As we move closer to the end of another term, it is important that all students finish the term well and seek the support they need during what is always a hectic assessment period. Proactive communication with staff, planning time to complete assessment and conversations with parents are the best ways for students to deal with the pressures of assessment. I encourage all students and parents to maintain this open dialogue and seek the support of staff early so that we can support students at school in the completion of quality assessment responses.

On 3rd and 4th September, the Year 12 OP eligible students sat the final ever Queensland Core Skills (QCS) test, with each morning commencing with a Year 12 breakfast, where all senior students gathered to support each other in preparation for the tough days ahead. The QCS test, comprising of four tests across two days, was sat by thousands of students across the state and signals the end of the Overall Position (OP) era as we transition to the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) system and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) ranks in 2020. I congratulate the students involved at St Joseph’s School on the positive, hardworking approach they took into each of the tests. Preparations commenced in Term 4 of Year 11 for these students and we hope, as staff, that the students receive the rewards they so richly deserve when the QCS and OP results are released later in the year.

Early next term, invited guests, employers, parents and staff will gather to celebrate the success of our Year 12 School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship students. This will be a fitting way to recognise the hard work and dedication of these students in completing vocational education and training (VET) qualifications or commencing apprenticeships during their senior schooling phase. It is also an opportunity to thank employers and parents for the wonderful opportunities and support they have provided to these students through this program.

Finally, our Year 11 students, the seniors of 2020, participated in their leadership camp at Emu Gully this week. Mrs Sandra Ellis and Mr John Mahoney were blown away by the way the group has developed and how the future leaders of our school in 2020 have grown into a position to continue to take the school forward into the future.

Matthew Brown
Deputy Principal (Acting)