28 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Reflection

With this, the last Shalom Newsletter of the year, my hope and prayer for every member of the Shalom Community is that Christmas will be for each of us more than the presents we get and more about the presence we are for those who love us in this very divided world. May the commemoration of the birth of Jesus remind us all of the love, hope and promise his birth was and continues to be for humanity.

White Ribbon Breakfast

Last Wednesday, 17 young women and men from Year 11 joined me for the annual White Ribbon breakfast. We are very grateful to two Rotary Associations in Bundaberg – Sunrise and West – who sponsored our tables. White Ribbon Day raises consciousness in the community around domestic violence. I hope our young men who attended and all men who attended will be even more committed to always being respectful of women and never standing by and accepting a lack of respect from those around us. Equally, I hope our young women will never permit a man to treat them less than respectfully. One of the statements at the breakfast caught my attention and the speaker quoted the great Martin Luther King who said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” I hope that all of us are committed to not being bystanders.

Brother Rochford

Brother Rochford is an invaluable part of this community. Next Saturday, along with Meghan Anderson and Jonathon Evans from the 2016 Senior class, I will attend in Brisbane the celebration of Brother Rochford’s 70th Jubilee as a Christian Brother!! In an age where everything is disposable and few things last, to celebrate the life of someone who has been faithful for 70 years is an extraordinary thing. I know that I will pass on to Brother the very best wishes of everyone in the Shalom Community.

Diocesan Fee Discounts

A reminder to parents and carers who might hold means tested Health Care Cards - from 2017, the Diocese is granting a 70% discount on Tuition Fees for students in Catholic schools. If you believe you hold such a card, could you please contact Ms Lisa Castro in the College Finance Office to complete the necessary paperwork.

Shalom Building Program

The next Building Programme will, hopefully, be well underway by the time students and staff return next year. Local company Murchie Constructions Bundaberg are the successful tenderer for $1.2m worth of works. A new Fitness Centre will be constructed at one end of the covered outdoor area. The second part of this tender will be some refurbishments in the Sports Centre and the third aspect is putting a roof over the Adams and McAuley classrooms. Another major project will also, hopefully, get underway shortly with the College driveway being pulled up and replaced. This will cause some disruption to traffic in and out of the school but the contractor is confident that most, if not all of the work, can be completed by the resumption of school.

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal

Shalom Office Opening Hours

During the Christmas holidays the Administration has adjusted hours which are listed below.

Friday 2 December 2016 the College office will be open from 8am to 9am.

Monday 5 December to Friday 9 December 2016 - Adjusted office opening hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm. The office will remain closed until Monday 9 January 2017.

Monday 9 January 2017 to Friday 20 January - Adjusted office opening hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm. Please note that staff training occurs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week so at times the office may be unattended for a period of time, we apologise if this causes any inconvenience.

Normal office hours will return on Monday 23 January for the school year - 8:00am to 4:30pm.

The office staff would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!

2017 Term Dates

Term 1

Monday 23 January - for Year 7, Senior buddies and new students
Tuesday 24 January - All students return to Friday 31 March

Term 2

Tuesday 18 April to Friday 23 June

Term 3

Monday 10 July to Friday 15 September

Term 4

Tuesday 3 October to Friday 1 December

Uniform Shop

Notice to current Year 9 girls who are going into Year 10 in 2017 and require new uniforms (skirt and blouse), please make an appointment with the Uniform Shop for a fitting.

Appointments can be made by phoning the Uniform Shop and fittings will commence on Monday 28 November. Please note that the Uniform Shop is open by appointment only from Monday 28 November to Wednesday 7 December from 8:00am to 5:00pm (closed for lunch between 12pm and 1pm).

The Uniform Shop will reopen in the new year on Monday 9 January 2017, the opening hours will be 8:00am to 5:00pm (closed for lunch between 12pm and 1pm).

Please phone the Uniform Shop direct on 4155 8121 to make appointments.

Mrs Sharon Stevenson
Uniform Shop Manager
Direct phone number: 4155 8121

Year 12 Students

Please click on the link below for key dates from the QCAA.

P & F Committee

To all P & F Members, you are reminded that our monthly meeting is held in the staff common room – all parents are welcome. Please note the first P & F meeting for 2017 will be held on Tuesday 7 February 2017 at 5:30pm.

Mrs Gail Norris
P&F Secretary

Quiet Achiever

Bella Little (photograph credit Mike Knott)

Our Quiet Achiever for this week is Bella Little, Year 9 Lingiari. Bella is not only a delightful young lady with beautiful manners, she is also an accomplished archer. She is presently ranked third in the world in the Junior Girls Compound Bow Hunter division. Bella achieved this ranking recently but didn’t mention her achievement. Fortunately, her proud mother informed us. Bella is also achieving great results academically and is a keen supporter of all Lingiari pursuits.

Mrs Mary Taylor
Lingiari House Coordinator

Australian Mathematics Challenge and Mathematics Olympiad

During Term 3, Year 9 students Josef Baumgartner and Rhys Crook competed in the Gauss Enrichment Stage of the Australian Mathematics Challenge. This competition takes 16 weeks and requires students to solve twelve complex problems independently. Most of the problems require senior level algebra and often techniques studied in Year 11 Mathematics C. Both students are commended for their excellent attempts at many of the problems, with Josef answering six out of twelve questions correctly!

Also in Term 3 Matthew Todd, Justin Todd, Joshua Roebuck and Alice Dolinski competed in the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad. A group of Year 10 students trained by completing past papers and these students are congratulated on being selected to represent Shalom College. 1829 of the best mathematicians in Australia competed in this event by sitting a four-hour long examination. It is worth noting that many of the other competitors will be Year 10 students completing senior mathematics courses. All students solved some questions correctly and Matthew and Justin Todd missed out on a Credit by one and two marks respectively.

Mrs Amanda Sharpe
SharpeA@shalomcollege.com

IT Department News

Christmas Holidays

As we enter the final week of term for students, don’t forget next week the IT Unit will commence their holiday maintenance schedule. During this time, we will be updating as many services as possible. The IT Unit will close for 2016 on Friday 23 December and reopen on Tuesday 3 January 2017.

Year 10 and 11 School Laptops

Parents and students, thank you for those who have proactively brought your school laptop to the IT Unit for inspection and organizing of repairs. If any issues with the laptops happen during the holiday period, we will be open to help assist. For those students who did not get to do the latest Windows 10 update at the end of this term, I would recommend for you to come in before Term 1 2017 to avoid any unexpected issues when the Term starts.

Leftover iPad 2

We are selling off our remaining stock of iPad2 16Gb Wi-Fi with a brand new case for $75 each. These iPads do not have a charger or USB lead. These iPads are no longer supported by Apple for operating system upgrades and therefore might not be eligible for some app updates. These devices are not suitable to be used at School as they cannot get the latest Apps and therefore could hamper learning.

If you would like one, please contact Ms Femia Eizema on 41558111.

AppleCare+ for iPads

For anyone that is looking to purchase a new iPad, please consider purchasing AppleCare+. This new scheme provides a two-year warranty to new iPads as well as two accidental damage claims for the warranty period of the device. It’s certainly worth it for peace of mind as I’m sure we all have experienced or heard of an experience of someone dropping a tablet or phone and trying to get the screen repaired. Please follow this link for more information -

We hope that everyone had an enjoyable year and we would like to thank Parents, Staff and Students for their support. As the IT world changes, we are certainly trying to keep up with it and help inform you along the way. I hope you enjoy the Christmas break and we look forward to seeing you in 2017. We have many exciting upgrades to do which we know will benefit the teaching and learning in 2017.

Mr Matthew Mills
IT Manager
millsm@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

Sports News

Rowing Come and Try Days

If you want to have fun and are interested in rowing which is a great team sport, come to the free ‘Come and Try Sessions’ at the Bundaberg Rowing Club held over three days - Friday 16, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December. Year 7 and 8 students 7am to 9am, Years 9 and 10 students 9am to 10am and Years 11 and 12 students from 10am to 11am. If you are interested or want more information, please email Mr Simon Gills gillss@shalomcollege.com.

Shalom Rowing 2017 High Tea - Early Bird Tickets Now Available

Shalom U13 Boys Win the BDSSS Rugby Sevens Competition

Under 13 and Under 15 Boys represented Shalom in the BDSSS Rugby Sevens competition this term. Training started early in Term 4, with a short, three-week round robin competition finishing on Thursday 10 November.

Despite a distinct lack of rugby experience, the Under 15 Boys showed great passages of free-flowing, running rugby. Their efforts were hampered by difficulty in fielding consistent players and numbers, but all of those who participated gave 100%. In the end, the boys won 3 of their 6 games and took out second place in the competition behind a strong Bundaberg State High School outfit.

The Under 13 Boys dominated their division – not losing a game over the three weeks. Their experience shone through with excellent structure at the break down, leading to a great deal of possession which transferred to points by the end of the game. With a solid core of players, this group will go far to retain the Fraser Coast Sevens trophy they claimed earlier this year.

Thanks go to Len Kirchner of BCC for his organisation, to Max Francis (Shalom parent and rugby union stalwart) for his timekeeping and logistical support, and also to the referees and coaches who gave up their time to enable the competition to happen.

We look forward to bigger and better Rugby Union competitions in 2017.

Mr Troy Braund and Mr Brendan Maher
Coaches

The victorious Under 13 Boys Rugby Sevens team
Standing back L-R: James Waters, Damon Carige, Hamish Young, Lane Crossley-Price, Ethan Freney, Mr Brendan Maher (coach)
Standing front: Will Zahn, Chelson Diggins, Harry Packwood
Front: David Grey, Patrick Maher

Your Sporting Fanatic

Mr Simon Gills
Sports Coordinator
GillsS@shalomcollege.com

College News

Cane to Coral Donations

The 2016 Friendlies Cane2Coral Run/Walk fund distribution was held on Wednesday 16 November, with Shalom receiving $613 as prizemoney for the ‘Largest Secondary School Team’ in the event. Also, 10% of our team members’ registration fees were donated to the charity of our choice, the McGrath Foundation, to help in their work of placing McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and increasing breast awareness in young Australian women. Principal Mr Dan McMahon presented the cheque to McGrath Foundation Bundaberg Breast Care Nurse, Ms Margaret Mears on Friday. Ms Mears said the money would be spent locally to help provide Breast Care Nurses to our district. The McGrath Foundation was chosen as our charity for this event in honour of a much loved long serving Shalom teacher who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

A total of $57,200 was distributed to local charities and community groups from the event this year. Thank you to the 41 students, staff, parents and siblings who participated in the event as part of the Shalom team, and thank you to Friendlies Cane2Coral president Mr Jason Pascoe and his committee for putting on another great event. The 2017 Friendlies Cane2Coral will be held on Sunday 6 August, and we will be hoping to have an even bigger team than we had this year.

Mr Vince Habermann
Shalom Team Coordinator

Date Claimer - Bundaberg Catholic Schools Race Day

The 2017 Race Day will be held on Saturday 18 March. We look forward to your continued support of this annual fun day out for the Catholic Schools Community.

Thinking about becoming a Race Sponsor or a Major Sponsor for the 2017 Catholic Schools Race Day? Read below to find out the amazing entitlements Sponsors will receive. For further information regarding sponsorship or general enquiries please contact Peter O'Beirne on 0419 787 279.

In committing to a Race Sponsorship you will receive:

• Eight complimentary tickets to the Race Day (with each ticket including finger food and two drink tickets)
• Additional 40 drink tickets
• Complimentary reserved table in the main marquee
• The right to display signage on the Race Day
• Full page advertisement in the Race Book
• Mention as a Race Sponsor in all media advertising and promotional spiels on Race Day
• Acknowledgement in the four Catholic Schools Newsletters as a Race Sponsor
• Your race to be known as the ‘Name (race name)’

In committing to a Major Sponsorship, you are one of a select group of businesses who support our Race Day and receive the following:

• Eight complimentary tickets to the Race Day (with each ticket including finger food and two drink tickets)
• Additional 40 drink tickets
• Complimentary reserved table in the main marquee
• The right to display signage on the Race Day
• Acknowledgement in the four Catholic Schools Newsletters as a Major Sponsor

Please follow on Facebook to keep up-to-date

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.

The last Artisan Collective for 2016 before Christmas will be held on Sunday 11 December, we hope to see you there.

Tuckshop Markets Roster

Markets BBQ Roster

Community Notice Board

Catholic Parish

Santa Fun Run - Be a Clause for a Cause

Get into the Christmas spirit and help raise funds for Variety - The Children’s Charity of Queensland by joining in the Bundaberg Variety Santa Fun Run on Sunday 4 December at 7:00am. All registered participants receive a free Santa suit to wear in the 4km fun event which starts and finishes at Alexandra Park, Quay Street and takes a course around the beautiful parklands along in the banks of the beautiful Burnett River. Your entry fee includes not only the Santa Suit, but also an energetic warm-up at 6:45am, and some light refreshments at the end whilst recognising the top fundraising individuals and teams. The Santa Fun Run is not a timed event and has been devised to be all inclusive so those in wheelchairs and parents with prams can be involved in the fun! Admission is Adults $25.00, Children $15.00 or Family of two adults and two children $65.00. To register, go to the link below. Santa suits can be collected from Bundaberg Broadcasters' Office, 38 Crofton Street. Inquiries, phone Josh Freeman 0437 137 764 or Vince Habermann 0407 606 266.