Principal’s Report
SHANE DUPUY
Y12 Graduation Assembly
On Friday 8 October, the secondary school staff and students, along with Y12 families, came together to farewell our departing Y12 cohort. In typical PBC fashion, the intimate gathering respectfully recognised the efforts of our student leaders as we celebrated their individual academic successes, as well as their 13- or 14-year learning journey. Outgoing college captain, Gisele, gave a heartfelt speech recognising the invaluable contributions and support her family, teachers, peers and college admin team had given her to achieve her personal academic goals. Gisele also spoke for her peers when thanking the Y12 teachers, who have helped guide our seniors through their QCAA program. Our seniors will now participate in 3 weeks of external exams before celebrating their success with a Graduation Dinner on 8 November. Their last official day as a PBC student is on 15 November.
The Graduation Assembly was also an opportunity to pass over the baton to our new college captains. Congratulations to Samson and Nina, whom I am certain will do an outstanding job of leading the college and representing the student cohort.
Principals PD
Last week, I joined fellow Heads of College’s as part of ISQ’s New Principals Program. The program allows new principals in their first 2 years in the role to come together to allow for in-depth discussions and workshops on key issues affecting our specific sites and the sector. Aside from a fantastic networking opportunity, it’s interesting to be able to share common concerns and hear how other educational facilities are doing. Topics such as workforce management, funding and budgeting, and College Boards were discussed. A range of remote and urban sites and systems including, independent schools such as ours, Lutheran schools, Busy schools; facilities that solely focus on disengaged secondary students, Catholics and Anglicans are represented. Piquing my interest was the conversation around school fees. In the round table conversations I was involved in, all schools tuition fees were increasing. Of the 16 schools represented, PBC’s 4% tuition fee increase for 2025 was the least. Others ranged from 7-10% with most also increasing their levies. Clearly, the College’s ability to absorb much of the current increase in goods and services costs highlights the good governance of the Board. With continued strategic leadership and guidance, the future bodes well for our PBC community.
Thanks lads!
Families who attended our recent fete, will have noticed how well the college grounds are looking. Our maintenance team of Michael, Josh and Pepe, along with college builder, Damo, have been working tirelessly to install garden edging and fencing, pruning, planting and re-mulching gardens, preparing the pool for daily lessons, and maintaining the oval and surrounds to support the seemingly endless amounts of student usage. This hard-working team rarely receive the recognition they deserve. Next time you pass them by, please show them your appreciation by congratulating them on their efforts or help them out by picking up a stray piece of rubbish.
World Teachers Day
Today, we celebrate World Teachers Day. It’s a day where we can reflect on the important role and influence teachers have on our children’s lives. Teachers represent a trusted adult students can share their thoughts and feelings with. Someone that not only supports and inspires their academic learning journey, but also their social and emotional well-being. PBC’s teachers are second to none, and it is with a great deal of pride that I get to work with these amazingly skilled, empathetic and professional team every day.
2025 preparations
The PBC leadership team, Year Advisors and Coordinators, and teachers are busily preparing for 2025. Educational programs and timetables are being prepared, conversations around class sizes and composition are being discussed with all stakeholders, and class locations are being explored. There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes before families are made aware of their child’s teacher, normally at the end of the year. With many factors to consider, families can rest assured, by the time the allocation of staff and students is released, decisions have been made with the best possible outcomes for the student cohort in mind.
College Coordinator Report
ALEC WAREING
On October 11, our school came alive with laughter and excitement during our much-anticipated school fete! Families, students, staff, and friends came together to enjoy a fantastic day filled with exciting activities, delicious treats, and amazing entertainment.
Our community’s generosity was on full display through the silent auction and raffles, which raised an impressive amount to support our school’s projects. We’re proud to announce that we exceeded our fundraising goal, raising over $12,000. Of course, the event wasn’t just about fundraising—it was about celebrating our school’s unity and building our community engagement.
This wonderful day wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and hard work of so many. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our teaching staff, who prepared stalls and volunteered their time on the day, as well as our teaching assistants, who managed activities and helped keep things running smoothly. The support from our administration was also invaluable in the organisation and management of logistics, with so many of their tasks being behind-the-scenes preparations that may go unnoticed. Thank you to the accounts team, who sold tokens on the night and ensured everyone spent as much time as possible enjoying the activities.
We’d also like to express our sincere appreciation to our grounds team, who ensured the school looked its best, helped set up the event, and worked an incredible number of hours on the day. To our amazing PIPS volunteers, who helped on the night when they could have been enjoying time with their own children, as well as spent time attending meetings to plan the day, thank you for contributing to the fete’s success in countless ways. Your dedication and effort were truly the heart of the event.
We’ve included some photos from the day to relive the excitement. From the smiles on students’ faces to the numerous performances, it was a day to remember. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the fete—we are already looking forward to next year’s!
Student Services –
Brain Development – Key Information from Grow Your Mind
Fete Sponsor Shoutout!
SPOTLIGHT ON COMMUNITY AND CAREERS
Celebrating Student Success! 
Our year 11 students undertaking a University Headstart course this semester (Taj, Ella and Lucia) are on the final downhill run to completing these courses. Ella has already received very pleasing results for her final assessment task, achieving a well-earned A result. Ella is thriving in the on-line learning space with her Digital Animation course and has cemented her place at University with this outstanding result! Congratulations to all these students.
Prepare for a future in Aviation
TAFE Queensland has partnered with CBT Systems Pty Ltd to bring your students a new Aeroscience Aviation Theory course. This aviation preparation short course is designed to give students an introduction to aviation before committing to a formal qualification. Delivered entirely online, the subjects contain videos and quizzes to make learning aviation theory as easy as possible. Developed by aviation experts, this course will give students the foundational knowledge required to pursue a Private Pilot Licence (PPL), further aviation study, and career opportunities in the industry such as a pilot, aeronautical engineer, air traffic controller, flight dispatcher, and many more. Please contact Mrs Hagemann (h.hagemann@pbc.qld.edu.au) if you would like to learn more, or you can contact the course office directly at: aviation.cbt@tafeqld.edu.au (phone 07 3307 4786).
Year 12 Graduation
Last Friday we held a special assembly to acknowledge, congratulate and farewell our Year 12 students. Oli, Mitch, Gisele, Alexis, Duante, Zeke, Jedd, Todd, Eli and Sam (working remotely from Melbourne) are counting down their final days of school, wrapping up an incredible journey that marks the end of one chapter and the start of another. As they dive into their final exams, we encourage everyone—staff, families, and friends—to rally behind them with unwavering support. It’s a time to celebrate their hard work, resilience, and achievements. With the excitement of graduation just around the corner, we remind families to secure their formal tickets as soon as possible to help us finalise catering arrangements. Bookings can be made through the College Office—let’s make this a night to remember for our Year 12s!
Academic Progress Meetings
Over the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting with Year 11 students and their families for Academic Progress Meetings. These sessions have proven to be both highly successful in ensuring students remained on track for their final year, and helpful in maintaining our close connections with families as we support students on their academic journeys. These meetings provided an invaluable opportunity to review each student’s academic progress, celebrate successes, discuss support processes, and evaluate projected ATAR and QCE outcomes. Working collaboratively with families to address key concerns and plan for future success are essential in setting our students up to achieve at their full potential. These discussions were essential in aligning academic strategies with individual student needs, ensuring everyone is well-prepared for the transition into Year 12. If you are still wishing to make a booking, please contact me, asap.
Introducing NextGen UniSC – a new high school athletic and wellbeing program
UniSC are excited to launch their new High School Athletic and Wellbeing Program, NextGen UniSC! This 10-week initiative, aligned with school terms, is designed to enhance students’ physical and mental wellbeing through supervised sports and exercise training.
Students will train in small groups of 12, with two sessions per week led by our highly skilled staff. The program
offers two levels: Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12. The cost is $20 per week, with an upfront payment of $200 per term, and a special offer—pay for two terms and get the third free! Days and times will be confirmed based on availability via an expression of interest questionnaire. Click here for more information: Express your interest or email me to arrange a time to chat. This information has also been emailed out to all parents of students currently in Grades 9-11.
“Empower your journey, explore your potential, and pave your path to success! Keep striving, keep learning, and keep reaching for your dreams. Your future awaits!”
Mrs Heather Hagemann
Careers & VET Pathways Coordinator
Year 11 & 12 Advisor
Year 3 – Emu Mountain Excursion
In Geography (HASS) this term, students have been learning about the natural and built features of a place. On Thursday, the Year 3 classes went on an excursion to Emu Mountain, a significant place of the Sunshine Coast and just down the road from us here at PBC. Students had plenty of water while on their journey. When students returned to school, they sketched what they saw while on top of the mountain and listed the natural and built features surrounding Emu Mountain.
Savannah Davis & Chloe Hetherington
LIBRARY NEWS
Dear Emu Readers
I would like to thank our wonderful students, families and staff that helped make our Scholastic Book Fair a success this week. Thank you for supporting the growth of our library.
It was wonderful to see the hype around the books and reading that the fair created, there were many books to choose from which made wish list decisions challenging at times!
We sold 384 books! The reward dollars from Scholastic will buy new books for our college library.
There were two Fair competitions running this week. Those students that purchased a book from the fair were eligible to enter both. The winners will be notified next week
During library lessons this week I managed to take some snaps of some of our primary classes browsing the shelves, writing serious wish lists and visualizing our book tally goal chart, enjoy the gallery below:
Japan Week
Year 7 & 8 Embracing Term 4!
As we dive into Term 4, it’s wonderful to see Year 7 and 8 students embracing the new term with enthusiasm! Most students are showing a commendable eagerness towards their schoolwork and assessments, and I encourage everyone to keep this momentum going. Staying on top of your assessment calendar is key to managing your workload effectively.
For those who may need it, we have a ‘variation to assessment’ process in place. If you feel you require an extension for any reason, or if you anticipate being absent for an assessment, please don’t hesitate to speak with your subject teacher. It’s important to communicate your needs so we can support you in achieving your best.
Please keep an eye on the school calendar on the college website. Looking ahead, we have an exciting lineup of events! Next week marks our Japanese Week, filled with engaging activities, cultural exploration and SUSHI! TryBooking forms have been emailed home for payment for this event including a sushi booking section for those students wishing to order sushi for morning tea on the day. As part of this event our Year 8’s will be attending their final wellbeing day. This will include an immersive Taiko drumming performance on Wednesday of week 5 at 1:15pm and all Year 8 families are invited to come and watch. Our much-anticipated 2024 swimming carnival is set to occur on Wednesday of week 8 and is a compulsory event for all students. The Aqua Funpark final day celebration is on Friday of Week 9 and we’ll also be holding our final assembly in week 9, which is always a special occasion to reflect on the year and celebrate our achievements.
As we approach the end of the year, I am excited to see our Year 7 and 8 students push through with confidence, perseverance, and a continue to strive for excellence. Let’s finish the year strong!
Wishing everyone a productive and enjoyable term ahead!
Samantha Ryan
Year 7 & 8 Advisor
Kindy Vacancies
Housekeeping
School Administration Housekeeping.
- The email address to use for all correspondence relating to student absences is absentees@pbc.qld.edu.au. You can also lodge an absence via the form on the website located here.
- Correspondence from the College will generally be sent out from admin@pbc.qld.edu.au. Please add admin@pbc.qld.edu.au to your address books so that our emails to you don’t go to your junk email folder.
You can also lodge an absence via the form on the website located here. - Don’t forget to order canteen through the My School Connect app – orders are to be placed no later than 8.10 am.
- When signing students in late or signing them out early please ensure to put a reason in the text box for College records.
- Please ensure students are in their correct uniform, we are going to be checking to make sure that the uniform policy guidelines are being followed, this includes correct footwear with formal uniforms.