Introducing ‘The Year of Renewal’

Townsville Catholic Education operates on a 5-year cycle for School Renewal and Improvement, involving all schools within the diocese. Currently, we are currently in our ‘Year of Renewal’, which means we will be going through a phase called Verification this year, followed by Validation early next year.

It is crucial for our school community to actively participate in this process because we always strive to meet the needs of our community and create the best possible learning environment. To this end, your input and contributions are highly valued.
We will provide several opportunities for you to be involved, including surveys, parent forums, and engagement through our School Board and parent community. These channels will allow everyone to have a voice in the process. This is the time when we will acknowledge and celebrate our successes while also identifying areas for improvement and setting goals for the next 5-year cycle.

Your active involvement and feedback will provide us with invaluable information to make informed decisions for our future. Together, we can create a better learning environment for all.

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 13 and 25 March 2024 - Yr 3 & Yr 5

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the second year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online
• All schools transitioned to NAPLAN online in 2022, as the online format improves NAPLAN.
• NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.
• One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better
suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.
• Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.
• Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.
• For more information about online assessment, visit the ‘Understanding online assessment’page of the NAP website.

Dear Parents/Carers,

The RACQ Community and Education Team will be delivering the RACQ Streets Ahead road safety lessons to Prep to Year 6 students (Thursday 8th February Term 1 Week 3).

If you would like to reinforce and extend your child’s learning of pedestrian, passenger and riding safety, you can access Resource Packs with different age-appropriate activities in each.  In addition to these packs, there are also four educational videos demonstrating the strategies taught for Prep – Year Two students.  These resources will assist you to continue teaching road safety, implementing the strategies your children will learn, and applying them to your everyday lives.

https://www.racq.com.au/streetsahead

Guidance Counsellor Introduction

Wadda Mooli!

I am excited to be continuing as the Guidance Counsellor at St Colman's School this year. I began work as a Guidance Counsellor for Townsville Catholic Education in 2013, after relocating to the Burdekin from Central Queensland.
Since then, I have worked across Burdekin Catholic High School and St Colman’s School, Home Hill.
Prior to receiving my Masters in Guidance and Counselling in 2011 I was a Secondary Teacher with Education Queensland.

Every school in the Townsville Catholic Education diocese is supported by a Guidance Counsellor as a part of the Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Services Team. Guidance Counsellors seek to support students in achieving appropriate educational outcomes, and this is accomplished by assisting students and staff in the removal of as many barriers as possible (academic, social, emotional, personal or behavioural barriers). Supporting students may involve meetings with teachers and/or parents, individual counselling, academic and behavioural assessments, or facilitating group programs. Referrals are completed by the classroom teacher in collaboration with the Inclusive
Practices Teacher (Kim Watkins). Please always contact your child’s teacher in the first instance with
any concerns you have.

Felicity Griggs