No. 10 Term 3 Newsletter 2023

A Message From the Acting Principal

Welcome to Term 3!  Since our last newsletter, Burdekin Catholic High School has participated in a range of events showcasing our students and highlighting the volunteering spirit we are known for.  Over the June/July break, the BCHS Show Booth was a huge success, thanks to our parent, student, and staff volunteers.  The feedback from the show booth was so positive, the chips and burgers so delicious, that we had requests to run the booth across two days. When we returned the musical cast took to the stage with We Will Rock You and some of these students then spent the following week at the Mulkadee Festival.  We also held our annual Year 10 Careers during this time and Year 10s then attended the Careers Expo on Monday. Last week saw us host St Francis and St Colman’s Primary Schools for Founders’ Day as part of our celebrations of Catholic Education Week.  Last week we also attended the Catholic Education Week Mass and Caritas Deus Est Awards and finished the week with our Debutante Ball.

At the beginning of this term, we also welcomed Mrs. Karen Good to our staff.  Mrs. Good has been appointed as the Acting Assistant to the Curriculum for the remainder of the school year.  Students have already been working with Mrs. Good in the areas of special provision and subject changes.  Later in the term, Mrs Good and Mrs Dalle Cort will be conducting SETP interviews with the Year 10s as they consider their pathways post-school.  Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Good to our school.

Catholic Education Week was a timely reminder to reflect on our contribution to the story of Catholic Education.  At the Debutante Ball, I spoke of our almost 70 years in the Burdekin, and the fact that Burdekin Catholic High School will be celebrating fifty years as a co-educational school in 2024.  We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for.  As we move into our fiftieth year, we are planning some form of celebration.  So, if you or if you know of any past families who are interested in assisting in this preparation, please contact the office.  Let’s celebrate our story in 2024!

Elisa Rigano

From the Assistant Principal - Pastoral & Administration

High Expectations Reminder

As we enter our second semester for 2023, it is a timely reminder that our high expectations remain. We believe that students will rise to the expectations that we set for them, therefore, we at BCHS keep our expectations high.

At the core of our high expectations is ‘respect’, with a focus on students making choices that are respectful to themselves, others, learning, our school and their faith. Students are reminded of the importance of being aware of the impact of their choices on themselves and others. Students should be drawing on their Marist values including Family Spirit, Love of Work, Simplicity, Presence and In the Way of Mary. In doing so, they will contribute to a safe and productive learning environment where we can all be ‘One in Christ’, as per our school motto.

I would like to particularly remind students of our jewellery and phone expectations.

Permitted jewellery is as follows:

• a watch
• one plain/simple ring
• one plain gold or silver chain (with or without a cross or religious medal/small pendant)
• one pair of simple small earrings in the lower lobe (sleepers, hoops, or studs)

1. Phones need to be ‘off and away’ during the hours from 8:45 am to 3:00 pm. Should students need to contact home or parents contact their child, the phone in the office is to be used.

National Day Of Action Against Bullying & Violence

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence is coming up on Friday, August 18th. Pastoral lessons during Week 6 will focus on the concept of bullying and our Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy. At BCHS, bullying or harassment is ‘recipient defined’ which means that it is the victim and not the offender who decides whether the behaviours they are being subjected to are indeed harmful, embarrassing or intimidating. We consider bullying or harassment as behaviours which are repeated of a physical, psychological, or verbal kind and done with the intent to disrupt physically or emotionally, but can be an unconscious process, where people are insensitive to the feelings of others.

Throughout Week 6, homerooms will come together to create and make their own anti-bullying poster. These posters will be displayed around the school on the Friday and students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on that day.

Leadership Year 11

2024 School Leadership positions will include School Leader, Service Leader, House Leader, Cultural Leader and Indigenous Leader. Students were briefed on the leadership positions on offer, the application process and the timeline during their pastoral care lesson in Week 1. Self-nominations for 2024 Student Leadership positions will open at 9:00 am on Friday, August 5^th. Self-nominations submitted through a Google Form are due by 3:00 pm on Friday, August 25^th. In week 8, students and staff select their preferences from the nominations. Shortlisting and interviews will occur in Weeks 9 and 10 and the announcement of the 2024 Student Leaders will be made by the end of the term. 

Debutante Ball

On Saturday, July 29^th, Burdekin Catholic High School hosted their annual Debutante Ball. Congratulations to the 12 Year 11 students who made their debut on the night!

The 2023 Debutante Ball Committee was newly formed this year and a special thank you must go out to the ladies who have generously donated their time so the long legacy of BCHS Debutante Balls could continue: Melissah Lammon, Christy Pirrone, Jade Bywaters, Sandra Reents, Sandra Munro, Kellie Parker, Lisa Bolam and Sarit Jarvis. Lorissa Rennie, a past BCHS student,  choreographed our dances this year and we were grateful for all her work over the past 10 weeks. There is a long list of volunteers from our BCHS community who are assisting on the night; I extend a sincere ‘thank you’ to those giving their time so generously for our school and students.

As a little bit of history, Leah Burke, Desley Hyne, Ann Stockham and Christine Thomas were the first Year 12 cohort from BCHS to make their debut in Home Hill on July 10^th 1981.

Chiara Guy     

From the Acting Assistant Principal - Religion

Welcome back to Term 3. Joining our BCHS family this term is Mrs. Karen Good – Deputy Principal Curriculum, Anita Giddy – Learning Enrichment, and Lloyd Shepherd – Groundsman. New student, Fletcher Egglestone is in Year 7.

The beginning of Term 3 marks the start of Catholic Education Week (CEW) Catholic Education Week is celebrated in Catholic schools in Queensland from 23-29 July 2023. This year marks 150 years of Catholic Education in Queensland.  This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.  

The theme for this year’s celebrations is Communities of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

There are 312 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 160,000 students and employ more than 21,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way.

BCHS collaborated with St Colman’s and St Francis on Monday 24^th July to start CEW with Founders' Day. Over 700 students and staff from all three schools were on the one campus (BCHS) to have a fun-filled day where our combined Burdekin Catholic School Communities experienced Faith, Hope, and Love. The day started with the opening Mass presided over by Fr. Manoj and Fr. Vitalis. Fr. During the homily Fr. Vitalis engaged with the student, his “ground level” interaction and student participation made this Mass intimate and meaningful for our students, bringing to life the theme of Communities of Faith, Hope, and Love.  Year 11 and 10 students guided and instructed three exciting rotations and our Year 7, 8, and 9 students joined in on the group fun with the primary school students.

Other activities that took place this week were the Catholic Education Mass and Liturgy held in Townsville at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Liturgy on Tuesday acknowledged the recipients of the Deus Caritas Est Awards. This award is inspired by the encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” recognising loving service lived out with a faith conviction.  This award is presented to one secondary student from each school in the Townsville Diocese. BCHS is proud to announce that Brayden Rennie is the 2023 recipient of this prestigious award.  On Wednesday Ms. Rigano and the three Year 10 SRCs Layla Caston, Harrison Lammon, and Drea Piotto represented BCHS at the Catholic Education Week Mass celebrating 150 years of Catholic Education in Queensland. The Mass was presided over by Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Bishop Tim, and other priests in the Townsville Diocese.  

To follow on in the spirit of Catholic Education week, there will be a combined Youth Mass at St Colman’s Church in Home Hill on Sunday 6^th August at 6 pm. Students, staff, and families are invited to make the journey over the bridge to celebrate Mass in Home Hill.  Student helpers for the Mass are needed. Please see me in person or email me if you would like to be a reader or part of the choir. 

Antonetta Dalle Cort

Founders' Day

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From the Acting Deputy Principal - Curriculum

It has certainly been a pleasure for me to join the wonderful community of BCHS.  Meeting the community has been a highlight and I extend my thanks to all for making my transition easy.  The term began with a great deal of excitement and anticipation for what will prove to be a busy and rewarding time of learning for our students.  I trust that there was opportunity for rest and relaxation over the holidays in order to recharge those batteries to achieve success this term. There may be some need to adjust and re-group - emphasis on attendance, effort and study habits will assist in optimal learning.

NAPLAN 2023

Results were recently released and the student reports provide information about what your son/daughter can do in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy.  It also includes information on how your child has performed in relation to other students in their year group (school average) and against the national average.

Overall, we saw a number of positive outcomes with our NAPLAN results, particularly in Year 9. Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy remained at or above the national average.  Staff will respond to the valuable information we have received and work towards further improving literacy and numeracy standards.

2024 ASPIRING TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS

Townsville Catholic Education is offering scholarships in 2024 to Year 11 students who are considering Teaching as a career. To be eligible, they must be studying subjects that meet prerequisite requirements for entry into an Education degree. 

In Years 11 and 12, students can:

• Complete Certificate III in School-Based Education Support or Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at no cost.
• Complete two University Education subjects online in Year 12 at no cost.

For more information, please contact the Office.

Karen Good

School Holiday Sporting Achievements for Ellyana

During the holidays, Ellyana Mugica travelled to Brisbane to represent at the Football Queensland 2023 Academy State Championships with her 16 Girls Academy Team. It was an exciting week with the girls coming away as u16 Queensland Regional Champions. Ellyana is now once again vying for Queensland selection to represent u16 Queensland Girls at the National Youth Championships in October 2023. Congratulations Ellyana on this great achievement!

School Leaders Busy over the Holidays!

Two of our school captains Isabella and Logan spent the first week of the school holidays completing the Surf Lifesaving Queensland Leadership Development Camp at Magnetic Island. They each updated their first aid certificates, advanced resuscitation techniques certificate, IRB driver and crew certificates. They held their own and displayed strong leadership skills in each of their groups. They were faced with 36 scenarios putting their fast thinking, first aid, and resuscitation skills to the test over the seven days. Congratulations!

Athletics Carnival Age Champions and Runners Up

Congratulations to the following students who took part and placed in the top two for their age groups at this years Athletics Carnival. 

We Will Rock You - School Musical

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MULKADEE

This year the Mulkadee program explored the thrilling tale of Robin Hood through six disciplines of the Arts including dance, drama, strings, choir, guitar, band and audio-visual. BCHS had eight students participating during the week and also in the sold-out concert on Friday night. Ava Totorica and Clodagh Liessmann were involved in Dance. Lisa Keryk and Alice O’Connor participated in Drama and Emily Town, Elora Taylor, Isabela Vardenga, and Larah Iwaszczyn were a part of the 400-plus choir. Mulkadee gave these eight dedicated students the opportunity to extend and develop their skills while gaining their understanding of disciplinary dynamics prevalent within these forms of art-based collaborations. We are very proud of how our students represented our school and we hope to see them all back again next year.

Mrs Monica Licciardello

BCHS Facebook Page

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with events and student achievements. 

Careers Week

I am thrilled to present to you the highlights of our exhilarating Career Week held in Week One of Term 3. The week provided our Year 10 students with invaluable insights into various career pathways and opportunities and senior schooling. It was a week filled with inspiration, learning, and self-discovery.

Students commenced their Career Education Short Course, an exciting opportunity for our Year 10 students to earn one QCE point. The course aims to equip student with essential skills, knowledge and resources to make informed decisions about their future careers.

Throughout the week, we had the privilege of hosting esteemed industry speakers who shared their personal career journeys and valuable advice. These professionals came from diverse fields, ranging from agronomy, law, allied health and trades. Their experiences provided profound insights into the realities of different professions, the challenges they faced and 21^st century skills they seek in young people that they recruit. Listening to these accomplished speakers left our students motivated and inspired to pursue their own passions and aspirations. One surprise guest speaker was Fr. Vitalis. He shared with students his career journey as a young man growing up in Nigeria. His personal and heartfelt experiences gave our students an insight into how Fr Vitalis, like our students had many options and difficult decision to make.

Thank you, our amazing guest speakers, Rebecca Fabbro and Eliza Worlein (past students) - Groves and Clark Solicitors, Julie Sexton (past student) - Talk HQ, Justin Vardy – ERGON Energy, Andrew Sherrington – QPS, Jacquelin Bailey – Wilmar, Rob Miller – Burdekin Productivity Services, Alison Sitton - QLD Health and Fr Vitalis – Sacred Heart Church

Wednesday proved to be the most action-packed day of the Career Week, offering students with two exciting options:

1 UniX at James Cook University: A group of eager students visited James Cook University to participate in UniX Open Day. They had the chance to explore various academic programs, tour the campus facilities, and interact with university students and faculty members. This experience ignited the spark of curiosity in many, giving them a glimpse of the possibilities that higher education offers. Congratulations Mason Kiehne who won the Apple Watch SE from participating in the JCU Unlock Your Future Competition.

2 Industry Walkthroughs: Another group of students opted for a hands-on experience by visiting prominent companies in our region. Our students go an exclusive peek into the inner workings of QMN, Brown Hurley (formerly named AgNorth) and Wilmar. The visits were not only educational but also served as an eye-opener to the vast array of career options within our local community.

As the week ended, the students were encouraged to reflect on their experience and insights gained during Career Week. Heads of Departments and teachers led discussions, helping students identify their interests and strength, thus guiding them towards subject selections and career paths.

 This self-awareness will undoubtedly play a crucial role as they progress towards making more informed decisions about their future education and career choices.

BCHS extends our heartfelt gratitude to all the industry speakers who generously shared their time and expertise with our students. Special thanks to James Cook University, QMN, Brown Hurley, and Wilmar Sugar Mill for graciously welcoming our students and providing them with unforgettable experiences.

Special mention and vote of thanks goes to Mrs Bhree-Ana Perry who assisted student during the Career Week. She encouraged and prompted students with their tasks. Mrs Perry is now assisting me with Work Experience.  She has been instrumental in streamlining processes in this area and promoting employment opportunities.

On Monday 31^st the Year 10s continued to explore their options at the Townsville Career Expo at RSL Stadium. The Townsville Careers Expo provided an excellent opportunity to source information about the variety of study options, career opportunities and new trends in education, training, and employment. Over 80 exhibitors were on display on the day.

Career Week, the Townsville Career Expo and work experience opportunities culminate in providing an exceptional journey for our Year 10 students. At BCHS we believe that empowering them with knowledge about various career options and opportunities will aid them in charting their paths towards success and fulfillment.

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Business Educators’ Association of Queensland - Annual Conference

On Friday the 21^st of July, the Business Educators’ Association of Queensland (BEAQ) held its annual conference at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre.  I was very fortunate to have received a $1000 travel grant to attend this conference as a professional development opportunity.  Approximately 300 delegates attended the BEAQ conference from Queensland secondary schools and VET centres. Speakers presented on a range of topics including AI in education, business career paths within the film and media industry as well as practical strategies to approach the delivery of business education that engages students and develops industry skills and knowledge for their future careers.  This was a great learning opportunity and networking event with some key takeaways for our legal studies, accounting, and business departments. 

Christine Flanagan

Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers have become powerful individuals who often shape the opinions and beliefs of others due to strong connections with their audiences. In today's fast-paced digital world, attention has become a valuable commodity.

However, the impact of social media influencers on youth mental health is a growing concern, most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate. His rise to fame has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate’s content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs.

Young people often compare themselves to the idealised lives presented by influencers, leading to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction. Social media algorithms may also expose them to inappropriate or harmful content such as explicit material, promotion of harmful behaviours, or distorted perceptions of body image or mental health.

It is important to guide a young person’s social media use and promote open communication. Be curious to comprehend why they might be drawn to radical influencers, like Andrew Tate, and actively seek understanding as part of the solution. While not all influencers have a negative impact, parents play a vital role in ensuring a balanced approach to social media. By actively modelling kindness, respect and positive values, parents can help tackle the sway of radical influencers and be part of the solution to countering unhealthy masculinity.

This Special Report provides guidance on how to respond to misinformation and disinformation, instead encouraging critical thinking and emphasising the value of real-life connections. If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://bchs.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-influencers-au

Show Booth 2023

The 2023 BCHS Show Booth was a huge success. This stall has been in the institute of the Ayr Show for decades. It is not only a fundraiser, it brings the BCHS community together.  The overwhelming number of students, parents and staff that helped on the day and prior to the event proves that we are a supportive community. Those who couldn’t assist on the day made generous donations of ingredients and cash.  Special mention to our organising committee, Sanrda Reents, Shannon Pirrone, Shane James, and Alicia Roncato.  The steak sandwiches were very popular and were sold out by 7 pm.  The addition of hot chips proved to be popular and will be on the menu next year.

World's Greatest Shave

In the last week of term two, our school gathered to witness staff and senior students chop their locks and colour their curls for the World’s Greatest Shave. Our Service Leaders Catlin McDonnell and Lily Thomasson have been planning this event since 2022 when they were appointed. Together with their classmates, they raised over $6000, this is a testament of their hard work and dedication to their leadership position and their passion for serving the community.

2023 marks the 25^th year of the World’s Greatest Shave, originally named Shave for a cure. Making it one of Australia’s longest-running fundraising events.  The name may have changed but the cause remains the same – raising much-needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.  Thank you to all the friends and families who donated to this cause and getting behind our Seniors of 2023.  Special mention to Mrs Shannon Pirrone and Mrs Perry who chopped and shaved on the day.

Antonetta Dalle Cort