The Week Ahead - Term 4, Week 5
Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November 2020
From the Head of College
As this publication goes to print, we celebrate a number of major milestones in the College鈥檚 annual calendar:
- Friday 30 October is the internationally recognised 鈥榃orld Teachers鈥 Day鈥, but at Concordia we celebrate the magnificent work of all staff 鈥 particularly in this very challenging year. Thank you to all Concordia staff members 鈥 you make a difference in the life of all students who enter this very special Christian environment.
- Saturday 31 October is Reformation Day, the anniversary of the day Martin Luther is said to have posted his ninety-five theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany (31 October, 1517), later identified by Protestants as the beginning of the Reformation.
- Sunday 1 November is All Saints' Day; a day when we as a Church community commemorate those we have lost, as well as the Christians who have lived before us and have testified to their Christian faith. This is a very special day for Christian families as it is a time where we come together to remember, and honour loved ones.
What a great week we have had across the College. I was absolutely delighted to join staff and students at both 鈥楥hristmas in the Bush鈥 services on Thursday. Thank you so much to parents and friends who donated more than one hundred large boxes of goods for distribution to rural families through Care Outreach. I know that Bill and Melissa Close were again overwhelmed by the generosity of our community to such a worthwhile cause 鈥 thank you one and all!
During the week ahead, our Year 9 students will be in their second half of the Googa experience, Year 11 students are attending a leadership camp at Luther Heights and the Year 12 class of 2020 will be moving on with their QCE external assessments. There is no doubt that the Stephen Street Campus will be very quiet.
Finally, I encourage parents and friends to catch up on the latest review concerning the remote learning that we have been engaged in this year. Independent Schools Queensland 鈥極ur Schools - Our Future鈥 paper, , brings together decades of parent engagement research and findings with current insights and school experiences from Queensland鈥檚 home-learning period. Enjoy the read!
Kind regards and every blessing
Mr Adrian Wiles
Head of College
From the College Pastor
Community News
LYQ Summer Camps
After a rollercoaster year, we can't wait for camps this summer. Camping is such a great way to escape the everyday, learn some new skills, make some great friends, create memories you can treasure forever and learn more about the secure hope that God offers. This summer should be a cracker with some great opportunities in December and January to celebrate the end of the year and start the next with a bang!
To find out more check out the of some great camping opportunities for young people in Years 3-6 and Years 7-12 in December and January. Keep in mind that new COVID-19 measures mean that places on camp will be limited. This may mean that your favourite camp books out faster than normal.
Financial support is available to families who wish to participate in these summer camps. Please click here to access .
If you have any questions about LYQ camps please call us on 07 3511 4080. We can't wait to welcome you to camp this summer!
Come & Try for Years 6-12 students
Please contact SSC Sports Coordinator, Mrs Jana Anderson, for further information.
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
Outside School Hours Care
Hume Street Campus
Kindy Thermomix Raffle
From the Director
Up and Coming Events
HSC Musical
Our students will perform a simple musical this year as part of their Music and Drama curriculum. We have tried many thought bubbles to attempt to include all parents in this event.
Due to social distancing of households, we have had to make the decision to include only our Year 6 parents this year. This will be their last musical at HSC and their numbers can fit in with our guidelines. We hope and pray that we are back to being able to include all families for 2021.
Year 6 parents will receive an email with a link to register for this event. Our musical for 2020 will be on 25 November 1.45pm-2.45pm.
2021 Captain Speeches
Our speeches for 2021 will be held in the Hall on Monday 9 November at 11.30am. Parents of the presenters will be emailed with a link to register for this event. Attached is a copy of our .
Final Chapel Service
Our final Chapel service this year will be held Thursday 26 November at 2.15pm. Again, this will be an invitation only event. An email will be sent to parents of Year 6 students, Award winners and 2021 Campus Captains with a link to register for this event.
2021 Badge Presentations
We will have the Campus Captain handover as part of our 2020 Final Chapel Service. All other badges will be presented in the first weeks of 2021.
CLC Orientation Day
Our Orientation Day will go ahead as usual on 16 November. Invitations are currently being sent to Year 6 students moving on to Concordia Year 7 and to new families attending HSC in 2021. All other year levels will have a transition morning to their 2021 classroom as well. They may also meet their 2021 teacher. This process always helps students in the emotional journey in transitioning to their next class.
2021 Booklists
Please note that the headphones have been deleted off of the 2021 booklists due to quality of previously sourced headphones. Each student will need a set of headphones for school. Could you please check the strength of the connection where it plugs into the device. Our little Prep students sometimes get confused if there is a volume button on the headphones so please avoid this if possible.
Mrs Juanetta Priest
Director of Campus
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 7 with our Colour Explosion Fun Run meal deal.
HSC 2021 Booklists
Our 2021 booklists are available for online ordering. Our P&F will receive a 10% rebate for all orders placed online before the cut-off date of Wednesday 11 November.
Place your order online through Browns Office Choice. The Book List link is also available in .
Colour Explosion Fun Run and Meal Deal
Warwick Street Campus
From the Director
"Those who teach, change the world over and over again.鈥
As we celebrate World Teachers' Day today, along with a belated School Officers' Day, this quote definitely rings true. As our world has changed over and over again this year, our teachers have had to adapt, be flexible and learn many new skills, so the students could continue their learning journey both at school and at home.
I want to take this chance to thank the staff at WSC for all that they do. What a great team of dedicated people! Staff were surprised with a special delivery from the 鈥淪taff Appreciation Station鈥 today, otherwise known as the 鈥淲oot Woot Wagon鈥. There were many goodies to get them through the day, because as the wagon said, 鈥淭eachers can鈥檛 live on apples alone鈥.
Christmas for the Bush
As is tradition in the Junior College at this time of the year, our Term 4 offering has been dedicated to Care Outreach. We celebrated the end of our Christmas for the Bush offering with a special Chapel service which was beautifully led by our Year 1 class. Bill and Melissa Close, from Care Outreach, joined us for the service and were again astounded and humbled by the generosity of our community. Thank you to everyone for your donations.
WSC End of Year Musical
This year our WSC Musical is titled 鈥淭he Inn-Spectors鈥 and again will be performed by our Year 6 Students, with the assistance of all classes. As many things have changed this year, so has our musical.
This year we will be performing our musical on Tuesday 24 November from 1.15pm to 3pm, with the Year 6 parents being our live audience. We look forward to being able to share our performance by way of a video, that will be sent to all families. Please keep an eye on Seesaw in the coming days for costume requirements.
Every blessing for the week ahead.
Mrs Jackie Minnikin
Director of Campus
Word on the Street
The Word on the Street is that the Year 6 girls have decided to organise an end of year gift to the school and have put some special decorations in the girls' bathroom.
WSC 2021 Booklists
Our 2021 booklists are available for online ordering. Our P&F will receive a 10% rebate for all orders placed online before the cut-off date of Monday 16 November.
Place your order online through Browns Office Choice. The Book List link is also available in .
WSC P&F Meal Deal - Wednesday 4 November
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.
Please note: There will be no Tuckshop in Week 5 due to P&F Meal Deal.
WSC Prep to Year 6 Swimming Lessons
Prep to Year 6 students swimming lessons are continuing at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in lessons over the first six weeks of Term 4.
Please note: NO Parents can attend swimming lessons due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Please ensure that students have the following items:
- Swimming togs
- Goggles
- House swimming cap
- Towel
If you have any questions, please don鈥檛 hesitate to contact your child鈥檚 teacher.
To avoid any lost items, please clearly label all of your child's items including their shoes, underwear and uniform.
Stephen Street Campus
Future Planning
Over the past two weeks on Stephen Street Campus, there have been two very exciting discussions taking place in parallel. Our Heads of Department, including our newest 2021 member, Mrs Angela Sten (HOD English), spent a whole day planning, visioning, blue-sky thinking, developing and shaping how our curriculum should look from 2021 and beyond.
This was an incredibly energising day of frank open discussions around opportunities for improvement and innovation. Alongside this body of work, Mr Darren Pope, Learning Enrichment Coordinator, has been driving the Reflect 2 Pivot (R2P) project that will allow us to shape a collective learning narrative for Stephen Street Campus in order to develop a clear understanding of what great learning looks, sounds and feels like here at Concordia.
The R2P workshop on Tuesday night had approximately 30 participants and I must say that it was a very valuable two hours of work that resulted in some very well-articulated, high impact areas for us to focus on going forward.
Themes of seamless technology, flexibility in timetables and learning spaces, strong values and professional development around pedagogy were common across both forums. As both of these projects take shape, there will be more opportunities for parents, students and staff to continue to have input into shaping the future learning environment and experiences here at the College.
In Jim Collins' book, Good to Great he speaks about the importance of having 鈥渢he right people on the bus鈥. There is no doubt that the 鈥淪tephen Street Campus bus鈥 does have the right people on the bus and I am very excited to be part of a team that is reimagining learning with such passion and capacity to enact change.
On the camp front, our Year 9 students are heading into their final week. They have just finished their hike week and were fortunate to dodge the storms that rolled through the area. All reports are that this group has done a sensational job as they engaged with the program and we look forward to hearing their stories of adventure, growth and hike songs! Check out the photos in the gallery below.
On Monday our Year 11 students are heading up to Luther Heights for their belated Leadership Camp. We are very pleased that we have been able to secure this camp, albeit later in the year than was scheduled. My prayer is that this will be a valuable time for our Year 11 students to take a break from what has been a very busy year.
Lastly, it is officially World Teachers' Day! We are taking the opportunity to celebrate all our staff and I sincerely thank them for the amazing work that they do in serving our Stephen Street Campus community.
Have a great weekend.
Mr Jason Smith
Director of Campus
From the Careers Department
Speed Interviews
For the past two Wednesdays, some of the Senior students have been participating in Speed Interviews. These students had the opportunity to speak with representatives from Downs Group Training, Golden West Apprenticeships, Aurora Training Institute and MEGT in an interview context. The students have now been registered with these employment services in the search for an apprenticeship in 2021.
Congratulations to Jeremy Crouch, Liam Musch, Oskar Fowkes, Zeb O鈥橲hea and Will McConville on taking the initiative to take this opportunity in their search for an apprenticeship. The feedback received from the interviewers was positive and their behaviour and professionalism was very well-received.
Vocational Qualifications
As a result of the new Senior curriculum that has been introduced this year, there has been an increased interest from students to enrol in vocational qualifications. Certificate III or higher qualifications can contribute to students鈥 ATAR. In addition, most Certificate courses accrue QCE points which can contribute to each students鈥 Queensland Certificate of Education, where they are working towards accruing 20 points.
At the end of 2019, the Careers Department recorded 16 students completing a Student Based Traineeship/Apprenticeship, with 12 students completing other qualifications. To date, we now have 20 students completing a Student Based Traineeship/Apprenticeship, and five of these have commenced this term. We have an impressive 31 students completing other qualifications in the Senior College.
With the announcement in the latest Federal Budget regarding financial initiatives for employers to take on apprentices and trainees, and the influx of communication from employers asking for Concordia students to apply for positions, it is hoped that these numbers will continue to increase over the next twelve months.
Student Based Apprenticeships/Traineeships
Student Based Apprenticeship 鈥 an apprenticeship takes approximately four years to complete; however, a Student Based Apprenticeship allows a Senior student to commence in a part-time capacity, allowing them to get a head start in a trade qualification while still completing their Senior schooling. Students are required to work a minimum of 7.5 hours a week and usually take one day off school to attend work. They also commence a Certificate III qualification (government funded) through a training provider and QCE points are accrued upon completion. It is common for students to take an Independent Learning line at school. This option is advantageous for students who plan to work in a trade upon graduation as the contract rolls over to a fulltime position once the student completes Year 12.
Student Based Traineeship 鈥 a traineeship takes approximately 12 to 18 months to complete, usually in the Hospitality, Business Admin and Retail industries. It is quite common for these positions to stem from a student鈥檚 casual job. Students are guaranteed 7.5 hours a week, employed in a part time capacity. Students will complete a Certificate II or III qualification (government funded) through a training provider and QCE points are accrued upon completion of the qualification. Students have the option to take an Independent Learning line at school. This option could benefit students who are planning on attending university as it provides invaluable experience in the workforce, development of transferable employability skills and QCE points. In addition, a Certificate III can contribute to the ATAR.
In the recent Federal Budget, a new incentive was introduced for employers to take on apprentices and trainees. The Federal Government has announced that 50% of wages for all new apprentices and trainees will be funded. This is a great time to approach workplaces asking to take on student-based contracts. Potential employers often ask for students to complete work experience to commence the employment process. Please note that students can complete up to 30 days work experience each calendar year; however, to be covered under insurance, it is imperative that Mrs Jo-Ann Tessmer is contacted so a Work-Experience Agreement can be completed. This process can take up to two weeks to complete, so please take this into consideration.
If your child is in Year 9 to Year 11 and considering completing a vocational qualification next year, please contact Mrs Jo-Ann Tessmer or myself in the Careers Office.
Mrs Leah Bowes
Senior College Careers Advisor
News from RESET
Thank you to the families who in the past 12 months, have collected and contributed towards the 7kg of bread tags that are being donated to the charity group Bread Tags for Wheelchairs. That is 7kg kept out of landfill.
If you eat bread and have bread tags, please collect them and send them in to me at SSC. It is one small step we can take toward keeping plastic out of landfill.
Thank you also to students who are continuing to place bottles, cans and juice boxes in the 10 cent recycling bins outside The Open Door and in crates displaying the recycling label around the Campus. All money raised from this initiative goes back into the Student Council funds that buy items for the student body.
Families can donate their cans and bottles by using the code: C10243143 when taking their bottles and cans to the recycling centre.
Mrs Carissa Jaworska
Senior College Coordinator
Sport News
Queensland Representative
Last month William Cox participated in the Queensland Orienteering Long Distance Championships. Over 100 students from all around Queensland took part in this two-day event. Orienteering is a competitive international sport that combines racing with navigation. Participants use very detailed maps to select routes and navigate through diverse and often unfamiliar terrain in the fastest time.
Besides needing excellent map reading skills, an orienteer needs great concentration and the ability to make quick decisions about the best route under pressure while running at high speed.
Results from these events were used to select the Queensland Schools Honour Team of 20 students. Usually, this team would represent Queensland at the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships scheduled to be held in Tasmania but unfortunately this competition was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions precluding interstate travel.
Congratulations Will, on your selection in this Honour team.
Term 4 Training Times
Boarding
Congratulations!
This is the time for the graduating Year 12 students. They have celebrated, they have been lauded and now it鈥檚 final exam time. I am happy to say that they are also being appreciated by the wider community.
I was very pleased to be invited to the Toowoomba Mayoral Achievement Awards last weekend. Students from all over Toowoomba were presented with awards for overcoming difficult circumstances in their endeavours to gain a great education. We were very happy to have Year 12 boarder, Matthew Sharp, be presented a Mayoral Achievement Award at this special presentation ceremony.
Matthew was presented the award on the basis that he has been a Concordia boarder from Year 7 through to Year 12, and for these years he has overcome the stresses of being isolated from his family while at boarding (except holidays and family visits), to complete his schooling. Matthew鈥檚 family live over 300 kilometres away from Concordia. Due to the prestige of receiving this award, Matthew鈥檚 parents, Adrian and Marion, travelled to be at the special awards event, where Matthew was presented with a medal and certificate from the Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor, Cr Paul Antonio.
At this time, I would also like to congratulate the other boarders, who have tirelessly supported the Year 12 students. One such time of support came from Chrissy, Nadia and Keisha, who worked very hard in hospitality support at the Valedictory Dinner. Well done!
Have a great week!
Mrs Maureen Taurima and Mr Ross McKeown
Boarding Houseparents