Happy New Year and welcome back to all staff in 2019! I trust all have had a restful and rejuvenating break and are looking forward to what will no doubt be another busy and productive year ahead.  

I know it will be another exciting and enriching year for more than 147,000 students and almost 19,000 teachers and staff who have commenced the year at 306 Catholic schools across Queensland.  

We also welcome the parents and carers who are our partners in Catholic education. 

We are delighted that another two new Catholic schools have opened this year providing an option for a Catholic school education to more families in their growing areas. The new schools are:  

• St Joseph’s College, Coomera (prep to year 4 and year 7) 
• Good Samaritan Catholic College, Bli Bli (prep to year 3 and year 7)  

There will be many firsts along the way this year for the 11,000 Preps who will begin their Catholic education journey and at the other end of schooling our Year 11 cohort will be the first to enter the new system of senior assessment and tertiary entrance.

All of our schools have put in considerable effort over the last three years to ensure that teachers are well prepared for the new systems and that families understand what the changes will mean for their children. 

Equally, we want to ensure that the 2019 Year 12 cohort, who will be the last to go through the OP system, have a rich and rewarding education experience in their final year at school. 

On behalf of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission, I extend my best wishes to all school and education communities for a rewarding, safe and enriching year ahead. 

We will be working closely with you throughout the year to support you in providing high quality education grounded in our Catholic values and traditions. 

Back to school 2019