Principal

Mr David Finch

What a pleasure and a privilege it was to take our squad of 20 players and support personnel to the 2017 Confraternity

Carnival.

Congratulations need to be extended to the following team members for their involvement and commitment –

Daniel Mairu, Richard Dau, Meku Dau, Billy Dau, Euwanae Mairu, Keane Ryan, Lee Liddy, Yarus Blanket, Daniel Sam,

Zjahndalee Nona, Barry Maitie, Percy Maitie, Toby Williams, Braiden Sesar, Matthew Ederer, Tyrese Malachi, Dale Kepi,

Tommy Johnson, Daniel Pedro and Nabil Warria. What a team!

Ash Ellul, Tanneal Micallef, Jason Stephens, Tina Schefe and David Schefe spent the first week of the recent school holiday’s in

Brisbane while the team of 20 young men competed in our first outing at the Confraternity Carnival.

21st July 2017

Principal: Mr David Finch Deputy Principal - Curriculum/Admin: Mr Ian Margetts

Assistant Principal - Mission: Mr Matt de Jong Assistant Principal - Student Wellbeing: Mr Scott Whitters

Business Manager: Mr David Osborne Office Manager: Mrs Sue Wegert

Head of Residential: Mrs Tina Schefe & Mr Dave Schefe

MSB CONFRATERNITY TEAM 2017

This year Padua College in Kedron (Brisbane) hosted the carnival. There were 48 teams in total, with 50 schools being represented. The opening Mass at Padua College was a huge event, with over 2500 people packed into the school’s auditorium for a Eucharistic service. It was quite amazing with our team captain – Daniel Mairu involved in the opening ceremony, presenting our Jersey to the assembled crowd.

The first day of the carnival was a tough, but rewarding one for the team. The boys played Emmaus College from near Brisbane, and won convincingly, 28 – 12. Unfortunately, one of our players was sent from the field, and had to face the judiciary. He was cleared of any misconduct. MSB Staff pick of player of the game – Keane Ryan.

The second game of the day was against St. James from Spring Hill in Brisbane. This game proved to be a bit tougher, as the players were feeling a little sore from the first game. Eventually, MSB won again with a score of 22 – 14. MSB Staff Pick of player of the game – Daniel Mairu.

After the game, we travelled back to our accommodation at Marist College. On the way home, we brought a heap of ice so the boys could have ice baths. Percy Maitie was by far the bravest with the ice, and stayed in the bath for quite a long time. Mr. Ash had a lot of cleaning to do after the messy ice bath.

Day 2 started with a very early game. We had to leave Marist College at 7 am to get to the playing fields in time. The early morn-ing did not agree with the team, and we eventually lost the game in a very tight game. The score ended at 6 – 8, with Chanel Col-lege from Gladstone walking away victorious. MSB Staff Pick of player of the game – Meku Dau.

Later that day, the players had to “pick themselves up off the canvas “to face St. Augustines College from Brisbane. The boys showed amazing strength and resilience when they defeated the opposition 16 – 0. It was a great game that the boys needed to have to keep their heads in the game. MSB Staff Pick of player of the game – Billy Dau.

Thankfully, the Third day – Wednesday was a rest day. Our young men, however elected to play a game of Paint Ball instead of resting. We bundled in the bus and drove an hour West to Emu Gully Adventure Education Centre for the day. Needless to say, David and Tina Schefe became prime targets for the boys. Mr. Dave is still sporting some great bruises as a result of the “fun”. Later that day, we travelled into South Bank Parklands in the City of Brisbane for some free time. We could not be more proud of the way the boys conducted themselves in the centre of the city, and their willingness to follow instructions.

On Thursday, the team started the semi-final round. Our game for the day was against Chisolm Catholic College from near the Gold Coast. This game turned out to be the game where our team played their best football. The score at the end of the game was 48 – 6 to MSB. What a great win, with Billy Dau again being named the player of the game by MSB staff.

The Grand final game on Friday was unfortunately another early game, and again the team did not play well. We faced a familiar opponent who we had beaten on day one – Emmaus College. Maybe our players were a little over confident, or perhaps Emmaus had a point to prove. In the end, Emmaus defeated MSB 22 – 10. Our player of the game was again Billy Dau. Unfortunately, the MSB captain was sent from the field, which left the team a lot less powerful in the forward pack. This com-bined with accumulated injuries made for a very disappointing day for the team.

The end result for the Carnival is a great outcome for a first time event for MSB. We were awarded Runner Up medallions for division 3, and Billy Dau was justifiably awarded a brand new award – Player of the division.

After such a tough week, the boys returned to MSB to relax and rest for the weekend before flying home to communities for the rest of the holiday. Mr. Finch and Mr. DeJong thoroughly spoiled the boys, and had a great time taking the remaining team members to restaurants for meals and another ice bath in the Millaa Millaa Falls!

Again, it has been an absolute pleasure taking this journey with the team. We are already getting organised for 2018, when the Confraternity is being held at Columba Catholic College in Charters Towers. At least next year it is closer to home. Bring it on!

Dave Schefe

Head of Residential

Deputy Principal— Curriculum & Admin

Mr Ian Margetts

Welcome to Semester 2!

It was pleasing to see through the semester reports so many students striving to

do their best by working hard in class. During next Monday’s assembly we will

be presenting certificates to acknowledge those students who always try their

best in class. Currently on reports students receive ‘application & effort’ ratings

on the scale from ‘Consistently’ through to ‘Needs Improvement’. These

‘Academic Effort Awards’ will be presented to students who meet the following

criteria:

Year 7 – 10: 6 out of 8 ‘Consistently’ with no lower than a ‘Generally’

Year 11 & 12: 5 out of 6 ‘Consistently’ with no lower than a ‘Generally’

A list of student will be published in our next newsletter.

Ian Margetts - Deputy Principal - Admin & Curriculum

Application & Effort Ratings

CO Consistently

GE Generally

SO Sometimes

NI Needs Improvement

QCS Test – Dates & Papers

Tuesday

29 August

Morning: Writing Task (2 hours)

Afternoon: Multiple Choice I (1 ½ hours)

Wednesday

30 August

Morning: Short Response

(2 hours)

The QCS test is fast approaching for Year 12 students

who are OP eligible plus any other interested students.

The QCS Test consists of 4 papers — a Writing Task (of

600 words), a Short Response paper and two Multiple

Choice papers. The results achieved for each of the 4

test papers are combined into one grade, ranging from A

(the highest grade) to E (the lowest).

QCS Preparation Schedule Term 3

Week Date Activity

3 27th July Short Response

4 3rd August Extended Response (P4-7)

5 10th August Multiple Choice

6 17th August Study session

7 24th August Final QCS prep - details

8 29-30th August QCS Test (Tuesday & Wednesday)

Like most schools, some focused preparation

for the test has been occurring and will con-

tinue to be provided in the lead up to the

days. This generally occurs in Thursday’s

double study lesson and is compulsory for all

students intending to sit the test. Please

note the important dates in the table.

Daniel Mairu - Spirit Award Winner

and Billy Dau Winner Player of the

Competition Division 3

Top: Yarus Blanket with

Bronco’s player Anthony

Milford

Top right: Team at Mt Cootha

Lookout and bottom right: A day

out at paintball

2017 Indigenous Australian Science and Infrastructure Development School

- by Megan Lyall Year 12

During the school holidays I attended the 2017 SID School in risbane. This week - long camp for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 10 to 12 focuses upon science and is designed to break down myths and barriers around attending university . It aims to build student’s aspirations about all that is possible in the future.

We visited ‘real-world’ work places and met industry professionals, participated in interactive university activities and, most importantly, made new friends who are also considering university study.

In five hectic days I experienced campus life, I found out what

is like to study at Q T and learned about the different

pathways available at university. After a tour of the

engineering faculty we were given the opportunity to

program robots which we raced.

We travelled to the Gold Coast A uatic Centre, where people

involved with the Commonwealth Games explained how the

games will be run and where the athletes are going to stay.

We also met some of the engineers that were building the

illage. They demonstrated the design process using

technology. We visited the defence force barracks where we

used simulations. After the barracks we went to the Lone

Pine oala sanctuary where an ecologist spoke to us about

ecosystems.

It was an ama ing week which inspired me to think about my

future and study options after school. I would like to thank

and show my appreciation to the co-ordinators of the SID

school, Q T, ADF and the mentors and university staff for

their time and inspirational presentations.

Mr Scott Whitters

Positive Behaviour Support - Fortnightly Focus - “Making a Good Start...”

Jenny Rossiter— Whole School — jrossiter@msb.qld.edu.au Trudy Bakker - Years 7 - 12— tbakker@msb.qld.edu.au

Scott Whitters - Head of Pastoral Care—swhitters@msb.qld.edu.au

Don’t forget we are only a phone call away. If you have any issues

or concerns you wish to discuss please don’t hesitate to call or

email a member of the Pastoral Care Team:

Assistant Principal—Student Wellbeing

The main focus for the first few weeks of term will be on adopting a Growth Mindset. A mindset, is a self-perception that people

hold about themselves. People can be aware or unaware of their mindsets, but they can have profound effect on learning achievement, skill ac uisition, personal relationships, professional success, and many other dimensions of life.

The focus will be on distinguishing between “fixed” and “growth” mindsets. In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic ualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Students who embrace growth mindsets believe that they can learn more or become smarter if they work hard and persevere. They view challenges and failures as opportunities to improve their learning and skills.

There will be some minor changes to the Pastoral Care Team for the remainder of the year. Mr en Smith has taken a position at St Andrew’s for the remainder of the school year. I wish to thank en for his contribution to the pastoral care of students in year 7 to 9. Mrs Trudy akker will now assist with pastoral care for students from years 7 to 12.

Our Counselling department will farewell Mrs Tosca Grainer-Dee at the end of week 4. Tosca is moving to Mother of Good Counsel in Cairns. I wish to thank Tosca for her extraordinary work at MS over the past 3 years. The College is working on replacing Tosca to ensure we offer the same high level of professional support to our students.

Scott Whitters—Assistant Principal – Student Wellbeing

Email: swhitters@msb.qld.edu.au

Dear Friends and Families of MS ,

Welcome back to Term Three. I hope all students and families were able to spend some uality time together.

Term Three will be very busy and is often the term where most academic progress is made. Most students have settled into sound study habits and routines at this point in the year. It is most important for returning students to be organised and mentally prepared for the term ahead. We often talk about Code Switching at MS , which refers to the ability to change behaviour, language and attitudes according to the environment we are in. It will be of utmost importance this term that all students manage to code switch upon their return to MS .

Whatever has happened before … you can always choose to rule a

line under it and start over.

This week, students have been encouraged to: “Use the energy of

the new term to power yourself forward into the new you!”

They have been asked to reflect on the first

semester and ask themselves how they went

with following the four classroom rules.

The next step is to choose one of these to

work on as a goal for this term.

Finally they are being asked to think about

learning in a greater way. It is not just about

school work, it is also about learning to

become the best you that you can be.

What personal goals can I set and

achieve this term?

Assistant Principal—Mission

Mr Matt de Jong

Mr Matt de Jong - Assistant Principal - Mission

Welcome back to all students and staff for term 3. Hopefully all had an enjoyable and restful break. I would

like to comment on some of events that have occurred over the past few weeks.

Well done to the boys who represented the College in the Confraternity rugby tournament. They played well,

behaved well and brought good vibes to the College.

Last week on Monday 10th July the staff were involved in an in-service conducted by Fr. Elio Capra a

Salesian priest, based in Melbourne. He is a Sacramental theologian and a very informative and

entertaining presenter. He presented to the teaching staff what it means to be a teacher in a Catholic school in the 21st

century and also how to re-contextualise our faith and make our teaching more engaging for the students. He uses art, media

and humour to achieve this. From the feedback I have received from staff, this was a very worthwhile day. Hopefully, Fr. Elio

will be back in the future to help us understand the ECSIP data that we will be receiving in the near future. This data will be

‘unpacked’ to help us enhance the Catholic identity of the College and improve the teaching of Religion at MSB.

This week is Catholic Education Week in Queensland. More information about Catholic Education week was published in the

last newsletter. This week we will celebrate it with a whole College assembly on Monday morning as well as a liturgy on

Friday afternoon. Students will be travelling to Cairns and Mareeba to attend masses during the week.

At the end of June, our parish priest, Fr. Greg Moses retired and moved to NSW. We commemorated and celebrated his

service to the College with a mass and presentation of a gift on the last day of term 2. This term, as we don’t have the services

of a priest we have made a few changes to the timetable. Every Monday morning in period 1 we will begin the week with an

assembly in the chapel. There will be a short prayer for all students and staff, as well as announcements by the Principal,

Deputy Principal, and the students will be introduced to the PBS program by Mr Scott Whitters and Mrs Jenny Rossiter.

Every Friday in period 7 the college will gather in the chapel for a liturgy which will focus on the gospel for the coming

Sunday as well as the awarding of certificates and acknowledging the good things our students do.

A fair bit is happening in the college at the moment. I wish all a successful and enjoyable term 3.

Congratulations Ben Smith from

Mount St Bernard College on

being selected as a

2017 Spirit of Catholic

Education Award recipient!

2017 NAIDOC Week The Queensland College of Teachers spoke to some of Queensland's most inspiring teachers and school

leaders in Indigenous education to celebrate NAIDOC Week. Here is the interview with MSB Principal,

A record number of Indigenous students will complete Year 12 at Mount St ernard College in Herberton this year.

It’s just one of the successes the Years 7 to 12 Catholic co-education college is celebrating in 2017. Another is the opening in late 2016 of a transition house to help smooth the boarding transition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

More than 80 per cent of the school’s students are Indigenous, with a majority of those coming from remote or very remote Indigenous communities across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Mount St ernard (MS ) College Principal David Finch says pastoral care, in particular around the transition process, plays a crucial role at the college, which has very close ties with families and their communities, sometimes stretching back three generations.

The transition process starts with about one do en staff members escorting students between home and school at the start of each term and a transition team of three staff at MS . The college works with local councils to set up Skype meetings throughout the school year, keeps in touch via Facebook, and this year a refurbished Queenslander was opened as a transition house to help students for whom the change is particularly hard.

“Probably every week we’d have family members staying there,” David says.

“In fact we just had two mums here this week – we’ve got one mum who is from the Torres Strait and one mum from the Northern Territory who have been staying. They have been going into classes and supporting their sons,” he says.

“I think the difference with the Indigenous students we have is that most of them, probably in fact all of them, are from remote and very remote communities and a lot of them have not really had much experience with school routine or education at all.

Zhandalee Nona & Tallis Mairu.

A great thing here is that because our Indigenous students come from the re-

“So uite a few of them, when they do come – and there’s always some that don’t make it, as in all boarding schools—but the routine of coming to a school setting and sitting in class does not fit them and they are not used to it.”

That’s why this year’s record number of 25 Indigenous Year 12 students is a particular success. While the MS is a small school of around 200 students, in four of the past five years 100 per cent of its Year 12s have left with a Queensland Certificate of Education, a ocational Education and Training ualification or a School- ased Apprenticeship. All of the students who have applied to QTAC have received a tertiary offer over the same time period.

The school also has around 50 students from the Tablelands who are day students only.

David says the rich cultural background of students, who come from the Torres Strait, Darwin, atherine, Santa Teresa, Elcho Island and other Northern Territory communities, as well as remote and very remote Queensland Aboriginal communities and the Atherton Tablelands, means their NAIDOC Day celebration is the biggest day of the school calendar. This year it will be celebrated on August 25.

2017 NAIDOC Week

“It’s huge,” David says. “It’s ama ing—it’s the singing, it’s the dancing. We’ve got the kids who perform in a band—we’ve got our Digi ids, which have become uite popular. We have Elcho Island girls that perform and dance for us, we have Torres Strait Islander boys that perform and dance, so it’s the girls and the boys that get involved, as well as the kids from all of the different communities. It’s fantastic.

“A lot of families save up all year to come to our NAIDOC Day.”

David says NAIDOC celebrations are important for all schools regardless of how many Indigenous students they have, as it is important to help “Close the Gap”.

“We have about 50 local students, local girls and boys from around the Tablelands area that come to this school, and they enjoy NAIDOC as much as the Indigenous kids because it is an opportunity to really express the importance of keeping that culture alive,” David says.

“The non-Indigenous kids can get a better understanding of what the culture is all about and that is one of the great things we do here, and that’s just not with NAIDOC Day, that’s a big part of the whole school year,” he says.

“A great thing here is that because our Indigenous students come from the remote and very remote communities,

the culture is still very much a part of their lives.“

A video recently released by Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns, in conjunction with Josh Arnold from Small Town Culture, features

students from MS singing about their cultures.

“We had our three groups represented in the video, so we have got the Torres Strait Islander students as well as the Territory Aboriginal

kids and the Queensland Aboriginal kids, so the three of them have an opportunity to express their culture in this video clip. They loved

it,” David says.

A student from St Monica’s College in Cairns is also featured in the video clip.

View The Spirits are Calling Video at the following address

https://youtu.be/7krhV36LEOw

MSB Naidoc Day & Open Day

Is coming Friday 25th August

Naidoc Day is fast approaching.

The College will provide a Bus Service from Cairns on the

morning of Friday 25th August and return to

Cairns in the afternoon.

This will coincide with the Boarders free weekend.

Bus Pick up points are , 1st, Gordonvale, Picconne’s

Supermarket Edmonton, Stockland Earlville, Seville Centre

Earlville, Cairns Central, Smithfield Shopping Centre

& Mareeba Information Centre.

These will be central pick up points not residential addresses.

Please advise college if you will require this bus service asap.

The Naidoc Program will be running all day from 9am—3pm.

Program includes Liturgy, Cultural feast and of

course our famous dancers.

More details to come about other exciting

events & entertainment.

Naidoc shirts will be for sale. Cost $50.00

All family are welcome to attend.

RSVP no later than Tuesday 15th August.

If you have any further queries please contact

MSB’s Transition Team on PH: 40 961 444

We look forward to seeing you.

Upcoming Events

2017

Term 3

Sat 22 - Sun 23 July

Boarders Leave Weekend

Sun 23 - Sat 29 July

Catholic Education Week

Mon 24 - Wed 26 July

Year 9 Maths Enrichment Camp

Wed 26 - Fri 28 July

Year 8 Camp at Echo Creek

Mon 31 July

Visit from Tokyo Uni Agriculture HS

Tues 1 - Wed 2 Aug

District Athletics 13-19yrs Atherton SHS

Thurs 3 Aug

Years 7 & 8 Maths Quiz Atherton SHS

Sun 13 - Mon 14 Aug

Peninsula Athletics Barlow Park Cairns

Tues 15 - Fri 18 Aug

Year 9 Expedition Walsh River

Thurs 17 - Sun 20 Aug

Qld Catholic Schools & Colleges

Music Festival Villanova College Brisbane

Fri 25 Aug

Naidoc Day & Open Day at MSB

Sat 26 - Sun 27 Aug

Boarders Leave Weekend

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

A weekend away for married couples in peaceful, picturesque surroundings – away from the

distractions of everyday living.

Take time out of your busy schedule, to invest in your most precious asset . . . your Marriage! This is a unique opportunity to recharge your relationship batteries, refocus on each other and fall in love all

over again!

Our next week end will held 4 to 6 August 2017.

Watch our video - https://youtu.be/9NiW1PXumTQ

Venue: Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre, Ormiston QLD (on Brisbane’s bayside)

For bookings/details contact: Maria and David Murphy, ph (07) 3342 1456,

dandmmurphy@optusnet.com.au Information

Woolworths Earn & Learn 2017

Dear Families,

This year we will be participating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn

program. Through this program we will be able to get new

educational resources for our school. Of course, participation is en-

tirely up to you.

How it works:

From Wednesday 26th July to Tuesday 19th September we are

collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. You will get one

Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor,

tobacco and gift cards).

Drop stickers into Student Reception, the Library or the Collection Box

at your local Woolworths.

At the end of the promotion, we’ll be able to get some great new

equipment. The range is extensive and offers lots of items ideal for

our students – including resources for Maths, English, Science and

some fantastic fun supplies for Arts & Craft, Sport and for our library.

If you’d like to know more visit woolworths.com.au/earnandlearn

Thank you

MSB Library