Term 4, Week 1, 5.10.2021

Principal News

Term 4 - Welcome back!

Welcome back to all of our boys and families for what promises to be a productive final term at St Mary's College.

Years 7 – 9 Final Day of Attendance Change

An important message to all Parents and Carers of Year 7-9 students at the College. 

Over the holidays, I was asked by our Head Office, Toowoomba Catholic Schools, to change the finishing date of attendance for Years 7–9 students at St Mary’s so that it is in line with other schools in the Diocese.  Therefore, our Year 7, 8 and 9 students will be asked to attend until Friday December 3.  I will speak to the ELT in the days ahead about how this impacts on other events at the College.  I am mindful that this is a change to previous practice, but I am following the requirements of TCS office.  I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Mr Mark Watson, our AP Curriculum, will send a message soon about an update to our Assessment Calendar and any changes that may result because of the calendar change.

As a result, our St Mary’s Sentral calendar now reflects that our Year 12s finish Wednesday, November 17^th; Years 10 and 11 will finish on Friday, November 26^th, and Years 5 – 9 on Friday, December 3. 

COVID

I ask students, staff and parents visiting the school, that if you have been in the Brisbane, Moreton and Townsville areas over the past few days that you wear a mask until the end of Week 2.  I again will have one on at school on my return to the College this week.

Term 3 Interim Reports

If you have not had an opportunity to view your son's Interim Report on Sentral, please do so at your earliest convenience.  These results, apart from being an important marker in assessing progress, are the final piece in the puzzle for the College's academic awards for 2021.  I am happy to say that the reports are a strong reflection of the progress that your son is making this term and year.  If you have any queries about the report, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Mark Watson, our AP Curriculum, at the College.

Staffing update

I would like to welcome the following new staff members to the College starting this week.

Ms Cynthia Spark - Finance Support

Cynthia comes to us from the Health industry in Toowoomba and has a background in finance.  She is currently studying for a degree in Accounting from USQ.  We extend to Cynthia a very sincere welcome and hope that she finds St Mary's a wonderful training ground for her future financial career goals.

Mr Joel Bruggemann - IT Support

Joel is an Old Boy of St Mary's College and comes to us with extensive IT experience from Toowoomba Grammar.  He will work with our IT team, led by Mr Frank Strachotta, and will work closely with staff and students in his role at the College.

Mr Jack Hickey - ERCC Manager and eLearning Support

Mr Caain Miller is a loss to St Mary's, but we are blessed with such a capable replacement in Jack.  Jack brings experience in sound, music, tech and IT to a role that has served the "new face" of the College well over the past few years.  Jack is currently completing a qualification in Sound Engineering and we look forward to working with Jack in key projects over the coming weeks.

We also welcome back Mr Rod Logan from LSL this term. 

At the end of Term 3, we said many thanks and farewell to the following staff:

Ms Cathy Collins - Library Tech Support

Cathy has been a stalwart of St Mary's College for many years in the Library.  We are grateful for the time, energy and skill that Cathy brought to her library role St Mary's and wish her well in her new role in the Health area in Toowoomba.

Mr Caain Miller - ERCC Manager and eLearning Support

As mentioned above, Caain is an Old Boy and will be sorely missed.  He brought a new approach to filming and showcasing St Mary's in a way that was not previously envisioned.  He also took on the ERCC Manager role with enthusiasm and ensured that the new hall was being used in the way that it was originally intended.  We wish Caain well in his new role at Villanova College in Brisbane.

Ms Leana Schemioneck - Finance Support

In a short space of time, Leana made herself a popular and an indispensable member of our Finance staff.  We wish her well in her new role in Toowoomba.

Ms Tyhla Roper - Public Relations (Maternity Leave)

Tyhla is a highly valued member of St Mary's staff.  Many of you would recognise Tyhla's contributions in photography and social media (our Facebook main page posts).  She also, however, has key responsibilities for the College magazine and other publications such as Conanti Corona, in addition to her work with marketing and the College Open Day.  We wish Tyhla well in the coming weeks and months in the new chapter in her life with her family.

As a result of these changes, we welcome Ms Katie Craymer (Public Relations - Acting) and Ms Jacqui Eather (AP Curriculum Support - Acting) to their new roles from Term 4.  Katie and Jacqui have demonstrated outstanding performance in their previous roles and we know they will continue to bring this level of integrity to their new work.

Events Spotlight

Thank-you to Mr Scott Cowan and many other staff involved who led the College Volleyball team on their recent trip to the Gold Coast State Cup.  We also look forward to hearing some excellent results in the All Schools Touch carnival this week on the Gold Coast.  We are defending champions in the 14 years age group from 2020.

In Our Prayers

Old Boy, Vincent Rosenthal (1940-1950) has sadly passed away. Husband of Dorothy and father of Chris, Ian, John and Sandra.

Keith Pickles (1939-1945) has also passed away. Husband of Margaret (dec’d) and father of Greg (dec’d), Leith and Jeff.

Brian Kenway (1944-1949) has sadly passed away. Brian was the loving husband of Meredith.

Elaine Mahon has sadly passed away. Wife of Old Boy, Max Mahon. Mother of Brendan, Paul, Daniel, Peter and Nigella.

Careers

University of Queensland (UQ) ‘Transitions’ Webinar

This UQ webinar presentation is aimed towards students who have chosen university as their next step after high school. Students are provided with detailed information on applying to QTAC and responding to their university offer, how to enrol in university and plan a timetable, as well as life as a university student throughout all years of study.

Date: Tuesday 12th October, 2021

Time: 5.30pm - 6.30pm

 Please register for the zoom webinar HERE.

Queensland University of Technology Scholarships

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) offer several scholarships for students that are planning on studying at QUT in 2022. Scholarships are available in the following categories:

• Merit scholarships
• Struggling financially including rural, regional and remote students
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Sport and Esport
• Other scholarships

For more information, please see the QUT Scholarships website HERE.

Gentlemen, a full list of available QUT scholarships has previously been posted to your Careers Canvas page. For any assistance with scholarship applications please see the Careers team in DUHIG 21.

Power Tynan Scholarship Open Day

Power Tynan, Toowoomba are holding a scholarship open day for ambitious school-leavers interested in the finance industry to hear about their award-winning scholarship program.  If a career in accounting, financial planning, IT, data analytics or business management excites you, then please go along to meet their fantastic team (including past and present scholarship recipients) and find out more about an opportunity that could change your life.

Date: Wednesday 13th October, 2021

Time: 5.00pm to 6.30pm

Where: Power Tynan Office, Suite 6, 618 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba

More information can be found HERE.

If you are interested in attending, then you will need to RSVP by 11th October by emailing hr@powertynan.com.au.

Full-Time Purchasing and Processing Positions

JRS Manufacturing Group, Toowoomba currently has two vacancies in their Purchasing and Processing department suitable for graduating Year 12 students.

JRS Manufacturing Group is an agile, resilient and innovative organisation that provides high quality fabrication, machining and industrial coating solutions and services to Mining, Oil and Gas, Civil, Environment, Energy and Defence markets.

If you are interested in this position, please see the Careers team as soon as possible for more information.

Protective Security Officer Postions Available

There are currently Protective Security Officer positions available for Year 12 school leavers within the Protective Services Group (PSG). The PSG is a unit attached to the Security and Counter Terrorism Command, Queensland Police Service (QPS). They provide a range of security services to clients throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Services provided include:

• Static guarding
• Mobile patrols
• Alarm monitoring
• Building services coordinators
• Security consultancy
• Security risk assessments
• Technical services
• Government identification cards.

More information can be found HERE.

To apply, please click here.

School Based Apprenticeships/Traineeships  

If you are interested in an SBA, please contact the Career Support Officer, Mr Barber at barberp@stmaryscollege.com  or visit the Careers Centre in DUHIG 21. 

You will need to complete an SBA Referral Form and have a current resume and cover letter. 

Students have access to resume templates and information to assist you on the Careers Canvas Page.

Term 4 - Mrs Chantler's Pink Day

The Hub

Support is available to all students who require assistance with homework, assignments or reviewing current classwork. Support is available with Mr Roy in the Hub every morning before school from 7.00am and at both lunch breaks. Support will also be available after school on Thursday afternoons from 3.05pm until 4.00pm. If you would like further information, please contact Dave Roy on 07 4631 7333.

Can you lend a helping hand?

Be a Buddy Not a Bully

At St Mary’s College, we recognise that our students achieve their best at school in safe and supportive environments, where they are free from bullying and disruptive behaviour.

At the College, we actively work on making sure we provide a great environment for our students, free from bullying. We strive for an environment where our boys are safe, have fun, and learn something new every day.

Bullying is a serious issue for all the members of our community. We know that it can happen anywhere, anytime, and can have devastating consequences. We also know that with the rise of social media, cyberbullying is an increasingly important issue. Where bullying was once confined to the playground, it can now occur online at any time of the day or night. Face-to-face bullying is just as bad and common, and it takes many forms such as verbal bullying, physical bullying, and social bullying.

The best way to tackle any form of bullying is for schools, students and parents to work together. The most powerful ally a parent has in terms of dealing with bullying is their child’s school.

In Term 4, students in Year 7 will participate in two workshops where they will learn more about bullying, ways to deal with bullying, and when and how to report it.

I encourage you to share the commitment with us to stop bullying in our school community.

Mr Hector Peralta, Teacher -  peraltah@stmaryscollege.com

Drama News

In the last week of Term 3 the Year 10 and 11 Drama students were fortunate to be invited to watch the Toowoomba Grammar TiGGA (Senior Drama Group) production of a Brechtian play, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. It tells the story of Hitler’s rise to power in the late 1930’s through the parable of gangster America in the 1920’s. It was a fantastic play that us as relevant today as it was in the 1930’s and as both year levels are studying Political Theatre, it was a memorable experience, which the boys really enjoyed.

Year 12 student Will Thomas will be performing with the Empire Theatre IMPACT performance of, Off With Your Head on Friday, October 16^th and Saturday, October 17^th. The ensemble is making a return trip to Alice in Wonderland and are asking what ‘Wonderland’ looks like today. It is a story by young people about growing up, falling and finding your way through the strangest of times. 

Tickets can be purchased here. 

We wish Will all the very best for his performance!

Mr John Condon, Head of Arts - condonj@stmaryscollege.com 

Music News

St Marys College Choir participated in the Paul Morton Choral Festival in Term 3.  This festival is non-competitive but provides the students the opportunity to hear other schools perform and experience receiving constructive feedback from an adjudicator. The choir had a memorable performance.  Official photos from the evening are attached in the gallery below.

The music department has had a busy start to Term 4. On the first Saturday of the school holidays, Drumatic and the St Mary’s College Showband marched in the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Parade. The boys ranged from our Year 6 Primary Drumline boys through to our Year 12 students, Will Thomas and Nick Morgan. This is the 5^th consecutive year that the College has been represented at the carnival parade.  Many thanks to Mr Tracy, Ms Marangelli, and Mr Smith who played and marched with the boys as well as Ms Cowen and Mrs Peters who were support marchers. It was wonderful to see so many staff and students waving in the crowds lining the streets.

Mr Benn Tracy, Head of Music - tracyb@stmaryscollege.com

Sport News

Volleyball

Two Year 12 teams participated in the Volleyball Senior Schools Cup during the holidays. The teams finished 7th and 11th overall. The boys had a great time away and really excelled against some quality opposition. St Mary’s walked away with our heads held high. Thank you to Mr Muller and Mrs Frame for their coaching in the lead up to this event. This is the first time we have competed in the Senior Schools Cup and it is definitely the start of something great!

CBSQ Basketball

The CBSQ Basketball team finished the competition with four wins and three losses. The boys continually showed up for one another and played extremely well as a team. It was a huge event with plenty of talent across all schools. We now look forward to seeing the Junior teams compete in Week 2 of this term.

All Schools Touch

All Schools Touch will kick off this week! Our Junior teams will travel to Runaway Bay on Wednesday to compete in the tournament. The boys are primed and ready to go! The games will be livestreamed on the QLD All Schools Touch website if you would like to tune in. Good luck!

Friday Primary Sport

Primary sport commences this week and the teams have been announced on the Primary Facebook page. If you aren’t a member in this group, please search ‘St Mary’s College Primary Toowoomba’ and request to join. Students and parents will be sent an email with the draw this week.

Wednesday Sport

Wednesday sport for students in Years 7 to 12 will also commence this week. Students have been instructed to select their sport on Sentral. We have a large variety of sports on offer, however if the sport does not appear it means that it is already full. Please check in with your son to make sure he has made his selection and that he is organised to attend sport tomorrow afternoon.

Students who haven’t selected a sport will remain at the College tomorrow afternoon to finalise the process. Changes can be made to sport selections until Week 3. Students in senior school who have a study line or SBA are still required to login to the Sentral Student Portal to confirm this as their selection.

Competitive Sports Review

Last term, families who have been involved in our competitive sports program were sent a link to a sports review survey. Thank you to the families who have already responded.

We value your feedback as this helps us shape the future direction of sport at St Mary’s College.

To complete the parent survey, please click here 

To complete the student survey, please click here 

Mr Scott Cowan, Head of Sport – cowans@stmaryscollege.com

P&F News