Student Protection is everybody’s business. All people who work in schools have an important responsibility to ensure that children are safe from harm or abuse. Sadly, the historical abuses documented in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse predominately took place in religious institituions such as schools, boarding houses and while on camps, excursions or school activities. Recently I attended the Townsville Principals’ Conference and we got to hear from Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM who gave us an overview of some of the harrowing statements of the victims and importantly the lessons we can learn from past failures to make our schools more safe. He outlined the following ways that we can create a safe space for young people (or indeed anyone experiencing abuse) to disclose their abuse in a supportive way:

• Access to a ‘safe’ adult whom they can trust;
• Opportunities at school and in the home to raise or discuss concerns about abuse;
• Accurate information about what constitutes sexual abuse or harm;
• Peer support for young people;
• Students know that bullying will be dealt with. 

Interestingly, Mr Fitzgerald noted that if students see that schools adequately deal with bullying, they will more than likely report sexual abuse.

At Good Shepherd Catholic College, we promise to take matters of bullying, abuse or suspicion of harm or sexual abuse very, very seriously. We work closely with the Student Protection team at the Townsville Catholic Education Office, Mount Isa Police Child Protection Investigation Unit and the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women to report any matters related to Student Protection.

Sadly, we also learnt from Mr Fitzgerald’s presentation that incidences of child sexual abuse has not decreased in the home. His message from the Royal Commission was "if only we had listened to children". He documented that if abuse is not believed by parents or teachers, it can have a lasting profound impact. Perhaps there is an opportunity for you to open a dialogue with your child about these matters and if you need any support at all from the College, please do not hesitate to make contact.

Absence from school

We understand that sometimes being absent from school cannot be helped especially if students are unwell. However, taking unnecessary time off from school does prove problematic.

While we will try to accommodate absence, it is not possible for students to simply catch up on a week’s worth of lessons. Take note that it is the student’s responsibility to catch up on missed class work, not the teacher’s responsibility.

Absence in the peak assessment times of a Term, or in Exam Block, is even more challenging. 

In Year 12, absence from assessments constitutes a misadventure that must be reported to QCAA who make a final decision on whether the assessment may be caught up.

Please carefully consider all absences from school.

As we come to the end of Week 7, Term 3 Exam Blocks are upon us!

This term all Year 10, 11 & 12 students will have an Exam Block, please see the timetables below for scheduling information. For Year 12 students, the purpose of these exams are to prepare for the upcoming External Examinations. For students in Engineering, we will contact parents/students next week if the additional time in Exam Block is required; at this stage it is likely that students will have all of their work completed by the time Exam Block begins.

Exam locations are as follows:

• Year 12 Exams will take place from Thursday 3 - Thursday 10 September  in D5 / D6 (Study in D8)
• Year 11 Exams will take place from Monday 7 - Thursday 10 September in the LCC (Study in F1)
• Year 10 Exams will take place from Tuesday 8 - Thursday 10 September in the LCC (Study in G3/G4)

Student Expectations for Exam Block:

• You should be studying/completing assessment at home; studying quietly in the Study Room, or completing an exam during exam block. Exam block is not free time.
• These exams are important preparation for your External Exams which will take place next Term. They are compulsory, and students should work hard so that they are able to make use of the exam feedback.
• When you arrive at school for your Exam you MUST sign in and out of the Office and Exams. 
• Please ensure you are on time for your exam (please see times/exam timetable below). You should arrive at the exam room 10 minutes prior to the exam commencing.
• Ensure you have all equipment required to successfully complete the exam.
• It is expected that you wear your full Formal Uniform when completing exams during exam block.
• You may be sent home to get the correct uniform before sitting your examination.
• Do not bring take away food, coffee or energy drinks into the school grounds during exam block.

As always, all assessment must be completed in order for students to be given exam block privileges.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement

‘To Live Life to the Full – Mental Health in Australia Today’

The Bishops issued the 2020-2021 Social Justice statement last month.  It is titled, ‘To Live Life to the Full – Mental Health in Australia Today’. Archbishop Mark Coleridge in the Foreward to the document states,  

“People experiencing mental ill-health are not some ‘other’ people, they are ‘us’. People in our families, faith communities, workplaces and society are suffering mental ill-health – and they can be of any age or socioeconomic background. Whoever and whatever they are, they need our understanding and support.” 

The Bishops observe that “our society tends to draw away from, or to push away, those who confront us with our frailties and limitations” which is “completely at odds with the story of Jesus” who “takes on the frailty of the human condition” and ”draws near to those who are sick or who have disabilities, those who are marginalized or despised”. People living with mental ill-health are part of the Body of Christ and share equally in Jesus’ promise of the fullness of life (Jn 10:10).

Archbishop Coleridge goes on to say, 

“During this time of pandemic, we have often heard it said that “we are all in this together”. The quality of our care for the people who are the most vulnerable or disadvantaged will be the test of whether or not this is true. A commitment to the common good means attending to the good of all of us, without exception. It means paying special attention to those who are most often overlooked, sidelined or excluded.”

While we are so blessed here in Mount Isa that we have not had first hand experience of COVID-19, there are many in our community who continue to be affected through isolation and ongoing distancing from family and friends. This takes its toll on Mental Health and so it is more important than ever that this community continues to support each other.  Let us pray together:

Jesus, you invite us all into the fullness of life. May we support one another to flourish in body, mind and spirit. Strengthen our commitment to ensure that nobody falls through gaps in our systems of care. You drew near to those who were suffering in body or mind. May we too feel your nearness when we struggle with mental health challenges. May we be one as members of Your Body. You invite us to share in your ministry of love and true compassion. May we be empowered by your Spirit to reach out to all people in need. May we build communities of welcome and inclusion. Amen

In Week 5, our Year 11 students embarked on a week’s retreat to prepare for their transition as leaders into Year 12. This year, we went to Echo Creek in Mission Beach near Tully. It was a great privilege and opportunity to escape the stressors that have been this year, and venture to this beautiful (and green) country. Students (and teachers) were certainly grateful to be able to get away from their normal routine and to spend the week together on this journey. 

The week started with a lovely stop at Rossiter Park, where we had breakfast by the river. We arrived at Echo Creek, after a very long and tiring bus trip through the night and spent the afternoon/evening reflecting on our retreat theme ‘Called to lead’.  The first two day activities were great in helping to build leadership and developing our relationships/connections as a cohort. Students participated in abseiling/rock climbing, leadership activities, and laser tag. We also ventured through tropical rainforest to swim in traditional healing ponds at the base of Echo falls. This was a great experience and students thoroughly enjoyed the refreshing water and traditional Indigneous stories. 

On the last day, students participated in a military inspired obstacle/challenge course. They also had the opportunity to go white water rafting on the Tully river, something that most of them had never experienced before. Through these activities, they showed true grit and leadership, supporting and encouraging each other through the obstacles and the challenges/fears that they had. They had many opportunities in the evenings to reflect and were always respectful and open minded to the experiences. We have been so inspired by them and their leadership potential. They have all developed awareness of values integral to effective leadership, and have certainly grown closer together as a cohort. They have represented our College well, and I am especially very proud of them.

What a busy Term 3 our students have had! It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of Week 7!
Our Year 7 students are certainly into the swing of our Good Shepherd Catholic College lifestyle, and they have come to see how busy their time at school is. Having recently returned from maternity leave, it has been great getting to know the “new” students who make up part of our college!

This term, our Year 7 students have been learning about Australian Literature, and the progression of literature throughout time. We have looked at several forms of Australian literature, and thought about how various representations and perspectives are being portrayed within various texts. We have had discussions on the history of Australia, looked into numerous Australian songs and advertisements, and contrasted Australia with other cultures, particularly our sense of humour and what can be considered as a laid back lifestyle. It has been great to see the progression and understanding the students have gained on how perspectives can vary, and particularly the way that representations can be formed in numerous ways through both visual and auditory pieces.

Students received their assessment tasks a couple of weeks ago, and they have recently submitted a draft. It is imperative that students take on the feedback that has been given to them, and ensure that they are seeking assistance from their teacher when they need some clarification. The final copy of their assessment task is due on Thursday, 3rd September. It is a requirement that students bring a printed copy of their task with their task sheet attached to hand to their teacher. As always, if there are any questions in regards to what your child is completing in class, please reach out to your child’s individual teacher, we are always more than happy to assist!

Term 4 is shaping up to be another busy term, and the students will be ending their time in Year 7 with a novel study. A lovely way to end what has been a very big 2020!

This term, Year 11 General English have been studying Post-Apocalyptic fiction, examining a range of texts consisting of poetry and short stories, with a significant focus on Nevil Shute’s 1950’s novel, “On the Beach” They each wrote a short story for their assessment which was compiled into a class booklet so they could share each other’s creativity and writing styles. The students have used a collaborative style of learning in the form of a yarning circle which has enabled them to be exposed to a range of perspectives and ideas, sharing the workload and enhancing their writing skills.

“I have enjoyed this style of collaborative learning because it allows me to engage more with my peers while still developing my analytical skills” Jamie.

“ I really enjoyed this work as I benefitted from the knowledge of my peers. Listening to other’s ideas has been really helpful for my writing” Prosper.

“ Listening to my peers during our discussions has opened my mind to new and inspiring ideas” Carly.

“ I really enjoyed the hands-on learning experiences that we were given which gave context to the study of post-apocalyptic texts and a greater understanding of what it means in our world” Jake.

“I’ve enjoyed this collaborative style of learning as it has enabled me to develop my higher order thinking skills through verbal communication” Amie.

As their teacher, I am very impressed with the manner in which the students have engaged in this model of learning and proud of the way in which they supported each other’s learning through respectful listening and lateral discussions. Once a week, this is coupled with the consumption of chocolate, snickerdoodles and muffins, which, not only sweetens their ideas but models that learning can be sugar-coated and easy to digest. I am proud of their efforts to date. Well done!

National Science Week

Congratulations to the winners of the National Science Week Library Scavenger Hunt. 628 recyclable containers were collected by the staff and students at the College over a 2 week period. 

Our winners, Hayleigh Moran and Kaitlin Laffin (Year 7) will share the $62.80 first prize. Our 2nd prize winner is Anthony Kleinman (Year 8) who receives a set of Sea-themed Erasers.

Midnight Sun Prize Raffle

It seems we are a ‘Team Edward’ College with 68% of the votes to win a copy of the new Twilight novel, Midnight Sun, by Stephenie Meyer going with the vampires not the werewolves.

Congratulations to Makayla Davies (Year 8) who was the raffle winner.

Thank You

Mr Keith Fainges has donated Marvel Graphic Novels from his collection to our Library. These vibrant, action-packed books are a very popular reading choice with our students, and we thank Mr Fainges for his kind gesture.

Congratulations Shannon Anderson

Year 12 student, Shannon Anderson, has recently completed her School Based Traineeship with Maxima/ANZ.  Shannon now holds a Certificate III in Business.  She studied this qualification in addition to her senior subjects.

Well done Shannon!!!

Congratulations to the following students who have recently commenced school-based apprenticeships.

Nicholas Cambetis, Year 12 - Kretschmann Engineering

Certificate III Engineering - Mechanical Trade

Seth Pye, Year 10 - Superior Machinery Maintenance

Certificate III Engineering - Mechanical Trade (Diesel Fitting)

Nathaniel Macnamara, Year 10 - LINMAR Cranes & Haulage

Certificate III Heavy Commercial Vehicle

Queensland Minerals & Energy Academy (QMEA)

Last week some of our Year 10 Students attended a QMEA STEM Workshop.  

They participated in three laboratory experiments:

1. Making the Perfect Drink:  Using water, ice, kettle, beaker and stirrer students had to “engineer” the perfect drink to meet a certain volume and temperature in 2 minutes.
2. Extracting Metal from Rocks:  Heat and Acid were the two methods used to extract copper from copper carbonate. Students had to then calculate the percentage of yield for each method to determine which was the most efficient process.
3. Finding Copper: Students had to work in groups to “mine” and process copper, backfill the void and remediate the surface. 
   
   

Student feedback included:

The STEM day was engaging and enlightening.  Beau Vlarr

The STEM workshop was an amazing opportunity to connect with other students and learn about how they extract copper from the mines. We did multiple experiments, 2 of which were extracting copper from powder using different filtration systems to see which was more effective. Overall, it was a good experience and I would recommend it to future students.  Amy Jones

The STEM workshop was an enjoyable experience that allowed us, students, to understand the opportunities we are given in regards to the mining industry to better determine our future career. The activities demonstrated the importance of problem-solving to achieve the desired outcomes by undergoing a planned, efficient and effective process using the given resources. Igee Petalcorin

TAFE TRADE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated for the 2020 TAFE Trade Excellence Awards:

Rory Kerkhoffs (Automotive)

Adam Holpen (Automotive)

Cooper Guningham (Construction)

The winners will be announced on 3rd September.  Good luck students!

Staff are sharing their knitting and crochet skills with students each lunch hour in the Cultural Space where Mrs Frew makes all feel welcome. The intention is to teach the students the traditional craft skills of knitting, French knitting and crochet; turning balls of wool into warm clothing – beanies and scarves. Learning this new skill takes patience and perseverance and students are anticipating that it may be some time until the clothing takes shape and is ready to gift to members of the community in need. However, the students are determined to learn these skills and complete their projects. This week a big thank you goes to Mrs Frew, Mrs Millan, Mrs Hopkins, Mrs Chitongo, Miss Edmiston and Miss Harding.