People and Place - Building Our Community

We greatly look forward to our Opening Mass at Riverlife for Years 7 to 12 tomorrow. This tradition and our rituals for Year 12 students are a highlight of the year and we look forward to the Years 7 to 11 students bearing witness through their presence and participation in the ceremony. Our Year 4 to Year 6 students will have their own special occasion in Nudgee Junior Hall on Friday, and we look forward to celebrating with them.

Kick off Cocktails Community Event

This Parents and Friends event is now open for ticket sales via Parent Lounge and I warmly encourage as many of the ATC family to join us for a pleasant evening of community at Wests Rugby Club Toowong. Please do come along if you can. New parents, please don’t feel unsure about the word “Cocktail” - it is not a black-tie event, and smart casual attire is great. It is a lovely, relaxed and casual evening together!

Year 4 and Year 7 Welcome Picnic

Thank you to everyone who came along to this event on Brothers Oval on Saturday afternoon. I trust it was a relaxed and enjoyable opportunity to meet some of your son’s classmate's parents and make some new connections as we welcome you to ATC. Thank you to Suzanne and Maria from the P&F, our Communications Team, Property Team, Formation Team and volunteer student leaders for supporting this event.

Opening Mass

Tomorrow, we celebrate the start of the school year with our Opening Mass for Years 7 to 12 students at Riverlife. This is a significant event to officially open the school year and ask for God’s blessing on our community. The Years 4 to Year 6 students will participate in a Junior School Opening Mass this Friday in NJ Hall. The second part of tomorrow’s ceremony will be the Senior Commissioning. As the Year 12s officially start their final year, I offer my best wishes for their success as they Be the Change in 2024.

Strategic Plan

Each week, I am introducing a specific priority from our new College Strategic Plan. Our second priority in the ATC Strategic Plan is DEVELOPING OUR PEOPLE.

Ambrose Treacy College will invest in the development of leaders; staff and students; and build capacity of teachers and all staff in an environment of support and accountability – delivering outcomes for our students.

The goals for this priority are:

• Enhancing our whole of school professional learning plan for the development of staff.
• Aligning all areas of the College to the College Strategic Plan with enhanced annual operational plans and priorities for each domain of the school life.
• Promote the College pillar of leadership through support of student initiatives and the opportunity to strengthen student voice, and staff leadership development programs.
• Researching and developing an evidence based and informed practice about staff well-being.
• Enhance the College student formation program to provide contemporary education, support and resources which align with our commitment and aspiration to the ATC COURAGE framework.

Parent Information Evenings

Thank you to our Junior School families for your participation in last week’s Information Evening. It was a pleasure to welcome our new families and share in the energy of the beginning of a new year. We look forward to our Middle and Senior Schools' gathering this coming week. Meeting your son's Homeroom teacher is a key strategy in helping a big school experience be a small school experience.

Academic Assemblies

Last week we celebrated the success of many students at our three school Academic Assemblies and Past Scholars Assembly. It was extremely heartening to see over 400 students receive an award. The range of awards provides the opportunity for each student to be recognised, with categories covering improvement, effort, and achievement. The assemblies allowed opportunities for students to acknowledge their peers while also presenting the opportunity to absorb inspirations and strategies for success. Words that we use around ATC often, such as hope, resilience, courage, commitment, gratitude, persistence, partnerships, and involvement resonated across the assemblies. Hopefully the success of their peers and the stories of others can support every student in achieving their personal excellence.

Scholars Assembly

Last week, the College held our Scholars’ Assembly where we acknowledged our 2023 Academic Award winners. Our College Dux, Matthew Collins spoke passionately and honestly about his hopes for the enhancement of our academic culture and challenged the Seniors of 2024 to support one another in a pursuit of excellence. The significant academic achievement of scoring an ATAR of 95 and above is acknowledged through the Brother Patrick Ambrose Treacy Medal and along with our major awards presented at our Celebration of Excellence and the top prizes of College Dux, Proxime Accessit (Tristan Sheedy) and first in VET Pathways (Zac Coulsen) are the highest student honours at the College. Congratulations go to the 2023 subject Most Outstanding students of each Year 12 subject who were recognised and celebrated at the assembly for all their achievements. It was great to have these past students and their families with us for this occasion.

Several of our top students shared their insight on how to achieve success in Year 12. Throughout these speeches some common themes emerged such as working collaboratively with your peers and utilising the invaluable resource of your teachers. Past students agreed that each person will study differently, but that consistent and diligent effort is crucial to success.

Associated Independent Colleges Ecumenical Service and Year Launch

It was great for student and staff representatives to join the AIC at St Peter’s College last week for the 2024 launch for our third year as a guest of the association. I thank the AIC Management Committee and member schools for their ongoing welcome and hospitality to our community. It continues to be important for our community to grab this opportunity as guests of the association with both hands and to play our sport positively, respectfully and competitively as we continue to build and enhance our programs. I take this opportunity to wish all of our Term One participants in swimming, AFL, cricket and volleyball all the very best and to thank our Sports Team led by Mr Lyndon Brieffies, staff, coaches and parent supporters for your commitment to our programs

We had a wonderful first weekend of sport across cricket, AFL and Volleyball with some notable victories for our Firsts in all sports and across the grades. Have fun and enjoy the game like our mighty 5A Cricket team!

Enrolments

Over Term 1 we will be interviewing for Year 4 2025 and Year 7 2027. I encourage you to contact our Head of Enrolments, Ms Robyn Donaldson on 07 3878 0505 or by email if you are interested in future enrolment, especially if there is a sibling who is yet to be added to our records. Waiting lists are forming across some year levels, so it is important that families complete an enrolment package if they are intending to enrol at ATC. CLICK HERE to enrol your son.

Southern Cross Transit Bus Service

Thank you to the numerous parents who have been in direct communication with me concerning the scheduling of Southern Cross buses in both the morning and afternoons. I remain in constant communication with Southern Cross in providing feedback and have requested a further meeting with representatives of the company next week. There are 14 schools in the immediate area, roadworks in Indooroopilly and increases in traffic congestion which is making the changes even more challenging. I am well briefed on the details of the services and therefore, affecting students and families and am actively engaged in seeking to address the issues. I am fully aware of the rescheduling introduced today and the ongoing challenges of these routes and am in regular communication with Mr Brendan Cahill, Principal of Brigidine College.

Community Prayers

Lord, we pray for those in our community who are suffering. Be with them in this time of hardship and uncertainty. Give comfort and peace to those who have lost loved ones. May their sorrow be turned into strength, and their distress turned into peace. May our hearts remain loving and pure as we seek to always be compassionate to those around us.

God Bless,

Chris Ryan