The Week Ahead - Term 4, Week 4
Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2021
From the Head of College
Dear Parents and Caregivers
I had the wonderful opportunity and experience, with Pastor Thomas, to do an overnight visit to Googa to touch base with our Year 9 students and the camp staff who have been entrusted to look after them.
I have come away from this experience feeling very affirmed and proud of these young people, as they confidently showed us around their surrounds as well as welcoming us to be part of their hiking experience the next day. The Googa staff also commented on their maturity, care for one another and the grit displayed by everyone one of them.
Thank you to those staff who have made their way out to Googa to be part of this memory making experience with these students. The regular attendance of different staff at Googa was also commented on so positively by the Googa staff.
This past Monday our Year 11 Captains, who have stepped up into their new leadership roles for 2021/22, introduced themselves in a variety of ways at Assembly and set the tone for what they will bring to their respective roles. These students need to be commended and congratulated on the energy, humour and confidence as well as the time and preparation which they brought to their introductory Assembly. Concordia is in excellent hands for the next season of school life and learning in 2022 – well done to all these students!
It was wonderful to host over 120 grandparents on our Warwick Street Campus today. I hope that you enjoyed your visit back to school and all the special activities and treats prepared for you by the children. Thank you to Mrs Jackie Minnikin and her staff for the planning and preparation which went into making the morning such a huge success.
We wish our Year 12 students all the best as they begin with the Year 12 External Assessments this week. This external assessment cycle will run for the next three weeks. Please keep these students in your daily prayers as they give an account of their learning. Thank you to Ms Bowen and the team of Senior College staff who have supported her as they have crossed their “T's” and dotted there “I's” to ensure that this process runs smoothly for these learners.
The Junior College has two significant community events happening next week as they celebrate every student’s creative skills by showcasing their visual art talents at the annual Junior College Art Show next week on Friday. The Junior College students will also be part of a special Assembly next week on Thursday, as we acknowledge their contribution to the “Christmas for the Bush” initiative with a special service at the Stephen Street Chapel. I look forward to seeing many family members and friends at these respective events.
Wishing everyone a safe weekend and great start to the new week on Monday.
Yours in Christ,
Mr Anton Prinsloo
Head of College
Quote of the Week: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” [Mother Teresa]
From the College Pastor
One College
It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon last weekend as a group of parents and students from our three campuses gathered at the South Toowoomba Bowls Club for a social afternoon. After being greeted by the friendly faces of Lisa and Dorothy, the tireless organisers from SSC Parent Connect, and admitted into the club, it was time for a drink and then onto the bowling green.
As the afternoon progressed you could spot people of all ages from Preppies to grandparents rolling the ball across the green – some games becoming quite competitive between Dad and kids! Wonderful food and drink provided sustenance for the afternoon and there was much interaction across family groups and some great building of family ties between parents and children too. The afternoon concluded with a shared tea of yummy hamburgers – eating together has been a community building activity from earliest times.
A big thank you to the organisers for this opportunity to connect across our campuses. I enjoyed getting to know some families a little better – already making a difference when the Year 6 students turned up for Orientation Day at SSC on Monday morning.
We are one College and it is encouraging to see these opportunities to build our connections and grow our community. In fact, this term brings quite a lot of opportunities to gather as community and celebrate together - be it for various end of year functions, celebrations of student achievements, carols or Christmas musical. I am sure we will see many of you at some of these events.
We believe that God has brought us together here and has given us the task to look out for one another and grow as we learn and play together. In Psalm 133 the poet reflects: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! I pray that we may be able to experience that togetherness and support in the Concordia community.
Have a blessed week.
Pastor Thomas Böhmert
College Pastor
Community News
Concordia Archives
We are seeking an archiving enthusiast who is interested in volunteering to assist with our current archive.
We are looking for someone who would be able to volunteer 2-3 hours per week, fortnight or month! The position would involve working closely with our Teacher Librarian to maintain the existing archive, archive new items and respond to enquiries. If you are interested in helping out and intermediate computer skills, please contact Lynda or Heidi on 4688 2700 or contact employment@concordia.qld.edu.au.
Project Based Learning at Concordia
Junior College
Junior College Art Show - Friday 29 October
Junior College Music Showcase - Friday 12 November
Parents of Years 3-6 students have been emailed detailed information regarding the Music Showcase and are requested to acknowledge your child's attendance via Parent Lounge > Events & Payments > Junior College Yr 3-6 Music Showcase 2021.
Please to register your attendance. Thank you
JC Inter-House Swimming Carnival - 11 November
We are now seeking nominations from students to compete in the Junior College Inter-House Swimming Carnival on Thursday 11 November at the Concordia Aquatic Centre, SSC.
This carnival is an optional event for the 8 year old students in Year 2. If you have a child in Year 2 who is 8 years old, they are eligible to participate in the carnival.
How to Nominate
If you would like your child to compete in the 2021 JC Inter-House Swimming Carnival, please click on the link below, select the events for nomination, then submit the Nomination Form before Monday 25 October 2021.
Please submit a separate nomination form for each eligible child participating.
Should you have any further queries, please contact Mr Darryl Fry at darryl.fry@concordia.qld.edu.au
JC Year 5 St Helena Island Excursion
We can now confirm the new date for the JC Year 5 St Helena Island Excursion will be on Thursday 4 November 2021.
As part of our Humanities and Social Sciences Curriculum, we have organised an excursion to St Helena Island for our Year 5 students to develop their knowledge and understanding of prison life experiences. Please click on the for more information.
JC Dress as a Farmer Day - 27 October
Outside School Hours Care
Hume Street Campus
From the Director
We are looking forward to the coming week with our Christmas for the Bush service and our JC Art Show. Details of both are in the flyers in this The Week Ahead and in the HSC The Week Ahead table below.
All parents are welcome to attend our Christmas for the Bush service this year and it is taking a slightly different theme … can’t say too much at this point except to say no mission is impossible! If you have not contributed to this Service-Learning Project yet, you are more than welcome to bring your goods in by Wednesday or support monetarily on Wednesday when the students are encouraged to dress like a farmer and bring a gold coin.
We are super excited to have the return of our Art Show this year. For a taster, see the Â鶹´«Ă˝ (Official) Facebook post where Quade interviews our students about their artwork and check out the Concordia Cow, Moondrian. We look forward to seeing many of you at the opening Friday evening.
Friday 29 October is World Teachers’ Day. I would love to encourage you and your child/ren to write to your classroom teachers thanking them for everything they do. We are very blessed at Concordia to have such dedicated and caring teachers and it is wonderful to recognise them.
to view HSC's Events for Term 4, Week 4.
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy time together.
Mrs Juanetta Priest
Director of Campus
HSC Tuckshop Orders
At HSC, tuckshop is held on a Thursday. All orders are to be completed online at by 3pm each Wednesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Thursday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order.
Please note: This will be the last tuckshop for the year.
Parent Connect Meeting - 29 October
Our next Parent Connect meeting is on Friday 29 October at 1.30pm. Please find below the Zoom meeting details if you want to attend but can't come in.
We look forward to meeting together next Friday.
Topic: HSC Parent Connect Zoom
Time: Aug 27, 2021, 1:30pm Brisbane
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 717 5105 2205
Passcode: wDqr7m
HSC Movie Night - New Date - 5 November
On Friday 5 November 2021 the Hume Street Campus will be holding a movie night from 5.30pm. The movie, The Secret Life of Pets 2, will be screening from 6pm with food and refreshments available.
For more information please see the flyer below. To register your attendance please .
HSC Years 3 to 6 Swimming Lessons
On Friday 15 October, students from Years 3 to 6 will commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in eight lessons over Term 4. for the swimming timetable.
Please ensure that students have the following:
- Dressing gown - this is great for the students to wear to and from the pool as we don't know what the weather is going to be like;
- Thongs
- Swimming togs - it would be great for Years 5 & 6 to wear their togs to school as they will be leaving straight after assembly on Fridays
- Goggles
- House swimming cap
- Towel
To avoid any lost items, please clearly label all of your child's items including their shoes, underwear and uniform.
HSC Colour Explosion Fun Run - 15 November
We will be running our Colour Explosion Fun Run on Monday 15 November. We will be having the GYG meal deal that was organised for Term 1. A note will come home next week for you to check the order. Please contact Carolyn Lynch at Campus Reception if you need any changes or to order the meal deal.
Warwick Street Campus
From the WSC Director
“God couldn’t be everywhere so he made Grandparents”. This was the message presented to our grandparents today at Warwick Street Campus. Grandparents' Day is always an opportunity for all of our grandparents to have a glimpse of a day in the life of our students.
This year at WSC, our grandparents were treated to a morning of activities where they wandered between art activities, sport activities and activities that involved science and technology. Some of our grandparents were put way out of their comfort zones as they coded spheros to do some painting!
The morning ended with a choir performance from both our senior and junior choirs as well as a performance from our Year 5 band. These performances were followed by Chapel led by Pastor Thomas and then morning tea.
A big thank you must go to our parent volunteers who assisted in setting up and serving our morning tea, and to the staff who provided such amazing activities for our grandparents.
Last night I met with some of the members of our WSC Parent Connect group. Our Parent Connect has worked tirelessly this year to continue to build a sense of community at WSC, as well as raise some funds along the way. This year they have run a chocolate drive, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Stalls as well as hosted one of our wine and cheese evenings, just to name a few. Thank you to all who have been involved in these events. If you aren’t already aware, our Parent Connect group has a Facebook page. If you aren’t a member of this group yet, we would love you to join us so we can keep you up to date with all of the things that are happening. Stay tuned for some exciting events that will be happening next year!
Blessings for the week ahead
to view WSC's Events for Term 4, Week 4.
Mrs Jackie Minnikin
Director of Campus
WSC Tuckshop Orders
At WSC, Tuckshop is held on a Wednesday. All orders are to be completed online at by 3pm each Tuesday. Please notify Reception by 9am on Wednesday if your child is absent and we will cancel their order. Tuckshop will finish in week 7.
Please note: There will be NO tuckshop on Thursday 11 November. Instead, there will be a meal deal for all students.
WSC Years 3 to 6 Swimming Lessons
Students from Years 3 to 6 have commence their swimming lessons at the Concordia Aquatic Centre. Each of these classes will participate in ten lessons over Term 4. for the swimming timetable.
Please ensure that students have the following:
- Swimming togs
- Goggles
- House swimming cap
- Towel
To avoid any lost items, please clearly label all of your child's items including their shoes, underwear and uniform.
Stephen Street Campus
BYOD Information 2022
Â鶹´«Ă˝ has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program for students in Years 7 to 12.
Under the BYOD program, all students are required to bring their own device for use in all classes. We recommend that if your student (current or starting Year 7 in 2022) requires a new device, to start the process sooner rather than later.
The has been created to explain how the program operates, set out expectations of parents and students and provide information about device minimum specifications. This handbook is available in Parent Lounge (School Links > Stephen Street Campus) and on the College's website.
Free Elevate Webinars for Term 4
From the Mathematics Department
What an exciting year it has been for Mathematics!
Years 7 to 10 students were excited to hear the Australian Mathematics Competition results have been finalised. Students are anxiously anticipating their developments which will be provided with their certificates once received. In addition, 28 students participated with 1 High Distinction, 4 Distinctions, 13 Credits, 7 Proficiency and 3 participation awards will be handed out at a later Assembly.
Year 11s have started their final journey with Unit 3. The Specialist Mathematics students will be getting their first assignment for Year 12 next week. Year 10s have investigated probability this term exploring the likelihood of events. We played some games to test these probabilities.
Good luck to our Year 12 students who are starting their final exams today. May your preparation be awarded with great success.
Mrs Karin McKenzie
HOD - Mathematics
Concordia’s New Arbour
In the year of Concordia’s 75th Anniversary, we have been very lucky to have had an intricate and beautiful arbour designed, built and positioned in our flourishing Pear Shaped Garden in front of Redlands Building. The 2021 Student Council funded the costs of the arbour and the College is most thankful for the council’s gift.
Mr Geoff Becker, a Design Tech expert here at the College, is the man behind the metallic beauty. He looked over some of our archived photographs which showed what the original Concordia arbour looked like. He then did a concept sketch, loosely based on the photos. Mr Jason Smith, Director of Campus, and Ms Leah Parker, who oversaw the 2021 Student Council, also had input regarding the design.
The frame of the arbour is all steel, with the scroll work being produced using a manual scrolling jig which we have in our very own metal work room. The white powder coating was done across the road by Downs Powder Coating.
Mr Becker took around two and a half months to build our College’s new arbour, mostly between classes and in his own time. We are very appreciative for the contribution of his time and his talents.
Our new Concordia arbour was erected by Mr Geoff Becker and Mr James Bishop (HOD Technology) in the Pear Shaped Garden just in time for Concordia’s 75th Anniversary. The plan for the future might be to grow some lovely vines on the arbour.
We know that this exquisite structure will stand the test of time and be something to admire for years to come.
Boarding
Boarding News
Another successful week has been ticked of the College calendar!
All our students had a great week last week with plenty to do outside the classroom with a PCYC/SWIN afternoon at the Jack Martin Centre where all our juniors joined in and participated in various games. Our boys impressed everyone with their basketball skills. Our girls were very fast off the mark with the field events. A great afternoon had by all which was topped off with a barbecue tea. New friendships form with many students from others local boarding schools.
The big day was our trip to Movie World. Did they enjoy themselves ? Yes, they certainly did! Ride, after ride, after ride. I felt dizzy just sitting with all the gear. Sideshows and cartoon characters, movie stars and Grease dancers. Bat Girl, Superman and Wonder Woman. Even Marilyn Monroe came out for a cruise around the park - some student thought she was Dolly Parton (not to mention any names... Jack Bolam!). Big thanks to Patrick Malone who supplied our bottomless cup for the day. Our girls enjoyed some souvenir shopping and getting their hair done. A quick stop on our way back for ice cream and a frozen drink at McDonalds. Thank you to the kitchen staff for the packed lunches and drinks.
Boarding Orientation Day was on Sunday and again thank you to all those who helped out making the boys feel welcome. All students and guests enjoy the barbecue brunch. After lunch Mr Rudd gave the boys a guided tour of Toowoomba and a quick trip to McDonalds on the way back. All boys appeared to really enjoy their stay. We are looking forward their return in 2022.
Hope you all enjoy our photos in the gallery below.
Take care and travel safe!
Mrs Maureen Taurima
Girls' Houseparent