College Dean | Acting College Dean, Mr Damien Fall

Welcome to Term 4, a time of the academic year that we know to be especially busy, given the brevity of the term and the amount that we need to fit into it. Dr Carroll remains on leave for the first two weeks of term with Mr Chris Ryan as Acting College Principal. For this period, I will continue to act as College Dean, Mr Damien Cuddihy as Dean of Students, Mr Mason Hellyer as Dean of Waterford Place and Mr Rob Sweeper as Head of Faculty, Human Movements. This week, we welcomed back staff who were on leave for all or part of Term 3: Mr Geoff Ludlow, Mrs Loren Serafin-Huey, Mrs Jan Cameron, Mrs Kathy Wilson, Mrs Cath Griffin and Mrs Tracey McIvor. I trust that their return to school this week has been gentle.

The holidays were a sad time for Mr Chris Ryan, with his mum, Maureen, becoming gravely ill before passing away last Saturday night. Please keep Maureen, Chris and the extended Ryan family in your thoughts and prayers at this tough time. In happier news, Mr Anthony Baruksopulo celebrated his marriage late last term and we pass on our congratulations and best wishes.

The introduction of the new system of Senior assessment is approaching. Our current Year 9 students are due to be the first graduates under the new system which sees them complete external examinations and exit with an ATAR, rather than an OP score. This is the most significant academic change in Queensland in my 25 years as an educator. Accordingly, the College recognises the need to be thoroughly prepared for this new system. A large part of our preparation involves the professional development of staff. The College has committed significant time and funding towards ensuring our staff, programs and systems are ready when this change takes place. This Friday, while the Inter-House Track and Field carnival takes place, our Heads of Faculty will spend a day planning for the implementation of the new system.

This Saturday, the College will be participating in an event known as Brisbane Open House, a public festival that invites Brisbane residents to view significant architecture across the city. The Treacy Building and Waterford Place are two of 90 buildings across the city that will be open for inspection to members of the public. We are proud to be invited to participate. All the very best to everyone in our community for the term ahead.