It is my pleasure to welcome you all back for another school year. I extend a particularly warm welcome to those who are either joining the Clayfield family for the first time in 2021 or reconnecting with the College in a different capacity.  As members of the Clayfield College family we have so much to be grateful for, so many things to aspire towards and so many successes to share. I wish each member of our community a year filled with happiness, success, friendship, kindness, curiosity and learning. As we head into 2021 I look forward to working with each of you to show the world what we can do!  

Over the holiday period the College has been a hive of activity as we prepared for the year ahead. The facilities refresh which commenced in 2020 has continued with a refurbished locker room area for Secondary students and refreshed staff collaboration and work spaces. I acknowledge the incredible work of the Maintenance Team (David Churcher, Meg Graham, Brent Pickering, Stuart McAllister, Blaise Campbell, Matthew Patterson) and Director of Corporate Services Dan Drewe who have facilitated this upgrade.

On Monday 25 January we also welcomed new students to the College as they attended the inaugural Orientation Day. Orientation Day provided the opportunity for all new students to gain their bearings and for returning students in the Primary School to deliver their book packs prior to Day One. Thank you to our amazing Enrolments Team (Emma Dixon and Rebecca Tsoumbaras), Deputy Principal Sam Bolton, Head of Primary Audrey Fellowes and all the academic staff involved in making this day a success.

During the planning week prior to the commencement of school, staff had the opportunity to hear from Dr Michael Carr-Gregg about the critical protective factors which have been shown to reduce the chance of encountering mental health challenges. For staff it reinforced the importance of sleep, diet and exercise in our daily schedules and that the inclusion of blueberries, Greek yogurt, eggs, avocado and nuts in our diet can facilitate a more optimistic outlook.  The opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s highest profile psychologists provided staff with a wonderful start to the year as we continue our development of the Care@Clayfield framework. 

At the start of the school year we also welcomed a number of new staff members to the College. 

 Academic
- Mrs Nicole Blood - Mathematics Teacher
- Mr Scott Grice - Mathematics Teacher
- Ms Kathleen Harris - Teacher Aide - Early Childhood
- Dr Thu Le - Mathematics and Science Teacher
- Ms Estefania Neira Carrasco - Spanish Teacher
- Mr Adrian Walker - Drama Teacher

Corporate
- Stuart McAllister - Maintenance Team

Boarding
- Isabella Henry – Residential Supervisor 
- Kamryn Dunemann - Residential Supervisor 
- Jason McKavanagh - Weekend Chef

I look forward to reconnecting with each of you in the coming weeks and encourage you to attend the P&F Welcome Event on Friday 12 February in the Chapel Courtyard. 

It was a wonderful beginning to our school year with students from Prep to Year 12 coming together for a whole school Assembly on Wednesday. The energy and excitement in the Hall was palpable as we all danced and sang our way into the school year. Yesterday, an email was sent from Ms Bolton, the Deputy Principal, with important information regarding Parent Permissions and updates to Student Health Plans. It is critical that this information be updated accurately and in a timely manner to ensure the safety of all students. Please log into Parent Lounge (details on how to do this) to view this information.

Crunch and Sip

As a reminder, all students from Pre-Prep-Year 6 should bring to school an additional small fruit or vegetable snack in a separate container. The time between breakfast and morning tea can be lengthy, therefore a small, healthy snack helps with energy and nutrition to sustain students through to their first break.

Student Diaries

All students have been issued a School Diary. Students in Prep-Year 5 are asked to bring their diaries to and from school each day and signed by both parent and teacher. Teachers from Prep - Year 5 will check diaries daily for any notes from home. Year 6 students will be attending Pastoral Care groups with their House instead of their Form teacher and therefore they will be guided by their teachers in the use of their diaries. The School Diary will be another place for teachers to update families on any additional information which may not be in the Clayfield Collective. If the diary is lost, a fee will be charged and the student issued a new diary through the College Shop.

School Photos

Primary School class and individual photographs will take place on Tuesday 2 February. All students are required to wear full, school summer uniform on this day. Boys’ hair is expected to be neat and girls’ hair tied back with a green ribbon or scrunchie if touching their collar.

Year 2-6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival 

The Interhouse Swimming Carnival will take place next Wednesday 3 February from 9:30am-12:50pm. Information relating to the carnival can be found here. With COVID restrictions relaxed, although still in place for all schools, we invite one parent or caregiver from Year 2 and one parent or caregiver from Year 6 to attend the carnival and spectate from the upper level above the pool. Spectators will be asked to scan the QR code on entry and remember that social distancing is required at this event. Thank you for your understanding with regards to these restrictions.

Term 1:  Week 2 (Monday 1 – Friday 5 February) 
Timetable: Week B (see attached Primary What’s Happening Calendar Snapshot)

Please refer to the online calendar, via the CC App or your Parent Lounge, for a live daily/weekly schedule of events.

Information Night

Andrews Cup Notices

Andrews Cup Swimming

Andrews Cup Tennis Trials 

Andrews Cup Touch Trials

Co-Curricular Activities
These listed activities are managed and run by external providers.

The 2021 school year has begun and promises to be full of rich learning experiences and many, many opportunities for creating connections with each other. The staff are really looking forward to getting back into the classroom, into music rehearsal rooms and onto the courts and sporting fields.  

Secondary Information Evenings
The partnership between the school and home is of vital importance to ensure that our young people are supported and able to access the opportunities available to them at Clayfield College. The Information evenings held in the first two weeks of term (see below) will communicate details about programs and practices relevant to specific year levels. We hope to see you in attendance at the event relevant to your daughter. The invitation to the Year 11/12 evening was sent earlier this week and the invitations to the other two will be sent by the end of the week.

Year 11 and 12 Information Evening - Thursday 28 January 6:00 – 7:30pm  - Upper Learning Resource Centre
Year 9 and 10 Information Evening - Wednesday 3 February 6:00 – 7:30pm - Upper Learning Resource Centre
Year 7 and 8 Information Evening - Thursday 4 February 6:00 – 7:30pm - Upper Learning Resource Centre

Leadership Investiture Assembly (Friday 29 January at 9:20am)
Week 1 ends with the Leadership Assembly where badges are presented to the Year 12 leaders. Each Year 12 student may have one guest at the Assembly and the morning tea which follows.

Elevate Education
Founded in 2001, Elevate Education is the most prolific and popular provider of study skills seminars in Australia. We have used Elevate at Clayfield College in the senior secondary years for a number of years. This year we are introducing a comprehensive program from Year 7 to 12 targeting productive learning behaviours. On Friday 5 February, Year 8 will attend the Study Skills Kick Start seminar and Year 12 the Ace Your Exams seminar. 

School Photos 
Primary photos are scheduled to be taken on Tuesday 2 February. 

Secondary photos are scheduled to be taken on Wednesday 3 February.

Capricorn Photography is offering Clayfield College families, a siblings photo shoot before school on Tuesday 2 February from 7:20am - 8:00am in the Assembly Hall.

Registration is not required, you may simply attend during this allocated time.  Primary students must be accompanied by a parent. From 8:00am, students may move to their before school areas where they will be supervised by a teacher on duty.

We have some exciting news for our Pre-Prep families - there are now after school activities available most afternoons for Pre-Preps, extending collection time to 3:30pm!

Our Pre-Prep teachers, in conjunction with Clayfield Swimming and Premier Dance, will get our Pre-Preppies dressed and ready, and then escort them to their chosen afternoon activities.

Details on class times, how to enrol, cost and where to direct any enquiries is available here.  Alternatively, please feel free to reach out to our Enrolments Team on (07) 3262 0220 or enrol@clayfield.qld.edu.au for more information.

We hope our Pre-Preppies enjoy the opportunity to engage in these further activities, and our busy families enjoy the greater flexibility in collection times.

Did you know that our scholarship opportunities are open to both new and current students? 

We are currently calling on applications for Academic, Excellence (Sport, The Arts, Leadership, Community Service) and Boarding Scholarships for 2022. Girls entering Years 7 to 11 in 2022 are invited to apply. 

Please note that to be eligible for an Academic Scholarship, applicants must sit the ACER Scholarship Test. Registration for this test closes at midnight on Monday 8 February 2021. 

To learn more about these opportunities or to register for the upcoming ACER Scholarship Test, visit our website, or contact our Enrolments Team on enrol@clayfield.qld.edu.au. 

Please ensure that you go to Parent Lounge and complete the following:

1) Give permission for your child to participate in any school sanctioned activities or excursions (Parent Lounge/Tours and Excursions from the side bar)   

2) Update your child’s medical information (Parent Lounge/Student details from top bar) 

3) Indicate that you have signed the Student Technology Guidelines and Agreement in your child’s diary (Parent Lounge/Tours and Excursions from the side bar).