By Mr Simon Fleming - Principal

Bishop's Inservice Day

Last Friday, staff participated in the BID. This day enabled staff to reflect on their own faith journey and the role of spirituality within our school context. In recent times much has been said about schools and the workforce. We need to be more than a factory servicing the needs of the economy. As a catholic school we have a unique awareness that it is just as important that our students become contributors to growing the capacity of society in all dimensions including empathy for the marginalised, social justice and conservation of our resources.

We are all called to be the good Samaritan and to demonstrate the power of gratitude in our communities. This core catholic principle and value is as much as a necessity for the betterment of society, as numeracy and literacy. Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

Year 11 2021 Information Night and Electives

Thank you to all the parents and students who attended this night. The subject fair was a real success. Students will now preference their subject selections during Careers lessons. Students in Years 8 and 9 will also be making decisions around elective choices for 2021 in the coming weeks.

An Information booklet will be produced for families and staff will be conducting subject presentations at school.

Staff News

Mr Matt Kirby has left us to take up a position at Aquinas College on the Gold Coast. We are pleased to announce Leah Blackmore, a former student of Assumption College, will be taking Matt’s classes for the rest of the year.

Ms Melanie Blake, who has worked in the tuckshop for the last 7 years, will be finishing her employment at Assumption College this week.  We would like to thank her for her many years of service and wish her all the best for the future.

Miss Denise Ryan has been appointed as the new College Chaplain and will be starting on the 10 August 2020.  Denise will be working closely with Mrs Carol Sharp – APRE and the Pastoral team and we look forward to welcoming Denise to our College community.

Year 6 Transition Day

This was a very successful afternoon and highlights the importance of the program for us in what is a competitive educational market in Warwick. We were able to hand out several enrolment packages to children who came for the experience.

Catholic Education Week

The Bishop's Inservice Day was held last Friday and marked the end of Catholic Education Week. A big congratulations to two of our staff who were nominated for the Spirit of Catholic Education awards, Miss Carly Cooper and Mr Mark Baker.

During this week we also recognised those staff members who have served Catholic Education in the Diocese for extended periods of time. This year we recognised Mrs Toni Cox and Mrs Karen Lambert for 20 years of service and Mr Peter Gordon for 25 years.

Congratulations to all of these staff for their commitment to the ACW school community.

Have a lovely week.

Simon

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Deputy Principal

Year 11 & 12 Students – Changes to Wednesdays timetable

As parents of Year 11 and 12 students, you would all be aware that the College has decided to allow non-ATAR students to leave the College grounds after their last formal timetabled lesson on a Wednesday.  This means that students must attend all classes that day and if they have three or more study lessons on this day they are able to use this time to go to the contracted School-based Traineeship or Apprenticeship, attend TAFE classes or complete work experience. 

It is not ‘free’ time to loiter down the street.  It is disappointing to note that a few students have taken advantage of this opportunity already and abused this privilege.   We are hoping that students use this time for what it is intended and not choose to stay at home all day or miss classes that they have timetabled.  This will result in these students losing this privilege. 

Year 6 Transition day

Last week we welcomed our Year 7 2021 students for an afternoon of games and elective classes.  We look forward to having these students again later in the term and then welcoming them as formal students in 2021.

College Leaders & House Leaders 2021

Year 12 2021 leadership applications close on Monday 10 August.  Year 11 students can email their application directly to me or alternatively hand it in to the office. 

The interview process will occur during Week 5 with speeches and voting in Week 6.  The 2021 College leaders will be announced on Tuesday 25 August.

Formal

We are still working towards getting the finer details of the Formal organised with the current restrictions.  A letter will be sent to parents once these details can be arranged. 

Year 8 Camp – Kokoda

Year 8 students have received their information about their camp in Week 10 of this term.  This is a valuable experience for all students.  This camp challenges students and pushes them outside their comfort zone and is highly recommended for all students to attend.  It is a secondary school highlight for many students.

Year 9 Great Keppel Island

There has been significant interest in the Great Keppel Island trip for Year 9 students. The final details and costing will be sorted in the near future and parents will be informed. 

By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Seminarians Visit

Two weeks ago, around the time our last newsletter was being published, we were blessed to be visited by two seminarians, Jack and Will. Visiting the Warwick parish from the seminary in Banyo, Jack and Will talked to our students about life at the seminary, their training as a priest and their future roles within a parish once they are ordained.

It was an interesting insight into a vocation that is at the heart of the mission of the church. Jack and Will were able to engage out students, who asked thoughtful questions. We would like to thank Jack and Will for sharing their insights with us and the Parish for arranging the visit. We wish these seminarians all the best as they grow in their vocation and bring the light of Christ to all they meet.

Bishop’s Inservice Day

Last Friday, we were blessed to have the opportunity to come together as a staff and reflect on readings, videos and our own life story in order to gain a deeper appreciation for the Catholic and wider Christian story. There have been precious few opportunities for staff to join together this year and I think all staff really appreciated being able to take the time away from the pressures of our usual routine to retreat and reflect.

Feast of the Assumption

We will commemorate the Feast of the Assumption this year by having a celebration afternoon next Friday, August 14. Students will be supplied with a BBQ lunch at second break. They will then have a liturgy in house groups (in keeping with COVID-19 restrictions) and enjoy some inter-house challenges in the afternoon.

While the main focus of the afternoon is a celebration around Our Lady, we will also reflect on the contribution of all of our founders and how the values they embody within catholic education are guided by Mary, the first witness and disciple of Christ.

Students will be allowed to wear sports uniform on the day and will be participating in regular classes until period 4 that day.

Prayer

Please take a moment to read the poem below. The author is unknown – it seems to have come from a social media post – but it was sourced at https://institute.mercy.org.au/. A gentle reminder that our experience of the world is not the only experience. Compassion, not judgement, is required.

I heard that we are in the same boat.

But it’s not like that.

We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.

Your ship can be shipwrecked and mine might not be.

Or vice versa.

For some, quarantine is optimal: a moment of reflection, of re-connection.

For others, this is a desperate crisis.

For others it is facing loneliness.

For some, a peace, rest time, vacation.

Yet for others, torture: how am I going to pay my bills?

Some were concerned about a brand of chocolate for Easter.

Others were concerned about the bread for the weekend, or if the noodles would last for a few more days.

Some were in their “home office”.

Others are looking through trash to survive.

Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it, some are not sure their loved ones are going to make it, and some don’t even believe this is a big deal.

Some of us who are well now may end up experiencing it, and some believe they are infallible and will be blown away if or when this hits someone they know.

So, friends, we are not in the same boat.

We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different.

And each one will emerge, in his own way, from that storm.

Some with a tan from their pool. Others with scars on the soul (for invisible reasons).

It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking. More than looking…

Seeing.

See beyond the political party, beyond religion, beyond the nose on your face.

Do not underestimate the pain of others if you do not feel it.

Do not judge the good life of the other, do not condemn the bad life of the other.

Don’t be a judge.

Let us not judge the one who lacks, as well as the one who exceeds.

We are different ships looking to survive.

Let everyone navigate their route with respect, empathy and responsibility.

By Mr Michael Simpson - Assistant Principal - Curriculum 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the Assumption College Community. I am Michael Simpson, the new Assistant Principal Curriculum. I am very excited to be here in Warwick, and looking forward to working collaboratively with you to ensure all students reach their potential.

Year 11 2021 Subject Selection

The subject information night was a huge success, and I extend a thank you to the parents who attended and the teachers who created fabulous displays to inform students about their subject. Current Year 10s will be selecting their preferences during career's classes; however, there must be conversations at home regarding their choices.

The new QCE system requires considerable scrutiny when changing subjects during Year 11, so there should be a high degree of thought put into a student’s senior schooling plan. The PowerPoint presentation from the subject selection evening is available on the school website.

Years 9 and 10 2021 Subject Selection

Information booklets will be given to the current Year 8 and 9 students during their career class in Weeks 4 and 5. Further, there will be several short elective subject presentations during schooltime where students will be able to listen to teachers regarding what occurs in each area.

Students will select their preferences during career class and bring them home to be signed.

Year 12 Mock Exams

Year 12 students will complete mock exams in Weeks 9 and 10 to ensure they are ready for the external examinations in Term 4.

By Mr Scott Clegg - Business Manager 

School Fees

Term 3 College fees are due 28/8/2020 unless you have a Direct Debit or other existing payment arrangement in place with the college. These fees have been charged to your school fees account and the statements emailed or posted out to families in the week ending 31/07/2020.

If you have trouble viewing the email or you haven't received the statement by email/post, please contact the college via phone 0746 604 000 or email at finance@acwarwick.catholic.edu.au to check your email or mailing address. 

Camps

Camps will be billed separately once arrangements have been finalised. For those families that had previously paid the deposit for the Canberra tour (which has now been cancelled), the deposit has been refunded back to your school fees account.

Fee Relief

We acknowledge the difficult economic circumstances many families find themselves in and we encourage any family facing financial hardship, to contact the college Principal or Business Manger.

Special provisions may be available to families experiencing financial difficulties. We remain committed to providing an education to all students through these uncertain times and all requests for fee relief are treated as confidential.

2020 Non-Government School Census

Collection Notice

The Australian Government provides funding to Australian schools under the Australian Education Act 2013 (AE Act). The AE Act and the associated Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the AE Regulation) require that a school authority provides the Australian Government with certain information about the school, its staff, and student body to ensure the school’s funding is properly calculated and appropriately managed.

This information is collected by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) on behalf of the Australian Government. Please find following, a link to the Privacy notice provided by the government;

2020_Census_Privacy_Notice.pdf

By Miss Rebecca Bastion & Mrs Mary-Anne Driver 

Last week we handed out a bookmark to every student in the school with details of the resources ACW subscribe to.  These resources are much better for finding reliable sources and primary resources than google and wiki!  So please encourage your student to get into the habit of searching on more reputable websites; quite often these websites will find better information faster and they can be set at different ‘levels’ depending on the requirement of ‘in-depth’ information.  We have spare bookmarks in the library.     

We currently have some high-pressure games happening in the library including chess, UNO and even snap!  With them comes lots of laughter, chatter and fun.  The number of ‘face to face’ games and chats on Wednesday during our ‘electronic free day’ (study excepted) is tremendous and crucial for our students to continue to develop social and emotional skills.   

Study is not forgotten with Thursday being a quiet day in the library with no group games.  We also accommodate students who need a quiet area on other days by opening and supervising a classroom for them.  

By Mrs Julie Collins - Program Leader Sport

Junior Netball

In lieu of the Broncos Cup there will be a junior Inter-school netball challenge.  The challenge will take place on Wednesday 19 August from 1:30 to 3:30pm.  Permission notes will go out later this week.

Junior Rugby League

The junior league team will play OLSC Dalby this Wednesday at Collegians fields.

Senior Rugby League

The senior Rugby League and Netball teams will travel to Roma on Friday 21 August 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 starts this Thursday.  Players should have collected relevant permission notes from the office. 

Enrolments