By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

We have eight values that underpin all we do at the College: Catholic Identity, Social Justice, Compassion, Individuality, Relationships, Endeavour and Excellence, Leadership and Stewardship. While we don’t always get everything 100% right, these values guide our decisions, shape our culture, and guide our work each day.

In 2026, our Student Executive will lead a whole-school focus on Endeavour and Excellence. This value calls us to create an environment where every person can realise their full potential — spiritually, academically, culturally and in sport. It is about encouraging each member of our community to strive to be the best version of themselves and to give their best in all they do.

LENT

Last Wednesday, each House group participated in a Liturgy to mark the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40-day season leading up to Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday. It’s a time when Christians pause, reflect, pray, and often give up something as a way of growing spiritually. The season recalls the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness and invites believers to refocus on faith, gratitude, and service.

In his Lenten message this year, Pope Leo XIV encouraged people not only to fast from food, but also to “fast” from negativity, choosing kinder words, deeper listening, and greater compassion. He reminds us that Lent is about renewing our hearts and building stronger, more caring communities.

Imagine the difference we could make, in our College and beyond, if we lived this message not only during Lent, but every day of the year.

HOURS OF SUPERVISION AT THE COLLEGE

The College provides supervision to students at the College from 8:30am until 3:40pm, unless students are involved in scheduled College activities and events. Supervision is provided for the times that College events and activities are advertised.

ADDITIONS TO OUR CURRICULUM

Our College Co-curricular program including Carnivals, St Patrick’s Day, Camps, Retreats and Reflection Days forms an essential part of the College experience. Attendance at these events is expected, just as it is on any scheduled school day.

These experiences are what make our College special. They provide opportunities for connection, celebrating community and building relationships that are deep and lasting.

We have already celebrated our Croagh Patrick Athletics Carnival, and half of our Year 9 students and staff will have returned from their camp at the Tasmanian Peninsula, by the time this newsletter goes live.

Thank you to the staff who made this wonderful experience possible.

SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS SURVEY 2026

As part of our commitment to school improvement, Catholic Education Tasmania has committed to the School Effectiveness Survey for the next four years. This provides valuable feedback from students, staff and families about what we are doing well and where we can improve.

Each year, parents/guardians of Year 8 and Year 10 students will be invited to complete the survey. It takes approximately 20 minutes. Further information will be distributed in Week 8.

We strongly encourage all Year 8 and Year 10 parents/guardians to participate so that we gain a representative sample of feedback. We look forward to sharing outcomes with you in Terms 2 and 3.

ENROLMENTS 2027

Enrolments for Year 7 in 2027 are now open and will close on Friday 10 April 2026.

All current families with students entering Year 7 next year are required to submit an application by the closing date.

We will also be hosting Parent Information Sessions on 12 March and 16 March 2026.

We encourage all families to attend, even those who already have children at the College, as these sessions provide valuable and up-to-date information about the Year 7 experience.

Visit the website for enrolment details

Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

By Mrs Lindsey Hills, Deputy Principal - Learning and Achievement

NAPLAN: Year 7 and Year 9

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Online testing will be held from Wednesday 11 March to Monday 23 March 2026. NAPLAN Online will include four components; Writing, Numeracy, Conventions of Language and Reading. NAPLAN is designed to illustrate the range of student performance across the country, where individual student performance is shown on a national achievement scale for each test. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school, and it is not a test that students are expected to study for.

Students will be supported at school to download the NAPLAN Locked Down browser required to complete the online assessment. Students also require a set of corded headphones/ earphones for the tests; Bluetooth earphones cannot be used. It is very important that your child’s laptop is fully charged and operational during the NAPLAN testing period.

Where a student’s circumstances meet the criteria for adjustments to access the tests, their test conditions may be adjusted. The adjustments made will reflect the kind of support and assistance provided for assessment in the classroom. Eligible students will be provided with information about their adjustments closer to the testing period.

Schools will receive results and reports for participants following the completion of NAPLAN Online. Individual Student Reports will have the same format as in previous years. NAPLAN reports are now also made available on student Schoolbox profiles under the Academic Reports tab. Thank you, in anticipation, for you and your child’s participation in this important national initiative. If you have further questions, please contact the Director of Curriculum for your child's school, Mrs Anna Davie (Year 9) or Mr Luc Norton-Smith (Year 7).

Parent information brochures and other resources: A parent information brochure and questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child can be found at: NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers and NAPLAN Parents Carers translated.

Submission of Work: Academic Catch Up

As a reminder, students are expected to be organised and submit assessment tasks by the due date. If a deadline cannot be met due to absence (e.g. illness), an extension must be requested from the teacher prior to the due date. Our assessment submission policy remains unchanged and students and parents/guardians will be notified via our Schoolbox notification system when a student is referred to Academic Catch Up for the non-submission of work.

Failure to Submit Work Process:

• Level 1: Lunchtime Academic Catch Up. If work is completed before the session, attendance is not required. These sessions run everyday.
  

• Level 2: After-School Academic Catch Up on Wednesdays and Thursdays (Croagh: Wednesdays only). If work is completed before the session, attendance is not required.

• Level 3: If work remains unsubmitted, the relevant school Curriculum Director will contact home to arrange a meeting.

This process supports students to stay on track, develop effective time management skills and receive timely feedback. We appreciate your continued support.

Parent Teacher Interviews

The College will be holding Parent Teacher Interviews in Week 11 of this term. Bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews will open on 8 April 2026. You will receive a letter with details of how to book these closer to this time.

Parents/Guardians can access Schoolbox to read ongoing feedback comments, assessments, PAT testing results and review Attitude and Engagement Rubrics from teachers to ascertain how your student is progressing and inform decisions around making a booking for Parent Teacher Interviews.

Reports

As in previous years, families will receive two formal reports: a Progress Report in Term 2 and an End of Year Report in Term 4, along with a pastoral report. Achievement is reported using an A–E grade for each subject for students in Years 7-10, and grades are based on the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards. In Year 11 and 12, students are assessed against the TASC and/or VET standards, and will receive a criteria-based grade for TASC subjects or an indication of whether they have gained or are tracking towards gaining competency in a VET unit.

The Term 2 Progress Report reflects achievement against what has been taught to that point and indicates progress toward the end-of-year standard. A consistent grade (e.g. a ‘C’ in both reports) shows that a student has continued to develop their knowledge and skills in line with increasing course expectations across the year.

After School Tutoring

After School Tutoring commenced in Week 3 of Term 1. This is a free weekly offering to all students at the College. All students are welcome, whether they need support, extension or would like to utilise the opportunity to work collaboratively with others in this space. Support is offered predominantly in core learning areas, but support is available for all learning areas.

Senior School - Wednesdays and Thursdays in the ERC

Croagh Patrick - Wednesdays

Middle School - Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Library

High Impact Teaching

Throughout 2026, we continue our commitment to high-impact teaching practices across the College. Building on momentum gained in previous years, we continue to focus on the Science of Learning, this year shifting to short, targeted teaching sprints (drawing on the work of Tom Sherrington and Simon Breakspear), designed to strengthen and refine specific high impact teaching strategies. This year, our sprints centre on two key practices: modelling and providing effective feedback. This approach enables us to maintain momentum, build collective expertise, and ensure that evidence informed practice continues to shape student learning. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to provide the very best learning conditions for every student at the College.

By Mrs Minami Ivory - Teacher

At the end of last year, the students of Semester 2 Art exhibited their reduction lino prints, which were auctioned at Croagh Patrick. The students raised $411, which will be donated to our Outreach program. Thanks to the parents, teachers and students who purchased the artworks.

Click here to read the latest Parish Bulletin, including information regarding Fr Mark Freeman's final Mass in Launceston.

Congratulations to Timothy Innes, who has been selected to represent Tasmania at the Australian Pathways Interstate Surf Life Saving Championships in North Kirra.

He will also participate in Youth Aussies - part of the week-long national championships, the largest annual sporting event in Australia with over 7000 competitors.

Congratulations to Samuel Dettmer, Nate Bristol, Isaac Pietsch and Jasper Twitchett who have been selected as TIS Talent Identification Program Athletes in Rowing.

These students will be training and competing at one or more of the following National Championships:

• 2026 NSW Rowing Championships – 18–23 February (events 20–22 February)
• 2026 National Rowing Championships – Barrington, TAS – 23–29 March