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Dear Parents and Caregivers

The current busyness at Concordia is indicative of a school year which is very rapidly coming to an end. This past week has seen us celebrate our Year 6 students as they progress from primary school and eagerly await the transition to high school in 2022. The Junior College staff need to be congratulated on hosting very authentic and exceptionally well-planned events. 

We also hosted a Year 12 Graduation Brunch in recognition of these students completing their external exams. The Year 12 students also presented their farewell gift, of two new basketball backboards, to the College at this event. We now look forward with these students, to the announcement of their exam results on 17 December.

Next week will see us begin the week with the Years 6 to 11 Presentation Evening at the Empire Theatre. I hope to see many of you there as we celebrate and acknowledge the students’ achievements and hard work throughout the year. The Junior College campuses will also be entertaining us next week with a Musical night at Warwick Street Campus on Tuesday and a Carols by Candlelight event at Hume Street Campus on Wednesday night. The whole College community is invited to join in and attend these events.

Look up – was the slogan of an advertising campaign a couple of years ago encouraging people to look up from their devices and take note of the real world around them. Perhaps the people in Old Testament times had similar issues with stone tablets or pieces of papyrus. Look up! is call or encouragement that comes through various places in the biblical story as well. One such place is in Psalm 121, and in the light of recent events I have included this Psalm in full here – an invitation to look to God and find encouragement and hope in God’s promises.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you—
    the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 
the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Pastor Thomas Böhmert
College Pastor

The Toowoomba Gospel Festival is being held in Queens Park from 19 to 21 November. There will be lots happening over the three days. Visit the Facebook page for all the information or .

We are looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our students in Years 6 to 11 at the inaugural Years 6-11 Presentation Evening taking place on Monday 22 November at The Empire Theatre from 6pm.

Students will be presented awards for academic, citizenship, cultural and sporting achievements on the night. There will also be entertaining dance and music performances from our talented students at this event. You will be notified prior to the event if your child is receiving an award and you are welcome to invite extended family to attend.

Due to COVID requirements, all parents and caregivers must book tickets via The Empire Theatre Box Office.

Last Thursday, the Junior College hosted its annual Inter-House Swimming Carnival, and what a fantastic day it was for all concerned even though mother nature was doing its best to put a damper on things at times. The students never stopped the whole day - from the first House war cries at 8.30am to the presentations at 12.30pm. They went from marshalling for their individual races to showing their House spirit by encouraging each other and enjoying a great meal deal. Most importantly, they were having fun and enjoying the mateship that comes with sporting endeavours such as this. 

The much anticipated JC 2021 Year 6 Big Day Out will be held on Wednesday 24 November. 

Friday Sport - Term 4
Today will see the culmination of our primary sport fixtures for term 4, and also for 2021. This term we participated in mixed tennis, boys touch football, girls AFL and hockey. Our Concordia teams performed exceptionally well week in, week out showing fantastic sportsmanship and coming away with some great results. Many thanks to all who assisted in some way each term to provide the opportunity for our students to have a game of their chosen sport, these are some of the best memories that will stay with them throughout their lives, while also having fun with their mates. Special mention to our tireless coaches Mr Paul Baker, Mrs Melissa Reimann, Mrs Marie Smith, Mr Darryl Fry and teacher aides that assisted for all your efforts during the year.

Please return all library books and home readers as soon as possible. Cost of replacing any outstanding items will be debited to your school accounts.

Thank you.

As we near the end of the school year, it is hard to fathom how quickly the year has flown. We are feeling super blessed that we made it through the year with very few interruptions such as the ones experienced in 2020. There have been many highlights for the students, times of personal achievements, many milestones reached, new friendships formed, personal challenges overcome and new experiences offered. 

The students have been involved in many sporting, music, cultural, outdoor and academic endeavours. As with every year, it was full of opportunities and I congratulate all students on a wonderful year of learning and achievement.

 to view HSC's Events for Term 4, Week 8.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy time together.

Mrs Juanetta Priest
Director of Campus

The Martin Kretzchmar Lighthouse Award will be presented at the CLC Award Presentations at the Empire Theatre on Monday 22 November and then shared with our HSC community at the Carols.

The Year 4 Borgelt Award and Year 5 Conrad Carrigan Award will be presented to a Year 4 and Year 5 student at our Carols night on Wednesday 24 November 5.30pm for a 6.30pm start.

A great time was had by all as they slid down the slide, ran through the noodles, crushed oodles and got covered in colour. What a fun way to raise money for the campus. We really appreciate everyone who helped to raise money and assisted on the day with set up, running and packing down. We are an awesome team! Please check out our Facebook page for photos.

On Monday 22 November we are inviting our students to come dressed in their Christmas clothes or colours.

We would like to invite you to attend the HSC 2021 Awards Presentation and Carols by Candlelight on Wednesday 24 November. This will be held on the sports oval but if it is raining we will hold it in the hall. 

Please see below an outline of the program.
5.30pm - please join us for a picnic dinner. There will be Pizza, Dagwood Dogs, Chips and Drinks available or feel free to BYO food.
6.30pm - Welcome and Awards Presentation followed by our Carols by Candlelight.

We will also be selling some neon flameless candles on the night for $2.50 each.

Concordia is required to strictly follow the Queensland Government COVID-19 guidelines for school events which requires all guests to pre-register in household groups using this form. (People who live in the same household are considered to be a household group.) All guests are required to practice social distancing of 1.5 metres with other household groups at the event.

 to register your attendance on the night.

Please join us on Thursday 25 November at 2pm for our final 2021 Chapel service when we will also be farewelling our Year 6 students. We will need everyone to sign in via Sine Pro and keep your 1.5m physical distancing but we are excited to send our Year 6s through the tunnel to the next part of their journey. We will also finish the afternoon with a time of fellowship and watermelon in the junior playground after our Year 6 Final Assembly.

We would like to take a moment to send a special message to our Year 6 students…

… Thank you for being our Year 6 Leaders this year. We believe that a strong foundation has been laid and trust you leave us with many fond memories of your years at Hume Street Campus. We were delighted to take a trip down memory lane with you at your Year 6 Dinner. You have grown into young people of real character. Don’t forget to come back occasionally and say hello to all of us. We wish you all the very best as you move into the next phase of your schooling. We look forward to sharing in our Year 6 Final Assembly on Thursday 25 November at 2pm.

We would also like to congratulate our 2022 Year 6 students. You are a strong group of students and we are looking forward to working with you to implement some of your ideas to enhance our Campus. We will have a special assembly early 2022 to celebrate our 2022 Leaders and present badges to all leaders.

A huge thank you for your assistance in collecting bread tags for wheelchairs over the past months. The Preps and Year 6 students were successful in collecting the most bread tags and as a result are being treated to a pizza lunch. Thank you to our Environmental Captain, Wil Sorensen and his mum, Peta, for organising this initiative. Now that you have gotten use to collecting your bread tags, we will have a container in Reception for you to drop your bread tags into. 

The bread tags have now been counted by the Sorensen Family and the results are in!

• First place - Prep
• Second place - Year 6
• Third place - Year 2

Congratulations to everyone for contributing to the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs project. Thank you to Wil and his family for engaging the Hume Street Campus community in this very worthy project.

The end of every school year brings about a time for reflection, and this morning the staff at WSC reflected on the year that was 2021. The conclusion the staff came to, like every year, was that it was busy, full of ups and downs but, most of all, there were many things to celebrate. 

Yesterday, we celebrated with our Year 6 class as we said our final farewells to them. We wish them all the best as they move into Middle College and look forward to hearing about all they accomplish in the future. I would also like to wish those who are leaving our community, all the best for your future endeavours. I hope that you will look fondly on your time spent with us.

Warwick Street Campus would not be the community it is without the support of our parents. I would like to thank all of you for your continued support throughout 2021 and look forward to working alongside us again next year. To our students, congratulations on another successful school year. We are all very proud of all that each one of you has achieved.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the staff at WSC. This outstanding group of people have worked tirelessly again this year and always bring out the best in their students. Your Christmas break is again truly deserved.

On Wednesday 24 November, we are asking students to come dressed in Christmas clothes.

Parents, please find a list of costume requirement for our Christmas Musical, ‘Don't Be Afraid'. Some items of your child’s costume will be provided. Please contact your teacher if you have any difficulties finding the items below:

On Tuesday 23 November, all students from Prep to Year 6 will be involved in the Christmas Musical. Please note the following details:

• Students will need to arrive at 6.30pm and meet in their classrooms.
• The doors to The Shed will open at 6.45pm for families.
• The Musical will commence at 7pm sharp.

Please note that reserved seating will be available for the Year 6 parents and guests at the front. 

Don’t forget to bring your costumes on Monday 22 November for the dress rehearsals.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

There are profoundly timeless thoughts, such as the one found in a letter that was written around 50 AD to a community of Christians in the city of Corinth, Greece. In those weeks, on the days and in the moments where time and life come to a complete standstill, it is strange how ancient, Godly truths can allow faith, hope and love to whisper encouragement and comfort into the deepest parts of our being. 

To the families, students and staff who are walking this road, I pray that God may be your refuge, strength and comforter and that faith, hope and love may remain. On a very practical level, our counselling and pastoral care support space in the Open Door will continue to remain available through to the end of the term for students to pop in for a chat with the team or just have some quiet time.

Here at Concordia, Year 9 students undertake the Rite Journey, a year-long program which has the aim of providing students with a series of intentional experiences that support their development as adolescents. The Rite Journey at Concordia incorporates the Year 9 Pastoral Care program, the College’s outdoor education experience at Googa and the Year 9 Christian Studies course.

It is quite some time ago now, but the Rite Journey began when the Year 9 students and their families gathered in the emerging sunlight of a new dawn at Tabletop and looked forward with anticipation and hope to what the new year would bring. Through Rite Journey activities, Christian Studies classes, and numerous fun and some difficult challenges, these young women and men have been encouraged to grow as people, and to reflect upon their place in the world and their contribution to the community around them.

Dearest young people and caregivers,

It has been a tremendously difficult and emotional week for many of the young people at Concordia ŮŮ��Ƶ College. You may not be able to take the pain away, but there are things you can do to help your child begin the healing process.

Start by trying these suggestions:

• Be patient – let them know there is no right or wrong way to grieve 
• Help them to feel secure and safe – give them lots of hugs and kisses
• While it can be painful, help them to identify and accept feelings as they come up
• Express the feelings in positive ways – try journaling, talking or sports
• Take time to remember and celebrate the life of your loved one – look at photos, light a candle in remembrance, visit a favourite spot
• Write a letter to the person who died – help them to say all the things they want them to know
• Tell them it's not their fault - no one is responsible for anyone else's choices, arrange counselling support if you need to
• Create balance – grieving is important but children also need opportunities to do things they enjoy and to have fun

Below are contact details to support services and a fact sheet that may support you in having discussions over the weekend:

Please feel free to reach out to me via email on Jessica.Tobin@concordia.qld.edu.au

Ms Jessica Tobin
College Counsellor

Book Lists for 2022 are now available. Click here to access the lists. Online ordering is also available through Browns Office Choice.

Hello to all our Boarder families. My thoughts of the day - one week till school finishes, two weeks till summer is here, five weeks till Christmas and 10 weeks till school resumes in 2022!

Our students have had a packed weekend - Kloud9ine, movies, Picnic Point, shopping and Christmas in November. Thank you to Bradley Stiller for stepping up and being our Santa this year, also Louisa Hill and Bella Clark for assisting Santa with our Secret Santa as the friendly Elves. Thank you to the Kitchen staff for the festive meal and desserts. Also a big thanks to Chris for decorating the tables. You do these functions every year yet still amaze us by coming up with something new. We loved the lights!