As we approach the halfway point of the term (Wednesday Week 5 for P-9) may our focus remain on our learning to finish the year strongly.  Our Year 12’s have commenced external exams and assessments are being worked on in all areas of the school.

As time flies by towards the end of the year please mark these very important events on your calendar that will conclude our final weeks of the term.

Remembrance Day

Students will pause and commemorate Remembrance Day 11/11 at 11:00am with their classes. It is a day when we acknowledge and honour those who died or suffered while serving in wars, conflicts and peace operations.  This is the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 that ended fighting in World War 1. As part of our commemoration we will all observe one minutes silence on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month because that’s when the Armistice came into effect.

Blue Card Changes

The Queensland government has recently updated their requirements for Blue Cards.  The implementation of recent changes to the Blue Card system is governed by legislation and, as such, cannot be altered or delayed by individual organisations. These changes form part of a phased legislative reform under the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000, which commenced on 1 July 2025, with further provisions taking effect from 20 September 2025. The reforms aim to strengthen safeguards for children in Queensland.

Historically, parents volunteering in activities directly involving their own child have generally been exempt from holding a Blue Card. However, effective 20 September 2025, this exemption will no longer apply to certain types of volunteer activities. In these cases, parents will be required to hold a valid Blue Card that is linked to the relevant organisation. A Blue Card will now be required for parent volunteers participating in any of the following specified activities.

1. Activities not involving their own child

Example: Parents who volunteer exclusively in their own child’s classroom (e.g. assisting with reading groups) are not required to hold a Blue Card. However, if a parent is asked to support other classes or work individually with children outside their own child’s class (e.g. in the library), a Blue Card is required.

2. Overnight excursions or camps

Parents must hold a valid Blue Card to participate in any overnight excursion or camp, regardless of whether their own child is attending.

3. If their volunteering includes close personal contact with another child

A Blue Card is required if a parent’s volunteer role involves close personal contact with children other than their own.

Examples include:

• assisting a child with toileting
• helping young children change clothes (e.g. Prep students changing out of wet swimwear)
• volunteering in the uniform shop, or
• any other setting where close personal contact is necessary.

4. If the parent is a restricted person

A restricted person is a person who either

• has been issued a negative notice
• has a suspended Blue Card
• is a disqualified person
• has been charged with a disqualifying offence that has not been finalised, or
• is the subject of an adverse interstate Working with Children Check decision that is in effect.

If you have a family member, not a parent, who would like to volunteer they must have a valid Blue Card, have completed our Volunteer Induction and be approved by the College to be eligible to assist.  A more detailed letter regarding these changes will be email home next week with some example scenarios. 

Parent Portal access

If your child is graduating or leaving the College this year, your access to Parent Portal will conclude in 2025.  Please ensure you have downloaded relevant report cards before the end of 2025 to ensure you have access to these in the future.

Preparations for 2026

As part of our preparation for 2026 we are currently working on staffing, timetables and class lists for 2026. Preparing for a new school year whilst maintaining focus on our current year is a huge task and one that we take very seriously.

Over the next few weeks, we will

• Finalise student subject selections for Year 11 2026 (Week 4)
• Release and finalise student subject selections for electives Year 10 2026 (Week 5 & 6)
• Release and finalise student subject selections for electives Year 9 2026 (Week 5 & 6)
• Release and finalise student subject selections for Arts and Technology electives Year 8 2026 (Week 8)
• Release 2026 class lists (Week 6) to students and their families
• Semester 2 Report Cards on Parent Portal (Week 8)
• Release preliminary timetable to students (Week 9)
• Host UP Day Wednesday 3 December (Week 9)

 College Awards of Excellence

On Wednesday 19 November at 9:15am, we will host our 2026 College Awards of Excellence. All students receiving Awards at this event have been added to an activity on Sentral for Parents “2025 Awards of Excellence Recipients”, please check your Sentral for Parents to determine if your child/ren are receiving an award.  These students will attend the rehearsal on Tuesday 18 November in preparation for this event. All families are welcome to join us at the MPC for this event.  Students are asked to wear full formal uniform – sports uniform may be substituted to either Tuesday or Thursday to assist with uniform requirements This year we will have the blessing of our new fans in the MPC for this event; students may bring plastic water bottles to Awards if they need to stay hydrated. We ask that no metal water bottles are brought into the MPC as they can be very disruptive when moved around.

AWARD CRITERIA

SENIOR ACADEMIC – special senior and pathways

These categories focus on the Academic achievement in particular areas of focus and align with pathways of senior students.

These special awards encompass all that we aspire to provide at OLSCC, to grow great people. 

Events to Farewell our Year 12 students

Whole College Farewell

As part of our College Awards of Excellence we will farewell our Year 12 students.  This is the last whole school gathering of their education at the College. At the conclusion of the ceremony, they will exit via a guard of honour created by our students and families and ring the journey bell for the final time.

Graduation Mass

On Friday 21 November at 10:00am, we will celebrate our Year 12 Graduation Mass at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Cunningham Street.  Students in Year 10/11 will attend this Mass to support our graduating class.  Year 10 and 11 Students are asked to wear full formal uniform – sports uniform may be substituted to either Tuesday or Thursday to assist with uniform requirements. We will transport the Year 11/10 students via bus to the Church for this event.

Crutches

In our Senior Years we have several classrooms upstairs.  It is important for student safety that when students are on crutches, we relocate their classrooms to downstairs classrooms wherever possible.  If your child is in Year 9-12 or studying Drama in Year 7-8 and they have an injury that requires crutches, please let the College office know so we can make arrangements to move their classes downstairs for the duration of their recovery. Once they are off their crutches we will return their classrooms to their normal location.

Reconciliation

St Joseph’s Parish is now enrolling students from Year 2 and above in their Sacrament of First Reconciliation program. 

Mrs Cate Brennan

Deputy Principal Mission and Identity