Head of Secondary
This week Melinda Tankard Reist and Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones came to speak to our Secondary School students. They ran separate sessions for boys and girls and delivered them in two time slots to Years 7-9 and Years 10-12; as well as running a session for parents in the evening. I could not do justice to everything they spoke about, but it was informative, impactful and very well received.
As a broad overview, we are part of a world which is increasingly sexualised and this can even be seen in areas like ads in shopping centres. When we add the internet and social media to this, our children are growing up in a world where messages about how girls and boys should look and how they should see themselves are inescapable. We know from research that these messages are extremely damaging and having severe impacts on physical and mental health.
Pornography is a specific part of this. I have a 7 year old boy and heard this message loud and clear – if I wouldn’t be happy with him having pornographic magazines in his room, I shouldn’t allow him to have a device in his room. Even if he isn’t looking for them, images will find their way to him. The ease of access to pornography is easily linked to treatment of girls and women, the physical and mental wellbeing of boys, and the quality of relationships between people.
A particular concern for me was the data from a national survey of Australian school teachers which showed widespread and normalised sexual harassment of female teachers by students in Australian schools.
To say the information we gained from this day is important is an understatement. As part of our wellbeing project we will continue the conversation about these issues. It is vital for parents to be discussing these topics with their kids and if this is a difficult idea for you, I would encourage you to look into resources recommended by Melinda at https://melindatankardreist.com/parent-resources/ and to learn more at her website https://www.collectiveshout.org/
Young Scientist Award
Congratulations to Year 12 student William R, who has been honoured with the 2024 STANSW Young Scientist Award for his Science Extension research project. William’s project, titled "From Medicine to Ecosystem: Testing the Effects of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Plant Growth Parameters," explored how exposure to these nanoparticles affect plants.
Last summer, William joined a research team at the University of New South Wales to learn advanced techniques for preparing and analysing silver and gold nanoparticles. Using these skills in our own GPCC Science lab, he conducted his study on plant germination and growth with impressive results. The STANSW awards ceremony will be held on Friday, November 22, at the University of Technology Sydney. We are incredibly proud of William’s hard work and dedication and wish him continued success.
Photo: a clump of gold nanoparticles William produced and then photographed under an electron microscope at UNSW.
My Mind Check - Years 11 and Year 5
See Community section of this Messenger for more information.
Year 7 - Love Bites Incursion
On Tuesday 30 October our Year 7 students had a great day talking about healthy boundaries and behaviour online. They talked about social media and what is appropriate, Year 7 are now expressing their ideas through art and craft. A fantastic day with 'Love Bites'.
Bali Life Service Trip 2025
We’d like to announce that we are currently beginning our plans for our next trip to Bali in 2025. The dates for this trip are Wednesday 25 June – Saturday 5 July, 2025. The cost of this trip is approximately $2500 and this is open to students in Years 10 and 11 in 2025. We are hosting a parent information evening on Wednesday 13 November at 7:30pm in CAPA 5.
Please email Mrs Rebecca Gavin for more information. rgavin@gpcc.nsw.edu.au
Junior AECG Meeting
Next week Tuesday 5 November is the Junior AECG Meeting. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 3-11 are invited to the library seminar room for food and friendship at 1pm. Our Year 11 and 10 students will lead the meeting.
Praying for Year 12
We continue to pray for all our Year 12 students who are completing their HSC Exams.
Enrolment in 2025
To assist with our planning would you kindly notify us if you have already decided that your child will NOT be continuing at the College in 2025. Please advise in writing via registrar@gpcc.nsw.edu.au only if your child’s enrolment will be changing for 2025.
Please note, as per Green Point Christian College's Enrolment Conditions, you must give 10 weeks’ term time notice in writing to the Registrar prior to withdrawal. Without this notice, 10 weeks’ fees + GST will be charged for each student enrolment being withdrawn. This amount is a genuine pre-estimate by the College of the loss that it would suffer due to insufficient notice.