Burdekin Catholic High School

Lenten Pastoral Message

Please take time to read the Lenten Pastoral Message from Bishop Tim.

From the Principal

Lenten Season

Last week, on Ash Wednesday, we marked the beginning of Lent in the Catholic Church calendar. For our families and students who are new to a Catholic Education, the traditions and practices surrounding these practices may be unfamiliar.

Lent is a liturgical season of preparation for Easter, during which Catholics traditionally focus on penitence (showing sorrow for sins), fasting (reducing or giving up certain foods), and prayer. In the past week, on Ash Wednesday, an ash cross was placed on the forehead of our students when we all came together for a beautiful liturgy. This is a sign of our recommitment to live out the Gospel of Jesus in our lives. The ashes are traditionally made from burnt palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday.

During Lent, Catholics over the age of 18 traditionally abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. For our students, there will be a Lenten menu at the tuckshop on Fridays.

Traditionally, Catholics would abstain from one personal practice during Lent like eating favourite foods e.g. chocolate. I remember as a child I would give up drinking soft drink until Easter Sunday. Today, we focus also on what we might do for others during this time. We use the forty days more purposefully, to make adjustments to our way of life so that we become more outwardly Christian in the way we live day to day life. Lent offers moments for reflection. Reflecting on the direction of our lives can be incredibly beneficial.

Traffic Management

I have been spending some time at the front of our school during drop off and pick up, while it has been a wonderful time to meet and chat with our students, I have become increasingly concerned about the use of Gibson St Pick up zone in the afternoons. Gibson St has designated pick up zones on the school side of the street.

There is NO designated crossing on this street. There are reminents of an old crossing space, which has not been supported with a school crossing supervisor as we do not meet the criteria for the government to supply us with one. We can not allocate a teacher to supervise crossing this street as you must have qualifications in traffic management. Collecting your children from school by car requires a community response to ensure that all our students remain safe at this tme.

Please:

do not wait for your child on the opposite side of Gibson Street
do not encourage your child to cross Gibson Street through parked cars in the afternoon
do not park in No Standing sections on Gibson Street
do pick up your child on the school side of Gibson Street
do go up and around the round about on Gibson Street to be on the school side
do move towards the space in front of the oval and ask your child to walk to this area and wait
do delay your pick up by 10 minutes, to reduce the traffic congestion

In Partnership with our Parents

It is most important to me, that as a school community, their is a sense of the collaborative journey we share in the education of our young people, your child. As the saying goes 'it takes a village'. There is a highly valued understanding of the importance of an environment where the school and the home act as mutual supports.

As a school and home, we work together for the benefits of the students in our care and inspire our students to grow into their potential. Sometimes, our emotions can fuel a space of disrespect rather than mutal discussion and understanding. This can often be a block for resolution in the best interest of a child.

"Working Together" - Code of Conduct for Parents has been developed through extensive consultation with representative parent groups across the Catholic system of schools in the Townsville Diocese. All parents/carers are asked to abide by the rights, responsibilities and ethos outlined in this document.

TCEO Code_of_Conduct_for_Parents

Contained also within the Code, is a complaint/grievance process:

Our Catholic schools want to work in partnership with our families. If a parent/guardian/caregiver has a current complaint, criticism or concern, it is expected the following steps be followed in the first instance:

Speak to the appropriate school person involved (e.g. class teacher) first and try to resolve the concern with mutual respect and clear communication. Where/if possible make an appointment with the relevant person
If for some reason this is not possible, then make an appointment to see the Principal (or other nominated leadership personnel)
The Principal (or nominee) should endeavour to mediate and find resolution
If, having followed Steps 1-3 with no satisfaction from your perspective, you may take your complaint to Townsville Catholic Education Office for further facilitation.

Your presence, engagement, and feedback enrich our school community and I invite you always to make an appointment to meet with Class teachers, Homeroom teachers, Pastoral Leaders, Academic Leaders and Senior Leadership team members if you have areas of concern.

By working together, we give every student the best opportunity to achieve strong minds and gentle hearts at Burdekin Catholic High School.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Weeks 5 and 6.

Lorraine Wolffe
Principal

From the Deputy Principal - Curriculum and Administration

Assessment Reminders

Assessment calendars have been published to students and families. Students received a hard copy via Home Room and also have electronic access via the Compass homepage and their Google Calendar (also accessible via Compass. Now is the time when students should be planning ahead, making a note of what is due when and allowing for adequate revision time for examinations. It is also important students and families are familiar with the procedures regarding special provision for assessment.

Years 11 and 12 follow the special provision procedures as outlined by QCAA’s QCE & QCIA Handbook. Special provision, or as it is referred to, AARA, is applied in circumstances outside a student’s control, e.g. illness, death in the family. Special provision is not applied in circumstances with a student or their family’s control, e.g, holidays. Students in Years 11 and 12 must complete the suite of assessment instruments to be eligible for QCE points. Drafts should be submitted prior to planned absences. Students only have the opportunity to submit one draft, therefore the draft are to be complete, allowing for teachers to provide valuable feedback to students. Incomplete drafts mean that a student will receive limited feedback. Teachers provide drafting time in class as per syllabus guidelines.However, there is an expectation the refinement of a draft will occur in home time. Assignments are to be student’s own work, therefore the use of AI in the composition of an assignment is not permitted. Drafts and final copies are to be submitted via Turnitin as part of the school’s plagiarism checks. Examinations also fall under the same provisions as assignments. Examinations are rescheduled only in the case of circumstances outside a student’s control, e.g. illness.

For students in Years 7 to 10 special provision follows that of Senior. Students are also expected to utilise Turnitin for drafts and final copies. Special provision is applied when circumstances are outside a student or family’s control.

Students across all year levels are reminded that technical issues are not grounds for special provision. Students are expected to back-up/make copies/email of their assignments. Saving to the cloud is of paramount importance. Saving to the hard drive of their device only runs the risk of something happening and the assignment unable to be recovered.

Students apply for special provision by applying with a “purple form”. The purple form is available from the office and students must ensure the application is signed by a parent/guardian and their classroom teacher. The form is then lodged at the office for processing. Students will receive notification of the outcome of their application via their school email.

Immunisations

A reminder Year 7 and 10 students will be receiving their vaccinations this Wednesday. Students are reminded to bring their water bottle and to eat breakfast. Immunisations will be taking place in the O’Brien Centre over Lessons 1-3.

School Photos

Below is the draft schedule for Photo Day (March 11):

Elisa Rigano
Deputy Principal

From the Assistant Principal - Pastoral

After a very busy start to the term, the past two weeks have provided the stability for our students to establish their routines and settle into the term ahead. Positive relationships between students and staff have now been developed and students understand the expectations for their classes including what equipment to bring, how to access Google Classrooms and homework. Over the past two weeks, the focus for our staff has also been on the establishment of routines. Pastorally, these routines include following our pastoral process including the issuing of praise notes and uniform infringements for example. Our whole school pastoral processes were developed and implemented over the past 12 months to achieve clarity, consistency, and fairness in the way we manage and uphold our high expectations. All pastoral processes can be found in our Pastoral Care Framework for 2024.

Included at the end of the Pastoral Care Framework is the Uniform Policy. We are aware that the Uniform Policy is quite lengthy, so we have developed Uniform Templates and included them in this year’s student planner. The templates provide a quick reference guide for our students on the uniform expectations. The templates are included at the end of my article for your viewing.

While on the topic of uniforms, I would like to remind families of our expectations for our girls’ skirts and shorts as outlined in our Uniform Policy:

Skirts must be comfortably fitting and be long enough so that they touch the top of the knee.
School sports shorts should be relaxed fitting to allow for movement and long enough so that they sit no shorter than mid-thigh.

Some students have experienced growth spurts over the holidays, and we ask all students to do a uniform audit this weekend. Purchasing a new skirt is not always necessary and sometimes letting down the hem or unrolling the skirt will allow the uniform expectations to be met. For those who wish to purchase new skirts or shorts, a friendly reminder that these can be purchased brand new from Michael’s Menswear or at our local second-hand shops.

Finally, I could not finish this week’s article without broadcasting that we have had over 800 Praise Notes issued to our students this term. This incredible total reflects the positive choices our students have been making. It also reflects the attitude of our school and staff which prioritises noticing and rewarding positive choices. Specifically, our students are awarded a Praise Note for showing respect to themselves, others, their faith, the school and/or learning. Praise Notes are reinforced regularly, with students receiving a tuckshop voucher from their Pastoral Leader for every five they receive. Students may redeem two of the following with each voucher: packet of chips, packet of popcorn, icy cups or jelly.

Chiara Guy
Assistant to the Principal - Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal - Religion

This week marks a very special time in the Catholic Liturgical calendar, the period of Lent. Shrove Tuesday or what you may know as Pancake Tuesday falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent which is a period leading up to Easter. During Lent, Christians give up luxuries to remember when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray.

Our Year 12 students were at school early on Tuesday, fired up the BBQ and cooked pancakes.

Shrove Tuesday

The following day we celebrated the Ash Wednesday Liturgy at our scheduled assembly time. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, and it is a day for reflection and repentance. At the Liturgy student received the ashes on their foreheads in the formation of a cross. This is a reminder of our mortality and our need for God's forgiveness. It is also a sign of our willingness to make sacrifices and change our behavior during Lent.

Symbols are visible around the school adorned in the colour purple for the remainder of the term. Prayer spaces in classrooms have purple cloths on display. Purple reflects sorrow and suffering to mark Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the desert. Purple is also used in the Catholic Church during Advent (a period leading up to Christmas)

Ash Wednesday

For students, Lent can be a time to focus on personal growth and reflection. By giving up something that they enjoy, they can develop greater self-discipline and learn to appreciate the simple things in life. At the conclusion of the Ash Wednesday Liturgy our Service Leaders Mia Galbraith and Ella Pirrone launched our fundraising campaign for Project Compassion the Walkathon. The theme this year is “For all Future Generations.” On the last day of term, Thursday 28^th March, our day will commence with an Easter Liturgy in the Marcellin Centre and for the remainder of the day students will walk a track that ends up at the Ayr Pool. The walk will be a time for students to appreciate the basic things that we can sometimes take for granted – clean drinking water, access to health services and education. Last year we raised just over $3000. If we raise $4000 this can provide a 10,000L water tank instillation to a school with a standalone water harvesting system so students can access clean safe water. In the bountiful Burdekin we are fortunate to have water security. Let’s get together to raise much needed funds for those less fortunate than us.

Donations can be made electronically by scanning this QR code or clicking on this link:

Project Compassion Donation

Academic Awards (2023)

On 30 January we celebrated the academic successes of our students from 2023. Here is our night of celebration.

Award Recipinets - Click on the Image

2023 JCU Shield Recipients

Level 1 Academic Awards

Level 2 Academic Awards

Level 3 Academic Awards

From the Science Department

Year 8 Science students conducted a series of simple investigations to observe energy transfers and transformations in a range of situations. For each investigation, students identified the energy source (input) and observe energy produced (output). Students then discussed if the output energy was useful or wasted energy.

From the Guidance Counsellor

We're almost halfway through the term, and despite an interesting start to the year, it seems we've all settled in for another great year.

For those of you who are new to the school or may have forgotten, Burdekin Catholic High is connected with SchoolTV. The SchoolTV platform offers a wide range of wellbeing resources for parents, allowing us to work together to ensure better wellbeing for all students. You can access Burdekin Catholic High’s SchoolTV here:

School TV

Every fortnight, I'll be highlighting a topic from the platform. To ensure its relevance to the community, I invite you all to take a moment to complete the Wellbeing Barometer Survey. All responses are anonymous and will help us identify both strengths and concerns to tailor further support. Find the survey here:

Wellbeing Survey

As always, feel free to reach out to me anytime via email or by calling the office.

Michael Dixon
Guidance Counsellor

Career News

In the Spotlight

Year 12 Graduate - Brigitte Davies

Brigitte Davies, the recipient of the Tom Kruger Dux of Burdekin Catholic High School, has not only excelled academically but has also exemplified remarkable dedication in every facet of her life. Her stellar ATAR of 99.55 is testament to her efforts. The Class of 2023 achieved outstanding results, Brigitte was one of six students at Burdekin Catholic High School who received an ATAR of 90 or above, and 47% received an ATAR of 80 and above.

Brigitte's academic achievements and those of her fellow year 12 students were acknowledged at the 2023 Awards Night held this year. She was awarded the top of subject in an array of subjects including Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics, Chemistry, Study of Religion, and Physics.

Brigitte Davies has left a lasting mark on our school community. As the School Captain, she seamlessly blended her leadership responsibilities with her academic pursuits, setting a shining example for her peers and the whole Burdekin Catholic School community. There is a song that is played at graduation ceremonies called “Standing on the Shoulders.” The message is about overcoming life’s challenges, persevering, and finding inspiration from those who came before us. Brigitte and the class are 2023 are truly an inspiration.

Beyond her academic commitments, Brigitte was a valued part time employee to Woods’ Newsagent. Her ability to balance academics, leadership roles, and employment is an example of her time management skills and resilience.
Brigitte's was accepted by the University of Queensland in a dual degree, Bachelor in Engineering and Design. This remarkable achievement is a testament to Brigitte's intellectual prowess.

Work Experience

BCHS encourages students to participate in work experience. Work experience provides numerous benefits. It can consolidate a career path you have been considering, it can lead to a School Based Apprenticeship or employment after school.

Sport @ BCHS

Welcome students and parents to the 2024 sporting year at Burdekin Catholic High School. Sport @ BCHS is off to an exciting start! We have so many talented sportspeople at our school and this year it is our vision to provide incredible opportunities for our young people. This week we are launching our Basketball, Netball and Rugby League Programs. These programs have a focus of development through squads leading to school representation.

Trial Dates

Stay up to date with Sporting Opportunities through Compass

All communication regarding sporting opportunities for our students is available in Compass. This is where we send home details regarding trials and carnivals. Please ensure that you are looking at Compass notifications.

Interhouse Swimming Carnival

The 2024 Interhouse Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 23 February at the Burdekin Aquatic Centre. For those unfamiliar with this event, it combines Championship and Social activities, emphasizing the importance of involving as many students as possible in swimming-related activities. The day is filled with rivalry between the houses - who will be the Champion House for swimming?

The carnival is considered a normal school day, which means that all students are required to attend. A Parent and Student Information Letter has been distributed via Compass, this includes all details regarding transport.

Co-curricular Music

It's time to start our Co-curricular Music Program...

School Student Broadband Initiative

Burdekin School Sports

Northern Trial Dates

No. 17 Term 1 - Week 4 Newsletter, 2024