The Week Ahead - Term 3, Week 9
Monday 16 September to Friday 13 September 2019
From the Head of College
There is little doubt that the end of school term is upon us! The Warwick Street Campus Disco, Grandparents' Day at the Hume Street Campus along with the wonderfully titled ‘Festival of Learning’ have all occurred, and we have hosted our visiting sister school from Argentina. The two weeks ahead are equally as frenetic, with the completion of academic work in the classroom being the main focus.
This week will also see the return of our annual ‘Makerspace Day Camp’ to be held at Hume Street Campus on Wednesday 11 September. It is always an engaging experience for our Junior College students and for the primary aged students from across the region. Many thanks must go to Mrs Fiona Stone and her team in anticipation of an exciting learning program for all involved.
From the College Pastor
Community News
Bible Scene Art Competition
Gumbi Gumbi Gardens Invitation
The University of Southern Queensland invites you to visit the USQ Gumbi Gumbi Gardens, as a part of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. The Gumbi Gumbi Gardens will host activities during the Carnival from Sunday 22 to Wednesday 25 September 2019.
The Gumbi Gumbi Gardens were established through a partnership between the community and the University, as a place for learning and sharing of ideas. The Gardens form part of the University’s commitment to developing a better understanding of local Indigenous heritage, and acknowledging the culture and contribution they have continued to make to their region. We invite you to visit and explore as we share our knowledge and understanding of our local indigenous history.
For more information, visit the USQ website or contact USQ directly.
2019 Calendar Updates
The following event dates are now available or have been amended:
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
Year 5 Space Excursion
Take a look below at some reflections from the Years 5 and 5/6 Science Excursion to Brisbane. It was a great day to explore the visiting NASA exhibition at the Queensland Museum followed by a show at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. For our students to see instruments from space craft and artefacts that have been into space was a great way to enhance our learning in our current science unit.
Makerspace Day Camp
JC Year 6 Canberra Trip
Preparations for the Year 6 students from WSC and HSC to participate in the 2019 Canberra Trip are well and truly underway. Over the next few weeks students from both campuses will meet to discuss aspects of the trip as well as share their learning.
Students, teachers and attending parents are eagerly awaiting a variety of educational programs and tours which focus on Australia’s history and democratic processes, as well as visiting the Snowy Mountains and enjoying the snow.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians having the opportunity to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizen Education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding for each student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs.
Mr Paul Baker & Mrs Allison Busiko
Year 6 Teachers
Outside School Hours Care
Hume Street Campus
To Give Away/Sell
- Old pot plant pots.
- Worm wee fertiliser – gold coin donation to the gardening group – see Reception.
Wanted!
- Old Gumboots – okay if they have holes, or if there is just one.
- Bicycles – the students love riding up and down the mound and around the top oval. If you have any unwanted bikes in working order, please let us know.
You Have Been Spotted Sporting the Concordia Spirit
Here is your chance to get a free coffee voucher from Wayne’s Encouraging Cup. Just be spotted in our car park sporting the Concordia Car Sticker and you could be the week’s winner. If you have been spotted, please see Carolyn or Delmae in Reception and they will give you a free voucher. If you need a sticker, let Reception know and they will get one to you. Congratulations 082-YDI, you are this week’s winner!
HSC P&F Sub Committee – Planning for 2020
In anticipation of 2020 and with the idea of attracting new members, the HSC P&F Sub-Committee would like your opinion on the timing of the regular meeting which is currently held on a Friday from 1.30pm to 3pm. Please submit your response via the fillable form for either keeping the current time or suggesting a new day and time to hold the meeting. A decision will be made on the day and time holding majority.
Pyjama Day – Moved to Monday 9 September
Please note… we have moved the date of this PJ Day from Monday 2 September to Monday 9 September.
Homelessness is a growing problem in Toowoomba. The Basement provides blankets and swags to people who are homeless in our community. Backpack beds for Homeless are given out to the homeless so they stay warm during the cold Toowoomba nights. These backpack beds are the most awarded single person ultralight weight crisis tent in the world – which is also a backpack! Each backpack bed costs $110.00.
HSC would like to support this program by raising money from our ‘Bring a gold coin and come dressed in Pyjamas Day’. Our Student Council and the Year 5/6 students would also like to run a bake sale/milo stall on this day. For 50 cents students will receive a biscuit or slice and a cup of Milo.
Prep and Year 1 Swimming Lessons
This term our Prep and Year 1 students will complete 8 x 45 minute swimming lessons during Weeks 9 and 10. These lessons will take place at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Students will need to bring their swimwear, towel, goggles and thongs. Please clearly name each item so that it can be returned if lost. Children will use their House swimming cap which remains on Campus. Lesson times are below.
Year 2 to Year 6 Swimming Lessons
The JC Inter-House Swimming Carnival will be held in Week 7, Term 4 on Tuesday 19 November. As our 8 years and older students can compete in this carnival, the Year 2 to Year 6 swimming lessons will be held during Weeks 5 and 6 in Term 4. This will give them their best opportunity of being swim fit for the carnival.
HSC Tuckshop Orders
All orders are to be completed online at My Student Account by 3pm each Wednesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Thursday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order.
HSC Week 9 Events
Click here to view HSC's Events for Week 9.
Forms to Complete - HSC
Warwick Street Campus
Father’s Day Sausage Sizzle
We really enjoyed having a sausage off the BBQ and flying paper planes with our dads to celebrate Father’s Day last week!!
Year 6 Skype with Dr Karl
The Coriolis Effect, earthquakes, moon oceans and chlorophyll were all explained in incredibly interesting detail by esteemed Doctor, Engineer and Scientist extraordinaire, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki on Thursday.
We were incredibly fortunate to snag a 45 minute personal Skype session with Dr Karl. He shared his zest for knowledge and positivity about the future. According to Dr Karl, students today are on average 9 IQ points smarter than their parents, and are living in one of the most peaceful eras in human history.
Students also explored scientific solutions for climate change and the properties of water, glass and ice.
Dr Karl will again feature in next week’s Makerspace Day Camp.
Mrs Fiona Stone
STEM Teacher
Performing with Puppets
On Tuesday, the WSC Year 2 class took part in a Performing with Puppets workshop. With the help of Jordy from the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, we learned about drama improvisation, story building and skills of puppet manipulation. We made our own paper puppets, and after some rehearsal time the session wrapped up with some short performances. Back in the classroom students used their puppets as part of their reading rotations, experimenting with voice, reading and movement. This was a fabulous way to prepare for our excursion to see The Twits at the Empire Theatre on Thursday.
Mrs Jodi Lundie-Jenkins
WSC Year 2 Teacher
Year 2 to Year 6 Swimming Lessons
The JC Inter-House Swimming Carnival will be held in Week 7, Term 4 on Tuesday 19 November. As our 8 years and older students can compete in this carnival, the Year 2 to Year 6 swimming lessons will be held during Weeks 5 and 6 in Term 4. This will give them their best opportunity of being swim fit for the carnival.
Year 1 Good Shepherd Visit
The Year 1 students loved singing at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Ladies' Fellowship Day. What a wonderful opportunity for these students to show love and service to others. The ladies enjoyed us singing for them.
Swimming Lessons Prep, Year 1 & Year 2
Swimming lessons will be in Week 9 on Wednesday 11 September, Thursday 12 September, Friday 13 September, 1pm-2.30pm and Week 10 on Wednesday 18 September and Thursday 19 September, 11am-12.30pm.
Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 Students will complete five lessons of 30 minutes each.
Years 3-6 will have their lessons in Term 4.
Students are to wear sports uniform on these days. Please ensure that all items are clearly named so that they can be returned if lost.
WSC Tuckshop Orders
At WSC, tuckshop is held on a Wednesday. All orders are to be completed online at My Student Account 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.
WSC Week 9 Events
Click here to view WSC's Events for Week 9.
Stephen Street Campus
Information Evening Invitation
Boarding
Boarding News
Hello to all, but a special hello to all the Dads, in the celebration of Fathers' Day this past weekend.
My father grew up in a difficult time of history, enduring the Depression and the Second World War. He worked two jobs to give his family, including me, the best he could provide. One of the luxuries he gave his children was Years 11 and 12 at boarding school. This was an opportunity he never had, and he made it a reality for his children (I think my mother would have liked us at home though). I was not so happy about going to boarding school, interfering with my life as a beach lover!
Looking back, I believe it was a life-defining event. Besides achieving a better academic performance (than I would have sitting on the beach – no laptops then), I learnt important life skills. Some of these were:
- A greater ability to adapt to challenges
- Being able to ‘get on’ with different types of people
- An understanding and appreciation of people of different cultures
And my fellow boarders became life long friends!
So when it came time to leave school and home, to head to the big smoke, I had life skills and study skills that many of the people beside me had to learn. This is the extra value gained as a boarder. Thanks, Dad!
To finish, I must do a dad joke for Fathers' Day, and this is relevant to my father (who worked at a butchery) and my mother (whose name was Patricia) :
Q - “How does a butcher introduce his wife?”
A - “Meet patty.”
Have a great week!
Mr Ross McKeown
Boys Boarding Houseparent