Principal's Log

We also congratulate all of our Mathematics teams on their involvement at last week’s Sunshine Coast Mathematics Competition. We particularly congratulate our Year 12 team who came second by one point and our Year 9 team who came third. The competition provided the opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the joy of problem solving in a variety of formats that involved individual and group approaches. We thank Mr Adam Doyle and our Mathematics staff for the development of these student’s skills.

This week we held the orientation day and information evening for Middle College students and parents. The energy and enthusiasm that was evident was a testament to the engagement of both new and current students. We thank Mr Ben Ryan, Mrs Rae Hall, Mrs Leanne Bevis, Mr Brett Kersnovske, Ms Leigh Finter, Mr Chris Mundey, staff, Year 9 student leaders and buddies for their leadership of the day. We also thank our Music and Hospitality staff and students who added the extra dimension to the student welcome. We appreciate the engagement of our existing and new parent body who took advantage of the opportunity to attend and connect at the orientation evening for parents.

Parents of Prep children for 2020 also took the opportunity to attend an orientation afternoon where leaders Mr David Druery, Mrs Sue Zweck and teachers provided insights into ways to prepare children for the next exciting step and the year ahead. We thank parents for their attendance, staff for leading the presentations and Friends of Pacific Chair Mrs Jenny Lee who spoke and connected with new and continuing parents at both the Prep and Middle College events.

Our Year 3 students enjoyed their outdoor education experience last week and we thank Mr David Druery and the Year 3 teachers for their leadership. This is the first step of a developmental program that spans from Year 3 to Year 12. At this camp, students received their camp journal which they will reflect in each year as they engage in Outdoor Education activities. One of the highlights for our Year 12 students in their final week at the College is to then receive their camp journal as part of their farewell activities.

We wish our Year 12 students all the best as they complete their final assessments and then enjoy a range of activities next week as a rite of passage from the College. These include presentations from the Red Frog Chaplaincy Network, the Commonwealth Bank and Queensland Police, painting a tile canvas which is kept and displayed by the College, planting a tree together with their Year 2 buddies, their Graduation Ceremony, Final Chapel and Formal. It is a memorable time for students, staff, parents and the whole community and we look forward to sharing each of these moments next week. 

We look forward to the STEM Showcase tomorrow afternoon. The showcase will involve Year 9 and 10 STEM students and Information Technology students displaying and demonstrating their various projects which have been developed throughout the year. We thank Mrs Claire Richards, Mr Wes Warner, Mrs Janine Stone and Mrs Kate Vaney for providing innovative learning experiences for students in this area.

As a showcase of further talent, our Music ensemble groups will then be performing at the Sunshine Coast Function Centre on Friday night from 6.30pm. This promises to be another entertaining evening where we can relax and enjoy the tremendous talents of our Music students. We thank Mrs Helen Williams, Mrs Aleisha Tuaine, Mr Steven Lake and instrumental staff for their leadership of our Music students.

One of the great joys of being in education is to celebrate the growth, talent and energy of young people. We give thanks to God for our students and their goodwill, our capable and passionate teachers and a community that comes together to celebrate and nurture a breadth of talent and capacity.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal