Current Edition | Term 3, Week 1

A warm welcome back to all families from the mid-semester break. Hopefully all students have had time to refresh and reset, and all are looking forward to a productive Term 3.

This week at the College we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of NAIDOC Week (Home page | NAIDOC). NAIDOC Week allows us all as Australians to come together to honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our community. As a part of this celebration, our students were addressed by Ms BoDe La Cruz-Maclean, a proud Laurie’s parent, international athlete and Laurie’s community member. Ms De La Cruz-Maclean was joined by former Queensland and Australian Rugby League representative, and new friend of the College, Mr Willie Tonga. 

Both our guests delivered an inspiring message on assembly that challenged us to understand story, to create a story and to chase a dream. There was also a strong theme of the importance of education and community, that resonated as part of the panel discussion. As a College, we are extremely proud and thankful that we were able to draw on the wisdom of our own Laurie’s community, to provide inspiration and impact for our students. I sincerely thank Bo and Willie for giving of their time, and for the lessons they shared with both the broader student body and distinctly with our Yuuingan Yari group.   

Recently, families will have received correspondence from the College regarding the implementation of the Linewize platform for all students and the forthcoming Mentoring Day. 

The Linewize platform further enables the College to have an enhanced capacity to monitor and filter internet use on student devices while at school, continue to block access to inappropriate or harmful content, and identify online behaviours that may indicate a student requires additional support. Importantly, the platform also assists us in teaching students to become responsible, respectful and discerning digital citizens.

The Linewize platform has now been deployed across all student devices and will increase the College's ability to provide a safe and supportive online learning environment. We look forward to sharing more information about the Linewize platform in the near future.

Monday 27 July (Week 3) will be a Student Free Day to enable the College's inaugural Mentoring Day to take place.

As students will not attend classes on campus that day, we ask families to make appropriate supervision arrangements for their son, except during his scheduled mentoring appointment.

For the first time in 2026, the College will combine Year 5 and 6 Student Lead Conferences, Year 7 and 8 Mentoring and Parent Student meetings (MaPS), Year 9 Subject Selection and Year 10,11 and 12 Parent/Teacher Interviews into one streamlined day/evening.  It is envisaged that the Mentoring Day will provide valued information and feedback for all students. Families are encouraged to engage with the information to be provided from the Administration Service Team at the College to ensure appropriate bookings.

Over the Break:

During the first week of the student holidays, the College staff were busy reporting, marking and engaging in professional development. One highlight of this week was the annual Learning Exchange (LEX) professional development day, this year hosted by Padua College. LEX is an ongoing collaboration between Iona College, Padua College and St Laurence’s College to share knowledge, resources and experiences, with the intent of improving student outcomes and wellbeing. 

The 2026 LEX Annual Professional Development Day included over 500 staff from the three schools. The day was themed on the notion of live well and learn well. Commencing with Mass lead by Fr Jo McKay, the day was highlighted by an address from boys’ education expert, Adam Voight. It also included collaborative faculty professional development and professional sharing sessions between staff. The day was a rich source of growth for all present and I thank Ms Grace Visser (Dean of Learning and Teaching) and Mr Michael Kearney (LEX Director) as the key organisers of the event. 

Confraternity Shield Carnival 

The Confraternity Shield Carnival is a statewide Catholic Schools Rugby League carnival held annually in the mid semester break. Consisting of 72 boys and girls teams from over 60 schools, the event is the biggest school-based Rugby League carnival in the country.  Some may recall Laurie’s hosting the carnival in 2023.

This year the carnival was held in Brisbane at Marist College Ashgrove, with 21 of our Open players, their families and a group of dedicated supporters directly involved. After winning Division 2 in 2025, and after a week of games in 2026, it is with some excitement that we can acknowledge that Laurie’s made the final of Division 1 in 2026. An achievement not matched in the 46-year history of the competition. Despite narrowly losing the final by 2 points to our cousins from St Brendan’s in Yeppoon (Also an Edmund Rice Education Australia College), our boys left the week as the major talking point of the carnival and as a newly established presence in this competition.

Similarly, St Laurence's College hosted the first ever Edmund Rice Education Colleges (ERAC) Basketball tournament during the first week of the holidays. Our First V performed courageously, also losing in the final to Nudgee College. A great achievement for this team. 

Congratulations also to Vanne TG who was crowned SLC Tennis Champion at the annual Laurie’s Tennis Championships over the break.

I also acknowledge all those who were involved in the Pemulwuy Music Festival, representing the College. The Pemulwuy National Male Voice Festival is hosted by Voices of Birralee and celebrates male choral singing through workshops, rehearsals and gala concerts in Brisbane. Our vocalists performed with aplomb and are to be commended for their commitment and collegiality in preparing for and presenting at the festival.

With so much happening over the break for our students, I would especially like to thank all of the staff involved who gave of their time to make these fantastic co-curricular opportunities happen for our students. 

Term 3

The term ahead will no doubt be a busy one, highlighted by a series of events to punctuate our learning. These events include Solidarity Mass, Walkathon, Sports Day, Exhibition Break, Queensland Colleges Music Festival, the Year 11 Leadership Program and the Year 12 trial exams. As a community we will gather to celebrate at the Laureis on the Lawn in September at Runcorn (tickets can be purchased here).

Families are asked to please note that Stage 1 of the Runcorn redevelopment is nearing completion, and more information will be published soon about the official opening of the new picket fence.

Each week on assembly, I speak to the students of the College about courtesy, respect, humility and engagement as key components of their Laurie’s Journey. These terms can mean different things in different contexts. 

As the term begins, I ask all families to consider the term engagement and the importance of every student engaging with their learning from Week 1. Engagement in learning means being prepared for the school day, following the College’s Agreed Practice Framework being an active learner in class and revising where appropriate. Engaged learners achieve more. Is your son engaged?

My best wishes to all those competing in AIC Basketball, Tennis, Rugby League and Athletics this term.