It is Enrolment Season NOW!

OLSCC has many year levels that are rather full, many with waiting lists and quite simply, we cannot take all the enrolments that we are currently receiving.

For the 2026 school year, I will make decisions on the staffing structure for the College based on the enrolment date when applications close on MAY 5. 

Last year we turned away 20 Year 7 students because they were simply far too late to apply for a position at the College, and we can’t staff the College strategically based on enrolments that we receive at the last minute. 

We are not a state school, aren’t funded in the same way as a state school and must make significant financial decisions regarding staffing much earlier in order to strategically staff the College to continue providing the wholistic education we provide for each and every student.  

Tell your friends at sport or dance – May 5 if you want to be considered for a spot in a year level, or on the waiting list for 2026. 

It is my intention to have all of the Early Years with three classes per year level for next year, as well as Years 7 and 9. 

We currently have zero spaces for Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 for next year, so the only way we can create space is for families to get their completed enrolment application submitted by May 5 2025.  

By doing so, I can assess whether the interest presently justifies the expansion to another class in these year levels.

Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

Last Monday evening we had a remarkably successful Annual General Meeting with 14 face to face attendees, 3 online attendees and a few were eager to be involved, though were unable to attend on the evening. It is wonderful to be able to share that we have plenty of people on board to continue the legacy of so many amazing people that have volunteered their time on the P&F and FACE Committees before them. Due to this we will continue with Book Club, Fundraisers, Saints Race Day, Christmas Carols BBQ, as well as add some other exciting events and opportunities for our community along the way.

I would very sincerely like thank Kaitlin Machin and Kate Cullen for the last 2 years as the Inaugral President and Vice President of FACE. The work they have done has been exemplary, and with only a small team working alongside them, it’s been a hard slog to keep everything running along smoothly. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Hailey Wex and Rachel Thompson for their recent roles as Secretary and Fundraising Co-ordinator. These ladies have also made significant contributions to the organisation. Thank you all for your service and support for the College.

I would like to congratulate and welcome the following to the OLSCC FACE Team 2025:

Executive:

•  President – Alicia Karlish

•  Vice President – Damen Lowrie

•  Secretary – Veronica Wall

•  Treasurer – Sarah Hall (Business Manager)

•  Principal – Pete Cuskelly

Working Parties:

•  Social Media – Jade Hubner

•  Fundraising

Pie Drive – Veronica Wall

Book Club – Jo Bremner, Kylie Quirk, Jo Robinson

•  Parent Engagement

Social – Jo Cuskelly

Carols BBQ – Cindy Fraser & Melinda Commens

Art Show – Melinda Commens

•  Saints Race Day – Nicole Horchner

Alicia Karlish – Raffles, Auction Prizes and Sponsorship

•  Head Heart Hands – Rebecca Martin & Nicole Bryers

Melinda Commens, Rachelle Ryan, Julie Symonds

•  Grant Writer – Elissa Lucas

•  Photography – Rachel Thompson

•  Assistance Floaters – Kaitlin Machin & Kate Cullen

Jade Hubner, Rachelle Ryan, Nicole Bryers, Jo Cuskelly, Laura Leahy, Jo Robinson, Hamey Hayllor, Julie Symonds

There will be plenty of updates as we progress our new committee, so please follow OLSCC Family & Community Engagement – FACE on Facebook to keep up to date. There are a few things that will be kicking into gear very quickly, so please get on board (this is especially important for those who like their pies).

Lunchtime Play

Last week at Whole College Assembly, all students were reminded about the difference between play and sport. We are a very proud sporting College that consistently performs significantly better than other schools with similar enrolments. We have a great sporting program, and engaging in participation and competition-based sport is a very important part of Growing Great People – which is what we do here.

Sport is structured, coached, line marked, refereed to a specific standard, and has a focus on winning. Sport is good. It teaches us how to perform when required, to work together as a team, to strive for success, to support one another, to be humble in defeat, and to be a good loser. Like a cake, you need all these ingredients to make a good sport. If you forget good sportsmanship, the cake will end up in the bin. 

At lunchtime play, we do not play sport. We play games. Games aren’t played for competition at OLSCC – they are played for fun. It is not about winning and losing, its about knocking around with your mates. There is no contact, other than a subtle touch in touch football or an incidental brush in soccer. We have far too many students who take the competition of sport and misplace it in games.

Please ensure your child is very aware of this, as reinforced at College Assembly. At OLSCC, there is no “tackling” in soccer, and there is no such thing as “two handed touches”. As demonstrated to students at Assembly, (and sorry Braithen), two handed touch is only initiated because people either are not very good at touch so want to change the rules, or there is intent to push others in a manner not appropriate to lunchtime play. Students and staff are very aware that if there is tackling (kicking other people’s legs intentionally), or slide tackling (same but on the ground) in soccer, the game will immediately be stopped and not allowed to continue for several days with those students. The same will occur for any student engaging in “two handed touch” or “1-2-3 held”.

We have far too many incidents coming out of made-up rules because students are trying to compete in games. We are very blessed in Dalby with fantastic access to sports of all kinds – if your kids need more sport, please ensure they sign up locally or at the College and make the most of it. 

At school lunchtime play, we only play games. Games are fun for everyone and non-competitive. If students cannot play appropriately at lunchtime, they will lose access to the playspaces where the problems are occurring.  

Formal

The dresses are purchased, hair is being done, and some cool cars are getting polished up in preparation for tonight’s Year 12 Formal. This is a wonderful evening for Year 12 students, their partners, and their parents as they celebrate the beginning of their transition from school student to independent adult. Please feel free to come along and watch the student arrivals from 5:30pm at the Dalby Events Centre at the Showgrounds! It promises to be an amazing night for involved. A special thanks, yet again, to all our staff who volunteer their time to make wonderful events such as these for our students.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN continues to be done remarkably well at OLSCC. Despite the hype and dislike propagated through the media, NAPLAN is the only way that a school can ascertain how well they are delivering the Australian Curriculum in direct comparison to all other schools in the nation. Despite popular belief, it assesses students on their knowledge and application of the Year 2, 4, 6 or 8 curriculums, not the year level they are in. The challenges faced by other schools is that they either see it as a leagues table of judgement and place far too much pressure on students and teachers, or they simply don’t engage and undertake the testing seriously. While the first method gets “better results”, it showcases educational culture where pastoral care is of no concern. Conversely, not creating the opportunity for students to demonstrate their capability, only reinforces a weak educational culture where playing NAPLAN off as “useless” only hides poor academic delivery.

At OLSCC, “what we do, we do well”. This is a mantra that underpins everything we do. So, when we do NAPLAN, we do it well. Out of the 219 students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9, we only had 1 medical exemption and 1 parent withdrawal. If we operated at the State average, we would have 21 students being withdrawn or exempt. Only 1 test was “caught up” outside of the scheduled 4 days of testing. More importantly, the students knew what they were doing, had very little (if any) anxiety regarding the test or its purpose, and they gave the test a fair go. Of course, we have kids who rushed through the test, some drifted off into a daydream every now and then, but across the board it was approached very well by students. I attended almost all sessions, and it is difficult to determine how it could have been done better. 

I am extremely proud of our participation rates, the professionalism of staff throughout this period, the mindset with which this is undertaken by staff and students, and no doubt, the results we will receive when the marking and data collation is complete. Well done to all students for doing their best, as well as Mrs Brennan and her excellent team of test administrators, supervisors, and support staff. 

Staff Updates

I will be accessing Long Service Leave for the last week of Term 1 as well as the first 2 weeks of Term 2 as my family and I head to the UK to visit family. No doubt I will be far more appreciative of our beautiful climate in Queensland upon my return, though we cannot wait to refill our bucket by spending quality time with family and friends in person. While technology is a wonderful thing, it’s very different to sitting down with a cup of tea and catching up properly. In my absence Cate Brennan will be Acting Principal, Rodney Spain will be Acting Deputy Principal Mission and Identity, and Tim Lincoln will be Acting Assistant Principal Senior Years as well as maintaining his role of Middle Leader Sport. I would like to thank these staff for their willingness to apply for and accept the responsibility as well as challenge their professional growth and stepping out of their comfort zone.

Its important to note that while many aspects of teaching loads for these staff will remain consistent for the continuity of learning for the students, the leadership components of sector, curriculum, religious life of the College and administration of the College will be genuinely transitioned. This most significantly impacts parents, students and staff in the senior years who will now have Mr Lincoln as their primary support person. If you or your child are unsure at any stage who they should be seeking for further support, please contact the College Office and you will be assisted in the right direction. For your child, we have a very caring and considerate staff here at OLSCC, so please encourage them to simply ask any staff for guidance.

Mr Garside is jetsetting overseas for his long service leave throughout Europe for Term 2. While his teaching load will be covered through the termly timetable restructures, we won’t have the fortune of having Mr Garside all day every day for his work as a Career Development Practitioner. We are blessed to have Mrs Jacqui McIlroy from St Ursula’s College come to support every Monday regarding careers, working alongside Mrs Tracey Boland to continue the support of our students. She may also visit the College or be available on Teams based on needs of students. As always, if you, your child, or your family need any support regarding teams, please feel free to contact the office and we will ensure you receive the support you require.

Mr Cross will be making his return to Yellow Block in Term 2 after having a term of Long Service Leave supporting his family. We welcome Mr Cross back with open arms!

As a result of this, as well as other staffing changes for Term 2, timetable changes will occur. Please ensure your child checks their timetable for updates on Sentral and reprints their timetable for their laptop bag if required. Sector Assistant Principals will be sending more details to specific classes that are impacted, if not already sent.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal