Dear Parents/Carers,

Shorts Option Survey Feedback:  You will recall that recently I surveyed Staff, Parents and Students about introducing a shorts option for our Junior and Senior students. The response was overwhelming in favour with 80.7% of respondents indicating that they would prefer for girls to have a shorts option from Year 7-12. In light of this, we will begin preparations to include this in our uniform suite in 2024. Due to the extensive lead in time needed to order and supply stock, we will not have shorts available at the start of the year and supply not available for purchase until at least the middle of the year. Thank you to everyone in the community who responded and we look forward to being able to notify Parents next year when we can commence try-ons.

Year 11 Leadership Interviews: This week we are interviewing students for prospective Senior Leadership positions. Students have submitted their applications and been shortlisted for interview. I have been very impressed with the quality of their leadership intentions and look forward to hearing them talk at their interviews about how they will live out our school motto of ‘Christ out Light’ in their servant leadership roles.

Fr Mick Lowcock’s Golden Jubilee: The College is immensely proud of Fr Mick’s achievement of 50 years as a Priest. This Thursday there is a special Mass at 5.30 pm at the Parish followed by a celebration at the Lumen Christi Centre at the College. Congratulations Fr Mick - you are an outstanding example of Christian compassion, love and service. 

Have a blessed week.

Kathleen McCarthy

Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence and Plagiarism

While AI can be a valuable source of research, there is a temptation for students to make excessive use of this tool, bypassing the process of critical thinking and analysis, and not developing their own expression and communication.

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) responds to Artificial Intelligence and gives schools, students and parents information regarding how to navigate the use of AI, particularly in assessments.

I cannot overemphasize enough the directive QCAA gives schools.  It’s the opening line of the document, Strategies for Ensuring Authentication:  Accurate judgments of student progress and achievement can only be made if students’ assessment responses are their own work.  In other words, only a student’s own and original work will be marked and contribute towards a final result or grade, and QCAA suggests a number of ways in which schools can determine the authenticity of a student’s response.

Plagiarised work cannot be marked.  The portion of work that is the student’s own, will be the only part of the submission that will be considered.  Plagiarism will also result in an after school detention. 

At the college we have processes in place to ensure quality assurance is maintained with all assessment tasks. If a student is concerned about their level of plagiarism please direct students to their Turnitin account which provides them with a detailed percentage highlighting what sections of their assessment has been plagiarised and the sources it has come from.  

REMINDER: Year 10 (2023) into 11 (2024) SET Plan Interviews

A reminder that all Year 10 families need to book a SET Plan Interview in preparation for Year 11 2023. These bookings are now open through Compass Conferences, bookings will close at 3pm Thursday, 24 August.. If you are having difficulties booking, please contact the College Office and they will be able to assist.

Please note: If Miss Puxty has been assigned to be your SET Planner, you won’t be able to make a booking until she returns from World Youth Day next week. She will open up time slots when she returns to school.

Students must attend these interviews with at least one parent or guardian. This is an important phase of the transition into Year 11 as it maps out a student’s individual learning pathway through the senior phase of learning. The SET plan supports students working towards the QCE, QCIA, Senior Statement or VET qualification, and/or a viable work option.

Developing a SET Plan helps you to:

• think about your education, training and career goals after Year 12;
• structure your learning in Years 11 and 12 around your abilities, interests and ambitions;
• decide which learning options you should choose to achieve your learning, further education and training, and career goals;
• map your pathway to a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

Once your plan is developed, we will register you with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and your learning account will be created. You can track your progress towards a QCE via the Student Portal and your learning account at any point in your senior schooling.

There is also some helpful information on the MyQCE Website for students and families. 

Compass School Manager Phone App

If you have a smartphone, we would encourage you to download and log into the Compass School Manager Application. We send a range of information through this application, and it is a helpful tool to keep up to date with what’s going on at the College, to access report cards, to log attendance information and also book parent teacher conferences. It is important that you keep this app up to date, and some functions will not work if you’re using an old version of the application. 

Booking Parent Teacher Conferences on Compass

Bookings using a desktop computer:

On the home screen, beside the student you wish to make bookings for, click ‘Book Parent Student Teacher Conference’.

A list of parent-teacher conference cycles will be displayed along with their booking status. Click on the relevant cycle.

Your booking sheet will be displayed and will show your available booking times. Click on a time in the grid to display teachers available for booking at that time.

Bookings using a mobile phone (Compass School Manager App)

• From the Compass home screen on your app, select the menu (top left) and click Conferences.

• From the list of parent-teacher conference cycles

• Select the relevant cycle you wish to book for

• Select the student you wish to place a booking for

• Select the class or interview group

• Click on a time slot to make a booking and confirm

IMPORTANT: Road Safety Reminders

The safety of our students is a top priority, and as we navigate the busy streets surrounding our school, we must collectively work towards ensuring their well-being.

School zones are very busy environments, especially during those peak hours when parents and caregivers are dropping off and picking up their children. It's important to remember that these moments are not only busy for us but also present potential hazards for our young pedestrians. Young people can be unpredictable, and their excitement to see friends or return home might lead them to dart across the street without warning. Therefore, taking extra precautions during these times is essential.

Below are some important reminders for families:

1. **Follow Speed Limits:** The speed limit on Mary, Simpson and Camooweal street is 40km/hr during pick-up and drop-off hours. These limits are in place to provide everyone with a safer environment. Always adhere to these posted limits and be prepared to stop suddenly if needed. There have been school zone signs with flashing lights installed recently, when these are on it is your cue to slow down!
2. **Be Patient:** We understand that mornings can be hectic, and afternoons can be tiring, but exercising patience can prevent unnecessary accidents. Avoid parking in illegal areas, rushing, or other behaviors that may create a stressful atmosphere for both drivers and pedestrians.
3. **Stay Off Your Phone:** Distracted driving is a significant hazard. Avoid using your phone while driving through school zones. Keep your focus on the road and the children around you.
4. **Pedestrian Crossings:** Teach your children to use crosswalks when crossing the street. For drivers, always stop to pedestrians in crosswalks and follow the instructions of the cross guards.
5. **Model Safe Behavior:** As adults, we play a critical role in modeling safe behavior for our children. When they see us practicing road safety, they are more likely to mirror the behaviour.
6. **Designated Drop-Off/Pick-Up Areas:** We have designated zones for drop-off and pick-up. Utilise these areas as they are strategically designed to ensure the safety of students. If possible, encourage carpooling to reduce the number of vehicles around the school. Please do not, under any circumstances, park on the pedestrian crossing, or allow your child to enter your car while you are not parked safely (not just stopped on the road).

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).

Last week we celebrated Rodeo by holding a great assembly where so many students participated and dressed up to get into the spirit of what turned out to be an amazing Rodeo week. 

Throughout this assembly we had an array of presentations, and celebrations which really exemplified the life of our wonderful College. It was amazing to see the many different things that go on at our school. Which would not be possible without the time and effort that our staff put into these extra-curricular activities.

I would like to say a massive thank you to the following staff who all presented and provided opportunities for our students over the past term: 

• Mrs Strasser - Book Week
• Mrs Demetriou - Science Week
• Mrs Watson and Ms Lesca - Arts and Technology Night 
• Mr Miller & Ms Motteram - Mulkadee & Multicultural Day (Week 8)
• Mr Young - Interschool Athletics
• Mr Roberts, Mr Ryder, Mr Young & Ms Cooper - Confraternity
• Mrs Thinee & Mrs Van Den Worm - Peer Skills program
• Mrs Armstrong - Work Experience

Without these dedicated staff members the school would not be such a thriving and inclusive community, so we thank them and all of our staff who go above and beyond to provide opportunities for Good Shepherd students. 

PBL Focus: 

This week we are focusing on allowing others to learn and allowing teachers to teach, through homeroom and year level meetings students have been asked to reflect on what this might look like in action - It is such a powerful thing to show respect in a classroom and allow yourself and others to flourish. This is a simple expectation and we think our students do a great job to support their peers and the teachers in our learning community. Please take some time to chat with your child/family member around their own reflection of this focus. 

School TV: Resilience

Resilience is important for a child’s mental health. It is their ability to bounce back from failure, challenges, adversity and stress. It’s not something that kids have or don’t have but a skill that kids develop over time as they grow. Building resilience not only helps a child deal with current difficulties, but it also helps develop a resilient mindset that will help them deal with challenges later in life. All children are capable of working through challenges and coping with stress, but they require guidance and support from a charismatic adult role model.

Please see the link below for more information around managing resilience, particularly as we approach exam and assessment stage: https://goodshepherd.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience

If you need to reach out to the school for any wellbeing or pastoral concerns please feel free to contact myself, or the relevant pastoral leader. 

A big congratulations to Gyan Angon on successfully completing the UQ  Enhanced Studies Program course. The UQ Enhanced Studies Program (ESP) provides students with an opportunity to extend their knowledge, skills and abilities by completing one university subject during Year 12. Gyan is also the first student who has successfully completed this UQ program. Well done Gyan! What an amazing achievement!

Arili Thina Morning Cafe 

Arili Thina Cafe is open every Wednesday Morning from 7.30am - 9.00am, the cafe is located behind the LCC next to the Hospitality Kitchen.

Offering a range of espresso Coffees and cold drinks ; milkshakes, frappes , Iced Coffee. There is also a selection of food : Ham and Cheese Croissants, Bacon and Egg toasties and Smashed Avocado on sourdough, this may change weekly.

Our Year 11 and 12 Hospitality Students run this Cafe to achieve their competencies towards their Certificate ll in Hospitality and also fundraise for Hospitality camp.

Year 7, 8 and 9 Students are welcome to Cafe if accompanied by a parent or adult.

We encourage everyone to dine in.

We look forward to seeing you at the Arili Thina Cafe.

Cheers Mrs Cole and senior Hospitality Students 

Year 10 Retreat

As a part of the Pastoral, Spiritual Development and Religious Education program at Good Shepherd Catholic College, all Year 10 students will participate in a compulsory Spirituality Retreat Day on next Friday 25th August, 2023. Year 10 parents, please refer to the emailed agenda, that was also sent home with students, for further details.

Our retreat day aims to allow students the opportunity to develop spirituality connections and leadership skills with a focus on Indigenous Spirituality at Lake Moondarra, followed by an afternoon of Indigenous Games to build togetherness and teamwork at the College. These developments are an essential part of being a student in a Catholic School.

Retreat Consent and Medical Forms and a Dietary Requirement Form have also been sent home with students and need to be completed and returned to the College Office no later than next Tuesday the 22nd of August, 2023.

Most importantly, I ask that your child is at the College no later than 8:25am next Friday, so as to ensure that we depart on time in our organised buses.

If you have any questions or concerns in regards to the Retreat, please don’t hesitate to contact myself via email (troberts5@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au) or phone (4743 2509).

Regards,

Travis Roberts

Year 10 Pastoral Leader