Coming Up Week 4

It has been a wonderful week of celebrations. Across 314 other Catholic schools in Queensland, it has been Catholic Education week. The theme for 2023 is Communities of Faith, Hope and Love. Many of the things we believe in and the things we do, are because we are a Catholic school. This week has been reflected in so many ways. Year 10, 11 and 12 Munster students celebrated Mass on Tuesday, Volunteering Qld have been working with our students; a group of Senior students visited Australian Catholic University; students were involved in tree planting for Plant A Tree Day; Staff gathered as a community to celebrate; Ms Kate Watts was nominated for a Spirit of Catholic Education award; and year 7 students have been actively involved in service projects. We have a lot to be proud of as a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice education.

Academic Assemblies

Over 400 students were recognised at Academic Assemblies for their high achievements. The consistent message to every student is to continue to strive to achieve their personal best. Setting goals, hard work, persistence, were frequently used words across the three academic assemblies. Plus, the partnership between families, staff and students is recognised as being the most important ingredient for success. It was fantastic to be able to have so many families join us for the celebrations. The development of a strong academic culture is important and the responsibility of every student across ATC.

Congratulations to our Term 3 Signum Fidei Recipients

Coming together as a community, this week we celebrated the Term 3 Signum Fidei award recipients at the Signum Fidei breakfasts held at our campus waterfront.  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 Touchstones of Service, Learning and Leadership, walking in the footsteps of Patrick Ambrose Treacy. These students often go about doing the right things in a quiet manner, but the message was they are seen, and we wish to acknowledge them for their wonderful contributions to their community.

New Student Reception Hours

Please take note of the new Student Reception Hours of Operation. Opening hours will now be 7:30am until 4:30pm, until the conclusion of the year.

Student Absences

Parents and Carers are reminded to submit absences via the College App, under the Parent View, or if you are unable to access the App, contact the Student Absentee Phone Line on 3878 0521. The email address is no longer operable for logging a student absence.

Student Pick Up

ATC continues to be a very busy campus with so many activities on at various times. Obviously drop off and pick up times remain the busiest. Student safety is paramount at ATC. Therefore, parents and carers are asked to ensure that they are not blocking the roads in or around the College when collecting their children, including the internal road at the Central Pick-Up area. If you arrive early, please make use of the carpark areas and collect your child from there. Staff will be asking parents to move along from the Drop & Go areas, should they find that the surrounding areas are being blocked.

Students in the Bottom Pick Up area will be sent to wait up at Student Reception if they are not collected before 3:30pm.

UPCOMING DATES 

Monday 31 July | AIC Golf Day Invitational

Monday 31 July | Year 7 Drama incursion

Monday 31 July | Maths Team Challenge (selected students)

Tuesday 1 August | Year 11 Visual Arts in Practice workshop

Tuesday 1 August | Junior School Interhouse Chess Tournament

Wednesday 2 August | Middle School Interhouse Chess Tournament

Thursday 3 August | Senior School Interhouse Chess Tournament

Friday 4 August to Sunday 6 August | Year 11-12 QLD Volleyball Schools Cup

LEARNING 

2023 NAPLAN TESTING RESULTS

The individual 2023 NAPLAN testing results are now available. To access your child’s results, please log into the ATC Parent Lounge via the College App and click on ‘Student Details’ tab and then ‘Academic Results’.

It is important to remember that NAPLAN tests represent a point in time result, in spelling, grammar and punctuation, reading, writing and numeracy. They are only one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting process. As they are held once every two years for each student, they cannot replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.

We are pleased with our 2023 results which indicate that we are successfully supporting our students to achieve high outcomes, and it is particularly pleasing to see the rewards of our focus on improving students’ literacy.

If you have any questions or require further clarification, please reach out to your child’s Homeroom Teacher, or contact Ms Lara Morgan, Dean of Learning.

ICAS Competition

ICAS Competition bookings are now open. The benefit of ICAS is that student achievement can be compared nationally and internationally.

For more information on ICAS you can visit: https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au.

The College will run sessions for ICAS Science, English and Maths, for years 4 to 10, on the dates and times below.

• English:  Tuesday 15 August 2023 from 7:15-8:15am; cost $19.25
• Science:  Tuesday 22 August 2023 from 7:15-8:15am; cost $19.25
• Maths:  Tuesday 29 August 2023 from 7:15-8:15am; cost $19.25

The ICAS parent payment link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps. The college access code is: NLO363

Bookings close on Monday 31 July at 4pm.

FORMATION 

House Chess Tournaments

House Chess will be on next week in Nudgee Junior Hall at Second Break on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

TUESDAY 1 August                                 JUNIOR SCHOOL (Years 4, 5 & 6)

WEDNESDAY 2 August                           MIDDLE SCHOOL (Years 7, 8 & 9)

THURSDAY 3 August                              SENIOR SCHOOL (Years 10, 11 & 12)  

The format is straightforward. Students turn up and play at any board against any student from another house. When they complete the game, the two players come to the scorer and notify them of the winning house. Each student can play as many games as time and space allows. The House in each division “wins the day” in that school while the overall winning House is the cumulative total over the 3 days across Junior, Middle, and Senior.

FAITH & MISSION 

Year 5 Mass & Retreat Day – Wednesday 9 August

Parents and Caregivers of Year 5 are advised that the Year 5 Mass and Retreat Day has been rescheduled to Wednesday 9 August. Further information will be released on the College App this Sunday, with letter from Mr Matt Warr outlining the requirements and activities for the day. Please do not hesitate to contact Mr Lawrie Gordon, Head of Year 5, or Mr Matt Warr, Dean of Faith and Mission, should you have any queries.

SERVICE

This winter, sleep out in the name of Service. ATC students are encouraged to take part in this solo Service initiative that promotes the great work that Rosie’s do in the city of Brisbane. “Rosie’s reaches out to those most in need, people who are homeless or at risk, lonely, and socially isolated within our communities.”

In solidarity with the patrons of Rosie’s, students are tasked with sleeping rough for a night, experiencing the harshness of a sleep without the comfort of a warm bed. In addition, students are encouraged to make this a solo challenge, as a way of experiencing the loneliness that many of Brisbane’s homeless community feel.

What is sleeping rough?

• No mattress (use your garage floor/backyard/pergola/deck as your bed for the night)

• Minimal Bedding ie Sleeping bag and pillow
• Cold dinner

The Sleepout for Outreach will provide students with a moment to reflect on their own experiences with that of a person who sleeps rough every evening. It is through this lived experience where students will develop compassion and empathy for those living on the margins. This act of solidarity may well be the catalyst for offering support and assistance to those in need now and into the future.

To complete this service challenge, students are asked to bring a donation of 2-minute noodles to the Faith and Mission office, log 5 service hours and a picture of their experience with their homeroom teacher and signumfidei@atc.qld.edu.au. It is hoped that along with creating awareness of those most vulnerable, we can also bolster the Rosies pantry, supporting their outreach program providing connection to those on the streets.

Please contact Mr Andrew McCrohon, Head of Service and Clubs if you have any questions.

Year 7 RE Service Learning Project

This term, the Year 7 cohort are exploring what it means to live a Good Life as a part of the RE Curriculum. A significant focus for this unit is that students are asked to plan, implement and reflect on a Service-Learning Project. This project is a chance for students to engage with external organisations and begin to understand the benefits of service and volunteers in our community.

We invite parents and families to engage with this opportunity and to be involved with your child’s decision for the project. You may be able to facilitate a connection with a local sports or community group, a local aged care home, person in need or charitable organisation. Even an idea may be enough to motivate your child and their group members to make a difference. Please talk with your child about this assessment and talk about the prospects that are available to them. We encourage you to walk alongside your child in service and envisage a more meaningful connection as they demonstrate Catholic virtues in action.

Should you have any queries about this project please contact your child’s RE teacher or Alicia Madigan, RE Coordinator, Middle School.

SPORT 

We are very much looking forward to Colours Cup Basketball (House Challenge) starting this week. This program will run for the next five weeks for students in Years 4-12 and caters for Basketballers of all standards. The Year 4-6 program will take place at First Break and Years 7-12 will take place at Second Break, with both being held on the Outdoor (Tennis) Courts.

It is not too late to sign up and if you wish to do so, please visit the Sport Office or email at sport@atc.qld.edu.au.

CLUBS

The ATC Chess Age Championships will be held on Friday 11 August from 3:15pm – 6:00pm in NJ Hall.  Information regarding the championships can be found on the App, under both the Chess tag and year levels. Registrations are open through Parent Lounge, Extra Curricular.

Age Champion Classification:

- Junior School Champion – Years 4, 5, and 6

- Middle School Champion – Year 7, 8, and 9

- Senior School Champion – Year 10, 11, and 12

- The 2023 Chess Age Champion for each section will be presented at ATC’s Celebration of Excellence

Eligibility

All ATC students with Chess experience, irrespective of whether they are part of “ATC Chess Club”, are welcome to register for these Championships.

Robotics Club

ATC Robotics club recently competed in the University of the Sunshine Coasts international robotics tournament RoboRave. Students from Robotics club have been working towards this competition over the last two terms, designing and programming their robots. These robots were Lego Spike Prime robots that were generously provided by the P & F earlier this year. We had two teams ATC Atoms ( Year 9 ) and ATC Intelligence ( Year 8 ) compete in the weekend. The students were given an unseen map that consisted of a black line with intersections that led to dead ends. The robot had to be able to navigate this previously unseen course and deliver a ping pong ball into a tower that was 25 cm tall. Once this was done the robot had to navigate all the way back to the start where successful robots were able to be loaded with extra balls and sent off to deliver these for extra points.
ATC Intelligence was able to navigate through the course and deliver the first ball, gained 300 points, placing 19 of 32 teams. ATC Atoms were able to qualify after an extra rebuild of the robot on the competition day, they scored 25 points and a lot of knowledge in robotics and how to be efficient.
Thank you to Mr Chris Crane, our Robotics Club Coordinator, for organising teams, it was a great initiative for the college to be involved in. We hope to have more teams enter next year and have entries in some of the other events such as the vertical hill climb robot challenge, Maze navigating challenge and tech expo challenge!

CO-CURRICULAR MUSIC

QCMF (Queensland Catholic Schools’ and Colleges’ Music Festival) is the premier event on Queensland’s Catholic School annual music and arts calendar - we are delighted to again be involved in this outstanding music event, with 21 of ATC’s Bands, Ensembles and Choirs participating in 2023.

Details of specific performance times and venues are now on the College App. Please ensure all dates and times are in your calendars and any absences are communicated ASAP. 

ATC LONG LUNCH – SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2023

Ticket sales are open! Please visit https://www.trybooking.com/CJIYR for all details about the anticipated return of the ATC Long Lunch on Sunday 10 September. Come along and enjoy live entertainment, drinks at the Long Lunch Bar and catching up with friends. You can BYO food or order from Rosalie Gourmet Market for delivery to the event on the day, easy! We look forward to a wonderful community occasion and advise that this is an 18+ only event.

Sponsorship Opportunities – Do you have a business or have contacts that can help support this event by way of donation or sponsorship? We seek your involvement to make this event a success and ask that you register your interest to assist via this form.

Should you have any questions, please contact Helen Hicks, Administration Officer, Ambrose Treacy College Foundation.

P & F NEWS 

Meeting Dates 

All are invited to join the P&F President, Mr Ben Prain, and the Principal at our meetings on Tuesday evenings once each month. We meet in Mt Sion Library at 6.30pm. Our upcoming meetings are on Tuesday 8 August, 5 September, 10 October and 21 November. For any queries, please email the P&F Secretary Catherine pandf@atc.qld.edu.au 

P&F Trivia Night – Saturday, 29 July

A reminder that the P&F Trivia Night is being held this Saturday 29 July, starting at 5.30pm in the Nudgee Junior Hall. The theme for this year is ‘Jobs and Occupations’ – there will be prizes for best dressed/tables so time to bring out your fancy clothes!

The event is ENTIRELY BYO food and drinks. (Your per head payment covers trivia host & prizes). Yes – you can bring alcohol. No food or drinks are available for sale on the night.

If you would like to order pizza, please consider using the local Domino’s at Chapel Hill (just down the road and one of our event sponsors). If you mention that your order is for the ATC Trivia Night, they may be able to batch deliver.

Don’t forget that the raffle will also be drawn on the night. Raffle tickets will be available for sale on the night via EFT-pos CARD (or phone) only. Please keep your half of the ticket safe as it will be needed to claim a prize (does not apply to pre-sold tickets).

THANK YOU to the following local & family-owned businesses which have donated RAFFLE PRIZES for the Trivia Night so far. More prizes coming soon. Raffle tickets are available to purchase in Parent Lounge and will also be on sale on the night. Don't miss out!

• Shopping: Boutique Meats (Kenmore), Bunnings (Indooroopilly), iFruit Fresh (Kenmore), Kenmore Plaza Seafood - Fresh & Cooked, My Green Stuff (Graceville), Presents of Mind (Indooroopilly), VetShop Australia
• Beauty: Cru Hair (Chapel Hill), Monsoon Hair Design (Chapel Hill)
• Services: KPR Automotive, 17 Mile Rocks
• Food & Drinks: Ananas Espresso (Graceville), Domino’s Pizza (Chapel Hill), Wests Bar & Bistro (Toowong)
• Entertainment: Event Cinemas (Indooroopilly)
• Fitness & Health: Fig Tree Yoga (Fig Tree Pocket), Jetts (Kenmore), Movement Vitality Yoga & Mobility (Indooroopilly)

Please support the businesses which support the College.

Mr David Gardiner 

Deputy Principal