Principal’s Message | Dr Michael Carroll

Dear Members of the Terrace Family,

In last week’s edition of the Terrace News, I commented that there were 18 school days until exams commence. Needless to say, a week later, the timelines have become more critical. As we approach the end of Week 5, it is important for all students to continue to focus on their school work. Currently, there are a number of assignments due. Careful planning and time management will support students meeting deadlines. This is also a time where ‘stress levels’ start to rise. So again, support and good planning will help manage this stress for students and parents. Good luck over the next few weeks.

This week is Timor-Leste Week. Terrace has a long and strong association with Timor-Leste. Through the work of TTN, the Christian Brothers and the many students and staff who have visited Timor, our association continues to strengthen. This week at College Assembly, there will be a focus on Timor and TTN. The Kolega Cafe will continue to supply coffee throughout the week and the Timor ‘Bro Bands’ will be for sale on Thursday. The culmination of Timor-Leste Week will be delayed until the following week, with the Timor Festa being held on Saturday 27 May. I encourage you to come along to this event and support the work of TTN in Timor.

In recent weeks, the issue of funding to schools, including Catholic schools, has been in the news. I have refrained from making many comments regarding this issue as there is still a lack of real detail and significant debate and lobbying to occur before a final outcome is realised. Once we have concrete information on how any changes will affect Terrace, I will communicate this to the Terrace Family. Needless to say, the College is conscious of the sacrifices families make to provide their sons with the opportunity to attend Terrace and the setting of school fees and investing other income sources is something that the College takes very seriously. I will keep you posted.

Through the Terrace News and other communication media, I attempt to promote the breadth of achievements of our students past and present. This week, I would like to focus on and congratulate Year 12 student Oscar Sullivan. Last week, Athletics Australia and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association announced that 75 Australian athletes aged from 14 to 18 years have been selected to represent Australia at the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July. Oscar Sullivan has been selected for javelin. This is an outstanding achievement. On behalf of all within the Terrace Family, I congratulate Oscar and wish him every success. Well done Oscar.

The Commonwealth Department of Education and Training will be collecting student residential addresses from 1 March to 31 May 2017 for the recalculation of socioeconomic status (SES) scores. Information for parents/guardians provided by the Department is attached here.

Finally this week, I remind all students that the GTOBA Careers Expo will be held next Wednesday, 24 May. This will be a very informative event and I encourage students, particularly students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to attend. Details can be found in the Events section of the Terrace News.

Have a great week.

God Bless,

Dr Michael Carroll

College Principal