“Peace of mind is only attained through the self-satisfaction in knowing that you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.” Coach John Wooden

As we move into the final few weeks of this very busy third term, I thought I’d take time to relate some of the wonderful successes we’ve enjoyed over the previous eight weeks. Term 3 is always packed with activity and this year has been no exception. Only two weeks ago we hosted the GSCC Business Breakfast. This very successful and well attended event was managed by Fiona Coghlan (Careers Advisor) and included a delicious breakfast, provided by Donna Cole and the student Hospitality Team. An excellent address was delivered by Guest Speaker, Senior Sergeant Renee Hanrahan (Mount Isa Police) and was entitled Future Focus. We were also privileged to have Ms. Jacqui Francis (Executive Director – TCEO) in attendance.

Ms. Francis and other members of the Senior Leadership Team (Directors – Ross Horner, Louise Vella-Cox and Jennifer Blackshaw) were in attendance on the day, for our Post Renew Validation. The day was exceptional with visitation to classes, a special assembly where our Certificate of Validation was presented, lunch with the staff and discussions held with the GSCC SLT, the SRC, members of the P&F and Board and the broader community of Good Shepherd. The TCEO SLT was very impressed with the quality and positivity of our students and the keen interest shown by the community to ensure Catholic Education in Mount Isa continues to flourish.

The last two weeks have witnessed extraordinary successes by many of our students who are engaged in a host of different avenues of educational experiences on offer at GSCC. Results for the Education Perfect National Championships saw great success by our Science students who achieved 9 Credits, 7 Bronze and 2 Silver Awards. Our NAPLAN results for Years 7 and 9 for 2019 show improvement in Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation, Writing and Reading. It was heartening to notice a 6 point improvement in Yr 9 Writing, taking our results above the State mean. As you may have heard in the media writing standards have been a great concern nationally.

This Thursday, five of our students, Darcy Ryder, Ethan White, Jake Foschi, Jarred Alexander and Tomisha Hankin-Muir, have been nominated for TAFE Excellence Awards and will attend a special function to celebrate the great work being done in this area. This is the largest number of students nominated for these awards and I am looking forward to seeing if they are successful. We have had several winners over recent years. I would also like to mention that GSCC will be hosting the 2020 launch of the Girls 4 Mining program, managed by Glencore, next Tuesday afternoon. Once again we have a record number of 18 female students participating this year.

Congratulations must also go to our Junior Optiminds Team who won the Science and Engineering section of the competition recently and to Jaden Sweet and Alison Godfrey who have been selected for the UQ Young Scholars Program. Personal achievements such as Connor Boshoff (2^nd- National Duathlon Championships) and Lincoln Macmillan (State Golden Glove winner - Boxing) also reflect positively on the success of the school. Such great achievers speak volumes for the GSCC community.

Last week we celebrated our Feast Day or Founders Day. Each year this day is held to recognize those who give their names to our houses; Edmund Rice, Caroline Chisholm, Mary MacKillop and Bishop Benjamin and who in their tireless work for the poor and disadvantaged offer us examples on which to model our own lives. It was a great day enjoyed by all who participated, thank you to Jacqueline Warren and all the staff for their tireless work on the day, both entertaining and feeding the “troops”.

We are currently enrolling incoming Yr 7 students for 2020. What a delight it is to see their enthusiasm and excitement about coming to Good Shepherd next year, many of them are already achieving highly and have shown leadership capacities in their former schools. We have also been interviewing Yr. 11 nominees for Leadership positions for next year. What a fine group of young men and women, confident, articulate and keen to serve as Yr 12 leaders next year.

At GSCC we have continued to work hard to ensure all student needs are catered for and as we approach the final term for 2019 it is rewarding to see so many of our students working hard to experience the community, live the values and achieve the success that is at the heart of what we do in this place. To return to Coach John Wooden (one of the most successful Basketball coaches in US history), “Never cease trying to be the best you can be – that is under your control….make each day your masterpiece”.

Good Shepherd Day was celebrated last Friday with a mass to begin the festivities. We reflected on our House Patrons Bishop Benjamin, Caroline Chishom, Saint Mary MacKillop and Blessed Edmund Rice and the key role they have in establishing the beliefs and values we hold as a college community. We then had a morning tea with celebratory house coloured cakes before moving on to year level rotational activities. The day ended with a dance off where students earned spirit points for their houses for participating. The overall winner for the day was Chisholm House. Congratulations to all who participated.

Next Thursday, September 12, all Australians are asked to take the time to ask the people around them “Are you ok?”. 

R U OK? Day is our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that any day is the day to ask, “Are you ok?” and support those struggling with life. Taking part can be as simple as learning R U OK?’s four steps so you can have a conversation that could change a life.

It’s important that if you’ve got a niggling feeling that someone you know or care about isn’t behaving as they normally would or perhaps they seem out of sorts, agitated or withdrawn, trust your instincts and act on it.

By starting a conversation and commenting on the changes you’ve noticed, you could help that family member, friend or colleague open up. If they say they are not ok, you can follow the conversation steps (below) to show them they’re supported and help them find strategies to better manage the load. If they are ok, that person will know you’re someone who cares enough to ask. On Friday the 20th of September as a College we will recognise R U Ok? Day through a range of activities.

Queensland Core Skills Test

It has been a busy week for our students at Good Shepherd, particularly for our Yr 12 students who sat the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) test on Tuesday and Wednesday. This test consisted of four sessions which was on writing, short responses and multiple choice questions. The students involved should be proud of their efforts leading up to this test, as well as their high spirits and confidence on the days. 

The infiltration of events like this involve a number of people within the schooling community. On behalf of the college I would like to thank Mr Domenico Cullen for preparing breakfast and lunch for all students involved, Fr. Mick Lowcock who joined us in prayer on Wednesday morning, Mr John Harrop, Mrs Melissa Jones and other supervisors who assisted with the tests across the two days. 

We are very proud of our students and how hard they have worked.

Year 8 NAPLAN Trial - Week 9
The entire Yr 8 cohort will be involved in a NAPLAN trial next week on Tuesday in their English lessons. This is an amazing opportunity for students to trial the new online platform that they will be using in 2020 for the NAPLAN test. This trial will not record students details or their results, it is purely used to introduce the students to the software and check that it will support this amount of users for a smooth delivery in years to come. 

2019 NAPLAN results

The college received some insightful and exciting news this week with the first release of NAPLAN data for the 2019 test, which Yr 7 and Yr 9 students sat earlier this year in May. Once NAPLAN have released individual students results they will be distributed to families. 

The Yr 9 cohort showed improvement in most of the areas. Improvements were shown in spelling, grammar and punctuation, writing, and reading. We are currently above the state mean for spelling and writing, and just slightly below the state mean for grammar/punctuation, reading and numeracy. This is an incredible achievement for these students. 

Our Yr 7 students tested above the state mean for spelling, on the state mean for writing, and just under the state mean for grammar/punctuation, reading and numeracy. We saw improvements in the Yr 7s spelling and writing from their past results. 

As a college we are impressed with the considerable improvement in results from previous years. Congratulations to students on their hard work and a big thank you to both teachers and parents for your ongoing support to help our students do their very best. 

Assessment Time

I just wanted to remind all students and families about some important aspects of our assessment policy, especially as we are leading into the busiest time of term for the submission of assignments. 

Assessment must be submitted on or before the due date: if a student fails to submit an assessment on or before the due date (without considerable documentation or extensions forms which have been completed and approved) their draft will be marked and reported on as their final submission. 

Plagiarism: If students have a significant proportion of their assessment plagiarised (equating to 50% or above) the students draft will be used as their final submission. This 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.  

Applications for extensions: We as a College acknowledge that there are circumstances out of a student's control that may stop them from producing work by the due date or to the best of their ability. If this is the case please contact the classroom teacher to inform them and fill out an extension form 3 days before the assessment is due. The classroom teacher in consultation with the curriculum leader will consider this and inform the students of the outcome, if approved the students will be provided with a new submission date.

Last week all Yr 8 Science classes were given the opportunity to visit and undertake a tour of the underground Hardtime Mine at Outback @ Isa.

The trip was to bring together the science learning of the group which this term has focussed on the rock cycle and how various jobs relate to mining and geology.

Learning about the development of mining techniques from retired miners who kept us all educated and entertained was fantastic.

A huge thanks to Butch, Bill and Alan who we are so greatful to for your knowledge, patience and honesty.

Thanks also to Mr Harries, Mr Gono and Mr Morganson who took time out to come along and help out.

Over the last two terms, during Pastoral Care lessons, our Yr 12’s have learnt from a range of guest speakers. We’d like to thank the following people for taking time to spend with our students:

City & Country Realty - John Tully talked about renting, buying your first home, what defaulting means, things to be mindful of when sharing accommodation.

Wardles - Amy and Glenn helped our students understand the importance of budgeting and also discussed tax.

Qld Country Credit Union - Graham and Narelle provided information about forming a savings pattern, bad debts and how they can affect you, being a guarantor on a loan and what deposit you need for your first home loan.

Tom Troxell (former student) - life at University, what to expect, tips on how to focus on your studies.

Qld Police Service - Scott and Darryl focussed on road safety and consequences of bad judgement.

Rob Katter - how the political system works and the voting process.

Glencore - workplace expectations and how to apply for apprenticeship intake, school leavers and graduate programs.

Business Owners - Peta McRae and Travis Crowther shared their stories about how they started their own businesses and taking opportunities. They also gave advice on what employers are looking for as our students leave school and seek jobs.

Former students - Maclean Gosney, Diane Godfrey and Kate Troxell. Each shared their stories about their schooling experiences and where they are now. They also gave advice for students as they prepare to leave school.

SCHOOL BASED TRAINEESHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS

Here are pictures of some of our school based trainees and apprentices in action at their workplaces.

UQ YOUNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Congratulations to Yr 11 Students Alison Godfrey and Jayden Sweet who were successful in their applications to attend the University of Qld Young Scholars Program at the end of the year. The five day residential camp at St Lucia campus with help our students gain insights into university life and various fields of study.  They will also be engaged in group discussions and attend a range of social, sporting and cultural activities.  

For Yr 10 students interested in applying next year, see the link below for more information about the program.

https://young-scholars.uq.edu.au/

TAFE TRADE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

This Thursday evening five of our senior students are in the running to receive a TAFE Trade Excellence Award.

Each year TAFE teachers nominate students whom they believe have shown excellence in their application and attitude towards their TAFE studies.

Congratulations to the following students for their nominations:

Jake Foshi, Year 12 - Certificate II Automotive Electrical Technology

Jarred Alexander, Year 12 - Certificate II Automotive Electrical Technology

Jim White, Year 11 - Certificate II Electrotechnology

Darcy Ryder, Year 11 - Certificate I Construction

Misha Hankin-Muir, Year 11 - Certificate I Construction