It was wonderful to see the staff at Warwick Street Campus become involved in a very ‘competitive’ volleyball game with Year 6 students during the past week. I am sure that it will become a new annual event. It made me think about how we as a community can celebrate and commemorate this very unusual year with those students who would normally experience rites of passage such as the Canberra Tour, or the special Year 12 celebrations that occur throughout any standard school year.  As a College we have tried to keep as many events and activities as ‘normal’ as possible; however, we also have a responsibility to make judgement calls in line with the guidance given by the health authorities.

I know that staff across the College are thinking about special events and ways of commemorating this year with students who have found themselves in this unusual situation. It also occurred to me that we also have parents and caregivers in the same predicament. I would be delighted to hear from members of our College community who may have constructive thoughts about how we as community could show our support for both the students and parents in this unplanned and very different year.

The Year 12 Valedictory Dinner is being held at USQ on Thursday 15 October. To make this a beautiful occasion for these students, we are hoping to decorate the space with as many white/cream fairy lights as we can! If you have some of these lights and are willing to lend them for this occasion, please contact the Senior College Coordinator, Mrs Carissa Jaworska as soon as possible.

You may remember from a few weeks ago, the ‘ISQ Parent Engagement Online Seminar’ which focused on the school community and reflections about the virtual learning experience that occurred in Term 2. Concordia was selected from Independent schools across the State as an exemplar, based on social media feedback. As a result of this seminar, ISQ have published 'COVID-19 Pivots Parent Engagement in Student Learning', which focuses on Concordia's online learning.

Current road safety campaigns are targeting dangerous driving habits including tailgating, not giving way and running red lights, which contributed to half of all serious crashes in Queensland from 2014-2018.

• Tailgating – think of it as vehicle social distancing. Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. What’s a safe distance? A two second gap – but factors such as the weather, vehicle type and speed zone may widen the gap.
• Not giving way – failing to give way or stop contributed to nearly 5000 serious crashes in Qld from 2014-2018. Stay alert, keep your eyes on the road, look out for other vehicles.
• Running red lights – a yellow traffic light means caution, SLOW DOWN, not speed up. A red traffic light means danger, STOP, not speed up.

Road Safety Week begins on 24 August.

Sporting Schools
Our Sporting Schools programs have started at each Junior College campus and the students love running around and playing both Basketball (WSC) and AFL (HSC).

Regional coaches and development staff deliver these sessions and they have a wealth of experience to share with our students. They also provide links to community and club opportunities that students can take advantage of if they choose.

The sessions go for one hour and credit must go to the students' enthusiasm and participation throughout these sessions.

Assembly Week 6 Focus – Being Stewards
This week we introduced the ‘Soap Box’. After looking at the history of what the Soap Box was and who used it, we looked at how we are going to use it at HSC to give students (and staff) a voice for issues that they are passionate about. This can be issues within the school or outside of school. We have a form that they are able to fill in to ‘apply’ to be heard on the Soap Box. It will ask them what is their issue to be discussed and what is their solution. Once they have had a discussion with the Director of Campus, they will get their turn to stand on the Soap Box and be heard.

On Thursday 3 September, Prep to Year 2 students will commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in eight lessons over the last few weeks of Term 3. There will certainly be some tired little swimmers by the end of Term 3.

To celebrate Science Week on Wednesday, the Year 3/4 students at HSC enjoyed a STEM presentation by Mrs Jo Owens. Mrs Owens is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Agricultural Engineering at USQ and came to share her knowledge of science, technology, engineering and maths. Here are some reflections about the morning from our students:

Today I learnt about transpiration which is when water sweats from a plant and turns into clouds. My favourite part was when we went outside to collect leaves. Layla

I learnt about what hydrology is and that flux towers are 25 metres high! Lexie

My favourite part was getting to pick leaves and put them on the window to see the transpiration and to keep checking back on them. Georgia

The thing I learnt today was that the sun caused the water cycle and I also learnt some new words like transpiration. Lenny

I learnt that the tall flux towers are 25 metres and that the sun is the most important feature of the water cycle. My favourite parts of the STEM talk by Mrs Owens were all the experiments and the fun things we did. Will 

At HSC, tuckshop is held on a Thursday. All orders are to be completed online at My Student Account by 3pm each Wednesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Thursday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order. Tuckshop will finish in Week 9.

Over the next few weeks and into Term 4, MAC Play will be restarting at WSC during Wednesday lunch playtime. MAC Play, or “Make and Connect”, involves a shed full of high quality, clean recycled materials that the children are able to pull out and play freely with, in whatever way their imaginations may take them. The essence of MAC Play is that it provides an excellent play alternative to the regular sporting options that usually take place in the playground.  It also provides opportunities for children of all ages to work together to create a fun, new play environment each time they pull out all of the materials.

On Friday 11 September, Prep to Year 2 will commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in five lessons over the last two weeks of Term 3. 

The greatly anticipated Staff versus Year 6 students Beach Volleyball was played on Wednesday, and what a match it turned out to be! The score was close throughout the match with the teachers just scraping through with a 26-24 victory. Thank you to Mr Baker for his efforts as umpire for the match. Rumour has it, the Year 6 class is looking for a rematch in Term 4. It may take the teachers until Term 4 to be ready for the next game! 

Word on the street is that the Rubik Cube Club is coming back soon to Warwick Street Campus. Stay tuned for details....

At WSC, tuckshop is held on a Wednesday. All orders are to be completed online at My Student Account by 3pm each Tuesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Wednesday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order. Tuckshop will finish in Week 9.

The assessment cycle of the term has rolled around to due dates for feedback and submission of final assessment items. The last weeks of each term are always times where students and teachers feel the pressure of increased workloads. My encouragement to students, staff and families is to purposefully build time into weekly routines where work is set aside and time is spent refilling the tank. Time spend engaging in physical activity, hobbies, connection with friends and family, in stillness, prayer and reflection will most certainly be time well invested. 

For teenagers, the importance of sleep and nutrition should not be underestimated in assisting them in their ability to cope with the challenges to life. Concordia has many layers of support that we provide to students and families on a regular basis. LOVE CLC, our dedicated Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing portal on our website, has a wide range of very useful information and resources for students or parents who are interested. Please don’t hesitate to contact any of our Pastoral Care team for more information.

Warm regards

Mr Jason Smith
Director of Campus

A reminder to parents that Student Reports Cards have been available in Parent Lounge since July. Pastoral Care entries regarding conduct are also available. 

Did you know you can easily access Parent Lounge via the Concordia app? Tap on the Parent Lounge tile on the app homepage. This will take you directly to the login page.

It's that time of the year when anxiousness and worrying tends to take over. It's Year 12 exam time! Next week Year 12 students will be sitting their “Mock Exam Block”. At Concordia, we want to mirror as much as possible the experiences, processes and protocols that Senior students will undertake in their External Exams. The External Exams commence in Term 4, Week 4. That is only a matter of weeks away. 

The danger, of course, is that students start to slow down or not take these practice exams seriously. Please prepare yourself well. Your teachers and the College believe in you and what you have already accomplished this year. We have been with you on this learning journey for many years and we want you to ‘do well and end well’. 

We wish you the best of luck over the next two weeks of your exams.

Ms Wendy Bowen
Director of Learning and Innovation

The Staff v Seniors Pink Stumps Day cricket match was held today with the Staff team earning the bragging rights, winning 65-34!

All funds raised for the day will be donated to the McGrath Foundation's McGrath Breast Care Nurses. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, click here. Your support is very much appreciated.