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ATConnect
Volume 8
I
12 March 2015
Dear Parents
International Women's Day is celebrated in many
countries around the world. It is a day when women
are recognized for their achievements without regard
to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking
back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more
importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of
women. Here at Ambrose Treacy College in essentially
a traditionally all-male student environment it is important that we take time to celebrate this day. The
United Nations declares a theme each year for the International Women’s Day and this year the theme is
“Make It Happen”. This is a fitting theme to tie into our
Lenten season and message. The United Nations has
been very involved in International Women’s Day
movement. They believe that securing peace and social
progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms requires the active participation, equality and development of women and that acknowledging the contribution of women to the
strengthening of international peace and security. For
the women of the world, the Day's symbolism has a
wider meaning: It is an occasion to review how far they
have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. It is also an opportunity to unite, network
and mobilize for meaningful change. Here at Ambrose
Treacy College we celebrate the wonderful contribution that women make in our lives – as partners, wives,
sisters, friends, colleagues and teachers. We stand in
solidarity with women across the world to recognise
the many injustices that women have faced and continue to face in today’s society. To all fathers I would encourage you to remember the influence you have on
your sons and daughters in this regard, our actions will
Ambrose Treacy College
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Reception: 38780500
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be more powerful than any words they may hear us
talk about.
College Board
Strong leadership and governance is a key to the success of schools and the Christian Brothers have put in a
number of structures to ensure that their schools will
move confidently into the future. The national entity,
Edmund Rice Education Australia, has the ultimate responsibility for the accountability for each of the Edmund Rice schools across Australia. On a local level
each College has a Board to assist EREA with the governance of their schools. These Boards are not advisory
boards but rather Boards that help shape the directions of the school by playing a direct role in its policy
formation and strategic planning. At Ambrose Treacy
College we are fortunate to have a very active, energetic and professional Board who has played an integral role in the College’s recent development. For
many existing and new parents the composition of the
College Board might not be well known. The Board has
played a significant role in the development of the College Strategic Plan and functions to support and give
direction to the College in matters of Finance, Policy
and Development. The Chair of the Inaugural Ambrose
Treacy College Board is Mr Matthew Buckley. Matthew
has chaired the Nudgee Junior College Board for the
last two years and he brings a strong professional background in the area of Property Development and Management. As a father of two recent Nudgee Junior Old
Boys he has had a strong connection with the College
over a number of years. Other members of the College
Board include Mrs Robyn Albury, Mrs Catherine Abercrombie, Mrs Suzanne Stark, Mr Brett Lentz, Mr Tom
Forrester and Mr Justin Walsh.
Wet Weather Line: 38780511
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Week in Review ATC2015
Prayers
I would ask the College community to remember two
staff members and their families in your thoughts
and prayers, both staff members who have lost parents in the past week. Jonathon Bolt (Middle School
Instrumental Music Coordinator) and Rob Rumball (A
member of our cleaning staff) both lost their father
and mother respectively over the last week. We hope
that the upcoming time will be gentle as they and
their families negotiate the journey ahead without
their loved ones. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord
and May perpetual light shine upon them. May they
rest in peace. Amen.
Camps
This first term has seemed to pass very quickly. I remember thinking as a child how much time there was
to enjoy life and I recall my parents saying as you get
older time seems to go by faster. Obviously as I start
to approach my own awareness of this phenomena, I
often wonder why life seems to speed up on us. Life
is certainly busy at the moment, and a casual glance
at our last week would reveal a number of things taking our time and our energy. But for children they
have the capacity to live in the moment and enjoy
the moment when we, as adults, often miss this moment and seem almost too preoccupied with the future rather than the actual moment we are in. Over
the last two weeks I have been fortunate to visit four
of the five year level camps. I visited the wonderful
backdrops of Lake Moogerah, the picturesque mountains of Thornton at the back of Laidley, Helidon at
the foot of Toowoomba and the scenic Mary Valley
just before Gympie. Sharing a few hours with boys on
each of these camps was energising as they went
about what boys do so well; that is having fun and
being active. Looking at them engaged in the various
activities, it was obvious they were in the moment –
it had all the ingredients for the boys, simple, active
and an element of competitive fun. For many of our
year 4 students this was their first camp away from
Mum and Dad, and for quite a few it was a challenge
as the evening started to fall. As bed time came and
some of the boys became a little more anxious, our
staff moved amongst the boys and quickly settled
them in once again, boy friendly ways – clear expectations, a kind and listening ear but firm directions.
All boys seemed to respond to these clear parameters. For those who were finding the time away from
home a little tougher, they weren’t forgotten and a
little extra TLC ensured they made it through the
night. No doubt for many of the boys the time would
seem to go on forever and yet in the same breath the
camp would seemed to have flown by. For me the
time up there was quality time as I watched our typical ATC dynamic unfold i.e. boys being allowed to be
boys, lots of fun and hopefully some real opportunities for growth as they were challenged in so many
ways. It would be remiss of me to not thank again
our wonderful staff who made these camps a reality.
With the generosity of our staff to give up their own
family time, camps are just a dream.
On behalf of all the boys I would thank all our staff
for going the extra mile and to ensure that our dream
at the College to provide a rich tapestry of learning
opportunities and experiences becomes a reality.
Parent Portal
As part of our IT rollout in 2015, the staff have been using the teacher portal – coneqt – in our new Learning
Management System (Seqta) since the beginning of the
school year. It is a very powerful program that has provided the staff with a one-stop-shop for administration,
learning, pastoral and communication facets of their
work. It is an evolving program that will take the year to
fully populate and utilise to its maximum.
Students now have access to their portal in seqta –
called coneqt.s It is particularly beneficial to students in
Years 7 and 8 who have the 1:1 laptop program and
hence access on a lesson to lesson basis. Students in
these year levels can easily communicate with their
teachers, can access learning programs and resources,
see their assessments and their results.
From next week parents will be able to access the parent portal coneqt.p This is a significant step in consolidating the partnership between parents, students and
staff in delivering positive outcomes for the boys. Seqta
and the College IT department are working on finalising
details of the parent portal over the next two days. The
key components of the parent portal will be:
Welcome – parents will see a version of the College calendar with key dates/event/information.

Assessments – Your son’s assessments in each
subject plus upcoming assessment s will be highlighted.

Courses – Course outline swill be available for
your son’s subjects.

Dashboard – your son’s homework, Timetable
and any unresolved absences are displayed under
this tab.
Portals – under this tab you will be able to see
your son’s student splashpage, plus “This week
@ATC” highlighting key events.

Reports – your son’s reports will be able to be
accessed online.

Settings – you can change your password here.

Timetable – your son’s timetable is also displayed
here.
The Parent Portal will be available next week via the
Parent Portal tab at the top right of the College Website
or by typing into your browser “parent.atc.qld.edu.au”.
To then access the parent portal you will be asked for a
username and password. Your username will be the
email address that you have provided to the College,
and the password will be your son’s student ID number.
After entering the username and password you can go
to settings and change your password. Please after
Monday, if you have any issues, email the Help Desk.
As I mentioned, our portals in seqta signal a significant
change in how we communicate, access our learning
and meet the pastoral and administrative needs of our
boys. It will be an evolving process and will develop
across the year. It is particularly beneficial to Year 7 and
8 families as those boys have their College laptops and
receive daily homework and regular assessments. Other
year levels will gain various benefits initially and this will
then grow.
Experiment with using the Parent Portal and in early
Term 2 we will hold a parent information evening and
tutorial.

ATConnect
Next Friday, 20 March, is the National Day of Action against
Bullying and Violence. This annual day provides a focus for our
community to strengthen our existing everyday messages that
bullying and violence at school are unacceptable under any
circumstances. Whenever there is a potential bullying issue I
work with the staff, students and parents towards a shared
understanding of what exactly what bullying is. This link provides an excellent resource for our parents and carers from
which I will expand on one of its aspects below:
At Ambrose Treacy College we aim to create a safe and supportive community our staff, students and parents. Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to
do when their son talks to them about bullying. You are an
important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond
effectively if it happens. Stopping bullying involves everyone.
So what can you do if your son talks to you about bullying?
Listen calmly and get the full story.-Your calm response is important to allow your son to tell you all about the situation.
After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more
details if you need to: who, what, where, when. Although you
may feel some strong emotions about your son’s experience,
try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your son.
solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your
son, helping them to find their own solution is a better option.
It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.
Visit the Bully No Way website to find some strategies.- The
website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One
idea is to practise strategies at home to help your son feel
more confident.
Contact the school.- Your son may be reluctant for you to do
this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school
would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment
to meet with your son’s homeroom teacher and, if you need
to, ask to talk with the Year Level Coordinator. Contact the
school immediately if you have a concern about your son’s
safety.
Check in regularly with your son.-Keep the conversation going.
It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with
your son about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important.
For more information for parents and carers about bullying
please visit the website. Friday 20 March is free dress day.
Wear orange to support Day of Action Against Bullying.
Reassure your son they are not to blame. -Many boys blame
themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You
could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No
one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told
me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at
all’.
Ask your son what they want to do and what they want you
to do. -A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to
ATConnect
There are many models for giftedness and many more ways of catering for the needs of these students. At
Ambrose Treacy, the model we have adopted is the most widely used model: Gagne’s differentiated model of
giftedness and talent (DMGT). The model can be seen on the website.
This model defines gifted students are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the
following domains: intellectual, creative, social and physical, and talented students are those whose skills are
distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.
There is never a guarantee that gifts will be transformed into talents, but years of research and evidence supporting Gagne’s model, suggests that people who are talented in one or more areas have the intrapersonal and
the environmental catalysts to promote talent development. Whilst building the intrapersonal skills can be a
little more difficult, as parents and teachers we can work to provide the best environments possible.
Our college works on a differentiation model of classroom practice where all learners’ needs are catered for
within the regular classroom. This means that students will see learning material in a variety of formats, experience a range of delivery methods, and often will have a choice of activities and assessment to reflect the individual’s needs and challenge level. This is a complex process and throughout term 1, teachers will be trialling
different methods as they get to know the boys and their needs in a very practical sense.
Outside of the classroom, there are a number of opportunities in activities such as Brainways workshops, Da
Vinci workshops, Tournament of the Minds, debating, maths competitions and ICAS testing that extend the
students as well as provide opportunity for our boys to meet other like-minded peers.
Knowing the boys well and understanding their needs is key to successful programming, so please encourage
your son to talk to their teachers about areas of interest and passion, and build the school-home relationship
so that a positive communication develops. This interactive relationship is key to making school a positive,
constructive place in your son’s life.
The Cu Chulainn Award Week 7
6 Treacy Lucas Daly
6Treacy Xavier Braithwaite
6 Bodkin Dom Thygesen
6 Lynch Benjamin McCauley
6 Nolan Elliott Beauchamp
6 Nolan Cooper Nasagavesi
ATConnect
ATC Official Opening
The College Blessing and Official opening will be held on Tuesday 24 March 5.00pm – 7.00pm at the College.
Groups involved: Flute Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, ATC Big Band and handbells performing at various
locations
(Performance uniform required)
Autumn concert
The Autumn concert will be held in the Nudgee Junior Hall on Thursday 26th March 6.30pm
Groups involved: Junior Concert Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and ATC Big Band.
(Performance uniform required)
Changes for week 6 & 7
Camp week- Every attempt has been made to give your son a lesson during the last two weeks. As a general rule, we do
not teach during camp week as it is difficult to fit the lessons in amidst all of the comings and goings. This year we decided to try and accommodate as many students as possible and make it an ‘extra’ lesson for the year. As a result, students
may have had a lesson on a different day or at a different time. Thank you for understanding.
Beginner Students
Junior School—Junior School Concert Band rehearsals and lessons are as normal from Wednesday 18 March Our next
concert will be on Thursday 26th March (see above).
Middle School—Middle School Band on Thursdays 7-8am in the Speech and Drama Room (next to the afterschool care
room) for new students in grade 6, 7 & 8. Please ensure your son has their book (Tradition of Excellence Book 1) a display folder, pencil and instrument.
Music support group -Our next concert is on the 26 March. Thursday night. If you are able to help please email Natalie
Scalia.
Guitar and Piano Lessons:
If your son has not enrolled in either piano or guitar and would like to do so, please email our Middle School Instrumental Music Coordinator, Mr Jonathon Bolt. Lessons are run during school time with some available lessons before school.
Flute Ensemble will be performing at Friday mornings assembly.
All practices are back to normal in Week 8. See schedule below.
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Times
Monday
7.30am-8.15am
ATC Brothers (Choir)
12.55am-1.30pm
3.15pm-4.30pm
Tuesday
Thursday
ATC Kinsmen (vocal ensemble)
ATC Kinsmen (Vocal Ensemble)
ATC Rings! (handbell ensemble)
3.15pm-4.00pm
ATC Brothers (choir)
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Times
Monday
7.00am-8.15am
Tuesday
Thursday
Middle School Singers
3.15pm-4.30pm
4.30pm-6.00pm
Middle School handbell ensemble
ATConnect
Kids Lit Quiz
Last Thursday four of our Year 7 students competed in a heat of the 2015 Kids Lit Quiz at Ipswich Girls Grammar. This
competition saw the boys competing against a number of schools over 10 different categories, including Captains,
Book Knowledge, Who said it?, Sport, Comics, ANZACS, Fairies, the Classics, American Literature and Body Parts. Tom
Perissinotto, Thomas VanGilst, Zeke Fimeri and Aidan Trevor did an outstanding job and won this heat taking home
ATC’s first trophy. They are now off to Sydney this Saturday to compete in the National finals. Saturday’s competition
will be even more challenging with the boys having to buzz in their answers, along with points for correct answers and
losing points for incorrect responses. We wish them well on this endeavour and we look forward to hearing the results. Well done boys.
Bookface Competition
March sees us welcome a new competition in the iCentre – Bookface! Boys need to choose a book cover with an interesting face or body and then take a photo of themselves with the book creatively blended with their face or body (see
below). Photo entries can either be handed in or emailed to the Library. Competition ends on Friday March 27. See
the library staff for more details.
If you have any queries please email the Library team.
ATCreates Weekly Art Challenge!
Challenge your artistic side by taking part in our weekly art challenge! Every Thursday the
new challenge details will be listed in ATConnect and posted up on the ATCreates noticeboard in the art room. There will be prizes for students who submit the most number of
challenges each term, and a number of challenge artworks will be displayed at our Art Show
at the end of the year. Don’t have time to work on your challenge artwork at home? Good
news - the Art Room is open at 2nd break every Tuesday and Thursday.
This week’s challenge is…
Challenge #2: Illustrate a Revolting Rhyme
Revolting Rhymes is a collection of poems written by Roald Dahl, which parody traditional
folk tales in verse. Your task is to choose one of the 6 poems and illustrate part of it in either
a 2D or 3D medium. Put your creative techniques to the test. You can be as abstract or as literal as you like, and you can use any 2D or 3D medium to create your masterpiece.
All challenge pieces must be submitted to Miss Kerwin by 3pm on Friday March 20th.
Submissions can be emailed to Ms Kerwin or left in the Art pigeon hole in the office.
During the cricket season, if you have any deteriorating cricket bats that we could use for any
future art projects, please send them into the art room.
ATConnect
The whole school photo will be taken on 31 March and students will need to wear their College blazer. If you have not picked up your sons blazer please do so as soon as possible. If
you have not ordered the ATC patch crest please click here to go to the College website to
pay ($7.50) before collecting it at Gentleman Junior.
Student and Supporters caps are now available for $18.50. Two styles—mesh or twill.
Uniform shop opening hours 2015
Monday
7.30am-11.00am
Wednesday 7.30am-11.00am
Thursday
7.30am-11.00am
Friday
7.30am-11.00am
and
and
2.30pm-3.30pm
2.30pm-3.30pm
Roster Week 8:
Monday 7.30am: Mary-Anne Morris
Monday 2.30pm: Robin Kerr
Wednesday 7.30am: Clare Montwill-Griffin
Wednesday 2.30pm: Samantha Leblang
Thursday 7.30am: Helen Davidson Lora Medora Friday 7.30am: Kate Curran
Roster Week 9:
Monday 7.30am: Fiona Guthrie Angela Timms
Wednesday 7.30am Tess Messenger
Thursday 7.30am: Karyn Sherlock
Monday 2.30pm: Danielle Thygesen
Wednesday 2.30pm: Helen Davidson
Friday 7.30am: Danielle Derry
Year 6 parent movie night on Tuesday 17 March at 6.00pm. Tickets are $10 each, and there will be a choice
of two movies, both being shown at The Blue Room Cinebar, 1/151 Baroona Road, Paddington. Movies start at
6.30pm, and it is bound to be a great night. To book, email Therese Reid today. For more information, contact
your class rep.
ATC Welcome Night 2015 on Saturday 21 March at 6.30pm. Bookings are now open for the inaugural ATC
Welcome Night. Please go to the Trybooking website to register for one, two or a whole group of people. The
more, the merrier. In addition, volunteers are needed to help with various jobs, large and small. If you would
like to help, please go to the Volunteerlocal website to view the list of jobs and volunteer.
ANZAC Day Camp Out on Friday 24 April to Saturday 25 April. Look out for more information on this historical
event in your email inbox and a note home with your boy/s. Please put it in your diary, as you won't want to
miss it.
Mothers’ Day stall on Friday 8 May. It may seem like an eternity ‘til May, but that time will whip around so
fast. In the meantime, we just wanted to flag that your boy/s will be able to purchase gifts for this very special
day for $15, so no need to go out an buy your own present…. unless you want to. Watch this space for more
info.
You can contact your P&F by email if you have any queries.
ATConnect
To celebrate our Irish heritage and to welcome parents old and new,
ATC P&F warmly invite you to our first ever
Welcome Night 2015
Come decked in green or just a splash,
make some new friends,
the craic will be mighty
With Cocktails, Guinness and a whole lot of Malarkey!
SATURDAY 21 MARCH 2015
6.30pm in the Nudgee Junior Hall
Tickets $40
Includes drink on arrival, dinner and entertainment
*PRE-PAID DRINKS TICKETS AND CASH BAR ON NIGHT*
Tickets for sale on the ATC P&F Trybookings page - click here
Pre-paid drinks cards and raffle tickets are also available.
Please advise of any food allergies when booking.
When making your booking please Volunteer to help at the event.
Contact: Cheryl Lock 0413 410 826
ATConnect
ATConnect
WTB Football
trials
WEEK 10
MARCH
30
WEEK 9
MARCH
23
WEEK 8
MARCH
16
MONDAY
Whole school
photos
Regional AFL trials
WTB Football trials
31
Middle School
Assembly
24
Middle School
Assembly
17
Middle School
Assembly
St Patricks Day
Claddagh Cup
TUESDAY
Regional AFL trials
Year 8 Immunisation
APRIL
1
Junior School Assembly
25
Junior School Assembly
18
Junior School Assembly
QDU 6.00pm
Year 8 Canoe Polo 6.30pm
WEDNESDAY
3
GOOD FRIDAY
SCHOOL CLOSED
PUBLIC HOLIDAY
HOLY THURSDAY
Lenten fair
Last day of term 1
27
Whole school
assembly
20
Whole school assembly
State Tennis Championships Cairns
National day of
action against bullying
JAFC Guernsey
presentation evening 6pm
FRIDAY
2
Autumn Concert
6.30pm in Hall
Term 1 Activities
photos
26
State Tennis
Championships
Cairns
WTB Rugby
League trials
19
THURSDAY
28
ATC Indoor
cricket
Rnd 8 Cricket
Volleyball
Water Polo
Rnd 9
21
ATC Indoor
cricket
Rnd 7 Cricket
Volleyball
Water Polo
Rnd 8
Yr 4 Paddle
Play
ATC Welcome Event
6.30pm
SATURDAY
29
PALM SUNDAY
ATC JAFC Youth
grading 2
Tennis open
champs Ambiwerra
22
ATC JAFC Youth
grading 2
SUNDAY