On Friday night, past student Joshua Thatcher was tragically killed in a car accident between Cloncurry and Mount Isa. We offer our condolences to Josh’s family on behalf of our whole College community and we are here to provide any support or help we are able to give.

Joshua was a part of our College Community from Year 7 in 2018, until the end of Year 11 in 2022. If students require support over the coming weeks, our College Counsellor Yvonne Van Den Worm will be available as will Chaplain James Coghlan. The College Leadership Team and Pastoral Leaders will also be here for anything that you need. If you or your child is affected by Joshua’s tragic death please reach out to us for support. 

On Monday (27/2) we will be holding a BBQ fundraiser. There will be a sausage sizzle at first break ($3). There will also be an opportunity for students to write any memories they might have of Josh, in the LCC, during this time.

Respectful Relationships Webinar

Robyn is an experienced educator who will give an overview of what is in this curriculum and guide us through the ‘Respectful Relationships Education Hub’ website, particularly what is available for parents. For example ‘The importance of respect’ and ‘Talking to your child about respectful relationships, consent and sexuality’.

Click on the link to register:

https://www.eventcreate.com/e/respectful-relationships

Mount Isa’s 100th Birthday Party

Good Shepherd has been asked to contribute to Mount Isa’s 100th Birthday Party. As a result, we have arranged to sell glow sticks at the event. If your child is available, with your permission their assistance would be greatly appreciated. There are permission notes available at the front office that must be returned by 3pm Thursday.

The details for the event are as follows:

Date: Thursday 23 February, 2023

Location: Kruttschnitt Oval, Church Street (next to the town pool/fun park).

Transport: Students need to make their own way to and from the event.

Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm 

Supervision: Students will be accompanied by the College Leadership Team.

Dress Code: Students are asked to wear their school sports / senior shirt.

Lent

Fasting and abstinence are the practice of giving up something in order to turn away from sin and draw closer to God. It is not only a form of penance, but a spiritual discipline that helps us make room for God, strengthens our will, prepares us for mission, and puts us in solidarity with the suffering of Christ and suffering people around the world.

Besides observing the formal requirements for fasting and abstinence laid out by the Church, most Catholics traditionally choose additional penitential practices during Lent. Beginning at about age five or six, children can be encouraged to “give something up,” or to adopt a positive practice, as a way of entering into the spirit of Lent.

This type of fasting doesn’t need to be limited to the forty days of Lent, though. Your family may want to fast for a few days as a form of intense prayer for a special intention, such as a loved one who is gravely ill, or a crisis in the news.

Fasting ideas for kids and Teens

When encouraging your kids to fast, help them brainstorm some creative ideas. A positive experience is more likely if you make the fast concrete and measurable. For example, instead of just saying, “I’ll stop fighting with my sister,” sit down and figure out specific actions that will lead to a “conversion” in this area. What causes the fighting? If the problem is borrowing clothes without permission, make that part of the fast. A chart or special jar (with coins or marbles to mark achievement) might also help your kids keep on track.

Here are some ideas for things your kids can give up or take on for Lent:

1. Give up the usual suspects.

Sweets, video games, soda, junk food, social media, and other creature comforts.

2. Quiet it down.

Monks practice silence in order to better hear God. Your family can, too, by turning off radios and music players (maybe just in the car), turning off the television, eating a meal in silence (or while listening to some sacred reading), practicing Thirty Seconds of Silence, being silent for the first fifteen minutes of the morning, or even having a day of silence.

3. Make your room or home a desert.

Jesus spent forty days in the desert. Kids and teens can imitate his example by making their room more desert-like as well, removing pictures and posters from walls, putting away rugs and comforters, emptying closets and dressers of all but the most essential outfits, throwing extra clutter (gadgets, trinkets, toys) in a box to be stored away.

4. Slim down your wardrobe.

Kids can count up the number of outfits they have and select ten percent to wear during their fast. (For inspiration, read the stories of saints who gave away their clothes to the poor.) At the end of the fast, they can consider donating some of the clothes they didn’t wear.

5. Perform a random act of kindness every day.

Perform a different random act of kindness every day.

6. Write your gripe.

Older kids can cut down on sibling squabbling by committing to writing down their complaints rather than making them verbally. Print out “complaint forms” that include guidelines for rephrasing complaints using respectful language.

7. Pray it up.

Teens and pre-teens can carry a rosary with them, using it to pray throughout the day. Any set of beads (such as a beaded necklace or bracelet) could be used to keep track of prayers.

8. Wear your faith.

Kids can be encouraged to wear Christian symbols (a necklace, bracelet, or t-shirt) as a witness to their faith—and to remind them to live out their beliefs more consistently.

9. Share.

Older kids who are especially possessive of their toys or bedroom space can be encouraged to share, actively and kindly, with their siblings. Or, encourage kids to share by donating the money they saved from their sacrifices (for example, giving up junk food) to a charitable cause.

10. Practice being present.

Teens can commit to putting down their phone (or other electronic device) when someone is present with them. Even better: create phone-free zones (like the dinner table).

11. Get to know Jesus.

Have kids read one of the Gospels in an age-appropriate Bible, or read it together as a family, over the course of Lent. The Gospel of Mark may be read in one long sitting.

Source: https://www.teachingcatholickids.com/fasting/ 

NAPLAN Practice Tests

In Weeks 6 and 7, 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 when they sit the actual NAPLAN tests, on 15 and 16 March.

Year 7 and 9 students will complete the NAPLAN Practice Tests in their English and Maths lessons. This has been scheduled into the sequencing of lessons for the term to ensure students are not missing any core teaching and learning from their classes.  

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

Additional practice can be found on the Naplan Public Demonstration Site, and parents/carers are encouraged to invest some time going through these resources with their students. 

Please keep an eye on your emails over the coming weeks as more information is sent through.  

For more information about NAPLAN, please visit the ACARA/NAPLAN site.

Subject Changes

A friendly reminder that subject changes in Junior (Year 7-10) are no longer permissible for this term. If students are wanting to change their electives then they are required to wait until next term to do so. 

For those students who are in Senior (Year 11-12), they must collect and complete a subject change form (located in the front office). This then needs to be returned to Mrs Michele Wood (Deputy Principal- Teaching and Learning), who will have a discussion surrounding the intended changes with the student. 

Students in Year 12 should not be making any further changes to their subjects. 

Before and After School Supervision

Supervision on College grounds does not commence until 8.10am and concludes at 3.20pm. It is imperative that you are adhering to these times when arranging drop off and pick up of students each day. 

The Simpson (Bike Exit) and Camooweal Street (Gate 2) gates will be locked from 3.20pm each day. If students are still waiting at these gates at this time, they will be directed to the Mary Street entrance (front of the College) to await collection. 

What’s on @ GSCC Document

The What’s on @ GSCC Document is posted to our College Facebook page, pinned to your Compass newsfeeds and emailed to all families and students every Sunday. This document provides an overview of each week, a reflection, and some helpful tips for our students. All information that is provided on this document is also available on the College calendar. 

Netball News

The GSCC Netball club is proud to announce that we are entering 4 teams into the local Mount Isa Amateur Netball Association competition. I am excited to introduce the coaches for this year, and I thank them in advance for their tireless efforts in the weeks and months ahead.

GSCC Fire: Coach- Miss Phoebe Ryder, Assistant Coach- Miss Chelsea McKavanagh and Manager- Miss Rebecca Stretton

GSCC Cubs: Miss Carly Cooper

GSCC Roar: Rilee Webber and Chelsea Barlow

GSCC Stars: Miss Amy Haddon and Miss Abby Benson

A special thank you to Miss Rebecca Stretton, Miss Carly Cooper and Mrs Stephanie Whitehouse for the tireless work they have put into the beginning of this year to get the teams and uniforms sorted for the season ahead. It is a lot of work, and we thank them very much! 

A reminder that grading for the association begins this week. Games will be from 6pm on Wednesday (Junior teams) and Thursday night (Senior teams). Please get in touch with the coaches above for the specific playing times of your teams. 

We are looking forward to a wonderful season of Netball for GSCC!

College Events

There are a number of exciting events happening around the College over the next few weeks. We are looking forward to seeing the students getting involved in the numerous activities. Please ensure that you are carefully checking our College calendar to keep up to date with all of the latest events and activities.

Mount Isa 100 Years Celebrations- Bank Holiday

A reminder due to the Mount Isa Bank Holiday, there is no school on Friday. We look forward to seeing everyone return on Monday 27th February.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)

Week 5 Focus: Toilets

As with locker areas, toilets can also often be areas where students seem to congregate during lunch breaks.  When covering our expectations in toilet areas, we also teach students about practicing good personal hygiene and the toilets are being used for the right reason.

Dealing with Grief and Loss

After the tragic death of our past student, Joshua Thatcher, we provided students, families and staff with some grief and loss resources via Mrs Webb’s email. Our School TV site and Headspace have some wonderful resources that families can utilise over the coming days, weeks and months if needed and I have added these resources to the bottom of my article. In addition to these resources, families are encouraged to reach out to the members of our Pastoral and Senior Leadership teams to provide support and advice if that is also needed.  Headspace Mount Isa have also advised that if a student would like to be referred to the centre, they can call or visit and mention they are from Good Shepherd Catholic College and can be prioritised for intake.

GRIEF & LOSS

Grief is a natural response to loss. It might be the loss of a loved one, relationship or even a pet. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief is likely to be. Children and adults grieve differently due to their developmental stage, and this can prove difficult for parents to understand. Young children fluctuate in and out of the stages of grief rapidly, as they may not comprehend the permanency of death. They express their grief more physically. Teens on the other hand may not know how to express their grief and will need some space to process their loss. Some may choose to grieve alone, not wanting to stand out or be seen as not coping. Whilst others, who may have a greater understanding, can start to question their own mortality.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents can learn how to acknowledge their child’s feelings and the best way to support them through grief.

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 Grief & Loss edition of SchoolTV
https://goodshepherd.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/grief-loss

How_trauma_affects_children_and_young_people_fact_sheet.pdf

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Digital_mental_health_resources_for_young_people.pdf

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headspace_Digital_Services_Flyer.pdf

headspace_Digital_Services_Flyer _pdf 776.79 KB

Be_You_Support_Contacts.pdf

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Help_seeking_for_children_and_young_people_in_schools.pdf

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Supporting_children_and_young_people_affected_by_grief.pdf

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School based starters!

Congratulations Jett, Destiny & Zane

Three of our senior students have recently commenced school based apprenticeships/traineeship.

Jett Guningham

Destiny has recently started her school based apprenticeship with Superior Machinery Maintenance and will also complete a Certificate III in Engineering - Fixed and Mobile Plant Mechanic.

Zane Blakemore

Zane will undertake a Certificate II in Supply Chain Operations in order to complete his traineeship with Reece/Murray Mallee Training.

We wish Jett, Destiny and Zane all the best as they commence their careers, whilst still at school.

Term 1 College Fees were emailed out on the 8th of February from the email address accounts@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au If you did not receive a copy of your statement please contact the College.

For families who have chosen to pay College fees per term, term 1 fees are due on the 10th of March 2023. If you feel you will be unable to make payment in full by the due date or would like to discuss a payment plan, please email me at  accounts@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au or call the College to discuss.

For your information due dates for term 2,3 and 4 can be found on our website by clicking on this link

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If you are currently paying College fees using our BSB and account number, PLEASE STOP and change any scheduled payments to BPAY. This is no longer our preferred method of payment for fees. (This method can still be used for retreats and other payments for now).

Our preferred methods for payment are BPAY and Payway (direct debit). Your BPAY reference number can be found on the top right of your fee statement. Payments made using this method ensure your payment is receipted to your account accurately and without delay. If you would like more information on our Payway (direct debit) option please email me.

It is an expectation that accounts are paid in full by the due date or a regular payment plan is in place. The earlier you organise a payment plan with us, the smaller the amount per week/fortnight/month you will need to pay. If accounts become 2 terms in arrears they will be forwarded onto our main office for review and if necessary, from there to our Collection Agency for management.

STUDENT SHOUT OUTS

Check out our students who have received their watch monitors. Kaitlyn (Year 10), Capree (Year  10) and John Donovan (Year 8) have joined the Sleep Project! Check out how to apply below.

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

STEM CAMP- Year 9 & 10 

Griffith’s Indigenous STEM Camp 2023 seeks to promote pathways into STEM amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 9 and 10 and support the next generation of critical thinkers and innovators.

This on-campus experience will provide students the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops, lab tours, learn about Indigenous student success programs and strengthen their academic skills. Students will hear from the GUMURRII Student Success Unit, academics, and current  students about everything Griffith has to offer.

Date: 4-6 April 2023

Time: 9 am-2.15 pm

Where: Gold Coast campus, Griffith University

All reasonable costs including travel, flights, accommodation and meals are included. Please note: students will check-in to their accommodation on 3rd April 2023 for a total of  3 nights.

Applications open 30 January 2023 and close 24 February 2023

To apply, please submit the following:

1. Latest student report card (minimum grades of C).
2. Motivation Statement
3. Reference (e.g., supporting letter from your teacher)

This camp is provided specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Successful applicants will be notified on 1 March 2023.

Sign up using the link below. Reach out to Ms Kyle & your Pastoral Leader to write a letter of support.

https://www.griffith.edu.au/gumurrii/STEM?fbclid=IwAR0fx6e4vRgRFeplxSRTnwhdtt7EZQpchL3XiFr9OV-6FvzmfBPLyyV2lYo

Sleep Project Engagement

For those who were able to attend our PIN Night, we were blessed to have listened to Aunty Ros talk about the Sleep Project. This is a deadly opportunity for our students. 

What is it? The Sleep Project is a codesigned health program to achieve better and improved mental health in Indigenous Adolescents. It will collect data on Mount Isa based students. It will collect data on student sleep and also offer strategies to improve sleep and mental health. 

What will it involve? A completion of a sleep health assessment, wearing an actigraphy watch to collect sleep data, participation in six sessions about sleep health and a completion of anxiety and depression symptoms test. Students will have a chance to also provide feedback about the program.

Who does it involve? This project is not created by Emerging Leaders or Good Shepherd, but is a program created by the University of Queensland. However, as it is a community engagement, the Sleep Project can be considered for engagements in our incentive program. A consent form will be given to our students to collect data, which will remain anonymous and will be destroyed at the end of the project. 

How do you apply? Students can fill out the attached form and send it to fatima.yaqoot@uq.edu.au. Mentors, Ms Kyle & Mrs Frew can support students in sending the application through.

Check out the forms attached for more info. 

The library started this year with the goal of getting textbooks out expediently so our students will have their books in their hands, ready to learn. By Friday of the first week of school, students got all their textbooks and most of their class novels. 

In the second week of February, the Year 7 English class of Mrs. Stephanie Whitehouse came to the library for their one-hour library orientation. Students learned about the Dewey Decimal Classification System, which they need to be familiar with in finding books in the library. I conducted a library tour to show them the different sections of the library and the different book formats and genres they keep. I also showed them the fiction and nonfiction collection, the shelves containing picture books and biographies and the Quick Reads shelf. They were also shown the library's three main zones: the Study Zone, The Class Area, and the Printing Area. 

Mrs. Whitehouse co-taught with me by giving the students the different literary genres and she also conducted the scavenger hunt organized for them by library staff. Students had to quickly pick books from the library to match the genre picked by their teacher. Three winners were given prizes. 

The orientation finished off by teaching students how to access their library’s digital resources platform, Sora. They logged in to their library website and learned how to find eBooks in Sora. 

Last 14 February was the Library Lovers Day event. Our college’s Four-Week Reading Challenge was started by challenging participants to borrow a book from our “Library Cafe,” or library book display. Please see attached our reading challenge flier which is available in the library. 

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

NRL - Roads to Region visit

Last week, Alby Anderson from the NRL and Coen Hess from the North Queensland Cowboys visited our Year 7 students to talk about Respect, Health and Wellbeing in the community. Additionally, our Senior Rugby League team was present to hear about Coen’s story and motivations in his successful career. Thank you to Alby and Coen for coming out and providing this opportunity for our students. 

Inter School Volleyball

Our first Inter School event for 2023 saw some great competition, as we took on Spinifex State College in the first ever Volleyball QLD Cup. Unfortunately, GSCC lost in the Junior division (mixed), and Senior division (boys and mixed teams). Congratulations to Spinifex on their efforts, we will see them again in Term 2 in our Netball Tri-series. Thank you to Jason from Volleyball QLD for organising this event, and Jerome from Mount Isa Basketball Association for hosting. 

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

- Individual nominations require students to currently compete in the sport and must provide a coach who can confirm skill level

Please see Mr Young for any nomination forms before the due date

Acknowledgements

The Sports Department would like to congratulate the following students on their achievements in the following District Sports events

• Sienna Marshall: North West Swimming Trial
• Mitchell Koina: North West Swimming Trial
• Lily McMahon: North West Swimming Trial
• Haiden Shawcross: North West Swimming Trial

Love Bites 

Last Friday, the Year 10 students completed the Love Bites Program facilitated by staff from Townsville Catholic Education. The program is centred around providing students a safe environment in which young people can discuss and learn about their rights and responsibilities in relationships and look at ways to access support when needed. 

Through a number of discussions and opportunities to work collaboratively, the students were able to learn all about respectful relationships that are free from violence and abuse. It is hoped that these learnings are carried by the students moving forward as they begin to make choices about relationships themselves. 

Immunisation Consent Form

By now your child should have brought home their Year 10 Meningococcal ACWY Vaccination form for your consideration. All particulars concerning consent, the immunisation and record of details are within this document for your reference. 

If you could please read, complete and return this form to the College Office once signed, that would be greatly appreciated. The vaccinations are to occur on Wednesday the 26th of April, Week 2 of Term 2 at the College.