I meet with a lot of prospective parents and there are certain topics that often get asked. One of the main ones is “Do you allow phones at school?”. When I tell them our policy, the parents are invariably happy and relieved to hear it.

Like all rules, we have a policy in place for a good reason. The State Government has also recognised these reasons. Due to the negative impact of phones in a range of areas, including learning, relationships, bullying and mental health, they have taken the step to ban phones in public schools.

As a reminder, students should not have their phones from the time they arrive on campus until 3.15pm. If a student has their phone out, they will be asked to take it to the office to be picked up at the end of the day. If there are repeat offences we will help the student to not be tempted to use their phone by bringing it to the office in the morning and picking it up at the end of the day.

If you need to get a message to a student before 3.15pm, please contact the office and we will get a message to them. Often when a student has their phone on them their excuse is “I am waiting on a message from mum” and so we would like to remove that excuse.

From Sunday 2 November -  Monday 3 November our Year 12 2025 Prefects attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Canberra. Students served as ushers, welcoming a number of Australian and international dignitaries. Our 2025 Captains Talia and Clinton led the gathering in responding to prayer requests from around Australia. We were greatly encouraged by the meeting of many people of faith across the political spectrum. Following the event, we met with Dr Gordon Reid (MP), Dr Rachel Carling (CSA Director of Public Policy) and Mr Julian Leeser (MP). Students asked great questions about faith and politics, the challenges and importance of Christian education, and the ways in which they can use their own voices to speak up for what is right and to protect religious freedoms. We would like to commend our students on how well they represented their school community and for their patience, participation and maturity during the trip. Thanks also to Mr Steve Spies, who volunteered his time to drive the bus and shared his experience and heart for Christian education.

Mrs Jillian McKay

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 $2,500 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