This week, the Year 9 Social event was held and for Year 10 and Year 11, a fun filled giant waterside event took place on campus today to add a final celebration to the end of year for those students. Thank you to Mr Sanger (Years 10 to 12), Mrs Roper (Years 7 to 9) and their teams for continuing to support our students to flourish within and beyond their academic studies.
I also want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment shown by our teaching staff, for their work towards coaxing, coaching, and inspiring our students to strive to achieve to their true potential. The work they do in and out of classes is what keeps our students learning, growing, and developing as learners and as well-rounded individuals. Non-teaching staff, teacher aides, groundsmen, administration, library, tuckshop, and uniform shop also go above and beyond to ensure the College Community flourishes, we are grateful.
AN ARRAY OF RICH LEARNING EXPERIENCES ACROSS CURRICULUM AREAS TO END THE TERM
This Term has seen a huge number of initiatives and lively engagement across nearly all curriculum areas.
Recently our Year 10 Hospitality Students prepared a 2-course meal and hosted their parents for a dinner party as part of their unit on restaurants. The quality of food and table arrangements was a credit to them.
Two weeks ago, all of Year 9 presented their Personal Projects at a special evening attended by parents. The students went through a design thinking process and worked on their projects throughout the Semester. The calibre of ideas and projects presented was very encouraging and inspiring from this cohort.
A number of Art students attended the Sauce Studio Mural Workshop. These students worked alongside a mural artist to design and create a mural for Aged Care. We look forward to seeing their finished mural in due course.
The Year 11 Biology students recently travelled to the University of Queensland for the UQ Experience Ecology day. Students conducted practical activities to assist their learning within their Senior Biology Syllabus.
Two weeks ago, our 2024 Year 7 students took part in a ‘Slice of Seven’. This was an orientation day for all students joining Year 7 at St Andrews in 2024. The day allowed students to get a first-hand experience of the Secondary School as they attended workshops together in different elective areas. The students also enjoyed a sausage sizzle together at lunch.
This week students participated in the Year 9 Touch High Performance Beach Tournament, at Miami Surf Club, and the Year 7 students enjoyed a Japanese Obento lunch. Finally, as we head into the last three days of Term, 100 selected Middle Years students will enjoy an Entrepreneurial Workshop, “FLARE” facilitated by ‘Future Anything’. The Year 7 students will compete in the LABTEN Cup (Netball competition) and on Wednesday all students from Early Learning to Year 9 students will attend our special Christmas Service.
Our thoughts and prayers are also with our senior students and staff, heading over to Germany on Monday for two weeks. This German study tour will be an incredible opportunity and experience for our students, particularly as they experience living in a German homestay.
A huge thank you to all our departments for your commitment to finishing the year with such momentum. Our students are also to be commended for how well they have conducted themselves through their end of year exams and events.
SEMESTER TWO REPORTS AND THE START OF 2024
Years 7 to 10 reports will be available on Parent Lounge to parents from Monday 4 December. Please use the feedback contained in the reports as a means of affirming your child’s effort and progress throughout the final semester, and also as a basis for setting new learning goals for 2024. We are working towards notification of class lists through Parent Lounge in late January.
All Secondary School classes resume on Tuesday 23 January 2024. Our Year 7 students (2024) will attend an Orientation Day on Monday 22 January from 8:30am–3:00pm and new students in Years 8 to 11 will attend a morning session (8:30am–10:00am). This is compulsory and ensures a smooth start for our new students. All Year 12 students first day will also be Monday 22 January. Please remember that traffic congestion is likely on the first day, Tuesday 23 January, so please exercise extra care and patience.
FAREWELL and THANK YOU
A special mention of farewell and thanks to the following staff who are not returning to St Andrews next year:
STAFF LEAVING
- Mr Graeme Schache, College Chaplain and who has taught Christian Studies and HPE this year. We are so grateful for Mr Schache’s commitment to the College over the twenty-six years. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him the very best as he and his family move north to Caboolture.
- Desiree Hughes has been an outstanding Middle Years English and Humanities teacher at the College for the past few years. She took 12 months leave this year and has since resigned to relocate to Brisbane.
STAFF ON LEAVE
We wish Mr Brendan Smith well for his 12 months leave, and Mr Damian O’Rourke well for his paternity leave.
Mr Jon Barker and Ms Ngaire Harman will both be taking well deserved long service leave for Term One, 2024..
STAY CONNECTED
Contracts Completed
I would like to offer our deepest thanks to the following staff that have completed teaching contracts for us over the past few months and we wish them the very best in their teaching careers in the future.
- Peta Cusack and Ashlee Walsh - both in Science
- Lawson Colquhoun - Design and Technologies
- Sofia Scornavacchi - English and Humanities
- Helena Mackay - Legal Studies
Staff joining our team in 2024 will be welcomed in the first 2024 newsletter edition.
STAY CONNECTED
As we prepare for the long summer break, I would like to encourage parents and families to stay connected. I believe the most powerful thing we can do is to stay connected. Stay connected with your child by being open to talking through your boundaries and expectations and also their ideas and thoughts around independence, trust and their world in general. Stay connected to one another. If your child wants to spend time with peers or to sleep over at another family’s house and you are feeling uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the family, call the parents and talk about your boundaries and expectations and their boundaries and expectations. Adolescents often use generalised statements like, ‘everyone is going’, ‘no one else’s parents are calling’ or ‘don’t you trust me’ to push boundaries and to become more independent. The balance of how much freedom/independence afforded a young person is a difficult juggling act for parents and very dependent on the individual, the family values and context. From personal experience, I know how challenging that balance can be. Finally, please stay connected with staff at the College. We are here to help and while there are limits and complexities to how we might be able to offer support, we will always take a restorative hope and intent in raising this that it might prompt family discussions at home and/or conversations amongst staff and parents.
This is our last Newsletter for 2023. May the coming Christmas season be a timely reminder of God’s blessings and the joy of knowing that Christ gave us the ultimate gift in sending his son to save us all.
Have a very blessed Christmas and best wishes for 2024.
Adele Ramsay
Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School