7 November 2016

Principal’s Reflection

I just flew back to Bundaberg after spending a week in Toronto, Canada at an International Principals’ Conference. Lovely place, but cold this time of year. Amongst lots of other things, it is great to notice the change in season and the colour of the leaves as ‘Fall’ takes hold. I came across this story while I was there that I thought had a pretty pertinent message:

A Canadian bird decided that it was too much trouble to fly south for the winter. He said to himself, “I can brave a winter, lots of animals do it. It can’t be too hard”. So as all the other birds flew off to sunnier places, he stayed behind and waited for winter to arrive.

As the cold weather increased, he was having some serious second thoughts. He had never been so cold and he couldn’t find any food. Finally, he broke down and cried. He realised that if he didn’t get going soon he was going to die. So he started flying south all on his own.

After a while it began to rain and then the water turned to ice on his wings. Struggling, he recognised that he couldn’t fly any longer. He concluded that this was the end and glided down to a crash landing near a barnyard.

As he lay there frozen and stunned, a cow stepped over him and dropped a plop right on top of him. He was totally disgusted. Here he was dying, freezing to death, and now this. “What a horrible way to go,” he thought. So he held his breath and tried to die with dignity.

After a few minutes he realised a miracle was happening, he was warming up. The ice was melting and his muscles were thawing out. His blood started to flow again – he was going to live. He became so excited he started to sing.

At that moment the farm’s old tomcat awoke and heard him singing. He hadn’t heard that sound for quite some time and said, “Is that a bird? I thought they all went south for winter.” He came out of the barn, crossed over to the bird, gently pulled him out of the cow plop cleaned him off – and ate him.

There are three morals to this story:

1. Not everyone who plops on you is a friend
2. Not everyone who cleans a plop off you is a friend
3. If anyone drops a plop on you, keep your mouth shut

Sometimes we fail to recognise who our true friends are. Sometimes we can blame God for the miseries of life that we feel He has dumped on us but in reality he just wants us to change.

Welcome 2017 Year 7s

We welcome to Shalom this afternoon for their Orientation, the 2017 Year 7 cohort. We have had very strong enrolment demand for places in Year 7 next year and I am sure that this group of young women and men will make a very positive contribution to the life of this community.

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal

Newsletter Articles

Year 12 Graduation Liturgy

Curriculum Notes

Publication of Year 12 Subject Achievement Indicators (SAIs)

SAIs for current OP-eligible Year 12 students will be published for checking in the College Administration Building outside Mr Maher’s office from 8:00am Wednesday 23 November to Friday 2 December 2016.

An SAI is used to communicate the relative achievement of a student within a subject within a school. Relative achievement relates to order and gap, i.e. the relative rank of a student in a subject group and the difference between the student and other students in a subject group.

Only OP-eligible students are given an SAI for each subject they study. OP-ineligible students are not included in SAI decision making. Therefore, SAIs will only be relevant to current OP-eligible Year 12 students and will only be accessible by these students and/or their parents.

If on checking your child believes an error has been made in determining an SAI they are encouraged to contact the class teacher, the relevant Learning Area Coordinator or me immediately. More information on SAIs is available for download from the Student Connect portal at:

Change of subjects for 2017

We will be accepting requests for change of subjects for 2017 from next Monday 14 November. To facilitate the process a form has been created and will be posted on the College Intranet under the ‘Documents’ tab for current Year 8, 9 and 10 students also on this date. Alternatively, parents may write a letter requesting changes; please include the name of the student, the year level for 2017 (Year 9, 10 or 11), the subject(s) originally selected and the new selection.

When considering changes note that some changes may not be possible due the limited availability of places or clashes as the timetable nears completion. All changes must be communicated in writing by Friday 25 November 2016. Requests made after this date may be held over until the start of the new school year and may not be included in the timetable initially issued.

Subject details may be found in the subject selection guides available for download from the College Website or Intranet.

Year 11 End of Semesters Examinations

The Year 11 End of Semester Two Examination Timetable has been posted on the College Intranet (‘Assessment & Reporting’ tab) and the College website (Curriculum/Senior School/Forms and Publications).

It is important that students who are absent from examinations contact the appropriate House Coordinator immediately. In most cases, supplementary sittings will be required of students who miss scheduled examinations. For further information on procedures for missed examinations please see pages 16 and 17 of the Student Record Book.

End of semester examinations are scheduled for Year 11 students from Monday 21 to Friday 25 November. During examination blocks Year 11 students are only required to attend when an examination is scheduled; however, when in attendance, irrespective of duration or reason, students must wear full and correct day uniform.

Students who have few or no examinations scheduled during the examination block are expected to be engaged in organised Work Experience, Structured Workplace Learning related to VET studies or attendance at a workplace related to an established School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship. Please contact Mrs Liza O’Donnell on 4155 8136 or at Liza_ODonnell@shalomcollege.com for more information about Work Experience, Structured Workplace Learning or School-based Apprenticeships or Traineeships.

Year 10 End of Semester Examinations

Year 10 end of semester examinations are scheduled for Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 November. The timetable has been posted on the College Intranet under the ‘Assessment & Reporting’ tab and the College Website.

As this will be the first time that Year 10 students are confronted with an examination block, parents and students need to be aware of some variations to conditions, especially attendance. During examination blocks students are only required to attend if they have a scheduled examination or supplementary assessment. There are five examination sessions in the block and not all students have examinations in each session.

Students who cannot be conveniently collected, who cannot make their own way home, who have to wait for a bus or whose parents prefer them to be in attendance throughout the school day will be supervised and engaged in meaningful learning activity until 3:00pm on each day of the examination block.

Help and Advice for Year 12 Students About Careers or QTAC Applications

Year 12 students and parents who need urgent advice during the summer break may contact the Careers Advisor, Mr Troy Braund at Troy_Braund@shalomcollege.com. This service is available for students and parents who need to discuss current QTAC applications, especially during the period Monday 19 December 2016 to Friday 13 January 2017.

Please include your name, a brief outline of the query, a return telephone / mobile phone contact number and available contact times in the text of the e-mail. Mr Braund will do his best to make contact or refer your enquiry as soon as possible.

Please note that this service is for parents and students in Years 12 who are seeking urgent career advice. All other routine enquiries should be directed to the College office during business hours.

Mr Christian Taylor
Assistant to the Principal – Curriculum
taylorc@shalomcollege.com

Quiet Achiever

Our Quiet Achiever for this week is Chloe Bonus, Year 12 McAuley House. Since knowing Chloe over her 5 years as a Shalom Student, I and many other teachers have watched her mature into a kind, generous, cooperative, giving young lady. She is always willing to lend a hand or be part of a community or school activity. As a buddy to Chelcie Gardiner, Chloe has been a great support throughout 2016 and she has made a positive effort to really become involved in her PC. Chloe is there to lend an ear or a helping hand to the McAuley 4 PC members and she always does this with a smile on her face. With her school work Chloe is always applying herself and completing assessment and class tasks with pleasing results. Chloe has demonstrated ‘MERCY’ to all those whose paths have crossed with hers as she has journeyed through Shalom and we, the teachers and students of McAuley House, would like to wish her great successes on her road ahead.

Mrs Paula Van Dalen
McAuley House Coordinator
vandalenp@shalomcollege.com

Text Book Hire

Collection of Textbooks for 2017

Please note the dates and times for collection of textbooks for 2017. These textbooks may be collected from Book Hire in the Goondeel Library (the old library) during these periods. Please note that textbooks will not be issued to students who have not returned their 2016 textbooks. If these hours are unsuitable, collection can be arranged before school ends by contacting me on 4155 8111 or by email Sarah_Grimes@shalomcollege.com.

Collection Dates and Times

Monday 5 December to Thursday 8 December 2016 - 7:30am to 4:00pm
(closed Friday 9 December)
Tuesday 10 January to Friday 20 January 2017 - 7:30am to 4:00pm
(closed Monday 9 January)

Request for Volunteers

Book hire is asking for volunteers to help clean, repair and shelve the thousands of books being returned in preparation for issuing commencing beginning of December. If you can help out, the times and dates are as follows:-

Monday 7 November until approximately Friday 2 December – 8:00am to 3:00pm.

Morning tea and lunch will be provided while the tuckshop is in operation. If you can be of assistance, please contact book hire either by email Sarah_Grimes@shalomcollege.com or by phoning 4155 8111.

Miss Sarah Grimes
Book Hire Coordinator
Sarah_Grimes@shalomcollege.com

Year 12 Slide/Video Presentation Date Claimer

Year 12 Students - On the night of Wednesday 16 November, there will be a slide/video presentation of your time at Shalom for you and your parents.

This will be held in the Performing Arts Precinct Theatre starting at 7:00pm.

Year 12 exams finish on that day and your Graduation Liturgy will be on the following morning.

Br Rochford

Brother’s DVDs for Sale

Copies of the DVDs for the Academic Awards evening, Sports Awards evening, Dance Night, Addams Family Musical, Shalom Day, Edmund Rice Camp (Chaverim), Get Smart Concert (19 October) are all available from the Main Administration office and cost $5.00 each.

Br Rochford

Indigenous Support

Year 12 Indigenous Celebration Mass

Recently we accompanied the Indigenous Year 12 Students to Rockhampton for their Graduation Celebration Mass. The Ceremony was a very proud moment for the students who participated and even more so for the staff who shared in this special occasion, Mr Robin Wust, Mrs Cheryl Petersen, Mr Leon Johnson and myself. It was definitely an occasion the students will not forget and it was great to end the year on such a proud moment of their achievements and their culture.

Thank you to the students who attended and also the staff.

Back row, L-R: Leslie Nagas, Mr Leon Johnson
Middle row, L-R: Mrs Kelli Cory, Amaru Brown, Teykoa Nagas
Front row, L-R: Alannah Lawrence, Shay Black, Ms Leesa Jeffcoat

Shelley Major Visit

Ms Shelley Major is the Indigenous Career and Transitions Pathways Project Officer from the Rockhampton Diocese who visits every year and has just made her visit this month with Shalom’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Year 10, 11 and 12 students, to assist them with options for pathways into University, TAFE or employment once they have completed Year 12. It is a very informative, and supportive session that each student benefits from individually. Shelley ran a group session for Year 10 and 11 students, followed by individual interviews with the Year 12 students. Shelley keeps the students updated with employment, traineeships or apprenticeship opportunities within the region and also sends out Scholarship applications to students wanting to attend university. Shelley then keeps in contact with the Year 12 students after they have left Shalom to make sure they are working towards or have reached their goals or followed the pathway they had decided on. Shelley will return next year to assist our new Year 10 Indigenous students and also catch up with the Year 11 and 12 students. We are always grateful to have Shelley Major visit the students each year.

Shelley conducting an Interview with Teykoa Nagas

Mrs Kelli Cory
Indigenous Coordinator

Bundaberg Chess Club Tournament - Term 4

Bundaberg Chess Club Inc. Secondary School Trophy – Josef Baumgartner, Patrick Harris, Timothy Harris and Allen Preshy

The Bundaberg Chess Club Inc. held the final interschool Chess Tournament for 2016 at Avoca State Primary School on Tuesday 25 October. The 14 members of the Shalom College Chess Club who attended were: -

Chelsea Andrewartha, Josef Baumgartner, Jayden Buchanan, Demetri De Florian, Benjamin Gardner-Smith, Keagan Geyer, Patrick Harris, Timothy Harris, Lachlan McIntosh, Courtenay Parfitt, Abhash Pathak, Allen Preshy, Bryce Samuels-Rosser and Nicholas Whitelum.

Our Chess players from Years 7 to 12 performed to the best of their ability and displayed a high level of sportsmanship. The top overall High School players on the day were: Timothy and Patrick Harris (both undefeated, with Tim being awarded 1st place on countback) and Allen Preshy placing 3rd.

The top four Shalom players in the competition comprising of Tim Harris, Patrick Harris, Allen Preshy and Josef Baumgartner were also awarded the Perpetual Trophy as the winners of the Bundaberg Inter-High School Chess Challenge. This is the third year in a row that Shalom College has won this award.

This was the final Chess competition for 2016, which has been a very successful one for the Shalom College Chess Club. Anyone wishing to join the Chess Club is welcome to attend of a Tuesday lunchtime in room SS2 (Hogan 7), at the back of the Student Services building. Games will still be held for the remainder of Term 4.

Ms Shelley McKeown and Mr Steve McKay
Chess Coordinators

Sports News

Shalom Students Gaining Wide Bay Selection

Swimming

Tobias Street, Connor Simms, Sarah Nash

Surfing

William Zahn, Jackson Lester, Ewan Heads, Liam Heads

Softball

Riley Jones

Golf

Samuel Artcheua, Will Martell, Sophie Martell, Aimee Harvey, Isabella Artcheua

Cricket

Edward Ryan, Matthew Jackson, Kynan Hard, Mikayla Condon

Touch Football

Luca Felesina, Blake Hutchinson, Teykoa Nagas, Jade Garland, Zachary Hanlon, Nathan Cook

Rugby League

Jack Roelofs, Teykoa Nagas, Amaru Brown, Lane Crossley-Price, Riley Jones

Rugby Union

Jobe Lister, Nicholas Kitchener

Hockey

Olivia Wightman, Krysten Green, Zali Usher

Football

Natika Breuer, Luke Smith, Cohen Read, Jade Garland, Madison Masterman-Smith, Illianna Barazza, Mikayla Condon

Netball

Madison Hard, Olivia O’Beirne, Claudia McLure, Kasey Hess, Isabella Mullaly

Basketball

Bailey Jenkins, Madison Hard, Brennan Norris, Lucas Duncan, Mitchell Wright, Shane Hawkins, Emilee Cameron, Khaliyah Nagas, Makayla Mortensen, Eve Scott, Emma Moonie

AFL

Max Jonsson-Harlacz, Harrison Schneider, Grace Straub

Cross Country

Jessica Borg, Lee-Challe Kriel, Bailey Rach, Lucy Bowden, Tailah O’Shea

Athletics

Mitchell Allen, Brody Allison, Brycen Cory, Nathan Cook, Matthew Otto, Oliver Plumb, Nathan Carney, Nash Kuorikoski, Nathan Donaldson, Benjamin Mingin, Natika Breuer, Emily Doyle, Kate Ennett, Lee-Challe Kriel

Triathlon

Tom Martin

Please note that this is a list of names I have received so far. I am waiting on some other sports to send me their final details.

Uniforms

If your child has played sport for Shalom in 2016, can I please ask that you have a look at home for any team sporting uniforms (this is not the Shalom Sports uniform). We seem to be missing lots of uniforms from our team bags this year. If you find any, can you please return them to Mr Gills in the Sports Office.

Your Sporting Fanatic

Mr Simon Gills
Sports Coordinator
GillsS@shalomcollege.com

Arts in Performance

Vocal tuition

For the first time in many years, singing, theory and beginner piano tuition will be offered in the Instrumental Department. The tutor is a highly qualified singing teacher with three performance and teaching diplomas from Trinity College, London in addition to a Master of Music degree majoring in Vocal Pedagogy and Choral studies from Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium. If you are interested, please contact me so that your name can be added to the growing list.

Mrs Robyn Edgar
Arts in Performance Coordinator
edgarr@shalomcollege.com

Tuckshop Roster

Shalom Sunday Markets

The Artisan Collective

This unique addition to the Shalom Markets will occur every second Sunday of the month running from 7:00am to 12:00pm in the Sports Centre.

A list of 2016 dates are below;

• Sunday 13 November
• Sunday 11 December

We hope to see you there.

Tuckshop Markets Roster

Markets BBQ Roster

Community Notice Board

BRC Pageant Of Lights