9 September 2019

Principal’s Reflection

At Assembly on Thursday, I shared with your children part of an email I received from a past student of Shalom. I remember this young man well. He was always quiet and respectful and came from a family where he was much loved. In the email, he urgently asked me to bring to the attention of students the ‘Wear Purple’ campaign which has been initiated to support young people in the LGBTQ community. He pointed out to me how often these young people feel isolated and alienated.

He went on to point out that he now identifies in this LGBTQ community but also said how difficult his journey had been and how dark some of the times have been in his life. I asked him about how his journey at Shalom was, given all that he was experiencing on a personal level. I was a bit worried about what his answer would be but I was really pleased to hear back from him that he did feel supported during his time at Shalom. It would be highly unlikely that in a school population like ours if there weren’t a number of our students on a similar journey to the one the young man who emailed me was. I pointed out to our students that if we are truly a community inspired by the story of Jesus, we need to treat every person here respectfully regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual identity. I hope that Shalom will always be, first and foremost, a place where all of our young people feel safe and respected.

We lost from our staff last week, one of the staunchest advocates of inclusion for our young people – particularly those most at risk. Mr Kerry Bolam is in the midst of a battle with Cancer. Given all of the treatments Kerry still has to undergo, he has decided that the time is right for him to retire. Kerry is a wonderful educator and is deeply loved and respected by the students who enjoyed his presence at Shalom.

The following is a note Kerry has written to the community –

Sienna McGarry as I hope everyone is aware, is a young lady who is in Year 5 at St Mary’s and who has two brothers at Shalom. Sienna is facing a huge battle with Cancer in Brisbane. It is wonderful to see how strongly the Bundaberg community is going out of its way to support the McGarry family. In the Reception Office and the Finance office there are raffle tickets on sale. All proceeds will support the family. Some great prizes are on offer and tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 or 6 for $10. Please be generous.

‘The Hunting’ is a four part Drama recently played on SBS. It is a very good show. Can I suggest, if you did not watch it, you have a look on SBS On Demand for this and sit with your children to watch it. It is a powerful story about the impact sending one photo can have on the lives of so many people. This is a message we constantly try to reinforce with your children – often without a great deal of success!

Mr Dan McMahon
Principal
McmahonD@shalomcollege.com

Newsletter Articles

Reflection Days

Our Year 9 and 10 students attended sessions with David and Katie Kobler from Choicez. David and Katie have spoken to over 150000 teens, parents and teachers in their mission to turn taboo topics into everyday conversations. They hope to bring light to the challenges that young people are facing and create an environment where positive conversations can occur between parents and their children. The emphasis of the discussions they had at Shalom were what a healthy relationship looks like and how to develop healthy relationships. All the students I spoke with after the sessions commented how good the days were and that they had learnt a lot.

Mrs Mary Taylor
Assistant Principal – Mission
Mary_Taylor@shalomcollege.com

Student Welfare & Information

Inter-House Bombardment Competition

The Year 12 Leaders ran this competition for both the junior students and the senior students this year ably assisted by many of the Year 12 students.

In Term 1, we ran the junior competition with Hogan House the winners of the junior trophy. This term we held the senior competition – running over four lunch breaks per week. The final was on Monday and Lingiari house were the winners.

Junior Winning Team

Many thanks go to the College Leaders – the College captains and the House Leaders so capably lead by Harrison Doyle for the initial planning of this and making sure he had a roster for the refereeing each game.

Thank you to the many Year 12 students who gave up their lunch times to referee games for the junior competition as well as the senior competition.

The winning teams

Mrs Elizabeth Austin-Campbell
Deputy Principal
Elizabeth_AustinCampbell@shalomcollege.com

Administration

Yr 7-9 Core Studies Learner Conferences (PT – Interviews)

The second of two opportunities this year for Year 7, 8 and 9 Core Studies Learner Conferences (Parent/Teacher Interviews) will be available on the Student Free Day of Monday 21 October. The aim of these conferences is to provide an opportunity for parents to meet with teachers to discuss the progress and learning needs of their children.

Conferences may be arranged online via the Parent Lounge. The online Parent Teacher Interview booking facility will open at 8:00am on Tuesday 8 October and close at 3:00pm on Wednesday 16 October to allow teachers to prepare for interviews.

When considering interview requests, note that Mrs Patricia Allen and Mrs Deborah Bolam will not be available for interviews on the day as they have Verification duties, however they will be available on Thursday 24 October. Please note this additional date when booking interviews online. Janeen James is also unavailable as she is on leave. If you wish to meet with Janeen, please contact her individually.

Whilst the scheduled interview day is seen as an important communication between home and school, parents are welcome to arrange an interview with specific teachers at any time the need arises throughout the year.

Please also remember that detailed information about your child’s progress is available on Parent Lounge under the ‘Curricular Activities Due’ tab. Here you can see the results and teacher feedback on every individual assessment item. This would be good to review before attending the CS Learner Conferences.

YEAR 12 END OF TERM 3 EXAMS 9/9/19 – 13/9/19

The exam timetable for the Year 12 End of Term 3 exams is attached. Please note that Year 12 will have home study during the exam block. If you know you will be absent for your exam, you must see your classroom teacher as soon as possible with appropriate documentation (ie medical certificate or statuary declaration) to organise an alternative exam time.

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

Student Application

Ideally, students need to be responsible for organising their own equipment and preparing for a day at school. To have good organisational skills, many students will need assistance from guardians. You can support your student with a few simple tips:

Have a copy of the student’s timetable printed and stored in their Record Book or displayed in the home so that it is quick to identify what lessons are scheduled for that day. This makes packing equipment for the day easy.

Do a spot check a few times per term to ensure that the student has pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and calculator in their pencil case. Checking that notebooks are cared for and asking the student regularly if they need any replacement books or stationery is also a good idea.

Before bedtime, remind the student to put their school device on charge so it is at 100% the following morning.

Being prepared will set your student up for a good start to a new school day!

Mrs Megan Munckton
Middle School Coordinator
Megan_Munckton@shalomcollege.com

Absentees

FOR ALL ABSENTEES

Preferred option is Email absentees@shalomcollege.com or Phone Absentee line 41558181

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.

Year 10 ACTS Camp

Recently 8 students attended the Year 10 ACTS Camp in Yeppoon. In Year 10 ACTS stands for ‘A Chance to Share’ and we all got to share stories in our small group.

One of the activities that we did on ACTS camp was writing affirmations for people and telling them how great we really think they are. Therefore, instead of telling you about what an amazing time we all had on ACTS camp I just want to share with you the main message that I took away from away it and a little affirmation I wrote for Shalom. That is, that YOU and everyone you know is special, unique, and incredible. You are, indeed, very good. So love and be loved and just share your talent and your story with everyone because you are so deeply appreciated in this community and by so many others. Going on this camp has grown my appreciation for Shalom’s community and I am so glad that I can call myself a part of it.

ACTS camp allowed us to make new connections with people from all different places, it is often difficult to put yourself out there and talk to people but the people we went with were so inviting and made us feel safe. One of the big themes was helping the vulnerable so when someone was lonely or nervous everyone took them under their wing and it was so good to see. Over the course of only three days we learnt so much about ourselves and others and made friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. It’s hard to believe it was so short because I feel like a completely different person to the one I was on Wednesday morning.

Also a huge thank you to Mrs Petersen and the NET team for making this camp the best it possibly could have been and for taking time to get to know us all better. We would also like to thank Mr McMahon and Mrs Taylor for allowing us to attend this camp. It was truly a great experience and I think I speak for us all saying I cannot wait for Year 11 ACTS. If you get the opportunity make sure you grab it with both hands, it is worth it!

Lana Vollmerhause
Year 10 Student

Science Week

Brain Break

Students had the opportunity to celebrate Science Week in August this term through a variety of activities. The main lunchtime activity involved taking a “Brain Break” and using food ingredients to create an edible cell. Many students participated, particularly once word got around that they could eat their creations! There were some wonderful models created by students of both animal and plant cells and all eagerly consumed.

A colourful ‘plant cell’

Cells in the making with Alicia Nierla and Elizabeth Strick

Ryan Blinco with his cell creation

Gurion Ang Workshop

Year 11 students had the opportunity in August to engage in Science through a workshop conducted by Gurion Ang an associate professor from the University of Queensland. He took students through some simple data analysis techniques using excel and explained how to present the data both visually and in writing. The Biology students then spent some additional time with Mr G (for gorgeous) looking at exam style questions and how to interpret what was required in answering them. The students had an engaging and entertaining afternoon, rewarded with sticker artwork created by Gurion himself for their enthusiastic answering of questions.

Gurion Ang workshop

Ms Larissa Scoles
Science (Senior) Learning Area Coordinator
Larissa_Scoles@shalomcollege.com

Pathways

CQU QTAC Session (A Student’s Perspective)

Year 12 students are invited to attend the QTAC Information Session – A Student’s Perspective on Monday, 16 September at 11.25am in Loyola. Please bring your lunch with you.

Following on from the QTAC Information Session last month, this session is particularly valuable because students will have the opportunity to hear from a CQU student ambassador and gain information from a student’s perspective. Student Ambassadors have very recently traversed the QTAC journey and have the ability to share their tips and answer student’s questions.

If you have questions please see the Pathways Office.

QTAC Educational Access Scheme

Students applying for tertiary study through QTAC, may be eligible for the Educational Access Scheme if they have experienced circumstances (such as Financial Hardship, Personal Illness or Disability, Home Environment and Responsibilities, English Language Difficulties or Educational Disruption) that have negatively affected their most recent studies. If you are assessed as eligible for an adjustment to your OP or rank under EAS, this will be combined with other adjustments for which you are eligible.

For further information see the link below:

Apprentices & Trainees Recognised at Annual Awards Night

East Coast Apprenticeships has named this year’s best trainees, apprentices and employers currently registered through the training organisation. Each year the organisation celebrates with its 2019 Training Awards recognising outstanding apprentices, trainees, host employers and STAR students.

Bundaberg Mayor, Jack Dempsey, was on hand to congratulate Year 12 student, Tahliya Fullin, who was awarded Trainee of the Year. Tahliya commenced with CQ Building Supplies in 2018 on a school-based traineeship and is currently undertaking a Certificate III in Business Administration. CQ Building Supplies also won the Host Employer of the Year award for Traineeships.

Tahliya Fullin with Mark Vincent from East Coast Apprenticeships

Past Shalom students have also celebrated success with 2015 Year 12 graduate, Daniel Vincent being awarded the Electrical Trade Apprentice of the Year (Queensland Sugar Limited) along with 2016 Year 12 graduate, Bill Read who was awarded the Furnishing Trades Apprentice of the Year (Custombuilt Furnishers).

Daniel Vincent with Bob McDougall from Queensland Sugar Limited

Bill Read with Stephen Bennett MP

The winning apprentices and trainees were praised for their great attention to detail and instructions given, as well as their high level of respect, professionalism and for consistently producing high quality workmanship.

Award winners will now attend another formal video interview and will be vying for East Coast’s overall state awards, to be held in Brisbane in October.

Shalom proudly acknowledges that three of the six awardees are a product of our College and we congratulate them all on their outstanding achievement.

The Pathways Team
Mrs Liza O’Donnell & Mrs Kathy Laing
Liza_ODonnell@shalomcollege.com
LaingK@shalomcollege.com

Quiet Achiever

Ella Marschke has been selected to represent Shalom playing her double bass in a music group that will visit Bundaberg’s sister city Nanning in China. The group is comprised of 12 students from high schools across the Bundaberg Region. Ella is a wonderful young lady; she gives 100% to all tasks she undertakes and is a wonderful ambassador to both Rice House and Shalom. A true Rice Impi legend!

Ella Marschke

Ms Claire Stallard
Rice House Coordinator
StallarC@shalomcollege.com

Gym Closed Wednesday Afternoons - Term 3

The gym will be closed to students on a Wednesday afternoon for the duration of Term 3. This is due to Oztag, All Schools Touch and Winter Sport commitments for coaches and supervisors. We do encourage students wishing to be active on a Wednesday afternoon to participate in the myriad of sports being offered at Shalom College. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Mrs Kim O’Shea-Hard
Assistant Principal Administration – Staff
hardk@shalomcollege.com

Uniform Shop

Appointments are now open for Year 9 girls to be fitted for their Senior Formal Uniform, please book online via the link below.

A limited supply of Shalom Umbrellas are available for purchase at $35 each.

Boys belts are now available in all sizes at $20 each.

Payment options include: - Cash, Eftpos or Credit Card via phone.

Students will be emailed when their uniform is available for collection.

All enquiries please call Leanne on 41 558 121 at the Uniform Shop.

Mrs Leanne Barker
Uniform Shop Manager
barkerl@shalomcollege.com

Date Claimers

Term Dates for 2019

Breakfast

Breakfast is now available in the tuckshop for purchase each morning 8:00am – 8:30am.

Items include

Bacon & Egg Muffins - $3.50
Ham & Cheese Croissant - $3.50

Porridge & Cereal - $3 (self-service option with milk and bowl & cutlery are supplied)
Fresh Fruit - $1 (seasonal fruits such as; Bananas, Apples, Mandarins etc.)

Plus, the already available items of Yoghurt Pots, Up n Go drinks & Flavoured Milk

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

Tuckshop Roster

Shalom Sunday Markets

New Stallholders Welcome – Please contact Peter Barone 0438 446 269

Markets Tuckshop Roster

We are in need of more volunteers for the Markets Tuckshop, if you are available to help out please contact Leanne via email – barkerl@shalomcollege.com

Markets BBQ Roster

Community Notice Board

The State Government is funding free access to Triple P, which is the world’s most evidence-based parenting program and has helped more than four million children and their parents around the world develop closer, more positive relationships.

Please click on this link, which will take you to the website where you can access information relevant to your situation.

This link will remain in our Newsletter with Triple P sending us regular updates and helpful tips.