29 August 2022

Principal’s Reflection

Chronic absenteeism is dramatic and is an extreme form of missing school. In my research, missing 18 days or more of an academic year is classed as chronic. Chronic absenteeism interrupts the effective delivery of instruction and widens the achievement gap. This will have a lasting effect on the student long term – the only person to benefit from achieving well at school and empowered to secure good employment is the student – parents can be proud of their child’s achievements, but the student reaps the reward of their hard work.

Sister Catherine McAuley, one of our House patrons, and the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, recognized the many needs of people who were economically poor in early nineteenth century Ireland and determined that she and women like her could make a difference.

An inheritance gave Catherine the opportunity to extend her involvement in charitable work. Her aim was to build a large house which would serve as a school for poor children as well as a shelter for homeless young women.

Catherine was driven by a God-given purpose; she was determined to use her inheritance for relief for the poor by offering shelter and education to women and children.

Blessed Edmund Rice promoted an education that recognized the dignity of the individual. He believed in empowering the poor boys of the time with an education which would enable them to rise from the demeaning poverty and sense of helplessness. An education allowed these boys to climb out of poverty and earn a respectable living.

Saint Mary MacKillop’s aim, as a Sister of Saint Joseph, was to respond to the needs of isolated children, of all denomination, who were not receiving any education. Mary valued education greatly and saw the necessity of providing the children of these poor families with an education.

The underlying objective of these three House patrons was to educate poor boys (Edmund Rice) and poor girls as well as women (Catherine McAuley and Mary MacKillop). They realized that without an education they would never break the shackles of poverty.

An education gives people options – careers, lifestyle, family life. It is not enough to just be able to access an education. A good education for all is about ensuring the quality of learning is high. And to receive a quality education, students must be engaged in the teaching and learning – to do that, students must be at school and in classes, having very few days off unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Our goal this year is to have our attendance rate at 95%. In the first term the attendance rate was 95.4% but in Term 2 the rate dropped to 84%.

I have included a graph of the attendance rate for each year level this term thus far – 7 weeks.

Our patrons conducted their mission many years ago. As such, there were many differences from today. Basic things such as fashions, technology or people’s diet bore little resemblance to what we are familiar with in 2022. However, there were similarities. Like today’s world there were those who had money and position in society. They lived comfortably. Nevertheless there were others who lived in poverty or who found life a struggle, in that they had very little and sat at the bottom of the social scale. Those such as Edmund Rice, Catherine McAuley or Mary Mackillop realised that it was difficult to free either yourself or your family from what were often unfair and oppressive conditions. They also agreed on the pathway to moving away from these situations. That pathway was education.

Fast forward to today and very little has changed. Fashions, technology and diets are all different, but they are all still part of our lives. Some people have money and position and others are oppressed. And the only way to ensure that you can move beyond the negatives to a lifestyle that is rich and prosperous is ultimately through an education. Of course, the obvious question is how can a young person receive this vital education if they do not come to school on a regular basis?

Mrs Elizabeth Austin-Campbell
Acting Principal
AcampbellE@shalomcollege.com

Newsletter Articles

Curriculum

ATAR Portal Registration

At present we have 50% of our Year 12 ATAR eligible students registered with QTAC to receive their ATAR score on December 16. We are hoping to have all our ATAR eligible students registered to receive their ATAR Score, even if they are not intending to apply for university entry. Please encourage your student to register to receive their ATAR score. When registering your account could you please ensure you give permission for QTAC to share your data with the college. This will assist us with tracking outcomes data for the college and future planning. An instruction sheet has been included to assist with this.

External Assessment Publications

Updated copies of all QCAA External Assessment publications have been placed on the college’s website: under the heading “Year 12 External Assessments”. These have also been placed on SIA in the Assessment and Reporting page.

Positions Vacant - QCAA invigilators for external assessment

QCAA is seeking applications from community members for invigilator positions for the 2022 external assessments. If you are interested please read the Position description: Invigilators and Invigilator frequently asked questions available at:

Anyone who worked as an invigilator in 2021 will need to reapply for 2022. To be eligible to apply community members must hold a current, paid blue card / exemption card from Blue Card Services or for teachers, a current Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) registration. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and eligible to work in Australia. They must possess personal attributes of discretion, tact, attention to detail, and an ability to maintain confidentiality, as well as meeting straightforward requirements for identification and access to technology.

Mrs Gail Norris
Assistant Principal – Curriculum
Gail_Norris@shalomcollege.com

Administration

Year 7/8 Core Studies Learner Conferences (ie Parent-Teacher Interviews)

Year 7/8 Core Studies Learner Conferences will be conducted in the Waterford Building from 8:30am to 3:00pm this Friday, 2 September 2022 (Student Free Day). Interviews will be of ten minutes duration. The rooms the interviews will take place in on this day are below. Parents are encouraged to bring their child to the interviews. Please note that Mr Mitchell Smith is not available for interviews as he will be on long service leave.

Learner Conferences are currently open for parent bookings through Sia --> Parent Lounge --> PT Interviews and will close at 3:00pm this Wednesday, 31 August. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Year 11 Term 3 Exam Block Timetable

Attached is the Year 11 Exam Block occurring from Wednesday 7 September - Monday 12 September. Please note that this is one more day than advertised on the school calendar. Students need only attend school for the exams they are to sit during this time. Expectations for students throughout the exam block are also attached.

Year 12 Mock Exam Block Timetable

Attached is the Year 12 Mock Exam Block Timetable occurring across the school holidays from Monday 12 September (Term 3 Week 10) - Friday 7 October (Term 4 Week 1). Students need only attend school for the exams they are to sit during this time, however, classroom teachers may ask individual students who have not completed assessment to attend school during this period. Expectations for students throughout the exam block are also attached.

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

Mission

Year 12 Retreat Day

On Friday Year 12 students stepped out of the busy world of schoolwork and participated in a day long Retreat with Michael Fitzpatrick. They shared stories of their time together and life lessons learned. It was bittersweet as they are looking to their futures away from Shalom as well as enjoying the short time they have left.

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

Student Drivers

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 Mrs Elizabeth Austin-Campbell. Once approved the details will be placed on our School Register.

Thanks to those Parents who have already completed this form their child.

Mrs Amanda O’Mara
Executive Assistant to the Principal/Enrolment Officer
Amanda_omara@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.

Team Photo Schedule

Please see the link to the Team Photo Schedule for all Winter Sport Teams as well as All Schools Sport Teams and Extra-Curricular Groups.

All photos are taken at MacKillop 2 at either Lunchtime or Afternoon Tea.

Students are to wear formal school uniform - including ties for Boys.

Students, please place your team photo date in your student record book as a reminder.

Mrs Georgia Haplin
Community Relations Officer
Georgia_Halpin@shalomcollege.com

Pathways

2023 Additional Learning Opportunities

Students entering Year 11 and 12 in 2023 who are wishing to engage in additional learning such as TAFE and external qualifications in 2023 are now able to register their interest with the Pathways Office. Access the selection of courses on offer and enrolment form - 2023 Additional Learning Opportunities booklet.

Griffith University – Important Information

Be sure to check out this great resource from Griffith University containing important information about upcoming events, key dates, preferencing tips, course requirements, schemes and opportunities.

Queensland Police Recruiting Seminar

Queensland Police will be holding a Recruiting Seminar on Wednesday, 14 September at 6.30pm at the Bundaberg PCYC. Come along and find out if you meet the requirements and are the right person for the job. The information session is conducted by experienced, current serving police officers who can answer all of your questions. All attendees (including family and friends) must register to attend here.

Regional Medical Pathway

Students who are interested in learning more about studying medicine in their local area are invited to a Regional Medical Pathway Information Session to be held in Goondeel Library on Wednesday, 31 August at lunch time (11.25am - 12.05pm). Students are welcome to bring their lunch.

CQU STEPS Information Session

Year 12 students interested in studying STEPS at CQU in 2023 are invited to come along to an information session to learn more about this FREE COURSE that provides a pathway to CQUniversity entry. This will be held on Tuesday, 6 September in Goondeel library at lunch time (11.25am – 12.05pm) Students are welcome to bring their lunch.

AngloAmerican 2023 Apprenticeship Intake - Moura

AngloAmerican’s Dawson Mine invite applications for their 2023 Apprenticeship Program. Multiple opportunities are on offer in the disciplines of Diesel Fitting, Boiler Making, Electrical and Auto Electrical. Further information and how to apply here . Applications close 8 September.

Griffith University Diplomas

Griffith undergraduate diplomas give students a supported start to their university studies, helping the transition to a student’s chosen bachelor degree.

Students can apply for Diplomas via QTAC. When you click into each program you can see the QTAC code for each Diploma + Bachelor. Please be aware that these are not stand alone, they are all packaged with a bachelor and each Diploma + Bachelor (and campus) combination has a unique QTAC code. We recommend putting these diplomas in that preference 5 or 6 slot as a back-up course. There will also be campaigns run to contact students who are not successful on getting a place directly into a Bachelor at Griffith to let them know about Diploma’s as a back-up option.

Find out more information here .

JCU’s Hero’s in Health

Are you interested in pursuing a career in the health care sector? JCU and the Mater Hospital are pleased to announce Heroes in Health, a unique two-day program providing students in Years 11 and 12 with an unrivalled opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at a working hospital. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, or another health-related discipline, the Heroes in Health program gives students the opportunity to don scrubs and do hospital rounds, chat with health care staff, and will allow them to get a true feel for what it’s like to work in multiple health care disciplines. The program will run in on 11-12 October in Mackay and Rockhampton. Registrations close 2 September. Find out more here .

Employment Opportunities

Full Time, Part Time & Casual Positions - Bunnings Warehouse Bundaberg

Customer Service, Kitchen Staff, Delivery Drivers – Pizza Hut Bundaberg - Students can click the link to apply online or hand their resume in to Shop3B/224 Bourbong Street

Various Junior Positions – IGA Northway Plaza – Apply in person with your resume

Full time position for Year 12 school leavers interested in a career in Business Administration or taking a gap year – Ulton Bundaberg

Upcoming Events

25 Aug CQU Gladstone Campus Open Day

27 Aug CQU Virtual Open Day

31 Aug Regional Medical Pathway Lunch Time Career Pop Up – 11.25am – 12.05pm, Goondeel Library

The Pathways Team
Mrs Liza O’Donnell, Mrs Kathy Laing & Mrs Julia Fox
Liza_ODonnell@shalomcollege.com
kathryn_laing@shalomcollege.com
Julia_Fox@shalomcollege.com

Quiet Achiever

With the start of Damien House in 2022 several hard-working quiet achievers have emerged. We would like to celebrate the contribution of Jalah Bakker toward making sure 2022 is successful. Jalah always volunteers to help in Damien House. She went the extra mile for Damien House by being a leader in our Shalom Day Dance committee. Jalah represents Damien on the Student Representative Council and reports back to the House on Assembly Day. Jalah has been a great buddy for her Year 7 partner in Damien 6, always caring, kind and considerate. Jalah’s respect and thoughtfulness make her worthy of commendation as this week’s quiet achiever.

Mr Jason Egan
Damien House Coordinator
Jason_Egan@shalomcollege.com

CSA & CSB Showcase

All parents, guardians and students are welcome to attend the Year 7 and 8 Showcase afternoon on Wednesday September 14 in the Waterford Building. The students will be proudly displaying some of their work for the year in the subject areas of Science, Mathematics, English and Humanities. Doors open at 3:30pm.

Damien House Donation Drive

Recently Damien House conducted its Donation Drive to support our House Charity Share the Dignity. Thank you to every family that has donated – 287 items!! Well over $1,000 worth of products. Particular thanks to the families of Aleisha Woodcroft, Connor Smith and Ally Whitehurst who made major contributions.

Damien House will launch our fundraiser on Wednesday August 31 – Selling Snow Cones! $2 per snow cone with all profits donated to Share the Dignity.

Share the Dignity was established to support girls and women who need essential sanitary products but because of their circumstance are unable to access these necessities. We aim to support women who are both adults and teens including mothers of babies. All people, not matter their background, should be treated with dignity. If you wish to also donate, we will accept products to be forwarded to the charity. Please donate: Roll on deodorant, Sealed Period products including some suitable for younger bodies, Maternity pads, Breast Pads, Newborn Nappies, Shampoo and Conditioner, Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Soap, Disposable nappy bags, baby wipes, dummies, baby wash and nappy rash cream.

Mr Jason Egan
Damien House Coordinator
Jason_Egan@shalomcollege.com

Dance Night on this Friday and Saturday!

Get excited for the best two nights of the year. Dance Night is on this week and tickets are on sale now. Tell your family and friends and grab those tickets to avoid missing out.

Come and support our talented dance students, both curricular and extra-curricular as they take to the stage in a variety of genres and styles guaranteed to entertain young and old.

Times:

Friday 2 September 2022 - 7pm
Saturday 3 September 2022 - 7pm

Ticket Prices:

General Admission - $12
Student/Pensioners - $10
+ booking fees

Mrs Louise McSherry
Performing Arts Coordinator
Louise_McSherry@shalomcollege.com

McAuley Movie Night & Mini Market

Last year McAuley House held a very successful “Mini Market and Movie Night’ as our major fundraising event for our house charity CARINBUNDI. We are continuing this great event in 2022.

This year we are holding a movie and mini handmade market evening on the 14th OCTOBER 5:30-8pm. The event will be held here at Shalom and open to everyone. But to make it a big success we are after stall holders. So if you, family members or friends are into creating handmade items and would like to be a stall holder, make yourself some extra money, get your products and name out into the community and be part of making a difference to our house charity CARINBUNDI we would like to hear from you.

For example, we are after people who make and sell cards, candles, jewelry, artwork, body products, hair products, clothes, produce, cakes just to name a few. If you are interested in being part of this and want to set up and have your own stall at this event please contact Paula van Dalen through email vandalenp@shalomcollege.com or call me on 41558155 by Friday 2nd September.

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

Queensland Association of Maths Teachers Competition

On Tuesday 16 August, 3 of our Year 7 and 8 students competed in the QAMT (Queensland Association of Maths Teachers Competition).

Team 1 (Waylan Hu, Sienna Johnson - captain and Christina Lee) and Team 2 (Thomas Elphinstone, Hannah Parton – Captain and Ollie Martin) competed against 9 other teams in the District. This competition is not for the faint hearted. It is done in front of an audience and usually the competitors only have 20 to 30 seconds to answer the question often without pen and paper and a calculator. There are 5 sections to the competition: Speed, History and General Knowledge, Individual, Estimation and Problem Solving.

Some time of practise is involved before the competition. We learn about famous Mathematicians, different areas of Maths and how to answer questions quickly, accurately and in our heads!!

Team 1 came third and Team 2 came second in the competition on the day. Our teams performed really well and were only 2½ points behind the winners (Bundaberg Christian College). Because we were place getters in the District Competition, we now compete at the Regional competition. We are looking forward to the challenge.

Mrs Rhonda Cutmore
Mathematics Teacher
Rhonda_Cutmore@shalomcollege.com

From the Library

Presenting the CBCA Book of the Year Winners - 2022

Winner of the Older Readers Category

TIGER DAUGHTER by Rebecca Lim

Tiger Daughter is the story of Wen Zhou who is determined to create her own future, and this is different to the one her parents want for her.

“What I feel most days is that nothing is ever going to change. That my life won't even start, and that I'll be stuck like this forever.”

The story focusses on Wen Zhou, who is the only child of Chinese immigrants. Wen’s parents have struggled with the move and want an easier and more secure life for her. Wen and her friend Henry, who is in a similar position, plan to pass an entrance exam to a selective high school far away from their family’s homes. Tragedy strikes and Wen must prove the full strength of her resourcefulness and resilience.

Winner of the Younger Readers Category

A GLASSHOUSE OF STARS by Shirley Marr

In a similar story of strangers in a strange land, A Glasshouse of Stars follows the journey of Meixing Lim and her family who have inherited a house from a uncle who tragically passed away. The move has been challenging for Meixing, who is scared of the large house and having difficulty with the language and other new things that she has had to adapt to. When fitting in a school and making new friends grows too hard, she opts to find solace in the glasshouse in the garden which manages to capture the light from the sun and the moon and all her memory and imagination too.

Ms Denise Harvey
School Librarian
Denise_Harvey@shalomcollege.com

Sport

Shalom College Equestrian Team

The Shalom College Equestrian Team recently completed three days at the Fraser Coast Interschool Equestrian Competition in Maryborough. Our riders - Meghan Flanagan-Kirkwood, Alexandra Mingin, Isobel Condon, Makayla Cook, Arielle Yunus and Tahlia Condon – showed their skills achieving placings in a range of disciplines including dressage, showjumping, and western events. Isobel Condon also took out the Year 8 Age Champion title with her horse, Arctic Touch of Ice. Congratulations to all of our riders on their success and a huge thank you to the parents who camped out for three nights with the students and their horses.

Mr Simon Gills
Sports Coordinator
GillsS@shalomcollege.com

Term Dates for 2022

Term 1: Monday 7 February - Friday 1 April (10 weeks)
Term 2: Tuesday 19 April - Friday 24 June (10 weeks)
Term 3: Monday 11 July - Friday 16 September (10 weeks)
Term 4: Tuesday 4 October - Friday 2 December (9 weeks)

Parent and Carer Tuckshop Volunteers

At the start of each school year we ask parents to indicate their availability for volunteering in the College tuckshop.

Life is busy and forever changing, so for this reason we have set up a booking system that will not only accommodate our very much appreciated regular volunteers, but also families who may not be able to commit on a regular basis and who may have a day here or there throughout the year to come along and lend a hand and support our students. 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 41 55 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 to 3 hours (school drop off to around 11.30 am).

No experience required!

Tuckshop

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)

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.

Shalom Sunday Markets

SHALOM MARKETS 6AM TO 12PM EVERY SUNDAY!

• Fresh food stalls fruit, vegetable & local food products
• BBQ and tuckshop are operating, social distancing practices are in place
• Social distancing to include gaps between stalls (all outdoors)

Markets Tuckshop Roster

New volunteers are DESPERATELY required for the Markets Tuckshop or BBQ, if you have any queries please contact Leanne via email – barkerl@shalomcollege.com

Markets BBQ Roster

Community Notice Board

Shalom College App

Student Travel Rebates

Student travel rebate applications are only open in May for Semester 1 and October for Semester 2. Please visit the link below to check if you are eligible.

Youth Support

Headspace

Find Out More below

The Catholic Parish of Bundaberg

Office Hours: 9:00 - 1:00 Monday to Friday
Parish Office: Rossolini Place Level 1, 66 Woongarra St
Ph: 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

"Good News Magazine 2022"

"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.

Catholic Youth Groups

Driving Training Courses

Breast Screen Queensland

Triple P

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.