To ensure we are constantly improving what we do, we are guided each year by an Annual School Improvement Plan (ASIP) and we develop this in consultation with all stakeholders. We collect data each year in a RADII Survey from parents, staff and students and use this information to help guide our ASIP. Here is a snapshot of suggested actions from our parents in 2020:

• Implement - Positive Behaviour for Learning Strategy (consistency in discipline and behaviour management)
• Retention of expert staff
• More use of SMS for important reminders 
• Meet parents once a Term
• More communication home - use varied formats
• Restrict laptops in classes more
• More consistent with RTC
• Phone call PT interviews
• Variety of pedagogy practices
• Anti Bullying campaign led by Year 12’s
• More team teaching
• Introduction of new staff to parents
• Need more information sessions on racism / sexism
• Create a school-wide anti-bullying program
• Review subject lines to include more subjects/more information to parents
• Better incentives for teaching staff
• More sport and arts / extra curricular offerings

We appreciate all feedback from our parents, so if you ever want to talk about how you see things are going at the College, please contact me.

I hope you can join us at our Beginning of Year Mass next Monday. It will be held at 9.00am in the Lumen Christi Centre. We are looking forward to acknowledging our new Student Leaders and welcoming everyone to a new school year.

Scholars’ Awards

In Week Four’s Scholars’ Assembly, the College will celebrate the 2020 Semester Two academic results of our students. 

Congratulations to all the students who have worked to the best of their abilities!

Updating Contact Details

If any of your contact information has changed, please inform the College Office so that we can update student details.

Departing Students

For anyone unenrolling from GSCC, we ask that an enrolling parent completes a departing student form prior to your final day of school. You can do this by contacting the College Office on (07) 4749 9400.

Compass Parent Portal

Do you have access to the Compass Parent Portal? If not, please see one of our wonderful office staff who can provide you with your username and password.

To access Compass, use this link:https://goodshepherd-qld.compass.education/

Some important features of Compass for parents include (click the links for instructions):

• Accessing School Report Cards
• Logging Student Absences
• Booking Parent / Teacher Conferences 
• Updating your Phone Number/Email Address (see image below)

Subject Changes

As we move towards the end of Week 2, it is important that students are settled into their classes, being involved in the introduction of their classes. As of this Friday (5/2), students should not be making any further subject changes.

As a gentle reminder, the process for changing subjects is below:

1. Discuss subject change with classroom teacher;
2. Collect a ‘subject change form’ from the College Office;
3. Complete form and have existing class, and new class teacher/Curriculum Leader sign (this is the first stage of the approval process);
4. Take the subject change form home - a parent or guardian must sign it;
5. Take the subject change form to the College Office for either Mrs Webb (7-10) or Mrs Wood (11 & 12) to process;
6. Collect your new timetable!

If you are in Year 11 or 12, you must complete this process with the Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning to ensure there will be no impact to your post schooling pathways.

Please note: not all subject changes are possible; however we will always do our best to accommodate requests.

Cybersafety Parent Information Session - Parenting in the Digital World

On Thursday, 25th of February the College will be hosting a parent information session on “Parenting in the Digital World” which will be delivered by ESmart School and Dolly’s Dream.  I encourage all parents/carers to attend this session as it is an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the online world, social media and gaming looking at the latest trends and risks involved for our young people. 

This information session will run from 5.30pm to 6.30pm in the Lumen Christi Centre with refreshments on offer from 5pm.  

A Google form will be emailed to all families to register your attendance. 

If you would like some further information about the information, please do not hesitate to contact me on 47432509 or via email on pmorganson1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au

Welcome to Week 2

This term in Religion our students are covering many different topics.  They include:

Year 7 – Common Beginnings– Students learn about the common beginnings of faith shared by the monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam).  Toward the end of the term they will become familiar with our Christian sacred texts.

Year 8 – The Prophet’s Message and The Trinity -  Students are introduced to the theme of covenant, as a unique relationship between God and God’s people.  They will also explore the notion of The Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit).

Year 9 – Exploring Faith Traditions - Students learn about the divergent understandings of God in Islam, Christianity and Judaism.  They will also develop an understanding of the foundational beliefs of Christianity.

Year 10 – The Mystery of God -  Students learn about various ways in which humans have an understanding of the mystery of God or the 'Other'.

Year 11 Religion and Ethics – Religions of the World - Year 11 Religion and Ethics students will gain a deeper understanding of the five major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism) and how they respond to the big questions of life.  Later in the term they will explore the notion of Good and Evil.

Year 11 Study of Religion – Year 11 are studying sacred texts in relation to social ethics, how do sacred texts influence ethical decision making?

Year 12 Religion and Ethics – Peace Studies – Year 12 Religion and Ethics will explore Peace and will be concerned with practical questions of how to realise peace and justice in the world.

Year 12 Study of Religion – Year 12s are looking at religious perspectives on social ethical issues including ethical relationships.

Take the time to ask your son or daughter what they have been studying in religion.  The study of religion is a wonderful opportunity for students to think about their place in this world and to reflect on what influences them in the way they live their life.  Not only do we look at our own Christian tradition but also from other religious traditions.

As a whole staff we have a commitment to ‘recontextualise’ the Jesus story to show that the message he preached 2000 years ago is as relevant today as it was then.

If you have any questions concerning our Religious Education program, please do not hesitate to contact me here at the College.

God’s blessings,

Anne-Marie

The Sports Department would like to welcome back all students to the 2021 sports year. Over the next two weeks we have a multitude of sports getting underway including training for our Confraternity team, Trials and grading for QISSN and the Good Shepherd Netball Club, as well as individual nominations for MISSA and North West teams. 

Listed below is a current list of sports that students are able to represent the College in at either Mount Isa or North West level. If students wish to compete in these events they are asked to come and see Mr Schofield at break times for more information.

Individual Nominations 

North West Trials

MISSA Trials

For further information please see Mr Schofield. For information relating to Netball or QISSN teams please contact Mrs Dalla Vecchia, and for Confraternity please see Mr Roberts.

It is with great delight that we have welcomed our Year 7s to GSCC.

All of them have settled, organised their lockers, locks and timetables over the past two weeks. They have also commenced learning with their many new teachers. Congratulations to all the parents who have made the transition with us - you’ve done a great job.

• Week 4 - Friday we will be holding our Year 7 Retreat. It will be all day - starting with everyone at the Good Shepherd Parish Centre, (our Catholic Church), for a morning of activities and food.  We will then travel via bus to SPLASHEZ Pool for fun and games with our School Leaders and learn all our great House war cries. Permission notes will be coming home this week with all the details.
• This week we are meeting our Year 12 Buddies - this is a program we are bringing back that will be very casual, but allow interaction between year levels for support and guidance.
• A reminder to all please - it is important that earrings are studs less than 3mm or simple sleepers only. There are many still wearing large decorative hoops and gem stone earrings. It is not just a neat and tidy appearance we want, but really safe students.

Parents, guardians and students -  welcome to 2021!

I just wanted to introduce myself and the Year 8 Pastoral Team. My name is Kylie McCarthy and I am the Year 8 Pastoral Leader. This is my 17th year at Good Shepherd, and I have been a Pastoral Leader for 14 years. I absolutely love this College and the Mount Isa community. This year we have four homeroom teachers; two of which are new to the College. Ms Alicia Walker is taking 8.01, Miss Tahlia Morley who has 8.02, Miss Yasmin Cook is taking 8.03 and Mr Joshua Schofield who has 8.04. These homeroom teachers are really excited to have your children this year.

The term has gotten off to a great start and the Year 8s have settled in beautifully. Today we had a number of students present their speeches for the Student Representative Council. The candidates are Jamisynn Roberts, Joscelyn Armstrong and Beau Kelly. They all spoke really well and we look forward to having the results shortly. I’m really excited to work with this awesome bunch of students, and all the great things that 2021 will bring.

Welcome to the first term for 2021. I would like to introduce myself as the Year 9 Pastoral Leader along with the following Year 9 Homeroom teachers: 9.01 Mr Lachlan Toal , 9.02 Ms Melissa Puxty, 9.03 Mrs Anna Viljoen and 9.04 Ms Gemma Kyle. I am looking forward to another year of working closely with this year’s 9 cohort and build on the strengths and friendships that were made last year.

2021 has started off extremely well along with warm weather and I am very pleased to say that everyone has returned excited and looking forward to continue on where we left off in 2020.  Students have settled in well with their classes along with their chosen electives for Year 9.

The Year 9 Pastoral team look forward in working with all Year 9 students and their families in making it a memorable and enjoyable year in their learning experiences. By now all students are back into the full swing of lessons and have received their allocated timetables and collected the necessary text books and their student diary. They will receive their Term 1 Assessment Calendar very soon. Ask your child so you are aware of when their assessments are due for their chosen subjects.  

All students are required to take their diary and hat with them to homeroom each Wednesday morning where their homeroom teacher will check to see that they have these items. Failing to do so will result in a uniform detention. Students had their identification photos today and every student should be commended for their uniforms and appearance.

Today also saw seven very nervous students nominated and present their speeches to the Year 9 cohort to represent them in this year’s Student Representative Council (SRC). All students showed great courage and composure whilst presenting their speech to their peers on how they could contribute and why they would be the right person to represent all Year 9's if elected.

Welcome back Year 10!

We started the new school year with a two day Retreat in Year 10. We experienced a great variety of knowledge and gathering as a community to begin our new journey towards senior schooling. 

The first day of retreat started with a very insightful ‘Love Bites’ presentation held by our local police. This presentation highlighted the importance of respect and care kept mutually between the different relationships that we have as developing young men and women. We thank Senior Constable Michele White, Senior Constable Bianca Carloss, and Sarah Cooper who work closely with the Family violence unit in the department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs. The knowledge and enthusiasm they pour into this course is amazing and it really drew a lot of interest from our students who were fully engaged over a very long day. 

At the end of this day we had a great BBQ with family and staff to help introduce the members who will be closely involved with our Year 10s this year, beginning a great partnership for our long year ahead. 

Friday was an amazing day beginning out at Lake Moondarra with an enlightening liturgy that reflected upon how we as a cohort and as individuals would let our light shine and develop throughout this year. We looked at how we might draw upon ourselves to really strive for our own goals and to be the best person that we can. 

We moved from our liturgy on to the Wallaby Walk which really highlighted the indigenous spirituality that is available all around us - through the land, cultures, traditions and beliefs of the Kalkadoon people. This walk was an amazing opportunity to connect with this culture and walk on the land where the elders walked many years ago. The history and beliefs we learnt about was such an eye opening experience for many. We thank Roslyn Von Sendon for her work and expertise that she shared with us on this day, our group really thrived in her presence. 

From the lake we moved on to the town pool to have a refreshing afternoon in the pool. It was well deserved after our hot morning in the sun at lake Moondarra. We really came together as a group with this retreat. We may have missed our first two days of schooling but these moments create the community within our cohort and set us up for a great year ahead. 

I am very excited to begin this year and to take on our new found sense of community and knowledge around indigenous spirituality and relationships to really develop together as humans, individually and within our cohort. 

To celebrate International Love Your Library Day on February 14, we are running a promotion asking students to tell us what they love about our library. It could be an author, a series, a book subject or topic (e.g. Minecraft,) a style of book (e.g. Graphic Novels,) the environment, (e.g. new carpet, book displays,) or how they use the library (e.g. meeting with friends, playing board games).

There is a lot to love!!!!!

Students can submit their ideas and go into the draw to win one of 2 great prizes.

Books Overdue from 2020

We are waiting for 38 students to return their books from 2020. 

We will be generating invoices for non-returned resources from Friday 5 February. 

As always, please speak to Miss Drover (Librarian) if you or your child need more information or want to request another shelf check.

Our Top Borrowers after 1 week (Excludes textbooks)

1. Ropati Iasona-Ropiha 7C
2. Zane Blakemore  9A
3. Grace Doran 7D
4. Josh Warhurst 7C

Fun Library Fact:

In one week 1,458 resources have been borrowed from the library. Thanks to the students who have assisted with scanning out books.

Tuesday After School Supervision in the Library

On Tuesday afternoons, (excluding weeks with full staff meetings), students can stay in the library from 3-4pm. Miss Drover will be supervising the students and the Expectations of Homework Help apply. Students will be given assistance with their homework if required, but students are also able to undertake silent reading, Mindfulness Activities (e.g. Colouring in) and play board /card games. Computer games are not an option. Students will be required to sign in for safety reasons.

The Mount Isa Hockey Association is one of Queensland's oldest hockey associations and has a rich history of representative teams and players travelling to State Championships and Development Clinics.

MIHA caters to players from age 3 and all skill levels, from beginners to the die-hard Masters.

In 2021, the Association are looking to expand their playing numbers and offer opportunities for more families to be involved in the sporting and social life of this great sport.

Find out more information by visiting: 

The 2021 Sports Expo

Saturday 6 February

Buchanan Park Sport Complex

9am-4pm