Townsville Schools

Marian Catholic School, Currajong

Gratitude, empathy and mindfulness (G.E.M.) are qualities we all aspire to show but we often need guidance in how to achieve them.

Fortunately, this year Marian Catholic School is part of the highly successful Resilience Project that aims to deliver an emotionally engaging program to students to build positive mental health, resilience and happiness. Miss Therese is leading the lower school classes in their exploration into what gratitude, empathy and mindfulness actually mean to them and the classroom teachers are enjoying working through the program journals in their own classrooms. With current research telling us that one in seven primary school students will experience mental health problems this year, it is important that we all work on G.E.M.

Ryan Catholic College, Kirwan

The staff and students farewelled Fr Dave Lancini at their Opening Liturgy and thanked him for his friendship, goodness, compassion and service, and his invaluable contribution over many years.

Just as the parish is named after Jesus the Good Shepherd, Fr Dave was a good shepherd to students, staff and families in many ways – guiding, protecting and nurturing them on their faith journey. He always used analogies and props to explain the meaning of stories, but at the Opening Liturgy the roles were reversed with Fr Dave being dressed up as a shepherd! At one stage he was asked to close his eyes and take a rest (like a shepherd takes a rest under a shady tree), but he was quickly woken by 2000+ sheep from his flock bleating in the audience! Just as a shepherd protects its sheep and brings back those who’ve strayed from the flock, Fr Dave did just that with the Ryan Catholic College community. He is much loved and will be greatly missed.

St Clare’s Catholic School, Burdell

In 2021, St Clare's Catholic School is embedding 'The Resilience Project' and looking at ways to show gratitude, empathy and mindfulness in their everyday lives.

The Peer Leaders have been teaching their classes the basics and have loved being leaders. In action the children will show gratitude to God in prayers of praise. Jesus is the perfect model of empathy, so the students are looking for moments of empathy or acting this way with others. Mindfulness is something St Clare's Catholic School does well when they meditate.

St Margaret Mary’s College, Hyde Park

St Margaret Mary’s College (SMMC) offers students every opportunity to succeed in their chosen career by offering strong pathways in the Senior school.

The 2020 Year 12 cohort was an excellent example of educated young women of spirit and purpose. Samantha Hughes who was College Dux in 2020, achieved an ATAR of 99.25 and has been successful in her application to the Advance Science (Honours) course at the University of Queensland this year. Samantha was joined by many other high achievers, four of whom were successful in their application to the James Cook University Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Program in 2021.

At SMMC individual student success is encouraged through the promotion of various career pathways. 2020 Year 12 student, Elisabeth Matters was the recipient of the 2020 Queensland Training Awards, School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year and a finalist in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year award. Elisabeth is completing her Certificate III in Carpentry through an apprenticeship with Ausco Modular in 2021.

SMMC is proud of the achievements of the 2020 cohort and the promotion of senior pathways which provide every opportunity for success. After all, “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet,” (Bobby Unser).

St Joseph’s Catholic School, Mundingburra

On the 8th of December 2020, Pope Francis declared that from the 8th December 2020 to the 8th December 2021 we would celebrate the "Year of St Joseph" in honour of the 150th anniversary of Saint Joseph being named as the patron of the Universal Church.

In his apostolic letter the Pope wrote:

In the Gospels, St Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. As a school, such attributes are an essential part of the Joey’s Way and are very strongly represented in the school motto "Love is Service." Senior students have been called to lead in this call to serve others. To be strong servant leaders, as phrased by Pope Francis "... a sign of strength of spirit ... for compassion, for a genuine openness to others, for love”.

A picture says a thousand words and one image captured the living experience of the Joey's Way. The image was taken at the commissioning of the school leaders. Purely by accident, the photo captured what true service is – without reward and just seeking to serve another, one senior leans across and helps the other senior student pin her leadership badge on, assisting somebody else when the need arises. This is the Joey's Way and this is what it is like to follow in the courageous, compassionate and faith filled footsteps of Saint Joseph.

In this Year of Saint Joseph, the students and staff will be striving to be compassionate, faith and love filled members of the school community with a trust in God.

Holy Spirit Catholic School, Cranbrook

It’s official! On Monday 15 February, Spirit Playgroup - a welcoming CALD Community Playgroup commenced, welcoming parents and young children

The concept of the Holy Spirit Playgroup originated with parents Majella Purcell and Alice Calleja. Active mothers, Alice and Majella’s combined skills of teaching and nursing developed the idea which has now come to fruition.

In true Holy Spirit hospitality, Rebecca Rowan, TCE's Advisory Visiting Specialist- English as an Additional Language or Dialect has assisted in driving the project through successfully gaining a grant for the project, promoting the playgroup, and engaging with families and service provides who support families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Throughout the playgroup sessions, babies, toddlers and parents enjoy stories, songs, craft, a chat and some refreshment.

Spirit Playgroup is on every second Monday from 8.45am – 10.15am in the Out of School Hours Care facility. Parking and easy access are available in Hatchett Street. All are welcome!

Good Shepherd Catholic School, Rasmussen

Good Shepherd Catholic School recently held their annual swimming carnival.

It was wonderful to hold a school sporting event after having to cancel so many in 2020. Bohle house took out the Swimming Carnival Trophy and Ross house took out the Spirit Award. Thank you to all families and friends who came and supported and helped out at the swimming carnival event.

Southern Cross Catholic College, Annandale

Southern Cross Catholic College are excited to have been able to offer Teen Mental Health First Aid training to their Year 9 students during their Futures lessons.

This training has been conducted by qualified professionals who work in organisations external to the school and are very experienced dealing with young people in need of assistance to manage their mental health.

The Teen Mental Health First Aid course is designed to help high school students learn how to provide mental health first aid to their friends. This course is based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and professionals.

In these sessions students learnt:

• Information about mental health problems common amongst young people and the importance of looking out for and getting help for friends when they require it.

• Mental health first aid and how/ when to administer it. • How to help a friend who has a mental health problem by looking out for warning signs, asking how they are, listening to their responses, helping them connect with an adult, being a good friend and looking after themselves via self-care after difficult conversations with their friends.

Parents of Year 9 students were also invited to attend an information session about the program run by the facilitators. The information presented in this program will add to the wealth of wellbeing information that is provided to students throughout the school’s pastoral care program.

St Anthony’s Catholic College, Deeragun

2021 has seen an increase in enrolments at St Anthony’s Catholic College and the time has come to add another House to the existing pastoral system.

After extensive research and discernment it was settled that St Benedict, O.F.M., would be the House Patron Saint and the House colour would be purple. St Benedict, the son of African slaves, lived in the 16th century, and was a charitable man whose wisdom and counsel was sought by others. He embraced the humility of the Franciscan Charism and nourished his community as a spiritual leader and cook. The Benedict House Crest symbolises aspects of the Benedict House motto “Inspire Through Charity”. Inaugural House Guardian, Mr Knibb, and the House Captains of both the Padua and Assisi Campus look forward to leading their House by living out their house motto to establish an enduring legacy for Benedict House in the College community.