Today I attended the Student Leadership Preparation Breakfast and I was impressed with the potential of each of our candidates for College Captain, House Captain, Spiritual and Indigenous Student Leader.  I look forward to hearing their speeches and their specific plans for 2022.

Year 10s gathered for Mass at the Parish this morning. Our year level Masses are a crucial proponent of our school's Catholic identity. Parents and families are always encouraged to attend these.

The College is looking forward to the annual State of Origin Rugby League game against Spinifex State College this Thursday. Come along and support GSCC!!

Next week we move into Rodeo Week. Events like rodeos, concerts and associated celebrations provides a potential for more student access to alcohol and drugs. As a parent myself, this can be a great worry. Having an open and frank discussion with your son or daughter about the dangers of associated with alcohol and drugs can be a positive step in keeping them safe. For more information about how to start this conversation, go to:

If you are concerned that your son or daughter may have a substance abuse problem contact me at the College and we can provide support.

Positions Vacant at GSCC

Townsville Catholic Education provides a supportive, flexible working environment where care for the individual is an important part of our ethos.  We employ motivated people who want to work together to produce excellent outcomes for our students. Our staff are recognised as being central to achieving our mission.

We currently have opportunities for the right people to join our fabulous team at Good Shepherd Catholic College, Mount Isa.

Have a blessed week.

Senior Schooling

Choosing the correct subjects for you

Year 10s are starting to consider their subject selections for their senior schooling, and Year 11s are making their final changes before settling into their Year 12 subjects.

Considerations when choosing subjects: 

1. Goals. What are you aiming for? Do you have a definite tertiary course in mind? If so, are there any subjects which you must do as pre-requisites for entry? 

2. Enjoyment. Take subjects you enjoy and in which you do well. 

3. Keep your options open. If you are not sure what you want to do after school, then you should keep as many options as possible open, and select a broad range of subjects. 

4. Find out about the subjects you are considering. Before finally deciding on your subjects, discuss your preferences with your parents, members of staff and students. Does the content, style of learning and assessment suit your interests, abilities and goals? 

5. Do some research. Make good use of Curriculum Leaders, teachers, the Careers Adviser, and resources such as: 

• Queensland Job Guide (Careers Room) 
• Queensland Tertiary Courses & the QTAC Tertiary Pre-requisites Guides Determine whether the subjects you are interested comprise any of the following: 
• Pre-requisite subjects — must be taken for future courses or careers, Recommended subjects — not essential, but may make future courses easier, Useful subjects — not essential, but give a general background or help develop particular skills. 

6. Applied/VET Subject. Consider an applied or VET subject if: 

• You do not intend to go directly from Year 12 into a university course. 
• Your past results suggest that some General Subjects may be too difficult. 
• You are interested in the content of a particular subject because it relates to future employment or possible TAFE options.

Year 11, 2022 Subject Selection

Next Monday (9 August), Year 10 students and their families should be attending the Senior Phase of Learning Information Night. After the evening, students will be emailed instructions to complete their subject selections for Year 11, 2022.

This will be the same format used for selecting senior subject trials and Year 11 subject preferences - so the Year 10s are already excellent at using this platform!

I will email more information to students and parents at the end of this week.

Getting the Most out of Compass School Manager

Compass School Manager is the platform used across Townsville Catholic Education to record student data. The parent portal is there for families to use to engage with different aspects of their child’s education.

I will be sending the What’s on @ GSCC Document through Compass from now, and it will remain pinned to your newsfeed for the duration of the week.

What is Compass?

Compass is a school management solution that allows parents and carers to access up-to-date and meaningful information about your school and your child’s progress. Compass includes many different features, including the ability to:

• Monitor your child’s attendance, and enter an explanation for absence or lateness
• Communicate with your child’s teachers, and update your family contact details
• View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
• Monitor your child’s homework and assessment tasks
• Download and view your child’s academic reports
• Book parent-teacher conferences

Please note that you should not be paying school fees using Compass - this feature, although there, is not in use at the College.

If you haven’t done so already, the website linked below provides a wealth of information for families regarding the great features of Compass School Manager. I have also included some images of the most used features below.

Compass Apps

You can download the Compass App on iOS and Android devices, simply search for Compass School Manager in the store.

Using the app you can:

• View the school news feed
• Receive messages from the school
• View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
• View Learning Tasks
• Book parent-teacher conferences
• Add Attendance Notes
• View academic reports

Compass Desktop Site

The home screen provides you with relevant alerts and news, as well as quick access to your child’s profile.

School Calendar

The tools you need to keep track of your students journey through the school gate each day

News

Recent school news items and information relevant to you. This may include newsletters, details of upcoming events.

Your Children

Provides you with a quick summary of available options and highlights a summary of upcoming and overdue tasks.

To access more information click on the relevant quick link or select Profile to access detailed information about your child.

Alerts

Custom notifications for items that require your action or attention. These may include excursion notifications, ordering options for school photos, absence notifications, survey, and student report availability.

Main Menu

Allows you to access other Compass and school resources. The Tools icon allows you to update your contact details and change your password.

Parenting Tips for your Child’s Online Safety

This week I am continuing with the next four tips from Safe on Social Media on how parents can support their children in navigating the online world better. 

Tip 5: Know how to block and report on every app and game your child is using so that you can help when things go wrong.  If you don't know how to block and report, sit with your child and learn together. 

Tip 6: Put healthy boundaries in place. Don't ban your child from their device if they forget to do a household chore or are naughty for something unrelated to their device. Do not take it off them if they speak up about something that has happened online because you are scared. This is the quickest way to drive all the conversations that you want to be having underground. Instead, implement a healthy boundary such as having all devices banned from the dining table or bedroom. So then, if they are caught with their device in either place, you ban them for a week. This way, they will learn that it is safe to speak up about what is going on online without punishment and only as a consequence if they break the rules about device use.

Tip 7: Be a good role model. Keep your screen time in check and set a good example for your child. Teach them to review who they are following often and unfollow accounts that make them feel bad about themselves. Teach them to follow accounts that inspire them with their health, happiness and creativity is always a good place to start. 

Tip 8: Please help them to check and manage privacy settings. Set all of their accounts to private. This is something you can do together when they are younger by making it a shared experience.

Sourced:  Safe on Social Media

Census Night is 10th August 2021

The Census counts every person and home in Australia. It is important that everyone is ready for the Census so that we are all counted. Information from the Census helps us to understand the needs of communities and plan programs and services like health, education and transport.

In early August, you will get either a letter with instructions on how to complete online, or a paper form. You can ask family or friends to help with your Census.

There is support available for people who need help to complete the Census. 

Census is coming to Mount Isa this week :)  A Pop-up Census Hub will be available to provide support to the community to complete their Census.

With the help of Census Community Field Officers people can:

• Learn more about the Census
• Collect a paper form
• Help to complete their form

Please see dates and times of upcoming pop up hubs/fill in the form sessions in Mount Isa:

5th & 6th August (10am - 2pm) 7th August (9am - 5pm)

• Mount Isa PCYC
• Mount Isa Library
• Mount Isa Neighbourhood Centre
• Kmart Plaza

12th & 13th (10am - 2pm) 14th August (9am - 5pm)

• Mount Isa PCYC
• Mount Isa Library
• Mount Isa Neighbourhood Centre
• Kmart Plaza

12th - 15th August, 2021 - (9am - 5pm)

• Mount Isa Rodeo

Term 3 College fees were emailed out last week, please note these are no longer being posted out. If you did not receive your statement by email, it could mean that we do not have your correct email address, please check this information on your Compass Portal and update if necessary.

If you are paying your account per Term, payment is due by the 25th of August 2021. If you would like to organise a payment plan, to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly, please contact the College and we can do the calculations for you.

If you currently pay your fees, via direct deposit set up by yourself or your bank, please take time to change the payment details from our BSB and Account Number to BPAY using your BPAY reference number which can be found on the top right hand corner of your Statement. BPAY is the College’s preferred payment method.

Prompt payment of your account is appreciated. If you are unable to make payment, please contact the College to discuss how best we can help you manage your account. Please note TCE policy is,  if your account becomes 2 Terms in arrears and we have had no communication from you regarding an inability to pay, your account will be forwarded on to our collection agency for management.

Thank you to those families who have organised payment plans and to those who have paid up to date.

NB: If the total amount owing on your College Statement is in brackets ie ($200.20), this means that you have a credit balance on your account.

If you wish to discuss your account or have any questions or concerns about the information above please email accounts@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Not Why Not, Why

St Joseph's had a green and gold day last week where you could come dressed in those colours with a couple of kids coming dressed as a gymnast and athlete. They had on competitor bibs with their name, the Olympic rings and ‘Brisbane 2032.’ 

I told them it was perfect timing and that I looked forward to watching them at the Brisbane Olympics. They both looked at me with wonder and excitement in their eyes before I saw the tendrils of doubt creep in and snatch their dream away.

To really bastardise a John F Kennedy quote ‘Ask not why you can’t achieve a dream, ask why you can.’

Any student in Grade 12 will either be 29/30 in 11 years time and any student at St Joseph’s or St Kieran’s in Year 4 will be 20/21. For most sports these are prime years.

So for someone like Pratik Seegoolam, Eddie Harstoff, Matthew Roper, Connor and Caelan Howard, Amy Haddon, Sienna Wilson, Anthony Kleinman and Serena Gowland it is the perfect storm. They have 11 years to perfect their craft and represent their country at a home Olympics.

Especially for young ladies because women’s sport is coming into its own and several sports are now semi-professional. This means instead of working your way through university you may be able to play sport and let it pay for you or enhance your income.

However, the door is also open for anybody else who wants to step up to the plate and just because you haven’t started yet; opportunity still knocks. I recently did a resilience and confidence course where a participant set a goal of playing a certain sport at the highest level.

Working our way backwards we set out the steps needed to achieve it and realistic timeframes to do so. Now all that has to be added is the finer details for each step as that person moves along the path; plus a few other things that are the difference between success and failure in any venture.

These things are signs that tell you that most people walking around thinking they are stars will never shine any brighter. Yes, talent is needed and commitment and courage are important but hard work and discipline are the key ingredients.

Another part of the course deals with ‘excuses v reasons.’ In this section we work through why you can’t achieve the goal you set and place them in either column. Its amazing all the reasons that, when looked at by another person, turn into excuses. 

Simply put you are left with no place to hide and the truth is laid bare for you to see; which can be very confronting. However, you have taken the first step by being honest with yourself and recognising that excuses are a protective shield we hide behind to avoid the risk of failure. 

Of our current Gold Medallist eleven years ago Kaylee McKeown and Arianne Titmus were nine years-old, sprinter Rohan Browning 12 years-old (didn’t start athletics until he was 16), boxer Harry Garside was 13 and Dante Exum was 15 (still three years away from being noticed).

There are 3,043,200 children aged 9-18 in Australia and 730,368 participate in sport. Take away those who play non-Olympic sports such as Cricket, League, Union and AFL and you are left with 584,294 competing in Olympic sports.

Take away those participants who are injured or simply give up and you are left with 181,131 children between the age of 9-18 competing for approximately 500 positions at the Brisbane Olympics. Your chance of making it is 1:362.

Between St Joseph’s, St Kieran’s and Good Shepherd there are approximately 750 students in this age bracket. That means the odds are in favour that a student who is in grade 4, 5 or 6 at Kieran’s or Joey's or 7-12 at Good Shepherd today will represent Australia at the Brisbane Olympics.

I wonder who it is?

Last week Mrs. Whitehouse’s Year 9 Media students left the school by bus and explored the urban landscape of Mount Isa in search of the perfect photographs. Students are learning about the codes and conventions of photography this Term and will be creating a 2022 Calendar for their assessment piece. Students are aiming to explore the theme of Urban Landscapes by showing an abstract view of historical sites, street art and urban areas meeting natural beauty. The class visited The Underground Hospital and Museum, Mary Kathleen and the Family Fun Precinct. We were fortunate enough to have Father Mick and Ms. Neal join us on the day. Father Mick provided a wealth of local history knowledge and Ms. Neal has a natural eye for photographic composition.

Year 7 so Far This Term 

Grade 7s have been absolutely fantastic as they have got into Term 3. 

We have already:

• been to 7 and 12 Mass;
• shared the Catholic Education Week Mass with Years 5, 6 and 8 from St Joseph’s, St Kieren’s and St Joseph’s Cloncurry;
• enjoyed Good Shepherd Feast Day - especially the food, games and dancing;
• been on the HASS field trip to Lake Moondarra;
• did some learning and were well organised for most lessons.

As I see the growth in all of the great humans in year 7 I am so proud of where you are all getting to in your learning journey.

A couple of reminders: 

• Everyone needs to come to school and feel safe, happy and able to learn. How we treat each other - the words we use and the actions we do has a huge impact on those around us. Be kind, considerate and supportive! 
• Please help to make each day flow by checking that your person has their HAT (many don’t and are borrowing) and also a PENCIL CASE - lots of people NOT going to lessons prepared. We understand on one off forgets, but just not bringing them is not following our College expectation - coming prepared to learn.

Enjoy the pictures we share of our great year 7 times together.

Last week 23 students attended Mulkadee Creative Arts Youth Festival hosted by TCEO in Townsville. A big thank you to the teachers Lochlan Toal and Catherine Motterm for attending with myself. Thank you also goes to parent helper Mel Hodgetts for all her support and help. 

I would also like to say a big thank you to The Parents and Friends Association at GSCC for sponsoring the registration fee for each student to attend Mulkadee. I would like to congratulate all students involved. Students certainly represented Good Shepherd Catholic College proudly. If you would like to see some highlights from the week go to the Mulkadee Facebook page and have a look at  the daily videos. 

The following paragraphs are some experiences of the students that attended Mulkadee 2021. 

This was my first time doing Mulkadee and it was so much fun. It was definitely worth the 12 hour drive to Townsville and waking up at 4.30 to get to the bus early that morning. This year's theme was The Wizard of Oz and I played in the string orchestra on the violin. The music was fun to learn and very hard but we got there in the end. The concert was amazing, just being able to play the music for the dancers, the singers and the actors while they performed was really cool. I made so many friends at JCU where we stayed and played volleyball and dodgeball every afternoon after Mulkadee. I have never been a part of something like this before, Mulkadee is the best thing I have ever done and am so glad I got the chance to do it. I definitely recommend this to anyone and I will be back again next year. 

GSCC Student

This past week, I attended Mulkadee for the second time. As always it was a major eye-opener and a great experience. Coming from a state primary school I was not given this type of opportunity before, so when I was first nominated in year 9 to attend Mulkadee I took the opportunity. Coming out of that I said, “I will definitely be back next year!” not knowing what 2020 would bring. Mulkadee 2020 was unfortunately cancelled, due to COVID, like almost everything was in the middle of last year, but it made this year's Mulkadee even better. We presented The Wizard of Oz, which in my opinion was one of the best theme choices ever. The week was very tiring, practicing for 4 of the 5 days of the week, all to put the final product together on Friday, at dress rehearsals hours before the actual show. I went away to be a part of the string ensemble as a violist, which not many people know as an instrument but essentially the viola is the bigger version of a violin and sounds nicer, personally speaking. I was put up the front as the lead for the second time. It was an honour to be in this position, however it meant I had to work harder to be a leader, which left me with an aching back, sore shoulders and blistered fingers. I met so many great new people and reunited with some of my friends from the previous Mulkadee. The friendships and experiences are worth missing out on a week of school. If you are thinking about doing Mulkadee I would do it, it really opened my eyes into the musical world, and it's not just for musicians but actors, dancers and singers too. The music choices are definitely not generic, throwing in some Aussie rock songs here and there to spice up the show even more. If someone asked me if they should do Mulkadee, I would say Yes! 

Rachael Scrimgeour - Year 11 

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Townsville for the 2021 Mulkadee - Performing Arts Festival. As part of the Drama Ensemble the days were long, full of movement and quite tiring. As a whole, it was something I would highly recommend to everyone with a passion for the Arts. Between your fellow cast, instructors and teachers who had the pleasure of staying in the same accommodation as us there was never a quiet nor dull moment. Although full days of workshopping and rehearsals can leave you physically exhausted, the feeling of looking into the crowd at the end of the week is something I will remember and be inspired by.

Steph Reddish - Year 12 

Mulkadee 2021 has been a great experience for me, I got to meet a ton of new people and challenge myself to push my abilities to the best. I met a whole bunch of students and there were so many different schools it was so overwhelming, the workshops were really fun to participate in and to sing among others was really fun. They also had really good music choices that were enjoyable to sing and fun to learn. It was fun sitting down on the rises and watching all the actors and dancers run around all crazy for some scenes. The final performance was so fun to be at, the lights, colours and the acting was great.

Winsome Mock - Year 8 

School of Origin

This Thursday sees the return of the annual School of Origin series against Spinifex. This gives our teams a great opportunity to compete against schools in our local area. 

Games will be played at Alex Inch Park. The Junior Boys will kick of at 4pm, followed by the Senior Boys at 5pm. 

We hope to see you all down there to cheer on our teams. 

Inter-School Athletics

Thursday of Week 6 will see our Inter-School Athletics carnival against Spinifex. Students who were successful in making the team were sent home with permission slips last week. Students need to return their permission slip by the 16th August to hold their spot in the team. 

We are also looking for a few parent helpers on the day. If you are interested in assisting with events on the day, can you please email myself at jschofieldsmyth@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Week 3 was a busy week for careers!

Careers Expo

Monday our Year 11/12 students attended a Careers Expo where they had the chance to speak with over 20 stallholders about current and future work opportunities.  

A big thanks to the Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships for organising the event, and in particular Zoe Douglas for all her terrific work in the lead up to the event.

Try a Trade

Tuesday Construction Workskills Qld hosted a workshop at TAFE where Year 9/10 students were able to sample various vocations including plumbing, electrical, scaffolding and carpentry.

Take a look at the pics!

Former Student Shares Knowledge

Wednesday, 2014 GSCC Graduate, Rory Wood, shared his journey about how he became a Medical Scientist, what he does on a day to day basis and how to follow this pathway.

Rory recently helped fundraise almost $2000.00 for cancer research, hence the blue hair!

James Cook University Visit

And Finally, on Thursday JCU hosted a number of presentations with our Year 9 and 10 students who were able to explore their personality traits in order to gain an understanding of which jobs may best suit them.

Our Year 12’s were able to learn more about special entry course requirements and bonus adjustments toward their ATAR.