The Week Ahead - End of Term 4 2021
Friday 26 November 2021
From the Head of College
Dear Parents and Caregivers
This final edition of The Week Ahead brings to a close a busy and very successful year at Concordia. My first six months at Concordia, which have been spent getting to know what underpins the philosophy and culture of the Concordia community, have gone by so quickly.
On some days it has felt as if I had been here longer than just a few weeks or months. Thank you for being wonderful hosts as your greetings, words of affirmation and words of encouragement have helped me to settle in.
Thank you too for your support of and loyalty to the College in 2021. I look forward to growing further and building on the current working relationship and partnership which you have with the College in 2022.
What I have kept coming back to during my short time at Concordia, is the notion and observation of every student being known and loved at Concordia. What an incredible pastoral foundation we have in place at Concordia for every one of our students, when we know that quality relationships are the cornerstone to success at school and in society.
Concordia is made up of an exceptional staff who are always prepared to do more than what is required of them. We are a very blessed and strong community.
Several upgrades and refurbishment projects will await us on our return in the new school year as part of our maintenance plan. A significant project will be the refurbishment of the Lecture Theatre on the Stephen Street Campus. Several sports infrastructure upgrades will also take place during this time in readiness for the start of the new school year.
During my address at the Years 6 to 11 Presentation Night on Monday, I put forward a challenge and a request for every family to take up in the holidays. The challenge is for the students and the request is for the parents. I have challenged every student to read at least one good book during the upcoming break and requested that you, as the parents, attend a church service as a family over Christmas, to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
I have included for your reading, over the coming days, some tips on during this extended holiday period. [Acknowledgement: Anna Maxted]
I would like to extend my very best wishes to every family for a blessed Christmas, a chance for some well-earned rest and a safe start to the new year.
Yours in Christ
Mr Anton Prinsloo
Head of College
Quote: For unto us a child is born, His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]
From the College Pastor
Community News
From the Director of Marketing & Enrolments
Many thanks to everyone in our College community for a successful year of learning at Â鶹´«Ă˝. We really appreciate your support throughout the year!
Here are some final updates as we head into holidays:
Enrolments
We have had a fantastic year with many new families enrolling at Concordia for 2021 and 2022. If you know someone looking for a last minute enrolment for next year, please encourage them to contact us as we only have limited spaces available in some year levels while some year levels are full for 2022.
This is also a timely reminder to submit your enrolment applications for 2023. Our Prep and Year 7 classes for 2023 are already filling fast. We obviously want to prioritise our existing families but cannot hold a space for a student if we don't have an application form for them. Here is the link to submit an application form:
Interviews for 2023 will be commencing in the new year.
Lecture Theatre Upgrade
The Lecture Theatre Upgrade will be commencing over the Christmas holidays! We can't wait to see what a fantastic, 21st century learning facility this will be when it is completed.
Many thanks to all the families who have generously purchased a seat (or two!) for the upgrade.
A note to those families who are still interested in purchasing a seat - we still have some remaining. To purchase a seat in your family's name, please .
2022 Fee Schedule
The 2022 Fee Schedule is available on our website. Click the button to access it:
2023 Scholarships
Students entering Years 6 and 9 in 2022 are encouraged to apply for an academic scholarship for Years 7 and 10 in 2023. Registrations close Monday 7 February for scholarship testing.
Specialist scholarships for students in Years 6 to 11 in 2022 will open in Term 1. For more information about scholarships and to register for an academic scholarship, click the below button:
Scholarships2022 Calendar
Keep an eye out in the post in January for your family's copy of the 2022 College Calendar. If your postal address has changed and you haven't updated your details, please make sure you do so as soon as possible via Parent Lounge so that your calendar is sent to the correct address.
As in previous years, we'll be sending an electronic outline of important dates for Term 1 in December to help you to plan for the new year.
Uniform Survey
We received an outstanding response to the Uniform Survey with more than 500 submissions from students, parents and staff. Thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute to this survey.
Happy Holidays!
The Marketing and Enrolments team wishes everyone in our College community a happy, healthy and relaxing summer holidays. We hope you can spend time with your loved ones at Christmas and wish you every success and happiness in 2022.
Mrs Bianca Coleborn
Director of Marketing & Enrolments
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
Outside School Hours Care
Hume Street Campus
From the HSC Director
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, “For everything there is a season and a time to …”.
For our students, it is now a time to rest. For our staff, this is the time for reflection. Over the next days, our HSC staff will reflect on 2021. We will acknowledge that it was a busy year, full of ups and downs. We will reflect on our ups and consider ways to improve our downs. Most importantly, we will acknowledge the many factors to celebrate.
These past weeks, we celebrated with our Year 6 class. We have had the opportunity to thank them and yesterday we said our final farewells. As always, we sent them through the tunnel of blessings and wish them all the best as they move into middle school. We look forward to seeing them occasionally and hearing about all their future endeavours. We would also like to wish those who are leaving our community, all the best and hope that you will remember Concordia with fondness from your time spent with us.
Hume Street Campus is an amazing community made up of parents, students and staff. We would not be able to achieve the results we do without the support of our parents. We would like to thank you for your continued support throughout 2021 and look forward to working alongside each other again next year. To our students, congratulations! We are very proud of all that you have achieved throughout this year.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise our HSC staff. We have an outstanding group of people who worked tirelessly to bring out the best in our students. Your Christmas break is truly deserved, and I wish all of you a blessed Christmas with your families. Enjoy as you move into the season of rest, laughter, relaxation.
to view HSC's Events for Term 1, Week 1 2022.
Merry Christmas to all. We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2022.
Mrs Juanetta Priest
Director of Campus - Hume Street
HSC Reception Hours during Christmas Holidays
The HSC Reception will be open on the following days and times:
- Monday 29 November - 7.45am to 3.45pm
- Tuesday 30 November - 7.45am to 3.45pm
Reception will then be closed until Monday 17 January 2022, 7.45am.
If you need any information during this period please call Stephen Street Campus on 4688 2700 from 8am to 4pm.
HSC Tennis Coaching Term 1 2022
Special Prep Tennis Coaching at HSC for Term 1 2022
If your Prep child is interested in learning Tennis in Term 1 2022. for more information.
HSC Chess Lessons with Mr Les Lord - Term 1 2022
We are excited that Mr Les Lord will be running Chess Coaching sessions commencing Tuesday 1 February 2022 from 10.45am to 11.30am in the Art Room. The cost per student for six Chess Lessons will be $45.00.
If your child would like to participate please submit your permission and payment on Parent Lounge.
Permission Required
Parents are requested to go to Parent Lounge to submit your permission for your child to attend this excursion by Friday 28 January 2022.
- Login to >
- click on Events and Payments >
- click on HSC Chess Lessons with Les Lord Term 1 2022 >
- Accept >
- Make your payment >
- Save
Warwick Street Campus
From the WSC Director
The end of every school year brings about a time for reflection, and this morning the staff at WSC reflected on the year that was 2021. The conclusion the staff came to, like every year, was that it was busy, full of ups and downs but, most of all, there were many things to celebrate.
Yesterday, we celebrated with our Year 6 class as we said our final farewells to them. We wish them all the best as they move into Middle College and look forward to hearing about all they accomplish in the future. I would also like to wish those who are leaving our community, all the best for your future endeavours. I hope that you will look fondly on your time spent with us.
Warwick Street Campus would not be the community it is without the support of our parents. I would like to thank all of you for your continued support throughout 2021 and look forward to working alongside us again next year. To our students, congratulations on another successful school year. We are all very proud of all that each one of you has achieved.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the staff at WSC. This outstanding group of people have worked tirelessly again this year and always bring out the best in their students. Your Christmas break is again truly deserved.
Christmas Musical - Don’t be Afraid
Our end of year Christmas Musical this year, “Don’t be Afraid”, was again wonderfully entertaining, and beautifully presented by our students. Congratulations to our Year 6 students who were the stars of the show, and to Mr Paul Baker for all of his work in making this show, “the best one ever!”(as reported by our Year 6 parents!)
End of Year Awards
Congratulations to our award recipients this year. Chloe Bertram received the Heuschele Award at the Years 6 to 11 Presentation Evening on Monday night. The Julie Gould Rising Star award was presented to Oliver Foley at our end of year Musical production. Well done to both of these students.
I wish all of you a blessed Christmas with your families and look forward to seeing you in 2022.
to view WSC's Events for Term 1, Week 1 2022.
Mrs Jackie Minnikin
Director of Campus
WSC Reception Hours during Christmas Holidays
The WSC Reception will be open on the following days and times:
- Monday 29 November - 7.45am to 3.45pm;
- Tuesday 30 November - 7.45am to 3.45pm;
Reception will then be closed until Monday 17 January 2022, 7.45am.
If you need any information during this period please call Stephen Street Campus on 4688 2700 from 8am to 4pm.
WSC Year 5 Amazing Race
What an AMAZING day! Year 5 showed off their leadership skills by planning a fundraiser for the refugees from Afghanistan. They designed and ran an Amazing Race Challenge on Wednesday.
All students from Prep to Year 5 formed teams with their buddies and they were in it to win it! There were 10 challenges and clues they had to complete in the fastest time possible.
AMAZINGLY, the Prep/Year 5 team were the winners with a time of 26 minutes although I think they were at an advantage since they knew all the clues.
I think the real winners of the day were Declan, Cooper S, Ben and Hudson from Year 4 and Year 2.
Congratulations to all teams and thank you for your support. We raised $170.
WSC Tennis Coaching Term 1 2022
If your child is interested in tennis coaching in Term 1, 2022, for more information:
WSC Special Prep Tennis Coaching Term 1 2022
WSC Chess Lessons with Mr Les Lord - Term 1 2022
We are excited that Mr Les Lord will be running Chess Coaching sessions commencing Thursday 3 February 2022 from 7.45am to 8.30am in the Resource Centre. The cost per student for six Chess Lessons will be $45.00.
If your child would like to participate please submit your permission on Parent Lounge. Full payment will be required prior to your child commencing lessons.
Permission Required
Parents are requested to go to Parent Lounge to submit your permission for your child by Friday 28 January 2022.
- Login to >
- click on Events and Payments >
- click on WSC Chess Lessons with Les Lord Term 1 2022 >
- Accept >
- Make your payment >
- Save
Stephen Street Campus
From the Director of Campus
Here we are…
As students settle into the groove of the first day of holidays, our teachers are celebrating the end of the academic year with late nights of marking and reporting. We do know how to party! Reports will be published early next week on Parent Lounge.
A sneak peak into next year… One of the projects that is being finalised as we speak, is a new interface for students to navigate this digital learning world that we have created. Student Hub is a one-stop jumping off page for everything from their class Teams, digital texts and Math Pathways to academic calendars to links to express interest in cocurricular activities. This dashboard has been created by our IT Department and I am so impressed with how it is shaping up. I want to publicly thank Mitch and Daniel for the work that they have done in creating the Student Hub.
So to the challenge of summing up 15 years of life at Concordia… simply put, I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have had to work alongside generations of amazing young people, passionate staff and an army of supportive parents and guardians. What an extraordinary privilege. To the people in this room and the community of Concordia that you represent, I simply say thank you. Thank you for your support, your honesty and grace. To the staff, your willingness to lean heavily on the wheel of creating educational change is extraordinary and inspiring, to say the least. I thank each of you for the visible and invisible work that you do in transforming this educational community but also the support, care and guidance that you give to our students.
I will finish by sharing a bible verse as a word of encouragement from 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
My last thought - dare to believe that God, who I believe created this whole universe and our little blue marble with its liquid water on it, created you, loves you and knows you, is interested in every part of your life, and is on your side. Dare to accept that God’s free gifts of grace, love, forgiveness and live your lives in a way that allows the blessing you receive to flow through to the people around you.
I pray that you all have a safe and blessed Christmas and enjoy the slower pace of the holidays.
God bless you Concordia! You are going to be missed…
Mr Jason Smith
Director of Campus
SSC Reception Hours during Christmas Holidays
SSC Reception will be open on the following days and times:
- Monday 29 November to Thursday 23 December: 8am to 4pm
Reception will be closed for the Christmas and New Year break, reopening on Tuesday 4 January 2022 at 8am.
Youth Forum 2022
Voices of Groom, a local non-political, non-partisan group, are holding a Youth Forum in January 2022. This Forum will be a visioning process for the electorate of Groom that will map out the future as our young people see it. It is hoped the event will empower young people to make their voice heard in our region. If you’re interested in participating, tap on the link below.
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Boarding
Boarding News
Hello to our Boarding Families! Well, it’s a wrap. The year is over and your children will all be enjoying the comforts of home. We have had a great year and our final Presentation Evening was a huge success for our Boarders. Congratulations to all who received awards.
It has been an absolute pleasure to be looking after your children throughout 2021. They bring much joy into our lives.
Stay safe and look after each other. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all from Giabal and Temme Boarding. May the good Lord watch over you and your family. We look forward to seeing you all in 2022.
Mrs Maureen Taurima
Girls' Houseparent