Secondary

Dear Families 

Sport was well and truly alive this week with the Sr Mary Murray Cup Interhouse Swimming Carnival on Monday at HBF Stadium and Years 7/8 NAS training commencing in preparation for the upcoming one-day carnival. A highlight of the College calendar, the Interhouse Swimming Carnival was fierce and student participation was impressive throughout the day as each House vied for competitive points in the 50m pool and Spirit points for novelty events, general participation and cheering. Congratulations to Loreto for winning this year’s Spirit Award for their infectious chants and constant support of each other throughout the day. Also, to Ward House, who reigned victorious on the day as champion House. It was an incredibly close competition with the final points as follows:  

 Congratulations to the following students and teams who broke carnival records:  

The Northern Associated Colleges (NAS) one-day carnival preparations have begun with Years 7/8 teams now been selected. Students are to be commended for their enthusiasm for the newly revised competition format with record numbers at each trial. All teams have been filled for the upcoming carnival on Tuesday, 27 February, and training commenced this week. Those who are not involved in a team will participate on the day either as a helper for the various fixtures or competing in a Grass Court Volleyball competition at the College. A reminder to parents of Years 7 and 8 students, this is a compulsory school day and full attendance is expected.  

For the second year running, our Secondary Parent Information Evening took place on Tuesday in a revised format that provided parents with a wide variety of presentations throughout the evening to attend. It was wonderful to reconnect with parents to commence the new year, and we hope those attending found the evening informative. All presentations are available via SEQTA Documents under the ‘General Secondary’ category, and the Assistant Deputy Principal presentations are saved in their year-level category.

Term 1- Key Dates 

Uniform  

The uniform is a symbol of membership to the College community and assists students in developing a sense of unity and belonging as well as pride in their presentation. Students are expected to uphold a high standard of uniform and grooming at all times and adhere to the Secondary Uniform Code. Unauthorised jewellery items worn by a student will be confiscated by the teacher and handed to the Assistant Deputy Principal to be collected at the end of the term.   

Mobile Phones

Unless for extenuating circumstances, students do not need to use their mobiles through the school day and phones must be kept securely in locked lockers between 8:30am and 3:10pm. Students needing to contact parents throughout the day are welcome to use a phone in the Student Wellbeing Centre, and canteen purchases can be made using cash or debit card. Students using their phones without teacher permission between 8:30am and 3:10pm will have their phone confiscated.  

Shani Andrews

Vice Principal - Head of Secondary

TEACHING AND LEARNING 

Shift in thinking around assessments

As part of our approach to ensure high-quality learning and teaching practices, last year saw a review of Secondary assessment regimes to determine if there was an opportunity to reduce the number of assessments whilst maintaining a fair, valid and rigorous assessment calendar that allows all students to be challenged and achieve their best.  As a result, this year will see a reduction in the number of assessments for each cohort. 

Our intention behind the reduction in the number of assessments is twofold: firstly, to allow students the space to adequately prepare for assessments. This provides students with the opportunity to plan their time, seek feedback should they need to and be able to self-manage from a wellbeing perspective.  Secondly, reducing assessments allows more teaching time within class.

We are aware of the pressures that can occur at home when there are many assessments to be prepared for.  This initiative is a positive move towards our partnership with parents in support of student wellbeing, goal setting and the development of effective organisational skills. 

Over the coming weeks, please sit with your child and check that they have placed their assessments into their Outlook calendar or diary.  Assessment dates can be found in SEQTA. 

Mr Scott McDonnell

Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

SPORTS

Interhouse Swimming Carnival

Our Sr Mary Murray Cup Swimming Carnival was an incredible day. All students who competed in both our official swimming events and novelties are to be commended for their efforts. The atmosphere was electric, and the students should be extremely proud of their efforts in supporting one another.

The level of participation from all students was impressive and truly embodies the passion for sports that runs deep within our school community. This collective enthusiasm added an extra layer of excitement to the day, making it even more memorable. 

One of the many highlights of the day was the cheering displayed by all Houses. Our Year 12 House Captains, well supported by the other Year 12 students, lead the cheering and support. The roar of the stands during the final relay races was raising the roof. The spirit for sport amongst our students is always strong, and it has helped to make the day even more special. Given the strong House spirit, the scoring for the coveted Spirit Award was extremely competitive, with all Houses receiving points for their novelty races, stand decorations, cheering, substitutions and how efficiently they were marshalling for events. Congratulations to Loreto House, who was the recipient of the 2024 Spirit Award.

The competitive races were close, and the quality of performances was very high. It was also fantastic to see the efforts of our newest members to the secondary school in our Year 7’s. They showed up to every race with determination and excitement in their eye, which is what the day is all about. Mrs Veronica Brennan-Poland and Mr Glenn Mitchell, as always, did an outstanding job as the poolside announcers, which added to the overall atmosphere. 

Congratulations to Ward House who took home the Sr Mary Murray Cup.

Year group Champions and Runner-Up Champions will be announced at the next Secondary Assembly on 21 March.

Years 7/8 NAS 

Our first NAS training session on Tuesday was a huge success, unfortunately due to the heat the Thursday training session had to be cancelled. Next week, we are back to it with the final training sessions on Tuesday, 20 and Thursday, 22 February, in the lead-up to the Carnival on Tuesday, 27 February.

All students must commit to their team training, including those students participating in the grass court Volleyball. We look forward to seeing you all there. Any changes to NAS teams have now been finalised and can be found in the College notices. 

Students who have registered as helpers on the day will be assigned their teams by the end of next week.

NAS Swimming Meet information

• Friday 1 March (Period 2 to Period 6) 
• Students will attend classes Period 1 and head to the St Louis Sports Centre directly after Period 1 to prepare and head to Newman College
• The NAS Swimming Meet will provide an opportunity for all Years 7 to 10 students selected to race again and help secure their place in our ACC A-Division Swimming Team
• All NAS Schools will be present to allow for a competitive environment (Sacred Heart, Newman, Chisholm and Servite College)
• A reminder that interschool jumpers are not available for purchase until the final ACC team has been announced

NAS Swimming Team

Congratulations to all the students below for making our 2024 NAS Swimming team. 

There will be a meeting next Wednesday, 21 February at recess in the St Louis Sports Centre for all team members.

Cross-Country Training

Cross-country training sessions will start next week and take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00am-8:00am. These sessions will continue into Term 2 up until the ACC Cross-Country Carnival. 

All students are welcome to join our morning training sessions no matter your experience. The more, the merrier.

Rowing Registrations are now open: Years 9 to 12

It's time to get ready to row! The John XXIII Rowing Club welcomes existing and new members for our 2024 season. Please complete the online Registration Form: 2024 Registration Form. Those who have not rowed before or would like to be a coxswain and represent the school are encouraged to register.

Jessica Pillera

Head of Sport