Head of Secondary
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Are You a "Hangry" Person?
This week at assembly, I asked this question, and many hands were raised. I shared with the students that I'm more likely to be "tangry" - I find myself getting irritable when I'm tired. Whether it's being "hangry" or "tangry," these experiences point to something crucial about our mental health: everyday factors like eating and sleeping can significantly impact our mood. The good news? This means we have some control over how we feel by taking simple actions, like eating healthily and getting enough rest.
This term, our focus is on Mental Fitness. This helps us to face physical challenges, building our mental fitness empowers us to navigate life's difficulties with greater resilience and clarity.
Psychologists suggest several ways to strengthen our mental fitness, including:
- Focus on the positive, including your strengths
- Be physically active
- Spend quality time with family and friends
- Eat nutritious foods
- Prioritise restful sleep
- Talk about your problems and feelings
- Spend time in nature (and disconnect from technology)
- Practice gratitude
Over the coming weeks, we'll dive deeper into these strategies during assembly and explore practical ways our students can strengthen their mental fitness.
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ANZAC Chapel 2025 Opportunity
We will be holding our K-12 Anzac Chapel Service on Wednesday 30 April (the first Wednesday back at school in Term 2). As part of the service this year, we would like to display the photos of servicemen and women from the school family who have served or are currently serving. This can be from any war or peacekeeping mission. We are hoping this will assist students in making a personal connection to the event. Photos and details will be displayed as students enter and leave the MPC and also during a musical performance.
If you would like to be a part of this, please send the following to naomi.walls@gpcc.nsw.edu.au
· Photo of serviceman/woman (in uniform if possible)
· Name of serviceman/woman
· Where/ when they served
· Current relatives at the school
For example:
Sydney Shaw
Served in World War II (Middle East)
Pictured with daughter (and former Principal of GPCC) Debra Walls.
Great grandchildren: Zoe Ogden (Year 9) and Lucy Ogden (Year 6)
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NAPLAN 2025 Parent and Carer Information
Each year the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is sat by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students will participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN 2025 will take place from Wednesday 12th March to Friday 21st March. The College’s timetable will be released soon.
NAPLAN is just one part of our school’s learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school, so the best preparation is their everyday classroom learning. Our school will also undertake activities to help students become familiar with the types of questions and tools available in the online tests. The public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) is available for you to see the format of the online tests.
Further information about NAPLAN is available on the NESA website. (https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/naplan) and the NAP website (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers).
If you have any questions about NAPLAN participation, exemption or withdrawal please contact Mrs Jane McLarty, Deputy Principal. jmclarty@gpcc.nsw/edu.au
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