DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (ACTING)

As we entered the last two weeks of Term 1, one could be forgiven for entertaining the thought, fleetingly, that school life would begin to slow as we progressed towards the first holiday period of 2019. However, this has certainly not been the case. Students and teachers have been busy finalising assessment requirements, with the Year 10, 11 and 12 students completing exams in offline blocks, with Year 7-9 students completing in-class assessment and examinations as the culminating point of the units studied. All students are to be commended on their engagement and positivity during Term 1 and deserve a well-earned break over Easter.

The Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students undertook NAPLAN online practice tests across Week 9 and 10 in preparation for the NAPLAN testing period in mid-May. Further to this, the Year 12 QCS students also participated in practice sessions, refining responses to mock assessment instruments that built on the skills acquired through targeted learning in weekly QCS sessions. Both practice environments will build confidence for our students as they move towards the actual test instruments later in the year.

For Secondary parents, interim reports will be posted out over the Easter holiday break. Please discuss the feedback and results with your child, and do not hesitate to contact any of the staff if you require clarification or further information. A reminder that Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on the Secondary Campus on Wednesday May 1.

As we head towards the holiday break, we are reminded that this is a significant time for us as people of faith, as we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. “May the risen Christ fill your heart with joy, bring you new hope and bless you with peace”. Happy Easter!

Matthew Brown
Deputy Principal (Acting)

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL-PRIMARY

The well-known saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ could certainly be said to apply to the Primary Campus this term! It seems incredible to think that we are at the end of the first 10 weeks of learning. Whilst many of the students – and teachers - have been tired during the last two weeks, this has not stopped such a lot being achieved. To name a few of these things, we have had the very successful busking performance where we won second prize in the Schools’ Section, Year 3/4 students have learned how to propagate plants, Year 3 and 5 students have completed the NAPLAN online practice tests, Catherine Travers from SDRC talked to some of the students about ways to conserve water and some students from upper primary participated in the Computational and Algorithmic Thinking competition. The Prep students have learned so much since starting school including how to write their letters and numbers and in the last two weeks, they have constructed alliterative sentences! When I spoke with some of them last week, they were keen to share their highlights of Term 1, all of which revolved around learning. It is such a delight to visit each of the Primary classrooms, to talk to the students and share in their learning experiences. Behind the scenes, the staff have continued to invest time in our Visible Learning journey to ensure that all students are working towards one year’s growth for one year’s learning. Whilst it has certainly been a busy term for the Primary Campus, we are looking forward to a well-earned rest before getting involved in all the opportunities that Term 2 will bring.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and students for their commitment and hard work this term. I would also like to thank all the parents for their support. It is very important that we all work together for the benefit of each child in our school community and, with this in mind, I would encourage all parents to discuss their child’s academic progress and general welfare with their teacher early in Term 2. Details of Parent Teacher Consultations were sent home last week via Parent Paperwork.

I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable Easter holiday.

Easter Prayer

Lord, the resurrection of Your Son
has given us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.

Sarah Yates
Assistant Principal-Primary

ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL-FORMATION AND IDENTITY

The Journey to the Resurrection

As the school term draws to a close, so too does our Lenten journey as we conclude our final two weeks of Lent and begin the story of Jesus’ passion and death. Each year our school gathers on the final day of Term 1 and journeys the Way of the Cross, or traditionally, the Stations of the Cross. This year, we will acknowledge this journey through the Scriptural Stations of the Cross, first celebrated by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday, 1991. This gathering provides a way of reflecting more deeply on the Scriptural accounts of Christ's passion, allowing our senses and imagination to be used more deeply. The images below are those which will be used for our journey. (Artist: Jenny Hawke)