By Mrs Liisa Hammond, Principal

Matthew 23: 1-12

Matthew’s Gospel this week has Jesus addressing the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Jesus delivers a lesson on humility and authentic leadership. The Pharisees had used their positions of leadership to seek recognition, power, and titles, ignoring their true calling. Whilst the Pharisees would have earned their positions through being confident in their knowledge, skills, and capacities, their lack of humility and inability to recognise that their wisdom was a gift to be shared and used to empower others saw them being dressed down by Jesus.

Service and Noble Purpose Leadership is what we challenge ourselves and our student leaders to strive to achieve every day. Noble Purpose Leadership is the pursuit of meaningful and higher-purpose goals that reach far beyond personal gain. Noble Purpose leaders inspire and motivate others by aligning their actions with the values of the community they serve.  When you combine Noble Purpose Leadership with a calling to Service Leadership, then we are all able to thrive in a culture that prioritises the wellbeing and success of all.

For an example of Service and Noble Purpose Leadership, you do not have to look too far. Our 2023 Student Leaders have been exceptional in their pursuit to inspire, motivate and “be more”. Their commitment to “making a ripple” can be seen throughout their time at Assumption College, and none more so than their fundraising activities for this year:

Congratulations to our 2023 Year 12s for their enduring legacy of service and leadership. A legacy that they have passed onto our 2024 Year 12 Leaders, who are currently in the throes of planning their own first fundraising event for 2024 – stay tuned; they tell me it is going to be “hot”!

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Assumption College would like to congratulate Leigham Portener on securing a school based apprenticeship (Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology) with King St Mechanical. We wish him all the best for his continuing studies.

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

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal Curriculum 

External Exams

Year 12 students have completed their External Exams. All results for these exams will be released on the 15 December 2023 through the QCAA Student Portal application.

Student Portal Login (b2clogin.com)

QCE’s will also be posted out to students from this date. ATAR’s will be released through the QTAC portal on the 15 December, 2023. Year 12 students will need to ensure they have their login and password details for their QCAA and QTAC portals. 

Semester Reports - Years 7 - 11

Semester 2 Reports will be issued through the Sentral parent portal. Please ensure that you have access and can log in to download your child’s report. 

Subject Selections

Due to some staffing changes, some Years 9 and 10 students have had to reselect their elective subjects. These students have been spoken to and have a form to take home to discuss the changes with their parents and guardians. 

Year 11 Students

Year 11 students should be accessing their QCE account information through the QCAA student portal. They will require their LUI number and password, which is their date of birth in the following format ddmm, for example, 0605 for the 6 May. 

Student Portal and your Learning Account | myQCE (qcaa.qld.edu.au)

This will outline the student’s results and the amount of points they have banked from their Year 11 course of study. 

See the student portal FAQ’s for more information. Student Portal FAQs | myQCE (qcaa.qld.edu.au)

By Mrs Julie Collins, Assistant Principal Pastoral and Wellbeing

The Little Things

The older we get, the more sense the statement ‘if you can’t get the little things right, you will never do the big things right’, makes.   

The essence of "The Little Things" holds great significance in our daily lives. It's about acknowledging and addressing the small, seemingly insignificant details that collectively form the foundation of our character, behaviour, and eventual success.

Recently on assembly, the students were given examples of what ‘Little Things’ might mean and how they relate to their everyday school life and beyond. 

• The little things are often subtle and not grand gestures. They're the small actions, decisions, and behaviours that, when consistently done right, create a positive impact. It's about being mindful of the details in everyday life, from how they treat others to how they approach their tasks.
• The little things, although seemingly insignificant at the moment, can carry negative consequences. For instance, missed assignment or a disrespectful comment may seem minor, but they can impact one's academic performance or relationships with others.
• Attending to the little things is about integrity, discipline, and responsibility. It's a continuous effort for individuals to exhibit their values and principles in everyday actions, thereby strengthening their character.

Think of a leak in a ship or a building without nails … small issues, when ignored, can lead to significant problems. Addressing them promptly prevents bigger, more challenging situations.

There is no need to wait for a special event or invitation to start focusing on the little things. They are ongoing, part of daily life, and require consistent attention.

The commitment to mastering these little things is a lifelong journey that leads to personal and professional success.

By Mrs Patrice Riordan, Assistant Principal Mission and Identity 

All Saint’s Day & All Soul’s Day

Two very important dates within the Catholic church were celebrated last week.

All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the Saints of the Church, whether they are known or unknown. From the 4th century, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held in various places, on various dates near Easter and Pentecost. In the 9th century, some churches in the British Isles began holding the commemoration of all saints on 1 November, and in the 9th century this was extended to the whole Catholic Church by Pope Gregory IV.

All Souls' Day is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithfully departed, observed by Roman Catholics and other Christians on 2 November. To further remember those souls who have passed, a special Remembrance Mass for families who have lost loved ones over the past year will take place on Tuesday 15 November, 2023 at 7pm at St Mary’s Church. All are welcome to attend.

Catherine McAuley Day 11th November

Assumption College’s vision is under the guidance of Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, and in the tradition of Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice.

Who is this amazing woman?

The Venerable Catherine McAuley, RSM was an Irish Catholic religious sister who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin in 1831 to provide compassionate assistance to the poor. The women’s congregation has always been associated with teaching and education.

We at Assumption College embrace Catherine’s desire to provide an Empowering Pastoral and Co-curricular education for all our students and staff.

This day will be celebrated by the College on Friday 10 November, 2023.

Vinnies Christmas Appeal – Can-Can for Christmas

Only one week left in the Vinnies Christmas Appeal! The appeal officially ends on Monday, 20 November 2023 Week 8, when the students from the Vinnies Club start to assemble the hampers for delivery to our local Vinnies organisation. Can I please encourage all families to think about donating at least one can this year. I am aware many families are feeling under pressure to give this year, therefore, any gift helps to ensure we all experience joy this Christmas.

Pope Francis reminds us,

“For the poor to overcome their oppressive situation, they need to sense the presence of brothers and sisters who are concerned for them and, by opening the doors of their hearts and lives, make them feel like friends and family. Only in this way can the poor discover the saving power at work in their lives.”
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 6

Thank you to all have donated so far.

Year Level Mass and PC liturgies

St Mary’s Parish Church is having its beautiful stained glass windows renovated over the foreseeable future. As a result, daily Mass is being held in Assisi Place.  Unfortunately, there is no room for our students to attend. We will still be celebrating this time together as a year level taking part in a year level liturgy instead. Every year level has experienced Mass at the Church four times over the course of the year. A very big thank you to Fr. Bony and Fr. Franco who have led these Tuesday and Thursday morning Masses with such enthusiasm, reaching out to our students with caring words and relatable stories. A big thank you also to the members of the St. Mary’s Parish who have shown patience and have welcomed our students with such genuine smiles. We look forward to continuing our year level Masses next year.

PC liturgies will continue each Wednesday throughout Term 4.  PC liturgies are a time for each PC class to pause, connect, embrace and reflect on scripture.

Prayer

The Suscipe of Catherine McAuley

My God, I am yours for all eternity. Teach me to cast my whole self
into the arms of your Providence
with the most lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity.
Grant, O most merciful Redeemer,
that whatever you ordain or permit may always be acceptable to me.
Take from my heart all painful anxiety;
suffer nothing to afflict me but sin,
nothing to delight me,  but the hope of coming to the possession of You
my God, in your own everlasting kingdom.

Amen.

By Mrs Amanda McCosker, College Chaplain

We are officially more than half way through Term 4 - wow! Many of you have started (or even finished) your last assessments for the year, so take a minute to take that in and feel proud of yourselves!

This week we spent some time creating poppies for Remembrance Day and reflecting on why this day is so important for us to recognise. What a beautiful and striking display our poppies make on the front fence of the College. We also enjoyed a scavenger hunt for Catherine McAuley Day and used the letters of her name to create an acrostic poem. Many of these were really well done and it was great to see so many students taking part in the fun.

Breakfast Club continues to be popular each morning, with lots of new and familiar faces coming over for a chat. It is available each morning and anyone is more than welcome to pop over and say hi.

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for our local community, especially with the recent bushfires. There was a lot of anxiety, fear and uncertainty for many people, a lot of close calls and many miracles. It just reiterates how important it is to be gentle with each other, to show kindness and compassion, and to look behind the reasons why people might be behaving a little bit differently than usual. In the words of the late Robin Williams, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.”

Building Update

Building works continue to take shape at the College. See below for photo updates of site preparations.

By Mr Thomas Duggan, Sports Coordinator 

By Ms Taylor Quinn, Teacher Librarian

End of Year in the Library

As we come to the end of our school year, we will be recalling all our texts books at the end of Week 7 (18 November, 2023), excluding any books that will be required for exam revision. If a book has been recalled and your child still needs it, please encourage them to come and talk to us in the library. Equally, if your child has an ACW library or text book at home not being used, please send it in. All our books get cleaned and checked, ready for our next school year.

The library will be closed in Week 9 to allow us to clean, sort and finalise. We have had a busy, productive 2023 and we look forward to 2024, being a hub for our ACW community, providing support with resources, learning and lunch time fun.