This week we will welcome Bishop Tim Harris to the school for a College visit. He will meet with staff to  help them celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Friday. We will also gather for the Bishop’s Dinner on Thursday night where we will award the Mark Mappas Award to Mr Clynton Munns. The Mappas Medallion recognises Parents and Carers who have contributed significantly to their school community. Named after Mark and Doreen Mappas, the medallions commemorate stalwarts of Catholic education in the Townsville Diocese.

Clynton Munns is receiving the GSCC medallion in 2021. He is one of our Parents and has been an invaluable contributor to our Indigenous Education Committee since 2016. Clynton has demonstrated his commitment and support for the College by assisting at many events and activities. He was an instrumental part of the team of people who introduced the Reconciliation Action Plan and launched it for the College in 2020. Clynton has used his local community contacts in his work as a Training Supervisor at Glencore, to rally support for the school with their activities, in particular our successful NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week events. 

Clynton advocates for our Indigenous students and their families by identifying areas that may require improvement in the delivery of our Indigenous programs or support, however he also advocates and reinforces the positive opportunities that our College provides in Indigenous education. Clynton demonstrates his advocacy by always encouraging our Indigenous students and families to be actively involved in our College community but by positively promoting our College to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous families through his extensive networks.    Congratulations Clynton Munns!

World Teachers’ Day - as mentioned, this Friday is a special one for the staff of Good Shepherd Catholic College. It is an opportunity to reflect on the exhausting but rewarding work of people in schools. We thank our teachers, office staff, teacher aides, careers officers, Chaplain, laboratory techs, tuckshop ladies, grounds and cleaning staff - a village of people wrapped around each and every student. Be sure to send a message or email of support to your son or daughter’s teachers this week.Parents and Students are reminded to check their email from me regarding World Teachers’ Day and a little way they can send a word of thanks to the staff who make a difference to their lives every day at Good Shepherd Catholic College. The deadline for dropping in the ‘apples’ is lunchtime this Thursday.

Have a blessed week.

Kathleen McCarthy
Principal

Awards Night 2021

We had a wonderful Awards Ceremony last Wednesday evening.  Thank you to everyone who was a part of the event, and a big congratulations to all our Award Recipients for 2021.

Year 12 Students

Are you doing a VET Qualification and aiming for an ATAR?
Please check that completed VET studies are listed correctly in your QCAA learning account before December so that any VET qualifications can be included in your ATAR calculation. See the VET Factsheet.

Have you put in a QTAC application?
Don’t forget to also register for your ATAR.

What email address have you used for your ATAR account?
If you have used your school email address, log in to the ATAR Portal and change your email to a personal address so you can manage your ATAR account after leaving school.

Key Dates for QTAC Applicants
13 January 2022 Offer round - offers released 8:30am
Due date to apply and submit documents is Friday 10 December 2021
Due date for change of preferences is Wednesday 5 January 2022
23 December 2021 Offer round - some offer released

2022 Scholarships are now open
Southern Cross University offers a range of scholarship opportunities to support regional, rural, and remote students, international students, students experiencing hardship, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and students who can demonstrate exceptional merit. 
Scholarships currently range in value from $150 to $60 000, and the basis for selection varies widely and you can check them all out by clicking here.
We encourage you to apply for scholarships that will best support you and allow you to succeed in your studies at Southern Cross University. You can make an application for any of our scholarships by clicking here.

If your students are looking to explore a career in healthcare, look no further than the experts in healthcare education. Mater Education provides an unrivalled experience of hands-on, hospital based learning. Our popular Diploma of Nursing, Certificate courses and training in schools will provide your students with the knowledge and confidence to work in a variety of healthcare settings. Explore our courses online, or call the team on 1300 070 350 to find out more.Branded Fashion Design now available fully online
Whether it’s a diploma or bachelor in Branded Fashion Design students are interested in, Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University now offers both courses fully online (face-to-face still available). This course gives students the opportunity to learn about the creation of inspiring designs, developing and producing them for market with an emphasis on finding creative, strategic, sustainable and cost-effective solutions. Face to face is available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

New programs in Semester 1, 2022
Bachelor of Agricultural Technology and Management offers students extensive knowledge and skill acquisition in emerging areas of Agriculture. Developed with significant industry engagement, the multidisciplinary approach to this program maximises employability of graduates.
Bachelor of Environmental Science combines a rigorous academic program with substantial industry-relevant field-based experience to establish a comprehensive approach to your learning. This program provides students a better understanding of the human impact on biodiversity whilst gaining invaluable knowledge on sustainable living.
Bachelor of Science Wildlife Management centres on practical learning, with local and international learning opportunities embedded in the program.Diploma of Educational Studies on both Brisbane and Gold Coast campuses in 2022
If your students need to meet English, Maths or Science to be eligible for a teaching degree, this diploma is the perfect option. Rather than needing to complete additional bridging and enabling subjects, students can meet these requirements while still starting first year education subjects at Griffith College. When they progress onto Griffith University, they will have credit for 6 subjects in primary education or 7 subjects in secondary education.  
More details:
https://www.griffithcollege.edu.au/study-options/diplomas/education/    

Professional Development Breakfast for Science and HPE Teachers
Bond University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine invites Health & PE teachers to attend along with a student from their school who is considering a career in health or exercise and sport sciences. Associate Professor Christian Moro and Professor Vernon Coffey will discuss modern technology assisting learners and Bond's latest suite of interactive education packages developed for secondary school students. This event can contribute 2 hours towards staff annual CPD requirements and certificates of attendance will be provided. Tuesday, 26 October 2021, 7am - 8.45am, Spring Hill, Brisbane.
Registration -
https://bond.edu.au/event/68377/professional-development-breakfast-science-and-health-pe-teachersApplication date extended for the Year 12 Early Offer Guarantee: Eligible students from Queensland or Northern New South Wales undertaking the QCE, IBD or HSC now have until 24 October to apply for the Early Offer Guarantee program. Successful applicants will receive an offer to study at Griffith by 19 November, before their ATAR or IB Diploma results are released. Students can choose from over 60 degrees across a wide range of study areas but must submit their documentation by 31 October to be considered for an offer. For more information visit griffith.edu.au/early-offer 

Graduate Guarantee
Did you know that CQUniversity Australia is ranked in the top six universities in Australia for undergraduate full-time employment?
Our practical approach to education sees our students graduate job-ready and we’re committed to continuing to improve our graduate outcomes so you can land your dream job.
Which is why we’ve launched our Graduate Guarantee – this means that we’ll support your continued learning with a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Entrepreneurship for free, if you don’t land a job within six months of your graduation. Find out more at our CQUni Graduate Guarantee webpage.

SAE is offering full and partial tuition scholarships for high achieving Year 12 students who will commence study in February.  Applications close October 31. Learn more via the link below.
https://sae.edu.au/scholarship-application-form
Join Creative Futures, an information evening for high school students to explore their interests and passion in the creative media industry. They can chat with our staff and industry, attend seminars and industry panels. This event is for upper school students and their parents. Career Advisors and teachers welcome too! All attendees need to register via the link below.
https://sae.edu.au/event/creative-futures-sae-brisbane/

Year 12 Early Offer Scheme – applications extended to 24 October
The Year 12 Early Offer Scheme can provide certainty about your future options, with an offer to study at QUT before receiving your ATAR, IB Diploma or VET Diploma. If eligible, you'll receive an offer for your QTAC first preference the day you complete Year 12. To be considered for an early offer, you must complete your QTAC application by Sunday 24 October.There’s more than one way into university. We’ve got you covered!
Tertiary Preparation Pathway (TPP) is a free six-month university program you can do to pick up any subject prerequisites you missed and to give you a rank to get into a variety of programs at USC. TPP helps you get used to uni life along the way so you can start your degree with all the confidence you need to succeed.
Want to know more? Have a chat with our Career Advisor Fiona Coghlan or visit usc.edu.au/tpp

Term 4 Report Cards

At the end of Term 4, all students in Years 7 -11 will receive a Report Card. These reports will be uploaded to Compass on Thursday 2 December. If you are unable to access your Compass Parent Portal, please contact the College Office as soon as possible so that we are able to assist you.

Students in Year 12 do not receive a College issued report card in Term 4. They will be issued with an electronic version of their Senior Statement via their learning accounts once all results have been finalised - the QCAA calendar notes that Year 12 results will be released on December 17, 2021.

If students achieve their QCE or QCIA, these will also be accessible through their learning accounts. Students are able to request printed copies of these documents - but the request must be made by 31 January or there will be a printing fee.

Details about the QCAA Senior Certificates and Qualifications for Year 12 students can be found here: 

2022 Elective Classes (Year 8 - 10)

Next week, I will send students their elective subject choice forms (these are online forms - students will be emailed a Webcode to access them). Here, they will select their preferences for elective subjects for next year. It is important that students complete their forms promptly, as practical subjects have a capped number of students, and they fill in order of form submission.

The elective subjects for 2022 are:

Year 8

English/Languages
Italian

Arts
Drama
Music
Visual Art

Design & Technology
Food and Fibre Production
Engineering Principles and Systems (Metalwork)
Materials and Technologies Specialisations (Woodwork)
Digital Technologies

Year 9

Arts
Drama
Music
Visual Arts

Design & Technology
Food and Fibre Production
Engineering Principles and Systems (Metalwork)
Materials and Technologies Specialisations (Woodwork)
Digital Technologies

Year 10

Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Certificate I Hospitality

Arts
Music
Drama
Visual Art

Design & Technology
Food and Fibre Production
Engineering Principles and Systems (Metalwork)
Materials and Technologies Specialisations (Woodwork)
Digital Technologies

Dates for your planning:
Term 4, 2021:

• Year 12 Graduation Thursday 18 November
• Year 11 Retreat Sunday 21 - Wednesday 24 November
• Year 10 Exam Block Monday 22 - Friday 26 November
• Friday 26 November - final day 2021

Term 1, 2022

• Year 7 and 12 Students return to school Monday 24 January
• All remaining Year Levels return to school (8-11) Tuesday 25 January
• Australia Day Public Holiday Wednesday 26 January

2022 Student Leadership Team

After a rigorous process by our Year 11 candidates of:

- Leadership Formation Day
- Leadership Applications
- Interviews
- Speeches

I am very pleased to announce that our 2022 Student Leadership Team is as follows:

College Captains

Rachael Scrimgeour	Amy Haddon

House Captains

Will Carland	Lochlan Dew	Darcy Webber	Anesua Chawahwah
Benjamin House	Chisholm House	Mackillop House	Rice House

Indigenous and Spiritual Leaders

Darcy Webber	Sophie Greenhalgh
Indigenous Leader	Spiritual Leader

We look forward to these students leading our College Community with the enthusiasm and passion that each of them has demonstrated when applying for their roles.

Compassion

Our theme this year is the Gospel value of Compassion; so what is compassion? Dictionary - “Compassion is when you relate to someone's situation, and you want to help them.”  

To me compassion is understanding a person’s circumstances and helping them get to where they want to be; not where I think they should be. So, when we speak of compassion is it our words or our actions that make us good Catholics? 
Is it more important to say the right words, or is it more important to do the right thing for those who need it?
When you see someone with power lording it over another do you sit back and allow it or do you stand up. To me that is compassion, you are understanding that person has no power to protect themselves so you intervene.
In 1987 AIDS was as fear-inducing and alarming as Covid is now and the public was unsure how dangerous it was and how it could be transmitted. When Princess Diana visited a hospital in London, she was photographed shaking the hand of a patient suffering from AIDS without gloves. 
That single moment of compassion changed the dialogue around AIDS, challenged the false belief that the disease could be transmitted by touch and showed Diana’s unwavering kindness for others.
It is easy to give spare money and food to those less fortunate but to give of yourself, your reputation and possible danger to your position to defend another is a true act of compassion.
After the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan, a group of 200 Japanese pensioners volunteered to face the dangers of radiation instead of the young. The cancer they could develop from the radiation could take 20–30 years to develop, meaning they would no longer be alive to experience it.
When we visited Los Angeles for World Youth Day I spoke with several homeless people and some were homeless because they wanted to be. Sure, they would rather know where their next meal came from and that they were safe but they didn’t want the worries of the World that came with having their own home and responsibilities.
Finding work for that person and a house and so on might make us feel good but does it help them? By doing what we think the person needs we are looking after ourselves and our own ego rather than what is best for them.
Jesus didn’t demand that others follow him, he asked. If they weren’t ready or they said no he didn’t deride them and demean them, he was compassionate and allowed them the choice. 
I believe we are all given gifts by God and it is up to us do decide whether we use them or not. To be compassionate is to set out reasons why they should use God’s gifts and how they could benefit themselves and others but then allow that person the right to choose their direction.
I will give advice but I will not tell someone what they have to do because there may be reasons why they don’t, such as fear (of embarrassment, failure, etc.) love (for someone or something) or that they are just not ready.
A girl who attended our school a number of years ago told her teachers she was going to drive trucks at the mines. She was told she was too smart and needed to go to university; in other words, those with power tried to tell her what was best for her from their point of view (and possibly their own experiences because that’s what they knew).
She held firm and got a job driving trucks on a four on/four off roster and studied in her spare time. After four years she had finished the course she wanted to do and had enough money to travel overseas for a year without having to work.
When she came home, having fulfilled her wanderlust, she started work in the field she was most interested in – social work.  She loves what she does and it’s helping others that makes her happy. 
Research shows that when we feel compassion our heart rate slows down and we secrete the “bonding hormone” oxytocin. 
One of the greatest examples in the history of the World of shared compassion was the first Christmas of World War I when soldiers from France, Germany and England put aside their differences in no man’s land. 
The temporary ceasefires allowed the homesick troops to trade prisoners, collect dead or wounded comrades, swap cigarettes and food and even sing carols and play football together. It was a moment of compassion from all sides during one of the most violent events in human history.

Students are starting Uni NOW!!!

The following students are enrolled in the Central Qld University Start Uni Now (SUN Program) and will commence their studies in November and finish in February.

These students have decided that they’d like to “get a taste” of a university now and have selected units that suit their current interests.  Best of luck to you all as you take a leap into higher education.

Abigail Constantinou - Human Body Systems
Lisa Hennessey - Accounting, Learning and Online Communication
Tom Clancy - Foundations of Psychological Research
Rachael Scrimgeour - Human Body Systems

For more information about this program click on

2022 Course brochure will follow early next year.

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. 

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.