Year 12 External Exams

External Exams for Yr 12 General Subjects will occur over the period from Monday 21 October – Friday 8 November.

Attached is some important information about this time including:

• External Assessment Timetable
• Directions for Students
• External Exam Equipment List
• Student Expectations During Exam Block

Could parents and students please familiarise themselves with these important documents in preparation for the External Exam period?

Please note that normal classes continue during Week 1-3 of Term 4 (30 Sep – 18 Oct), however students need only attend school for the exams they are sitting during the External Exam Block. Students who are required to complete outstanding work may also be required to attend school during the External Exam block as organised by the relevant classroom teacher.

Good luck with your study and your exams!

SIA – LOG ON NOW! GET THE PHONE APP!

‘Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.’ -Warren Buffet

A parent’s role in the education of their child is vital. Student outcomes will be maximised when parents and teachers are both involved in their child’s education and have positive interactions. Sia is a fantastic way for parents to be fully informed about student progress, assessment due dates, news items, upcoming events, assessment results etc.

Sia, and the Shalom phone app, have been available to parents since the beginning of 2022. Currently, our parent login rate is slightly lower than the end of last year. We would like all our parents to be successfully logged into Sia as soon as possible. Attached in the link below is a Parent “Everything You Need To Know About Sia’ Guide which includes how to log in for the first time. The phone app is super-convenient – a must-have for parents!

Our IT team will have sent the login details for Sia to all new parents to the school at the beginning of the year. If you have misplaced these details, or are having technical difficulties, please contact our Shalom IT department via email at shalomit@shalomcollege.com or phone 41558131 during office hours 8am - 3.30pm Monday to Friday, Tuesdays are 8.30am - 3.30 pm.

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

If you would like to submit any sporting achievements about your child/children along with a photo, please email your submissions to GillsS@shalomcollege.com
Please note photo submissions must only include photos of students from Shalom.

You can also keep up to date with anything sport related via our Facebook page - Shalom College Sport.

Athletics

Congratulations to Koby I on his performance at the recent Qld Schools Athletics Championships held in Brisbane. Koby was representing Wide Bay and finished 2nd in the 3000m Walk race, earing himself an automatic qualifier to compete in Perth at the Australian National Championships early 2025. Good luck Koby!!!

Congratulations to Shalom students Ethan K, Tully D, Connor C, Cohen U and Ava M, who will all be playing representative Hockey in National/International competitions over the next month or two.

Ethan will be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the first two weeks of November participating in the Mirnawan Cup against India, South Africa, Malaysia, Korea, Canada and Austria.

Tully will play for QLD in a tournament held in Brisbane this November.

Connor is representing QLD in a quad series tournament in Canberra in November, playing against ACT, NSW and Victoria.

Ava and Cohen will play for QLD in a quad series competition in Hamilton, New Zealand in December.

Good luck to you all!!

Swimming

Congratulations to Shalom student Aarj D, who recently competed in the Queensland Open Water Championships in Coolum, racing in the Men’s 14 & over 2.5km swim event. He placed second in his age category (14) and finished fourth overall.

Shalom Wide Bay Cricket Representatives

Congratulations to Shalom students Adrian C and Tyson M who recently represented Wide Bay and the 10-12yrs Boys Cricket State Carnival on the Gold Coast. Go Wide Bay!!!!

Congratulations to Shalom Year 7 student Abbey-Rose G on gaining QLD selection in the 12yrs Girls Cricket team.  Abbey-Rose will participate in the National Carnival in Month in Adelaide.

Abbey-Rose was also part of the 12yrs Girls Football team that finished 6^th in the state carnival last term in Townsville.

Good luck at the Nationals!!!

Mr Simon Gills
Sports Coordinator
GillsS@shalomcollege.com

“The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake” (Savielly Tartakover)

On 12 and 13 October, Shalom’s top chess team, made up of Callum M, Waylen H, Seth G, Luke R, Max C, and Harry L, travelled to St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace in Brisbane to compete in the prestigious State Inter-School Chess Championships. Shalom qualified for this event after winning the Wide Bay North Regional Finals in Term 3, facing off against the top teams from across Queensland—a formidable challenge.

The Shalom team secured an impressive 15th place out of 22 schools statewide and ranked 5th among the Regional schools. Leading the way were Callum M (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses), Luke R (3 wins, 1 loss), and Waylen H (2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses), with Seth, Harry, and Max also contributing valuable victories. The team displayed remarkable chess skills against tough competition, showing how much they’ve grown as players. Congratulations to these boys for their outstanding performances—we look forward to hopefully doing it all again next year.

A special shoutout goes to our Year 12 students—Seth, Luke, Max, and Harry—who have been dedicated members of Shalom chess for many years. They have been fantastic companions and exceptional chess players. The boys ended their Shalom chess careers on a high note, winning the last two regional tournaments and competing at the State Finals. Their absence will leave a significant gap in our chess team, and they will be greatly missed. A big thank you also to Steven Love, who was excellent company and an inspiring mentor throughout the trip.

To see the results in their entirety, including both team and individual results, follow the link: (https://gardinerchess.com.au/event-result/2024-queensland-inter-school-state-finals/). If you wish to keep in touch with all things Shalom Chess, then follow our Sia Chess Group page (https://schoolbox.shalomcollege.com/homepage/6024).

If you would like to play some chess, or learn how to, you are most welcome to attend our Chess Club which meets each Tuesday at 11.25am-12pm in Beerarlem. We would love you to join us in the classy and noble pursuit of chess.

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

QISSN ART COMPETITION WINNER!

Congratulations to Year 9 Student Matilda O, the winner of our QISSN Art Competition!

Judges felt Matilda's artwork reflected items detailed in the brief well, and there was a complexity to her piece that they really appreciated.

Mrs Nadia Tairawhiti
Shalom Netball Coordinator
Nadia_Tairawhiti@shalomcollege.com

Pathways Information

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• See the range of part-time, full-time and apprenticeship roles on offer on the Pathways Sia Page and in this week’s newsletter

EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

• Applications open for Bundaberg’s next junior entrepreneur
• Self-Employment Assistance Program for school leavers – designed to help kickstart business and gain real-world experience

APPRENTICESHIPS/TRADES

• East Coast Apprenticeship student drop in session – Thursday 7 November 3pm-5pm
• MEGT First Nations paid Customer Service Traineeship

UNIVERSITY

• What’s Next – when can I expect to receive an offer, what if I change my mind about the course I applied for, what are the differences between conditional and unconditional offers and what if I don’t receive any offers

Discover exciting career insights in this week’s Pathways Newsletter

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

Shalom College After School Activities (SCASA)

Please note: Basketball has been cancelled for today, Monday 21 October.

Shalom College is offering students the opportunity to participate in organised afterschool activities conducted by coaches and teachers. SCASA also includes a light afternoon tea from 3.15 pm for the students and all activities will conclude at 4.45 pm.

Days

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the 3 available afternoons for SCASA.

Dates

SCASA commences in Week 2 of Term and continues for 8 continuous weeks

Times

3.00 pm - School lessons completed.
3.15 pm - Roll Call and afternoon tea (supplied) at College tuckshop and set up time for coaches.
3.30 pm - Activities/Coaching starts (various venues within school grounds).
4.30 pm - Activities/Coaching finished.
4.45 pm - Students help pack up and return equipment and picked up by parents at front of school.

SCASA Activities - see below

Monday
Option 1 - Drama Club with Brigette McMahon (Performing Arts Precinct)
Option 2 - Cross Country Club with Matt Grills (Oval) - Cancelled for Term 4 due to not enough interest.
Option 3 - Basketball with Keenan Mullaney (SC or Hangar)

Tuesday
Option 1 - Dance with Keeley O'Mara (Dance Room) 
Option 2 - e-Sports with Gavin Hill (Computer labs)

Thursday
Option 1 - Next-Jenner-ation Running training with Rebecca Jenner (Oval)
Option 2 - Tennis with Brendan Maher (Tennis Courts)
Option 3 - e-Sports with Gavin Hill (Computer labs)
Option 4 - Volleyball with Jade Tatnell (SC or Hangar) 
Option 5 - Can-do-Crew visiting Gracehaven Retirement home with Nicole Anderson (Bus to and from Gracehaven) 

Cost

The SCASA Fee is $25.00 per term for each student.
This is to help cover the afternoon tea and instructors/coach costs.
This flat fee of $25.00 is for one, two or all three afternoons activities.
This is to encourage participation in SCASA activities.

After completing the SCASA sign on google form, at approximately week 3 of the term - you will receive an invitation on Parent Lounge regarding SCASA.

Please wait until week 3 of term then login to Parent Lounge to give permission for your child to attend SCASA and pay the $25.00 fee.

Once there, click on the ‘Tours and Excursions’ tab and you will find a link to SCASA Term 3 - Here you will be able to give permission for your child to attend and pay the fee.

Please also check your contact details and phone numbers are current, as we will be using this information to contact you if needed. It is very important that all information in Parent Lounge is current as teachers will use this information in case of an emergency and to support the welfare of your child.

Please make sure that you click SAVE before logging out. If you require assistance with Parent Lounge login, please contact the College Office.

Other school sporting teams will continue to have their own training sessions as usual under the direction of their coaches e.g. Strength and Conditioning training, Rugby League, Netball, Touch Football etc.

This SCASA program is designed to give extra opportunities for Shalom College students to become involved in supervised activities after school.

Please complete the student and parent details in the google form below

REMINDER - no confirming phone calls are made by the school to confirm you are in the program - as once you sign on and you receive an online response - your child has been registered and please turn up starting week 2 of term.

SPECIAL NOTE - Once an activity is full - I will omit it from the selections below - so it cannot be selected.

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

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.

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.

A reminder to Students and Parents that legislation dictates that families need to provide their own labelled box of Panadol and/or Nurofen for staff to dispense. If you would like our Admin Office to hold medication for your child/children, please submit the appropriately labelled medication box together with a signed copy of the Student Medication form to our Office.

Medical Certificate Absentee Notification

When providing medical certificates for your child/children's non-attendance could you please ensure that these are scanned (jpeg or png) and attached in the email (absentees@shalomcollege.com) or alternatively dropped into the main administration office.

We are no longer able to accept a photo of the medical certificate via email.

If you advise any of your child/children's Teachers or Head of House (via email) of any non-attendance, could you please also advise the admin office via the preferred options. Either email as an attachment to absentees@shalomcollege.com or via the Parent Lounge (as per the process above - under Absentees).

There are four DEFIB locations throughout the College. Please take note of their locations should you need to know in the case of an emergency. We also have one DEFIB at Chaverim, our outdoor education centre, 76 South Bingera Road, South Bingera 4670.

Uniform Shop Hours

Monday to Thursday: 8.00am to 12.00pm

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Friday: Closed

A reminder that if you intend to use the College Fitness Centre, you must follow the steps below:

1. Collect a permission form, either from the Fitness Centre Office or Sports Centre Office.
2. Return the signed form to Miss Mitchell (Sports Centre Office)
3. Complete an induction. These will be completed before school by appointment with Mr Burnett or after school with Miss Mitchell.

Ms Melinda Pearson
Head of Department - Physical Education
melinda_pearson@shalomcollege.com 

The first of our runners-up in the Literary Wonders writing competition is a short story from the yr 7-8 category called Something Even ‘Abracadabra’ Can’t Fix. This composition penned by Lilian T. highlights the roller-coaster of emotions and anxieties through the lens of the younger teen in a busy family dynamic.

Something Even ‘Abracadabra’ Can’t Fix

They say it’s difficult, saying ‘magic words’ like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.

You’ve learned that your family has no magic words.

You remember a time in your childhood when the sound of your mum’s laugh was still familiar. It wasn’t anything spectacular – no magical chiming sound that anyone would really write about – but it was there, and it was real. These days, it’s seldom-seen smiles scattered here and there, cutting comments carving craters in your self-esteem, and strung-out silences saturated with unsaid things. The walls of your childhood home stare at you with scorn, adorned with the accomplishments of your sisters. Where’s mine? You cringe in bitter spite. It only reminds you that you’ve never even had a piece of paper with your name on it.

Everyone romanticises the idea of being the youngest child, yet you’ve never once had the sweet taste of fleeting favouritism. Nowadays, you’re labelled as cold and quiet, which makes sense, since the magic of childhood rarely bothered to offer its brittle hand to you, that caged little girl hidden in the murky depths of your sisters’ suffocating shadows.

And even though your sisters have moved away, they’re somehow still the most interesting thing about you. Everywhere you turn, you face a question about them, so you’re left with no choice but to go back to the place where it’s just you, Mum, and Dad in a house too big to run from, yet too small to hide in.

You also remember a time when your dad would hit the spiders in your bedroom for you, a sure punishment for their simple existence, and you championed him as a hero, childish as you were. Not that you’ve changed all that much.

To be honest, you’re still scared of the same things, for the most part – the dark, spiders, and making your mum angry, to name a few – but it’s a little different now.

Now, the spiders run kind of rampant, and the webs of lies entangle even the most innocent conversations; you discover that your fear has only grown. You hear crunches under your feet and glance down to see eggshells lining the cold, tiled floors. Over the next few years, you will walk over these same eggshells over and over again, and you will come to know the way they stab at your soles. It’s a feeling that will be foreign and familiar all at once: a sure punishment for your simple existence.

And it’s this feeling that fuels the realisation within you that the magic of childhood fades with time, and that even though you ‘ve learned to like the silence, you’ve grown to hate the house of cards that you grew up in because day after day, you are reminded that there can’t be any ‘magic words’ in a house where there really aren’t many words at all.

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)

Term 1: Tuesday 28 January – Friday 4 April (10 weeks)

Term 2: Tuesday 22 April – Friday 27 June (10 weeks)

Term 3: Monday 14 July – Friday 19 September (10 weeks)
Year 12 Formal: Saturday 6 September

Term 4: Tuesday 7 October – Thursday 4 December (9 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
Breakfast Bars $1.50
Fresh Salad Tub $4.50
Yoghurt Pots $3.00
Hashbrowns 2 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.

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.

Stewardship Renewal

As a Stewardship Parish, the Bundaberg Catholic Parish is involved in more than ninety outreaches to all in our community.

Parishioners discern their gifts and talents and then offer these for the pastoral care, support, and service of others.

The outreaches vary from visiting the sick and housebound to grounds and property maintenance; from proclaiming the scripture at Church liturgies to support of relatives and friends of recently deceased; from church cleaning to providing hospitality.

Our schools and College are the educational and faith formation arm of our parish as are St Vincent de Paul, Oz Care, and Catholic Care our charitable and social arm while the Mater hospital is our health arm. Together we strive to make a difference in our community in whatever way our gifts can lead us.

During the next few weeks, we will be renewing our commitment to serve, to be good stewards of the gifts we have been given.  

We ask you to join us as together we live out our Christian commitment and our Parish Vision – “to go out, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God’s  Love respectfully, with all people”.

For further information please email: Stewardship.Bundaberg@rok.catholic.net.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 October for Semester 2. Please click here to check if you are eligible.