In 2019, the College’s Secondary Coordinator role has been renamed Director of Care and Conduct. The purpose of this position is to provide Pastoral leadership through the development of spiritual, social and emotional habits in students as well being able to monitor student conduct, putting strategies in place to develop excellent behaviour and attitudes and communicate positively to others. Specific initiatives include:

• Growing a strong, positive identity in each student with an emphasis on Christian citizenship
• Developing the social and emotional habits of self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, self-management and relationship skills in students
• Encouraging and fostering the traits of Christian citizenship and service through actively promoting opportunities like charity initiatives, assistance with events and functions, where applicable, and taking leadership roles
• Developing student leadership and offering of opportunities

Tom Connolly
Director of Care and Conduct

Year 8:

Last week during our Assembly, we focused on our future and what we want that to look like. We spent time talking about leadership and values and looking ahead to our Middle School Captains. We also spent time looking ahead to what we want to achieve when we finish Year 12. The students wrote out a list of prayer goals, which they would like to see achieved in their life by the end of Year 12. The students had the option to have these goals laminated and to keep forever. It was so amazing to see how many students took advantage of this opportunity and really took the time to think about what their future would look like.

Lauren Klingberg
Year 8 Care and Conduct Leader

Year 9:

As we draw closer and closer to the end of Middle School (where has Term 3 gone?), the Year 9 students are gearing up for what promises to be a jam-packed Term 4. Subject selections for the new ATAR system for Year 10 have been entered and will be released soon, The Mentor Appreciation Project is the first week back of Term 4, our Adventure Alternatives Camp at Kenilworth is in the second week, and finally the Dinner Dance not long after. As always with the end of term, a gentle reminder to get AARA forms organised for your children when they are unable to complete/hand in assessment on its due date. I’m looking forward to finishing the year strong with your kids!

Ryan Craig
Year 9 Care and Conduct Leader

Nothing New About External Exams (Years 10, 11 and 12)

The topic of external exams is bringing out a lot of opinions in Queensland right now. The new Queensland Senior Curriculum has each university pathways subject completing an external exam. What is being underplayed is that Queenslanders aren’t new to having external testing; we should be embracing it.

Of course, our Year 12 students have recently completed the last ever QCS Test. Every September for 30 years, university-bound Secondary students have completed this external test to ensure their subject grades turn into university offers. Our Year 12 students completed countless exercises and were fully prepared and ready for two days of intense thinking and writing.

Many of the Year 11 students are finishing the term with exams that mimic the external ones planned for 2020. Teachers are helping students to consider how they use their time, how to understand unseen questions, and many other ways to step into an exam confident of achieving well. While some may learn through mistakes this time, most will do their absolute best on the test and realise that good preparation is the key.

Meanwhile, the Year 10 students are locking in their subject choices for the next two years. Many students have a clever mix of subjects involving external exams, certificate qualifications and time-consuming assignments, and over the next two years they will gradually become prepared for engaging well with the variety of assessment types.

Which all means that external exams:

1. are part of the great learning teachers are providing.
2. go well when you’re prepared.
3. are really nothing new in Queensland.

Shayne Kriel, Peter Kidd and Rohan Mills
Years 10, 11 and 12 Care and Conduct Leaders