News from AP Students

Welcome back to another exciting year at HSC and a very warm welcome to our new members of the HSC community who are attending the College for the first time.  At the beginning of the year, you would have received an email outlining important aspects of the College. One of these aspects was the Behaviour Management Philosophy at HSC which is the Responsible Thinking Process.

Wherever humans are or whatever we are involved in, whether it be driving a car, playing sport, or attending work, there are always rules, standards, and procedures to be followed. Their purpose is simple: they provide guidelines for how we should act to accomplish our goals without, in any way, interfering with others who are trying to achieve their goals. These rules, standards and procedures enable us to live in harmony with each other. 

This simple philosophy also applies to our students at Holy Spirit College. We believe the Responsible Thinking Process supports our college’s behavioural expectations. We ask all students to ensure their behaviours and attitudes allow other students to learn, teachers to teach and students to reach their academic potential. No one has the right to disrupt, to prevent other students from learning, or to violate the rights of others. 

The intent of this behaviour management process is to teach students, who are acting as a disturbance within the school environment, how to think of ways of reaching their goals without disrupting others. This is done by teaching students how to search within themselves and decide the way they want to be. A behaviour management process, to be effective, must treat students the same way as those having difficulty in an academic subject: in a positive atmosphere with understanding, respect, and patience.

The Responsible Thinking Process at Holy Spirit College is most consistent with the Catholic Christian mission of the school, in that it provides a framework for the development of several key Gospel Values:

DIGNITY OF EACH PERSON – RTP provides opportunities for individual students and teachers to choose to act in a spirit of self-discipline and freedom.

INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS – RTP requires that the difficulties a student might experience at school need to be addressed in ways that are tailored specifically to the needs of that particular student.

VALUE OF LEARNING – RTP is designed to provide quality environments for learning, both within and outside classrooms.

JUSTICE AND RESPONSIBILITY – RTP recognizes that education is an important mechanism for creating a just society and allows for individuals to learn the social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive skills they will need to become responsible members of the school and wider community.

LOVE – RTP is a set of approaches that encourages us to work constructively with troublesome individuals, while refraining from judging them. It is an appropriate means to live out the practical demands of Christian love, even with those who challenge us.

SERVICE OF THE NEEDY – RTP suggests that many students who cause problems at school, do so because they lack the skills needed to experience success here. These students require structured assistance to support a change in their situation.

Settling into new classes

As the first week of the year comes to an end, I am sure there are a few students who are disappointed that they have been separated from their best friend or have students in their Pastoral Care Group who they don’t get along with. Whilst I understand the reasons for parents requesting to change their student from a particular Pastoral Care Group because of friendship concerns, HSC places an emphasis on resilience and relationship building and our Pastoral Care Staff encourage and support students to develop resilience and build relationships with others.

Teaching students’ resilience is important for several reasons:

• enables them to develop mechanisms for protection against experiences that could be overwhelming,
• helps them to maintain balance in their lives during difficult or stressful periods,
• can also protect them from the development of mental health difficulties and issues.

Please remind your student that class time is for learning and students have plenty of time to maintain their friendships with established friends during lunch breaks, as well as before and after school. Changing Pastoral Care Group in most cases is not the best option as this may also create further issues with your student’s timetable.

The Pastoral Care Team is a group of highly qualified staff consisting of myself as the Assistant Principal (Students), Head of Student Support, 6 Year Level Deans, Responsible Thinking Classroom Leader, 3 Counsellors, Pastoral Support Officer and the Indigenous Education Liaison Officer. The Pastoral Care Team are looking forward to building confidence in students to demonstrate resilience and supporting students with friendship concerns during 2025.

‘THE RESILIENCE PROJECT’  

Last year, Holy Spirit College introduced The Resilience Project as part of our Mental Health and Wellbeing program at the College. The Resilience Project education program focuses on key pillars that have been proven to cultivate positive emotion; Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM), with Emotional Literacy being a foundational skill to practise these strategies.

Throughout 2024, Holy Spirit College worked closely with The Resilience Project to support the well-being of our School community. The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

Our Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.

The Parent/Carer Hub content is designed to keep families engaged in the program. It includes information about the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy, along with the benefits of regularly practising these. Additionally, it offers activities that families can practise at home to support their well-being. 

Accessing the Hub

The Hub can be accessed via the secure link below, with no account setup or login required: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.

College Rules and Expectations

I also ask that you guide and support your students’ learning by ensuring they adhere to the College rules and expectations as outlined in the Student Diary and website. Parents and students are required to sign and date the Student Diary on page 3 to acknowledge they have read the College rules and expectations outlined in pages 9 to 23.

I would like to remind all families about the College’s Uniform Rules, especially:

• Students must wear the formal College broad-brim hat, bucket hat, or College cap during recess breaks and all outdoor activities, unless under cover. For formal occasions, such as the ANZAC Day Parade, the broad-brim hat or bucket hat must be worn. The college cap is not to be worn on formal occasions.
• Physical Education/Sport uniform must be complete and correct, with HSC sports socks.
• Uniform shoes must be black leather lace-up school shoes; no boots, slip-ons, high heels or buckles.
• Hairstyles must be natural and conservative, no mullets, shaved sides or exaggerated styling.
• Long hair, at or below the shoulder, must be neatly tied back and behind the head (applies to males and females).
• Boys must be clean-shaven.
• Students must not wear any make-up, including false eyelashes, or coloured nail polish.
• Jewellery – a wrist watch, small gold or silver cross/religious medallion on a chain. Students with pierced ears may wear matching small sleepers or studs with no more than two in each ear lobe. NO other visible piercings are permitted including plastic studs.
• Girls' skirts are to be below the knee.

Mobile phones are not to be switched on, used or seen from arrival at school in the morning until after the dismissal bell in the afternoon (including recess breaks).

If phones disrupt the teaching and learning in a classroom, the student will deliver the phone to the College office for collection by a parent.

If a phone is used or seen during recess, staff will confiscate the phone and deliver it to the relevant Year Level Dean’s office for collection by the student after 3 pm that day. After three confiscations a parent will need to collect the phone from the College office.

The College recognises that there may be a genuine need for some students to have a mobile at school (for example, to arrange transport or safety after hours).  In this case, students should leave their phone in the College office on arrival to school.  Parents can contact students during the school day via the College office.

Attendance

School commences at 8:30am and concludes at 3:00pm.  Students are expected to arrive on time and, if they are late, they must report to the attendance Self Registration Desk, then go immediately to class and show this slip to their teacher.  

It is important that the College be kept informed of student attendance.  Parents/carers are required to update the College on the morning of a student’s absence from school.  All absences should be submitted through ParentOrbit.

Significant absence and lateness to school and absence from college events (eg: sports carnivals, College Mass, Feast Day etc.) without a genuine explanation, will jeopardise a student’s attendance at College social functions (eg: camps, formal celebrations and end of year activities etc.) Significant inappropriate student behaviour, poor studentship and excessive community infringements will also jeopardise a student’s attendance at College social functions.

Please contact your student's Year Level Dean if you have any concerns about your student’s attendance or behaviour.

Lockers

It is an expectation that all students will use a College-provided locker. Students are to supply their own locks as per the Locker guidelines. The College reserves the right to inspect lockers/and or student bags and belongings at any time where it is thought necessary by a member of the College Leadership Team.

I look forward to supporting all new and returning students and families this year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns in 2025.

Sandy McLellan - Assistant Principal (Students)

Curriculum News

Welcome to new and returning students and families to learning at Holy Spirit College in 2025. 

We start another year with some of our Year 12 students completing an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). The ATAR is a result from 0 to 99.95 in steps of .05 and will determine university offers and will be calculated by QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre). Year 12 students have already completed Year 11 studying subjects with this syllabus, and most have already completed one of the four pieces of assessment that will be added to obtain their final senior result in each subject. HSC has been very attentive in ensuring the success of students in the QCE system and will continue to support our staff to ensure quality teaching and learning.

The Vocational Education and Training (VET) program in the College is where students can achieve nationally recognised certificate qualifications in Construction, Engineering, Hospitality, Sport and Recreation, Business and Information, Digital Media & Technology, Early Childhood Education and Care, Health Services Assistance, Fitness and Aviation Remote Piloting. This year some of our eligible Year 11 students commence a Certificate II in Electrotechnology. We are very excited to provide this course which supports our students interested in electrical fields.

Opportunities for school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, structured work placement and work experience also continue unchanged.

Our Year 7 to Year 10 (Semester 1) students continue their journey in the Australian Curriculum. All schools have needed to review their programs to ensure their teaching is in line with the requirements of subjects students commence in Year 11 in the new senior system. This is an ongoing quest as we progress through the new senior to ensure that we regularly consider if adjustments need to be made so that ‘continuity’ of education is assured for HSC students from Year 7 in the Australian Curriculum to Year 12 in the new senior system. The use of Cognitive Verbs, which form the foundation of the new senior in Queensland, are instilled in the junior years, as well as carefully stepped introductions to assessment styles and terminology in different subject so that students have a smooth transition to their senior years.

In addition, in Year 10 Semester 2, students begin their Introduction to Senior subjects being taught by their senior teachers so that they are very well placed for Year 11.

Holy Spirit College’s Teaching and Learning Goals are to continue to focus on improved reading and numeracy in all year levels and to ensure students are aware and able to communicate their learning goals and targets in each subject and lesson.

The College continues to focus on quality studentship (a detailed explanation can be found in the Student Diary). Our Head of Academic Performance, Mrs Carmen Bennett, will continue to work with students who require intensive support in this area. She will also be working on extending high performing students and transitioning this program throughout all year levels in the College over the next few years.

Holy Spirit College provides an inclusive education and Equity Program Leader, Mrs Anna Berrigan, is available to discuss students who need additional support.

We welcome and encourage parent engagement and communication through Parent Orbit, ensuring you turn on app notifications to stay up to date. We also welcome your calls or emails to discuss your student’s progress or support needs throughout the year.

Regards,

Anne Miles - Assistant Principal (Curriculum)