We had a fantastic turnout at our ANZAC events this year. I was especially moved by the liturgy held on Wednesday morning and the beautiful singing of the New Zealand and Australian anthems. Young people are often criticised in the media for being too focused on themselves and this generation have been labelled by some as privileged, lazy and spoiled. Last week the students of Good Shepherd Catholic College showed that this is definitely not the case! They participated with energy in the liturgy; prayed reverently in Mass and marched along the streets of Mount Isa proudly representing their school and showing their support for servicemen and women. Thank you to our Parents who assisted with giving them the opportunity to be involved. If you didn’t get a chance to see our ANZAC Day video, follow this link on our Facebook page.

Our Parent / Teacher / Student interviews were a great success this week. We feel it is very important that our students are involved in these conferences, so they too can hear of their success and ways of improving.

A reminder that our Homework Program is open to all students on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3-4pm.

We look forward to our visit from Bishop Tim Harris this week. Bishop Tim will speak with Year 9 and 11 students before he travels to Cloncurry. Students will be able to ask questions and learn more about the work that he does and the pastoral activities in the Townsville Diocese.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

A reminder that NAPLAN will take place with Years 7 and 9 students during mid-May this year.  

There has been a slight change to the school’s original schedule for the NAPLAN tests.  Year 7 and Year 9 students will now take the NAPLAN tests on Wednesday, 12 May (Writing and Reading) and Tuesday, 18 May (Conventions of Language and Numeracy).  

Catch up sessions for students who are absent on these two days will take place on Thursday, 20 May and Friday, 21 May. 

This year, all Year 7 and 9 students at Good Shepherd will complete these tests electronically for the first time.

For more information on NAPLAN, please visit the ACARA/NAPLAN site.  

Students are also encouraged to visit the Public Demonstration Site which is an opportunity to practise NAPLAN-type questions, and the site for Student Readiness for training videos on how best to use the online platforms.

For any concerns regarding student participation, please contact the college by Monday, 3 May 2021.

QR Code Check in for College Events & Cafe

We’re now using the new Check In Qld App - you will see the QR sign in posters outside the LCC and Arili Thina Cafe the next time you visit GSCC. 

All you need to do is:  

1. Visit www.covid19.qld.gov.au/check-in-qld for links to download the app from Google Play or Apple App stores,
2. Enter your details once when you first open the app, 
3. When you next visit us select ‘Check in Now’ and scan or enter our code (it will automatically remember your details after you’ve checked in once).

Using this digital check in means your details will be stored securely by the Queensland Government for 56 days to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing (if needed). 

The Check In Qld app is safe, secure and private. 

School Photo Day

School photos will be taken next Wednesday, 5th May. If students were not at school when ID photos were taken this will be their last opportunity to receive a photo ID this year.

Envelopes have been handed out in Homeroom (on Tuesday) for families wanting to purchase individual or group photos. These are then returned directly to the photographer on the day (at their photo). 

If you would like students to have a sibling photo, please collect a family photo envelope from the front office this week.

Public Holiday Reminder

Next Monday, the 3rd of May, there is a Public Holiday in Queensland (Labour Day). There is no school on this day.

Year Level Mass - Reminders

This term, each Year Level will celebrate Mass at Good Shepherd Parish. The dates for these Masses are as follows:

• Year 7 & 12 Wednesday 28th April (Week 2)
• Year 8 & 10 Wednesday 26th May  (Week 6)
• Year 9 & 11 Wednesday 9th June (Week 8)

On their Mass day, students must arrive directly to Good Shepherd Parish by 8:20am, they will then walk back to school in time for Lesson 2.

This week we will have our Parent / Teacher / Student Interviews to discuss students’ interim reports and give some feedback as to how students can improve in their classes. One of the biggest challenges for many young people today is about changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  Here is some information from ReachOut.com that can assist students understand how changing their mindset can work to their advantage at school.

Two different mindsets

There are two kinds of mindsets: growth mindsets and fixed mindsets.

Someone with a growth mindset is likely to:

• welcome challenges and new things
• learn from the people around them
• understand that in order to get what they want, they’ve got to work hard
• recognise failure as an opportunity to learn
• acknowledge their own weaknesses, and focus on improving them.

Someone with a fixed mindset is likely to:

• not deal very well with setbacks
• try to hide their mistakes
• believe that their abilities are limited to one area
• engage in negative self-talk by saying things like, ‘I can’t do it’
• avoid challenges.

How to adopt a growth mindset

If you want to be open to learning new things in life, to embrace challenges head-on and to treat setbacks as learning experiences, you need to have a growth mindset. Here are some suggestions for changing the way you look at things:

1. I can’t do it … yet. The way we talk to ourselves impacts what we actually achieve. If you tell yourself that you can do something, chances are that you will, even if you don’t accomplish it straightaway.
2. Challenge accepted. Next time someone throws an unfamiliar or tricky task your way, don’t throw it back at them – embrace it. Even if you stuff up along the way, you can be sure that you’ll do better the next time.
3. Do some hard yakka. You’re unlikely to reach your goals if you don’t put in the effort to match. Work hard, even a small bit at a time, and you’ll be able to enjoy the rewards.
4. Ain’t no such thing as perfect. Don’t let the idea of perfection get in the way of getting things done. Remember: perfection is an illusion. What matters most is your effort.
5. Be open to new ways of doing things. You can never be sure of how something is going to pan out if you’ve never tried it before. Before assuming that something will never work, ask yourself: ‘What do I have to do to make this work?’
6. Don’t let setbacks get you down. Setbacks don’t mean you’ve failed, just that you need to try a different approach. Take feedback from the experience on board, and make changes accordingly. You can learn just as much from a mistake as you can from success.

Is Youth Group important?

Dear Parents of Teenagers,

Maybe some of you (and your teenagers) think Youth Group is just a fun run around or babysitting opportunity. 

At times you are a taxi driver (waiting to pick them up or drop them off), coach, tutor, guidance counsellor and, occasionally, a meanie (telling them to do something they don’t want to do).

With all of that it is easy to wave off something as trivial as Youth Group. They’re too busy and you’re too busy to worry about a night of hanging out with other teenagers playing goofy games and sitting around.

Believe me when I say, I understand. Plenty of times I get to the end of the week and just want to sit down and do nothing. We are under pressure from all angles.  So why do I organise a Youth Group each week?

You are the primary influence on your children but I believe that Youth Group can play a vital role in supporting a teenager’s development. To that end here are four reasons to encourage teenagers to attend a Youth Group (and there are a few around).

1. Teenagers need role models and mentors

I think it is really important that a Youth Group is separate to school so everyone is there because they want to be there.

The rules, though few, are pretty simple; everybody is equal and is to be respected. Our goal is to create a safe place where people feel comfortable enough to be who they are and ask what they want to ask.

The reason for this is to use our experiences to help teenagers navigate the World and what she throws at them. However, the older participants also help the younger ones and it is gratifying to watch the interaction between them.

You see the growth in confidence of the younger ones when they are accepted as an equal and growth in confidence of the older ones as they realise their impact.

People worry Youth Groups are religious cults trying to brainwash their children and yet the majority of kids who regularly come don’t go to church. We use Christian values as the basis for the Youth Group because these values help create good people.

2. Teenagers need community

In a World where bullying and gossip follow you wherever you go and affect a teenager’s self-identity they need to draw strength from somewhere. For many, the person they are at home is not who they are in the World.

Home is a place of safety where they are able to be who they want to be and show their full personality without judgement. Youth Group is an extension of that where we try to draw the personality and confidence out with encouragement and support.

We create an environment where young people are with other young people who lift them up, encourage them, and challenge them in all the right ways.

3. Teenagers need to grow up

When is a teenager an adult?

Youth Group is a place where they are treated like adults with their opinion asked for, listened to and respected. A place where they can ask tough questions and even share doubts and struggles without fear.

A place where teenagers can wrestle through and reinforce what you’ve probably been teaching them, with the hope this leads to stronger relationships with parents.

4. Teenagers need a safe place to confess and confide

Often teenagers who struggle with the World’s temptations have nowhere to confess and confide. They feel trapped with nowhere to turn so a Youth Group can create a safe space for teenagers to open up and talk honestly about their struggles.

Of course, parents should be the first point of call but if they aren’t (for whatever reason) isn’t it handy to know there are others who care and will comfort and protect them?

A parent recently told me that she and her son have a strong relationship. However, there was something about his band of brother friends, under the leadership of a caring adult, that provided the freedom to confess and confide.

After her son confessed his struggles to the group he told her he felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and was able to open up to her and his father.

Youth Group leaders create open and honest dialogue to help teenagers deal with and prepare them for challenges. Research shows teenagers who push their struggles down and never open up often struggle later in life with addictive and destructive behavior.

A teenager’s life is busy but it would be a shame if they graduated from high school and were catapulted into “the real world” without the strength and knowledge to thrive; not just survive.

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.

Good Morning Parents and Guardians,

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2021 for Years 7 and 9 will be held between Wednesday, 12 May 2021 and Tuesday, 18 May 2021. NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.

In 2021 all Year 7 and 9 students at Good Shepherd will complete these tests electronically for the first time. The NAPLAN software has been downloaded onto students computers and the trial test took place in Week 10 of last term.

All students are expected to participate in the NAPLAN tests. During test week, catch-up tests will be available for individual students who are absent on test days. These students may undertake catch-up tests on the days in the test week after the scheduled test, up to and including Friday, 21 May 2021.

Support can be arranged for students who are eligible and regularly use similar support for classroom assessment tasks. If you believe your child will benefit from the support please contact me via email and I can collaborate with you to complete the appropriate Adjustments Form. Parental consent is required before any support is granted and must be completed as soon as possible.

Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parents or carer. This is a matter for consideration by parents and carers. Withdrawals are intended to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing. If you decide to withdraw your child, you must sign a Student Withdrawal Form, which is available from the front office, Michele Wood (Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning) or myself.

Students may be exempted from one or more of the tests on the grounds of English language proficiency or disability. The Exemption Form is available from the front office,  Michele Wood (Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning) or myself.

• Students with a language background other than English, who arrived from overseas and have been attending school in Australia for less than a year before the test, should be given an opportunity to participate in testing, but may be exempted.
• Students with significant intellectual disability and/or those with significant coexisting conditions that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests may be exempted from participating in NAPLAN testing. This is decided after the Principal, student and the relevant parent/carer have consulted with each other and agreed that the student is not able to access the tests even with adjustments.

If you have any questions in regards to NAPLAN and how we can support your child please contact either myself or Michele Wood.

Work Experience

Last term many of our Senior Students attended work experience during Week 10 and during the school holidays.  Many thanks to the following host employers for affording our students with such a wonderful opportunity.

• Accountancy Services
• Copper City Vet Clinic
• Mount Isa Courthouse
• Glencore, Mount Isa Mines
• Happy Valley Community Kindergarten
• Irish Club of Mount Isa
• Kretschmann Engineering
• L.A. Evans Solicitor
• Malouf Auto Group
• Mount Isa City Council
• Mount Isa Veterinary Surgery
• North West Hospital Health Service - Allied Health
• North West Vet Clinic
• St Kieran’s Catholic Primary School
• Stanwell Corporation

Applications are now open for Term 2 Work Experience.  Please contact Mrs Liesel Armstrong to organise your placement.  larmstrong1@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au 

Mrs Liesel Armstrong

School Officer / Work Experience Co-ordinator

QMEA STEM Unearthed

Last week some of our Year 10 students attended a QMEA Workshop and learnt the following:

• How to extract metals from rocks - using two methods (acid and heat)
• How to run a mine by thinking about costings, production and efficiency
• Make a drink to a temperature of 7 degrees in two minutes using only water and ice - we had ice and water going in every direction!

Where are they now?

Lillian Blanch

My name is Lillian Blanch, I graduated in 2019 and was in Benjamin House. 

When I left school I thought I was going to work in the mines to be a Boilermaker, but instead I am currently going through University studying Engineering. 

What’s the biggest lesson you have learnt since leaving school? The things I used to worry about in school really don’t matter outside of school.

Favourite tuck shop food? Burritos 

Favourite teacher/s? Caitlin Conway and Mika

Best/funniest school memory or I will always remember? I will always remember Kasey running into the pole in year 9. 

What do you miss most about school? Burrito Day 

Best piece of advice for current students? Don’t do anything outside of school in your uniform, and go to homework help. 

What do I want to be doing in 10 years? Boilermaking and starting a family. 

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.