The Week Ahead - Term 4, Week 2
Monday 10 October to Friday 14 October 2022
From the Head of College
Dear Parents and Caregivers
It鈥檚 my pleasure to welcome back every family to Term 4. I trust that you have had a relaxing and safe term break as a family. The student body needs to be commended on how quickly they have settled back into school routines this week. Thank you for your support in ensuring that your student[s] presents well in their day and formal uniform both at and away from school as per the full uniform requirements. We have emphasised the need for them to be great ambassadors for Concordia and their family when they are out and about.
The next seven weeks will no doubt keep us busy as we look at finishing up well by graduating our Years 6 and 12 students respectively, support our Years 5 and 11 students as they step up as our new Senior cohorts and leaders for 2023 and hear about our Year 9 students thriving and growing at Googa over the next four weeks. At the same time, our Prep and Year 7 students are almost done with their first year at primary and high school, respectively. Everyone is invited to be part of and hang on for this exhilarating finish to the school year at Concordia.
From the College Pastor
Welcome to Term 4
Welcome to the last term for 2022! Isn鈥檛 this year going fast?
Term 4 is always filled with lots of celebrations and recognitions for the hard work of the year, and of course it ends with the lead in to that joyful time, Christmas. But there is also a lot of work shoehorned into these eight short weeks: Year 12s have their final exams, there is a lot of assessment and reporting and a number of special events, and not to forget, the Year 9s have their formative month at Googa.
This week we completed our Walk my Way challenge with both primary campuses hosting a special event on Thursday. Together with the event at the end of Term 3 at SSC, where students engaged very well, some walking over 10 laps of the course around the school, we exceeded our goal of sending 100 students to school for a year in an African refugee camp. Our community raised $2848 (by the time of writing 鈥 the system will be open for another week - ), which means nearly 110 children can be sent to school through the connections and work of ALWS. I am blown away by the engagement of our students, staff and parents and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support of this cause.
Confirmation at ELF starting this Sunday!
Confirmation at ELF (the congregation worshipping at Concordia) is starting this Sunday!
Worship is at 9am followed by Confirmation, which will start at 11am.
We are meeting in Emmanuel鈥檚 brand-new space at the end of the South Street car park. You will be asked to fill out a form for your child when Confirmation begins so that we have contact and emergency details etc. After that feel free to leave and return when we finish at 1pm.
One of the main goals of the first session is to break the ice, get to know each other a little bit, and open a conversation about the first topic - Creation. I will also be providing a brief overview of the Confirmation course and we'll explore expectations, goals and dreams around what the Confirmation course is all about. A basic lunch will be provided together with a special treat of ice cream!
Please contact Pastor Nathan if you鈥檇 like to participate:
Email: pastor@emmanueltoowoomba.org.au
Phone: 0403 741 151
Community News
Ensemble Showcase - Progress and Potential
We warmly invite parents to attend this special concert in the Concordia Chapel. This concert is a public performance which will display the hard work that the Year 5 cohorts have put into learning their new skill - playing an instrument. There will be some fun pieces you are familiar with, mixed with some music specifically written to focus on instrument techniques. The concert will demonstrate the students鈥 ability to work as an ensemble, follow direction from a conductor and perform publicly on their instrument.
Sport Opportunity
HSC Parent Connect Mango Fundraiser
WSC Trivia Night - Friday 4 November
One of the highlights on the Warwick Street Campus calendar each year is the P&F Trivia Night. Each year we have seen this event grow in numbers as our community comes together for a night of fun, laughter and friendly competition. I encourage everyone in our community to come along to enjoy the fun. Family and friends from outside our community are also most welcome to attend.
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
From the Junior College Directors
Term 4 is upon us and we are already at the end of a very busy week. We hope that you have returned feeling refreshed after the holiday break and had time to spend with family and friends. We could say that Term 4 is the busiest term of the year, but every term seems to be busy at school. Please take the time to read through The Week Ahead each week as all information about events occurring over the next eight weeks will be advertised in this space.
Dress Like a Farmer Day - 19 October
JC Year 5 St Helena Island Excursion - Wednesday 26 October
As part of our Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum, we have organised an excursion for Wednesday 26 October, to St Helena Island for our Year 5 students to develop their knowledge and understanding of prison life experiences. Please click on the for more information. Parents are requested to go to Parent Lounge to submit your permission by Monday 17 October 2022
- Login to >
- Click on Events & Payments >
- Click on - JC 2022 Year 5 St Helena Island Excursion >
- Accept >
- Save
Important Note: Please check and ensure your child's medical conditions and Emergency Contact Information is up to date.
JC Christmas for the Bush
Care Outreach has been supporting Outback families for over 25 years. Many rural and remote families are in their 10th year of drought. These families need us more than ever this Christmas.
In Term 4, the Junior College will be again supporting Care Outreach with their Christmas for the Bush appeal. You can help by donating...
- Non-perishable food and Christmas treats
- Toys and family gifts
- Toiletries
- Pre-paid visa cards
Donation baskets will be placed in every classroom. 100% goes to our farmers! For other specific needs, please visit and click on the 'Christmas for the Bush' tab.
Christmas for the Bush will conclude with a Junior College Chapel Service in the SSC Chapel on Friday 28 October at 9.30am.
Prep to Year 2 Piano Fingers Author Visit
The Prep to Year 2 students will be going on an excursion to The Lighthouse Toowoomba to view the Caroline Magerl鈥檚 Piano Fingers Exhibition.
The author we are going to see is Carolyn Magerl who is the author and illustrator of the 2021 CBCA Honour Book Nop which we have in both of our library collections and Hasel and Rose. Her latest book Piano Fingers is currently on order and we will have a copy at each campus by the beginning of next term. In the weeks leading up to the event, I will be sharing Nop and Piano Fingers with the students to familiarise them with her writing. Her stories have themes of friendship and resilience and her illustrations are beautiful.
Caroline Magerl was born in a small German town near Frankfurt and came to Australia when she was two. Soon after, in a suburban Sydney backyard, her parents built a yacht which became a home and way of life. Until Caroline was fourteen, the family sailed the east coast of Australia. At sixteen, Caroline joined another yacht, crossing the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. After the return voyage she worked as a cook, painting in her spare time. Caroline now works as an artist, illustrator and printmaker and received an ASA children's picture book illustrators' grant to work on Hasel and Rose. She has exhibited widely overseas and in Australia.
The author visits for Caroline Magerl鈥檚 Piano Fingers Exhibition have been booked in and are as follows.
Tuesday 18 October 鈥 HSC Prep to Year 2
Thursday 20 October 鈥 WSC Prep to Year 2
Time 鈥 9am to 10am
Venue 鈥 The Lighthouse Toowoomba 鈥 126 Margaret Street
Parent Permission Parents are requested to go to Parent Lounge to submit your permission by Thursday 13 October.
Outside School Hours Care
OSHC Kids Cooking Club with Bec Turner
Hume Street Campus
HSC Musical - Change of Date - 24 November 2022
HSC 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.
Term 4 Tennis Coaching at HSC
HSC Prep to Year 6 Swimming Lessons
On Friday 7 October, students from Prep to Year 6 will commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in eight lessons over Term 4. Please for the schedule.
Please ensure that students have the following:
- Dressing gown - this is great for the students to wear to and from the pool as we don't know what the weather is going to be like;
- Thongs
- Swimming togs - it would be great for our Prep students to wear their togs to school
- Goggles
- House swimming cap
- Towel
To avoid any lost items, please clearly label all of your child's items including their shoes, underwear and uniform.
Warwick Street Campus
Grandparents鈥 Day Invitation - Friday 21 October
Grandparents鈥 Day Catering - Friday 21 October 2022
We would love your help on Grandparents' Day to either provide a plate of food for morning tea and/or help set up and serve.
to register your interest.
Please find below the list of food suggestions for each year level to bring for children and grandparents to share for morning tea:
Prep 鈥 Fruit Platter
Year 1 鈥 Biscuits/Slices/Cakes
Year 2 - Sandwiches
Year 3 鈥 Biscuits/Slices/Cakes
Year 4 鈥 Savoury
Year 5 鈥 Savoury
Year 6 鈥 Sandwiches
Please be aware of the 鈥楴o Nut鈥 policy when baking or purchasing your food items. We ask if you could please use disposable plates and containers to make it easier with clean up. Could we please have all plates of food delivered by 8.30am on Friday 21 October? Plates can be taken directly to the Resource Centre unless it needs to be refrigerated in The Shed fridge or handed in at Reception.
WSC 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 7.
WSC Tennis Coaching - Term 4
WSC Prep to Year 6 Swimming Lessons - Term 4
On Monday 10 October, Prep to Year 6 students will commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in lessons over Term 4.
Stephen Street Campus
From the Director of Campus
Welcome back for Term 4!
It was farewell to our Year 9 students on Tuesday as they hopped on the bus to Googa to set up camp and put themselves to the test; relying on each other and only basic necessities to get by.
At Chapel on Wednesday, I offered a devotion based on our theme Bible verse of the year 鈥 鈥淚 can do all things through Christ who strengthens me鈥 鈥 Philippians 4:13. My reflection on this verse is that it has been wildly taken out of context historically by those who use it to suggest that they can do anything and everything (including winning boxing matches) because Christ strengthens them.
In fact, the verse comes in the middle of a letter from St Paul where he talks about his experiences with both abundance and suffering, and how his endurance has been made possible by his faith in Christ. He is not pointing to some miraculous superpower, but rather a sense of true contentment, where he can face all things through his trust in the Lord. So, with respect to our Year 9 students, the Googa experience has a different aim to other camps where the sole focus may be on fun and adventure.
Googa offers students a chance to be content, to learn that life is more precious when we are with others without unnecessary distractions. We look forward to sharing some updates throughout the students鈥 time away.
Visit The Edge Caf茅
Parents, staff and students are invited to come along to The Edge Caf茅 and enjoy a cup of freshly made coffee or hot chocolate prepared by our Certificate III Hospitality students. Sit down and enjoy the atmosphere or take away is available.
All beverages are one size and a bargain $3 each (Soy + 50c). Payment via MSA or EFTPOS, no cash.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday morning!
We would like to thank Picnic Point Caf茅 for their kind donation of the Pura coffee beans.
Sport News
Swimming
Over the recent holidays, Concordia Turbo Jets swimmers headed to the Australian Country Championships in Darwin. The club had amazing success, with one gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
Concordia students, Victoria and Michael had the following results:
- Victoria Richards: silver 50m breaststroke
- Michael Weier: gold 200m breaststroke and bronze 100m breaststroke.
This meet was an amazing experience for our swimmers and we are very keen to attend next year with a greater number of swimmers.
Boarding
Boarding News
Hello to all our families. Term 4 has arrived and the countdown has begun to Senior exams and our Year 12 students, Chrissy and Bradley, bidding us all farewell as they venture into the big world on their individual journeys in life. Times like this are when we, as staff, feel a great sense of satisfaction that our job as mentors and role models has been fulfilled. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them both all the best and to thank them for their leadership in boarding.
As our students reacquaint themselves with the Boarding timetable, house rules and dress code, I would like to remind you all of the importance that your child has his or her clothing clearly named to assist our Laundry service to return clothing in individual baskets.