By Mr Kort Goodman - Principal

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students

It is with mixed feelings that I write to you today to inform you that I will be leaving Assumption College at the end of the year and taking on the role of Principal of St Joseph’s College in Toowoomba from January in 2020.

I have always openly stated that I am very proud to be the Principal of Assumption College and that it is a great privilege to have been provided with the opportunity to be part of the team leading this College. I am also not afraid to admit that, at times, the role has been very challenging, but for the great majority of the time it has been extremely rewarding. Witnessing the growth in the College, the growth in the students and staff and the improvement in the outcomes for the students has been a highlight.

I am very proud of the journey that we have been on over the last four years and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the leadership team of the College who have clearly set down an improvement agenda. However, I also acknowledge that the great progress and achievements our College and our students have made over the last four years has been down to the staff and student’s efforts. The improvement in our teaching and learning practices, our senior schooling outcomes, the growth in student numbers, the increase in pastoral, sporting and cultural opportunities for the students, the increased curriculum opportunities including music, agriculture and vocational education certificate courses, the planning, overseeing, and bringing to life of the new facilities are just a few of the incredible outcomes we have seen over the last four years and this is a result of the commitment and hard work of the community.

In leaving, I have the greatest confidence in the fact that Assumption College has a great team of hardworking, committed and determined professionals, who will carry on the wonderful work that we have been doing. As a community, I would strongly encourage everyone to get behind the future leadership team, offer support and speak confidently about the future of the College in the community. With continued focus on achieving the intents outlined in our strategic plan this community is on the verge of achieving something very special.

In regards, to who will be Principal for 2020, the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office is currently exploring options for the appointment of an Acting Principal at Assumption College for Semester 1, 2020. An announcement will be made in the near future about that appointment. Recruitment will then occur for the substantive appointment of the new Principal to begin Semester 2 2020.

Finally, I would like to thank the Assumption College wider community for your support. I have felt very welcome from the first day I arrived, and have appreciated this very much. I would also like to thank the staff of Assumption College for your support and friendship. Not only are you extremely generous and committed to your roles, but you have continued to demonstrate an open mind to the belief that individually and as a group we can continue to be better educators and this is a testament to your professionalism and the care you have for our students. Finally, to the students thank you for making me feel welcome and for your friendly greetings and smiles each day. I will miss the people of the Assumption College community very much and I wish you all the best for the future.

May God hold all members of the Assumption College community safely in the palm of his hand. Amen.

Presentation Night

Congratulations to the students who received awards at our Presentation Night last Thursday evening and to the students who performed on the evening. The evening was a great celebration of the year that has been. Events like this do not just happen and again it is a testament to the amazing efforts of our staff and students. A massive thank you to the staff, in particular, Mrs Brodrick, Mrs Bacon, Mrs Newley, Mr Bernardi, Mrs Stevens & Mrs Le Sueur for their tireless work in preparing the videos, powerpoints, programs and awards for the evening. Thank you to Mr Drew Schultz, Mr Flynn Donaldson, Mrs Kristy Searson and Miss Rebecca Bastion for their work in preparing the performers. Finally, I would like to congratulate and thank our Assumption College School Leaders for 2019 and 2020 for their efforts in hosting the evening.

End of Year Best Wishes

How quickly all the days, weeks and months of the 2019 school year have gone. As we prepare to close the school for 2019 and head off into the Christmas season and the summer holidays, there is much we can reflect back upon and give thanks for - our successes and how much we have learned (academic, social, physical, cultural and in faith), and how we have supported, cared for and challenged each other to be the best we can be.

Thank you to all - students, staff, parents and family and parish - for your support this year. We can most certainly take pride in who we are as a community.

We will miss the staff, students and families who are moving on from Assumption College at the end of 2019 and we wish them all the best for their futures. Thank you for the gifts of yourselves. We pray that you will be thrivers, not just survivors, that you will act out of optimism, not pessimism, that as you journey you will all contribute to making this world a little more hospitable and a little less hostile, and that you will be sustained always by people who care for you, challenge you and love you.

As this is our last newsletter for the school year, I would like to on behalf of the Assumption College community wish you all a happy, safe and holy Christmas break.

Kort

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Acting Deputy Principal

During the year, the College community farewelled Mr Craig Frattini, Deputy Principal of over 10 years.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Craig for his dedication and commitment to the College and for his positive and vibrant initiatives that have shaped the College we know today.  It has been my pleasure to step into the Deputy Principal’s role for the last Semester and a bit of this year and work with the Pastoral Leaders; Mr Matthew Bruton, Mrs Julie Collins, Mr Bob Bell and Mr Phillip Yates.  This pastoral team has worked tirelessly on the pastoral culture and student wellbeing at the College and I would like to thank each of them for this. 

Over the course of the year, the pastoral team at the College have been successful in wrapping the academic, faith and pastoral life of the College together with the introduction of initiatives in the pastoral sphere of the College.  Each house has engaged in a House Mass throughout the year.  These have been successful in allowing the House communities to celebrate their faith life together.  The House Masses also develop a shared understanding of and consistent language for Catholic Identity. 

The pastoral team also embedded Merit Awards and badges that allow students to be acknowledged for their consistent involvement and efforts across all four domains of College life; Academic, Cultural, Sport, Faith and Social Justice.  Students have been applying for these awards and as a result many have achieved a gold merit award throughout the year.

Staff have been engaged in professional development practices to increase their capacity to collect and use data to inform pedagogical practices.  The pastoral team have been immersed in student data to help inform the pastoral care and classroom teachers about their students.  Our wellbeing practices are being shaped and will continue to inform us about our students so that we can proactively address their need for support.   This has allowed the academic and pastoral needs of students to be brought together to provide a wholistic approach to a student’s education at the College. 

A key goal for the year was to effectively engage with parents and community members.  This has been achieved through the extra parent information evenings and social events offered.  These have included; Brett Lee Internet Safety, Device Information Night, Subject Information Night, Elevate Parent Information Session and Father’s Day BBQ.  We are committed to engaging secondary school parents into the College to help continue to support the delivery of quality teaching and learning. 

This year the pastoral team aimed to foster a culture of independent learning and intrinsic motivation, building on the positive work in the last few years of the growth mindset.  The growth mindset program has been effective in the delivery and embedding of its key messages throughout the school community.  We look forward to beginning to nurture this culture further through to the academic life of the College in 2020. 

By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Graduation Mass

Last Friday we celebrated the graduation of our senior class, 2019 with Mass at St. Mary’s Church. It was a milestone occasion for our seniors who reflected on their journey through school and their time at Assumption College. Fr. Franco led the mass and challenged the seniors to look to the future with hope but also to embrace the present – you will never have another moment like this one.

Congratulations to our seniors. We wish you all the best for the years ahead and hope that the lessons you have learned at Assumption College hold you in good stead in the future.

Spirituality Awards

Congratulations to the recipients of all awards at this year’s Presentation Night. A particular congratulations to the recipients of the spirituality and community service awards. Your on-going commitment to social justice and serving your community is a true example of living the mission of Christ.

SVDP Christmas Hamper Appeal

The Saint Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal has finished! Students are currently in the process of wrapping and preparing hampers for collection by Vinnies. A massive thank you to all who contributed. Your generosity, especially in these difficult times, embodies the true meaning of Christmas – giving to others.

Prayer – Reflection by Henri Nouwen ‘Recognising the Gifts of the Poor’

https://henrinouwen.org/resources/daily-meditation/

I am deeply convinced that we can only work for the liberation of the people if we love them deeply. And we can only love them deeply when we recognize their gift to us. I am deeply convinced of the importance of social change and of the necessity to work hard to bring about a just and peaceful society. But I also feel that this task can only be done in a spirit of gratitude and joy.

That is why I am more and more convinced of the importance to live in the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Christ is the God who entered into solidarity with our struggles and became truly a God-with-us. It was this solidarity that led him to the cross by which he overcame death and evil. Believing in the Risen Lord means believing that in and through Christ the evil one has been overcome and that death no longer is the final word.

Working for social change, to me, means to make visible in time and place that which has already been accomplished in principle by God himself. This makes it possible to struggle for a better world not out of frustration, resentment, anger, or self-righteousness, but out of care, love, forgiveness, and gratitude.

By Mrs Carmel Wooding

The library in2019 has been a wonderful place of learning, fun and friendship.  We are so proud to have seen, and played a part in, the personal and academic development of students throughout the year.  We have welcomed a parade of students from all year levels, displaying varied interests and reasons for spending time in our space, and we have loved our interactions over games, books, tech issues and simply conversations. 

Next year, I will head off for 12 months long service leave and so we warmly welcome Mrs Kirstie Andrews to the position of Teacher Librarian at Assumption in 2020.  I would also like to thank Mrs Mary-anne Driver for the immense love and effort she has put into our work in the library this year.  I know the library will continue to grow and flourish with you both next year.

By Mrs Jenny Gillespie

I would like to sincerely thank all parents and students who I have had the opportunity to talk with during this year for their valuable time and for their wonderful contributions to Assumption College in 2019.   If anyone you know is needing support over the holidays I have come across the following online resource which is excellent.

Head to Health

When you visit https://headtohealth.gov.au you can search and access a range of telephone based and online mental health services, which are either free of charge or low cost. These services range from information, telephone and web counselling services, through to web-based treatment programs and peer support forums.

Head to Health has a range of resources from trusted Australian based providers and is there to help you (or someone you care about) feel more in control of your mental health at a time and place convenient to you. On the site you can choose the information, advice and services you are most comfortable with. You can also narrow the search to filter results more appropriate to your preferences, such as your age and population group (e.g. Veterans, Parents, Carers, or Youth etc).

If you're not sure where to start, you can use Sam the Chatbot. Sam will ask you a few questions about your situation before providing tailored recommendations on information and services to suit your needs.

By Mrs Julie Collins - Program Leader Sport

Rugby League

The ACW Open Rugby League squad completed their 6 week program for the 2020 season, well done guys!

Australian Olympic Change-Maker

The Australian Olympic Change-Maker has replaced the Pierre de Coubertin Award.  The Award recognises students for their demonstration of the Olympic spirit through leadership and driving positive change in their community.  The students had to submit an application, including video footage of their involvement in sport.

Congratulations to Thomas Bell and Sophie Otten who received the awards for 2019.

By Mr Scott Clegg - Business Manager 

A second school fees was mailed or emailed out due to some parents not receiving the first copy. They are due 22^nd November 2019 and text book hire forms to be signed and returned to the office by the 22^nd as well.

If you didn’t receive the Text Book Hire forms please contact the office and we will give them to your students.

Year 9 Textiles

For the past 6 weeks students have been producing a “Quillo” which is a quilt and a pillow in one. They had to design the crazy patch on the front of the cushion ensuring that their fabrics were complimentary and aesthetically pleasing. Hopefully the students will be able to make use of their quillo for years to come!

Year 11 Hospitality

“Today in Hospitality, Sal & I  got to experience the chance to make the yummy Chinese Custard Tarts. I highly recommend making them, they definitely worth it!” Clare

“Today Mrs Goodman let me make my favourite meal, Chicken Parmigiana but I had to make it from scratch – it definitely rivals the Chicken Parmi at the Condy Club!” Adam

Year 11 and 12 Hospitality Event

Last week the year 11 and 12 Hospitality students thanked the school officers of ACW for their valuable contribution to the College by producing and serving a 3 course alternate drop summer luncheon. The event was well-planned and executed – thank you to all students involved.

Year 5 Leadership Retreat

Over a hundred Year 5 students from around the Diocese attended a Leadership Retreat held in St James Hall on Monday 18 November 2019.  A big thank you to the Year 11 students who assisted with activities on the day.

Riding for the Disabled 2019

Rodeo Float Winners 2019

Year 12 Memories Day

Presentation Night

Christmas Down Under 2019

Calling for volunteers to help at Christmas Down Under from Monday 16th December to Thursday 19th December, from 10am to 1pm each day. This is a multi-denominational group who come together each year to bring the real meaning of Christmas to families in a free, fun interactive way. Roles include helping with craft, storytelling, taking photos and welcoming families into the space.

If you can help, please contact Mary-anne Driver on 0428 841 164. A Working with Children Blue Card is required.

Parish Christmas Party Invitation 2019

Christmas Services 2019

Mobile Dental Van

Mobile Dental Van 138 is now treating Assumption College Students at Warwick State High School. We have started to book people in for their free check-ups and treatment. Forms can be returned to the school office until the end of term.

After the 6^th of December if you wish to have your child seen, you will need to contact us on 0407 631 439.

We look forward to seeing you soon

The School Dental Team J

Dental Van Forms 2019

The Water Drop