This week we marked the beginning of Lent with Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Following the ‘Ordinary Weeks’ of the Church Calendar, the forty days of Lent begin. During this time, we are called as Christians to prepare for Easter by making a serious effort to be a better follower of Jesus and by making, with God’s help, a particular change in our life. We do this by exercising stronger self-discipline, and by supporting those in need by donating to Project Compassion. This Term, classes are busy organising activities in their Homerooms to support Caritas with fundraising or activities of kindness towards others.

Also this Term, all students will be participating in the Enhancing Catholic Identity project by completing a survey which examines how well we are promoting Catholic Identity in all areas of our College. All Parents and Staff will also be asked to fill in a survey and some generous incentive prizes will be offered to encourage as many participants as possible. The data we collect from the surveys will be used in our Religious Education planning over the next four years. Please keep an eye out on your emails for the survey links.

Covid

Each day we continue to have cases of Covid amongst our staff, student and family communities. Masks are mandatory at school until this Friday, but students can continue to wear them if they wish to. If your son or daughter tests positive or becomes a close contact, please continue to call the office. We expect to be living with Covid cases for a very long time to come, so please keep your child at home if they are unwell and if they are due for a booster, please consider that they get their booster vaccination.

Parents and Friends’ Association

We are inviting all Parents and Friends to join us for our first ‘face-to-face’ P&F meeting next Tuesday in the Library. If you are a new Parent and want to get to know others, please come along. It is a friendly and enjoyable parent engagement opportunity and we would love to share some of the great activities planned for the year. Meetings are held at 6.00pm in the Library. Thank you to the following Parents who have taken on Executive positions for 2022:

President - Mrs Tarrene Frost
Vice- President - Mrs Leonie Winks
Secretary/Treasurer - Mrs Barb Baker

College Board

This weekend, the College Board will gather with the Board Members of  St Kieran’s Primary School, St Joseph’s Mount Isa and St Joseph’s Cloncurry for the annual Board Formation Day. The topic for the workshop is Our Church, Our Future full of Hope. Here are the people in our school community who make up our College Board:

Board Chair - Ms Kim Higgs
Parish Priests - Fr Mick Lowcock, Fr Emene Kelemete, Fr Vitalis Oguh
Principal - Mrs Kathleen McCarthy
Leadership Team Representative - Mrs Pelly Morganson
Parent Representative - Mr Will Webber
Community Representative - Mrs Karen Pye
Staff Representative - Mrs Emily Watson

Have a blessed week.

Kathleen McCarthy

Principal

Senior Exam Block

Year 11 and 12 exam block is scheduled for Week 7 of this term. 

Please note that there has been a slight change to the dates communicated with the assessment calendar email sent out earlier this term.  Both Year’s exam blocks will take place at the beginning of Week 7 now.  Exam block timetables have been emailed to parents and students, and assessment calendars have been updated to reflect this change.

Year 11 Assessment Calendar

Year 12 Assessment Calendar

See below for a few reminders regarding the privilege of Exam block:

•   Students must sign in and out at the College Office when arriving and leaving.
•   Students should be studying at home, studying quietly in the designated room or completing an exam during exam block. Exam block is not free time.
•   It is expected that students wear their full formal uniform when completing exams. Students may be sent home to get the correct uniform before sitting an examination.
•   Normal College rules apply in regards to mobile phones, and students are not to bring take away food, coffee or energy drinks into the school grounds during exam block.
•   Students must arrive at the designated exam room 15 minutes before its scheduled start time.
•   Should a student be absent from an exam, contact must be made with the College Office and a medical certificate must be provided in accordance with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines.

We understand that this time can also bring some stress and anxiety to some students. While assessment is an important and necessary part of the learning process, we also want to ensure that our students have positive mental health. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child's Pastoral Coordinator to discuss any concerns you may have - there is always something we can do to help support them in their learning journey. 

Attendance Matters

As Term 1 reaches the halfway point, it is important that students are coming to school on time, everyday, prepared to learn! We understand that there will be times when students need to stay at home because they are unwell; however, it is important that they make an effort to catch up on any work missed.

If your family is planning a holiday, it is important that this takes place in the allocated school holidays times.If students are absent because they are unwell with Covid-19, please keep in contact with us so that we can ensure they remain on track, or receive the appropriate extension where required. If students are isolating due to being a close contact, it is recommended that they keep up to date with their school work while at home. 

If students are absent on an assessment due date/scheduled exam, please note the following from the GSCC ASsessment Policy

Absences 

The College understands that expected and unexpected absences may occasionally result in a student not being able to  submit an assessment item on the due date. When students know in advance that they will be absent on the due date, the  assessment must be submitted prior to the due date or the student must apply for an extension of time. For an unanticipated  absence, students are encouraged to make every effort to submit their final assessment item to the teacher either in hard  copy or electronically preferably on the due date, or immediately upon their return to the College. 

If a student in Junior is absent due to illness on the due date / exam date the assessment will be recorded as a late submission  and students will be required to complete that assessment item / exam upon their arrival at school. A medical certificate should be attached to the assignment for all Year 11 and Year 12 students. If a medical certificate is not produced for  students in Years 11 – 12, the draft / work completed up to the due date will be marked as their final submission. 

If a student is absent from a Senior Exam Block exam, the student will complete an alternate paper in the next available  session and a medical certificate provided upon their return. If a medical certificate is not provided the student may not  be allocated a result for that internal assessment piece, resulting in no credit for the piece / unit studied.  

PLEASE NOTE: In the case of a positive COVID-19 case or close contact, receipt of a positive Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) lodged through the Queensland Government or record of a positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests are appropriate forms of evidence.

Appropriate Use of Technology - short term loan equipment

The College does have a small number of laptops that students can hire if they are awaiting computer repairs.These will only be loaned to students on a short term basis, once all appropriate paperwork has been completed. Short term loan paperwork is available from the College Library.

Please note that the College does not have a supply of laptop chargers available for hire. Students should be coming to school each day with a fully charged laptop. If they find that the charge doesn’t last a full day, there are charging stations in the library that can be accessed during both breaks. Students should not be charging their laptops in class, as the cords create a workplace health and safety hazard.

If you have any questions regarding this, please contact their Pastoral Leader.

Term 1 Year 11 & 12 Exam Block 

Year 11 Exam Block - Monday 21 March - Thursday 24 March

Year 12 Exam Block - Monday 21 March - Wednesday 23 March

Please see below the Exam Block information for Term 1. You will note that the dates are now from the beginning of Week 7 (21/3), not the middle of the week as originally entered on the Term 1 Assessment Calendar. These have been updated to reflect the change.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

Week 4 Focus:  Specialist Classrooms

This week our College community will be focused on PB4L in Specialist Classrooms.  Specialist classrooms differ from normal classrooms in that they have a specific practical component to learning which would require additional classroom expectations around safety.  These classrooms include the woodwork and metal work workshops, hospitality kitchen, art room, drama room, food and fibre technology classroom and science laboratories.

Praise Notes

Woohoo to our GSCC Community!  We have hit over 1000 praise notes being issued to students who have been recognised for demonstrating positive behaviour within the College community.  Year 9 students are leading the way with 270 praise notes  within their year level.  Our star teacher who has issued over 143 praise notes is Ms Morey. Well done GSCC!!!

School TV

SchoolTV has partnered with Townsville Catholic Education to deliver ongoing support to parent communities, teachers and school and pastoral support staff. The SchoolTV platform is integral as part of a whole school approach to student wellbeing.  It is now available to our parents and families on our College website and can be accessed through the SchoolTV widget at the top of our Home Page (highlighted in yellow in the picture below).

Each topic or edition addresses key issues using brief interviews with expert specialists, fact sheets, parent quizzes, recommended apps, books and much more. 

SchoolTV streamlines and brings together information from many reputable sources such as REACHOUT and beyondblue, Australian Psychological Society, Nutrition Australia, headspace and esafety Commission.  This provides a very reliable and accessible resource, saving parents time and confusion searching online across multiple sites.

This week I wanted to share with you two resources about students’ transitions back to school. 

A SPECIAL REPORT: Coronavirus - The Transition Back

As lockdown restrictions are slowly being lifted to varying degrees, we enter a time of transition and adjustment. The circumstances of this situation have significantly impacted us all. For some it has been an opportunity to reflect on what is important, whilst others have embraced the opportunity to learn new things.
Many young people may be excited at the prospect of restrictions being lifted; others may feel mixed emotions. Reactions will differ depending on how well they cope with stress and change. Keeping a check on your child’s mental health and wellbeing as they adjust to new routines, will be vitally important.
There is still a lot of uncertainty ahead of us, so focusing on the things you can control or enjoy doing or even value, can help establish predictability and familiarity for the whole family. Adult carers need to provide young people with reassurance by acknowledging any concerns and fears they may have at this time. Consider this to be a normal reaction, however it may be best to focus more on their feelings and emotions, rather than the practicalities at this stage.
In this Special Report, we share a few ideas to help ease this time of transition and adjustment.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

In this edition of SchoolTV - SCHOOL TRANSITIONS

Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents. It means your children are growing up!
However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the School Transitions edition of SchoolTV

Shrove Tuesday/ Pancake Tuesday

Welcome to week 4, the start of March, and the beginning of our Lenten Period. On Tuesday morning, our college student leaders and volunteers showed up at 7:45 am to set up for the pancake breakfast on Tuesday. They cooked and served our college community, embodying the philosophy of servant leadership demonstrated by Christ. A wonderful way to begin the Lent season of charity and sacrifice for the betterment of the community. 

Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of lent. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter, and is a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross by praying, fasting and participating in charity work. Historically, Pancake Tuesday was the last day to use up all your eggs and milk before starting the 40 days of fasting during lent. It is also a day to reflect on and ask forgiveness for your sins. This way we start our Lenten journey of prayer new, and ready to change for the better.

Caritas - Project Compassion

To celebrate the launch of Project Compassion on Ash Wednesday, the year 12 Student Leaders, along with 6 Catholic schools in the Townsville Diocese, attended a live zoom meeting with Dan Skehan, the International Program Director for Project Compassion. The session provided great insight into the work and projects organised by Project Compassion all around the world. Caritas aims to build programs within struggling communities, to not only support the people, but to set communities up to eventually run these ongoing programs independently. With their foundational value being to acknowledge the dignity and value in each person, Caritas empowers communities by providing their members with the tools and skills to support themselves.

“If you give a man a fish, he will be hungry tomorrow. If you teach a man to fish, he will be richer forever.” - Chinese proverb quoted by Dan Skehan.

First Week of Lent
(Week beginning Monday 7th March)

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Anatercia, a 12-year-old girl living in a small village in southern Mozambique. She began to take on more and more adult responsibilities as her mother has chronic health issues. She did most of the household chores and had to travel up to five hours every day to collect clean water. Water scarcity also meant that harvests were poor and there was never enough to eat.

With your support, Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Regional Chokwe, was able to help Anatercia’s family to irrigate their farm to improve their food security. They also improved water access for households in the village, delivered sustainable farming training, and provided Anatercia with essential school supplies. 

Anatercia’s health, education and quality of life have improved, along with the outlook of her whole community for all future generations.

At GSCC, we commit to taking on the initiative to help Caritas Project Compassion fight injustice and poverty in the world. Each homeroom plans activities during the Lenten period to raise funds and awareness which help support people, just like Anatercia, all around the world.

TAFE students start their courses

Last week our TAFE students commenced their Certificate II level courses, which include:

Automotive Electrical
Engineering
Health
Electro technology
Automotive Pre Vocational Preparation
Retail Cosmetics (to commence Week 8)

Completion of these courses will award each student 4 credits toward their Queensland Certificate of Education, not to mention a qualification that could help them obtain work when they finish school.

Congratulations Barling!

Year 12 student, Barling Tokawa, will commence a school based apprenticeship with Clancy Corporation this week and will study a Certificate III in Electro technology.  

How did Barling make this happen?  

He completed a Certificate II Electro technology at TAFE last year and also completed work experience with Clancy Corporation.   The business noted Barling’s excellent work ethic and aptitude for electrical work and offered him an apprenticeship.  Well done!

Where are they now?

Name, graduation year and House 

My name is Simone Stretton, I graduated from Good Shepherd in 2017, and I was in Benjamin (I was actually one of the house captains too).

What did you think you would do when you left school? 

When I left school I wanted to study education, I was anxiously waiting for an offer while working at Bambino's. 

I did follow that pathway! I started my Bachelor of Education - Primary with JCU in Townsville in 2018 and finished up in 2021. Now I've moved back to town and am teaching at St Kieran's. 

What have you learned since leaving school?

There's a few things that I've learned since leaving school that I wish I could have told my 17-year-old-self. The two that I think of first are: 1. Be kind to yourself.  2. Your best doesn't have to be perfect (because perfect doesn't exist).

Favourite tuckshop food

My favourite tuckshop food was always the spinach and cheese rolls because they were delicious and they weren't popular so they were never sold out.

Favourite Teacher

I had a few favourite teachers that stood out over the years, especially Mel Allen, Laura Jackson, Lara Wolff, Anna Telford, John Harrop, Senan Keating, and many more.

Favourite school memory/moment

I don't know if I can decide on a favourite moment, I had such a great cohort that could brighten anyone's day (and create mischief that the rest of us could only laugh at). Sam Kelley definitely had her hands full in our year 12 homeroom.

What do you miss about school?

The one thing I miss about being at school is naivety, the blissful ignorance before growing up.

Best piece of advice for current students

There are so many things I want to tell students but the most important one is that the world isn't on your shoulders. Make time to have fun and take each day as it comes. Life goes too quickly to not appreciate the now.

What do you hope to be doing in 5-10 years?

I don't really know where I'll be in five or ten years, I hope that I'll still be teaching. For the first time in a long time I don't have a roadmap, but that's okay. I'm just going to see where life takes me. 

The Sports department would like to congratulate the following students who represented GSCC and Mount Isa in the Adrian Vowles Rugby League Cup. Students travelled to Charleville over the weekend and competed at a high level.

• Partrick Krause

• Cole Finter

• Brendan Wade

• Ryder Soper 

• Ethan Quinlan

• John Pekipaki

• Atelaite Pekipaki

• Heidi Fenton

We also want to acknowledge Ryder Soper for his efforts in the carnival, as Ryder was chosen as the #13 on the Adrian Vowles Dream Team. A massive achievement and the only Mount Isa player to be selected in the U16 Boys Team. 

The department would also like to congratulate the following students who were selected to trial for the Northern District trials for 13-15 yrs Girls Soccer. The girls will be travelling to Townsville and participating in the trials on Wednesday. 

• Ariarne Newport

• Capree Saunders
  

This Term’s Inter House Volleyball competition begins Monday Week 5. If you missed out on nominations, house captains will be visiting homerooms this Thursday for any last minute nominations. The competition includes Junior houses playing a total of 3 games and Senior houses playing in a single elimination round for the top spot. The competition will finish with a house challenge (more info out soon) as well as a Teachers vs. Student game. Participating students are asked to check notices for game details in Week 5 and 6. 

North West Trials will be held here at GSCC on Thursday (3rd of March) from 3:30-4:30pm. Go to the office immediately if you have not grabbed a permission note. Any students that cannot make the trials for any reason please email Mr Young.

Listed below are sports that students can individually nominate for. Please see Mr Young for nomination forms.

Nomination dates for the following sports, due dates and venues are displayed below

- Unless stated, nomination dates involve both Boys and Girls in different sporting codes.

- Students who nominate will need to travel independently at their own expense to attend the trial 

It has been a busy return to the College for all of our Year 12 students with a number of events, activities and learnings already completed. Last week, a number of our Year 12 students commenced TAFE for this Semester, with another week set aside in Week 8 of this Term and Week 1 of Term 2. There have been some wonderful progress reports provided by the TAFE educators this week which is great to see. As a reminder, students who are completing TAFE must ensure that they still keep up to date with any class or assessment work whilst they are away. 

During Week 1, the Year 12 students were presented with their individual Senior Jerseys for 2022 by their Homeroom Teachers and fellow students. Before students received them, they were asked to reflect upon their earliest memory of their schooling journey, as the jerseys are symbolic of the journey they have made to this point, and the final journey they have in front of them as leaders. Each student was encouraged to be a leader that their younger self would look up to. 

In another celebration of their final year at the College, the students were also provided with the Senior College Badges, in a brilliant liturgy in Week 2, as a symbol of their roles as leaders in our community. Once we are all able to gather safely as a College community, it will be great to see the Year 12 cohort complete the annual pledge of their commitment to their roles as leaders. 

Last week, our Assistant Principal Curriculum, Michele Wood and our Careers Officer, Fiona Coghlan spoke with our ATAR students about some helpful reminders to assist with their final transitional year. Students were reminded about a number of avenues that they can pursue tertiary studies and the successful study and planning skills that they can implement now, and well into the future. If students are struggling with any academic stresses, they are encouraged to speak with Mrs Wood, Mrs Coghlan, myself or their classroom teacher as we are all only too happy to help. 

Graduation Events

Thank you for your patience as I confirmed the dates pertaining to our Year 12 Graduation events and activities for this year. I can now confirm the following:

1. Year 12 Farewell Assembly - Friday the 21st of October, Week 3. Starting at 2pm in the LCC. 
2. Year 12 Graduation Mass - Wednesday the 16th of November, Week 7. Starting at 6:30pm at the Good Shepherd Parish.
3. Year 12 Graduation Dinner - Saturday the 19th November, Week 7. Arrivals from 5:30pm at the Mount Isa Civic Centre. This will be a non-alcohol event. 

Further information regarding all graduation week events, end of year exams and awards nights, will be distributed to you and the students in the coming weeks. For now, please kindly take note of the relevant dates above, as we rely on your support to ensure a successful and memorable end to the year for the Year 12 students. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.