Dear Parents and Carers,

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” Jack Kinder

This week I have spent a lot of time reflecting on how we build a ‘high expectation’ culture at Good Shepherd and what we need to do to strive for improved student achievement. I have been attending a conference with other Principals from the Townsville Diocese. This year at GSCC, we have a full school improvement agenda which you can see here. We can zoom in on three key drivers of change which we hope to implement:

1. We are implementing a Teaching and Learning Cycle that helps teachers know their learners, promotes high impact teaching strategies, focuses on using data and reflecting on practice to improve student results. 
2. We are delivering a Positive Behaviour for Learning Framework to ensure we build an orderly environment, so teachers can teach and students can learn;
3. We are building an Inclusive Catholic community so that every student can learn in every class, every day.

A ‘high expectation’ culture can also be nurtured in the home and here are some my tips for Parents and Carers about what you can do to support our improvement agenda:

• Talk to your child about what they are learning. Frame your questions so that they can’t just answer in one word. For example, “In History, I see you are learning about the Industrial Revolution, what has surprised you about what you’ve learnt?;
• Download a copy of your child’s Assessment Calendar from our website and discuss this with your child. Put a copy on the fridge so everyone can support them on busy assessment weeks.
• Provide your child with a quiet, well-lit place to study. Insist on homework and study time as a phone-free zone.
• Encourage your child to attend our staffed Homework Program on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3.00 pm - 4.00 pm.
• Encourage your child to always put time into their drafts, as this is where they will gain the most teacher feedback.

If you have any concerns about how your child is coping with their studies, please do not hesitate to contact the subject teacher or Curriculum Middle Leader. Alternatively if they are struggling to cope with any emotional or social issues, please seek out their Homeroom Teacher or Pastoral Middle Leader as soon as possible.

Enhancing Catholic Identity in Schools’ Project

This week you have received an email from our Assistant to the Principal - Religious Education about completing a survey to measure our Catholic Identity. We are asking a Parent member from every one of our families to complete the survey. Yes it is a long and sometimes tricky survey, but it matters very much to our future planning. This is a tangible way you can support our school, so please find a time in the next two weeks to fill it in. We have some fantastic prizes on offer too, including $50 gift cards and a family voucher for $200 at Buffs. If you missed this email, please contact the College.

Absence from school

We understand that some absence from school cannot be helped especially if students are unwell. However, taking time off from school to attend festivals, weddings or other social events does prove problematic. While these decisions rest with families, missing one day of school is hard to catch up on - particularly in Year 11 and 12 - let alone missing a week of school.

As a Mount Isa College, we also recognise that travel is part of our students’ lives. At times, we have to travel to access medical appointments or family functions. While we will try to accommodate absence, it is not possible for students to simply catch up on a week’s worth of lessons. Students miss out on the discussions, collaboration and group activities in the lessons, and catching up is difficult in practical subjects.  Absence due to social events will not result in extensions.

It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on missed class work, not the teacher’s responsibility.  Teachers are responsible for keeping Google Classrooms updated with any information and resources that would help students who are absent.

Absence in the peak assessment times of a term, or in exam block, is even more challenging. Again, we will try to be flexible with legitimate absence but sometimes it’s just not possible.  In Year 11 and 12, the decision on whether or not students have an opportunity to submit an assignment or sit an exam at a later date rests with QCAA.

If parents are concerned or have any questions, please use the communication links provided below:

Road Safety / School Arrival and Departure

As you would all be aware, the roads around GSCC are very busy before 8:30am, and particularly at 3:00pm. We ask that our families use caution when dropping off and picking up students each day.

Parking rules apply around schools, especially around school entrances. The following information has been adapted from the School Zone Parking and Pick Up section of the Queensland Government website:

In the school zones around GSCC there are several expectations of motorists:

• All roads surrounding the College are 40km from 7:30am - 9am, and 2:00pm - 4:00pm please ensure you adhere to these limits and take note of the signage. 
• Parking restrictions - half of the car parks at the front of the College (Mary Street) have a 2 hour parking limit. Students should be mindful of this when parking in the morning.
• There is a pick-up and drop-off area where parking is not allowed—but where you can collect your children in a fast and safe way. These are located on both Camooweal Street and Mary Street. Please take note of the signage when using these areas.
• Yellow edge lines (stopping and parking is prohibited). Please note that the areas near the pedestrian crossing on Mary and Camooweal Street are covered by these yellow edge lines. Please do not park here when dropping off or picking up your child as it impedes the view of the pedestrian crossing for oncoming traffic.

There can often be queues at drop-off and pick-up areas outside schools.

When using a drop-off and pick-up area you:

• must use the area like a quick moving taxi rank
• need to move forward in the queue of vehicles to the signed area
• can get out of your vehicle to quickly help your children get in and out safely (once in the signed area)—however you must not walk away from your vehicle
• are only allowed 2 minutes in the signed area (if you take any longer you can be fined)—if your children are not ready to get straight into your vehicle at pick-up time, you will need to drive round the block and queue to enter the area again
• should only let your children out once you have pulled into the signed area (it is dangerous to let them out while waiting in a queue)
• should teach your children to look out for your vehicle and to get in quickly when you pull up
• must enter front in (never reverse).
• DO NOT park or stop on the yellow line or zebra crossing. These lines are here to ensure students and cars have a safe line of sight for those crossing the road.

Mary Street 

Camooweal Street

Before and After School Supervision

A reminder that supervision at school does not commence until 8:10am and concludes at 3:20pm. Please ensure that you adhere to these times when arranging drop off and pick up each day.

After school, if there are students still waiting to be collected after 3:20pm at the Camooweal and Simpson Street gates, they will be directed to the Mary Street entrance to wait for their parents/carers. The Camooweal and Simpson Street gates will be locked from 3:20pm.

If you need to contact your child after school, the office is open until 4pm (4749 9400).

Year 11 & 12 Exam Block

Exam block schedules were published last week, please ensure you read the communication about exam block carefully.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

Week 5 Focus:  Specialist Classrooms

This week our College community will continue to focus on PB4L in Specialist Classrooms.  Our junior students (Years 7 – 9) will complete the PB4L lessons this week to address the expected behaviours in the woodwork and metal work workshops, hospitality kitchen, art room, drama room, food and fibre technology classroom and science laboratories.

2022 Student Representative Council 

Leadership is something fostered in all year levels here at Good Shepherd. Our Student Representative Council (SRC) plays a very important role in the College and is a great opportunity for students in all year levels to be involved in all aspects of College life. Our SRC has two representatives from each year level who have been elected by peers and will work with our Student Leadership team to implement initiatives for the betterment of our student body and College community as a whole.

 It is great pleasure that I announce that the following students as our 2022 Student Representative Council:

 Year 7: Josh Sutherton and Amaris Ogunlola
Year 8: Abraham Grant and Hayley Winks
Year 9: Beau Kelly and Zac McClymont
Year 10: Dustin Malouf and Samuel Winks
Year 11: Malachi Munns and Maddison Dolzan

We look forward to their leadership throughout the year.

School TV – Surviving the Final Year

This week our School TV focus is for Year 12 families with the topic of Surviving the Final Year.

The final year of secondary school is a year of hard work and a huge commitment for students. With so much going on it can be hard to find the balance between study and life. It is a time when personalities start to emerge, there are more complex interpersonal relationships and there is the pressure to perform academically. 

With all of this going on, it’s not surprising that some students have an emotional response and it is therefore extremely important for parents to know how to support their children during this time.
Some kids will need more support than others. Keeping the communication lines open with your child, their teachers, mentors and other parents will be crucial. Being aware of your child’s mental and physical wellbeing can play a vital role in their success.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for students and parents to help get through the final year of secondary school.

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 Surviving Final Year edition of SchoolTV

As per my previous communication home, I would like to formally invite you to the Year 11 information night for 2022, where we will cover topics on QCAA and upcoming events for 2022. 

• Date: 14/03/22 - Week 6, Monday
• Time: 5.30pm - 6.30pm
• Venue: Lumen Christi Centre

This evening's main focus will be on senior education and how to interact with the senior schooling systems, we will also cover pastoral information for this year, including the following aspects: 

• Introducing CL, Careers Staff, School Counsellor and SLT
• ATAR vs non ATAR pathways
• QCE eligibility and tracking QCE eligibility
• Subject requirements for applied and general subjects (external exams)
• Senior calendar (key dates)
• Pastoral Care Tips (Study habits, time management, managing social media and time online
• NEW* Elevate Education - Study Skills Partner
• Year 11 Retreat 2022
• Student Leadership Formation Process for 2023

We expect that each family has at least one representative at this information night, as it includes a lot of key information that is going to be very beneficial for you all over your senior schooling journey. 

We are excited to share this journey with you over the next two years. Can you please ask your child to RSVP through the following link, so that we can organise seating arrangements etc. So far only 12 students have responded. 

Google forms for RSVP -

If you have any questions about this night, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Michele Wood through our school emails below: 

Jordan Harries, Yr 11 Pastoral Leader: jharries@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au
Michele Wood, Deputy Principal: mwood1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Hello All,

Wishing you all a lovely week. There has been plenty of cultural action happening this week at GSCC. Last weekend, Lisa Hennessy (Year 11) represented GSCC at the State Honors Ensemble Program (SHEP) in Cairns. This was Lisa’s third time attending SHEP, spending the majority of her weekend rehearsing and preparing a set of pieces at a high standard. On the 18th of March Lisa and Jessica will be attending SHEP in Longreach. This is an amazing accomplishment and a great opportunity for students to expand their creative and musical aspects in a wider community. 

The Arts Department has been working hard behind the scenes in preparation for the up-coming musical auditions. Main cast auditions will be held on Friday 18th of March (Week 6) in the LCC from 3:30pm - 5:00pm. 

In other news, the GSCC Vocal Ensemble will commence rehearsals next Monday (Week 6) from 7:45am - 8:30am in B2. Vocal Ensemble is open to all abilities and showcases the passion and power of the voice. Students in this ensemble will be introduced to various techniques and sing an array of genres. I cannot stress enough the power of music and being able to share a creative social space with peers. If you are interested in your child commencing instrumental music lessons, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

As we head towards the end of Week 5, I hope that we have all been keeping well during these busy times. Mr Miller and I have been busy working behind the scenes in preparation for The School Musical in Term 3 (26^th and 27^th August 2022).

We are delighted to share that the auditions for High School Musical will be commencing on the 18th of March in the LCC from 3:30pm to 5:00pm.

Audition Packs will be handed out later this week.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of this land in which we work, serve & educate on. We pay respect to the elder’s past, present & Emerging.

Year 7 Science

This term, Year 7b students have been completing a science unit on scientific skills, lab safety & exploring Indigenous knowledge through a scientific lens.

Year 7 students welcomed the opportunity to learn about the traditional uses of Australian Native Ingredients. Students were able to explore how First Nation people used Native Ingredients for food, medical & constructional purposes.

The group undertook practices of science safety in the lab as well as the exploration of Indigenous perspectives. By the end of the lesson, students created their own “Native” Spice Mix from Native Pepperberry, Anise Myrtle, Desert Lime, Lemon Myrtle and Salt Bush.

A massive thank you to Billie-Jean, Di Hopkins, Julianne Scrimgeour & Travis Roberts  who came to the lesson and made it an exciting experience for the students.

Last Thursday, 9 students from both Saint Kieran’s and Saint Josephs visited Good Shepherd in preparation of joining our Emerging Leaders program here at the school.

The morning began with Mr Jordan Harries picking up the students from the primary campuses.  A big thank you to Emma Morgan & Laylee Armstrong for accompanying your awesome students on the day.

Students were introduced to our cultural space where Mrs. Frew, Ms Kyle & Mrs Morganson yarned about the myriad of opportunities our school offers through the Emerging Leaders program at GSCC. Students were keen to learn about the process we have with allocating mentors and our homeroom help program.

Afterwards, we joined together for lunch and our year 10, 11 and 12 students shared their experiences with the Emerging Leaders program in 2021. A special shout out to Pantrea Adams, Darci Gillet & Emy Hopkins who were able to share their stories about being an Emerging Leader at Good Shepherd Catholic College.

Students then toured the Native Garden & Artwork of the water tanks. Kysah Clapham, Will Webber, Chellezhae Orcher, Lilly-Rose Battern, Breana Mothe and Tianna Percy did a wonderful job showing the year 6 students around the school.  

It was a lovely morning of building community and school connections. Thank you to Billi-Jean, Mell Jones & Dorothy Frew for all of your organisation and help with building a wonderful Indigenous Education Team while providing a supportive space and program for our current and future students.

Thank you also to Mr Travis Roberts for dropping the students back to school.

Another busy and exciting week for the Sports Department here at GSCC. It has been great to see our students get involved and succeed!

The department would like to congratulate Atelaite Pekipaki on being named in the Adrian Vowles “Dream Team”. A massive achievement for Atelaite as she represents the college and community!

The department would also like to congratulate Sienna Wilson who has been selected in the U14’s QLD Softball Team. Sienna was the only Mount Isa player to make the side and will be competing in the National Championships in the ACT next month. What an achievement!

Congratulations to the following students for making the 13-15yrs Rugby League Mount Isa team. Students will be competing in the North West Trials in Cloncurry later this month.

• Ryder Soper

• Cole Finter

• Riley Eggmolesse

• Sam Pou-Pomare

The Inter-house Volleyball competition was a massive success with Year 12 and 7 students competing for their houses. Was great to see students getting involved and supporting from the sidelines. Here is the schedule for the rest of the competition.

• Thursday Week 5: Juniors combined (Year 8/9)
• Tuesday Week 6: Seniors combined (Year 10/11)
• Thursday Week 6: Finals (Year 12’s and 7’s)

Any 10-12 yrs (boys) Hockey players who currently play in competition and are available to attend (if selected) the State Championships held in Ipswich (June) please contact Mr Young. 

Hello all,

I hope you have had a great start to your year in HPE. 

I want to share with you all the upcoming dates for assessment in HPE this term. Many students will already have this in their own calendars/diaries, however, this can be very helpful for you as a parent to track progress and an additional set of eyes on upcoming dates. 

Please see the set dates for Junior HPE below: 

Please note - The draft assessment should all be due in for all year levels by the end of this week at the very latest. 

Please also see the dates for our Senior school below: 

If for any reason your child is unable to meet these due dates please do not hesitate to contact either their classroom teacher or myself to try to organise an alternative option. 

Once again, if you have any questions or concerns with any upcoming dates please either send me an email, or call through the front office. 

Role Model Rebels

I loved Muhammad Ali and unashamedly cried when he died. Not only did I admire his skill as a boxer but also his courage to stand behind his convictions and put them in front of his career. 

Ali was prepared to, and did, lose his Heavyweight title and receive a ban from boxing for his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. There is great footage of him debating with university students in America about his stance.

Many in authority at the time thought Ali a rebel but he has nothing on the greatest rebel of all time, a bloke by the name of Jesus Christ.

This bloke was about 30 years of age when he began to preach and those in authority did not like him and eventually took his life because he would not stop what he was doing. He hung out with the little people and included and was tolerant of them.

He upset the leaders of the time by violating Jewish scruples about the law, but it was his popularity with the little people that prompted the powerful to despise him more and more. They were angered because he upset their traditions, traditions that made them powerful.

Jealousy is a powerful emotion, and you will strike it throughout your life. Your values and beliefs will be tested, especially by those in authority who want you to toe a line that leaves them on top with their power.

Jesus paid the ultimate price for having the courage to stand up to the leaders of his time and in doing so changed the World; whether you believe in God or not his time on earth changed the World.

So, if Christ challenged the leaders of the World then, should you now? That depends on a couple of things both from your side and their side.

Power is intoxicating and the reward circuitry in our brain creates an addictive high in much the same way as drug addiction. Like most addicts’ people in positions of power will seek to maintain their power to keep that high; no matter the consequences.

So when you come up against people who hold power over you it is up to you whether you challenge them or not. By challenging, hopefully you will not be nailed to a cross like Jesus but you may be demoted, dismissed, ridiculed, punished or denied permission to do something you believe in.

When the Super League war erupted in Rugby League Gorden Tallis was playing for St George who had aligned with the Australian Rugby League. He had however signed a contract to play for the Brisbane Broncos in Super League, a competition he believed in and wanted to be part of. 

Tallis offered to buy out his contract with St George so he could play with the Broncos but they refused and subsequent legal action saw the contract stand. Every other player in the same position returned to their original club but not Tallis as he believed he had made a deal and his principles would not let him renege on it.

After sitting out a year and missing the one thing he truly loved doing Tallis returned to the field the following year and helped his team win a Premiership. 

The two competitions came back together after one year and when Tallis played at St George for the first time since leaving he was pelted with garbage and insults and loudly booed every time he touched the ball. He scored the winning try that day and went onto play for Australia in a long and successful career. 

There are times in our lives when we will face people more powerful than us and they will make decisions that we think are wrong and in their own best interest rather than for those who need help.

I constantly bang on about setting the values to live your life by because powerful people will try and make you stray and bend to their will.  Jesus paid for standing up for what he thought was right against authority with his life, Muhammad Ali lost three and a half years of his boxing career and Gorden Tallis one year.

They gained so much more though.

Year 11 student completes University subject

Year 11 student, Lisa Hennessey, commenced a unit of study with Central Qld University’s Start Uni Now (SUN) program over the Christmas period.  

Lisa has recently received confirmation that she passed the subject Accounting, Learning and Online Communication - well done!

Lisa wanted to try Accounting as it was one of the career options she was considering.  After completing the course she decided this pathway wasn’t for her but may try another subject at the end of this year to see if that is of more interest.

If students are keen to learn more about the SUN program go to START UNI NOW or come and speak to me in the Careers Office.   The first SUN course is FREE and attracts Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) credits.