16th October 2015

Principal: Mr David Finch Acting Deputy Principal - Curriculum/Admin: Mr Ian Margetts Assistant Principal - Mission: Mr Paul MacCallum Acting Head of Residential: Ms Jenny Rossiter Business Manager: Mr David Osborne Office Manager: Mrs Sue Wegert

Mr David Finch

Dear Parents and Carers

Important News to Announce:

Mount St Bernard College Scholarships & Bursaries

With the wonderful support of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, Mount St Bernard College will be offering a range of scholarship options to students and families for 2016. Scholarships will be offered to new students and existing students in a range of categories.

● Colleen & Frank Sims Scholarship – bursary award ● Sr Mary McHugh General Excellence – entry level Year 6 and 7 ● Sr Pam Murray Performing Arts Scholarship – excellence in music/drama/sport/art ● Academic Scholarship – for external student currently in Year 6 ● Principal’s General Excellence Scholarship – senior school entry. (Year 9/10)

The following criteria for scholarship applications are listed below;

Scholarship application and selection occurs each year (usually Term 3). Please note with the exception of this year – they are open now.

Applications are made via the link on the school website: www.msb.qld.edu.au or via the school office by telephoning Ph: 07 - 4096 1444 or emailing: office@msb.qld.edu.au

Scholarships may be offered to successful candidates for full remission of tuition fees only (excludes levy’s) for their child

Current students are eligible to apply for scholarships in certain criteria.

The decision to award a scholarship is entirely at the Principal’s discretion.

Names of scholarship holders will be published in school newsletters and on the website.

Scholarships will be offered on the basis of an application form, previous school reports, other references, supporting documents and interview and a reference from clergy if applicable.

All bursaries are reviewed annually.

Scholarships are offered to external students in last year of primary school and in their current Year 9 year.

The award or continuation of a scholarship/bursary is subject to satisfactory performance, effort and behaviour.

If you would like further information please refer to the link on our website or call me at the college.

Year 11 Expedition and AFL Bamaga Trip Good luck to all the Year 11 students who have headed off on their adventure this week and the students involved in our first AFL trip to Bamaga. Both trips provide a great opportunity for our students and I wish them a safe and rewarding trip. Thanks also to the staff who are participating and the work and preparation they have committed to ensure these events become a reality. We will have a report and some photos in our next newsletter.

Transition House The refurbishment of the Transition House is well underway and should be completed by the end of November. Our new Transition Coordinator Mrs Flo Cornish will provide a comprehensive report in an upcoming newsletter on its purpose and operation. With best wishes David Finch College Principal

Photos : Students and staff attending AFL Chris Johnson & Angie Nadredre AFL Cup in Bamaga.

PrinciPal’s leadershiP Framework working Party meet at msB on 10th sePt

Assistant Principal—Mission

Mr Paul MacCallum

Dear Parents/Carers,

Christmas is approaching - Term 4 in any school or college is a busy time of the year - assessment, end

of year activities, planning for the following year and not forgetting that it is the shortest term of the

school year. For Year 12 students any feelings of stress and anxiety can be compounded by the fact

that it is also their final term of secondary education—it’s not the be-all and end-all of their education

but certainly a time that can make a big difference in what they would like to achieve beyond their

high school years.

In Catholic schools and colleges, Term 4 is also a time for staff and students to ponder once again the approaching

Christmas season. The Christmas season can bring mixed messages. It can be seen by some as a reminder of the

starkness and bitterness of their own lives. The shop fronts, the cards, the presents, the lovely coming together on

Christmas Day and the media portrayal of “a time for families” can mean a lonely time for some, particularly the

homeless, the down and out and those in desperate financial situations. All of this can point to a message that families

are important, that friends to whom we can give and receive presents are important, that the ability to spend is

important , and that a settled background is important. These are all certainly blessings. However, they don’t cut as

deeply as the blessing of the Christmas stories of Jesus which some up the whole “Good News” Gospel. The Good News

they speak of address our deepest questions about the meaning of our lives and world. They speak of a God who loves us

in the hardest and most lonely places of our lives. They are about the love of God in a broken world and invite us to

follow Jesus to the lonely places and people of our world.

Christmas Child Appeal - in keeping with this deep meaning of the Christmas season, students, staff and families are

invited to contribute to the Social Justice Committee appeal, Christmas Child Appeal . Members of the committee are

collecting items in the coming weeks suitable for gift giving to children of the Atherton Tableland area. Each Home Form

will be issued a box in which gifts can be placed, suitable for children. This appeal will be presented to the Women’s

Shelter in Atherton at the end of November for distribution.

Inappropriate Mobile Phone Use By Students - could all parents/carers be mindful that students are not permitted to be

using personal electronic devices (including mobile phones, ipads, ipods, music players, etc) during the school day. Items

such as these are confiscated if found to be used at the wrong time for the wrong reason. Devices, such as mobile

phones, capable of sending/receiving messages and/or notifications are banned during school hours. They should be

switched off or on silent and only checked or used with staff permission or knowledge. In cases where devices are

actively used to harass or bully other students, further serious consequences will apply. In necessary cases, Qld Police are

informed of inappropriate use of devices and social media. Parents needing to urgently contact students during school

hours are asked to do so by ringing Student Reception. In cases of repeat offences, devices will be confiscated and

returned at the end of the day or week depending on the context. Parents will be notified in all cases.

Blessings for the fortnight ahead,

Paul MacCallum

Assistant Principal - Mission

Acting Deputy Principal—Curriculum & Admin

Welcome to Term 4 – a busy and important term for students to achieve the best result they can at the

end of the year. As I mentioned to students at assembly, like the NQ Cowboys in the NRL Grand Final

recently – they must push to the very end to achieve the greatest success!

Year 9 & 10 Elective Choices for 2016 – these will occur next week. Students will chose two elective lines

to study in addition to their core subjects. The majority of these are a semester’s duration and are

designed so that students can explore areas of technology, sport and the arts that they are interested in as well as gain

some knowledge in preparation for their senior studies.

Students in Years 7-10 will undertake Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) in the coming weeks. The PAT tests are an

Australian, nationally normed series of tests designed to provide objective information to teachers about their students’

current strengths and weaknesses. This information will then assist in the planning for 2016.

Presentation Evening is coming up on Friday 30th October. This night provides the opportunity for students’, staff ,

parents and carers to gather together as a community to celebrate our students’ growth and achievements.

Mr Ian Margetts

Mr Ian Margetts

Last term a group of students, ranging from year 7 to 12, were treated to a day of viewing arts, crafts, dances and other

performances at the annual Indigenous Arts Fair in Cairns. The tour started at the Cairns Regional Art Gallery where we

were guided through two levels of amazing art displays. We were instantly impressed by an incredible 5metre long lino

print by Alick Tipoti and a group of huge, shield-sized masks. Fortunately, we were able to take photos-see below. There

were many more impressive pieces of art and craft at the Cairns Cruise Terminal, as

well as a stage where performers danced and sang. Students thoroughly

enjoyed the time to sit under the fig trees watching and listening to the talent that

had come from near and far. Many students came home inspired with the

knowledge that, they too, could have their own art or performing talents on

display in years to come. By Traylea Sexton - Art Teacher

Indigenous Arts Fair - Cairns 2015

Jenny Rossiter Head of Boarding

(Acting)

We were lucky last week to have an amazing dance and theatre production troupe land on our

doorstep. Phunktional Ltd, VPG and TSAS linked together to bring a series of free dance

workshops and a live play to Herberton. The Yumpla Project’s journey sees them coming to

rural and remote communities to engage young people through the arts leading to positive health

and well-being outcomes. Some people may be a little surprised by the statistics presented below.

Not only did students learn the messages around safe use of social media and the internet, they

also got to learn some new skills and see how with just a few props and some imagination a story

can unfold before the audience.

Our students were excellent audience members and were complimented on their orderly movement as a whole group

“Your staff and students were an absolute pleasure to work with ...

... a wonderful community to be engaged in such

activities with. “ Phunktional Ltd

Ignite Conference 2015 Over the holidays 7 students had the privilege of traveling to Brisbane to attend the Ignite Conference. Ignite is a Catholic youth conference held every year aimed at presenting the gospel message in an engaging and dynamic way. The event was held over 4 days and was made up of a broad range of sessions and experiences such as; concert style praise and worship music, powerful keynote speakers from around the world, workshops covering a range of different topics, the Holy Mass attended by 1,700 people, Eucharistic adoration and reconciliation, even a halfpipe and rock climbing wall. The only thing they didn’t have was time to sleep!

At first it was an overwhelming experience. It’s not everyday that we are surrounded by a sea of young people all eager to worship together and express their Catholic faith with such excitement and joy. It was as though we were at a Grand Final and everyone was the winner, all shouting chants of victory; “there ain’t no party like the Catholic party cause the Catholic party don’t stop!” It was in a way quite strange! Yet in another way it was obvious that among these young people was a knowledge that God was a reality, and He loves each and every one of us and that assurance was the cause of the joy and wonder of Ignite. It was easy to get involved and catch the fever of ignite. Our students made new friends from all over Australia and saw that faith in God is something that is relevant and powerful in our personal lives. To top it all off we spent the last day at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast!

What a wonderful experience for all who attended. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask either Kasey, Basilio, Brock, Nathan, Tahlia, Mickayla or Thelma (all of whom are keen for next years ignite).

By Danny and Carla Shaw - MSB Youth workers

Work Experience at Midas

During Week 10 Term 3 I attended work experience at Midas

of Cairns.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and this has led me to

seeking work in this area once completing Year 12 this year.

My main jobs were to assist with the service and repairs of

vehicles.

I would like to thank Mrs Karen Heales - MSB

Careers and Guidance Counsellor and Mrs

Melissa Tressider – Project Officer from CES in

Cairns in obtaining this work experience and to

all staff at Midas Cairns.

By Dennis Messa - Year 12

Welcome back to Term Four everyone, I hope you have had a lovely break! As usual, the term is already

busy with excursions, an expedition, assignments and final submission of work from the Year 12s. So,

I’m beginning this Term’s newsletter with an overview of what each year level is studying:

Did you know?

Everything we do and consume has an impact on the environment. Land is cleared to grow plants and

animals; fish are caught in the sea; water is diverted for homes, businesses and farms; and most

transport is powered by non-renewable resources. An ecological footprint calculates the land area that

would be needed to sustain an individual (or town, company or country).

If you live in an industrialised country like Australia, you are likely to have an ecological footprint that is

much larger than a person who lives in a low-income country such as Cote d’Ivoire. The average

ecological footprint for all people on Earth is 2.18 hectares. The average Australian footprint is about

7.09 hectares. To enjoy a sustainable way of life, the population needs to stay within the Earth’s

carrying capacity, the average footprint should not be more than 1.89 hectares. As more countries

develop industries and improve their standard of living, clever responses will be needed to ensure that

everyone can enjoy a high standard of liveability.

7 Geography Rights and responsibilities & Place and liveability

8 Geography Changing nations & Australian citizenship

9 Geography Geographies of interconnections

10 Geography Wellbeing: trapped by conflict

11 / 12 Modern

History

Great person in History: Mahatma Gandhi

11 / 12 Legal

Studies

Human rights & International law

11 / 12 BCT Managing people

78.3 Excursion to Mareeba Cattle Saleyard,

Heritage Museum and Historical Society

On Tuesday 15th of September, class 78.3 visited the cattle saleyard at Mareeba on auction day. There were

over 1000 head of cattle up for sale. Mr Bernie from the stock squad guided us around the yards and told us

some very interesting information about how the auction takes place. We watched the auctioneers calling

out starting prices and the bidders signalling if they were interested. We were very excited to find cattle

with a Kowanyama branding, as well as meeting up with Miss Tess as we wandered around the shady but

smelly cattle pens. Cattle prices were quite high that day but there was a possibility of us buying a calf for

$10. The students were very keen to pool their money together to buy a 40 kg calf to take back to school! In

the end we put our money towards a lovely lunch at McDonalds.

Mrs Noelene Lep - Class teacher

On the 15th October, Monique David-Mosby, Annette Pearson, Matilda Warria, Stanley Williams, Justen Ederer, Julian Sesar and Siyesha Doug-las travelled to St Mary’s Catholic College in Cairns as graduates of QATSIF 2015.

With the assistance of QATSIF, we were able to pay for many small but significant items that contributed to our schooling, whether it was to help apply for our learner’s drivers licence, buying uniforms or shoes for school and even an extra formal ticket to help our families attend our formal.

It was an honour to attend and be a part of the QATSIF Graduation 2015. Without their help many opportunities would have been missed. By Siyesha Douglas—Year 12.

Below is an information article from QATSIF’s website;

The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation, known as QATSIF, is an independent public trust established to provide young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders with a secure funding source to assist students in their senior years of education.

Education is an important part of a solid foundation for employment and better quality of life; but it is a resource not easily accessed by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. QATSIF was established to give Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families increased educational choices and life opportunities. By providing financial support, QATSIF will help turn around inter-generational legacies of past policies and practices, and help 'close the gap' in educational and employment outcomes.

QATSIF's initial capital was created through the toil of previous

generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. This

capital has been invested by QATSIF's Trustee, the Public Trustee of

Queensland, and the annual interest provides an income stream for

scholarships and bursaries. In this way, the toil of previous generations

will directly benefit the generations that follow, and with additional fi-

nancial support from the wider community, QATSIF will be enabled to

stand as a permanent and positive legacy for the future.

Upcoming Events 2015

Mon 19th Oct Student Free Day - QCAA Verification Day

Wed 21st Oct MSB School Play - Mercy Hall @ 7pm (see details below)

Sat 24th Oct All Year 12’s - First Aid Course at MSB

Mon 26th Oct Year 9 - Earth Science Field Trip - Excursion

Fri 30th Oct Bandanna Day - CanTeen fundraiser for kids with cancer

Presentation Evening at 7pm in Main Hall MSB

By Patrick Rainville Dorn and Stephen Murray

Come and join us in Mercy Hall at 7pm Oct 21st (Wednesday Week 3) for this year’s school play.

The musical Tales of Terror from Nightmare High School is a comic parody of horror movies and urban legends.

Meeting in the empty school auditorium one stormy night, a group of adventurous high school students are on a mis-

sion to learn the identity of the enigmatic Locker Stalker. What begins as a half-hearted prank turns into a roller coaster

night of great tunes and laughter as each student is confronted by his or her nightmare...

All parents, friends and members of the MSB community are welcome to attend. Sarah Riber, Drama Teacher