Dear Parents

Welcome to Term 4.  This is always an exciting term where we celebrate the many achievements of our students in their Academic and Student Life pursuits.  I look forward to welcoming parents to all our celebrations this term.

On Friday, next week, our Year 12 students will have their last day of classes and we will farewell them at their Valedictory Ceremony before they sit their external examinations.  Our Year 12 students have been a wonderful cohort and we wish them well as they prepare for their final exams.

Arts Magic (flyer attached) is an initiative of the Springfield City Group and supported by the Springfield Learning Coalition.  There is a free community performance on Friday 14 October at Robelle Domain Parklands.  Our dance students have had the privilege of working with members of the Australasian Dance Collective and the Queensland Ballet in workshops held at the College.  It is exciting to have professional performers impart their knowledge and skills to our students.

Arts Magic Flyer 

The next meeting of our Parents and Friends Association is at 6.30pm on Tuesday 11 October.  The Parents and Friends are a welcoming group who support the students of our College.  The monthly meetings allow parents the opportunity to connect with other parents and remain informed about all that goes on in the College, both Primary and Secondary campuses.  All parents are welcome to attend.

The health and safety of students is always our highest priority and as part of our commitment to student health and safety we have developed a suite of student medical, health and welfare policies and procedures.  Two such procedures that I would like to draw your attention to are the Concussion Procedure and the Medication Administration Procedure.

Concussion Procedure

The Concussion Procedure states parents and guardians must immediately notify the College if a student suffers concussion at a non-College event (e.g. club sport) or outside of school hours.

The College believes that a collaborative approach needs to be taken to assist in a student’s recovery from concussion, and the College has appointed Concussion Officers at each Campus to assist families. The Concussion Officers will liaise with parents to ensure that a student with actual or suspected concussion obtains medical attention and only returns to school, sport and other physical activities under appropriate guidance and where relevant, in accordance with the Concussion Procedure.

The Concussion Procedure is available here.

Administration of Medication Procedure

College staff are not authorised to administer prescription or non-prescription medication unless a student’s parent/guardian completes and returns a Request to Administer Medication Form which is available here.

The College’s Medication Administration Procedure available here outlines the parameters in which College staff may administer medication.  This procedure and other health and safety information, policies and procedures are available in the College Handbook.

My best wishes
Steven Morris

Dear Parents

Welcome back to Term 4, which may feel like it should be sub-titled ‘the Final Countdown’, especially for our Year 12 cohort. It will be a pleasure to offer them some words of encouragement and farewell in the next few weeks, before they disappear completely, and the current Year 11s step up to take their place. We certainly wish the Seniors well in their exams and pray their hard study will be rewarded.

While the dynamic life of our College across both campuses offers a perpetual rhythm of hellos and goodbyes, it is timely to remember that some aspects of our Christian identity and values remain constant. Sunday worship is always available in the Cedar building of the Secondary campus, beginning at 9am, and this week, it will include the first of three sessions of classes for Admission to Communion, aimed at students typically between the age of 7 and 15. If you would be interested in your children being admitted to Holy Communion, please contact Rev Charlie Lacey directly via email: Charlie@standrewsspringfield.org.au or speak to me. I am also preparing to baptise two children from a College family very shortly. If you would like to explore baptism for yourself or your children, don’t hesitate to contact me at any time.

In other Church news, this Saturday there is a huge festival called “On Earth 2022” happening at St Francis College, Baroona Rd, Milton from 12pm to 7pm. If you are interested in the themes or the practice of Music, Spirit, Art and Justice, there will be something here for you. Find out more at www.onearthfest.com.  I am also looking forward to our annual Carnival of Light in the Secondary Dome on Friday 28 October which promises to be a wonderful night of fun for the whole family at very reasonable cost. See all the details at https://www.standrewsspringfield.org.au/events-1/carnival-of-light-2023.

Lastly, there have been a number of bereavements and difficulties for members of our College community over the break. If you would like to talk through a situation happening in your life, whether it relates to school or not, I am always here to listen so feel free to reach out to me. I was reminded this week that whenever we find ourselves mentally creating an ‘us and them’ situation in life, we can bet that Jesus would be standing with ‘them’! So if you’ve never ‘crossed the line’ and spoken with a chaplain before, perhaps now is the time to do it.

Peace in Christ,

Rev. Jonathan Kemp
College Chaplain