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 - 22 July 2020

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Assumption College Newsletter - 22 July 2020

By Mr Simon Fleming - Principal

Library

In our last newsletter we received news that our capital grant application for a new Library was unsuccessful. We now need to go through a process to identify the feasibility of funding the construction of the Library ourselves. My own view is that we desperately need a contemporary centre for learning (Most libraries today are called Learning Centres). If we are to adequately prepare our students for a future beyond school this space becomes an essential fixture for the school and community.

Staff PD

On the last day of Term 2, staff engaged in Professional Learning focusing on the capabilities we want our students to possess in order to become effective life-long learners and engage with the community successfully. Along with our Vision and Mission statements, our learnings on that day will establish our guiding principles that support our approach to teaching and learning. An example of what we looked at is the top 10 capabilities that employers are looking for in graduates. These are: Communication Skills, Problem Solving, Adaptability & Agility, Collaboration, Relationship-building, Resilience, Creativity & Innovation, Decision-making, Leadership and Empathy.

Year 12 EEPP

The Diocesan Secondary School Principals have been working toward an External Exam Preparation Program to be held in the second week of the next holidays.

Students sitting an external exam will have access to quality instruction and feedback to support their preparation. Students need to apply to attend the study sessions at minimal cost. Year 12 students and parents have received information this week outlining the program in detail.

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Year 10 Information Evening

This is an important term for Year 10 students as decisions need to be made around future pathways. An information evening will be held on Wednesday 29th July in the Assumption Sports Complex.

We need to follow the COVID guidelines so seating will be spaced according to the 4 square metre rule and we ask that people respect the social distancing conventions. However, this is an important night as the more informed people are the better the decisions that can be made.

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Year 11 Academic Interviews

Year 11 Academic Interviews are also taking place this week as well as the completion of parent/student/teacher interviews for 7-10 students. I would like to thank parents for participating in these events. Research clearly tells us that parents who take an avid interest in their child’s work at school can anticipate better outcomes.

Year 11 Leadership

The Year 11 Leadership day held last Friday was very much a success. It was pleasing to see the high level of student engagement. This term the student leaders for next Year will be selected and appointed.

Canberra Trip 2020

Unfortunately, we have had to make the decision to cancel our Year 9 Excursion to Canberra due to the COVID outbreaks in NSW. We are actively pursuing an alternate camp in Queensland and hope to let parents know by the end of the week.

Staff

In staff news we will farewell Mr Matt Kirby who has accepted a position at a College on the Gold Coast. We wish Matt all the best for the future and thank him for all the work he has done for the College and students. Mr Michael Simpson will be joining us as AP - Curriculum and Miss Eliza Harris will continue as Program Leader of Curriculum in the Senior School.

Have a lovely week.

Simon

 

Term 3

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Term Dates 2021

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By Mrs Anna Hardy, Deputy Principal

Year 11 Leadership Day

Year 11 students participated in a Leadership day in preparation for their Leadership roles in 2021.  The students engaged in a meaningful liturgy outlining the confidence to lead.  The middle and afternoon sessions were then filled with Unleashing Personal Potential and focused on the cohesion needed to work as a team and lead effectively.

Leadership applications are now open and students are required to lodge an application if they wish to be considered for a position.  Students will then be interviewed and deliver a speech to the school community.  All applications need to be submitted by the 10th August.  Students have been emailed a copy of the application form and there are printed copies at the College office.

Year 8 Kokoda Camp

The Year 8 Kokoda camp will still go ahead as planned in week 10 of this term.  A letter with the details of the camp will be given to students this week.

Year 9 Canberra Camp

The Year 9 Canberra trip will not go ahead given the recent COVID cases in NSW and Victoria.  At a Diocesan level, all Interstate travel is on hold.  Students have been given a letter of Expressions of Interest for a Queensland Camp to go ahead in its place. 

We are looking at a trip to Great Keppel Island with water activities as well cultural visit on the mainland.  A copy of the itinerary is attached to the letter.  We require that information back as soon as possible to begin making arrangements.

Year 12 Formal

We have been given the approval for the Year 12 Formal to go ahead.  There are strict guidelines around the running of the formal and we are currently working through them with the venue to arrange the details.  As soon as we have more confirmation around this, we will inform students and parents.  The date for the formal is Friday the 20th November

All tickets previously sold have been allocated to the new date. 

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By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Thanks for your support - victims of domestic violence donation drive

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A reflection on last term’s fundraiser by Year 12 student Tori Abood:

In the final week of term 2, the Assumption College St Vincent De Paul group initiated a fundraiser for those suffering from domestic violence. With only one week worth of fundraising, an outstanding $2,050 was raised. These efforts were sparked by the compassion of the Assumption College and wider community, with Saturn Electrical donating $1000, N&T Cox Floor Coverings donating $500, and finally the generous student and family donations of $550. The final amount of $2,050 was also accompanied by practical donations of clothes, toiletries and blankets, as well as baked items for the Vinnies bake sale. On behalf of Assumption College, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this successful act of charity, through donations, those who baked for the bake sale and finally the Assumption College St Vincent De Paul group led by Mrs Sharp.

By Tori Abood

Congratulations to all of the students who were so enthusiastic about making this happen and all of the community members for their ongoing generosity – particularly in a time of great struggle. With drought, bushfires and now the continuing threat of COVID-19 to local business, it is both amazing and humbling to realise how kind and compassionate the ACW and wider community are. God bless you all.

School Chaplaincy Program

Due to funding provided to schools by the National Chaplaincy Program, Assumption College is currently looking for a Chaplain. A chaplain is not someone who provides religious instruction to students like a campus minister might. They provide support for general student wellbeing and create opportunities to allow students to make healthy connections with each other. The chaplain will largely be working with me as APRE by supporting the development of an appropriate retreat program, the Deputy Principal, Anna Hardy, to develop wellbeing strategies that respond to the needs of our students, and College Counsellor, Jenny Gillespie, to develop strategies for particular students in need.

The successful applicant of this position would need to hold a Cert IV in Pastoral Care or the equivalent thereof. They would also require a blue card for working with children. The position is a part-time position of 26 hours per week for the remainder of 2020. In 2021, due to reduced funding the position is only for 9 hours per week. If you are interested in applying for the position, please contact the office immediately as the closing date for applications coincides with the publication of this newsletter.

Bishop’s Inservice Day

On Friday of week 3, July 31, staff will be participating in the annual Bishop’s Inservice Day. This day is a day of faith formation for all staff so that we can all develop an understanding and appreciation for the Catholic perspective as well as our own personal faith journey.

The Bishop’s Inservice Day is an integral part of staff understanding the goals of a Catholic school and the things that make Catholic education unique.

Due to staff participation in this day, it is a student free day.

Feast of the Assumption

This year, due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, we will not be joining with St. Mary’s primary school to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The Feast Day is on Saturday August 15 and we will be celebrating it on Friday, August 14. Instead students will participate in a Founder’s Afternoon.

There will be a liturgy celebrating Our Lady, as well as the founders of the religious orders that established our school, Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice. There will also be a range of activities for students to participate in, in order to celebrate the day.

All activities will be in house groups to facilitate the need to limit group assemblies to 100 people. These activities will only affect the last two lessons of the school day – normal lessons will occur in periods 1 – 4. I will share more information in the next newsletter.

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NAIDOC Week

As per my Facebook post at the beginning of the term, NAIDOC week has officially been moved. It is normally celebrated early in Term 3 however the NAIDOC council has decided to postpone the celebrations until early November to increase the possibility of awards ceremonies etc. being able to be held.

Assumption College has made the decision to follow suit and we will reflect on this important event in our school calendar in November. Hopefully by then we will be able to assemble as a whole school.

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Prayer

When we say to people, “I will pray for you,” we make a very important commitment. The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by him in the centre of our being.

We are speaking here about a mystery for which words are inadequate. It is the mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into his own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe. Through prayer we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness, and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God’s heart has become one with ours.

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Read more at https://henrinouwen.org/resources/daily-meditation/

By Mr Abraham Fern

Changes to IT Device Offerings

It has been a long journey for all concerned over the last couple of years as Queensland has transitioned over to the new ACARA Curriculum. This transition has placed extra demands on the IT equipment of students in a number of areas:

  • IT equipment in senior is being asked to perform a wider range of tasks with increasing complexity.
  • The expanding range of subjects, each being offered and their own unique demands.
  • Allow students more flexibility to change subjects when moving into Year 11 without having to worry about software compatibility with their device.

Considering the above, College leadership has decided to change to a laptop only structure for the Year 10-12 rollover here at the College moving forward. There will be no change to the way that the College provides devices to students or the payment structure. Global strains on supply and the fluctuation of financial markets are going to introduce an added layer of complexity to ordering this year, but I am confident that we will be able to get the required equipment for next year.

I also understand that this may create extra financial stress on families in an already trying time. We will continue to do everything possible to keep the costs low while providing and maintaining a functional environment for students to learn. With the current global strains on supply and the fluctuation in exchange rates, there will likely be an increase in costs this year. We will be doing our absolute best to keep this increase to a minimum. 

There are currently no plans to change the iPad being the device of choice for Years' 7 - 9. Its long battery life, robustness and ease of use make it a solid option for the junior grades and we will be continuing to utilize and support it for the foreseeable future. 

Management Platform Changes

We will be transitioning all of our iPads and Laptops to a new centralised device management platform over the next 6 months. This is a large-scale project and will be staggered across the Term 3 and Christmas holidays to distribute the workload. Extensive work is ongoing to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible.

With our existence being dictated by the government responses to COVID-19, planning for the physical element of this migration is something that has been done with a scoop of optimism. I am hoping that everything will remain open and that we don’t go back into lockdown beforehand. If that does occur, the migration will naturally be delayed until a later time.

What is involved?

The migration will involve every device in the batch being handed in to the IT Department over the holiday period. The device will be removed from the existing management platform, and enrolled into the new one.

ALL DATA ON THE DEVICE WILL BE WIPED DURING THIS PROCESS. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE SAVING ANYTHING SCHOOL-RELATED INTO THEIR ONEDRIVE SO THAT IT WILL NOT BE LOST IN THE WIPE.

Once the device is enrolled in the new management platform, all apps will be able to be re-installed and students will be able to log back into their OneDrive account to access all of their school and cloud-stored data.

Any device that is not handed in will no longer function correctly, if at all, after the hand-in period. This is both a requirement and mechanically enforced, as the system will no longer be present to manage the device after the specified migration time.

The plan is to do the iPads and Laptops separately. The iPad Migration will occur over the Term 3 Holidays while the Laptop migration will occur over the Christmas holidays. Students will also be informed directly via email and school notices of requirements and dates. Due to this being a school-wide disruption, I am attempting to keep Parents/Guardians in the loop.

iPad Migration  - What you need to know

(Term 3 Break)

Please ensure that students are fully aware of this and what is involved leading up to their respective migration period. Make sure that they have all of their work saved into OneDrive, as well as any photos in their Camera Roll. This is going to be the best way of keeping any information stored on the iPad. Anything School-related SHOULD already be saved into OneDrive but if not, ensure they copy it in as well.

Students will be notified of a date at the end of Term 3 that they will have to hand in their iPads. Their iPad must be handed in with:

  • A charged battery
  • The Passcode removed
  • Any iCloud Accounts on the device SIGNED OUT

The reason for the above requirements is to ensure that there are no road blocks for wiping and re-enrolling the device which can be caused by iCloud accounts. This is a more common issue for senior iPads than junior ones, but something we request be checked, regardless.

I also understand that there could be homework that needs to be completed over the break. Our objective will be to complete the migration in the first week so that devices are available for pickup in the second week as needed. Students will need to make us aware that this is their intention and let us know what day and time they intend to pick up to avoid disappointment. The school will be closed so we will need to ensure either Mike or myself are onsite for them to pick up.

When students get their iPad back, the Office apps and a number of other programs will already be installed on the device, but if they had any extra software installed for specific subjects they will need to go into the new Self-Service app (Company Portal) and install them manually. 

Laptop Migration  - What you need to know

(Christmas Break)

Please ensure that students are fully aware of this and what is involved leading up to their respective migration period. Make sure that they have all of their work saved into OneDrive and any personal data they have stored on their machine. Places to check for this are local folders such as the Desktop, Documents, Pictures and Downloads. All of this will be lost after the re-image.

Students will be notified towards the end of Term 4 that they will need to hand in their laptops. Naturally, any students who are finishing up at the end of the year will have their laptops wiped back to 'factory' rather than being enrolled in the new system.

Students will receive their devices back on the first day of Term 1. The Office software and a number of other core apps will already be installed on the device, but if they had any extra software installed for specific subjects they will need to go into the new Software Center or the Microsoft Store and install them manually.

All efforts will be made to keep this transition as painless as possible for students. The end goal of this project is to engage a more flexible cloud based environment that allows students to work onsite or offsite without compromising their learning options.

By Mrs Mary-Anne Driver 

Our weekly activities are up and running! Come to the library at first break to get involved in a range of activities, learn new skills and maybe even meet some new people!

Our current schedule:

Monday

Chess club with Mr Lunn and Mr Baker

Tuesday

Craft with Miss Bastion and Mrs Driver

Wednesday

Activities with Mrs Gillespie

Thursday

 

Quiet Study and Individual Activities

Friday

Robotics Club with Mr Dudin

By Mrs Julie Collins - Program Leader Sport

Welcome back to SOME sporting news!!

Show Jumping 

The Inter-school State Show Jumping Championships are on this weekend in Toowoomba.  Darcey Tait and Angela Ott will represent the College.  We wish the girls the best of luck at the competition.

CONFRO (of sorts)

The senior Rugby League and Netball teams will travel to Roma on August 21 to compete in the St John’s Invitation Carnival. Students will receive permission notes and further information this week.

Hockey

The inter-school hockey competition will hopefully take place later this term.  Please see Mrs Collins or leave your name at the office.  Further details and permission notes will be available next week.

Border Districts

Further details on Border District and other sport will follow when dates have been confirmed.

By Mrs Alison Porter, Program Leader Student Pathways

Noteworthy items:

  • The University of Southern Queensland is holding an information session for students at the college on the 24th of July. Students considering applying to university and interested in attending the session need to register at the link that has been emailed to them
  • University application workshops will be held in Week 4 and 5 of this term for Year 12 students
  • Year 10 work experience is scheduled for the week of the 14th to 18th of September
  • Year 12 students are encouraged to drop in for a chat to the college careers office at any time. If students are unsure of pathway plans, or changing plans and looking for options, then we can offer information and support
  • A school-based traineeship in salon assisting is currently available at a local hairdressing salon for any interested Year 10 or 11 students.

Interested in Agriculture?

Students interested in rural and agricultural pathways and careers should consider attending the Ag Inspirations career awareness program currently on offer through AgForce Queensland. The program aims to raise awareness of the wide variety of career options within agriculture in areas such as biosecurity, agronomy, robotic farming, banking, purchasing, transport and logistics. The program is on offer to students from Years 10-12 and gives them opportunity to visit multiple enterprises; spending time at different agricultural enterprises learning about the business and the career opportunities in Agriculture. The program will run over three days, 24th to 26th of August. Those students who may be interested, should let me know as soon as possible for a registration form as places in the program are limited. 

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Want to know what is happening?

This is a busy term for information and events around careers and pathways. Information these days is mostly digital and therefore emailed to students’ school email addresses. If you would like to know what information is being sent out to students then, starting this semester, you can follow our school careers “news feed” at https://www.acwcareers.com/newsfeed. Anything that is sent to students will be posted as a notification on our newsfeed for parents to view. You can also subscribe to the news feed if you would like to receive the notifications as emails.

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Year 10 Work Experience

Year 10 students are looking forward to work experience in Week 10 of this term. Many have or are already approaching local businesses to secure a placement for the week of the 14th to 18th of September. Information has also been sent home, but some important points for students to remember:

  • Whilst it is great if students can demonstrate some initiative to approach businesses about work experience, this can be daunting for some. Any students feeling unsure have been encouraged to see me and assistance and support is available to help with finding a placement
  • Any students interested in applying to a local primary school or the Southern Downs Regional Council for work experience should see the College careers office about applications
  • The purpose of work experience can be to try careers of interest and to develop work skills, so I encourage students to use the week as an opportunity to gain new understandings
  • Students can complete work experience outside of Warwick and surrounding areas, provided they have personal transport and accommodation options. This includes interstate (students will need to discuss interstate arrangements prior to organising).

Once a work experience placement has been found, students will need to complete a work experience agreement form. This form is important to the insurance arrangements for work experience. Our College careers office is happy to assist with the completion of this form.

Year 10 SET (Senior Education & Training) Plans

We are currently working with Year 10 students around career and study options, including the options and subject selection for Years 11 & 12. Part of this process is the Subject Fair and information evening on Wednesday 29th of July. This will be followed up with the development of Year 10 students’ Senior Education and Training (SET) Plans. The Department of Education and Training requires that all schools in Queensland develop a SET Plan with each Year 10 student. These SET plans map students’ learning and career pathways.

The purpose of a SET plan is to help students:

  • set and achieve their learning goals after Year 10
  • include flexible and co-ordinated pathway options in their course of senior study
  • think about their education, training and career options after Year 12 and make decisions about their learning pathways
  • structure their learning around their abilities, interests, and ambitions
  • communicate with their parents, teachers and career guidance officers about their learning pathways and post-school plans.” (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au)

Year 10 parents are encouraged to be involved in their child’s SET Plan. Letters will be sent home in coming weeks regarding times to meet with College staff and your child regarding their SET Plan.

Remember to check out our college careers website at www.acwcareers.com. 

Enrolments

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Transition Day

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First Day - Term 3

Assumption College Feature

QCEC has shared an article about Assumption College in preparation for Catholic Education Week.

Please click here for a glimpse into the journey of our College

Woodwind Music Lessons Update

Assumption College would like to thank all the students who have given their names to be involved in developing an Assumption College Band and will begin working in their groups with Mr Buchanan this week - Week 2.

There may be some movement of lesson times in the first week as Mr Buchanan works with students and matches instruments and student groupings. We wish all the students the best and thank Mr Buchanan for his enthusiasm for the activity and the generous donation of his time and instruments to get this started. Wishing you all the best!

SDRC Drought Newsletter

Catherine Travers is now the SDRC point of contact for landholder drought related activities, and she circulates an newsletter each week containing information about drought funding, mental health, caring for land, caring for animals and any other tid bits which she thinks might be of interest.

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please email her at drought@sdrc.qld.gov.au 

Catherine is also able to help residents prepare funding applications and encourages anyone who needs a hand to contact her. 

Catherine Travers
SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER
Southern Downs Regional Council
t 1300 MY SDRC (1300 697 372)
m 0436 640 165
catherine.travers@sdrc.qld.gov.au
www.sdrc.qld.gov.au

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