We were delighted with the attendance of our Year 7 Parent and Son event held at the College on Wednesday evening. Approximately 360 attended the night. The purpose was to allow our Year 7 students to interact with a parent or carer as they move through a variety of sessions conducted by staff. This is a great initiative of Ms Bell and her team. I thank the Year 9 Middle Leaders, all staff involved and Mr Will Pike for facilitating a great event. This event is one of many planned to focus on parent engagement at the College.  

Year 11 Assessment Block

Our Year 11 students are in the middle of their assessment block. To meet the needs of the current Senior curriculum, March is now a peak period for assessment. As result, we have mapped the needs of our students. To give students the maximum chance of success, we conduct block assessment at the most appropriate time, regardless of when the school term concludes. I wish all Year 11 students well during this assessment time. 

Year 7 Enrolment 2025

We will finalise interviews for boys seeking enrolment in Year 2025 next week. Offers will be sent by Friday of next week. I thank the College Leadership Team, Mr Mallon, Ms Kennedy and Mr Butterworth for assisting with the interviews. In Term 3, we will conduct interviews for boys seeking enrolment in Year 5 2025. All offers will be sent by the end of Term 3. This timeline coincides with agreements that we have with other like schools such as Villanova and Iona College. 

 Confraternity Rugby League

I am delighted to announce the Gold sponsors for the Confraternity Rugby League Carnival to be held in the June school holidays

• Cleanstate Commercial Cleaning
• Landscape Solutions
• Rochele Painting 
• GrasSports Australia
• Bidfood
• Brisbane Broncos

 As part of our sponsorship with the Brisbane Broncos, our Rugby League team will play Villanova College at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday 25 June as a curtain-raiser to the Titans v Broncos match. This will be our first-round game of the carnival. I thank Ms Helen Turner for her work in assisting with this sponsorship process. We are looking forward to a great event.

Artforce Awards Brisbane

St Laurence's College won the High School Award for the design earlier this week at City Hall and were presented with a trophy by the Lord Mayor. We thank Ms Maria Mavritsky for her leadership with this project and the Year 12 (2022) art students. The artwork can be seen on the light box at the top of Stephens Road.

Please see the below quote from Year 12, 2022 Old Boy and artist Alexios Ganakas-Manuel

"As a Lauries student, who grew up in Brisbane, art is a significant part of my life. One of my key focuses in art is painting as it can truly demonstrate expression and effectively communicate a strong meaning. As an organised and determined student, I ensure my work is completed to the best of my ability and aim for the best marks. Alternatively, I enjoy playing sports such as football and music. Music is also an important element in my life as I play piano and guitar. As I enjoy maths, in the near future, I aspire to work in the area of actuarial sciences at university.

My artwork, “Once in a Blue Moon,” has been deeply inspired by the culture and events that surround the area of the electrical box. A significant focus has been emphasised on St Laurence’s College, a school that has been established on Stephens Road since 1915 and educated generations of young men for over a century. Today, the students of St Laurence’s College are uniformed in jacaranda blue shirts which was derived from the jacaranda trees that line Stephens Road and the local area. The aim of this artwork was to illustrate the flora and students that decorate the streets of South Brisbane with the vibrant and lively colour that extends further into an intangible meaning. The towering Jacaranda trees vary in sizes that connect and symbolise to the growth of students within St Laurence’s College through Primary School, Middle School, and Senior School.”

MR CHRIS LEADBETTER

Principal

Year 10 Immersions - Wednesday March 8

Next week our Year 10 students in Rice, Sion, Treacy, Waterford and Xavier will participate in their immersion experiences as part of their Cert II in Active Volunteering. Students have an opportunity to choose from four different experiences that include:

1. BEYOND BARRIERS 

This experience will take place at the College and students will hear from people living with a disability including John Hanley from the MND&Me foundation. As part of this students will have the chance to experience, in a small way, living with a disability and the perceptions that this creates. The students will spend part of their day in wheelchairs and try and get a lived experience of living with a disability. This is run by a group called “Un-Other” who look at how we can see past labelling those different from our own lives as “other” and look through the eyes of equality

2. AT THE MARGINS 

This immersion experience will enable students to see the experience of those in this area who are experiencing homelessness. Students will meet at Emmanuel City Mission where they will help prepare breakfast for the morning and hear personal stories from those experiencing homelessness. Students will then head to St Vincent de Paul for an immersive experience of inner-city Brisbane. Students will hear real stories from those who live homeless and those who provide support.

3. WALKING ON COUNTRY

Students will travel through Brisbane City and learn about the traditional History and the affects of the Stolen generation on this land. Turrbul elder Uncle Joe Kirk will take students to various sites around Brisbane City, South Brisbane, West End and explain the significance and historical effect of these places on Fist Nation People. We will learn the history of Boundary street and how this was a literal boundary the First Nations people were not aloud to cross.  

4. INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY

This experience will take place at the College and students will hear from and interact with people from a variety of different backgrounds around several topics through interactive workshops. The workshops will include perspectives of Refugees and Asylum Seekers. 

Students will hear personal stories and come to understand what is like for those who have come to Australia as refugees and Asylum Seekers. This experience will account for five hours of service to be towards the students Certificate II requirements.

We look forward to sharing our experiences next week with some reflections from students that participate in each experience. Students from Callan – Nagle will participate in this experience in Term 3 and on Wednesday will have the opportunity to work through key units for their Certificate II. Could I please ask parents in Rice-Xavier to check their emails for permission forms.

International Women’s Day March 8

Next Thursday as our way of marking International Women’s Day some of our students in Year 11 and 12 will take part in an International Women’s Day Forum with Loretto College. The students will explore the 2023 theme of Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal future. It has been exciting watching the students from Lauries and Loretto come together to plan an agenda for the event. The keynote speaker for the event is from the Lovewell Café in Mt Gravatt. The Lovewell Café provides support for women rebuilding their lives after leaving relationships where they were victims of domestic violence. We hope this provides a platform for our students to come together later in the year.

MR PAUL CORFIELD

Dean of Identity and Community

NAPLAN Practice

This week, the Year 7 and Year 9 students have participated in a NAPLAN practice test. The aim of these sessions was to ensure students were familiar with the processes and procedures that NAPLAN online requires, including entering ERPAC under exam conditions, logging in to the NAPLAN online platform, and becoming familiar with the types of questions that students may experience in the actual NAPLAN test. Practice sessions are vital to ensure a successful testing day; it can be said with certainty that the students conducted themselves impeccably and are well prepared for the NAPLAN tests commencing Wednesday 15 March.

Special thanks to Ms Zofia Kentrotis and Ms Samantha Harris for the organising of the tests, Mr Nathan Burridge, Mr Neill Smith, Mr Andrew Plowman, Ms Shana Shariff, and Mr Sam Dickman for assisting with administering the tests, IT Department and Maintenance for their work in setting up and assisting the students.

Senior External Examinations

An email has been sent this week to Year 12 students and parents offering the opportunity to complete a language subject through a Senior External Examination. Detailed information was included in the Week 4 Newsletter, and any student interested in completing one of these exams at the end of Year 12 should see Mr Newcombe in the Teaching and Learning Office. Some benefits of successfully completing a Senior External Examination include:

• The possible contribution to a student’s ATAR
• Four points towards a QCE
• Can contribute two adjustment factors towards a student’s tertiary entrance ranking

Year 11 Exam Block

Year 11 students are currently on exam block, which finishes on Wednesday 8 March. Students are reminded that they should arrive at least 15 minutes early for their exam, with the necessary equipment. The study room is the library during Period 1 and 2 for students who wish to use this for revision. Full school uniform is required while on campus.

Live Jesus in your hearts. . .Forever!

MR ANDREW NEWCOMBE

Head of Teaching and Learning - Senior School

Senior School Students Driving to School

More than ever before, the College is receiving complaints about students parking in the neighbouring streets and leaving no space for residents. Residents pay for a local permit to park on these streets due to the two-hour parking restrictions in the area, however they are unable to find a park due to the number of students filling their streets.

I have snipped some of the recent correspondence from members of the local neighbourhood:

“Senior students from your school are parking their cars in local streets (two-hour zones) all day, disregarding any fines levied and leaving no room for residents.”

“It has also come to my attention that students are parking on Frith Street. Being an inner-city suburb, those that live here pay a yearly fee to park on the street. It is not unreasonable to expect a park in the street you literally pay to park in.”

This from an elderly neighbour:

• Students park out the front of his house all day, it is only a two-hour limit.
• If he has visitors there is nowhere for them to park.
• He must buy a permit to park outside his house and is unable to use it.
• The students sit in their cars and rev the engines trying to impress their mates.

The College is aware that some students may need to drive to school on particular days. I would request that students find an area that is not restricted by the two-hour parking law.

AIC Swimming

The AIC Swimming Championships will occur on Tuesday – please note that all Year 10 students and some Year 12 students will be absent for the day supporting our athletes – parents involved should have received a letter containing further information about this event. We wish all staff and students the very best of luck for the day.

Year 7 Parent and Son Evening

Thank you to the 350 people who attended our Parent and Son evening on Wednesday night. We enjoy providing opportunities for parents to spend some one-on-one time with their son and Wednesday night was one of those occasions. In addition to providing some bonding time, our aim was also to provide some information and education about topical issues for Year 7 students such as cyber-safety and study tips. Hopefully, these sessions provided some useful information and tips to parents in order to further help them support their son. Participants also enjoyed the art activity and the opportunity to engage in conversation over the question cards provided. 

Finally, our Touchstones were brought to life, further enlightening students and parents about the four essential components that guide our college.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank all of the staff who presented the sessions, our events team for the exceptional catering, our Humanities Faculty for serving and our Year 9 Middle Leaders who were instrumental in setting up the spaces, welcoming guests and guiding them to the sessions.

The pastoral team wishes all students the best in the coming weeks. 

Live Jesus in our hearts. . . Forever.

MS VANESSA BELL

Dean of Middle School

Our students are practicing hard in preparation for their performances next week at our Intermediate Ensembles Concert and Senior Ensembles Concert. We invite all family and friends to attend and the details are below.

CONCERT DATES

Wednesday 8 March | Intermediate Ensembles Concert | 6pm ERPAC

Performances by the College’s Intermediate Ensembles: 

Concert Band 2, Big Band 2, String Orchestra 2, Guitar Orchestra 2 and Little Brotherhood

Thursday 9 March | Senior Ensembles Concert | 6pm ERPAC.

Performances by the College’s Senior Ensembles:  

Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band 1, Big Band 1, String Orchestra 1, Fellowship of the String, Guitar Orchestra 1, Brotherhood, Big Brotherhood, Brass & Percussion Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble 1

Monday 13 March | Old Boys and Community Choir Concert | 7pm St Ignatius Church Toowong

We look forward to everyone coming along to the Old Boys and Community Music Concert @ 7pm on Monday 13 March at St Ignatius Church, Toowong. You will enjoy performances by Old Boys String Ensemble, Old Boys Guitar Ensemble, Old Boys Choir and Community Choir.

Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March | Junior Ensembles Breakfast Concerts | ERPAC

Our informal breakfast concerts for Treblehood, Concert Band 3, Big Band 3 and String Orchestra 3 will take place in ERPAC on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March. On Tuesday morning, Treblehood will provide a special performance at 7.45am, whilst all other ensembles will perform on Wednesday morning from 7.20am to 8.10am. We invite family and friends to join us before work for tea, coffee, hot cross buns and music! What better way to start your day?

CALL FOR DONATIONS | LMSG

The Lauries Music Support Group (LMSG) would greatly appreciate any prize donations for their Easter Raffles. The raffles will be run during the Intermediate and Senior Ensemble Concerts next week. All donations will be gratefully received at the music department reception by Monday 6 March.

The raffles will be drawn during the Intermediate Ensembles Concert on Wednesday 8 March and the Senior Ensembles Concert Thursday 9 March.

LMSG Meeting | Tuesday 7 March | 6pm

Our next Lauries Music Support Group Meeting will be held on Tuesday 7 March in room MU1 (Top floor VAPA building). A great way to support your son at Lauries is by joining the parent’s music support group. Meetings are once a month on the second Tuesday of each month (term time).  

If you would like further information regarding any of the above, please contact the music department: music@slc.qld.edu.au or telephone 3010 1138.

Strike up the Band!

MR ROSS CAPERN

Head of Instrumental Music

AIC Swimming Championships

On Tuesday the College’s Swim Team will compete at the annual AIC Championships at Chandler. This is a major event in the school calendar with the standard of swimming at the event being of the highest level. The team has been training hard and selection in the team has been based on strong performances throughout the season. Congratulations to the Open Swim team, for both their selection in the team but also the leadership they have shown to the younger swimmers throughout the season. Special congratulations to the 2023 College Swim Captains – Daniel Ebzery and Benjamin Maynard.

Good luck to all swimmers and the College swim coaching staff for Tuesday!

AIC Sports Hall of Fame – Celebrating 25 Years of AIC

This year celebrates 25 years of competition between the eight member schools. There are a large number of events to celebrate the milestone planned. This week as part of the celebrations, the initial 25 inductees were announced for the AIC Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of individuals who have gone on to sporting success in their chosen sports post-school. A prerequisite for selection in the Hall of Fame was participation in the AIC competition – so all inductees have represented their school in the last 25 years. The Hall of Fame inductees have represented Australia across a wide variety of sports and is great recognition of the talented sportsmen that have competed in the Association over the last 25 years.

Congratulations to Cooper Cronk (Rugby League), Damon Kelly (Weightlifting) and Luke McLean (Rugby Union) who are the inaugural St Laurence’s College inductees into the AIC Hall of Fame.

Damon Kelly- 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 2012 London Olympic Games. Silver medal 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Gold medal 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. Bronze medal 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Gold medal Commonwealth Championships 2012, 2016. World Championships 2006, 2011

Luke McLean- Italian International, 89 Tests 2008-2019. Rugby World Cup 2011, 2015. Professional rugby player 2010-2019. Lauries College Captain 2004.

Cooper Cronk- Australian International, 38 Tests 2007-2017. Queensland State of Origin 22 matches 2010-2017. 372 NRL matches for Melbourne Storm 2004-2017 and Sydney Roosters 2018-19. NRL premierships 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019. Clive Churchill Medal 2012. Dally M Player of the Year 2013, 2016. Dally M Halfback of the Year 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016. Golden Boot Award 2016.

Each year the AIC will induct more athletes into the Hall of Fame.    

MR EDDIE WALLACE 

Head of Sport

The College is excited to announce that Year 5 and 7 2024 Manchester City Football School trial registrations are now open. After the success of the current boys participating, we can't wait to see the continued progression for years to come. 

Find the registration form link here: https://www.slc.qld.edu.au/man...

DO YOU NEED A BLAZER, TIE OR TROUSERS FOR TERMS 2 & 3?

It is compulsory during Terms 2 and 3 that all students wear the College Blazer to and from school each day. The College tie is also to be worn all day.

It is compulsory for Years 10, 11 and 12 to wear Grey trousers during these terms as well. Grey or black socks are to be worn with trousers.

If you have any questions about St Laurence’s College uniforms, contact The Lauries Shop on (07) 3010 1100 or email uniform@slc.qld.edu.au

The Lauries Shop term-time opening hours are Monday-Friday from 7.30am-1.45pm

Please see attached information from Yeronga AFL Club here.

As you may be aware, the College will be proudly hosting the 2023 Confraternity Rugby League Carnival from Sunday 25 to Friday 30 June.

The Carnival presents a unique opportunity for the Lauries community to secure state-wide exposure for their businesses. We are excited to announce that Silver and Bronze Sponsorship Opportunities are still available.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact the College Director of Communication, Development and Events, Helen Turner on (07) 3010 1178 or development@slc.qld.edu.au. 

Further information regarding the carnival can be found HERE.

Enrol into our Speech and Drama Program for Term 3.

Does your son love Theatre Sports? Drama games? Acting and public performance?

More importantly do you want your son to improve his presenting skills in all their classes? Expand their debating skills?

Would you like your son to learn how to breathe properly to reduce stress, anxiety, and speak with confidence.

We also offer Trinity Guildhall and AMEB exam which improve ATAR scores, recognised practical exams that add to your university application?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, Speech and Drama is for your son! Contact the Music Department for enrolment information and forms – music@slc.qld.edu.au

Email lduggan@slc.qld.edu.au for more information.