This week we celebrated our Opening Mass, at which time we also recognized our leaders for 2019. The Mass was coordinated by the Deputy (RE and Organization), Ms. Jacqueline Warren and presided over by our College Chaplain, Fr Mick Lowcock and visiting priest Fr Vinoj. The Mass was attended by the students of the college, the teaching staff, the Catholic Primary Principals, parents and friends of the college and members of the broader community including indigenous leaders. It was a wonderful celebration to officially commence the year and to introduce our college leaders for 2019 to the GSCC community.

This year we have a particularly fine group of student leaders and I look forward to working with them as we move into the new phase of Senior as well as continuing the fine traditions that have been established on this site since 1960. I am also very pleased to introduce a number of new and highly experienced staff which I will privilege with you in upcoming newsletters.

At the conclusion of the mass I reminded the students, staff and parents of their choice of a Catholic education, that they have chosen the Catholic school difference. I was aware that for many of them this was probably their first experience of Catholic liturgy. I spoke about the importance of the exploration of our faith which lies at the heart of what we are as a Catholic school and that is what we mean when we say, “Good Shepherd offers a holistic education – Mind, heart, body and spirit.” Our college motto, “Christ our light” is what gives us hope in achieving our core agenda; to build community, live by our values and offer each learner a pathway to success.

In the first reading of the mass last Wednesday, Colossians 3, Paul says, “you are chosen by God…..you should be clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…bear with one another, forgive one another (as you are forgiven)…love…peace….you are all one body”. These are the values that we try to instill in our students each and every day.

In the enrolment interview to come to GSCC we ask prospective students and parents; “Why do you want to come to GSCC?” and “What will you offer?” These important questions are followed by our expectations that students will embrace the GSCC difference – a Contemporary Catholic college, making a difference and shining Christ’s light. These expectations shape the journey here at GSCC.

After the mass I went on to congratulate our new leaders for 2019 and to remind them that they have been chosen and in turn they have chosen themselves, to lead. With this comes great responsibility, a call to leadership is a call to service and this service must be informed by Christian values. Our Catholic tradition asks us to be different, to set aside the distractions of the contemporary world. As members of GSCC, as people who have made the choice to be part of this community, we are all invited to contribute to the ongoing formation of this place, whether as a student, a member of staff, a parent, or as a friend, we all have a responsibility to commit to this purpose. Our task is to build up not tear down, to give to not take from, to shape the college to serve the needs of each of its community.

GSCC must continue to be a place that creates the leaders of tomorrow, people that are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and in particular, just. We must also be people of faith, prepared to serve with courage to ensure that we achieve success through the experience of community and the living out of these values.

We have chosen this path, now let’s walk it!

Prayer at Good Shepherd Catholic College

Prayer is an important part of our everyday life here at the College. We begin each morning with prayer in homeroom to remind us of what is important in life. Prayer is often described as ‘the raising of the heart and mind to God’. Five types of common prayers are;

• Blessing and Adoration- in prayers of adoration or worship, we exalt the greatness of God, and we acknowledge our dependence on Him in all things
• Petition- we ask God for things we need—primarily spiritual needs, but physical ones as well
• Intercession- is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. In a prayer of intercession, we're not concerned with our needs but with the needs of others.
• Thanksgiving- thanking God for the good things that happen to us
• Praise- prayers of praise acknowledge God for what He is

One form of prayer that is common practice at the College is Christian Meditation.

What is Christian Meditation?

Christian Meditation is ‘a way of simplicity, silence and stillness. It can be practised by anyone from wherever you are on your life’s journey. It is only necessary to be clear about the practice and then to begin – and keep on beginning.’

‘Children and young adults are born contemplative but in the modern world they are bombarded from an early age with noise, stimulus, and a message to keep busy.’ Coming Home- A guide to Teaching Christian Meditation, by Ernie Christie

This form of prayer is taught and practiced in all Catholic Schools throughout the Townsville Diocese. It requires students to be still and silent while praying a mantra in their mind. The simple rules are;

• Sit down
• Sit still
• Keep your back straight
• Breathe normally
• Be relaxed but alert

‘It is a fundamental task to teach people how to pray and how to learn to do so personally, better and better. Many seek meditation elsewhere because they think that they will not be able to find a spiritual dimension in Christianity. We must show them once again not only that this spiritual dimension exists but that it is the source of all things. To this end, we must increase the number of these schools of prayer, for praying together, where it is possible to learn personal prayer in all its dimensions: as silent listening to God, as a listening that penetrates his Word, penetrates his silence, sounds the depths of his action in history and in one's own person.’ Pope Benedict XVI Meeting with Bishops in Switzerland, November 2006.

For more information about Christian Meditation please see; http://www.cominghome.org.au/

Youth Group

The Good Shepherd Parish Youth Group would like to invite all students from Years 7-12 who are interested in joining the CIA (Catholic in Action) to come along to the church every Friday evening from 6pm. Please contact the parish office if you have any questions on 47 498 555.

RCIA

Any students who are interested in becoming Catholic or making their First Holy Communion and Confirmation, please see Mrs Warren ASAP. The program will begin in the next few weeks.

College ID Photos

The College ID photo day has now been rescheduled to Thursday 7th March. All students have been notified of this and advised that their uniform and appearance needs to be perfect on the day. All Year 11 & 12 students must also wear their College blazers for the photo. These photos are used to generate their Student Id card, which should be distributed to students by Week 9. If your child misses these ID photos, they will have the opportunity to have it taken during the College Year Level and Special Group photo day on 29 April.

Year 7 Immunisations

All Year 7 students received an immunisation consent and information form last Monday. These need to be returned to the office, regardless of whether consent has been given as soon as possible. The Child Health clinic needs to order vaccines from Brisbane which has a 2 week turn-around. These immunisations will take place on Wednesday 13 March. If the consent form did not find its way to you, please drop by the office to collect.

Uniform Checks

It has been a pleasing start to the school year with regard to uniform and student appearance. A reminder, should your child be unable to wear their formal uniform to school, they will need to bring a note explaining the issue. This note should be given to the homeroom teacher. Students who arrive to school in the incorrect uniform and do not have a note from home will be issued a lunchtime detention.

Bullying

The College has a zero tolerance policy for bullying. If your child reports to you that they are being bullied, please contact their Pastoral Leader immediately. Sometimes these issues can go unnoticed or unreported for an extended period of time making the emotional and mental damage quite severe. Students are told to report issues to their Pastoral Leader as soon as possible because if we do not know there is an problem, we cannot fix it.

Our policy can be found on pages 10 - 13 in your childʼs College Diary. It outlines our College commitment to a safe and welcoming atmosphere at school for all students and our obligation to support all students involved. Should you need to contact our Pastoral Leaders, please see information below:

2019 Pastoral Leaders:

Year 7 Mrs Pelly Morganson pmorganson1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Year 8 Mr William Morganson wmorganson1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Year 9 Ms Kylie McCarthy kmccarthy2@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Year 10 Miss Caitlin Conway cconway@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Year 11 Mrs Kate Thinee kthinee1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Year 12 Mr Domenico Cullen dcullen3@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Mobile Phones

As mentioned in last fortnights newsletter, mobile phones are not to be used at school. This term, some students have been making payments at the tuckshop via their mobile device. As of this week, this will no longer be a payment method at the tuckshop.

Students must comply with the following expectations:

• They are not to be used at all during College hours ‒ from the first bell for Homeroom to the final bell at 3:00 PM.
• Mobile phones should be switched off and handed in at the Office.
• They should not be kept on studentʼs, or in a studentʼs locker.
• Should a parent need to contact their child during the day for any reason, they should contact the College Office and a message will be passed to the student.

Subject Changes/Selections

Last week, we spoke to the students about subject selections and the appropriate process of applying to change out of a subject. This specifically applies for senior students at the College, and students in Years 9 & 10 that have chosen certain electives. Students may collect an ‘Application to Change Subject’ form from the front office. They must then consult with their current and future teachers of that subject they are wishing to change from. Their teacher will then sign the form to accept the change. Once this step has been completed, the student will need to take this form home to their parents for consideration. In many cases, students will be wishing to change senior pathways, and we must ensure that parents are also aware of the implications of this.

Once this process has been followed, the subject change may then be processed and the student will be issued with a new timetable in homeroom that week. Students are not permitted to change classes until they have received their new timetable to ensure that this process has been followed correctly and all have been informed.

If students are having difficulties with their learning in the classroom, this does not necessarily grant a subject change. Parents/students are encouraged to speak to the classroom teacher first about how they can support their child/the student’s learning. After this, parents/students may speak with the appropriate Curriculum Leader, as we are all here to support your child's learning.  

Lost Property

We have had an increase this year, in the amount of lost property handed in at the office or collected from around the grounds. Everything from hats, lunch boxes, jewellery and sunglasses/other expensive items. On assembly this week, we will be emphasising the importance of students taking care of their belongings and not to take someone else’s hat or lost property items. We are also encouraging students and parents to write their names on their property to ensure it is clear/visible, so that it can easily be returned.

MARS

MARS stands for Merit Award Recognition System. This is a new system that is being introduced this year, for rewarding all of the positive things that students are doing at GSCC. Through MARS, students are encouraged to be involved in extracurricular and academic offerings, as well as increase their engagement in House Spirit, enhancing the GSCC “culture”. Every merit award students gain will go towards their House Group; Rice, Benjamin, Chisholm and Mackillop, which will tally up to determine the winner of the end of year House Cup.

Some of the ways that students can gain points/merit awards are;

• Completing your assessments to a high standard, improving your effort and application over the term
• Regularly attending homework help
• Being involved in social justice activities, helping at liturgies/mass
• Assisting at community events and fundraisers
• Assisting staff (e.g., playground duty/cleaning up areas, tuckshop and/or in the library) - helping with waste!
• Participation in sport, the Arts and other extracurricular activities/committees
• And leadership

A more specific criteria and other information will be sent out via email, but teachers will start using the system this week. Like any new process/system, there will be an opportunity for review and feedback at the end of the Term/Semester, to ensure its effectiveness. For the time being, we hope that MARS will help to celebrate students’ efforts, achievement and success both inside and outside of the classroom.

The term is well underway, with students beginning to receive and undertake assessments. Please keep a copy of draft and assessment due dates on a calendar visible at home and continue to support your student in their adherence to a regular study timetable, and in achieving their academic goals. The GSCC drafting and assessment policy can be found in the student diaries. All Year 10-12 students are expected to use our plagiarism checking tool, Turnitin, prior to submission of their assignments and attach a copy of their Turnitin receipt with their submission.

Any students or parents with queries regarding curriculum matters, teaching or learning at our college are reminded to contact our highly experienced and qualified curriculum experts. The correct procedure it to first contact the Classroom Teacher, then if the query cannot be answered, to the relevant Curriculum Leader, then to myself, the Leader of Teaching and Learning.

Parents and Guardians of Year 11 students are advised that interim reports indicating your student’s effort, behaviour and aptitude will still be issued at the end of Term 1. Full reports for Year 11 subjects will be distributed at the end of Year 11 units of study, with the first reports to be issued in Week 7 of Term 2.

Year 12 QCS students are reminded to organise an approved calculator for their QCST lessons, practice tests and actual test. The QCAA advises that students are required to have a calculator that are able to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots and powers. Calculators must not allow access, during the QCS Test sessions, to the following functions: CAS, spellchecker, dictionary, thesaurus or translator. Students will be required to sign a calculator declaration form for the test later in the year. Students have been provided with a list of required equipment for QCS in their QCS information booklets.

Tonight Wednesday 20th Feburary the GSCC Year 10 Senior Schooling Information night will be held in the LCC from 6pm. The evening will provide Parents and Guardians with an overview of some of the exciting changes to senior schooling such as QCAA curriculum changes to the QCE and the transition to use of the ATAR system by QTAC, which brings Queensland tertiary entrance into alignment with the rest of Australia.  More information about these changes and a range of useful resources about senior schooling in Queensland can be found at the following QTAC and QCAA webpages:

https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/atar

https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/index.html

YR 7 RETREAT

On Friday, 8th of February the Year 7 Students and Homeroom Teachers enjoyed a fun filled day at their annual retreat. The purpose of the retreat was to further build positive relationships between staff and students, encourage team building and to also nurture their spiritual wellbeing.

The day started at the College with students doing rotations in four activities:  

Activity 1:  Rock Painting:  Students were asked to choose a word that resonated with them to represent their first year of high school.  Words chosen included proud, hard-working, resilient, brave, happy, committed, strong, passionate and creative to name a few.  Their chosen word was written on a pebble and the students had to paint the opposite side of their rock to have as a keepsake for the year.

Activity 2:  Christian Meditation:  Students were taken through a session of Christian Meditation and told about the benefits of doing this daily and how we can become one with God using the prayer-phrase, “Maranatha” (meaning Oh Lord, Come).

Activity 3:  Positive Affirmation Bag Craft Activity:  Students were given a brief introduction to a weekly activity that will occur in homeroom each week where students will write positive affirmations to other students in their class. This is a way of students being mindful of recognizing positive attributes of their peers. They then decorated their own affirmations bag which will be used to store their affirmations for the year.

Activity 4:  Prayer Labyrinth:  Students were introduced to using the labyrinths as another form of prayer. The students were shown how to use the labyrinth at the outside basketball court and finger labyrinths to focus on their prayers, being mindful and being still in the moment.

Once activities were completed, students enjoyed a BBQ hamburger outside the Hospitality Room.  After lunch, we then caught a bus to Splashez Aquatic Centre to enjoy team building games and some free time to have a swim. After their swim, students enjoyed cake and fruit for afternoon tea before heading back to the College for a reflection of their day.

Retreat days are only successful when you have a wonderful team of people helping to organise, supervise and participate before, during and after the day.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the following people for their assistance: Mrs Jacqueline Warren and Ms Jade Marinelli for facilitating the spiritual activities of the Prayer Labyrinth and Christian Meditation; Mrs Melissa Jones and Mrs Lenore Krutzfeldt for cooking and serving our amazing lunch; Mrs Donna Cole and her Year 11 Hospitality Class for allowing us to use their kitchen space and assisting with cutting the cake and fruit for afternoon tea; Mrs Julie Hutchinson for driving our College bus and supervising at the pool; my homeroom teachers – Ms Maddison Stone, Mrs Mary Horton, Mr Hein Kamffer and Ms Dianne Imarisio for supervising and participating in all the activities with the students; to our amazing student leaders Jackson Siemer, Erena Arsenich, Emily Barturen, Nicholas Thinee, Tara Gavan and Breana Waerea who assisted staff and students on the day with every activity and also with the setup of the day; and Mr William Morganson for assisting me in many aspects of the preparation of the day.

Considering that the week leading up to the retreat had us experiencing poor weather and limited food in town due to the flooding in the district, the staff and students had a wonderful day overall which was a perfect way for the Year 7 cohort to start their first year of high school.

This is an exciting year, particularly for our Year 10’s as they have their first taste of work experience. I encourage all students to participate in at least one placement this year. Work experience is most beneficial in helping students to decide on careers they wish to pursue (or not).

WORK EXPERIENCE - APPLICATIONS CLOSE 1ST MARCH

Work Experience applications are now open for the following students:

Year 10 (Rice and Mackillop Houses)

Year 11 - ALL Students

Year 12 - ALL Students

See Mrs Coghlan in Careers if you need assistance finding a placement.

Parents, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me to organise a time to discuss your child’s career possibilities. fcoghlan@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

TAFE

Tafe has commenced for Year 11/12 students who will commence week long block learning throughout the year. The courses they attend include Automotive, Electrical, Health and Construction.

New School Based Traineeships

Congratulations to the following students who commenced their traineeships in December of last year.

Kelsey Verhoeven - Cert III Education Support - St Kieran’s Catholic Primary School

Jemima Slatter - Cert III Education Support - St Kieran’s Catholic Primary School

These opportunities cannot happen without the support of employers.  So a big thank you to our host employers (past and present). You are providing our young people with amazing skills and qualifications and for that we are very grateful.

QLD Minerals & Energy Ambassador Program

Last December students Tara Gavan and Jordan Dew attended the QMEA Ambassador Program in Brisbane.  Here is their story…..

To increase our understanding of the resources sector, meet with renowned industry and education representatives and develop leadership skills, both Jordan Dew and I, Tara Gavan, applied for the QMEA Ambassador Program for 2019. The program applications were open to students across Queensland, who showed an interest in pursuing a trade or professional pathway into the resources sector. Out of a pool of 51 applicants, both Jordan and I, were selected to represent our school and the wider community as QMEA Ambassadors, alongside 18 other successful students - all of whom we still keep in contact with today.

As part of our new role, we attended an all-expenses paid, 3 day trip to Brisbane, from the 5th-7th of December 2018. We stayed at St. Leo’s college (The University of Queensland), and kick-started the trip with ice-breaker activities and setting up a Professional Networking account (LinkdIn). The following day was jam packed with tours in some of QLD’s most significant companies including:

• Hastings Deerings - CATS main supplier of earth moving equipment in QLD
• SIMTARS - The ‘Safety In Mines Testing and Research Station’
• BHP’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre - The head monitoring office for all BHP Mines across QLD.
• CSIRO QCAT - The home of some of Australia’s ground breaking research such as WIFI.

By the evening we scavenged across Southbank and returned to St Leo’s where our mentors helped us develop skills to put forward as we enter a professional world. On our final day, the QMEA hosted their annual breakfast, where our new roles and other achievements were recognised/acknowledged by several future employers and the commendable Minister of Education, Grace Grace. Now, over the next 12 months with our new roles, we will participate in more QMEA oriented activities which will help us immensely after school as we apply for trade/study pathways.

UQ YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Last December students Breanna Waerea and Tara Gavan attended the University of Qld Young Scholars program.  They are calling this a “life changing experience”.

The University of Queensland’s Young Scholars Program (UQYSP) was by far the best thing we have ever done in our lives. It not only inspired us to focus our goals on studying at university in our desired courses after school, but it united us with several other young change-makers, who share a passion for leadership, academic achievement and community development in today’s global society.

In the lead up to the week long event, we received a remarkable amount of funding from the GSCC Parents and Friends Association, AUSIMM, and the (now closed) Mount Isa Music Festival Committee. Their sponsorship went towards both the program costs ($615) and booking of flights, and to show our appreciation, we wore shirts with their logos embedded on the back on several occasions during our trip.

For many of the 200 students selected, it was their first time at the University of Queensland, and for ourselves, at an actual university.  It was certainly a camp for allstars with the amount of talent each student showed from debating, revising the first 300 numbers of pi, playing instruments without sheet music, all the way to excellent and hilarious improvisation skills.

Without writing an essay, the sport fanatics (and anyone interested!) could expose their talents through morning fitness classes, fencing, tennis and ultimate frisbee (just to name a few) which revealed us all to some of the many sports/organisations held at UQ. The academically inclined students could share their knowledge at several faculty workshops held across the campus, which gave us first hand exposure to our potential future courses. The Arts oriented students could flex their singing/instrumental talents in front of everyone at our final night where we had a formal dinner and dance. And for almost everyone, they had the ability to excel in all of these activities, showing that we are capable of almost anything, as long as our output resembles the input. Everyday, we were also gifted with one or two keynote speakers as they shared their inspiring journeys towards a successful and rewarding life, whether it was through an academic, sporting or major social impact.

We would highly recommend this program for any Year 11 students who are very keen on going to university after school, and wish to have preliminary exposure to the life as it is a giant step up from school. It's a great way to make connections with people you will definitely cross paths with in the near future, and it's the best way to end Year 11 as you transition into the most important part of your schooling life, particularly if you wish to take a 'professional' pathway.

If anyone would like to know more about the program please don't hesitate to contact us (Breanna Waerea and Tara Gavan). It's a life changing experience and as two of your house captains, we will be on the lookout for students who we think will also benefit from it this year.

Introducing the 2019 Arts Team

Welcome to a brand new year in The Arts at GCSS. We have had some changes to our staffing over the 2018/2019 holiday period.

Introducing Ms Kara Jensen who is teaching Yr7 Drama, Yr9 Drama and Yr10 Drama.

Welcome back to the department Ms Caitlin Conway who is teaching Yr7 Music and Yr8 Dance.

Miss Kate Johnson who is teaching Yr9 Music and String Ensemble.

Miss Ann-Marie Lesca who is teaching Yr7 Media, Yr8 Media, Yr9 Media and Yr10 Media.

Miss Sheridan Scott who is teaching Yr8 Drama, Yr8 Music, and Yr 11/12 Drama.

Miss Marinelli who is teaching Yr10 Music and Yr 11/12 Music.

Ms Catherine Motteram who is teaching Instrumental Music.

And myself who is teaching Yr7 Art through to Yr 12.

Changes to Assessment Due Dates - 07DRA & 09DRA

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Due to some unavoidable circumstances, there is a change to your child's assessment dates for Yr7 Drama and Yr9 Drama.

• 07DRA - performing task from 12/03/19 to 19/03/19  
• 09DRA - presenting task from the 15/03/19 to 19/03/19

This information will be communicated to your child by the classroom teacher.

Please do not hesitate to contact the classroom teacher or myself in regards to this matter.

Equipment and Materials Requirements - Visual Art Subjects

As per the book list provided to parents and caregivers at the end of 2018, it is vital that your child is prepared for the visual art subject by having the materials outlined on the school booklist. These materials are vital and it is expected that they bring them to class every lesson along with their school diary and a charged laptop.

• A4 Visual Diary - can be purchased from the school office for $7.00

(Yr 7 and Yr 8 students are provided with a visual diary and a 2B pencil as apart of their school fees)

• 2 Lead Pencils
• 1 Pencil Eraser
• Clear Plastic Ruler
• 1 set of coloured pencils
• 1 glue stick
• 1 pair of scissors
• Pencil case

Welcome back one and all to what is shaping up to be another fantastic year in HPE. I would like to formally welcome and introduce, Mr Geoff Kustka (Sports Coordinator), Mr Jordan Harries, and Mr Hein Kamffer to the HPE department.

Swimming Carnival

The 2019 swimming carnival will be held in Week 7, Friday 15th March at Splashez Aquatic Centre. This is a compulsory school event, and all students are encouraged to be involved in the activities on the day. More information will follow in next fortnight’s newsletter regarding the Aquatics Carnival, including activities that will be held on the day. Will Benjamin be able to claim yet another trophy, or will Rice, Mackillop or Chisholm be able to knock them off top spot?

Uniform

Students must bring their sports uniform on the days they have a practical HPE lesson (this is indicated on their HPE prac/theory timetable which was distributed in class). At times, class teachers may advise students of a change to their prac/theory days due to assessment or school events. Please do not hesitate to contact individual teachers if you have any concerns about this process.

As per the uniform policy, students will be required to:

1. Arrive at school wearing their formal uniform.
2. Change into their sport uniform before their lesson (indicated on their timetables).
3. Be punctual and dressed for their HPE lesson.
4. Change out of their sport uniform at the end of their HPE lesson (students will be given 10 minutes to do so by their teacher’s).  
5. Leave school in their formal uniform.

Full sports uniform includes the sport shirt, shorts, and appropriate shoes for physical activity. Please see below for shoes that are NOT appropriate for physical activity:

If for some reason students are unable to meet the College uniform policy or do not have their full sport uniform, this must be explained in a note signed by the parent/guardian. Likewise, if a student cannot participate due to illness or injury, please explain this in a note, as well as their limitations.

The sporting year is fully underway now. Volleyball is being taught in HPE lessons, netball trials are now complete and many other sporting endeavours are just commencing. Here are the highlights:

MISSA TRIALS

It has been great to see so many students nominate for the upcoming Mount Isa School Sports Association Trials for Rugby League and Touch that are coming up very soon. We will update you with the outcomes of the trials in the next newsletter. Any students who get chosen from the MISSA trials will then go onto the NW Regional Trials.

TRIATHLON

This weekend GSCC will be competing in the All Schools Triathlon Festival. Good luck to all those competing. The senior division is being held on Sunday at Lake Moondarra, 8am start and the U14 will be held at Splashez at 4pm.  Results will be in the next newsletter.

HOUSE BASKETBALL

The Yr 11/12 house basketball competition has begun. It is drawing large crowds every Wednesday and Friday at the Outdoor Basketball Court. Week 1 results are: Rice defeated Chisholm and Benjamin defeated Mackillop.

NETBALL REPORT

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at the College, with the GSCC Netball Club completeing grading and some teams have already commensed training. On Thursday 7th February and Monday 11th of February, roughly 50 GSCC girls attended grading for a spot on one of the competitive, senior or junior netball teams. An incredible amount of talent and sportsmanship was on display these days, and we are very excited to continue to work on and develop this talent.

This year we have experienced a growth at the club, and as a result are welcoming additional teams, fresh and experienced students, and more coaches and managers to accommodate the club’s growing popularity in the community. Our Junior teams, GSCC Scorchers, GSCC Lightning, GSCC Cyclones, GSCC Power and GSCC Spirit, coached/managed by Mr Josh Schofield-Smyth, Miss Kara Jensen, Mr James Coghlan, Miss Caitlin Conway, Mrs Lenore Krutzfeldt and Mrs Jenny Tyrrell will be playing their first round this Saturday & Sunday night. Our GSCC Storm (QISSN team) coached/managed by Miss Nikki Dalla Vecchia, Miss Kristie Broad and Miss Tiffany Apap. Also we have two other senior teams with GSCC Fury, staff team and GSCC Joeys, staff team to kick off their season this weekend both nights from 5pm at the Mount Isa Netball Courts.

We are looking forward to a great season, with lots of fun and laughter!

Netball Joke - “How do netballers stay cool? - They sit next to their fans”.

Homework Help

The Homework help program is held in the Library Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. From 3 - 4 pm.

To attend students need to:

• Return a signed homework help form (copies available in the office and library), this can be returned at the office or to Ms Keating in the library.
• Sign in and out via the sign in sheet (their attendance is recorded on Chronicle and is viewable to parents).

Students from all year levels can attend two sessions a week. There are five teachers at every session who can help students with a variety of subjects offering one on one and small group work support.  

For more information including the staff roster for term 1, students can visit the homework help page on the student intranet site.  

It may be useful to plan out with your student what days to attend by when assessments are due. Assessment calendars can be accessed via the school website under the student tab - studies and assessments.

Screen free library times - changes to times during assessment period.

Students have responded positively to the screen free times; with many becoming passionate chess players and board game extraordinaires. As more assessments start to become due the library will allow students from weeks 5 - 9  to use computers in second break to complete study and homework across all year levels.

Students will still not be permitted to use their devices in first break until 11:20 am to encourage them to have a brain break so they are ready to learn for the rest of the day.

"Good Shepherd Catholic College is proud to present the upcoming musical on the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz—but with a twist… it’s coming to Oz...tralia! That’s right, we’ve taken the hit 70’s adaptation ‘The Wiz’ and set it in our beloved Outback. Join Dot (no longer Dorothy) as she journeys through Mount Isa with a mission to get back home, becoming friends with creatures she least expected to and battling enemies along the way. Be prepared for lots of fun, giggles, musical numbers and good old inside jokes when you meet our quirky cast of characters on an exciting adventure through the Aussie outback. Will Dot find her way home or will she be stranded in the hot, humid and sticky place we’ve grown to know and love, as Mount Isa? Find out when you come to see our musical, "The Wiz."

By Igee Petalcorin

Did you know that you can now order School Uniforms from the Good Shepherd Catholic College Website? Here is the link Uniform Shop Order Form. Once the form has been filled out and submitted your order will be filled and you will be notified when it is ready for collection, payment can be made at the College Office apon pick up of order.