MSB Messenger Friday 23 June 2023

Principal

Dear members of the Mount St Bernard College community, 

Semester Two has gone so quickly and students have been involved in an array of curricular and extra-curricular activities.  It has been wonderful to see so many students involved and actively participating in all the activities the College has on offer. 

 National Reconciliation Week 

National Reconciliation Week was a fabulous opportunity for MSB to celebrate its cultural diversity and share messages of hope for the future.  The week commenced with an assembly focused on the theme of “Be a voice for generations.” This was a time for the College to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and exploring how we can all contribute to achieving reconciliation.  Later in the week the College band performed the famous Paul Kelly song “From Little Things Big Things Grow" at the Better Together Community Support Event.  The highlight of the week was the MSB Reconciliation afternoon where we were Welcomed to Country by Jirrbal Elder Lillian Freeman.  Our students then spoke to Lillian requesting permission to be on land in their first languages.  This was an incredible poignant moment and reinforced the respect and desire for reconciliation that our students have.  We then celebrated through dance and song and even the rain couldn’t deter the students and staff. 

NRW 2023

Positive Student Behaviour 

Improving attendance, punctuality and classroom participation has been a significant focus throughout Term 2 and students have been working hard to receive rewards in recognition of the punctuality and preparedness for classes.  Congratulations go to Javia Jones and Mataias Pearson who were the first two students to receive 200 points.  The boys were celebrated at a VIP lunch hosted during the shared lunch on Mercy Day, where they got to dine with the special guests whilst they were waited on.  We will continue to encourage other students to strive for their attendance rewards. 

Mercy Day 

Mercy Day was celebrated on Friday 9th June and was a chance to show respect for the Sisters of Mercy who founded our College.  Commencing with a Mass officiated by Father Mathew Kochuuvvetil, attended by the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Therese and Sister Marie, Ian Davis, the Acting Executive Director of Cairns Catholic Education, and Adrien Innes-Simpson, the Leader Religious Education Identity and Outreach CES.  Our special guests then joined us for our shared lunch before spending time with our students in the exploration of the mercy trail.  The afternoon activities were hosted by members of the Student Representative Council (SRC).  A huge thank you to Mrs Janet Wigan and the SRC for the planning and preparation in organising this commemorative event. 

Mercy Day 2023

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Keeping the College and Community Safe – Hazard Reduction

The College made use of the cooler weather to work with our local Herberton Fire Brigade and Rural Fire Brigades to complete a hazard reduction burn.  Students who are members of the Tablelands PCYC Emergency Services Cadets were lucky enough to participate as part of their training.   Thank you to all involved. 

Year 8 Camp  

Our Year 8s had a fun filled adventure at Echo Creek Adventure Camp where they spent 3 days together on the annual school camp.  I am so grateful for the staff who have been so generous with their time to support this event.   

Athletics Day 

The term will conclude with the Annual Athletics carnival.  This will be a fabulous opportunity for the students in Flynn, Power and Rush to come together and compete to receive points for participation and involvement to assist in determining the hotly contested winning House.  The Athletics Carnival is a full school day event, with normal school rules applying.  Due to the volume of events on the day a small number of events have been occurring in the lead up to the big day.  Congratulations go to Reem Sam who broke the long standing Under 14 High Jump with an impressive jump of 1.59m 

Holiday Well Wishes 

Wishing student and staff safe travels on their holidays.  I hope you have time to relax and all get to spend quality time with family and friends.  I look forward to you all returning to the College in term 3 where we will continue to work on being Respectful, Being Responsible and being Safe. 

Narelle Hunt - Principal

Deputy Principal Curriculum & Admin

Dear Parents & Families

Wow! It’s hard to believe we are at the end of Semester 1 2023. A reminder to all that Semester 1 report cards will be uploaded to the Parent Portal at the end of Week 10 or very early in the school holidays. Uploading report cards to the Parent Portal ensures that you receive report cards in a timely manner, reduces our environmental footprint and our postage costs.

Parent Portal is a secure one-stop shop for parents/guardians to access information about school events, announcements, forms, policies, report cards, school contact details etc. If you are having trouble registering, we are here to help. If your contact details have changed (email/phone,etc) please email msb.office@cns.catholic.edu.au and your information can be updated.

If you’ve forgotten how to access the parent portal, the following links may be useful: 

1. How to – Create a Parent Portal Login
2. Logging in for the first time
3. MSB Parent Portal Invitation (refer attached)

For those parents who wish to receive a hard copy, please email msb.office@cns.catholic.edu.au, and a hard copy report will be posted to you early in Semester 2.

Enjoy a safe and relaxing break with your family.

Keiran Ryan - Deputy Principal Curriculum & Administration

Deputy Principal Residential

Bag Tags 

It is important that these bag tags are returned to college on their bags at the start of each term while traveling. 

These cost the College a lot of money and therefore we do not want to be repurchasing each time if they go missing. 

It would be much appreciated if you could please explain this to your child, so they understand the importance of bringing them back to college. 

The bag tags will be collected by staff on arrival to avoid them going missing. 

ID Cards 

Every term we are having to re-print ID cards for missing cards. ID cards are a requirement for each way of the travel, to and from college. It is important for them to keep these in a safe place so they do not go missing while on holidays.  

Please ensure your child brings their ID card back to college with them at the start of every term. 

These will also be collected by staff on arrival back to college to avoid losing during the term. 

School Break 

These school holidays are a 3 week break for students.  Students travel day is 17th July. 

We look forward to seeing students return with a smile on their faces after a deserved 3 weeks away. 

Scott Whitters - Deputy Principal Residential

Assistant Principal Mission

On Friday 9 June we honoured our heritage as we celebrated Mercy Day.  We remembered the Sisters of Mercy, who left Ireland to continued Catherine McAuley’s dream as well as all those who have let their light shine at MSB for over 100 years. It was a beautifully sunny afternoon, allowing students, staff and guests to enjoy a variety of activities along the Mercy Trail.  Thank you to Sister Therese and Sister Marie who made themselves available to answer questions in the Museum and Heritage Rooms. Other activities included: tours of St Patrick’s Church; egg and spoon and three-legged races; learning the old school song and making flowers in Mercy Hall; walking (and weeding!) the labyrinth; praying at the Grotto and listening to music and stories from past students. Students had the opportunity to collect stickers for their Mercy Trail Passport as they completed each activity. Congratulations to the Student Representatives who helped organise the day!

I hope you all are able to enjoy time with your families and friends over the holiday break and come back refreshed to begin the new Term.

May God’s mercy continue to shine upon us all!

Janet Wigan - Assistant Principal Mission

Religion 

Year 8 students creating their triptych of the Holy Trinity

Year 12 Religion & Ethics students choosing a photo to speak about. They are practicing their public speaking skills in preparation for their next assessment where they will present a sacred story of their choice.

Acting Assistant Principal Wellbeing

I have really enjoyed seeing our students receive their rewards for being responsible and to classes on time. As part of the rewards system, this Wednesday period 5 and 6 we will be holding a points rewards afternoon for students who have gained over 100 points throughout the term. Activities will range from arts and crafts, sports, movies, card, and board games. Well done to all our students who will be partaking in this fun afternoon. The rewards will restart next term. 

Having the opportunity to be Acting Assistant Principal Wellbeing for Semester 1 has been an extremely rewarding experience for me. I am grateful for the many valuable lessons that I have learnt along the way. Next term, although I will not be in this role, I will remain a part of the Wellbeing team and return to my position as Middle Leader Senior Years 10 – 12.  

Nikki Symons - Acting Assistant Principal Wellbeing

National Reconciliation Week

MSB CELEBRATES NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK | The College celebrated its diversity during National Reconciliation Week. Music students learnt the song “From Little Things Big Things Grow” by Paul Kelly & Kev Carmody, the official song for National Reconciliation Week. They performed this song at the Better Together Community Support -Tablelands event which reflected on a day of unity and today at our MSB Reconciliation event. The College also reflected on this year’s theme at Monday’s assembly then a special event today where the whole school spoke an Acknowledgement to Country, students sang the official song and performed their cultural dances. Many thanks to Aunty Lillian Freeman for your Welcome to Country, Aunty Desley Mosquito for attending and assisting the College with development of our MSB Reconciliation Plan, many Jirrbal families and of course the Gooliwana Bana dancers from the country we work on. Your support, knowledge, cultural sharing and wonderful dancers are gratefully appreciated. As we walk forward, we continue to develop our MSB Reconciliation Plan. Thanks also to our Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee and soon to be Cape York Consultative Committee. They have willingly and thoughtfully given their time and knowledge to our staff and students to be a voice for their communities, thereby enhancing our students’ academic, wellbeing and cultural needs. We look forward to continuing "Being A Voice For Generations."

Deborah Booth - Communications & Community Engagement Administrator

National Reconciliation Week 2023

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ENROL NOW for 2024 & 2025

2024 Enrolments

Spaces are filling fast for 2024. If you are intending on applying please do so as soon as possible. Enrolment interviews will be finalised in term 3. If you know of any family or friends who wish to apply please let them know as well.

2025 Enrolment Timeframes 

Our enrolments for 2025 will be finalised in Term 1, 2024. Offers of a placement will be advised on the same day as all other Catholic schools in the Diocese in Term 2, 2024.

TO ENROL

Visit: www.msb.qld.edu.au/apply-online-now  or phone Enrolment enquiries on (07) 4096 1485
Email: msb.enrolments@cns.catholic.edu.au 
For a Tour or more information – Phone (07) 4096 1444 or email msb.enrolments@cns.catholic.edu.au

Tours will be available on Naidoc Day, Thursday 31st August. There will be three tours done throughout the day.

If interested please email dbooth@cns.catholic.edu.au - Limited spaces available

2024 Scholarships

Mount St Bernard College has a long tradition of educating children from diverse backgrounds and has established scholarship programs to support students and their families.

We are fortunate to be able to offer a range of Scholarships and Bursaries for entry to Years 7 – 12. Many of these awards have been established due to the generosity of the Sisters of Mercy, Colleen & Frank Sims and Mount St Bernard College.

Scholarships may be full or partial awards towards the cost of tuition.

All scholarships and bursaries are subject to specific terms and conditions.  Scholarships will commence in 2024, and, subject to the conditions detailed, the offer letter will generally continue for the duration of the student’s enrolment at Mount St Bernard College until graduation from Year 12.

Please forward completed applications by the end of Term 3, 2023 to the Enrolments Officer – msb.enrolments@cns.catholic.edu.au

Applications are available on our website at https://www.msb.qld.edu.au/scholarships/

For further information please Ph: 4096 1485

Deborah Booth - Communications & Community Engagement Administrator

Junior Years 7 - 9

GPB Challenge Update 

This term the GPB students have been competing in a challenge. They needed to be on time to class and actively engage in their activities to gain points towards their special prize.  

The winners and runners up receive special certificates.  

The winners get to choose their activity. JJM has been mountain bike riding and The Deadly Hurricans and The Broncos have enjoyed making their own milkshakes. I wonder what The Sunshine Boys will pick as their prize this term!!  

 Here are the results from the past 5 weeks.  

Year 8 Camp  

The Year 8 students had a wonderful time on camp down the range at Echo Creek Adventure Centre near Tully. While we were there, we did several fun activities including rock climbing, abseiling, raft building, knot tying, archery, laser tag, hiking, trivia, an obstacle course which involved getting very muddy and ending the day with a campfire every night.  

One of the highlights was a morning hike through the rainforest along an ancient seasonal migration track of the Jirrbal People, where we stopped and had a nice swim in a beautiful waterfall. The kids loved it. It was wonderful to see students being very respectful, supportive, and kind to each other and I heard ‘you got this’ and ‘you can do it’ many times. Looking forward to camp again next year. :) ~ Nathan Unwin - Teacher 

Our Year 8 Students were asked what they enjoyed the most about camp. Here are some of their responses.  

I liked Rock Climbing; it hurts your hands, but you get to the top and get to hit the buzzer. ~ Reece  

I liked it when we played spotlight for a night activity. ~  

The challenge course was fun with friends. You needed teamwork. ~ Joseph  

I loved doing night activities, seeing a cassowary at Etty Bay and the campfire ~ Lydia  

I liked the waterfall because it was cold to swim in and pretty. ~ Christine  

I loved the rock climbing because we had to climb up, press the buzzer and abseil down. ~ Shontay 

I loved the night activities and the campfire. We played spotlight too. It was great seeing the cassowary ~ Vera  

Year 8 Camp Echo Creek 2023

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Senior Years 10 -12

With Semester One coming to an end, it is with great pride to share the successes our Seniors have had this term. Sinevah Mari was sponsored to attend a Green Waste Conference to learn about how to reduce and monetize waste to reduce the effects of climate change, a cause close to her heart.

Sinevah has also applied to become a Youth Ambassador to spread awareness of the effect of climate change in the Torres Strait Islands. Many of our year 11 students attended a Tablelands Regional Council disaster management luncheon to learn about how to protect themselves and their families in the event of a natural disaster.

Two of our year 10 students were accepted into the Young Indigenous Women in STEM Academy (YIWSA), which will support them in chasing a career in a STEM subject (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths). Our Seniors also led the way by performing in our very own MSB concert and for our Reconciliation celebrations. All this extra-curricular work while studying.  

We have been happy to see the students relishing in the new reward system this term. Students earn a stamp when they are in class on time and remain in class. We have seen great numbers this term and students have had fun picking their rewards. I look forward to seeing the top earners in the last week of school and how they enjoy their reward activity on the last day of school. 

Finally congratulations to Franklyn Hilla who will be the recipient of a Harvey Norman gift card at the end of this term for achieving 100% attendance.  

Nikki Chambers - Acting Senior Years 10 - 12 Middle Leader

Library News

Term 2 has continued to see the library as a busy hub of learning and sharing reading time, puzzle time and creating time. The students are working on their first 1000-piece puzzle and we are desperately trying to finish it by the upcoming holidays.  

On Wednesday June 7th the MSB year 7 & 8 Readers Cup team travelled down to Cairns for the 2023 Reader’s Cup Competition. Cooper Jones and Kiri Tucker were fighting an uphill battle from the start since the rules allow for four team members, but we had decided on just three, and then on competition day our third member was unable to attend! So with only two brains competing against teams of four, Cooper and Kiri did their best and scored well on the books they had covered. Luckily this hasn’t deterred either reader who each stated they are excited and keen for the competition again next year. Experienced in Readers Cup competitions, the year 9 & 10 team are training well so far with all four novels aiming to be read by at least two different team members by competition date on August 2nd. The members are all looking forward to the competition in week 3 next term and have hopes of placing high on the score board.  

The Library Art Competition is still taking place, though the latter part of this term has meant that entries have slowed down. We have announced two more winners: Meenakshi Reeber for the Graphic Novels genre and Clementine Barker with her painting for the genre of Friendship. We will continue to announce winners into next term! 

Finally, Sinevah Mari attended the Smart Green Economy project run by Cairns Regional Council in week 9 this term and on her return, she has kindly chosen to donate Rashan Senanayake’s book: Inspired Success, Designing your own definition of success to the library to motivate and encourage MSB students to develop the tools for success, happiness, and health. We thank Sinevah for her generosity and kindness.  

Rachel Nelson - Librarian Teacher

English & Humanities

English with Ms Oswell

10A English have spent this term creating a graphic novel for their assessment. Earlier in the term, I had spent a lesson emphasising the importance of not losing the folders that I had given students to keep their work in. Jack told me that he would create a graphic novel based on that lesson. I thought that he was kidding. He was not kidding – he spent the term creating this masterpiece, Missing Folder. Excellent work, Jack.  

Missing Folder by Jack Jones

Humanities with Ms Brewster

In week 7, Year 11 Geography students headed off to Fitzroy Island, Cairns, for a night and two days. By snorkelling and working together, the five students collected data which showed the impact on coral and fish diversity from tourists trampling on the reef as well as from more global impacts like coral bleaching. Data was collected so students can make suggestions on how to improve the long term sustainability of tourism on the island. They had the privilege of attending a Reef Restoration Talk given by a Marine Biologist on the island which helped students put their data into perspective. Students had a wonderful time; they enjoyed snorkelling and being together with one student exclaiming, 'I am excited to write my assignment'. MSB is very lucky to have a supportive environment that allows young people these kinds of experiential learning experiences.  

Sarah Riber - English & Humanities Middle Leader

Year 11 Geography Excursion Fitzroy Island

Mathematics

MATH'S CHALLENGE DAY

Our gifted year 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to attend a Math's Challenge day at St Mary's Catholic College and had an amazing day! They had the opportunity to take part in 4 problem solving activities. Their favourite was the prime number investigation; this involved finding all of the prime numbers up to 200. I was most impressed with our students use of algebra and pattern spotting in the '400 problem'. All students that went were fabulous and are keen to take part in the upcoming Tablelands Math's Quiz.

Nikki Chambers - Mathematics Teacher

Mathematics Challenge Term 2 2023

Science

Students across all year levels have had many opportunities for practical Science lessons this Semester.

Enjoy the images from all year levels.

Kieren Waugh - Science teacher

Science Semester 1 2023

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Health & Physical Education

Athletics Carnival

This week we ran our annual Inter-house Athletics Carnival, all results will follow soon.

Students who finished in the top 2 of each event will go to the Tablelands District Carnival next term (3-4 August).

We ran some pre-carnival events last week, results shown below.

Andrea Goetze - Health & Physical Education Middle Leader

The Arts

On the evening of Friday June 16th, Music students from Year  8, 10, 11 and 12 put on a concert in Mercy Hall. They offered solo and band performances of cover songs and original material they had written throughout the semester. The concert also featured a fashion parade of Visual Arts in Practice students who created a range of masks which expressed the cultural identities of the students. 

Traylea Sexton - The Arts Middle Leader

Business & Technologies

Our Technologies and Business Team have been working on a range of learning activities this term. 

Have a read below to see some of the things they have been up to. 

Have a great restful winter break everyone! 

Saffron Belkessa-Wood - Business and Technologies & Senior Studies

Middle Leader 

Industrial Tech News 

What a wonderful semester we have had here in the Design and Technology workshop. Students have been challenging themselves and finding out what great builders they really are. In year 7 we had students complete their Turtle Saucepan Trivets with some very creative designs. Year 8 students built their Desk Tidy with some beautiful Meranti wood and some difficult joinery. In year 9 students completed their Camping Chairs and are excited to sit back and fish with them. Year 10 students built a Tool Box and a Wooden Case for keeping important items in. The capable year 11 and 12 students created an Anchor and a foldable Barbeque Plate & Grill for camping using their welding and angle grinding skills. Safety is paramount in the workshop environment and students showed their understanding and respect for wearing PPE and acting safely. Students were amazed at what they could create when they worked hard at their projects. And remember, if you can DREAM IT then you can BUILD IT. 

Nathan Unwin - Industrial Technologies Teacher 

Junior Digital Tech News 

Year 9s have been working on a fun new unit using Arduinos; combining coding skills with electronics and circuitry.  This was part of a unit that would use sensors to investigate the best place to have an outdoor classroom, using criteria designed by the class. 

As part of a birthday celebration for Mindy [and for everyone else’s birthday other days]  we used various lollies to represent the different cables and components used in the circuit kit, to plan solutions before using the real electronic parts.   This made learning all those new component names a lot more fun! 

Saffron Belkessa-Wood - Digi Tech Teacher & Business & Technologies Middle Leader

Industrial & Junior Digi Tech

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Senior Design 

Design students have been exploring their product, service or environment based on the concept of NAIDOC at MSB. They are starting to finalise their portfolios. This involves the Design Process, Design Brief and Design Proposal. Overall there are some outstanding ideas for a NAIDOC Stage, NAIDOC Merchandise, NAIDOC Art Space and Dancing area. Please see Mahalia's ideas for a Sensory Garden.  

Traylea Sexton - Design Teacher & The Arts Middle Leader

Senior Design by Mahalia Jones

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Food Tech News 

Year 7 and 10 Food Tech have been working on fun recipes for a Christmas in July theme; using bright colours and shapes to create exciting looking treats for gifting. 

Kerry Winslett - Food Technology & Design Teacher 

Food Technology & Design

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Diversity

Reading Reward

This term, Year 7/8 MacqLit Reading Groups had a competition to see who could be the most consistently punctual and engaged in their learning. The winning group received a reward of their choice. Congratulations to Mataias, Jake and Javia who won the competition and were able to go for a mountain bike ride with Miss Kendra as their prize! Well done boys!

Leah Whiting - Diversity Middle Leader

Communications & Community Engagement

WOMEN IN THE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

Congratulations to College Captain, Sinevah Mari on selection for the upcoming Leadership activity in the winter school holidays. This activity will show Sinevah how you can do what you love in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Led by currently serving female personnel, this is the opportunity to discuss what life is like in the Navy, Army and Air Force and where a career in the ADF can take you. Well done Sinevah!

2023 MALANDA SHOW DAIRY QUEEN & PRINCESS QUEST |

Our very own Tara Bevan, Year 8 student has entered the Elders Real Estate & Insurance Dairy Queen and Princess Quest.The entrants have been busy over the past few weeks with Meet & Greets held at The BIG Pub and volunteering at the recent Cattle Handling and Judging School. As well as making decorations for the much anticipated Malanda Show Ball! Good luck Tara, we'll be cheering you on.

MSB NAIDOC DAY - Parents and Carers, to prepare for our Naidoc Day event in Term 3 please RSVP by the 14 August to msb.office@cns.catholic.edu.au or phone 4096 1485. Please note travel has now closed and we are unable to process any additional requests.

A MESSAGE FROM ROSIES

Schools and youth organisations have always played a large part in the Rosies community, from our humble beginnings as a Youth Mission at Schoolies on the Gold Coast to the robust Youth Engagement Program that we operate each year.

We are so grateful for the support of each and every organisation but especially communities like yours, Mount St Bernard College.

Every time you wear Red for Rosies, hold a noodle drive, a bake sale or write thoughtful notes to our patrons, your community makes a difference in the lives of those we serve.

Thank you so much for all that you do.

Included is a link to the current edition of our newsletter, Inside Rosies, as we look to secure more support to keep up with the increased demand on outreach across the state.

Lacee Hennessy Overton – Engagement & Fundraising Manager

Rosies - Friends on the Street | PO Box 908, Wynnum QLD 4178

P 07 3396 4267  M 0450 233 709 | overtonl@rosies.org.au | rosies.org.au

Community News

National Naidoc Week - Sunday 2 - 9 July

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. 

Visit the website for further information, events and resources https://www.naidoc.org.au/

Attached is a poster to colour in for Naidoc Week.

BUSH FIRE SAFETY

A well prepared home is easier to defend and reduces the risk to surrounding properties. An unprepared home is not only at risk itself, but may also present an increased danger for your neighbours. Use the following lists via the link below or the Bush Fire Safety Guide to start preparing your home before the start of bushfire season. 

https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/prepare/bushfires

MSB Calendar - Upcoming Events

June

Thurs 22 June - MSB Athletics Carnival - Term 2 ends @ 3pm

Fri 23 June - Boarders Travel Day home

                 - Winter School Holidays commence

                 - MSB Office closed for holidays

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS - Fri 23 June - Mon 17 July (3 weeks)

July

Sun 2 - Sun 9 July - National Naidoc Week

Mon 10 - 14 July - Staff Week - Please note limited office hours of operation due to Staff Professional Development

Tues 11 July - Local Public Holiday - Atherton Show - Office Closed

Mon 17 July - Boarders Travel Day to College   

Tues 18 July - Start of Term 3 commences for all students

Sun 23 - Sat 29 July - Catholic Education Week - Communities of Faith Hope Love

August

Thurs 2 - Fri 4 Aug - District Track & Field - St Stephens Catholic College Mareeba

Fri 4 Aug - National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Day

Sat 5 - Sun 6 Aug - Exeat (Free) Weekend