What a blessed term we have had! Our students and teachers have fully embraced the many activities and events held throughout the last ten weeks. I am pleased with the results on reports and look forward to parents and carers joining us at our Parent Teacher Student Interviews on Wednesday, 28th April. Please keep an eye out for an important email from Ms Amy Webb (Assistant Principal - Administration) about how to access reports from the Compass Portal and also how to book interviews. Reports will be sent home this week and I encourage you to have a conversation with your child, to celebrate the successes and to put in strategies for areas needing improvement. 

Staffing News

Next term we will welcome back Jane Edmiston to our Art Department. She will be replacing Alex Pallett who is leaving us at the end of Week 1.

What a term we have had! What a pleasure it has been to watch our students persevere and grow and achieve.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff, students, parents and community members for your ongoing support. 

Term One Reports will be available on Compass on Thursday, 1 April 2021. 

Senior Students, it would be wise to reflect on the term that was, and set some goal for Term Two - do more of what works well and make changes where things have not gone according to plan.  Your future depends on the decisions you make today.

Term 2 Start Date

The Easter Holidays are almost here! Students deserve a well earned break after a busy term. School will resume for Term 2 on Tuesday, 20 April.

Term 2 Timetables

Term 2 timetables will be uploaded to Compass on the final weekend of the school holidays. Year 7s will move into new elective rotations at this time. All students will receive a new copy of their timetable on the first day (during Homeroom).

If students in Years 8 - 10 want to make elective subject changes, they are encouraged to commence this process this term, and bring the forms back to school on the first day of Term 2.

Term 1 Report Cards

A final reminder that students and families will gain access to the Term 1 Interim Report Card on Thursday, 1 April. These report cards are issued online through the Compass Parent Portal. We will notify parents and students when report cards have been uploaded, and you will have immediate access to them at this time. Please see the document below for instructions.

A reminder, that to access the Parent Portal, parents/carers must come into the front office to collect login information (office hours are 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday). We are unable to provide login details unless we can see you to verify your details; this is important due to the sensitive and sometimes confidential information that you will have access to on your child’s portal. Please call the College Office if you are unable to attend and they can discuss verification options with you.

Students are also encouraged to access their reports through their student Compass Profile.

Parent Teacher Student Interviews will take place on Wednesday, 28 April (Week 2). Bookings for these interviews will be made through the Compass Parent Portal (either phone or desktop versions) and will open at 5pm on Thursday, 1 April, after Term 1 Report Cards have been uploaded to Compass. The bookings will close at midday on Friday 23 April.

Term 2 Reminders

Before holidays commence, there are a couple of important reminders for students with their return to classes on Tuesday, 20th April 2021.

Hair

If students make changes to their haircut or hair colour over the holiday break, please remember that it must change back to meet College expectations by the first day of Term 2. 

The College expectations for hair are as follows:

• Hairstyles must be neat and tidy and no shorter than ‘Clipper No. 2’. 
• No tracks, undercuts, mohawks or extreme styles or colours are permitted.
• Hair must be kept out of the eyes and off of the face, it must also be kept off the collar. 
• For any hair length past the collar, students are required to wear their hair up.
• Boys must also be clean shaven.

Nails

No nail polish (including shellac) is to be worn. Acrylic, Gel and SNS nails are not permitted.

Jewellery

We have seen an increase in students wearing jewellery to school that is not within our expectations. Any students wearing their incorrect jewellery will have their jewellery confiscated to the front office and it can be collected after 4 days.

The College expectations for jewellery are as follows:

• One wrist watch.
• Maximum of one gold or silver sleeper, stud or birthstone earring (no greater than 3mm) may be worn in each ear.
• No visible facial piercings allowed. (Please note that if students get facial piercings over the holiday period, they will be asked to remove it on the first day of term).
• One plain gold or silver chain with a small crucifix/Christian symbol can be worn below the collar length.
• One signet ring.

Lateness to School

As the Term 1 has progressed, there has been a large number of students arriving to the College after the first bell (8:25am). Our expectation is that students are lined up outside their classroom when the bell sounds for the beginning of Homeroom at 8:30am. Unless students have a note from their parents, they will be issued with a detention should they arrive late to school.

Leaving the College

Students are not permitted to leave the College without having a permission note from a parent/guardian, which is signed, dated and states a reason. The student must present this note to the College Office. Students must also be signed out of the College Office by a parent or guardian.

I would like to wish all our students and families a very safe and Holy Easter break. With the uncertainty of Covid-19 restrictions being imposed again, I hope that you all get to have a break that involves time with loved ones and time to unwind and relax. I look forward to seeing everyone back in Term 2.

God bless

Welcome to Week 10

As we enter Holy Week, we continue to reflect on the lives of people vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice and how we can respond through supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion appeal.  

Let us take time to remember the life and teachings of Saint Oscar Romero. His many lessons include: live a simple life, commit to bringing peace to the world, speak the truth and of course aspire not to have more, but to be more.

Some words from what has become known as the Oscar Romero prayer: “We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.” 

Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion Campaign. Your generosity will work for the freedom of those living in poverty, challenge unjust structures, and empower people to work for a sustainable way of life. 

Easter Services

It has been a very busy start to the 2021 school year, and it has been fantastic to see all of the wonderful things happening around our College for students and staff to get involved in.

Each term, the English Department holds a competition for students across all year levels to get involved in, and demonstrate their wonderful writing skills.

This term, students were asked to write a Haiku poem on our ever changing Covid-19 Pandemic. A Haiku takes the form of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables, which can be very challenging to adhere to when there is so much that can be discussed!

It was very pleasing to see the many entries that came in across our Year 7-12 classes, and each student should be very proud of the poem that they created, some were very creative indeed!

It gives me great pleasure to announce the winners on behalf of the English Department who have each received a $50 Coles/Kmart Gift Card:

Year 7- Hayley Winks
Year 8- Gabby Dolzan
Year 9- Chelsea Barlow
Year 10- Lailah Moore
Year 12- Charlie Stretton

Unfortunately, no Year 11 students submitted an entry! 

Thank you to all those that entered. Please keep an eye out for Term 2’s English Competition.

From the English Department, we wish you a Happy Easter, and a very safe holiday break!

What a term! 

We started with a great retreat to bring us all together and begin the term as a team.  As a group I have seen many great things and I have been proud in many ways already this year. Project Compassion has been a big effort for our Year 10 students, with a variety of activities and effort from everyone we were able to contribute so much towards those in need.

The different fundraising initiatives we worked on in Year 10 were great this term.  We were able to raise $354.95 this term through bake sales and Basketball competitions. I'm very proud of the time and effort this Year 10 group put in to ensure their project Compassion initiative went well so they were able to contribute to a great cause. The marketing and enthusiasm put forward by so many of our young men and women really shone through this term to be able to help others, showing true GSCC spirit. 

I am happy to say that we have great young people building towards the Senior School at Good Shepherd and I love being able to come to work every day to something new and exciting with this group of Year 10’s. 

Have a wonderful Easter and rest up for another jam-packed term. As always, stay safe and please follow all QLD Health guidelines when travelling. 

Every Wednesday morning from 7.00am - 8.45am. Parents and Friends are invited to The Arili Thina Cafe to purchase your morning coffee and breakfast.

By doing so you are supporting our Hospitality students to achieve their competencies towards their Certificate ll in Hospitality and all profits go towards their Hospitality Camp to the Gold Coast in August. 

There are a range of coffees, cold drinks and breakfast food available. Please see our Menu. Our students are becoming fantastic baristas. Come see for yourself how good they are.