As we start a new Term it is a wonderful opportunity for students to set goals and consider what’s next on their journey. If students haven’t accessed their Term 3 Report Card I would encourage them to do so this week. From here, set goals for the Term and be sure to check in with teachers regularly for feedback and support.

As I mentioned in the beginning of term memo, there have been a number of staffing changes over the break. We welcome Crystal Parks into our Office Administration team, she will be working in reception so be sure to say hi the next time you’re in the Office. We welcome our APRE Jacqueline Warren back from Maternity Leave this Term. Mrs Warren only joins us for a short time before moving to the Sunshine Coast at the end of the year, but we are very glad to spend one final term with her.  Thank you to Melissa Puxty who has done such a wonderful job of keeping our Catholic Identity alive and flourishing over these past months. We also look forward to Mrs Fiona Coghlan coming back into the office this Term, our students are blessed to have such a dedicated Careers team looking after them. We welcome Mr Trent Wilkinson into our Leadership team this Term. Trent will be the Assistant Principal Administration while I am College Principal for the Term. Mr Willard Gono will be fulfilling the duties of Maths Curriculum Leader in Trent’s place. We wish Mrs Kathleen McCarthy and Mr Nigel Mitchell all the best as they take leave to spend well deserved time with family in Term 4. We look forward to them both returning in Term 1 next year. 

Over the holidays, I received communication from the Department of Transport and Main Roads. They asked for the following information to be circulated to families:

In a world-first road safety initiative, new speed camera technology will soon target speeding drivers at selected school zones across Queensland. Everyone has a role in keeping our roads safe. It is imperative drivers reduce their speed to the signed 40 km/h speed limit and be aware of activity by students on or near the road. Speed cameras will only operate during school zone times at the selected schools. Parents, and carers dropping off or picking up students are urged to comply with school zone speed limits. Those who slow down will not be penalised.

I do not have any additional information about this initiative at this stage (nor do I know if our school zones are included in the initial roll out), but will communicate anything relevant to families throughout the term.

This term we will celebrate the many achievements of our students, this begins with our Sports Awards Night on Thursday. Congratulations to all students who have participated in school sport this year, and to all who have been nominated. Thank you to Mr Young (Sports Middle Leader), our PE staff and all the coaches, managers and volunteers who have given our students countless opportunities to participate in school sport this year.

Have a wonderful week.

Mrs Amy Webb

Welcome to Term 4!  Term 4 is always my favourite term.  May this be a successful and happy Term for you too!

Updated Assessment Policy

Please take a moment to familiarise yourselves with the Assessment Policy and Guidelines.  We are implementing the new Policy from Term 4 this year.

Changes are minor only and our policy is now more aligned with QCAA expectations.  

Most importantly, please continue to make use of of the guidelines for student absences which impact assessment:

Awards Night

Our Awards Night recognises various achievements of students throughout the year. For academic achievements, students are eligible for a number of awards in various categories based on their results from the entire year.  The cumulative results from Term 1, 2 and 3 can be found on the Term 3 report.  Students will be notified early in Term 4 of their awards.

Special awards are nominated and voted on by College staff.

Top Year 12 General Subject Achievers will be acknowledged next year after the final results become available in December.  

This is a fantastic night that showcases the many talents of our students - we always look forward to celebrating this with the College.

Sports Awards Night

Sports Awards night is this Thursday 6th at a 6:45pm start where we celebrate the fantastic sporting achievements of our students at Good Shepherd Catholic College. Reward recipients need to be in full school uniform and we aim to finish the night by 9pm.

Year 12’s Final Term

Year 12 are in their final Term and it’s a short one! QCE students not sitting external exams will have their final lessons in Week 3, with their Farewell Assembly, on Friday 21st October, but they will be back in Week 7 for various final schooling week events planned by Mr Roberts. ATAR students exams start Week 4 and we wish them all the best on their upcoming exams.

Students will be sitting their mock workplace interviews next Wednesday 12th in F Block, organised by Mrs Coghlan. This is a fantastic opportunity to prepare them for the work force in late 2022 and 2023 onwards.

Subject changes

Students desiring subject changes may do so up until Friday of Week 2. Forms for subject changes can be collected from the Front Office, they need to be signed by a parent.

Exam blocks

Quoting the last Newsletter in Term 3, there are a few exam blocks scheduled this Term for students to be aware of. We ask that during the Year 12 external exams that students remain quiet around the D block.

• Year 12 External Exam: Weeks 4 – 6
• Year 11 Exam block: Week 4
• Year 10 Exam Block: Week 8

Schedules for the Year 12 External Exam block can be found on the QCAA website or by request of their teacher if unsure. Year 10 and 11 schedules will be posted out after this week.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) 
Week 1 Focus: Classrooms

Year 11 Student Leadership Speeches | Week 2 - Assembly

Our Year 11 students who are vying for leadership positions for 2023 will present their speeches at the whole school assembly on Wednesday, 12th October 2022 at 8.50am.  Voting will open for staff and Years 7 - 11 students straight after speeches and will close on Friday, 14th October at 9am. Any parents of Year 11 students who will be presenting a speech are encouraged and welcome to attend this assembly. We wish all applicants the best of luck in the final stage of the process.

 A SPECIAL REPORT: Wellbeing - Checklist for Secondary

The global pandemic is having a profound impact on our adolescents with many being forced to miss out on so many rites of passage. Some are becoming more anxious or depressed which is completely understandable given the current situation. However, should your teen display any unusual behaviour that lasts for more than 2-3 weeks, it may be a cause for concern.

Research shows there are specific risk factors that increase the likelihood of teenagers developing a mental health problem. Some are set in stone, whilst others are modifiable. Adolescents are considered to be more at risk of anxiety and depression disorders which may affect their mood, thinking and behaviour. It can impact their ability to function and perform normal activities.

It is therefore vitally important for adult carers to remain vigilant during this time for any signs of distress, even though your adolescent may not have any prior history of a mental health disorder. Early intervention, diagnosis and treatment is more important than ever. In the current climate, one useful thing you can do is help your teen focus on the things that they can control – such as their learning, diet, exercise and sleep.

In this Special Report, adult carers will be provided with a checklist that can be used a guide in determining if there is any cause for concern.

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:

Welcome back to Term 4!

Catholic Mission Month

This week we began our Catholic Mission Month celebrations with the Year 7 and 9 Mass. We learnt about Ethiopia and how Catholic Mission is assisting local communities there. Throughout the month we will be learning more about Catholic Mission and the work they do supporting communities all over the world.

Socktober

Socktober is a fundraising event to support Catholic Mission. This year during Week 3, homerooms will be participating by making their own soccer ball and competing in the Socktober shootout. There will be various other activities taking place throughout the week, as well as a combined Catholic Schools mass celebration at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Cloncurry.

Bishop’s Dinner

The annual Bishop’s Dinner hosted by Good Shepherd Catholic Parish will take place on Thursday 20^th October at 6.30pm at the Irish Club. If you are interested in attending please contact the parish office. See the invitation below for more details.

TAFE Excellence Awards

Late last Term, five of our Senior students were nominated for the annual TAFE Excellence Awards.

Congratulations to all of our nominees:

Renee Moran
Lianna Woodsbey
Sienna Te Wani
Anesu Chahwahwa
Malachi Munns

Renee, Sienna and Malachi took out top honours for Engineering, Automotive and Indigenous students respectively.  This is what TAFE staff had to say about each of these students.

TAFE at School Automotive Trade Student of the Year:
Sienna TeWani, Good Shepherd Catholic College

Sienna is a wonderful student and a natural born leader. In the classroom, Sienna motivates other students to complete the theory tasks and assignments on time, and she is the first to offer a classmate a helping hand. Safety first is always top of mind for Sienna and she is the first to identify any dangers associated with workshop activities. Sienna is developing a strong theoretical and practical automotive knowledge base and we’re sure her skill set will serve her well in the future.

TAFE at School Engineering Trade Student of the Year:
Renee Moran, Good Shepherd Catholic College

Renee is an outstanding student whose work output is far beyond her years. Renee is always one of the first to arrive to class, she comes prepared with the correct safety equipment and to top it all off, she has a great attitude. Renee has a genuine passion for fabrication and she takes advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the industry. Renee has a great understanding of the engineering stream and, despite her young age, she is already very well-equipped to move into a workshop – she will be an excellent apprentice!

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trade Student of the Year:
Malachi Munns, Good Shepherd Catholic College (Engineering)

TAFE at School engineering student Malachi is a very dedicated and driven young man. Malachi is keen to pursue a trade career and applied for his pre-apprenticeship course the day applications opened. Malachi has shown great commitment to his training; if he did not succeed the first time, he was always willing to keep giving things a go. His focus and drive to complete tasks has greatly motivated other students in class. Malachi is developing a strong theoretical and practical knowledge base, which will serve him well when he pursues an apprenticeship.

Where are they now?

Name:  Alina Dempsey
Graduated:  2021
House:  MacKillop

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

By the time it was grade 11 and grade 12 I definitely believed I would go into health, through medicine or nursing. I attended indigenous winter camps at JCU and found it very interesting as we had lectures, went to the hospital, into cadaver labs and they provided us with a lot of information about future courses and processes for applications. 

Did you follow that pathway and/or what are you doing now?

I did not follow that pathway, instead I have decided I want to study biomedicine. Through the University of Queensland I have been undertaking a tertiary preparation program for one of my prerequisites and I have now guaranteed entry into UQ for 2023. I have a very clear pathway I want to follow and hopefully I can achieve that over the next couple of years. 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt since leaving school?

I found that in highschool I obsessed over grades and used them to measure how smart I was, but instead I found that grades aren’t everything and you can achieve so much. Through the program I am doing I have found that anyone can achieve whatever they want as long as they still strive to achieve their goals. I have many new friends who are at different stages of their life but they still want to achieve more through study and have helped me to continue studying.  

Favourite tuckshop food

I enjoyed the nuggets at the tuckshop. I also enjoyed the days when they had specials even though it was difficult to get the specials as everyone rushed to the tuckshop as soon as the bell rang. 

Favourite teacher

Everyone had a favourite teacher but honestly I liked all my teachers. Everyone was really nice and very encouraging, especially through the last part of senior schooling. 

Best school memory

I will always remember the 2021 cohort from grade seven all the way to grade twelve. How we grew closer and how the teachers have helped us grow into the people we are today. Now that we are all doing things we enjoy it's always great catching up with the grade and even teachers. I have seen a couple teachers on their break, it is always nice talking to them again. 

What do you miss most about school?

The thing I miss most about GSCC is the close relationship my grade had, even though some of us didn't talk all the time we were still close. Not even my own grade but everyone in the school community was close or very friendly. I also miss the lunchtime breaks where we would sleep or talk all lunch. It was nice having a little group of friends to always hang out with all the time. 

Best piece of advice for current students.

My best piece of advice I can give current students from my own personal experience is to have good study habits and stay on top of your assignments. I know this is always repeated to you by various teachers but it is so helpful to have good study habits now as it is hard to break old habits later through university. It is also important that you know how to study effectively as there is always a large amount of information being covered in all subjects. Everyone has various techniques but find what works best for you and stick with it, you can only improve from this point onwards. 

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?

In 10 years I hope to have finished work in forensic science and hopefully finish studying medicine after a while. By that point I probably won't be completely done with studying as I would also like to specialise in oncology. But hopefully at that point I’m living a comfortable life with most of my study done and working in a field I would genuinely enjoy. 

Good Shepherd Striders Running Club                       

When: Thursday mornings.
Where: GSCC Oval (Enter via May St Gate).
What time: 7:00am - 7:40am.
What is it: Athletics /endurance running and or walking training.
Who is it for: All students and teachers.
Permission: Students will need to collect a permission note from the office.
Cost: Free.
How often: Come occasionally or as many sessions as you like.
Equipment: Running shoes, comfortable clothing, water bottle.
Information: See Mr Guest for any information/ questions. 

Term 4 2022 Training Program:

Week 1:
200m repeats x 5 (x 3 sets - 1 min walk/ jog between repeats, 200m walk/ jog between sets).

Week 2:
800m repeats x 4 x 1 set - 2 min walk/ jog between repeats).

Week 3:
500m repeats x 3 (x 2 sets - 2 min walk/ jog between repeats, 400m walk/ jog between sets).

Week 4:
Pyramid: 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m. (1 min walk/ jog between repeats).

Week 5:
400m repeats x 4 (x 2 sets - 2 min walk/ jog between repeats, 400m walk/ jog between sets).

Week 6:
300m repeats x 5 (x 2 sets - 1 min walk/ jog between repeats, 200m walk/ jog between sets).

Week 7:
Pyramid: 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m. (1 min walk/ jog between repeats).

Week 8:
200m repeats x 5 (x 3 sets - 1 min walk/ jog between repeats, 200m walk/ jog between sets).

Week 9:
3000m (alternate striding 100m, jogging 100m)

Week 10:
600m repeats x 5) x 1set - 2 min walk/ jog between repeats).