It has been a busy start to the term, with so many wonderful opportunities already happening for our students.

Congratulations to all Year 11 and 12 students who completed TAFE qualifications last week. These students have participated in six TAFE blocks throughout 2022 to complete their areas of study. The qualifications studied this year included:

• Certificate II Automotive Electrical Technology
• Certificate II in Automotive Prevocational Preparation
• Certificate II Health Services
• Certificate III Health Services Assistant
• Certificate II Electrotechnology
• Certificate II Engineering (Diesel Fitting)
• Certificate II Retail Cosmetics

Thank you to Mr Young and the HPE department for a wonderful celebration at our annual Sports Awards last week. It was fantastic to see how many students participate in school sports at Good Shepherd, we have some very talented athletes in our community! Queensland & Australian Queensland Police Service Rugby League Representative (and past student) Gracie Ryder’s presentation at the awards was inspiring, she spoke to us about the importance of building a positive team culture, working hard for each other and never giving up. She is a wonderful role model and I hope that the students listened carefully to her story, and are able to action some of her advice in their own lives. North Queensland Cowboys star Coen Hess also made an appearance on the big screen, encouraging students to continue to work hard to achieve their goals. 

On Monday evening our Emerging Leaders attended a Mental Health and Well Being Roadshow at Good Shepherd. Throughout the breakout sessions we listened to guest speakers Preston Campbell, Patrick Mau, Naomi Wenitong and Tristan Nelliman-Adams share their stories. They provided students with tangible strategies to take care of their wellbeing. It is an important reminder for all of us that we are in charge of our own wellbeing; however, there will always be others to support us. Wellbeing is so important, because it helps us to:

• stay resilient when times get tough
• build social supports and self-efficacy
• emerge from our challenges even stronger, knowing we have the ability to cope with adversity.

Thank you to the Indigenous Education Team at Townsville Catholic Education for bringing this event to life - it was wonderful for our Emerging Leaders to engage in this experience.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is involved in making extra-curricular activities happen at Good Shepherd. To parents for the time you spend driving your children to their activities, and for continuing to support the costs involved. I also want to thank our staff for the countless hours you spend volunteering your own time to provide students with extracurricular opportunities (whether it be sports, the arts, spiritual, academics - the list goes on). Without the selflessness, dedication and hard work of staff, none of these school activities would be possible, so thank you.

PAT Testing

As part of the College's ongoing commitment to helping students continue to improve in both Numeracy and Literacy skills, all students in Years 7 - 10 will sit PAT tests during their Maths and English lessons in the next two weeks.

Find about more about the Progressive Achievement Approach and Tests at this site: https://www.acer.org/au/pat

Assessment Calendars

Assessment calendars were distributed to students this week, and a copy emailed to parents for your information. Assessment calendars can also be accessed from the College website.

Assessment Calendars are designed to:

•       assist students to plan their study time
•       help students to prioritise
•       be an organisational tool
•       communicate due dates to parents/carers and students

Ideally, Assessment Calendars should inform:

•       the amount of study and assignment work needed at different points in the term
•       scheduling of specialist appointments and trips around due dates where possible
•       the commitments students make
•       minimising of any paid work (e.g. students should cut back work during busy weeks of the term)

Year 10s have an exam block in Week 8

Year 11s have an exam block i Week 4

Year 12s have an external exam block in Weeks 3-6

NB: Parents and students are encouraged to be mindful of the assessment due dates, and to arrange for specialist appointments/holidays and trips, around these dates. Wherever possible, students should also minimise paid work/casual employment, and cut back during busy weeks of the term. 

Parents & carers with any questions or concerns in regards to subject curriculum or assessment are encouraged to contact the classroom teacher first. Following this, the Curriculum Leader for each Learning Area is available to speak with you regarding any concerns you may have.

Mock Interviews

Mrs Coghlan, our careers advisor, has organised our Year 12’s to undergo their mock interviews with Industry professionals from in town conducting them one-on-one over the course of the day to grant them the most authentic experience. We wish them all the best.

Emerging Leaders Roadshow

This Week four deadly spokesmen and women are touring our secondary schools in the Townsville diocese. They are sharing their stories as proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of their journey through adolescence and early adulthood, sharing tips, goals and aspirations they have to spread awareness of mental health. They presented at our school on Monday and it was captivating hearing their stories - I could tell our emerging leaders were very engaged.

Year 11 Leadership speeches

With the year almost at an end, we’ll be hearing the year 11 leadership speeches this Wednesday from here the school will vote for their future leaders to represent our school. The candidates are full of talent and it's going to be a very tight race. We are looking forward to hearing from them.

Year 9 Rugby

The year 9’s will be going away for the Townsville rugby tournament on Thursday. I’ve heard of some amazing talent in our sporting areas and I hope they enjoy the trip over the weekend. Thank you Mr Roberts and Mr Young for dedicating time to your students at GSCC.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

Week 2 Focus: Specialist Classrooms

PB4L Praise Notes

A very big congratulations must go to the following students who have received 20 or more praise notes so far this semester. 

Year 7:  Denan Duncan, Amaris Ogunlola, Haidyn Shawcross

Year 8:  Alexanda Chiauzzi, Maddison McKeown, Jasmine Pye, Rose Bower, Hayley Winks

Students received their certificates of achievement during our Week 2 assembly and are now eligible for the end of semester rewards outing later in the term.

Well done!!!

A SPECIAL REPORT: Having the Alcohol Discussion

With the impending festive season and end of school celebrations, some teenagers may be feeling ready to party, wanting to put the disruptions, frustrations and disappointments of this past year, behind them.

To ensure our young people stay safe during this time, parents and carers are encouraged to have the alcohol discussion - no matter how difficult or overwhelming it may be. It is important to outline the rules and boundaries around age-appropriate alcohol consumption and what the legal implications may be.

Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults because their brains continue to develop until their mid-twenties. The safest level of alcohol consumption for teenagers, is no alcohol at all, but this may be difficult to enforce and may not prevent them from experimenting. However, parents and carers can influence sensible drinking habits and help minimise the risks.

In this Special Report, a series of discussion points are offered to help make the conversation about alcohol consumption a little easier.

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:
https://goodshepherd.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-having-alcohol-discussion-au

The Creative Generation excellence awards in visual art is currently on exhibition in Townsville at the Drill Hall in North Ward until October 30th.

The exhibition showcases the outstanding visual artworks by senior high school students in regional Queensland.  Three Good Shepherd students have their work on exhibition Sharni Pierce, Hannah O’Shea Breed and Gyllin Liad. Taylah Hogan was also selected but was unable to submit her artwork.  I would like to congratulate these students on producing outstanding artworks and also to all the year 12 students, they have all achieved wonderful results.

CAREERS

WORK EXPERIENCE 

The last week of Term 3 and the School Holidays saw a number of our students participate in Work Experience placements. We are very proud of our students for giving of their time to take part in these wonderful opportunities, and for the tremendous feedback we have received from their host employers.

A huge thank you to the following businesses who hosted our students for work experience placements in term 3, we really appreciate your support and look forward to working with you again in the future.

Glencore Mount Isa Mines 

  Mount Isa City Council

 MAK Diesel 

Mount Isa Isuzu Ute

APA - Diamantina Power Station

Ellien Fisher Memorial

St Josephs

Trevor Morris Builders

Bell & Moir Toyota Mount Isa

Mount Isa Vet Surgery

Bam auto electrical

Bax Plumbing

Imed Radiology

Allied Health

St Josephs Catholic Primary School

Ellien Fisher Memorial Kindergarten

WORK EXPERIENCE IN TERM 4

Applications are now open for work experience placements this term. (Application forms available outside the Careers office) Work experience opportunities will commence in the first and second week of the school holidays and are available to all the year 10’s, 11’s. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Preston

On the holidays I was reading through a position at a boarding school for a fulltime student welfare officer. I started thinking what does it say about today’s society that we have to have people to make sure everyone is travelling okay?

On one hand we shouldn’t have to be told to look out for each other but on the other we now recognize we need to and are putting in place processes to do so.

Last weekend I was fortunate to speak with former NRL player Preston Campbell who has his own foundation to help youth (primarily indigenous). There are fancy words written on the foundation’s website about its purpose that any foundation’s website could use.

The difference is Preston. He is a humble, honest and caring man and it shows through when he engages people. He spoke honestly about his battle with mental demons when he was at the height of his career and how he kept it all to himself.

As he spoke I understood everything he said and the room (full of rough tough footballers who had by this stage had a few drinks) was deadly quiet. As I took in what he said and related it to my experiences I saw small nods around the room.

His son Jayden plays for the Gold Coast Titans and is an exciting prospect who I love watching play as he plays with the same enjoyment and sense of fun that his father did. Jayden said in an interview he wants to be like his father because he admires him so much.

However, his admiration has nothing to do with his father’s football career but what he has done off the field. He makes a difference to people’s lives and that is what Jayden admires and wants to emulate; football is just a vehicle that allows them to do it.

Preston is a great example of how demons can hit you even when your life is going great, as his was. Hiding his feelings and pain almost destroyed his marriage and family but when I asked how opening up to them made family life, a look of contentment spread across his face.

He smiled and described how being honest with them was the best thing he had ever done and their relationship has become stronger for it.

Being vulnerable and admitting it is not a sign of weakness but one of strength. When you go into battle it is okay to be scared because that shows you care about what is about to happen. The person with no fear is the one you don’t want beside you because the outcome is inconsequential to them.

I spoke with a group of young people recently and asked if any had thoughts of suicide and there were small nods around the room. The number was actually above the 1 in 6 average of Australians between 16-85 who experience thoughts of suicide.

All I said to them was that it was okay to have those thoughts but having age and experience on my side I knew there was always a way out and it was worth fighting to find it.

After visiting the family he had temporarily separated from in 2002 Preston deliberately drove into a tree. Fortunately, he survived but re-lives that moment constantly when he talks to young people.

Preston was lucky that he had a coach who cared deeply for him, not as a footballer, but as a person. John Lang was his name and he took Preston to a counsellor and sat outside in the waiting room. When Preston realised the counsellor wasn’t judging him the gate opened.

He doesn’t know where he would be if it wasn’t for Lang’s actions but from that point he opened up to his family and they came together and stood side-by-side. They became stronger than ever because honesty, though quite often the hardest thing in the world, brings strength.

''I don't think it's right to sugar-coat it,'' Preston told me. ''If I hold anything back, it may not help somebody; it might not get through to them and they might get to the stage where I was. I need to tell it like it was.''

We don’t have to change the world in one go, we just have to make it better bit by bit and help one person at a time. I told that group of young people that if they ever felt that way to please come and see me. Life is hard but the little bits of fun, enjoyment, satisfaction, etc make it all worthwhile.

Sometimes the dark clouds in our mind block the sun but know that it is always there; and it is worth the battle to wait for it.

This term our Year 8 and 10 HPE students are going to be studying dance, looking at different aspects of movement. This year we are fortunate enough to have members of the Sundowners Dance Group from Malkarri Cultural Centre to teach our students traditional Kalkadoon dances.

This is such a great opportunity to learn from the people of this community, Will Blackley and his daughter Seleena have done such a great job already. We are appreciative of their wealth of knowledge and grateful to them for assisting us to embed Indigenous perspectives into our HPE classes and curriculum. 

Below are some photos from our first session with this amazing dance group last Friday:

Mental Health & Well-being Roadshow

On Monday 10th October, our Emerging Leader students attended the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshop at the College.  Students participated in a range of sessions with some deadly Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander presenters that delivered an important message with humour and feelings to our students.

A big thank you goes to Tammi Webber, Leisa Leon and team for organising such a fantastic workshop for our Indigenous students. We would also like to give a big thank you to Aunty Roslyn Von Senden for “Welcome to Country”. 

Indigenous Literacy Day

On Thursday 15th September, our Emerging Leader students (along with  Miss Billi-Jean Armstrong, Mrs Mell Jones and Miss Gemma Kyle), spent the morning at Red Oasis Early Education and Care to celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day. This was a great opportunity for our Emerging Leader students to showcase their leadership skills, read some awesome stories, dance and develop relationships with the wider community. 

Also on the day, our students donated some books to the Centre to add to their library collection.

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Local Indigenous artist visits year 8 DIT class

Last Thursday, local indigenous artist Sheree Blackley was invited to the year 8 DIT class to talk about her artwork with the students. The year 8’s are currently working on a Design unit where they are to create an indigenous Hip Hop design to be transferred to a t-shirt. Sheree is their stakeholder for this assessment. She shared some of her artwork with the students and discussed the Indigenous symbols that were used in her designs. Sheree’s daughter Alysha talked about the use of colours in the designs to create the digital artwork. The students had the opportunity to show them both their design ideas. They were extremely appreciative for their help with giving them some suggestions. As well as sharing her artwork which has inspired them with their designs.

Sports Awards Night

A huge thank you to all parents, students and staff who attended last week's event, especially to those behind the scenes who made the event possible.The night was a great celebration of our students' achievements over the year and was great to see the community come together to recognise sporting excellence. Thank you to our guest speaker Gracie Ryder, who shared her incredible story, as well as our special guests and sponsors for joining us on this special evening. 

Congratulations to the following students who took out the major awards

Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year 

House Awards

Inter School Basketball

School of Origin is back, starting this Friday 14th of October at the Mount Isa Basketball stadium. We have 6 teams ready to compete in what will be another exciting tri-series against Spinifex State College. Students are reminded that they must make training this week in order to compete in Game 1. Details are as follows.

NW nominations

Individual nominations for the following sports are due Friday 4th November 2022. Any experienced students wishing to nominate are to see Mr Young for forms.

Acknowledgements 

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements over the last few weeks

• Charlotte Byrnes: shortlisted for the prestigious “Spirit of Netball (youth) Award” at the Netball Queensland awards ceremony

• A-Tai Li-Downie: Gold medal at the Queensland State Boxing Titles and will represent the state in the Australian Titles later this year

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).