Assumption College Warwick
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6 Locke Street
Warwick QLD 4370
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Email: acwarwick@twb.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 07 4660 4000
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Assumption College Newsletter - 20 March 2020

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Assumption College Newsletter - 20 March 2020

By Mr Simon Fleming - Principal

Dear Parents and Carers

I am writing to provide an update on the latest coronavirus advice and how we are preparing for changes to school routines, including the possibility of a school closure. Our overall priority remains the safety of all staff and students and the continuity of student learning. Working in partnership with you will minimise the impact of these changes on students and their learning.

School closures:

Our national and state authorities continue to make it clear they will look at appropriate measures to slow transmission rates to limit the pressure on our health system as necessary.  It is clear that broad school closures will (and are) being weighed up as a part of the containment strategies.  We will continue to closely monitor and be guided by the advice of our state and national authorities which (to date) have not proposed broad school closures. The two most likely eventualities are:

  • school specific (spot) closures as a health response to a critical incident (eg a school is closed for 3 days after a student or staff member returns a positive test); and/or
  • potential broader school closure as part of an emergency or disaster management response (likely coupled with other community restrictions).

Parents will be advised immediately in the event of a school closure.

Continuity of student learning – pupil-free day:

If our school is closed for an extended period, students will be asked to continue their learning from home. A pupil-free day has been scheduled for Friday 27th March to allow staff to prepare necessary work and undergo training for the possibility of a school closure. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. I have no doubt that this day will benefit all students in the long-term.

Below is a copy of the letter circulated to students.

‘With the possibility looming that some students may need to self-isolate to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the IT Department is requesting that you do a couple of checks in order to prepare. Until advised otherwise, it is the Colleges' intention to provide you with school work remotely should you be placed in isolation. For this to occur, you need to make sure you can access all systems and services that will be used to deliver this content.

The most important things to check are:

  • Your email is syncing and working on your device
  • Access to your lessons on Canvas or OneNote
  • You can log into the Teams app
  • Your physical hardware (device) is fully operational (all the buttons, touchscreens, etc. work correctly)

If your response to any of these is NO, you need to see your teacher or the IT Department to get it fixed. If you need support from the IT Department, please EMAIL first if you need assistance with Canvas, Teams or OneNote. Only come into the IT Office if you have an issue with your physical hardware, OR if you have been instructed to do so by the IT Department via email or Teacher.’

Local school excursions and events:

All sporting events conducted by the school and excursions have been cancelled for the remainder of the term. The Art excursion to Brisbane for next term has been cancelled as well as the Year 11 Leadership camp. Anzac liturgy has been cancelled.

We will review the Parent – teacher – student interviews set down for week 2 term 2 and notify parents in the case of a postponement. Families of Year 12 should also prepare for the postponement to a later date for the Year 12 Formal.

Travel:

Please reconsider any unnecessary overseas travel in the coming months. While we understand that in some cases this travel might be unavoidable for family circumstances, overseas travel for holiday purposes should be postponed. Overseas travel arrivals now require two weeks mandatory self-isolation on return to Australia and overseas destinations are adding similar requirements at their end. Two weeks self-isolation means a significant loss of learning time for your children.

Financial difficulties:

I am aware that some families may be experiencing financial difficulties related to the pandemic. If this is the case I would urge you to make a confidential appointment to discuss a range of available options including a fee concession.

Children Displaying Influenza-Like Symptoms

As you would be aware, the symptoms of COVID-19 are very similar to the symptoms of influenza. The Queensland Health Time Outsheet provides information on the recommended minimum exclusion periods for infectious conditions. The Time Out sheet also confirms that students displaying influenza-like symptoms are to be excluded until the symptoms have resolved.

In the current climate, it is important that students who are unwell and displaying influenza-like symptoms do not attend school and before returning to school, have medical clearance with associated documentation to share with the College. Please keep your child at home if they are unwell and notify the College as per normal practice. Additionally, if you are contacted to collect an unwell child, a timely response would be appreciated.

Children or Family Members being Tested for COVID-19

Testing for COVID-19 is managed and initiated by health authorities. All students who are being tested will be quarantined by Queensland Health. Students who may have been in close contact with symptomatic family members who are undergoing testing, based on Queensland Health advice, may be asked to self-isolate until testing is undertaken and test results are known.

Some tips for keeping your children safe and well:

  • If your child shows symptoms of a cold or flu, keep them home. If those symptoms persist, and the symptoms are more than a ‘cold’, you should seek medical advice.
  • If your child is well, they should attend school. It is likely the pandemic will be with us for months, not weeks.
  • Talk to your children about hygiene and model the recommended behaviour at home – hand washing and sneezing protocols in particular.
  • Respond appropriately to issues relating to student anxiety.
  • Reassure your Year 12 student that he/she will not be disadvantaged by assessment changes due to coronavirus.

We greatly appreciate the support and goodwill already shown by our parent community. If you have any further concerns or questions, please contact your child’s teacher or me.

Kind regards

Simon 

Cancellations

At this point we have cancelled excursions and the Cross Country Carnival for this term. We have also cancelled the Art excursion and the Year 11 Leadership camp for next term 

Postponed

Year 12 Formal (Friday 1 May 2020) has been postponed; a new date will be advised at a later date.  If you have already purchased tickets, these will be kept with Trybooking until the new date.

Date Claimers

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By Mrs Anna Hardy, Acting Deputy Principal

Welcome to the end of week 8! There is a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment and the best advice I can give to parents and teenagers is that staying calm is important.  We do not want to create anxiousness in our children at this uneasy time, even though we may all be feeling this sense of uneasiness.  

I am asking that you please take the time to read Mrs Jenny Gillespie’s article in this edition of the newsletter.  It is an excellent summary and appropriate for our context. 

Stay safe and let’s look after one another. 

By Ms Eliza Harris - Assistant Principal - Curriculum 

Assessment Processes amid COVID19

The ongoing unprecedented preventative strategies and consequences of COVID19 have far reaching impact on the day to day running of our College as well as assessment protocols and procedures. During this time, we as a College are determined to support all our students to the best of our ability.

There is significant student and parent anxiety regarding the submission of assessment and scheduled exam deadlines in our current climate of uncertainty. Due to self isolation from following health advice from QCAA, the QLD Government and Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office we are experiencing significant student absenteeism.

During this critical time for our students’ assessment it is crucial that parents, students and teachers work collaboratively to ensure the best outcomes for our students in all cohorts.

Reminders and Procedures Term 1, 2020:

  1. Assignment Submissions

All drafts and finals of extended response tasks (written essays, reports, multi-modals etc) can and should be submitted online via the class CANVAS page. If there are any issues with online submission via CANVAS, simply emailing completed student work to the relevant teacher is also appropriate.

As we are a one-to-one learning community all students are well versed in submission via these digital platforms and regularly communicate with their teachers via email. These processes are not new and remain the preferred method of communication and submission.

  1. Scheduled Exam/Assessment Dates

At this point, all exam and assessment dates remain as set on College Assessment calendars, unless specifically communicated to students by the relevant teacher. Should your student miss a scheduled exam or assessment performance (e.g. drama, HPE, hospitality) due to COVID19 they will be granted an extension and the assessment instrument submission will be postponed.

This policy will apply for all students whether medical certificates can be supplied, or the principle of self-isolation has been employed.

Should you or your student have any concerns about the progress or submission of their learning and assessment in any subject please do not hesitate to contact me via the College phone or via email: eliza.harris@twb.catholic.edu.au.

We are actively working to ensure that all students learning needs continue to be met even in the eventuality of school closure through the continued use of our digital learning platforms.

 

God Bless.

By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Project Compassion

Fourth Week of Lent

SAKUN FROM INDIA

Thirty-two-year-old Sakun lives in a village in central-east India. She developed polio as a child and has difficulty walking. Until now Sakun, an indigenous Gond woman, has been isolated in her community, unable to earn a livelihood and without knowledge of government schemes that could help her.

Sakun lives with her sister in a rural area of Chhattisgarh, India’s poorest state. Home to 26 million people, with 10 million living in poverty.  Life is hard in this region, and even harder for the state’s indigenous people. Sakun belongs to the Gond tribal community which is amongst India’s officially designated Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Historically disadvantaged, they suffer higher poverty rates than other parts of India.

In 2018, Sakun joined a Caritas Australia-funded program which is implemented by Caritas India and its local partner, Samarthan. Through their strategic guidance and support, Sakun learned new skills and gained important mobility. Sakun now earns her own income and makes a small profit which goes towards her family’s basic needs. She is more resilient, more confident and more independent.

“I can move around my village, visit community members and talk to them, I feel happy and my social life and network has improved,” said Sakun. “It has also given me the opportunity to keep in contact with other people living with disabilities which enabled me to express solidarity with them. Today I am given due respect in the village and community.”

 

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RE Congress 2020        

As I mentioned in the previous newsletter, I will provide feedback on the sessions I attended at the RE Congress I recently had the privilege to attend in Los Angeles. Much of the information in these sessions will form the basis of professional development for our Religion teachers and the whole staff.

Here’s one from a local boy, Fr Richard Leonard SJ

God at the Movies

Richard Leonard is a regular presenter at the RE Congress and each year he does this talk based on representations of God and faith that have been explored in the previous year’s feature films.

The first thing that Richard pointed out is that there were no R-18+ rated films in the top 20 films of 2019. This really challenges the myth that sex and violence sells. He did, however, say that there were plenty of films from the science fantasy genre and they have been following a trend of presenting the hero as a messianic figure – think the Avengers franchise with all of its spin-off films. While having nothing against the films he did caution his audience as often the people who are saved in these films are passive by-standers and, although often violent, the saving that occurs is largely ‘bloodless.’ True salvation, Richard tells us, must involve our participation and will be a difficult challenge.

In 2019, there were six films that clearly explored faith as a theme. Of these the standout was the film ‘Breakthrough,’ the true story of John Smith a teenage boy who was trapped under the icy waters of a Missouri lake for 15 minutes. It uses strong sacramental imagery such as the waters of Baptism to explore the power of prayer and the existence of miracles in an increasingly cynical world.

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Liturgy Group

A big thank you to the students who have been working in the Liturgy Group to create an interactive Easter liturgy with input from students across all year levels. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions placed on large gatherings until the end of the term due the management of COVID-19, we will not be meeting for an Easter liturgy.

Instead PC classes will run a short liturgy on the morning of Thursday, April 2. This should help us to both commemorate the significant event and follow the procedures that have been established to create a safe and healthy environment.

Covid-19 Catholic Perspective

Gather, Proclaim, Break, Send (GPBS), a Catholic liturgical organisation, have produced a range of resources that are useful for placing the current COVID-19 pandemic into a faith context.

Below are some scripture references and reflections that you may like to consider when talking to each other about both the virus and how we are reacting to it. As always, the toughest of times provides the greatest of opportunities to show love of neighbour and faith in God.

COVID 19 GPBS RE

Prayer

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By Mrs Julie Collins - Program Leader Sport

Trials Cancellations 

PLEASE NOTE IF TRIALS, COMPETITIONS OR GALA DAYS ARE CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19, you will be notified by the respective organisation.  If you are unsure please contact the College for confirmation. 

Cross Country 

The College Cross Country Carnival will NOT proceed at the end of this term.

Darling Downs

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in Darling Downs teams.

Congratulations to all students who attended various trials and the many athletes who were selected as shadow players.

Ella Hagenbach

Hockey

Kate Morris

Hockey

Jack Hill

Hockey

Declan Clegg

Soccer

Harry McMahon

Soccer

Morgan Byrne

Rugby League

Tom Bell

Rugby League

Lane Eastwell

Rugby League

Imogen Fox

Triathlon

Darling Downs Sport Payments

As you are very much aware, all school sport events have been cancelled as of 17 March.

This means that no 10-12 zone, no 13-19 district and no DD regional trials will be held until further notice.

The sports listed were open on our DD Online Shop until yesterday and students from schools have gone on & paid their regional trial levy for the sports.

18 Basketball Boys & Girls

15 & 18 Rugby League Girls

18 Rugby Union Boys

15 Football Girls

16 Football Boys

12 Softball Boys & Girls

12 Softball Boys & Girls

12 Basketball Boys & Girls

12 Rugby league

11 Rugby League

11 Netball

12 Netball

All students are entitled for refund. They need to go back online to request a refund.

Please Click Here for the How to Guide

PLEAE NOTE: The fees will not carry over to another trial and it would be appreciated if all claims are completed by Wednesday 25th March.

By Mrs Alison Porter, Program Leader Student Pathways

Congratulations to our newest School-based Trainees and Apprentices

Many students have been signed up into school-based traineeships or apprenticeships this year already. I have previously congratulated Zoe Kasper, Daniel Fischer, Sarah Balfour and Declyn-Anne Osborn, pictured here with their employers. I would like to add to these a “Congratulations” to Paul Dendle for his recent sign-up into a school-based apprenticeship.

Thanks to the local businesses and organisations that have provided these opportunities: CSM Service Bodies, Akooramak, Rob Wallace Electrical, Whispering Gully Childcare and Clifton Co-op Hospital.

For more careers information, tips and news please view the careers newsletter that is regularly emailed to Year 10, 11 and 12 students or view it online at www.acwcareers.com.

By Mrs Jenny Gillespie

Information overload is never a good thing, however the following article from the American Association of School Psychologists is very good and is certainly relevant in our Australian context.

https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource

By Mrs Mary-Anne Driver 

Last week we held an origami activity, with plenty of students enjoying the challenge to create their own masterpiece.

Rubik’s cubes are also back, and we have a core group of students who are sharing their knowledge and teaching others the tricks.

We are continually getting in new books and magazines that will interest our readers.  Some of our magazine subscriptions include: Inside Sport, Frankie, Teen breathe, Rugby League Review, as well as random ones we get in from time to time covering subjects like: motorbikes, pig hunting, outback, campdrafting, guitars, farm machinery and racing cars. If you have any suggestions, or have found a great new mag on the market, please let us know.

As with the rest of the school, we have enacted some safety measures here in the library. 

By Mr Scott Clegg - Business Manager 

Term 1 School fees are due 27 March 2020. If you have a direct debit no payment is required.

If you have any queries, please contact the college office on phone 0746 604 000 or email us at finance@acwarwick.catholic.edu.au  Thank you.

Position Vacant

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Instrumental Music/Singing Lessons

Instrumental/Singing lessons from outside providers are available for your students during school. We ask students to collect a letter of permission and then work out with the music teacher a roster of 30 minutes to move through on different days. 

If you would like your student to be involved during the day and for some before or after school (some may wish to contact the music teacher to organize this) the following is what we offer:

  • Mrs Jill Hulme- Vocal and piano lessons
  • Mr Aaron Buchanan – wind instruments and Aaron can offer the ability to hire instruments as well
  • Mrs Arlene Bird- Piano

A letter is available at the office if you need or you could contact the College on 07 4660 4000 and leave your details for the music teacher if you wanted to speak to them for outside lessons.

Instrumental Lessons 2020

Effective hand hygiene is vital 

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, it is important to remember that effective hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against viruses and can help prevent the spread of illness. 

Lead by example and encourage your children to 

  • wash their hands regularly with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet 
  • use alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap is not available 
  • cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of their elbow 
  • dispose of tissues in the bin immediately 
  • if they’re unwell, stay at home and avoid contact with others such as touching, kissing or hugging. 

Check out the 20 second routine video for effective handwashing. 

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Please see the document from the Bishop below regarding COVID 19 and the suspension of services. 

Youth Group will be suspended until further notice. 

Also there will be no Easter holiday excursion.

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2020 Next Step survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual statewide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2019. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2020.

Further information on Next Step is available online at www.qld.gov.au/nextstep or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.