As the 2021 school year ends, it is an ideal time for us to be reminded about just how lucky we have been at Holy Spirit College this year.  We are thankful that our students were able to enjoy most of our regular events and activities, as well as attending school every day.  As we look towards 2022 with optimism, we hope and pray that our lives will gradually return to normal.

As I reflect on 2021, I am filled with gratefulness.  I am grateful for the support offered by our Catholic Education Office, the Leadership Team, College Board, Parents and Friends Association, and work colleagues.  It is with deep gratitude that I thank our parents/caregivers, for working in partnership with us for the benefit of our students. Throughout 2021, our students have kept their spirits high by working hard, supporting each other and our community. I wish to express my thanks to our wonderful students, for embracing the many opportunities available to them this year. Throughout this year, I have witnessed our Mission Statement coming to life through our students’ participation and achievements.  It is a blessing to be part of a community that values education and has a strong commitment to strive for excellence.

Advent Prayer Service

Last Friday, we farewelled our Year 10 students at our annual Advent Prayer service.  As our students walked into the Father Bucas Centre you could feel a sense of positive energy, joy and happiness.  A massive Christmas tree, made out of boxes filled with donations from students and staff for the St Vincent de Paul appeal, highlighted just how giving our community really is.  The Christmas spirit was evident as our community gathered for the last time with our Year 10 cohort.  A special thank you to Ms Lesley Fraser and Mrs Carolyn D’Anna for preparing a special prayer service for our staff and students.

Year 6 into 7 Orientation Day

On Monday, we welcomed our Year 7 students for 2022 to their Orientation Day.  Our future Year 7 students met their 2022 Dean of Students - Year 7, Mrs Amanda McDonald.  Despite the wet weather, Year 6 students enjoyed the many activities offered. A big thank you to Mrs Rachel Kelly (2021 Dean of Students - Year 7),  for organising the day.

Seasons Greetings

May God bless you and your loved ones this Christmas.  Enjoy this special time of the year to celebrate the gifts and blessings of the Lord.  Wishing you a holy Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Blessings

A few years ago I was lucky to experience a white Christmas in Austria. I visited the picturesque village of Oberdorf which is the town where, in 1818, the Christmas carol "Silent Night" was written. A hundred years later, the First World War started. France, Britain and Belgium opposed the invaders from the empires of Germany and Austria-Hungary. As the first Christmas of the War approached in 1914, each side had lost nearly a million men. Soldiers in opposing trenches were only the width of a football field apart, with 'No-Man’s Land' in-between. On Christmas Eve, in the section where the British opposed the Germans, the British gathered holly, and the Germans set up small Christmas trees which they lit up. It was an unofficial 'truce'. German soldiers started to sing “Stille Nacht”, and the British joined in the carol in English: “Silent Night”. The soldiers shook hands with their enemies, exchanged small gifts, and even played football! This is the Spirit of Christmas - even in that time of war, they found goodness in each other. [Images sourced from Shutterstock.]

Advent Prayer Service

At our final Advent Prayer Service with students last Friday, we emphasised the spirit of giving at Christmas time and it was wonderful to see over 120 hamper boxes filled to the brim with non-perishable food, toys and decorations. These hampers will go to St Vincent de Paul to help those in need within our own local community.

I wish you and your loved ones a safe, happy and holy Christmas.  As we finish our school year, let us pray for the final time:

Christ, our Teacher,
Bless all at this College
as we seek to end our year
with the grace you so liberally provide.

We acknowledge all the moments,
of learning and accomplishment, both in and out of the classroom,
of creativity, and most importantly the sense of community.

Guide us to see the opportunities this Christmas to be an unexpected light for others. Through our actions let us use our gifts unselfishly, to brighten the days of those around us. Let us be grateful for all that has been gifted to us by sharing it freely with others, to build community, in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Image Source: Shutterstock

God Bless,

Lesley Fraser - Assistant Principal (Mission)

Curriculum News

Everyday Literacy Learning

Holidays are an excellent opportunity to improve your student’s literacy without them noticing!  Parents and older family members have a wealth of vocabulary that children learn without realising if they hear it spoken around them.

When children are young, we often simplify our language so our children can understand and learn at their rate. Now that they are teenagers it is a great opportunity to introduce them to all the words and language an adult uses, just by making a point of using a higher level of language in normal conversation than we would for children. There are also technical words that are used in our places of employment that they would benefit from learning to use in their assignments and exams to improve their results.

As an example: “Petrol prices have gone up a lot lately” could be replaced by “Fuel prices have risen significantly in recent weeks” or “There has been a substantial increase in fuel prices over the summer months”.  The first sentence might be found in a C standard assignment and the second and third might a B or A standard. Encouraging children to use the best expressions they can will improve their writing.

Demonstrating to students how to identify advantages and disadvantages is excellent for developing logical thought and more complex ideas.

Often the best source of new vocabulary is reading. The holidays may be an opportunity for students to read anything and everything that develops their ability to express themselves.

Parents are the first teachers of literacy and have the greatest impact on their children’s ability to communicate with their world.

In 2022 all students will participate in a reading program to assist in all subjects. This is a priority at HSC and we encourage parents to discuss with their young people what they are reading to assist in comprehension.

Year 12 Graduates

We encourage our Year 12 graduating students and families to share their successes for their future endeavours by emailing the College on admin@hsc.qld.edu.au.  Please advise if they have secured scholarships, apprenticeships, traineeships, employment and other opportunities as we would love to celebrate their successes publicly at our Academic Assembly.  Outstanding graduates in a range of areas will be invited to participate in our Academic Assembly in February 2022.

Anne Miles - Assistant Principal (Curriculum)

Year 10 News

Last week marked the end of Year 10 for our 2021 cohort. To celebrate a busy year of transition to Senior for these students, we met together for the final time on Friday for our end-of-year assembly. We reflected on the big events of Year 10, as well as the choices and decisions that have been made this year. We reminisced through videos and photos of this group taken throughout the year, and had the opportunity to thank the efforts of our Contact Group Teachers and Teacher Assistants. Students thanked Mrs Sheather, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Kidd, Mrs Abbey, Mr Mallet, Mrs Bohne, Mrs Esmond, Mrs Leeding and Mrs Robinson for all of the support they have offered this year.

The day culminated in a celebratory pizza lunch. It was a great morning to wrap up 2021 and I appreciate all those students who made the effort to join us. This cohort of Year 10 have been wonderful and it has been my pleasure getting to know them this year. I cannot wait to see where their final two years of schooling takes them into future. Congratulations Year 10. Two years to go!

Alyce Dunn - Dean of Students (Year 10)

Languages News

Holy Spirit College Language Legend #12

Holy Spirit College is lucky enough to belong to a small but vibrant linguistically and culturally diverse community – among both staff and students. This week, I invited Pidasha Lyiambian, one of our Year 9 students, to share her story with us:

"I grew up in the Northern Territory where knowing a second language was a pretty common thing.

Knowing a second language has come in handy multiple times throughout my life, mainly building up my confidence and finding new friends. Both of my parents come from Papua New Guinea (PNG) – Australia’s closet neighbour (there is only 3.8 km between PNG and Australia’s northern islands.)

PNG is a diverse country with 20 provinces and over 800 languages spoken. My Mum is from the Sandaun Province, which is part of the Highlands Region, and my Dad is from Enga, which is located in the northernmost region of the Highlands.

Both my parents are multi-lingual, my mother speaks English, Indonesian, my Father’s tribal language and her own tribal language. My Father speaks English, Tok Pisin and both his and my Mother’s tribal language. 

My sister was born in Port Moresby and moved to Australia with my parents when she was three. My father moved my mother and sister here when he decided to study to be a surgeon. He realised he wanted to stay here to give our family better opportunities." - Pidasha Lyiambian

Fan Painting

It’s exciting when we can combine different learning areas for extra-curricular activities. Last week, for our final activity session for the year, we painted Japanese-inspired designs on small folded fans (called “sensu” in Japanese). We investigated some Japanese-influenced designs, and the participating students spent both Recess 1 and Recess 2 painting their designs.

Famous People who speak more than one language

Did you know American actor and film-maker, Edward Norton, can speak Japanese?

The winner of numerous awards and famous for his work on films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Bourne Legacy, Norton first studied Japanese at university.

It was around this time that his grandfather was living in Osaka (Japan), giving Norton the opportunity to visit and work with his grandfather while honing his Japanese language skills.

Apparently, although his Japanese is a little rusty now (through lack of opportunities to practice), he can still pass muster.  Click here to hear Edward Norton speaking Japanese: https://teamjapanese.com/5-celebrities-speaking-japanese/.

Karen Hurford - Languages Coordinator

Careers News

As the year draws to a close I would again like to congratulate all Year 12 students on their hard work this year. It has been a pleasure to work with you all, navigating university, TAFE and scholarship applications.  Mrs O’Brien and I have loved reading the Work Experience reports when students have returned from placements.

For those applying to university and waiting for an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), please take note of the following information.

There are important dates and timelines that students need to be aware of. To access this information, students will need to use their current QCAA learning account LOG IN details to register on the ATAR PORTAL.  Information about ATAR registration can be found on the QTAC website - https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar/. Please note, if you are planning to apply to tertiary study in 2022, you will also need to complete a QTAC Application - https://www.qtac.edu.au/applications/.

University offers are made in ‘Rounds’. Most offers will be made on Thursday 13 January 2022, however, some courses have an earlier offer date. Offer Rounds continue each Friday after the Major Offer Round on Thursday 13 January 2022.
You can find the offer round dates by searching for the degree you applied for on the QTAC site or by visiting https://www.qtac.edu.au/keydates/.

Make sure you have uploaded all documentation prior to the relevant offer round.
It is important that you adhere closely to the deadlines outlined in your QTAC offers. You will need to accept an offer within a specific timeline, or you may lose the offer.

Thu 9 December 2021	Last date to submit documents and apply for the Thursday 23 December 2021 Major Offer Round
Fri 10 Decmeber 2021	Last date to submit documents and apply for the Thursday 13 January and Friday 21 January 2022 Major Offer Rounds
Mon 20 December 2021	Last date to change preferences for the Thursday 23 December 2021 Major Offer Round
Thu 23 December 2021	Offer Round for some courses
Wed 5 January 2022	Last date to change preferences for the Thursday 13 January 2022 Major Offer Round
Thu 13 January 2022	Major Offer Round

On Friday 17 December 2021 at 9:00am, ATAR results will be available on the student’s ATAR Portal Account and all Subject results will be available on the student's QCAA Learning Account.

All VET Certificates will be listed on the student’s QCE Learning Account as ‘Awarded’ or ‘Not Complete’ and will list competencies achieved. VET Certificates provided by external Registered Training Organisations will be mailed directly to students. VET Certificates provided by HSC will be mailed to the student’s home address in December and listed in the online Student Learning Account.

Students wishing to use a completed Certificate III for university application need to apply through QTAC and list their Certificate III in the ‘other qualifications’ section. If the Certificate is listed in the student’s QCAA Learning Account online, a copy of the Certificate does not need to be submitted.

If you have any questions about results, please contact QTAC on 1300 467 822. This is the general enquiries number.

The letter provided to families in early November contains information about how to contact me during the  holidays if you need assistance with university applications. I will also be monitoring my email – simone_eiser@rok.catholic.edu.au.

Simone Eiser - Learning Pathways & Careers Program Leader

VET News

Congratulations Emily Thompson for being signed up for a Certificate III in Business through Maxima Group and doing a School Based Traineeship at Westpac Bank. HSC would like to thank Jennifer from Maxima Group and the Westpac for giving Emily this wonderful opportunity and for supporting our School Based Apprenticeship/Traineeship Program.

Congratulations Montanah Dowden for being signed up for a Certificate III in Business through Maxima Group and doing a School Based Traineeship at the National Australia Bank. HSC would like to thank Jennifer from Maxima Group and the NAB for giving Montanah this wonderful opportunity and for supporting our School Based Apprenticeship/Traineeship Program.

Ailene O'Brien - Vocational Education & Training Coordinator

Date Claimers

* Dates & events may change according to COVID-19 restriction updates

The purpose of SchoolTV is to provide a single resource for parents, students and staff covering a range of Wellness & Wellbeing topics, on a monthly basis.  Content is based around the very real issues faced by parents and today’s youth and is presented in a multi-media format.

SchoolTV is available at all times on the HSC Website, under Parents & Community and then select Parents & Friends and then SchoolTV.

COMMUNITY

Students at HSC are encouraged to excel in their chosen areas of interest, whether these are school-based interests or occur outside the school arena.  If you would like to share an achievement relating to your student with the College sommunity, please submit the details to media@hsc.qld.edu.au.  (Be aware that we don’t always know about your student’s achievements unless you tell us!)

(Note: Students who excel at ‘school-based’, sports, cultural and academic pursuits through the school pathway are formally recognised at our Sports Awards Evening or Cultural Awards Showcase and/or Speech Night (Academic Awards) each year.)

Congratulations to Year 12 graduate, RILEY BEGGS for securing a Mechanical Apprenticeship with Matt Stone Racing! This means he will be learning, working and travelling with the V8 Supercars team on their national circuit, and hopefully still finding time to continue his own race car driver dreams. Riley has already started and has joined the crew in Bathurst for the 7-Day Repco Bathurst 1000 (30 November to 5 December). Well done, Riley!!! 

Congratulations to XAVIER NOTT (Year 8) for his selection in the Central Queensland Bushrangers team that played in the Junior State Rugby Union Championships in Toowoomba and placed 2nd! Well done, Xavier!

Congratulations to MURRAY MACGROARTY (Year 8) for receiving the Fiona Turner Memorial Trophy for Most Improved First Year Cadet for the 122 Army Cadet Unit here in Mackay.  Well done, Murray!

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