Congratulations to our Junior College community for the overwhelming support given to our Christmas for the Bush appeal again this year. This would have to be one of my favourite Chapel services of the year as I watch the students proudly hand over their Christmas parcels to Bill and Melissa Close from the Care Outreach team. As is tradition, the Year 1 classes capably lead the service today. Thank you to Mrs Angela Norley, Mrs Lee-Anne Millett and all support staff for organising and hosting this worthy cause again this year.

Our Year 9 class has come to the end of their four weeks of camp at Googa and will celebrate the end of their Outdoor Education with their families tomorrow. We hope they have had a rewarding experience and take this memory with them for years to come. As stated by Jackson Besgrove our 2023 Year 12 Valedictorian, “ Googa was awesome - said every person who ever did it.”

To round out another big week of events, I am looking forward to attending the CLC Art Show tonight. We have many talented and aspiring artists across our Junior and Senior College and tonight will showcase some of their best pieces. I hope you can join us this evening and see all that the students have to offer.

As we come to the end of Week 4, we are already halfway through the term. What a busy but rewarding four weeks it has been. I hope that you can all find some time to rest and enjoy the weekend and are ready for the exciting events still to come.

Blessings for the week ahead

Mrs Jackie Minnikin
Acting Head of College

If you would like your child/children to participate in the free dental care program, please complete each section of the registration form, sign and return it to the School Office by Monday 6 November, 2023. Please note that by signing this form, you are only advising our service of your wish to participate in the dental care program and providing personal information to allow us to contact you.

Our process for making your child’s first appointment with us has recently changed. Our first point of contact may be via SMS. If responding via the Call Centre on 1300 082 662, please choose Option 3 to speak with School Dental Service.

Please remember

• Students will be seen at the Dental Van at Harristown State School, Harristown.
• Parents/Legal Guardians must attend all appointments & must hold a current Medicare Card-please bring this card to the appointment.
• There are limited appointments available before and after school and most appointments will have to be during school time.
• Oral Health does not accept any responsibility for transport of the children to and from their appointments.
• Appointment changes are often advised via SMS. Please read all text messages carefully.

School Dental Service Registration

Choose from more than 20 gifts, starting at just $5 – with 5 gifts under $10. Perfect for grandkids! (All are fully tax-deductible!)

Each gift has its own Grace Card with a photo of your gift and a message from a person you help. Grace Cards can be hung on your Christmas tree as a heart-warming reminder of the true spirit of Christmas. After, they can be planted to blossom into beautiful forget-me-not flowers!

Please click on the link below for more information and to donate.

Gifts of Grace - Australian Lutheran World Service (alws.org.au)

SWQ Primary All Schools Touch Football Carnival

Last weekend our JC students competed in the Mixed division of the Southwest Qld Primary All Schools Touch Carnival at Dalby. While many of our students were relatively new to the sport of Touch, they put their best foot forward and produced some fantastic results for the team in very hot and dry conditions, against some of the best Touch schools in South West Qld.

This is the 4th time Concordia has entered this competition, and our students thoroughly enjoy the experience. Every year the team steps up and improves, both as individual players and as a team. Our performance surprised several schools along the way! Several students will be eligible again next year, which is a very exciting prospect for our Touch program at Concordia.

These types of experiences are not possible without the assistance of various stakeholders, and special mention must go to Kellie Maddock and Carolyn Lynch who assisted me with coaching and managing the team at the Carnival. We also commend our group of parents that supported our students at the Carnival from the sidelines, giving up their time to attend.

This carnival has concluded our Touch program for 2023. A program which is gathering pace and building momentum across Concordia. We are already very excited for 2024.

Results
Game 1 – Concordia 7 defeated Dalby SS 0
Game 2 – Concordia 3 drew Wynnum SS 3
Game 3 – Concordia 6 defeated Drayton SS 0
Game 4 – Concordia 5 defeated OLOSC Dalby 4
Game 5 – Concordia 1 lost to Mary MacKillop Highfield’s 7
Game 6 – Concordia 5 lost to St Thomas Mores 6

Team – Chelsea Richards, Lisa Richards, Will Klein, Jonathan Rice, William Spoelder, Joshua Dolley, Zyana Abad–Santos, Makenzie Morris, Maddison Callaghan, Callum Hills, Andrew Ye and Skye Henning

Friday Night Basketball Competition

The Junior College have entered a boys team in this competition. The Friday Night Basketball Competition has been running for many years and is a great opportunity for our budding basketball enthusiasts to learn the game while having some great fun with their friends. 

Good luck to this team and coaches this term.

Representative

Recently the QLD Primary Track and Field Championships were held in Brisbane. Concordia was lucky enough to have three athletes - Andrew Ye, Charlie Lowis, and Arabella Knopke - compete in a variety of events over the few days. This is a great achievement for these athletes to compete at such a high level, and a fantastic experience for them competing against some of the best in the state. Well done!

Congratulations also Arabella Knopke on a very successful campaign with the QLD Primary Schools Touch team at the recent National Championships. The team winning the final against a very determined NSW. Arabella had an amazing carnival and has a very bright future in this sport. Congratulations to Charlie Lowis on his remarkable performance competing with the QLD Primary School Soccer team. Charlie had an outstanding tournament and only allowing two goals to pass through. Queensland secured a commendable 3rd place, with New South Wales clinching the 2nd spot, and Victoria West emerging as the victorious champions. Well done!

This is a remarkable achievement for these two athletes competing against the best in the nation in their respective sports.

Josh Dolley and Charlie Lowis represented the Concordia U13s team at the SWQ School Futsal Titles in March and were selected to represent Southwest Qld in the U12s age division at the National Schools Futsal Championships in September at Nissen Arena. There were 21 teams in their age division. Their team won 5-6 of their pool games and made it through to the finals. Both boys have been selected to represent Australia in Barcelona in June next year. Josh has also been selected to represent the SWQ State Futsal Team at the January 2024 National Club Championships in Sydney. Congratulations boys on the next leg of this journey

Interhouse Swimming Carnival 2023

Swimming nominations have been emailed out to parents to complete and return via Jot form. This is for students who wish to compete at the annual JC 8-12years Inter-House Swimming Carnival held at the Concordia Aquatic Centre on Thursday 16 November.

Students have been involved in swimming lessons already in Term 4, with TJ’s Swim in preparation for this event. Once nominations are received, they will be collated, and the program will be prepared for the carnival. More information will be forthcoming in the upcoming weeks about this action-packed fun day which will see our students participating against each other for their House supremacy.

Mr Darryl Fry
Junior College Sports Coordinator

The tour will be jam packed with awesome activities and workshops that takes in everything the cultural capitals of Australia have to offer. If it’s creative and happening in Sydney and Melbourne, then we’re doing it! The great part about this tour, is that it has been designed to align with the Arts curriculum, which means that the amazing things we are doing have been specifically chosen to enhance the student’s arts experience as a whole.

WHEN: Tuesday 2 April – Monday 8 April 2024.

WHAT ARE WE DOING*?

• LUZIA - The incredible experience of Cirque Du Soleil under their Grand Chapiteu, and the most famous circus performers in the world.
• Groundhog Day the Musical
• Wicked the Musical
• NIDA – Workshops in Australia’s national dramatic arts educator for careers in stage, screen, events and interactive entertainment.
• West Side Story - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
• Sydney Opera House tour
• Ministry of Dance - Workshops at Jason Coleman's Ministry of Dance where professional dancers train
• NICA circus workshops in the most amazing facilities.
• NGV - Visit the National Gallery of Victoria
• Grease the Musical
• Sydney Harbour Dinner Cruise
• Visual Art workshop
• And more!

*may be subject to change due to circumstances out of our control

WHO CAN COME?
Stephen Street Campus students who:

• Are in years 7 – 11 in 2023 and study at least one Arts subject OR
• Are involved in an extra-curricular Arts activity in 2023/2024.

If you do not tick either of these boxes, please come and see us in M Block staffroom ASAP.

We anticipate that the tour will cost approximately $2800. The cost includes all flights Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, airport transfers, accommodation for 6 nights, breakfast daily, 1 dinner included (possibly more tbc), all public transport costs, all tickets, entry fees and workshops costs and a tour shirt. This is not the final figure, but we believe that it should sit around this. By the time EOI close we will have a firmer figure.

More information about Arts Tour is available in the email sent to SSC students and parents last Friday.

If you are thinking about going on Arts Tour, please submit an Expression of Interest form via the link below by 3pm Wednesday 8 November 2023.

An EOI does not hold a place for you on tour, but allows you to receive the next link to pay the deposit and lock in your place - Arts Tour 2024 - EOI

If you have any questions, please email Jo-Ann.Tessmer@concordia.qld.edu.au or drop into M Block Staffroom.

Click here to view the Arts Tour launch video.

Basketball Academy Opportunity

https://toowoombabasketball.com.au/neers-academy/junior

https://toowoombabasketball.com.au/neers-academy/senior

Recent Results & Achievements

Rugby 7s – Round 1

U13 Boys

• Game 1 Vs Toowoomba Grammar Red: Won 40-7
• Game 2 Vs Toowoomba Grammar Maroon: Won 21-15

Futsal – Round 1

• The 7/8 Girls: Loss
• The Opens Girls: Loss
• Our U13 Boys: Loss 

Girls Twilight Netball

• Concordia Vs Blaze: Won

Boys 5-A-Side Netball

• Concordia 2 Vs Concordia 1: Won

Charles Lowis

Congratulations to Charles Lowis (year 6) who recently competed in the National Schools Soccer Championships for Queensland. His team secured a commendable 3rd place on the back of Charlie’s outstanding goal keeping, managing five clean sheets from 7 games. Remarkably, Charlie only conceded two goals throughout the entire tournament.

Upcoming Fixtures and Information

Futsal

• Training: Boys – Monday afternoons/ Girls – Tuesday afternoons, from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm in the SSC gym.
• Games: Boys – Wednesdays/Girls – Mondays
• Game Venues: Boys – UniSQ (off Baker St)/Girls – The Glennie School (off Vacy St)
• Please arrive to your game no later than 30 minutes prior to kick off.

Netball

• Training: Boys – Tuesday afternoons/ Girls – Thursday afternoons, from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm at the WSC outdoor courts.
• Game Venues: Boys – TAS/Concordia/Girls – Nell. E Robinson Netball Courts
• Draw:

Rugby 7's

• Training: Wednesday afternoons 3:30pm-4:30pm on the Rugby oval.
• Game Venue: Highfields Sport and Recreation Centre.
• Draw:

Upcoming Competitions and Opportunities

Rugby League 9s Competition ​

• Any students interested in competing in the Rugby League 9s competition in week 10 of term 1 next year, please go to student notices and complete the attached form.​
• Please note in order to play you will be expected to have attended a minimum of 2 training sessions and have the correct equipment (Football boots, Mouth guard etc.)​

Staff vs Students Pink Stumps Day

WHEN: Lunchtime, Week 6 – Wednesday November 8th

WHERE: CSI Oval

We will be hosting a Staff vs Students Pink Stumps Day because no one should go through breast cancer without the care of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse. McGrath Breast Care Nurses help individuals and their families affected by breast cancer by providing invaluable physical, psychological, and emotional support from the time of diagnosis and throughout treatment.

All funds raised go towards helping the McGrath Foundation reach their goal of 250 nurses by 2025, to work towards ensuring no one misses out on care. So, wear something Pink, buy a Pink snow cone and watch the Staff and students do battle on the pitch, all in support of a worthy cause.

If you would like to donate prior, please visit or scan one of the QR codes on a poster around school, and search for Concordia:

https://www.pinkisthecolour.com.au/s/5524/5703

Sport Quote & Joke of the Week

Joke: What animal is best at hitting a baseball? A bat!

We have a big weekend coming up with the return of our Year 9 students on Saturday from Camp. Word from the Googa is that they have all given 100% and enjoyed themselves as well. Well done to our Year 9 boarders, especially those who have really stepped out of their comfort zone. We are sure they will enjoy their nice comfy beds and hot showers after a quick drive through MacDonald’s on the way home.

Sunday we will be departing the dorm at approx. 8.30am for another outing in Brisbane. This time we are going to Outback Spectacular. We are all looking forward to what is sure to be a great trip with a couple of shows followed by a three coarse meal. 

Last Saturday we took some students to Crow’s Nest for the Rodeo. Many were first timers and are now converted Rodeo followers. It was a great evening. Those bull riders are fearless!

Our Junior Rugby boys had another 3 wins last night, we are very proud of them and achieving outstanding results. Look out the All Blacks! Our Futsal girls put in a huge effort during their games and although they did not come off the victors, we are super impressed and proud of their effort and resilience. 

Travel has been submitted to Abstudy and those students will travel on Thursday 23rd. If you foresee any need for changes, please let Ms Maureen know as soon as possible.

Some excitement around the Boarding House, it is out with the old and in with the new as the Boarding Recreation room is getting fresh new carpets.

Big thank you goes to our Kitchen staff; we sometimes overlook the amount of input from other departments that goes into supporting your child during their time in Boarding. This morning I snapped a few shots in the kitchen of Beth preparing Vegemite scrolls – kids love them and Rosie finishing off the breakfast dishes to get ready for the next meal. Our boarders have a fridge in the kitchen area that is refilled every day for them. They simply open the door and help themselves to fresh fruit, vegie nibbles, cakes, slices, yogurts, muesli bars to mention just a few. The tea and coffee station is also very popular at mealtimes with Milo, Hot Choc, Tea and Coffee on offer.

We would also like to thank Troy at the Aquatic Centre; our students have been enjoying a quick swim in the pool. They love relaxing and having a bit of fun, especially with all this hot weather. 

Till next week

We hope you enjoy our pics.

Mrs Maureen Taurima and Mr Andrew Bull
Boarding Houseparents