Coming Up Week 4

This is surely one of the best weeks of the year. Across two mornings we have celebrated many students who have simply been signs of faith and going about their daily business in the right way.

The beautiful setting on the banks of the Brisbane River under clear blue skies makes such a wonderful gathering place for staff, students, and families. Coming together as a community, we celebrated the Signum Fidei award recipients at the Signum Fidei breakfasts.  Families and staff proudly gathered to recognise and congratulate the amazing efforts of these humble students, who continue to demonstrate a commitment to the three College pillars of Service, Learning and Leadership, walking in the footsteps of Patrick Ambrose Treacy and Blessed Edmund Rice.

Then today we gathered in the St Francis Xavier Centre for two Masses to celebrate Blessed Edmund Rice Feast Day. Ambrose Treacy College is proudly a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice tradition, and this is the basis of our ethos and mission. Edmund Rice was the founder of the Christian Brothers and gave his life and fortune to help poor and disadvantaged boys in Ireland. He did this by providing education, food, shelter and care; inspiring many adults to join him in his mission. From the first humble school in New Street, Ireland, the beginnings of a worldwide community of educators emerged. His legacy is evident in many schools around the world and May 5 is a worldwide day of celebration acknowledging the significant contribution to education. Ambrose Treacy College is one of many EREA schools in Southeast Queensland and part of a network of 280 schools catering for 200,000 students that work together to promote global solidarity and a transformational education.

These two events this week celebrate who we are and where we come from. We acknowledge and celebrate the life and works of Edmund Rice and that of Patrick Ambrose Treacy. These two men, along with Jesus Christ, are symbolic with our three pillars of Learning, Leadership and Service. This week is important in acknowledging our history and to celebrate who we are today as an ATC community. As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, Ambrose Treacy College aims to inspire, educate, and form our students to be Signs of Faith through learning, leading and serving. This week reminds me what makes ATC special, and why I love so much working at ATC. I offer my gratitude to everyone who makes a contribution to this fantastic community.

Amongst these celebrations, I have also witnessed classrooms in full swing, and the cocurricular program engaging hundreds of students in music, sport and clubs. It gave me great pleasure this week, after providing an individual tour to a family who had travelled up from Sydney, to hear their observations regarding the focused, engaged and relational classrooms that they saw across the College. This is important as we continue to work in partnership to improve each induvial student.

Aligned with our strategic plan to improve literacy across the cohorts, next week we celebrate our Literary Festival. This will involve many activities to engage students and parents. More details are included below. I encourage you and your son to be engaged as much as possible in the array of opportunities.

UPCOMING DATES 

Tuesday 9 May – Friday 12 May | Literary Festival

Tuesday 9 May | Year 8 (B, C, T, W) Geography Excursion

Tuesday 9 May | Books and Bubbles Literary evening

Tuesday 9 May | P&F Meeting cancelled

Thursday 11 May | Years 4-9 Parent Writing Workshop

Friday 5 May | Blessed Edmund Rice Feast Day and Masses

Friday 5 May | Year 7 Retreat Day

Friday 5 May | Year 11 Geography Excursion

Friday 5 May | Qld Youth Music Awards

Parent Writing Workshop

Join us at the Year 4 – 9 Parent Writing Workshop Thursday 11 May in Callan Building Middle School Room C101 at 6 pm. Please  CLICK HERE to RSVP by tonight, Friday 5 May. Parents need to bring your son’s laptop. As we work in partnership to improve our students’ writing outcomes, we strongly recommend Year 4-9 parents attend the Parent Writing Workshop on Thursday 11 May. This workshop provides an opportunity to understand the core principles of the writing program at ATC whilst also allowing time to reflect on your own writing strengths and weaknesses, and biases. You will engage in resources and strategies that your son uses at school which will enable you to support him at home. RSVP essential. 

Mothers in May Event

The much anticipated ‘Mothers in May’ event will be held on Wednesday 17 May. ATC mums are invited to a sunset soirée by the river at ATC from 5pm to 7pm. Tickets are $25 and include champagne, canapes, live music, a lucky door prize and a gift. This is a special time to gather with old friends and connect with new women in the ATC community. Jump onto your Parent Lounge account to buy your ticket as numbers are limited and only 50 tickets remain.

Dash for Crash Charity Run

The Dash for Crash will be held for its third consecutive year on Sunday, 21 May 2023 and is held in memory of Damien McMeniman, who died from exposure to asbestos and developed Mesothelioma. Damien valued access to quality inclusive education and his sons, in Year 12 at Ambrose Treacy College, proudly support this event in their father's honour, with their sisters and mother. Join the ATC community to run, jog or walk in support of the ATC Foundation. The Foundation aims to uphold the premise of inclusive education for those of limited financial means. Your entry fee will enable a young boy access to an Ambrose Treacy College education. Donations are fully tax deductible.

You can choose to champion the event by attending as a supporter and take part in the BBQ breakfast that will take place at the finish line festivities at the conclusion of the run or simply buy a t-shirt. Donations will be gratefully received even if you are not able to attend on the day. Register NOW. Volunteers are also required to make this event a success. Please select how you can help on the day from the list of volunteer jobs here. If you have any queries, or can support this event by way of donating goods and services, please contact Marie McMeniman 0409 341 403 or dashforcrash@gmail.com or Helen Hicks hicksh@atc.qld.edu.au

LEARNING  NEWS

Assessment Schedules

Please be advised that the Assessment Schedules for Year 4, 5 and 6 Term 2 are now available in Parent Lounge and Student Café.

Year 4 Showcase

On Tuesday 30 May, Year 4 students will be presenting a showcase of learning from Term One and Two. The aim of the showcase is to celebrate the learning across a number of their core subjects, allow the boys to share their work with peers, parents and engage in discussion. We warmly welcome Parents to join us in NJ Hall for this event. Further information regarding times will be published on the blog closer to the event.  

Year 5 St Helena Island excursion

Year 5 travel to Moreton Bay on Tuesday, 16 May. The aim of the activity is for the boys to develop an appreciation of what life was like for the prisoners of St. Helena and understand the reasons for the establishment of St Helena in Moreton Bay. Bus leaves school at 8.30am. Boys are to wear their PE uniform. All boys must bring morning tea, lunch and water . See ATC App for full details.

LITERARY FESTIVAL

Online Book Fair

ATC's annual Literary Festival begins next week and YA Literature extraordinaire Pauline McLeod has applied her expert knowledge to put together an online book fair specifically catered to hook your boys on reading! Please CLICK HERE to browse the online store, books will be delivered to the school on Tuesday 9th May. For parents attending our Books and Bubbles event, you can collect your books on the night! The link will be live for an additional week after our Literary Festival, so there is plenty of time to make your selections!

The Activities

A range of talented authors and artists will be presenting to students in Years 4-12. This is a week where we focus on all things 'literary'! There will be parent events, a book fair in Westcourt, Surprise Storytime sessions as well as a stellar line up of special guests. This year we are honoured to welcome author and poet, Josh Donellan, Manga artist David Lovegrove, slam-poet Angela Peita, non-fiction author, author, columnist and editor Tim Baker, poet and author Michelle Taylor, author Sam Wheeler and Shakespearean Hip-Hop artist, Charlie Tompson. Students will be treated to both cohort presentations and small-group workshops, to titillate their literary appetites!

Books and Breakfast

Parents and students in the Junior School are invited to join us for a morning of reading while enjoying a delicious quiche or croissant at Mt Sion Library, on Thursday 11 May from 7:30am. Please RSVP to Mrs Burton (burtong@atc.qld.edu.au)

Books and Bubbles

Join us for our annual Books and Bubbles twilight event on the beautiful riverside deck of Westcourt Library, Tuesday 9 May, from 6:00pm until 7:30pm. The launch of our annual Literary Festival and Book Fair, will be hosted by Riverbend Books with Pauline McLeod, our guest speaker who will discuss effective strategies to engage boys with books and promote popular reads for boys across our Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. And just confirmed ... Award-winning author, journalist and storyteller Tim Baker will also be speaking at our Books and Bubbles event! Tim specialises in non-fiction writing, mostly about surfing history and culture, as well as his ability to tackle life's challenges. Tim will be speaking about the art of writing across a wide variety of media from books and magazines to film, video, and theatre.

FROM THE CLASSROOM

Our creative Year 11 Music students are working on compositions tasks, creating a piece of music that has deep meaning. Students are exploring how music is constructed by artists to convey a message to their audience. A range of technologies including Ableton, are being used as well as instruments such as the guitar, piano, and keyboard.

Year 8s are deep into their chemistry unit and during a recent lab session they prepared potassium aluminium sulfate to explore the formation of a crystal lattice structure. Patience will be required as the crystals form, and students look forward to making their observations this week.

Year 5 channelled their May the Fourth skills today in science to determine their planetary weight in preparation for a virtual trip to Jupiter, Venus, Mars or maybe the outer galaxies! See our Stories for all the action in the classroom!

FORMATION  NEWS

Feel Good Friday

The Feel-Good Funky Friday focus for this week is 'Win the Morning; Win the Day!' Mr Flanagan has some great advice on starting the day strongly, (and without caffeine!): "We can sometimes struggle to tackle the obstacles of the day, the stressors of a busy lifestyle, commitments and personal expectations are carried on our shoulders. This is why winning the morning is a game-changer – it sets up our WHOLE day. But how can we do it?

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Cortisol is at its highest in the morning as is the anxiety of our to-do list. This is one of the reasons why reaching for the coffee straight out of bed is not the right choice and abstaining from coffee for at least an hour to two is recommended. It not only lowers cortisol levels, but holding off on the caffeine hit is better for our circadian rhythm, resetting our body and overall sleep. Why not try a new morning routine, take a walk, drink plenty of water and tackle that first hour of the day head on, to have a great chance of winning the day! Have a great weekend."
For more on this, please head to The Huberman Lab for amazing brain/life hacks. https://hubermanlab.com/using-...

Feel Good Award

This week's Perpetual Feel-Good Funky Friday Award goes to Danika Ehlers! Danika has been nominated by several staff for sharing the joy through the corridors, walkways, classrooms and staffrooms with her funky beats and uplifting optimism and positivity. Danika is always checking in with colleagues and students, as kindness and compassion are genetically engrained in her DNA. Her RAoK are infectious and clearly appreciated - reflected in the number of colleagues who nominated her this week.

School Photo Day

Our formal School Photo Day is being held in Week 6 on Thursday, 25 May.  After feedback from the process in 2022, our photographer shall be present on campus for all individual and group photography on this day.  We are confident that this process will ensure the quality of the product received this year shall meet expectations.  More communications shall be sent closer to the day, but we ask parents to ensure their son has the appropriate appearance and the correct uniform items ready for this day. Links. Video  link.

Formal Uniform

Monday 15 May is the first day of the Formal Uniform where the College tie and suit coat are to be worn.   The College uniform is a unifying influence for the school community and is a valuable part of a young man’s education to learn to present himself in a neat and appropriate manner. Our uniform shop, the School Locker, is stocked with ties and suit coats for any families wishing purchase any uniform supplies.  In addition, College Badges should accompany the suit coat and will include:

• The College Crest

• The Formation Pillars
• Learning - Open Book any new student commencing in Years 4-6
• Service - Celtic Cross any new student commencing in Years 7-9
• Leadership - Star any new student commencing in Years 10-12
• House Badge is received in Year 10. 

Please refer to the video as a reference on where and how to wear the badges.   The College badges should only be worn on their suit coat. College Badges should not be worn on the College tie.  Replacement badges are available from the ATC Shop at $5.00 per badge.

FAITH & MISSION NEWS

The Year 7 Retreat is being held on Friday 12 May at the Sherwood AFC Club in Chelmer. Please see the attached letter to parents outlining the details of day. The retreat includes a “Donation Ticket” item for Emmanuel City Mission. It is appreciated that your son brings this with him on the day and will be collected before the students depart. Please contact Matt Warr should you have any queries.

SERVICE

Service Opportunities

Let's brighten the lives of others! The Rosie’s Donation Drive has started and Year 6 have partnered with Rosie's - Friends On The Street to help those in need. Paving the way in the Junior School, just as Blessed Edmund Rice did in Ireland 200 years ago, Year 6 are reaching out to those living on margins. For their Service initiative, Year 6 ask for donations of men’s roll-on deodorant (no glass or aerosols) and new blankets (in their packaging.) Please drop these items in the box on the Year 6 veranda and we will work with Rosie's to deliver them to the vulnerable. Any queries, please email Mrs Hoyer, Year 6 Coordinator. CLICK HERE for the Rosie's website and more information.

Students looking for opportunities for Service Hours are invited to volunteer for the Moggill Marathon on Sunday 21 May 2023. The second instalment of the Moggill Marathon kicks off in May and needs a number of volunteers to ensure the successful and smooth running of this event. Please visit the link and sign yourself up to the register of volunteers. Organisers will be in touch to confirm tasks closer to the event. Don’t forget to log your service hours with your homeroom teacher! Volunteer Here. Click here for the Moggill Marathon website.

SPORT NEWS

We're looking forward to another huge month of sport, especially the upcoming GBC XC Championships on Thu 18 May and AIC XC Pre-Meet on Wed 10 May, if your son is interested in racing for ATC in these events, please register them on Parent Lounge. A reminder that XC training is currently on Wednesday & Friday mornings from 7:00-8:00am, if your son is not currently registered for XC and would like register please email sport@atc.qld.edu.au"

IMPORTANT SPORT DATES COMING UP

• 12 May - Football ISSA Cup (3:45pm kick off) & UhlSport Friendly (5:00pm kick off) - both will be played on Jack Bowers with the second game under lights
• 20May - Big ATC host day with various sports & music
• 31 May - AIC Cross Country Championships

Indoor Cricket ATC Junior players played their first game of the season against TSAC, and for a few boys it was their debut in the indoor game. Although we didn't get the win, it was all about learning and experiencing this fun and fast format. We were really impressed by the level of enthusiasm and energy from the boys and we look forward to this continuing throughout the season!

Celebrating Sporting Legends

This week, we congratulate our top swimmers, Tom Stegeman, Andre Venter, Jake Alvos and Xavier Cuolahan (ATC Old Boy) who all competed at the Nationals Swimming Championships acheiveing these amazing results:

Tom Stegeman

• Gold 50m butterfly
• Silver 50m freestyle
• Silver 50m backstroke
• Bronze 100m freestyle
• 4th 100m backstroke
• 5th 200m freestyle

Jake Alvos

• Pb’s in 100m and 200m freestyle

Andre Venter

• Bronze 50m breaststroke
• 5th 100m breaststroke
• 6th 200m breaststroke

Xavier Cuolahan

• Silver 200m breaststroke
• Bronze 100m breaststroke
• 6th 50m breaststroke

Another pair of legends, ATC Volleyballers Cameron Messenger and Sebastian Lever competed for Met West in State Championships and were part of the Gold medal winning team! Seb and Cam were outstanding, and we proudly announce they have been chosen in the QLD Boys' Merit Team!

CLUB NEWS

Term 2 clubs are now underway, with plenty of activity both on campus and away on the MTB tracks and Golf course. A reminder to please commit or communicate if you are absent. Please arrive to your club session on time to gain the most benefit from your club. A big thank you to all our wonderful ATC staff and external providers who give up their time to facilitate the clubs program

CO-CURRICULAR MUSIC and DRAMA & COMMUNICATION NEWS

On Wednesday, the Co-curricular Music staff opened the doors and extended a warm welcome to the wider ATC staff. Visiting staff were treated to a tour of the newly renovated office, rehearsals spaces and teaching rooms as well as a peek at our students busy in their lessons.

Co-curricular staff and students are grateful for the patience and support they received from the wider ATC community as these new facilities were built after extensive flood damage. With a full calendar of performances and over 60 new Junior Band members joining the program this year the new facilities are already proving a hit!

Queensland Youth Music Awards (QYMA)

After successful performances in 2022, our choirs and ensembles we are once again taking part in the Queensland Youth Music Awards (QYMA) at various times and locations in Week 4 and Week 5.

Preparations are well under way and please prioritise attendance at rehearsals in the lead up to these significant performances. A reminder to students and families that 100% attendance is required at these events to ensure the best outcome and experience for the whole ensemble.

Week 4 and Week 5 are very busy for our most senior singers and musicians with the following upcoming off-campus performances.

Our Junior students certainly won’t miss out with the following upcoming performances in Week 6:

Please ensure you are subscribed to the relevant Tags on the College App for all reminders and updates.

Pemulwuy! National Male Voice Festival

Our middle and senior school singers will be taking part in this exciting festival 7-9 July 2023.  Incorporating two days of workshops and a performance at QPAC it is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in. New singers are always welcome at choir rehearsals, each Thursday from 3.10pm – 4.10pm in K104. Current choristers who have not yet confirmed their attendance at the festival please contact music@atc.qld.edu.au as soon as possible.

P & F NEWS 

Due to a clash of dates, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday 9 May has been cancelled. Our next meeting is Tuesday 11 July at 6.30pm in Mt Sion Library. All welcome!

Please support upcoming P&F events including the Rugby Night Out at Suncorp on Friday 19 May. Tickets are available via Parent Lounge. Thank you to Mr Andrew Taylor for coordinating this event. We thank the P&F dads for volunteering at the Mothers in May event on Wednesday 17 May. Tickets for mums to attend are available via Parent Lounge.

Save the Date:

• Trivia Night Saturday 29 July
• Spring Lunch Friday 13 October

P&F Rugby Family Night Out

The ATC P&F invite you to the annual Rugby Family Night Out at Suncorp Stadium on Friday 19 May, to see the Queensland Reds take on The Auckland Blues in their final home game of the 2023 season. Start the afternoon with other ATC families by the river at ATC, for pizza and drinks at 5:30pm, and then head off to Suncorp Stadium on the train from Indooroopilly at 6:20pm. Game kick off is 7.35pm. Tickets are available via Parent Lounge until 4:00pm Thursday 11 May 2023. Strictly no late ticket sales are possible. The Reds are holding our seat allocation only until that time. Tickets are: Adult - Pizza and drinks in Silver Zone, $50; Junior - Pizza and drinks in Silver Zone, $25; Existing game ticketholders- Pizza and soft drink only for $10.00. Go to Parent Lounge to secure your tickets.

All your family and friends are welcome to attend.  Please contact Mr Andrew Taylor, P&F Event Coordinator, if you have any queries or special food requirements Andrew.taylor@csiro.au *Students are asked to wear the ATC PE Uniform or Rugby Jersey. Our Taiko Drummers will be performing on field at the game!

For any other P&F queries, please email the P&F Secretary, Catherine Jackson: Catherine pandf@atc.qld.edu.au 

Have a great weekend and see you in Week 4!

Mr David Gardiner 

Deputy Principal