Principal’s Log

We congratulate Ben McCormac on winning the Public Speaking competition of the Lions Youth of the Year District Final at Redcliffe on Saturday night. This is an outstanding achievement for Ben who as the Sunshine Coast regional winner competed against the winners from Central Queensland, the Darling Downs, Ipswich and North Brisbane. Ben performed well in all aspects of the competition which again involved the production of applications, interviews, impromptu and prepared speeches and speaking to general knowledge questions. The overall winner from Ipswich Grammar School now moves on to the State Final.  We thank Mrs Rae Hall and the Caloundra Lions group for their ongoing support of Ben through this prestigious competition.

Our art students were also celebrated over the weekend, with 8 Pacific students being selected to exhibit their work alongside 32 other finalists in the Local Student Art Prize conducted by the Caloundra Art Gallery.  We congratulate Byron Bignell, Tilly Bignell, Isabella Jeha, Kahlea Jones, Isabella Lee, Jemma Simpson, Marina Kruger and Erin Lacey on being selected as finalists and having their work exhibited. We particularly congratulate Isabella Jeha on being highly commended in the 13 and under category and Erin Lacey as the 14-18 years winner. We also thank our Art Department capably led by Mrs Denise McMahon for nurturing the growth of our artists.

Families will have received an email at the end of last week with an invitation to download our new College App. The App will become the main communication tool to inform families of short-term changes and provide quick access to Parent Lounge and NAV.  We are excited about the App which provides fast and efficient access to College communications. We encourage all families to download the App and tailor the notifications to suit their family needs. Families should take note of the security and privacy statements provided at the time of download.

We congratulate all students who represented the College this term in a variety of sports and particularly our Senior A Volleyball girls who reached the final of the Senior A Girls competition.  They represented the College with a high level of skill and sportsmanship and can be proud of their achievement.  We thank the staff, parents and past students who have acted as coaches and managers for our College teams this term.

We look forward to the return of our Year 5 students who have been enjoying their camp this week as they have grown in their understanding of themselves, their peers, the natural world and their relationship with God. We thank the Head of Outdoor Education Mr Paul Brace, Mrs Sharon Middleton, Mrs Kim Kiernan, Mr Scott Massie, Mrs Lu Pollard, Miss Georgie Snelling and Mr Rob Belchamber for their leadership and support.

We thank our staff for their very capable, professional and committed guidance of student learning and growth and provision of support services throughout the term. We thank our students for their engagement, goodwill and leadership.  We express our appreciation to our parents for their ongoing support and leadership. It has been a term of growth where we as staff, students and parents have engaged with a generosity of spirit to enhance opportunities for growth.

We wish everyone a time of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation as we enjoy the change of rhythm that school holidays provide. We pray that each member of our community is renewed through God’s love and grace as we reflect over the Easter period.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal