By Mrs Liisa Hammond, Principal

Assumption College would like to congratulate Natalie Blake on securing a school based traineeship (Certificate III in Individual Support) with Akooramak. We wish her all the best for her continuing studies.

Assumption College would like to congratulate Izaak Barkle on securing a school based apprenticeship (Certificate III in Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology) with Goodyear Warwick. We wish him all the best in his continuing studies.

May our Mother Mary grant her blessings upon our College Community. 

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal Curriculum 

Appreciation of Parental Involvement:

We extend our gratitude to all the parents and guardians who participated in the recent Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences. These meetings provided a valuable opportunity for constructive conversation about your child's educational journey. Furthermore, they allowed teachers to collaborate with you as an integral part of your child's ongoing learning process.

Year 11 Examination Block:

We are pleased to inform you that our Year 11 students are presently engaged in their Unit 2 examinations. This examination block serves as a crucial platform for honing their exam readiness, endurance, and strategic approach. It closely mirrors the conditions of external examinations. We wish our Year 11 students the very best in their upcoming exams.

Year 12 External Examinations:

In preparation for their external examinations commencing in Week 4, our Year 12 students are working hard in their limited class time that is left. To ensure a quiet examination environment, these assessments are being conducted off-campus due to the ongoing construction of our new library and associated noise levels. Detailed information regarding these arrangements has been communicated to Year 12 students and their families. We extend our best wishes to our Year 12 students for a successful performance.

Year 9-10 2024 Subject Selections:

We have recently dispatched emails to all families containing the subject selections for Years 9 and 10 students in 2024. These selections have been thoughtfully designed using the subject selection data from the students to consider the class schedules for the upcoming year. We kindly request parents to bear in mind that if their child was assigned a reserve option due to unavailability of their first and second preferences, it may be because these subjects operate on the same line, which means they occur at the same time in the timetable. You have the flexibility to request changes if necessary, and the relevant forms are available for collection at our office.

Year 11 2024 Subject Selections:

The subject selections for Year 11 students in 2024 will be disseminated via email once the finalisation process is completed. We are actively working on the Distance Education, VET (Vocational Education and Training), and Headstart enrolments to ensure a seamless transition.

Assessment Calendars:

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing the Assessment Calendars with all parents and guardians. Links to these calendars will be directly emailed to the students, and parents can access them through the College website under the "Calendar" tab.

We appreciate your continued support and partnership in the academic journey of our students and your children. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

By Mrs Julie Collins, Assistant Principal Pastoral and Wellbeing

For our Year 12 students.

As the Year 12 cohort winds down your schooling years and prep for final exams, there will be many highs and lows in the next few months.

The excitement or disappointment of finishing school, the apprehension of or enthusiasm for exams, the freedom of good times and holidays, the uncertainty of the future AND early next year … REALITY bites!

How are you going to cope??

• Be kind to yourself and realistic with your expectations. No good will come from berating yourself or having unrealistic thoughts. You have a long way to travel with yourself so get to liking yourself or changing yourself.
• Surround yourself with people who make you feel good. No good will come from hanging out with people who do not bring out the best in you.  Keep in touch with your close friends and family, they know you better than anyone else.
• Keep things in perspective. When you do not have control over a situation, control the way you respond to it. Never stop building resilience, learn daily, adapt!
• Make good choices!! This is everything from being mentally and physically active, eating well, getting enough sleep and the choices that challenge you to remember right from wrong. You all have a moral compass – use it.

Finally, work hard, nothing worth keeping comes easily. You have so much potential, it is now time for you to start your journey in reaching it.

And remember – the company you keep determines the trouble you meet.

By Mrs Amanda McCosker, College Chaplain

Welcome back to Term 4! I trust you all had a restful and relaxing break, and I hope you all found some time to do something you love. This term is sure to fly by and it’ll be the end of the year before we know it (and let’s face it, we’ve all seen the Christmas goodies on the shelves in the shops already!). We have a busy term ahead of us; we only have a few days left with our Year 12 cohort on campus before they head off to complete their final exams. Everyone else has exams and assessments looming too but honestly, just take it all in, dig deep and try your best because it will go so fast.

Breakfast Club will continue each morning and as the weather has started to warm up, a glass of cool juice is becoming a more popular choice. Again, feel free to pop over, grab a drink or piece of toast, say hi and tell me what’s going on in your world.    

To finish off, I’d like to share with you something I read recently. It resonated with me because I have seen how easy it is to become affected by the actions of the people we surround ourselves with. Imagine you had $86,400 in your bank account and somebody stole $10. Would you be so upset that you would throw away the remaining $86,390 in the hopes of getting back at that person? Or would you move on and live? Exactly – move on and live! We all have 86,400 seconds each day. Don’t let a negative 10 seconds ruin your remaining 86,390. Try not to sweat the small stuff, focus on what’s important and keep people in your circle who bring positivity and happiness into each and every day.

Year 9 Canberra Trip

By Mrs Dimity Gardner

During Week 10 of Term 4, Year 9 students arrived dark and early on Monday at the College with suitcases full to depart for their Sydney and Canberra tour. We arrived at Brisbane airport to fly to Sydney, where excitement and nerves awaited. Students explored Circular Quay and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during their time in Sydney. Students were given the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes of the SCG, learning about the history of the grounds and seeing the field of play where so many sporting greats have played. After Sydney, it was time to travel another 4 hours to Canberra.

On Tuesday, our first stop was the National Capital Exhibition. Here the students learnt about the story of Canberra, the people, events, history and design which contributed to the development of this unique, modern, fully planned city. We then went on a drive-by tour of the Yarralumla Embassies, High Commissions and the Prime Minister’s Lodge. Next stop was Parliament House, where students had the privilege of speaking with our local representative, David Littleproud. The Year 9s also had the opportunity to tour Parliament House and role play an Act to experience what it is like to be a member of parliament. After this, we visited the National Film and Sound Archive where students were presented with some interesting film information. We were given the amazing opportunity at the end of this day to visit the Australian War Memorial and take part in the Last Post ceremony. The ceremony began with the singing of the Australian National Anthem, followed by the poignant strains of a Lament, played by a piper. During the ceremony, the Year 9 students lined the Pool of Reflection, and two students were invited to lay a wreath. To round out a long day of sightseeing, students and teachers enjoyed a fun night of Ten Pin Bowling where lots of strikes, gutter balls and laughs were had.

Wednesday started with an early morning, with our Year 9 students eager and excited to take on the action-packed day ahead. After a fuel packed breakfast, the campers headed to the National arboretum where they experienced scenic views, rolling hills and the amazing collection of fauna Australia has to offer. The cold morning air and picturesque gardens provided great opportunities for plenty of photos and peaceful hikes.

After a walk with the beautiful fauna, our campers headed to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to tour their facilities and test their athletic capabilities. With the help of current national volleyball players acting as tour guides, the performance centre provided an inspirational awe for students. Our campers toured the volleyball courts, the strength and conditioning facilities, the gymnastics training centre and the pool where our Olympic and national athletes train day to day. Our tour ended with our Year 9s entering the Sportex to challenge themselves with interactive sport activities. There were many great feats accomplished by our students but none more than our brave basketball athletes giving their best efforts in challenging their AIS tour guides. Following their visit to the AIS, and a quick lunch break, the Year 9 students headed over to the Canberra centre where they had the chance for some leisure and shopping before continuing to the High Court of Australia.

Here, students were able to tour the High Court and be educated on the history of the building as well as the functions of law at the state and national level. Students also had the pleasure of sitting in an empty court room as well as attending a hearing and experiencing the diligence and work that is required by barristers and judges to provide just decisions. Whilst touring the High Court, our campers were able to see the rich history of our justice system and the progression made since federation. Along with their visit to the High Court, students strolled through the Avenue of the Flags display viewing the international presence in the National Capital. Following their visit to the High Court and Avenue of Flags, our campers went for a quick visit to old Parliament where they were able to stand on the entry steps for a photo opportunity and see the Indigenous Australian tent embassy.

To finish an exciting day, our Year 9 campers visited Questacon to challenge their intuition and experiment with a range of interactive and educational activities. At Questacon, students explored the functions of the digital age and the innovation that can be produced at the press of a single button. Experiment with motion and light, seeing how movement can be fluid with the forces at play. Students also had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the natural world through weather change and the impact of natural disasters. Though the most exciting time came when students were presented with the challenge of taking on a free-fall slide. Our brave Year 9 campers took the challenge head on with great effort and courage. Questacon served as a playground of inspiration for aspiring scientists and engineers and was a valuable experience of learning and play.

After the exciting events of Day 3, it was another early cold morning for the students as it was time to visit the snow. Following an early morning briefing and a hearty breakfast the Year 9 campers were setting off for Perisher and their tobogganing adventure. Leaving before sunrise, our campers enjoyed a two-hour bus ride with great views of the beautiful mountain ranges and serene valleys. Before making our way up to Perisher Valley, the Year 9 cohort stopped at the Jindabyne ski shed shop where they equipped themselves with snow jackets, pants, and boots. Our campers were all geared up and ready to take to the snowfields with their toboggans. After the quick stock stop, our Year 9 campers were on the road again with the next stop being Perisher Valley. As the cohort went further up the windy road, the white snow became more apparent appearing on more and more of the mountain ranges. We had made it. Although the Perisher ski fields didn’t offer great tobogganing terrain, due to the unexpected weather, we made our way back down to Smiggins for a guaranteed snow adventure. With a small bus ride back down, we stopped at Smiggins to explore and ride the snowy slopes. There were great laughs and rides during the few hours there. Many of our campers testing their nerve going down a ski slope with their toboggans. They even had their teachers participate, with Mrs Gardner, Mr Lene and Miss Webb flying down the slopes. With the snow melting away with, it was time for the Year 9 group to head back to the accommodation. After a snow filled and long travelling day, the campers dropped their snow gear back to the ski shed and headed back to the accommodation. The trip back home was accompanied by a warm hot chocolate and cronut stop at Cooma. The students enjoyed the famous rich hot chocolate and a decadent ice cream filled pastry to end their day. On the way back, the bus ride was filled with joy and entertainment with the campers and teachers sharing stories of the snow filled day. Arriving back to the accommodation, students were welcomed with a warm final dinner. Here, the Assumption College students thanked staff at the Ibis accommodation for the service and support provided. Finally, our Assumption College campers wanted to thank our amazing bus driver, Dave, with an honorary yellow Year 9 Canberra trip bucket hat. Dave was ecstatic and wore it with pride as a compliment to the students and the College. With that, dinner ended and it was time for our campers to pack and clean their rooms before they said good night and prepare for another big travel day home.

Friday was the final travel day, where students and teachers were eager to arrive home after an enjoyable yet tiring week of educational fun. A special thanks goes to the teachers who travelled with the students on this camp; Mrs Gardner, Miss Webb, Mrs Tunstall, Mr Lene and Mr Logan.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $90 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

General Mathematics

by Mr Simon Hamlet

Networks are an important mathematical field. A network is a way of depicting interconnectedness between entities. Networks influence much of modern life, from delivery logistics, the structure of our information grids, to modelling natural phenomena, like weather or food webs. They are even used to manage our response to natural disasters events. Recent conceptualisation of how the brain works as a series of networks has greatly influenced our understanding of mental health and it's effects on life, and during Youth Mental Health week we wanted to give a shout out to the networks that help ensure patient health.

This week the two General Mathematics classes merged to model the movement of energy and nutrients in a relatively simple soil food web.

By Mr Thomas Duggan, Sports Coordinator 

It was with great excitement that ACW attended its first ever QLD All Schools Touch Football Carnival this year. All Schools is the largest Touch Football competition in the World, 522 teams and over 1800 games of Touch played over the week, what an experience!

Assumption College entered an U15yrs Boys team and U15yrs Girls team. These students have been preparing for this competition since the beginning of Term 3, with weekly training sessions and playing competition in the local Mixed Touch competition here in Warwick. Although we were all filled with excitement, there was an element of uncertainty with what we could expect from our opposition teams.

Our boys started their campaign in style with 2 convincing wins on Day 1. The competition went up a notch and the boys finished the week with an even amount of wins and losses finishing 4th in their pool.

The girls had a slightly tougher start to their campaign with 4 very tough games on Day 1. The girls were very resilient and improved immensely over the course of the week. The girls finished on the bottom of their pool with 1 draw and the remaining games as losses.

Each and every student that attended on behalf of Assumption College should be commended for their excellent behaviour for the entire week. Mr Duggan, Mr Bruton, Mrs Garnder and Miss Webb had a fabulous week with these players and were very grateful for the way they conducted themselves. We must thank our two very helpful Year 12 students Glen Cruda and Sam Wainwright who attended the carnival on behalf of the College as our student referees. When not refereeing, these students spent their entire time with the teams and the coaching staff, offering their support and guidance and acting as true role models for our younger students. Thank you, Glen and Sam.

We also recognised some of our players for their outstanding efforts. Paddy Denny and Lauren Trotman were voted, by their teammates, as the Players Player for each of their teams. These players had terrific carnivals and thoroughly deserved this recognition. Jack Burton and Chloe Gaske were acknowledged by the coaches as the Tourists of the Carnival. Although this award could have gone to any of our players, these two students were truly a pleasure to take away and were always present, full of energy, and fun to be around. We look forward to continuing our successes in the Warwick Mixed Touch Competition and at All Schools 2024.

By Ms Taylor Quinn, Teacher Librarian

It’s the quiet before the storm in the library – we are gearing up for the annual Readers Cup Challenge which is being held at ACW this year.  Students have to read 4 books and, as a team of 4, answer 15 questions about the books.  We are current holders of the trophy from 2022, so good luck to our Year 7 and Year 8 teams.

We also have students competing in the Interschool Chess Tournament later in October, as well as a group of students heading to QUT in Brisbane for e-sports. 

These extracurricular activities are a great way to strengthen and broaden knowledge in a way that follows our students’ interests.

Mrs Gillespie has been working with students in the library to create a banner and signs for Mental Health Week.  We love having you in the library, Mrs Gillespie.