Toowoomba Catholic Schools Excellence Awards

Last Thursday evening we were proud to have 3 finalists in the TCS Excellence Awards, recognising the elite staff in our Diocese. The intent of the awards is to recognise members of the TCS community who create exemplary places of learning where every student experiences academic success and experiences the loving presence of Jesus.  We are very proud of the following amazing ladies who consistently go above and beyond in implementing highly effective teaching practices which enables amazing learning environments for their students.

Mrs Sandy Gleeson – Finalist – Expert Primary Teacher

Mrs Bronwyn McArthur – Winner – Expert Secondary Teacher

Mrs Melissa Irwin – Winner – Excellence in Leadership, Middle Leadership

Quadrennial School Review

Our review this week has been extremely well attended by parents, staff, community members and students all sharing their thoughts on what the College does well, and in what areas it can improve.  The feedback I have received has been considerably positive, with consistency in the areas for improvement which will be presented to staff this afternoon and then finalised in a report which we will communicate in the coming weeks.  The strength of this review is that it is not just about feedback – it underpins the next OLSCC Strategic Plan which will be implemented over the next 4 years.  A massive thanks to everyone who came and talked to the panel.  I know it is difficult to be honest and give feedback, although it is this feedback which will see our College continue to improve for the benefit of our kids. Likewise I would like to recognise the progressive leadership of our Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools in supporting our College through this process.  It is highly professional leadership such as this which makes our leadership team accountable to our community and students, just they way it should be. 

Preparedness for ATAR

Our Year 11/12 teachers have spent the majority of the past 2 years preparing for the implementation of the new Queensland QCE system, as well as all new syllabus for senior subjects.  Alongside this, they have spent all year teaching 2 syllabus versions / subjects in the same room throughout this transition.  On top of this challenge, they have recently completed their draft assessments to go for endorsement at the QCAA in coming weeks.  These assessments will the first 2 assessments for each Year 12 subject in 2020, and the quality assurance of these assessments ensures that our students are assessed in a consistent manner to the rest of the state, which is one of the strengths of the new system.  Although everyone knows what a tough job teaching is, I would like to publicly thank these teachers for their commitment to this transition and all the extra time, effort and energy they have invested for the benefit of our students.

Dalby Eisteddfod – Speech and Drama

I have been fortunate enough to witness some outstanding performances this morning from OLSCC, as well as Dalby South State School and St Francis De Sales (Clifton).  There is simply nothing better than seeing children presenting high quality performances in any domain, especially in front of such a huge audience of family and friends.  Well done everyone, we hope to share plenty of videos and photos on Facebook over the coming days, though here is a taste tester for you!

TCS Leadership Forum

Mrs Brennan will be the officer in charge at OLSCC for all of next week as I will be in attendance at the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Leadership Forum in St George with all other Principals from the Diocese.  Some key topics I will be learning about and bringing back to the College include:

• Instructional leadership
• New student information management systems
• Update of direction for Teaching and Learning, HR, Finance and Facilities
• Working with other Principals regarding current areas for improvement in the Diocese
• Personal Leadership formation and reflection
• Current curriculum priorities
• Carrers counselling strategy
• Suicide intervention strategy
• And much, much more.

Although this takes a lot of time away from College, the knowledge and insight gained from such forums enable our College to continue its progression and improvement, and keep us on the front foot of current research and practice.

Peter Cuskelly

Principal