounge for the absentee notification to be added.

For Parents that do not already have the College App please click below:

ALL student absentees should be notified to the office by 9am each day.  If no notification has been received, an absentee text message will be sent out to parents to advise of the student's absence.

Open Day - Tuesday 5 March 2024 - REGISTER NOW >

Applications Close - Friday 19 April 2024 – ONLINE ENROLMENT >

Second Hand Uniforms

We are currently not accepting second hand items, we will advise when we are able to accept them again. Thank you to everyone who has bought in second hand items. 

Back in Stock

The uniform shop has now been restocked with boys shirts and girls blouses.  Available now.

Mrs Leanne Barker
Uniform Shop
barkerl@shalomcollege.com

Monday to Thursday: 8.00am to 12.00pm

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Friday: Closed

Tickets on sale now via the link www.trybooking.com/COQMY

It has been very encouraging the interest shown in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. There will be an afternoon meeting tentatively organised for Thursday 7 March in Lingiari 1 classroom from 3.30pm - 4.30pm.

You need to complete the following steps before the meeting on 7 March.

1) Email Mr Eke at David_Eke@shalomcollege.com to express your interest in the Award. This will allow me to tailor my correspondence to specific students.

2) Register on the Duke of Edinburgh Website at:

https://www.onlinerecordbook.org/fo/

When completing your Registration the Award Centre is Shalom College and the Award Leader is me. It will ask for my email which is David_Eke@shalomcollege.com. Complete all details and use your school email address. If you get stuck come and find me.

3) Complete payment through Parent Lounge. Your parents will receive an invitation once you have successfully registered you application through the online record book.

Any queries please email me.

Mr David Eke
Dean of Student Welfare
david_eke@shalomcollege.com

I am seeking expressions of interest from school community members who wish to complete a Kokoda Track. The prospective dates are April or July 2025 during the school holidays. At this point I am just checking to see if there is enough interest from the school community to put a formal proposal to the Diocese.

The Kokoda Track in PNG is a famous and iconic trek normally completed in 6 to 9 days. The Track itself is 96 km long and goes from Ower’s Corner in the South to Kokoda Village in the North. The track traverses the beautiful and rugged Owen Stanley Mountain Range. This trek provides many challenges to even the most experienced bushwalker, hot and intensely humid during the daytime and on occasions very cold at night with frequent torrential rainfall – this is certainly not for the faint-hearted. However, it is breathtakingly beautiful in parts, with enriching cultural interaction with predominantly the Koiari people and including the Orokaiva people who live closer to the coast at Buna and Gona. This trek is a test of endurance test for anyone who wants to challenge themselves.

Much of the track retraces the steps of Australian soldiers in World War 2. There are relics and obvious signs of the conflict such as weapon pits scattered along the track. We visit and pass through a number of battle sites such as Loribaiwa Ridge, Brigade Hill, Eora/Iora Creek, Isurava and Kokoda. For Australians, these sites hold great cultural and historic significance.

If this trek is approved and if there is enough interest, we will be using a well-known Australian trekking company with a very good safety record. The cost of the trek is approximately $3200. There is approximately a $500 saving as an Australian guide is not required. Return Travel to PNG will be between $700 and $900. For the last 10 years or so trekking companies have suggested you use your own porter to carry your personal gear. This is well worth the cost of the $720 as they will walk with you, set up your gear as well as carrying your pack.

The minimum age for students will be 16 years of age, however, this may be reduced if a student is accompanied by a parent.

Having completed my 14^th trek, I can attest to the fact it is a life altering experience. It is also something which will require training and commitment.

Please provide me your expression of interest by Friday 1^st March by email at david_eke@shalomcollege.com

Mr David Eke
Dean of Student Welfare
david_eke@shalomcollege.com

Recently, I attended the Young ChangeMakers program hosted by the University of Queensland, a thrilling experience that has left an extremely positive lasting impact on my life. From the first day, I was welcomed into a community of inspirational, like-minded individuals passionate about building a better tomorrow.

The program was designed to challenge and provoke innovative thoughts, forcing me to think outside the box and consider problems from all angles. Through various intriguing lectures and tutorials, we were given the opportunity to collaborate and explore multiple fields of study at UQ, including a special visit to the “Queensland Brain Institute”. As well as immersing ourselves in various career pathways (eg. engineering, medicine, biophysics, law), we attended inspirational lectures focused on leadership and innovation in the real world, including a speech from Professor Peter Greste titled, ‘Resilience in the Face of Adversity’.

Another highlight of the camp was networking with enthusiastic individuals already studying/or wanting to study in my desired field. These connections opened my mind to more possibilities at university, revealing a variety of career pathways and providing invaluable advice.

I highly recommend this program to other students.

Applications for the 2024 UQ Young ChangeMakers Program open in May. Please see Dean of Senior School, Mrs Allen, if you are interested. The program is open to Year 11 students.

Zain Ali
Shalom College Vice Captain, 2024

On Wednesday 21 February, 8 Year 9 students attended the Bundaberg Region Intrapreneurship Day hosted by the Bundaberg Regional Council and run by Young Change Agents.

Along with students from other regional schools our Shalom students had a great day addressing sustainability issues in the Bundaberg region.

Our two teams were:

Desilva D, Alan B, Rebecca G & Peyton C

Ryder D, Connor P, Rhys N & Archer K

I would like to thank both teams for all of the hard they put in on the day.

They listen to Industry experts from many different areas outlining what the major issues are in their industries. Students then workshopped creative ideas on how to address some of these issues. This culminated in a team presentation where they explain and modelled their unique solution to an identified problem.

The top three presentations were awarded a prize whereby they will be able to work with the Young Change Agent team to further develop their ideas.

Both teams presented their ideas very well but congratulations goes to the boys’ teams for coming in third and winning the opportunity to work further on their innovative idea – “The Leftovers” app. So, watch this space to see what they come up with in the future.

If you would like to see a snapshot of what Shalom STEM students get up to, click on the YouTube link https://youtu.be/0Y3yOW92Oes 

Mrs Debbie Bishop
STEM Co-ordinator – Science and Math
bishopd@shalomcollege.com 

Shalom Chess Success

“Of Chess it has been said that life is not long enough for it, but that is the fault of life, not Chess” (William Ewart Napier)

Congratulations to the 24 players who represented Shalom at the Inter-School Chess Competition held on Wednesday 22 February at St Luke’s. Shalom entered an impressive six teams on the day, significantly the largest of any school, and produced some notable results.

Particular congratulations go to Shalom Black (Callum M, Waylen H, JJ W and Taniela K) who received a team silver medal in the Premier Division. Scores were tied for first place at the end of the day, however our team was heartbreakingly relegated to second by the algorithm used for ‘tie-breakers’. Callum received a silver medal and Waylen received a bronze medal in the individual categories – outstanding results from these boys.

Shalom Black - Silver Medal Winner                 Waylen H (Bronzel) and Callum M (Silver)

The Shalom Red team (Nicota F, Jonathin E, Jacob B and Robert G) were not far from a podium finish in the Premier Division reflecting the depth of talent we enjoy at Shalom. Our remaining team in Premier Division of Shalom Blue (Tyler P, Cannon Z, Mason C and Zach G), also scored plenty of wins – even more impressive given their young age.

In Division B, Shalom White (Will M, Eli B, Rowel F and Leo W), despite finishing with a high score, missed out on a team medal by a small margin. Shalom Yellow (Jai P, Jacksen P, Noah B and Heath A) and Shalom Green (Xavier S, Zara W, Sebastian T and Baxter W) won their fair share of matches and also finished on quite high scores. It was particularly pleasing to see these Year 7/8 teams produce some excellent chess which is promising for the future of Shalom Chess.

Congratulations also go to Nicota F, Leo W, Tyler P, Will M and JJ W who received a Merit ribbon for consistent performance on the day - an impressive achievement.

Merit Ribbon Winners

To see the results in their entirety, follow the link:

https://gardinerchess.com.au/event-results/inter-school-competition-results/ 

If you are interested in playing or learning chess, then you are more than welcome to join us at chess club on Tuesdays at 11.25am-12.00pm in Beerarlem. The more the merrier! You can find more information about Shalom Chess on our Chess Group Page (https://schoolbox.shalomcollege.com/homepage/6024)

 
Chess joke: I beat a Grand Master in 3 moves. Turns out he is terrible at karate

Mr Brendan Maher
maherb@shalomcollege.com 
Mr Steven Love
steven_love@shalomcollege.com 
Chess Coordinators

 

Cycling

Congratulations to Elise V who recently competed in Brisbane at the Anna Meares Velodrome.  Elise won a silver medal after competing at the QLD State Championships. Elise will now compete this weekend at the National Track Championships.  Well done and all the best.

Mr Peter Robinson
Dean of Student Welfare
High Performance Program
After School Activities 
Peter_Robinson@shalomcollege.com

 

Hockey - QLD Team Selections

Congratulations to the following four Shalom Students, Ethan K, Connor C, Tully D and Ava M who were selected to represent the Under 16 QLD Hockey Teams (Boys and Girls) following trials held in Brisbane recently.

They will compete at the National Championships held in Hobart, Tasmania from Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 April this year. 

The students selected gained place as follows:

Boys Maroon Team
Ethan K

Boys Gold Team
Connor C

Boys Shadow
Tully D

Girls Gold Team
Ava M

Congratulations & well done to all.

Mr Peter Robinson
Dean of Student Welfare
High Performance Program
After School Activities 
Peter_Robinson@shalomcollege.com

 

Rowing Challenge & Come Try Success!

The last couple of weeks have been busy for the rowing team. We had over 80 students take on the Rowing Challenge at the school gym. Competing against the clock, students put in their best effort to get the fastest 500m time or 250m time for the Year 7s. The winner for each category – Junior, Senior, boys and girls received a well-earned Tuckshop voucher.

The winner's were:

Senior Boys – Ryan S & Freddie C
Junior Boys – Max L
Senior Girls – Amelia W
Junior Girls – Mary S
Year 7 Boy – Mason B
Year 7 Girl – Hailey G & Peyton L

Congratulations to the winners and all the students that took part.

In addition, we have been running come try sessions on the water. Over 50 students were brave and tried out a new sport. We are excited that over half have joined our team. Training has started this week, and we look forward to bringing the Shalom community updates with our upcoming season.

Keep being oarsome.

Ms Teressa Tibbey
HPE Teacher and Rowing Coordinator
teressa_tibbey@shalomcollege.com

Mr Nick Smith
INTAD Teacher Assistant and Rowing Coach
nicholas_smith@shalomcollege.com

Term Dates for 2024 

Term 1: Monday 22 January – Thursday 28 March (10 weeks)

Term 2: Monday 15 April – Friday 21 June (10 weeks)

Term 3: Monday 8 July – Friday 13 September (10 weeks)

Term 4: Monday 30 September – Thursday 5 December (10 weeks)

Breakfast is available every morning for purchase from 8.00am - 8.30am.

Items available are:

Croissant Ham & Cheese $3.00
Big Breakfast $6.00
Toasted Sandwich $4.00
Bacon & Egg Muffins $3.50
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Wraps $4.00
Breakfast Bars $1.50
Fresh Salad Tub $4.00
Yoghurt Pots $3.00
Hashbrowns 3 for $1.00

Up & Go drinks and flavoured milk are available everyday.

Students who train before school need to consider utilising the breakfast menu to replenish energy lost during their early morning training sessions, however, students must be dressed appropriately before entering the tuckshop and must not be late for class.

If you are interested in volunteering at our College Tuckshop, we would love for you to indicate your availability and book a shift following the link below. 

The booking system helps to accommodate our very much appreciated regular volunteers, but also families who may not be able to commit on a regular basis and have a day here or there throughout the year. The beauty of this system is that you can select your day and manage your booking, so if something comes up, you can quickly and easily go online to reschedule or cancel. Your booking will generate a confirmation email with links to manage your booking, it can be synched with your calendar and an SMS is sent the day before as a reminder. Of course, we are also here to help - simply contact Shalom College on 4155 8111.

For those of you who are regular volunteers your shifts have already been added to the schedule for this year and you should have received an e-mail for each booked shift.

Shifts last from 2-3 hours (school drop off to around 11.30 am).

No experience required!

The Shalom Markets are open every Sunday 6am-midday. Come along to purchase your fresh fruit and vegetables, local food products and handmade items. 

Volunteers Required - Markets Tuckshop

We are seeking your help!! We are always in need of new volunteers for the Markets Tuckshop and BBQ.  If your child/children would like to gain some work experience, why not get them to volunteer in the canteen. If you have a few hours you could spare to assist in our canteen, please click on the link below to register your assistance or contact Leanne via email at barkerl@shalomcollege.com.

If we get enough volunteers, it may work out that you only need to volunteer once per term.

Register to Volunteer HERE

Markets Tuckshop Roster

Markets BBQ Roster

Office Hours: 9:00 - 1:00 Monday to Friday
Parish Office: Rossolini Place Level 1, 66 Woongarra St
Phone: 07 4151 6666    PO Box 79 Bundaberg QLD 4670
Email: sbundaberg@rok.catholic.net.au
AFTER HOURS:  Anointing of the sick for medical emergencies
phone 4151 6666 and follow the prompt
UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF MARY MOTHER OF CHURCH

"The annual parish "Good News" magazine is now available in all churches for a Gold Coin Donation. As you read our in-house publication of the Good News magazine this year, discover the ways in which our parish vision statement is being made clear.

A Lifetime in a Year-Rotary Youth Exchange - Applications Now Open

Do you know someone that would like to experience a Year in a Lifetime? Well, read on!

Applications for the Rotary Youth Exchange Program 2024/25 are now open! Students in Years 9-12, with an interest in traveling abroad, learning a new language, and immersing themselves in a new culture and way of life are invited to apply for this opportunity. We offer short (10-12 weeks) and our long term which is our 12 month program. Please go to https://ryea.org.au/ to express your interest and for more information.

Rotary International is one of the largest service organisations in the world. The mission of Rotary, is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Our Youth Exchange program achieves this with reciprocal hosting between countries.

The program began in 1958 and has helped thousands of students worldwide learn a new language, learn lifelong leadership skills and make lasting friendships with students from around the world and not just from the country they are visiting. One of the goals of the Rotary Youth Exchange is to promote world peace and cultural understanding.

We'll be looking to welcome more students from abroad in July. If you're not keen on an exchange, but you're a family who would like to host a student, please apply via:

https:// ryea.org.au/host-family-application/

We will be holding an Information session online on Sunday February 25th at 10am. We will have students currently on exchange to talk about their experience and answer any questions you may have.

For more information, please contact Heather Sugget on 0400 553 295 or rye@rotary9560.org

Interested families can enrol their child using the online referral link on our website, http://phoenixhouse.com.au. 

Shalom College Families Business and Trade Directory 

To help assist the Shalom College community in supporting local businesses that are run by Shalom families, we have created our Shalom College Families Business and Trade Directory. If you would like to be listed in this directory, please send a copy of your business card to Mr Peter Robinson who will be establishing and developing this directory to Peter_Robinson@shalomcollege.com

Student Travel Rebates 

Would you like to know more about the Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme and eligibility requirements? Click on the link to view the short introductory video here: https://youtu.be/ogWpq7tVaio 

Student travel rebate applications open 1-31 May for Semester 1. Please click here to check if you are eligible.