There is so much to celebrate at Good Shepherd Catholic College. Here are some highlights from just Term Two:

• Many of our Year 11 and 12 students continued their TAFE block in Week 1.
• Year 10 students attend the Queensland Mining Education  STEM Unearthed Program.
• We had an impressive representation of students at our annual ANZAC Day parade.
• All year levels have participated in Wednesday morning Masses.
• The Glencore Girls for Mining Mentoring Program was launched and supported by Year 12 students.
• Year 7 girls participated in Enlighten Education.
• Year 8s enjoyed their annual Retreat.
• Many of our Emerging Leaders assisted at the St Kieran’s Primary School fete.
• Our Year 7 & 9 students successfully navigated through NAPLAN online.
• Our school students WON the Junior Soccer Competition at Burdekin Catholic High School.
• Our Coding Club has continued its popularity on Friday afternoons.
• The Drew Lane musical workshops and Liturgy were a great success, celebrating 200 Years of Catholic education in Australia.
• We celebrated Happy Chappy Week and thanked Mr James Coghlan for everything he does to support our staff and students.
• We acknowledged the importance of Reconciliation Week and other important dates such as Mabo Day and Sorry Day.
• The Confraternity Rugby League and QISSN teams have been busy preparing for their upcoming competitions.
• Enrolment interviews for Year 7 have commenced and we are excited to be promoting our Time to Shine program for all Year 6 students in Mount Isa.

There is still more to come over the next two weeks, culminating in our special NAIDOC Day celebrations next Friday. Please join us if you can for our Liturgy starting at 9.00 am.

Thank you to all of our Parents and Carers who are involved in our P&F, Board and Indigenous Steering Committees. We value your input at the College.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the Boots and Ball Gowns event on Saturday 24th July, please contact the College. It is rare for us to be able to host something as special as this, so gather your friends together and book a table.

Have a blessed week.

SPOLIN

Earlier this week, Mrs Webb opened the Semester 2 subject selection forms to Year 10 students.  Students were requested to select their subject choices in English, Mathematics, Humanities and Science. 

Curriculum Leaders have already discussed their subject offerings with the Year 10s to assist students in making informed decisions about their selections.

On 9 August 2021, Good Shepherd will host the Senior Phase of Learning Information Night, where students and parents can find out more about the senior subjects on offer and the pathways our Seniors can take to complete their QCE.  More information to follow.

2021 Awards Night Criteria

Our Term 4 Awards Night showcases the many talents of our students.  Various achievements of students will be recognised. 

The criteria for receiving overall academic achievement awards are as follows:

These awards will be based on Year to Date results achieved by students by the end of Term 3.

Semester 1 Report Cards

Next Friday, students and families will gain access to Semester 1 Report Cards. These report cards are issued online, through the Compass Parent Portal. We will notify parents and students when report cards have been uploaded, and you will have immediate access to them at this time. Please see the documents included for instructions.

A reminder, that to access the Parent Portal, parents/carers must come into the front office to collect login information (office hours are 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday).

We are unable to provide login details unless we can see you to verify your details; this is important due to the sensitive and sometimes confidential information that you will have access to on your child’s portal. Please call the College Office if you are unable to attend and they can discuss verification options with you.

Term 2 Parent Teacher Student Interviews

Parent-teacher Interviews will take place in the Lumen Christi Centre on Wednesday, 28th July (Week 3) from 3.30pm - 7.00pm. The interview schedule consists of 10 minute time slots and you are able to book back-to-back interviews for different classes. 

Bookings for these interviews will be made through the Compass Parent Portal (either phone or desktop versions) and will open at 5:00pm on Friday, 25 June, after Semester 1 Report Cards have been uploaded to Compass. The bookings will close at midday on Friday, 16 July.

Please note that if you are using your phone to make your interview bookings,  ensure that you are using the latest version of the Compass App. (You may need to update the Compass App on your phone if you haven't done this recently.) It is also important that you close the App and re-open it prior to doing your bookings or going to the App to change a booking. This ensures that any changes that we make to the settings or schedule for Parent/Teacher Interviews transfer through to your phone.

If you are experiencing difficulty booking, please call the front office and they will assist you.

We’ve almost completed Semester 1! Students deserve a well earned break after a VERY busy term. School will resume for Term 3 on Monday, 12 July.

Boots & Ball Gowns Ball

We are very excited to be hosting this event. Tickets are selling well, and if you would like to purchase a ticket (or a table for 10) please do so by the end of this term. This will be a great night out, with entertainment by Pacific Groove and a delicious 3 course meal catered by 2Seas.

Year 11 Student Leadership Formation Day

This Thursday our Year 11 students will be participating in the Student Leadership Formation Day which is their first official step towards their leadership roles as Year 12 students in 2022.

Leadership presents itself to us in many different ways and we will be showcasing leaders within our community who we believe can ignite and inspire the leadership qualities within our students.

We have invited the following community people to share their leadership journey with the students throughout the day:

• Father Mick Lowcock – Parish Priest
• Mrs Helen Wade – Principal, St. Joseph’s School
• Mr Robbie Katter MP – Local Member
• Ms Emma Harman – Community member and founder of HarmanE
• Miss Phoebe Ryder – former Student Leader

If you would like any further information about the day, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Lombardi’s Love Lecture

When I go to the gym in the morning there are a few Confraternity Boys lifting weights and hanging out. I get a bit nostalgic because I know all that they have ahead of them, the World is at their feet and they can choose any path they wish; as can any young person.

I also am involved in club and rep Netball and love being around that team environment. It is an environment I loved being in which is why I played football instead of chasing a career hitting a little white ball into a hole.

Individual success is wonderful but there is nothing like sharing the glory of winning or pain of defeat with those you love. Yes, love.

Vince Lombardi is one of the greatest coaches ever and many have copied and used his values and beliefs as the basis for their own success. Lombardi once stunned his team in a pre-match address by asking an unexpected question: “What is the meaning of love?”

He explained: “Anybody can love something that is beautiful or smart or agile. But you will never know love until you can love something that isn’t beautiful, isn’t bright, or isn’t glamorous. . . . Can you accept someone for his inabilities?”

Lombardi then began connecting the dots for his players by explaining that they may not regard a team mate as equally talented or equally capable but a loving commitment to the team and those making it up would enable better players to help lesser players.

Any player who represents the Melbourne Storm buys into the idea of the team being greater than the sum of the individuals making it up; if they don’t they are moved on.

When Josh Ado-Carr joined from the Tigers he scored a try and celebrated like a madman. A senior player quietly pulled him aside and told him that was not how they did it around here. You see Ado-Carr may have scored the try but it was the work of others that allowed it.

Melbourne had the big three (Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater) and all those outside were of the opinion they carried Melbourne. Everyone inside knew it was the opposite; especially those three. They knew they could only perform to their ability if the other players did their jobs to the best of their ability; and they loved them for it.

Watch a replay and you will see that whenever they scored a try they would immediately turn and acknowledge the person who did the work that allowed them to shine.

Lombardi’s message was simple, “what can I do to make it easier for my team mate to help us win this game.”

One of my favourite photos was taken after the last Mount Isa Rugby League Grand Final at Kruttschnitt Oval in 1985. Kenny Robertson (Robo) and myself were teenagers at the time but polar opposites.

He was an electrifying centre with wavy blonde hair and chiselled body while I was a stocky rough-headed hooker (when scrums were fair-dinkum). We won the game and the photo is of the team with the trophy in the shadows of the grandstand.

Robo and I are on our haunches in the front row with our arms around each other. His jersey is spotless, not a hair out of place nor bead of sweat on his brow. My jersey is filthy, my hair like a troll’s and exhaustion etched on my face.

In front of Robo is the bag and trophy he got for Man of the Match; thanks to the three tries he scored. I love that photo because I know that all the hard work and effort I put in that day allowed my friend to shine; and that is love.

Teamwork is what the Green Bay Packers were all about and Lombardi’s speech highlighted that. They didn’t do it for individual glory - they did it because they loved one another. 

The CIA Youth Group meets in the CIA Youth Room at Good Shepherd Parish on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of each month. Doors open at 4:00pm, activities from 4:30pm-5:30pm, then chill. Mass at 6:00pm followed by dinner.

The 2nd Sunday of each month is when we host a Youth Mass where we select the music. If you can’t make Mass every week, set a date for those weeks.

Business Breakfast

Last Friday we hosted our annual Business Breakfast.  This year’s speaker was Paul White, former police officer (based in Mt Isa for several years) and most recently retired CEO of Brisbane Broncos.  Paul spoke about compassion and the part it plays in all facets of our lives, and in particular, helping those in need.  He shared some heartfelt stories which we were very privileged to listen to.

What a terrific turnout with almost 100 guests in attendance on such a “fresh” June morning.  Our hospitality students did us proud with an amazing array of bite size breakfast delights.

We thank the Mt Isa Community for its ongoing support of this event and we look forward to welcoming you again next year.

MineX

Last Thursday our Year 11/12 students attended the MineX event at Buchanan Park.  They were able to speak to the many stallholders about what services they offer within the mining sector.  

There was also a chance to talk about job opportunities. This was helpful for our Year 12’s who are almost at the end of their schooling life.

Year 10 Alma Art Excursion 

Year 10 have been very industrious this term and well on track with their work, so as a reward we had a visit to Alma Art Centre on Monday and Wednesday this week for a wheel throwing experience. I think they all concur that it's not as easy as it looks! Thanks to James for driving us there and back. 

Year 10 Media 

This term, our Year 10 Media students have been creating their own music videos. Their assessment task required students to choose a pre-existing song in Week 1 and in pairs or groups of three, they were to come up with their own story to compliment the song. Once they were happy with their ideas, the workload was distributed equally and each student was responsible for the filming and editing of their respective acts. The final step was to work collaboratively to piece their acts together to produce a full music video. Students are now in their final stages of the editing process and are looking forward to sharing their efforts with each other at the end of the term. 

Year 8 Drama 

This Term students in Year 8 Drama, did a devising unit which in all the activities were about the elements and conventions of Drama. The other unit is about "Fractured Fairy Tale" and it's a Performance Task. Students practised and were excited about this activity. They enjoyed presenting their group performance yesterday.

Year 7 Media

This term, Year 7 Media students have been exploring the creative world of animation. The students have been busy creating their own animations through the use of PowToon: a computer animation program. There have been some exciting animations created based on the Corpse Bride, Fast and Furious and Mean Girls.  

Year 7 Drama

In  Year 7 Drama this term, students did an Improvisation as their first task. The theme and the story plot were decided by their group. It was a fabulous performance from each of the group as the students enjoyed it . It provided them an opportunity to demonstrate their dramatic and acting skills. Responding Task is about a play "Two Weeks with the Queen" where students will write a short essay to illustrate their understanding of the elements of Drama. 

What is the NDIS?

It is not too late to sign up for The Premier’s Reading Challenge. We have 9 of our students committed to reading at least 15 books before the end of August. We had a goal to improve on 11 participants in 2020, so students are strongly encouraged to have a go. You can add any books you read at home, eBooks or ones you borrow from the Mt Isa Library to your reading total. Our librarian can help you get started.

As part of the challenge, students can enter a contest where they list their 5 favourite books. The prize is a visit by author, Sue Whiting, to our College. More importantly for students, there is a chance to win a $500 book voucher.

Click on the link below to find out more:

https://qsuper.qld.gov.au/campaign/premiers-reading-challenge

Sue Whiting is the author of numerous children’s and young adult books, including the bestselling Missing, the award-winning A Swim in the Sea and a number of CBCA Notable Books. Sue’s latest novel, The Book of Chance, was recently shortlisted for the 2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. As a storyteller, workshop leader and schools’ performer, Sue has informed, inspired and entertained thousands of kids across the country.

End of Term Returns

As Term 2 draws to a close, it’s time to start returning books, Year 8, 10 and 12 class novels and short loan laptops. Families are not permitted to keep short loan laptops over the holiday period, as this is the time where our IT Specialist installs updates and other applications onto them. Fiction books can be kept for reading over the holidays and may only need to be renewed, rather than returned.

Our Top Library Users for May/June

1. Mariana Taylor
2. Grace Doran
3. Shilpantha Dias, Zac McClymont, Zoe Ryder
4. Delight Gono, Cooper Harris, Ashley Knudsen, Tawana Magurira, Fiona Pan, Lianna Woodsby

Every Wednesday morning from 7.00am - 8.30am. Parents and Friends are invited to The Arili Thina Cafe to purchase your morning coffee and breakfast.

By doing so you are supporting our Hospitality students to achieve their competencies towards their Certificate ll in Hospitality and all profits go towards their Hospitality Camp to the Gold Coast in August. 

There are a range of coffees, cold drinks and breakfast food available. Please see our Menu. Our students are becoming fantastic baristas. Come see for yourself how good they are.

Congratulations to the parents and staff who were part of the Mount Isa Women’s Masters Hockey Team who won gold in their division at the State Hockey Masters Championships in Warwick last weekend.

The team won defeating Mackay (3 nil), Rockhampton (5 nil), Maryborough (2 nil), Ipswich (2-1) and in the final against Gold Coast won 3 nil in the penalty shoot outs. 

Extra congratulations to our GSCC parent who was awarded, “Player of the Final.”