The Week Ahead - Term 1, Week 5
Monday 22 February to Friday 26 February 2021
From the Head of College
Leadership is a quality that we value and promote to every student at Concordia. In the past week, I have been privileged to witness young people stepping up in a way that epitomises what we value in this attribute at the College. Congratulations to our College Captains and Campus Captains in the Junior College for their role in launching the 75th Anniversary celebrations. The cutting of the cake proved to be a highlight, and the presence of our College Captains, Isabel Barton and Thomas Head, was received well by students and staff alike. The lesson for us is to ensure that these senior leaders are more visible in the Junior College setting. Congratulations to all Captains at each of the campuses.
I also had the privilege of speaking to our Year 6 students as they started 2021 with their 鈥楲eadership Day鈥. It is important that we educate our students in every aspect of leadership 鈥 our world needs well versed and values-driven leaders! This cohort learned about leadership, but more importantly, they started to understand, through observation, how it is that leadership should be a role that everyone can aspire to. Leading for the purpose of serving others is one of the highest priorities in any curriculum 鈥 well done, Year 6!
One of my favourite events on the College calendar is 鈥楾he Calling鈥 as the lead into the start of our programmed 鈥楻ite Journey鈥 for all students in Year 9. On Friday 26 February at 4.45am, all Year 9 students and their parents will gather at Picnic Point to be introduced to elements of the Rite Journey, watch the sunrise, and enjoy a cooked breakfast together. It is a moving event and I look forward to greeting many members of our community on this special occasion.
Kind regards
Mr Adrian Wiles
Head of College
From the College Pastor
Community News
Happy 75th Birthday, Concordia!
Concordia turned 75 on Saturday 13 February and we celebrated with lots and lots of cake. It was wonderful to have the College Captains visit the Junior College campuses with Mr Wiles to celebrate this milestone.
Watch this space as we continue to celebrate with our major event being scheduled for Saturday 4 September.
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
Junior College Inter-House Swimming Carnival
Recently, Concordia hosted its annual Junior College Inter-House Swimming Carnival. This was the first major Inter-House sporting event for 2021. With a different format being trialed this year and factoring in COVID-19 restrictions which, unfortunately, saw a parent/spectator free event. It was still a fantastic day for all concerned. From the first House War Cries at 8.30am, the students never stopped, from their individual races, through to the House Spirit encouraging each other, enjoying Mr Baker's music with commentary and interacting with the House Mascots. It was evident the students were having fun and enjoying the mateship that comes with the sporting endeavours at these carnivals.
A big thank you to everyone who assisted in some way. A special mention to the all staff officials, grounds and admin staff and the parents and SSC students who helped in timekeeping and general duties during the day - a fantastic effort! Finally, thank you to Troy and Jodie Chandler of TJs Swim for their expertise with pool/event set up and recording to ensure our carnival ran as well as it did, despite late student entries and changes to their events throughout the day, your ability to be inclusive and flexible to cater for our students' participation is much appreciated.
Also thank you to our College community for your understanding and patience with decisions made regarding various events and COVID-19 restrictions. As a parent myself, I can certainly share with you all the frustrations of missing some of these special memories.
From the results of this carnival, our Concordia 女女视频 College team members were selected to compete at the Toowoomba Central Zone Carnival (Years 3-7) at Glennie Aquatics on Wednesday 17 February. While this carnival also faced restrictions, it is great to see these carnivals going ahead and everyone working together to ensure this happens for all our sporting programs for 2021.
Results
Congratulations to the following Age Champions and the winning House for 2021:
- 1st place 鈥 ALTUS
- 2nd place 鈥 KESSLER
- 3rd place 鈥 STEDMAN
OPEN 100m 鈥 Distance Event Champions
Male - Harrison Ackland
Female - Sofie Osborne
2021 Swimming Age Champions
GIRLS:
Age | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
---|---|---|---|
8 Years | Evangeline Dealtry | ||
9 Years | Emily Evans | Makenzie Morris | Nicole Plumb |
10 Years | Emily Holding | Emma Walkington | Arabella Knopke |
11 Years | Sofie Osborne | Chloe Chettle | Anya Vermeulen |
12 Years | Emma Faulkner | Annabelle Millett | Jaymee Burgess |
BOYS:
Age | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
---|---|---|---|
8 Years | Hudson Schimke | ||
9 Years | Jonathan Rice | Isaac Seddon | Harrison Ackland |
10 Years | Connor Gadsby | Evi Purchase | Joshua Dolley |
11 Years | James Rice | Ollie Dunlop | Reuben Loughlin |
12 Years | Cooper Finlayson | Austin Knopke | Harry Holding |
Concordia Equestrian Team Meeting
The Concordia Equestrian Team is an extra-curricular activity for students who have their own horse and already ride in (or are training to ride in) competitions such as Pony Club gymkhanas, showjumping, dressage, combined training, eventing and hacking.
The Equestrian Team will be meeting on Monday 1 March at 3.30pm at Stephen Street Campus to discuss a variety of matters including upcoming competitions, potential training days and uniforms.
If your child is a competitive horse rider and interested to learn more about joining the Concordia 女女视频 College Equestrian Team, please contact Bianca Coleborn to advise if you can attend the meeting.
Outside School Hours Care
Hume Street Campus
From the Director
Staffing
We would like to thank Mrs Christa Connelly for being a part of our Year 1 class and the HSC Team for the past four weeks. It has been delightful to have her working with us and the students. We will continue to see Christa as she is Number 1 on our supply teachers list. Many thanks, Christa.
We look forward to welcoming Mrs Angela Norley (Grammy) back from four weeks of Long Service Leave. From the photos that we have seen, she has loved having this opportunity to soak up the joys of becoming a grandmother.
Ash Wednesday Service
As we enter the period of Lent, our conversation at our Service was all about 鈥淪top, Look, Listen, Think鈥. Jesus 40 days before Easter in the desert. During that time, he took time to 鈥淪top, Look, Listen, Think鈥. Lent is a time that we can do the same. Life is busy… just check out the Week in Review to see how busy it is at school. Lent gives us a reminder to stop and simplify our life. Talk a walk, swing, read, sit under a tree, watch an ant, anything slow and quiet which gives us time to reflect, be thankful, think of others, pray, and improve our connections with our Lord and others. During this time, we encourage you to take time to 鈥淪top, Look, Listen, Think鈥.
Week 4 in Review
Literacy, Life Ed Van, Founders Cake, Maths, Drone lessons, History, Year 3 Strings, PE, Pancake Day, PMP, Ash Wednesday, Chess, Fun and Friendship, Year 5 Strings, Science, Cycle Safety, Art, Casey Caterpillar Handwriting, Gardening, Tennis, Speaking Programs, Class Cupcake Party, Zone Swimming, Year 6 Breakfast and Leadership Day, Friday inter-school sport… no wonder we all need a weekend to rest! Check it out in the video below.
Morning Supervision
Students with siblings on the CLC bus in the mornings are welcome to come to Reception from 7.50am. All other students, our supervision begins from 8am. Please do not enter the school grounds unless the drop off/pick up gate has been opened by a present staff member.
Student Absentees
Please remember that an important part of our legal requirements and duty of care to the safety of our students, we require you to let us know if students are going to be absent or late. You may do this via Parent Lounge or an email to AdminHSC@concordia.qld.edu.au. We cannot take a message through the student as notification.
Late Arrivals
If your child arrives after 8.30am, please get them to go through Reception so that we are aware that they have arrived. Teachers mark their rolls at 8.35am and cannot change the roll. The only persons that can then mark them as present is Reception.
Student Council and Hume Street Service Leadership
Our HSC Student Council began meeting this week. As a Hume Street Campus we have several Service Leadership opportunities being planned for this term. I would encourage you to talk with your children and decide as a family which one/s you would like to support. It is unusual for us to have so many, however, they are all personal to our campus and therefore we would like to be a part of as many as we are able.
- Bully No Way Day and Crazy Sock Day 鈥 19 March. Crazy Sock Day is to support Downs Syndrome and we have a student in kindy whom we would like to recognise and support. This will be a day where the students will be able to wear orange and crazy socks and if possible, bring a gold coin for Down Syndrome Australia.
- Superhero Day 鈥 we will be celebrating our very own hero, Eve. In her leukaemia journey this year, she has been an absolute hero. We will be making the capes and decorating them at school. We encourage your children to bring a gold coin donation for this event and this will go towards the Leukaemia Foundation.
- Rosie's Appeal - Hume Street Kindy are supporting an appeal for Rosie's. Rosie's support and provide meals for the homeless. The kindy are collecting bottles of cordial, juice and long life mild to donate to Rosie's. If you would like to also donate for this appeal, please bring your donations to HSC Reception.
- P&F Colour Explosion Fun Run 鈥 30 March. This has become an annual fun event. Please see information below about this.
- Year 4 Project for the Homeless 鈥 we will hear more about this later in the term. Due to the busyness of this term, the Year 4 project will culminate with a PJ Day early in Term 2.
Class Parent Reps
We love our Parent Reps and have a couple of classes missing one. If you would like to self-nominate, please read the attached document and get in contact with either Mrs Juanetta Priest or your classroom teacher. We would love to have at least one per class and two is even better.
Prep 鈥
Year 1 鈥
Year 2 鈥
Year 3 鈥 Tegan Charchar
Year 4 鈥 Sasha Dolley
Year 5 鈥 Lorinda Talbot
Year 6 鈥
Campus Photo Day
The date for our Campus photos has changed from the date on our calendar. It is now on Monday 22 March. Please ensure your child/ren in Years 2-6 are in the formal uniform, complete with CLC socks and black shoes. Students in Prep and Year 1 will wear their Sports Uniform.
Prep 2022
Interviews for Prep 2022 will begin soon. Don鈥檛 forget to ensure your 2022 Prep student is enrolled.
Toowoomba Rates Notice
If you were fortunate enough to receive a Free Plant Voucher with your rates notice this week and do not want this voucher, we would love to collect it. Our students are always looking to extend our planting program and these vouchers can help us considerably.
to view HSC's Events for Week 5.
Mrs Juanetta Priest
Director of Campus
Colour Explosion Fun Run
Thank you so much for continuously supporting our school, especially through fundraising. This term, we are hosting a Colour Explosion School Fun Run.
Start fundraising today.
Did you know? Students raise 3x times more when they fundraise online! Visit to create your child鈥檚 cybersafe fundraising profile. Instructions are in your child鈥檚 sponsorship booklet. You have until Friday 23 April to fundraise, so make sure you get cracking!
The big day is coming!
We are so excited to host our Colour Explosion School Fun Run on Tuesday 30 March. On the day, make sure your child brings a white shirt and old shorts for the Fun Run and waterslide! They will be covered in non-toxic, high quality colour powder from head to toe! They will also need a water bottle and their hat. Sunscreen will be provided in the classrooms prior to the event.
How do prizes work? Help your child fundraise more by setting a prize goal! It鈥檚 okay if they change their mind 鈥 you order their exact prizes later. You can order your child鈥檚 prizes online at by Friday 9 April . Alternatively, complete the back page of your sponsorship booklet when you return your cash donations. Students can choose a prize based on the total amount of dollars raised, or mix and match smaller prizes.
Share in $200,000 worth of extra prize credit! Achieve bigger prizes by helping your child earn bonus credit on their online profile. By reaching fundraising milestones online, you can share in $200,000 of extra prize credit!
Become a Fundraising MonSTAR! Collect all virtual badges on your online profile page and receive your own Fundraising MonSTAR bag tag.
Class Reward Prize. Teamwork counts! If your class creates the most online profile pages each student will receive a Fundraising MonSTAR handball.
FundRazor of the Year Award. Do you think you can top the national leader board? Australia鈥檚 highest fundraising student in Australia will win a Razor Prize Pack, worth $4,900!
If you have any questions about the Colour Explosion School Fun Run please contact the office of on 1300 133 022. Thanks for supporting our school and we hope to see you at the event.
Happy fundraising!
Tuckshop Orders
At HSC, tuckshop is held on a Thursday. All orders are to be completed online at by 3pm each Wednesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Thursday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order. Tuckshop will finish in Week 9.
Warwick Street Campus
From the Director
In what seems like the blink of an eye, we have reached the end of Week 4. Already we鈥檝e had our Junior College Inter-House Swimming Carnival, visits from Life Ed and Camp Quality, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Founders Day celebrations and the list goes on.
With many events still to come, I encourage you to monitor your College calendar closely, to ensure important dates and events aren鈥檛 missed. Please note the week numbers are incorrect for February on the printed calendar - the week commencing Monday 22 March is Week 5.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a school year gets under way, and as I look through the class posts on Seesaw, I can see the students in each class are already busy at work. I have enjoyed spending some time this last couple of weeks with our Year 5 and 6 teachers as they begin the Maths Pathways program with their students.
Maths Pathways delivers an engaging and personalised program for each student so they are able to learn at their pace. This program is new to the Junior College this year, but has been implemented at Stephen Street Campus for some time now. Our teachers are fortunate to be able to work with our colleagues at SSC to enable a smooth transition to this new way of learning for our Year 5 and 6 students. After discussions with our students the general consensus is the Maths Pathways has been the best thing about starting Year 5 and 6 this year.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is working alongside our Campus Captains and Year 6 leaders each year. Our Campus Captains Chloe and Annabelle have many exciting and creative ideas of things that they would like to see happen at WSC. We look forward to sharing some of these ideas with the students in the near future.
Hairstyles
Recently we have noticed many new and creative haircuts arriving at school. As per the Uniform Guide, please note the following:
- Hair must be tidy, groomed and not touching the collar. No shaved hairstyles.
- Hair ties must match the student鈥檚 hair colour or College uniform (navy, white, red and yellow are acceptable colours).
If you would like any further information, the Uniform Guide can be located on Parent Lounge. Thank you for your assistance and support with this.
Rates Plant Vouchers
It's rates time in Toowoomba and you would have received a plant voucher with your notice. If you have no need for the voucher, consider donating it to Concordia where it will be put to very good use!
to view WSC's Events for Week 5.
Blessings for the week ahead.
Mrs Jackie Minnikin
Director of Campus
Word on the Street
We are seeking your assistance with selling boxes of chocolates to help the Warwick Street Campus P&F raise funds for our campus.
In order to estimate how many chocolates we need to order, could you please complete and submit the fillable form below by Thursday 25 February, indicating the number of boxes you would be able to sell on our behalf.
More details on the fillable form.
Lots of Socks 鈥 World Down Syndrome Day 鈥 19 March
On Friday 19 March we are asking students to wear their craziest socks to school and bring along a gold coin donation to help support World Down Syndrome Day.
WSC Campus Photos 鈥 Wednesday 17 March
WSC Campus Photos 鈥 Wednesday 17 March
Our Campus Photos are scheduled for Wednesday 17 March. Could you please ensure your child/ren are in the correct uniform. Students in Prep will wear their sports uniform. All students from Years 1 to 6 are required to wear their Formal Uniform.
Family Photos
To enable parents to purchase a Family Photo of all or some of their children who attend Concordia 女女视频 College, photos of siblings will be taken in the Warwick Street Campus Shed between 8.00am and 8.15am on photo day.
It will be the parents鈥 responsibility to get their SSC children to WSC for the family photo and then take them to SSC ready for school before 8.30am. If you would like family photos done could you please collect a family photo envelope from Reception prior to Photo day.
Tuckshop Orders
At WSC, Tuckshop is held on a Wednesday. All orders are to be completed online at by 3pm each Tuesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Wednesday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order. Tuckshop will finish in Week 9.
Stephen Street Campus
Year 7 Fun Day
Last Friday, 59 excited Year 7 students were engaged in a modified timetable involving a variety of activities. The activities included a waterslide, giant inflatable soccer dartboard, jumping castle, volleyball and a scavenger hunt. Throughout the day the students had several opportunities to socialise and communicate with other students within their cohort.
Refreshing ice blocks were consumed at lunchtime and lollipop prizes were handed out at the completion of the scavenger hunt.
When asked for feedback about the day, the students were thankful for the opportunity to relax, have some fun and enjoy meeting new students within the cohort.
Mrs Roslyn Cook
Year Level and Pastoral Care Coordinator (Years 6 to 8)
News from Visual Art
The Independent Education Union Queensland and Northern Territory branch is hosting the annual awards for Excellence in Art and Design Competition for 2021.
This year's theme is "Our World" with entry categories from Prep through to Year 12, staff and First Nations Art from Years 5 to 12. All Concordia 女女视频 College students are encouraged to get creative and submit an entry. Entries close July 23, 2021. There will be reminders throughout Term 1 and Term 2. .
Students are also encouraged to get involved with Student Council Mural competition with students encouraged to draw, design, photograph or create a mural for our new banners in the quad at Stephen Street Campus. Entries are due in Term 2, Week 2.
There will be a number of competitions and creative opportunities available to students during 2021, including workshops, exhibitions, and public art competitions. Creative student volunteers are needed for Open Day on 27 March. Students are encouraged to sign up for a one-hour timeslot between 9am-12noon. Students who volunteer must not already be part of the all-day production rehearsal. See me or M-Block noticeboard for more details.
Ms Holly Kiehne
Visual Art Teacher
Old Car Bonnet Needed!
The Arts Department is searching for an old car bonnet for a student鈥檚 Art project. Preferably something that might be old, beaten up or lying in a paddock, or rusty would be fantastic. If you have one to spare in the shed or on the farm, in the paddock and would like to donate we would be very appreciative. Please email: holly.kiehne@concordia.qld.edu.au.
BYOD Information
As you are all aware, Concordia 女女视频 College has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program for students in Years 7 to 12.
Under the BYOD program, all students are required to bring their own device for use in all classes. The has been created to explain how the program operates, set out expectations of parents and students and provide information about device minimum specifications. This handbook is available in Parent Lounge (School Links > Stephen Street Campus) and on the College's website.
From the Careers Department
2021 has seen our Senior students demonstrate a keen interest in preparing for their future pathways. We continue to have students enrolling in TAFE, Headstart and Certificate qualifications. In addition, several students are commencing or continuing with school-based apprenticeships and traineeships. It has also been pleasing to see many Year 12 students making appointments with us to begin discussions around their pathway to university.
The Year 10 students have commenced their Short Course in Career Education, that will gain them one QCE point if they achieve a C result or higher upon completion. This course focuses on SET Planning, Work Experience and Senior subject selection.
If you would like advice on your child鈥檚 career pathway, please feel free to contact Mrs Jo-Ann Tessmer or myself (Mrs Leah Bowes) at Stephen Street Campus.
University Roadshow
Last Friday 12 February, our Year 12 students attended the University Roadshow at Stephen Street Campus. The session was hosted by visiting Universities and Institutions, including a presentation, followed by an opportunity for the students to speak to representatives at their booth. The following Universities and Institutions were in attendance:
- Bond University
- Griffith University
- Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre
- Queensland University of Technology
- University of New England
- University of Queensland
- University of Southern Queensland
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- James Cook University
The students should be congratulated for positively engaging in the session and the way they spoke with the university hosts.
Date Claimers:
- Monday 22 March 鈥 Year 10 into Year 11 Information Evening
- Wednesday 24 March 鈥 Year 10 Speed Interviews
- Monday 10 to Friday 14 May 鈥 Year 10 Work Experience
Mrs Leah Bowes
Senior College Careers Advisor
SSC P&F News
From the Stephen Street Campus (SSC) P&F, a very Happy Birthday Concordia! 75 wonderful years and thank you for the cake… from what I have heard, it was a wonderful hit with everyone. We are very excited about the coming year and the celebrations in September.
Thank you to everyone who came along on Monday night to our AGM and first P&F meeting for the year. I am privileged and honoured to be welcomed back as Chair this year (which will be my last as my daughter completes Year 12) and to welcome back as my right hand - Mrs Lisa Lambert as our Secretary and to Mr Jason Smith for taking on the role as Treasurer. A great little team!
It was a great meeting and we came up with a few ideas for events later in the year. One item that came to light however, was how do we increase the ways to connect more with our parents and community throughout the year(s)?
As our children get older and navigate their way through the high school years and we encourage them to increase their own independence, as a parent, it gets harder to establish new connections and friendships. Our own lives become increasingly busier due to the commitments of our young adults. More parents return to the workforce once their children hit high school, and because we tend 鈥榙rop off and go鈥, we lose that connectivity from chatting with other families in the playground. Unless you have the established networks achieved from primary school, as a new parent especially, it can be hard to make those connections and form friendships. I know when my eldest commenced at Concordia eight years ago, I didn鈥檛 know anyone here and I had to step out of my comfort zone to put myself out there - and it was hard. I would chat to parents at a sporting events where he was representing the school only to realise I was in fact, talking to parents of the opposing team because initially I didn鈥檛 know who was who (hahaha, I had to laugh at that one). So the way I connected was via our P&F. I鈥檇 volunteer at events, came along to meetings and then over the years as my children established their friendship groups, mine grew and followed. It is hard as a parent of a high school student 鈥 and it is especially hard for a new parent/family to our community. So with this in mind, we are going to trial something new 鈥 off-campus.
P&F Connections 鈥 at this stage, once a month - by way of Friday night drinks, just for a couple of hours after work. Parents can come along for one drink on their way home from work or dropping their children off at an event (be it sport or their casual job), and can stay for however long they desire, (it could even be the pre-amble to a date night). We are currently working with a couple of venues to establish what we can and can鈥檛 do under COVID-19 guidelines and hopefully should have some further information to share with you over the next few days. Drinks will be a cash bar (buy your own) and we are hoping to put on some finger food (courtesy of the SSC P&F). So please keep an eye on the Concordia App for further details for the date and time of our first event (which we are hoping will be next Friday 26 February). To those Year 10 parents, why not swing by too after you have dropped your child off at Picnic Point?
If you have any ideas for fundraising, a question or concern you need help with, please feel free to email us at SSCPF@concordia.qld.edu.au.
Have a fabulous week ahead and we look forward to connecting with you soon.
Mrs Hazel Buckley
Chair SSC P&F Committee
Free Elevate Webinars
We鈥檙e excited to announce that parents of Concordia 女女视频 College have exclusive access to Elevate Education鈥檚 Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2021. Elevate works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how to better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.
Registration is essential and is free for parents of Concordia 女女视频 College.
The webinar is run live online from 6pm to 7pm where the presenter will share Elevate鈥檚 key research and skills, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly.
Remaining webinars in this series will focus on the following:
- 24 February - Time management techniques to align the family expectations on homework and school-life balance.
- 10 March - Technology devices and self-regulation strategies.
- 24 March - Note taking skills to help your child deepen their revision.
Concordia Equestrian Team Meeting
The Concordia Equestrian Team is an extra-curricular activity for students who have their own horse and already ride in (or are training to ride in) competitions such as Pony Club gymkhanas, showjumping, dressage, combined training, eventing and hacking.
The Equestrian Team will be meeting on Monday 1 March at 3.30pm at Stephen Street Campus to discuss a variety of matters including upcoming competitions, potential training days and uniforms.
Students who are competitive horse riders and their parents who are interested to learn more about joining the Concordia 女女视频 College Equestrian Team are encouraged to contact Bianca Coleborn to advise attendance at the meeting.
Boarding
Boarding News
This week has been a fantastic in Giabal Girls Boarding. We have started the sports season off with some great wins and students all looking sharp in their new uniforms.
- Basketball - Years 7/9 saw a win 28-16 at Wilsonton State High School. The Senior Girls won 57-4.
- Futsal - a win 11-1 at Glennie.
- AFL- Senior Girls with a win of 64-6 at Highfields.
Congratulations to Selina Richards for achieving a PB of 46kgs in weightlifting.
Temme Boys have done well with Futsal and Basketball this week. Damon Zelinski has excelled with his target shooting and Keenan Burns trialled for the Darling Downs Volleyball representative team. Well done!
We have a wonderfully talented group of students who love the outdoors.
The Year 12 students received their Senior jerseys last Friday - check out the photo gallery to see what a stylish bunch they are!
Mrs Maureen Taurima and Mr Ross McKeown
Houseparents