“Jesus was clearly the ‘great includer’! Inclusion was a defining feature of his ministry and ultimately brought him into the conflict that led to his death. Women, children, lepers, those from other communities - all experienced an inclusion that led them to new life. As followers of Jesus, our authenticity must surely be defined by those we dare to include.” (Tinsey, W. 2014)

In our year of Community, we are putting the spotlight on the many ways we are promoting inclusion within our school. Already in Term 1, we have celebrated International Womens’ Day, Harmony Day, National Close the Gap Day and this week International Down Syndrome Day.

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 make it illegal for anyone to discriminate on the basis of disability and teachers take this matter very seriously. The legislation requires teachers to provide access to the Australian Curriculum to every child, on the same basis as their peers through rigorous and meaningful programs.

If you have any questions about difficulties your child is having at school, please speak to their subject teacher or the Curriculum Leader. Mrs Laura Jackson is our Inclusive Education Middle Leader and she may also be able to provide guidance.

Leuven Survey

Time is running out to finish the Leuven Survey sent to Parents recently. We have two great prizes up for offer, so anyone who sends in their survey confirmation, can go into the draw ($50 voucher at Coles and a $200 Buff’s voucher). See your email from our Acting APRE Mel Puxty,  for further information.

Time to Shine

Our Year 6 Time to Shine Program is back bigger than ever. If you have a son or daughter in any of the primary schools in Mount Isa, please consider enrolling them in this fantastic STEAM program. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). Application forms are available from the College office.

Covid-19

Please be aware that we are still receiving confirmation of positive cases of Covid-19 in our school community. Please keep your child home if they are unwell and let us know if they become a Close Contact or test positive.

NAPLAN Practice Tests

On Monday, 28 March, and Tuesday, 29 March, Year 7 and 9 students will partake in two ‘practice tests’. These tests will not record students' names nor their results, and is solely to familiarise students with the software. This is a great way to not only test the school’s domain and compatibility with student’s devices, but will minimise the uncertainty or stress for students in May when they sit the actual NAPLAN tests.

Year 7 and 9 students will complete the NAPLAN Practice Tests in Lesson 2 of both days, and the Mathematics and English teachers will administer and guide students in the practice sessions. 

Students should have fully charged devices and wired headphones to access these tests.

For more information about NAPLAN, including fact sheets, FAQs and examples of NAPLAN questions, please visit the below website.

Term 1 Report Cards

Next Thursday, students and families will gain access to the Term 1 interim report card. 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 document below 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.

End of Term Arrangements

As always, we will end Term 1 with a BBQ and Easter Liturgy next Thursday. Families are invited to join us for the BBQ and Liturgy, details are below.

The schedule for the day will be as follows:

8:30am - 8:50am: Homeroom
8:50am - 9:25am: Timetabled Lesson 1
9:25am - 10am: Timetabled Lesson 2
10am - 10:35am: First Break
10:35am - 10:40am: movement
10:40am - 11:15am - Lesson 3 (PB4L)
11:15am - 11:45am: Homeroom (Clean Up)
11:45am - 12:30pm: BBQ lunch outside Hospitality
12:30pm - 1:15pm - stations of the cross and dismissal

Friday 1st April - Pupil Free Day

Term 2

Term 2 will resume after Easter Monday on Tuesday 19 April.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

Week 7 Focus:  All Locations

This week our College community will continue to focus on PB4L in all locations and the behaviours that are required overall.  Week 7 is also an opportunity for some year levels to revisit any of PB4L lessons that have been incomplete this term.

Year 7 Retreat Postponed

Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to postpone the Year 7 Retreat to Term 2.  I want to thank Mrs Thinee for all the preparation and behind the scenes work that has gone into organising the retreat and look forward to joining her, the Year 7 Homeroom Team and the Year 7 students early next term to do some spirituality formation and team building activities to encourage a more cohesive cohort.

School TV – Exam Jitters

Every year, more and more emphasis is placed on achieving good results in exams causing many students to feel extraordinary pressure and having unrealistic expectations. This month on SchoolTV, parents will find advice on how to help students cope with the pressure and how students can work smarter to achieve the results they desire.

Exams are like a game. Once you know how to play the game, your chances of achieving great results rapidly increase. Parents can learn how to assist their kids to maintain perspective and keep their sanity intact during exam time.
Diet, exercise and sleep all play an important part in helping a student balance a busy schedule and study smarter. Keeping stress levels to a minimum and reducing anxiety can be easily achieved through careful planning and having a supportive environment.

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 Exam Jitters edition of SchoolTV

Junior Drama

Year 7’s enjoyed their Improvisation assessment. This assessment not only helps them build up their self-confidence but also their acting and stage performance skills. 

Year 8’s completed their Monologues. They read the play “Hating Alison Ashley" by Robin Klein and then they chose one of the characters to portray on stage. They all did very well!

Year 9’s did College Drama this term. They read “Juice” by Stephen Davis and for their assessment, they will perform as a group to portray the various issues of today’s teenagers.

Year 10’s are writing an Analytical Essay about a Gothic play entitled “Ithaca Road” by Robert Kronk.

Instrumental Music GSCC 2022

The Subtle Bully

Most people think of a bully as a person who is physically bigger than the person they are bullying. However, there are two types of bullies, one uses physical strength to get people to do what they want and the other uses words and mental manipulation.

The first of the manipulators was a lady named Eve who convinced her husband Adam to eat forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and God banished both from the Garden for breaking the rule.

Eve could have simply eaten the fruit herself but she enticed Adam to join her. Since then people have been getting others to do things with them, or for them, by using their mind. 

You decide you don’t want to do something because you know it is wrong, or simply don’t want to but then they call you a wuss or another belittling name. So, eager to show you are not a wuss you accept their challenge and do what they want.

By doing so you think you have shown yourself courageous but in fact you have shown your weakness by allowing the other person to manipulate you into doing what they want. They do this for a variety of reasons.

One is they’re too scared to get into trouble by themselves so they look to drag someone weaker than them in. By going along with them you are showing weakness not strength. 

Unfortunately, when we are teenagers we are still finding out how to be comfortable with who we are and where we fit in. We care what other people our age think of us and don’t want to be seen as different. 

Many teenagers don’t want to stand out from the crowd because people might see their imperfections and flaws. As you get older and more comfortable with who you are you accept them and don’t care about the opinion of those people whose opinions don’t matter.

In relationships the bully will use words and phrases like “if you love me you will do it.” So, to prove our love we do what they are asking even if we don’t want to or are uncomfortable. Instead we should be turning that question around and telling them “if you love me you would not ask me to do it.”

When we give in and do what someone else is egging us on to do we have to take whatever consequences that come our way, even if we didn’t mean to hurt anyone or anything. People will try and defend themselves by saying “they made me do it.”

It takes courage to say no and even more courage to stand up to those you see as popular or stronger than you. Saying yes when you want to say no means you are valuing the other persons opinion or thoughts more than your own.

By saying no, you show strength and the more you say it the easier it becomes to stand up to bullies. What you are doing is setting the boundaries of your relationship and this leads to respect from others for having the courage to say no. 

A former student at this school Ben Wright was teased and bullied because he was a dancer, Irish dancer to be exact. Ben was bullied because of who he was and what he did but he found the strength to stay the course and is now one of the most successful and sought-after hairdressers in Brisbane.

He has won awards and rubs shoulders with celebrities from all walks of life. He still dances for fun after returning to Mount Isa to perform in the professional Irish dance production A Taste of Ireland.

He didn’t let what others say influence him and was strong enough to say no to them. Sometimes the effort to do so took him to the edge and he needed all of his strength. You can see part of his inspiring story at this address (which will take you to the full one if you want to listen to it).

I have known Ben Wright since he went to this school and admired him greatly then for his talent for dancing. I admire him now even more after discovering the courage he showed in standing up to bullies. 

He has grown into a wonderful young man with the strength he found during those dark days standing him in good stead. Of course while many boys made fun of him because he danced he was always surrounded by girls who admired not only his talent but who he was as a person. 

If people don’t want to be your friend because you say no to them then maybe instead of saying yes you need to find new friends.

As Term 1 is coming to an end, the Sports Department would like to acknowledge all that were involved in the Representative Sport throughout the term. This was a busy term full of opportunities and it was great to see GSCC students participate at a high level. The department would like to acknowledge the following students for making the following teams.

Denan Duncan - Mount Isa Representative - 10-12 yrs Rugby League 
Charlotte Byrnes - Mount Isa Representative - 10-12yrs Netball
Griffynn Roberts - Mount Isa Representative - 10-12yrs Netball
Hannah Cama - North West Representative - 13-15yrs Netball
Aaliyah Poihipi - North West Representative - 13-15yrs Netball
Amy Wishart - North West Representative - 13-15yrs Netball
Capree Saunders - North West Representative - 13-15yrs Netball
Ruby Rixon - North West Representative - 13-15yrs Netball

City vs. Country Rugby League commenced last Friday with many of our students participating in all games. Schedule is as follows;

• 25th March
• 22nd April
• 6th May
• 27th May
• 3rd June

Lastly, our Inter House Volleyball Competition concluded last week. Thank you to all the students who participated and volunteered their time to referee, scorekeep and manage house teams. Congratulations to MacKillop house for taking out the competition, while they did not take out 1st in any of the divisions, the consistency and points gave them the overall win. Congratulations to Darcy Webber (house captain) and MacKillop!

National Close the Gap Day  

Close the Gap Day is held in recognition of the Government campaign to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite the quality of life for most Australians, there are significant gaps in areas such as life expectancy (at least 10 years shorter), infant mortality, and rates of preventable disease such as diabetes and heart disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Antar, 2022). 

This year for National Close the Gap Day, GSCC staff and students acknowledged the day by participating in some activities and enjoying a healthy morning tea. There was a quiz for students to enter by answering questions about Close the Gap statistics, Chatterboxes to make and a pledge to sign (supporting the Close the Gap cause). Engagement with this cause was great to see and we would like to give a big thank you to some of our Emerging Leaders students for helping us to set up and run the event. 

The Indigenous Education team would also like to give a huge shout out and congratulations to one of our deadly Emerging Leader students, Sienna Wilson. She has been selected to represent Queensland in the State Softball team, a massive achievement! 

Image: ABC North West Qld, 2022