Newsletter

Spring certainly arrived over the last few days with an abrupt burst of the Brisbane summer ahead of us!  A new season refreshes us as we put aside our jeans, boots, and winter coats (which we only needed about four times during the past winter) and look forward to longer days, maybe some visits to the beach and the wonderful taste of our first mango or peach of the summer.  

This can be a demanding week for many of our students. The final weeks of term bring with them the challenge of assessments, with students being asked to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have mastered throughout the term, and for our Year 11s in many cases throughout the past three terms.  I am confident that our students will encourage one another to find the motivation across the coming days to push forward and perform to the best of their ability. 

Let’s embrace and enjoy this season of growth, both in nature and in our school community, as we continue to support one another in the final weeks of Term 3.

Sport

Our netball teams braved the heat last Saturday at Downey Park with great performances by all. After much deliberation, some of the afternoon games were postponed to this coming Saturday due to the intense heat on the courts. We celebrate the months of hard work and determination of all our netball teams.  Our players have demonstrated exceptional teamwork, resilience, and commitment throughout the season, and we look forward to supporting those teams who are playing this Saturday.

Our touch football teams enjoyed a fabulous day at the annual AHS Touch Football Carnival at Tennyson last Sunday. This event is a cornerstone of the AHS touch season, providing a chance to showcase the countless hours spent refining skills, drills, and teamwork. Beyond the competition, it's the camaraderie and fair play that truly capture the essence of touch football at our school.

We thank our Head of Sport, Mr. Simmons-Bliss, Touch Football Coordinator, Mr. Jordan Dart, and all our Sports Office staff, coaches, team managers, Touch Football Parent Support Group, and supporters. Your dedication and tireless efforts have been instrumental in guiding our teams to success. 

We wish everyone involved in sport this weekend the very best of luck and hope they have an enjoyable time.

In 1963, the world was on the brink of nuclear war. It was at that time that Pope St. John XXIII issued his ground breaking encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). It was a heart-felt plea to the Church and all people of goodwill for an end to war and for the banning of nuclear weapons. 

In the 2024 – 2025 Australian Catholic Bishops' Social Justice Statement, “Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World”, Australia’s Bishops scrutinise the signs of our own troubled times, observe the violence around us, and ask why it is so. They also ask what is needed if there is to be peace. In a world full of pessimism, they put their faith and hope in the possibility of peace.

Using scripture and the guidance of Pope St. John XXIII’s Pacem in Terris and Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti, we learn that peace is possible if we put our trust in Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. 

It is from him that we learn about the architecture of peace. From him, we learn a commitment to the culture of encounter, the value of dialogue at all levels and the importance of seeing everyone as our sister, our brother. 

To access the full statement and supporting resources, please click here: https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/2024/07/25/social-justice-statement-2024-25/

Last Friday, some of the Social Justice Captains and our School Captains paid a visit to the Romero Centre to see first-hand the amazing work that they do for refugees and asylum seekers. 

Our first stop was to visit the pantry where donations of food, toiletries and nappies are stored. For years, our Easter, Winter and Christmas Appeal collections have made their way to the pantry, but as centre Manager Mengistu explained, they don't last long.

The Romero Centre supports up to 700 families in South East Queensland. They help with food supplies, access to government agencies, health care support, housing, and employment pathways. While we were there, we saw a small-group English class in action and met Emma, a volunteer who was assisting a woman in preparing for a job interview she was about to attend.

We left knowing that the money we have raised throughout the year will certainly make an impact on so many people desperate to get a foot in the employment door. 

We also have a new appreciation of the demand for our donations of food as well as the Kitty's Room home-starter kits. We look forward to presenting the staff of the Romero Centre with their cheque at the Year 12 final assembly in November.

It was a joy to accompany 2 of our First Nations students to the Archdiocesan graduation liturgy for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the diocese last week. The event began with an address to the students by Uncle David Miller followed by a walk through the new Cathedral Reconciliation Garden. Auxiliary Bishop Tim Norton presided over the liturgy which included a procession of all graduands and a presentation of special stoles to mark this significant educational milestone. The Recessional hymn was 'Go Make a Difference' which was an invitation to all students to make the most of their gifts, talents and learnings in whatever path they take to make a positive impact on the world.

Calling all coffee connoisseurs! 

We are once again offering 1kg bags of Merlo Coffee beans at the bargain price of $36 as part of our annual fundraising program. 

To support our whole school project, Pathways of Possibility, $10 from each coffee bag purchased will be donated to the Romero Centre, which will use the money to help deliver its employment program to refugees seeking work.

To order your bags of coffee, please pay using this link: Merlo Coffee 2024 Fundraiser. 

Your daughter will receive an email regarding collection from Café 547. 

Thank you for supporting our whole school project.

Liturgy will be celebrated in the Sophia Centre tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. Luke Cahill's Year 12RML class will lead the prayer. All are welcome.

The All Hallows’ community extends its sympathy and support to Nicola Muscillo (Y11 WH3) and Vittoria Muscillo (Y8 WH4) on the death of their maternal grandmother.

May God’s love comfort them and their families at this sad time.

Friday 13 September 2024

10:30am - 12:30pm

What to bring?

P&F & AHS Debating - Finding Your Voice

AHS Claver Theatre

Monday 9 September from 3:30pm

No cost. Please RSVP for catering purposes here.

The All Hallows’ School P&F is thrilled to once again be raffling a brand-new Motorama 2024 MG3 Core 1.5L Auto Hatchback valued at $18,990!

Tickets are now on sale for $100 each via the link below. With only 500 tickets available the chances of winning are incredibly high! Drawn on the last day of Term 3. All proceeds support our School.

All Hallows' School Fundraising Raffle

Following our full suite of nine practice examination sessions over the past four weeks our Year 12s have a few key learnings to share.

• I have learnt to put down whatever you know - every relevant statement may be awarded. 
• I have learnt to never leave anything blank.
• I have learnt to apply theory to respond to questions - what the types of questions are. 
• I have learnt to apply my time equally to theory as well as to practical problem-solving.
• I have learnt to be more discerning in being able to recognise what a question is actually asking of me.
• I have learnt to equate seeing a particular question to the formula that may be applied. 
• I have learnt to deconstruct the syllabus formula booklet and know when to apply each formula.
• I now know that the syllabus has a glossary that includes QCAA definitions that may be asked in recall, define, and explain questions.
• I have identified key concepts and/or key subject matter to address in my program of review.
• I have learnt to use the process of elimination when completing multiple-choice questions.
• Identify the number of marks that a question is worth as a guide to the depth of response. 

I also take this opportunity to congratulate our Year 12s on their preparation for their practice examinations and for their thorough identification of areas to attend to. 

The learnings from our practice examinations will give them and their teachers a renewed focus on supporting their External Assessment preparations. 

Towards the end of the coming week (Week 10), our Year 12 students will receive their confirmed results for their third piece of summative assessment (typically IA3) following the QCAA Confirmation Event 3, which was conducted last Friday and Saturday. 

Our confirmed results for our 2024 cohort demonstrate both consistency in the marking standards applied by our teachers and optimised results for our learners. I give thanks to those members of our teaching staff who have taken on roles with the QCAA as part of the senior assessment system. Their willingness not only ensures that the system can be implemented but also that our whole teaching staff benefits from their insights and improvements to our teaching programs and practices. 

I thank our Event 3 Confirmers for their work last week: Scott Adamson, Christine Beckmann, Dan Byrnes, Mary Childs, Paul Faughey, Diane Hanson, Tristan Hart, Siobhan Lambert, Karen Lewis, Debby Martens, Clair Monnickendam,  Fiona Murphy, Lydia Patterson, Sue Pearn, Ornella Roveda, Sophie Rowland, Anne Taylor, Grayson Tyndale, Linda Wade and Georgia Wilson.

In the journey of learning, the phrase 'practice makes permanent' underscores the importance of consistent and deliberate practice in shaping a student's understanding and skills. By engaging in regular practice, students reinforce their learning, moving beyond a temporary grasp towards lasting mastery. This is particularly powerful when coupled with the approach of 'making thinking visible', where students are encouraged to articulate their thought processes, strategies, and reasoning. When students complete practice problems, they aren't just repeating tasks; they're honing their problem-solving skills. This approach helps them internalise concepts, identify areas of misunderstanding, and build a deeper, more permanent foundation of knowledge. By supporting your child in practising regularly and encouraging them to explain their thinking, you are helping them solidify their learning and develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in all areas of their education.

Some common strategies from 'Making Thinking Visible' include: "I used to think … Now I think …", Think Puzzle Explore, The Headlines routine, The MYST routine (Me, You, Space, Time), See Think Wonder, The Explanation Game and Connect Extend Challenge. If you wish to explore this further with your daughter, then please refer to the Visible Thinking | Project Zero (harvard.edu) site run by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Our students also have access to many online supports for routine practice and extension. Two of these supports that we use widely across the school include Education Perfect (Year 5-12 subjects) and Atomi (Year 11 and 12 Business and Physical Education). 

Our parents and students may be interested in some of the statistics this year to date: 

Education Perfect - 29,597 engagements; 1,568,017 questions answered and 7,106 hours spent engaging 

Atomi - 24,574 questions answered, 3,707 lessons completed, 330 hours spent engaging. 

Of course, there are many and varied resources available to our students. One recent focus for our Year 12 students has been Exam Insights, which provides filterable questions from past QCAA External Assessments.

Mr. Scott Adamson (Dean of Teaching and Learning).

Hello everyone! 

I’m a little under the pump right now, so I thought I’d take this chance to share yet another one of my favourite poems with you all! This one has a much cooler origin story for me than my past poems that I just saw on TikTok…

‘Twas a cold winters evening in Mt Barney on a friend’s annual family-friend camping trip that another friend and I were lucky enough to receive an invite to. It was their infamous camping “poetry night” (yes, their family is actually goals) and it truly exceeded all expectations. We listened to everyone’s poetry picks for the year (which we naturally participated in with our own picks) and even heard some originals from both 10 and 50-year-olds! 

One of the poems read aloud particularly stood out to me: “The Invitation” by Oriah. 

Born from Oriah’s frustration and dissatisfaction after leaving a party at its superficial level of social interaction, she describes ‘The Invitation’ as a “declaration of intent, a map into the longing of the soul, the desire to live passionately, face‐to‐face with ourselves and skin‐to‐skin with the world.”  

It is the story of a human who longs to live fully awake. It is the story of the human heart’s capacity and longing to live intimately with all of it- the joy and the sorrow, the hope and the fear. 

Here it is.

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. 

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or if you have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstacy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitation of being human. 

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul? If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. 

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. 

I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. 

I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back. 

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. 

I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. 

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

I mean, wow. It gets me every time. 

I certainly can’t add too much to that masterpiece, but I’ll just say that hearing it inspires me to see how exciting life can be if we allow it to be! 

There is beauty in allowing ourselves to experience everything to its full extent—happy, sad, painful, nostalgic—all of it. 

If you find yourself slipping into the seemingly mandatory confines of mundane, unfeeling small talk, strive to take the leap and have a ‘dnm’ (deep and meaningful, as we like to say) with someone about their experience. There is such freedom in honesty. 

And finally, try not to close yourself off in an attempt not to get hurt because getting hurt is, regretfully, a part of it. As the experts say, it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Let’s hope they’re right 😅

Love always, 

Bridget x

Attached is the Term 3 Newsletter featuring the latest First Nations resources available at Potter Library.

Topics include: 

• Science and Seasons
• Junior Fiction
• YA Fiction
• Activism and Politics
• Picture Books
• Yarning mats and cards

First Nations Resources Newsletter Term 3 2024 1 compressed

The newsletter also includes a link to all our resources at the online First Nations Research Guide. 

Mercedes 2024 Family Breakfast (e-newsletter.com.au)

Harmony has arrived! Available in cases of 6 and two-bottle gift packs.

The Harmony, a 2023 field blend, is the fifth vintage of the All Hallows’ Community Wine Project.

Again, we thank Art, of Krupinski Vineyard and St Judes Estate, and the grapes for our fifth edition are again from Ballendean – a beautiful blend of petit verdot, shiraz and merlot.

This is a minimal intervention wine with only a small dose of sulphur at bottling. Made by Martin and Karen Turner at Craft Wine Store, Coorparoo, supported by Tony Harper, Mike Hayes and friends, this blend is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

A fruit-driven, elegant, and medium-bodied wine, a discerning palate will note dark berries, liquorice, and chocolate—with a touch of herbs and spice. (Forget the pudding—this is Christmas in a glass!)

Once again, by purchasing these wines, you will be supporting future bursary students through the All Hallows’ Foundation.

We hope you enjoy!

To order your case of 6, visit All Hallows' School Online Community (ahs.qld.edu.au)

To order your two-bottle gift pack, visit All Hallows' School Online Community (ahs.qld.edu.au)

Ms. Jo Lovett (Director of Community Relations and Development).

On Saturday night, the P&F Riverfire and Long Super event went off with a “bang”.  

Guests were treated to a fantastic night with the first fly-over in front of arriving guests.  Right through the afternoon and into the evening, parents and friends enjoyed the Brisbane Festival's Riverfire fireworks and aerial displays from the school’s amazing setting overlooking the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge.  

The MG raffle car also sparkled under the lights of the fireworks.  (Just a little plug to get your tickets as we are getting close to the 500 limit!)   All Hallows' School Fundraising Raffle | RaffleLink

A huge thank you to Kylie Hine and Mat Lynch of the AHS P&F and to all our volunteers for making this night truly memorable. So much work goes into these events, and I really appreciate the hard work and dedication both Kylie and Mat put in to pull this together.  

Thank you also to everyone who attended and made it a great evening. 

Please enjoy the gallery of images provided by Just Photography.

All Hallows' School - Riverfire Event 2024 Photos (shootproof.com)   

Mr. Phil Young (P&F President).

Year 5 Family Barefoot Bowls

Saturday 7 September

2pm – 5pm

Windsor Bowls Club – 69 Blackmore Street, Windsor

$15pp (over 7yrs of age) | 7 and under free.

Year 5 2024 Family Day and Barefoot Bowls (e-newsletter.com.au)

Belinda O’Donnell db@od.net.au

Year 10 Mother/Caregiver and Daughter Sunday Breakfast

Sunday 20 October

9am - 11am

The Ballroom, Victoria Park, 309 Herston Rd Herston

$41pp includes breakfast (set menu), juice, tea and coffee.

Guests will be seated in tables of 10. You can either book a table for 10 guests or book individual tickets and nominate your table captain.

RSVP: Tuesday 1 October

Year 10 Mother/Caregiver & Daughter Breakfast (e-newsletter.com.au)

Juliane Cowie 0402 468 066 julianecowie@gmail.com 

Save the Date

Year 11 Parent & Caregiver Sunday Afternoon Drinks

Sunday 3 November

4pm - 6pm 

The Normanby Hotel (Level 2) 

$35 pp includes a welcome drink and a selection of delicious canapes. 

Cash bar available.

Jane Vidler 0439 540 206 Jvidler10@gmail.com

Year 12 Parent and Caregiver End-of-Year Celebration

Friday 8 November

A night for Year 12 Parents and Caregivers to come together and celebrate the end of their journey for the Seniors of 2024.

Clare Nugent 0421 641 738 clarenugent@optusnet.com.au

Parents and caregivers are invited to attend the upcoming Term 3 meeting online via the link below:

Teams Meeting Link

If attending in person, the meeting will be held in the conference room at 501 Ann Street.

Mrs. Deb Hall (President).

All Hallows’ School has a long-standing tradition of graduating Year 12 students donating a fine china teacup trio to our amazing All Hallows' Teacup Collection. These gifted sets go on to be used and enjoyed well into the future by members of the extended All Hallows’ community at the much-loved annual May Morning Tea event.   

If you would like to provide a trio in honour of your daughter’s time at All Hallows', you may drop the set off at Student Services during the remainder of the school year. 

The donated trio should have a 

1. matching teacup 
2. saucer 
3. side plate

Please ensure that the sets are safely packaged and that your daughter’s details (name and graduation year) are written on or securely attached to the outside of the package, along with a second set of details included within the package itself.

If you have any questions, please contact the Mothers’ Network Teacup Coordinators, Megan Ahlberg megsyahlberg@hotmail.com or Deanna Keating Deanna.keating84@gmail.com

Mrs. Megan Ahlbert & Ms. Deanna Keating (Teacup Coordinators).

Incorporating the Annual Past Pupils’ Memorial Mass, Morning Tea and reunion groups and activities

All Hallows' School Online Community (ahs.qld.edu.au)

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Reunion Day is open to AHSisters from any year and all are welcome to join us for this one day of the year when we throw open those iconic green gates to the entire past pupil community.

On this day, we are very much looking forward to welcoming back our milestone year groups (e.g. Class of 1944, 1954, 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014).

The day begins with the Annual Past Pupils’ Memorial Mass in the All Hallows’ Chapel at 9:30am. We celebrate those members of our past pupil community who are with us and commemorate those who we have lost. Members of milestone reunion groups are invited to participate in this Mass in various roles.

A fabulous Morning Tea follows at 11am. (On-site venue to be decided). 

This is a paid event and bookings are essential. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-ins on the day. 

Please note that tickets are selling fast, so it is a good idea to book now, especially if you are part of a reunion, family, or friendship group!

Both events are optional – you may attend one or both.

Some milestone groups choose to make the Morning Tea their reunion event, while others choose to go off-site to a private lunch or gathering at one of the many venues nearby. 

Between Mass and Morning Tea an official photographer is available to take milestone, class, friendship and family group. These are provided free of charge after the day – a link will be shared with all registered attendees and shared on PPA socials and in the December 2024 edition of The Hallowian.

In addition, Past Pupils’ merchandise is available for sale. There will be archival displays and self-guided tours to take at your leisure around the grounds.

Don’t miss this special day of memories, remembrances, and reconnections. 

Parking is available on-site in the School’s Dodge Lane Carpark, and special access can be arranged if required.

Ticket sales and registrations are open now. 

All Hallows' School Online Community (ahs.qld.edu.au)

Check your Class Facebook page and follow the PPA socials for further updates.

If you have any questions, please contact Tron Fisher at ppapresident@ahs.qld.edu.au or Maree Nugent at ppa@ahs.qld.edu.au or 07 3230 9424.

70 years

Class of 1954

If you would like to help organise this group or just help track down and contact people from your cohort, please contact Maree at ppa@ahs.qld.edu.au 

60 years

Class of 1964

Although the official cohort reunion event was held at Tattersall’s Club in June, all 1964ers are warmly invited to join us again on November 2.

50 years

Class of 1974

Contact:

Ro Andersen rosieandersen.ra@gmail.com 

40 years

Class of 1984

Contact:

Dina Nardone (Verguiti) 0438 277 998 dnardone@bne.catholic.edu.au 

Josephine Scoglio (Cariola) 0411 223 617 jscoglio@scogliolaw.com.au 

Celia Jones 0414 699 970 c.jones@ontalent.com.au 

Maria Brockhurst (Smith) 0402 053 590 maria.brockhurst@bne.catholic.edu.au 

Cathy Nash (Rosengren) 0408 150 036 nashx@bigpond.com 

30 years

Class of 1994

Contact:

Nicki Dalton 0417 608 033

 nicki@finofinefoods.com.au 

Join the Class of 1994 Facebook group here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/n8utFYVERkRnvbkr/?mibextid=K35XfP

 20 years

Class of 2004

Contact:

Stephanie Mullins 0408 458 482

Stephanie Martin (Horgan) 0408 454 288

Hannah Scott (Slack) 0452 283 933

Eloise Beaman (Ballinger) 0412 666 194

Or please send any enquiries, classmate contacts or questions to AHS2004Reunion@outlook.com

10 years

Class of 2014

If you would like to help organise this group or even just rally the troops, please contact Maree at ppa@ahs.qld.edu.au