It has been a great privilege to serve as the Acting Principal of Good Shepherd Catholic College for the last few weeks. I have been touched by the generous and welcoming spirit of the students and families of the College and the hard-working staff. Good Shepherd is a faith-filled school that is committed to providing a high quality education for its students. It faces its challenges like all schools, but its dedicated staff are steadfastly loyal to the community and nurturing of  their students.

Last week I attended a speech to Year 12 students with past student Tom Troxell, who spoke passionately about how his love of learning stemmed from his time at Good Shepherd. After being granted Dux of the College in 2014, he went on to university in Brisbane and studied to become a Chemical Engineer. He now lives back in Mt Isa, working at Glencore. This love of learning remains a high priority in the College and under the guidance of teachers, Careers advisers and parents, students at Good Shepherd know that if they work hard, they can be whoever they want to be. The school is also very well supported by Fr Mick and the Parish and of course, by our wonderful parents and families. This partnership is vital for the success of any school.

At the end of the term we will farewell some staff whose families are either relocating or they are moving on to other endeavours. We say good-bye to:

Andrew McKerihan

John Telford

Vickie McKelvie

Kate Johnson

Jenny Adolfo

Congratulations also to Jana Sivaloganathan and his fiance Divya Nagulendran who will be married in Sri Lanka over the holidays. Jana will take a short break to celebrate this special occasion.

We congratulate Samantha Kelley on her recent appointment to Acting Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning) and Domenico Cullen as Acting Humanities and Year 12 Pastoral Leader. Their leadership in driving the changes to the new QCE and Senior Phase of Learning, will be instrumental to the success of students at the College.

Staff we are welcoming to the College from next term include Stephanie Spano, Robynne Halliday, Anna Viljoen, Jane Edminston, Lynn Gillies-Hughes and our new Teacher Librarian Emma Drover.

A special thank you to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Steering Committee who have been busy planning the College’s NAIDOC Week celebrations this Friday. It promises to be an engaging and momentous day, focused on the theme of Voice, Treaty, Youth.  Students and parents are reminded that school finishes at 1.15pm that day so staff can participate in Cultural Competence professional development in the afternoon.

Enjoy your holidays and stay safe.

God bless.

Next term the College will be celebrating Catholic Education Week from Friday 26th of July until Friday 2nd of June. The week will begin with the Catholic Education Week Dinner hosted by our Hospitality students here in the Lumen Christi Centre. The night will be used as a fundraiser for students who are attending the Hospitality camp later in the year. (Please see the flyer attached.)

Monday 29th July Year 7s have been invited to attend St Joseph’s Primary School for a concert by Michael Mangan followed by lunch and a celebratory mass. Wednesday we will host our annual Principal’s Awards to celebrate the academic success of students. 

There will also be a number of other activities for students to participate in and celebrate all the wonderful things happening in Catholic Education. 

Please see invitations early next term for more details.

Another successful and very busy term is concluding and students and teachers have earned themselves a rest. The College wishes our students and families a safe and restful holiday. We recommence on Tuesday July 16 to embark on the journey to the end of the year. Over the holidays our Year 11 students will attend their Ski Camp. I wish them all the best and am looking forward to sharing this experience with them. I would like to thank Mrs Kate Thinee our Year 11 Pastoral Leader for all of the preparation she has put in to ensure our students have an amazing experience away. For parents & families with students attending the Ski trip, be sure to check in on our College Facebook page for updates of our camp experiences.

At the College, we love to share the wonderful achievements of our students. If there are any achievements you would like us to promote on our College Facebook page, please email us with the information and relevant photo/s to enquiries@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au.

The College has a uniform for a number of reasons, the most important of which is to allow all our students to be identified as members of the College, uniting us in the eyes of the wider community. At the beginning of every semester we, as a staff, make a concerted effort to remind and enforce all students to be wearing the correct uniform. We do this to ensure that the high standard of student presentation is maintained. This presentation is noticed by the community and affords our students a positive association when applying for work in Mount Isa. If your child is going to be out of uniform, please send a note with them to school explaining the issue. 

Our College uniform shop is fully stocked with all uniform items except shoes.

We are now accepting Year 7 enrolments for 2020. Enrolment packs can be collected from the College office. Our College Open night will be taking place on Wednesday 24th of July. This is an opportunity for Year 6 students and their parents to learn more about Good Shepherd and meet our staff.

Hello July, goodbye June! Hump month (so it is called in the urban dictionary) the month that separates the semesters of a school year. As we approach the end of June, we enter into the second half of 2019 which opens up many possibilities and new beginnings. Perhaps it's the end of financial year sales, the time for tax returns, holidays to warmer places (or those dreaming of holidays to warmer places). June/July always brings a sense of anticipation for what the second half of the year might entail. It is important that we take the time these holidays to relax, refresh, and rejuvenate in preparation for what I am sure will be another busy but exciting, Semester Two.

Semester One Report Cards will be available to parents via the Compass Parent Portal by the end of the Week. This report will include an overall level of achievement for all students in Years 7 - 12. This level of achievement will be based on the assessment completed in Term 1. 

All Reports will be accessible via Compass Parent Portal. 

By now, all parents should have received their Compass login information. If you have not yet collected this from the College office, please do so before Friday 28th June so that you have access to your child’s report over the holidays. This will not be available if you have not collected your login details. The Compass Portal allows you access to live attendance data, Report Cards, and other important information about your child’s education. 

Please see the guide attached with further information for using the Compass Parent Portal.

Since this is the first year we are transitioning to online reports, parents that do not have access to a computer and would like to request a hard copy report, please contact the College office to arrange this for Term 3.

Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews will also become available for booking at the end of the week. This information will be emailed out to parents. Parent Teacher Interviews are being held on Tuesday 30th July in the Lumen Christi Centre. There are two interview blocks: 3:30-6:00pm and 6:30pm-7:30pm and interviews run for 10 minutes each. As you can imagine, report cards only allow us to give you a snapshot of your child's progress, we encourage and invite you to book a parent-teacher-student interview to allow for more detailed conversations in regards to your child’s learning.

Further instructions on how to use the online booking site will be emailed out to all parents when the booking system opens at the end of the week. The interview system will remain open until 3pm on Monday 29 July. After that, you will only be able to view your bookings. Should you need to make any last minute cancellations or changes, you will need to contact the front office on 4743 2509. We look forward to discussing your child's progress with you.

Year 10 parents and students will be receiving additional information with their report around the options for Semester Two subject selections. This information will include a letter outlining the College’s recommendations as to which subjects students should study, based on their results from Semester One. Students will also be required to complete a Google form to select their subjects. This will be emailed to them.

Students who do not select subjects before the due date will be timetabled in to the recommended subjects for Term 3. We encourage students to think carefully about their subjects for Semester Two to ensure they are best prepared for their transition into Year 11 in 2020. 

Finally, next Term I will be on leave for three weeks. I would like to wish Miss Caitlin Conway luck, who will be stepping into Administration in my absence. If you have any issues or concerns please contact Miss Conway.

Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to thank the schooling community for your support as I transition from my role as Curriculum Leader for Humanities and Social Sciences into the Acting Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning. I am looking forward to working with you all throughout my time in this position. 

As it is the end of semester 1 and a day closer to the report cards being distributed to families I challenge all students to use this time for reflection. Reflection could be focused around time management, academic grades or achievements, drafting practices, attitude and application to class work. The purpose of this reflection is to evaluate or reassess goals that students had established at the beginning of the semester and either tweak or develop new ones for term 3. An American Philosopher who is often used to call upon in regards to reflection is John Dewey, who released ground breaking research in 1991 on the significance of self-reflection in students lives. He stated that it is through reflection that students are fostering critical thinking while demonstrating professional values and skills. 

In light of students reflections it is important to consider how much time is being prioritised each week for homework or assignment preparation. The Queensland Government has set out guidelines for homework, including the amount of time students should spend on homework each week. The policy briefly outlines the following: 

• Year 7: up to 3-4 hours per week
• Year 8 and 9: up to 5 hours per week 
• Year 10: up to 6-8 hours per week 
• Year 11 and 12: up to 9-10 hours per week 

The students are provided with assignment time during their classes, however, depending on the conditions of the task, responses are required to be completed away from the classroom.

In term 3 there are a number of important curriculum events, especially for the year 12 students undertaking the QCS pathway in Week 8. The 2019 cohort of Year 12 students are the last cohort that will be sitting the QCS test, as we transition away from this to the new ATAR system. 

The Year 11 students will also be transitioning onto their Year 12 studies after their retreat in week 4 of term 4. This will mean that the current Year 11 students will enter into Year 12 at the beginning of week 5, term 4.

The Year 10 students will also be provided with an opportunity in semester 2 to study electives in preparation for their subject selections for Year 11. I encourage students to select their electives and Year 11 subjects based on their interests, strengths, abilities and future pathways. This is an amazing opportunity to provide students with a snapshot of what to expect in Year 11 and 12. 

I hope that you all have a safe, joyful and restful break before we hit the ground running for term 3.

Former Good Shepherd Student Tom Troxell spent time with Year 12 students to talk about what to expect as they head off to university next year. 

Some of Tom’s tips included:

• Set yourself a rigid study schedule (otherwise you can get caught up in too many activities).
• Get involved with “like minded” people so you have a sense of community/belonging.
• Say ‘YES” to opportunities that will help you learn and grow.

Our Year 7’s had a fabulous Tuesday afternoon learning about the physics involved with flying a paper aeroplane.  Glencore representative Keith Cox was on hand to provide some “pre-flight” information about the importance of symmetry and aerodynamics.

Congratulations to the winning team “Good Shepherd Boys”.

Our latest Careers Newsletter includes:

• What is a Cytotechnologist?
• Registering as a Psychologist
• TAFE qualification at School
•  Paediatric (children) Nursing
•  Air Force Roles
•  Female Tradies
•  Steps to getting an apprenticeship
• School Holiday programs

  https://www.careertools.com.au/resources/newsletters/qld/2019/t2_w9_2019_qld.pdf

As another term draws to a close it has been a really busy time at GSCC with students participating in the Rugby Tri- Series , Inter House Athletics,  Inter School Athletics, Cross Country and various MISSA trials/competitions. End of term gives us a time to reflect on the achievements of our busy students.

Game 3 of the Tri-Series has concluded with the Open girls and the U15 boys emerged victorious with a comprehensive 3-0 overall victorie for both teams. The Open boys were pipped by golden point in extra time to go down 2-1 in their series. All students involved put in a lot of time and effort to produce these results. Everyone can be proud of their achievements.

Benjamin remain overall house champions after a strong challenge by Rice. Chisholm won the Spirit award, whilst as a College we secured the Overall and Junior District Shields back from Spinifex after 3 barren years. All students that participated put in a great effort. Special mention though to Breanna Waerea who has been chosen for 3 events in the State Championships after exceptional performances at the recent Longreach NW trials.

Overall 15 new school records were set at the School Carnival, and the age champions continue to show the strength and depth of athletics in the school. The age champions have been included below.

GSCC defended it’s Senior Cross Country shield with some fine individual performances. A team of approximately 20 runners represented the College and most of these gained either a first or second place.

Trials in rugby league, soccer, netball, athletics and cross country were during the term. Many students represented MISSA in NW trials and a high percentage of these were selected to move onto the Regional Trials. A few more even made it to the State Championships. As always GSCC students are the backbone of the MISSA teams. Well done to all those involved.

The Great Western Games are on at the moment. Many GSCC students are competing in a wide variety of sports that are on offer. One of the outstanding performances so far has been Patrick Roche who was awarded 2 x Gold Medals on the weekend for his performance while representing the Mount Isa Pistol Club. He won 1 for Junior Air Pistol and 1 for 25m Target Pistol. Many congratulations.

School Carnival Records

In Term 3 on Friday 26th July, our Senior Hospitality students will be hosting a 3 course dinner to celebrate Catholic Education Week.

Our hospitality students will showcase their skills with cooking and serving you a 3 course dinner which will consist of Entrée, Main, Dessert and to finish, complimentary coffee from the Café. There will be bar facilities available, a lucky door prize and raffles on the night. Tickets are available from the front office, $55 per person.

The dinner will contribute towards competency requirements of their Certificate II in Hospitality and also fundraise for their Hospitality camp in 2020. Students will attend a weeklong H.O.T.E.L Education programme which will allow them to participate in an industry environment. The camp will enrich their skills base in the hospitality and tourism industry to gain further competency in their Certificate but is also fantastic experience which will help develop the student’s confidence as young adults about to enter the working chapter of their lives.

Hope you can join us for a night filled with great food.

A Special Thank you to Laura Szabadics for designing the poster and Tickets for this dinner.

On Friday the 14th of June, Ms Katherine Algie and members of the History Club departed the school grounds at 9am to walk to the Mount Isa Underground Museum for a private tour. Earlier this year, Good Shepherd’s History club partnered with the Mount Isa Underground Hospital Museum to conduct a research project linking Mount Isa’s local history to the Bombing of Darwin. This information will be displayed on a plaque at the end of the year. This excursion was to educate the History Club students on the history of the local hospital. Throughout the tour, members took notes as the tour guide talked about the connection between the Mount Isa Mines, Mount Isa Base Hospital, and Mount Isa Underground Museum. The History Club respectfully observed the Onton Tunnels and were fascinated by the various objects displayed at the museum. This excursion was worthwhile and informative.

Written by Igee Petalcorin