Head of Secondary
Mr Peter McLellan | Head of Secondary
We are coming to the end of our first term for this year. It seems like so many things have happened and been accomplished in the first 10 weeks of the College year. Well done to everyone and I pray that you have a restful break over the school holidays. Of course, the holidays start with the most important time in the Christian calendar, Easter. I pray that over this time you and your family have a sense of God’s amazing love for you that resulted in His sending His Son as the most expensive sacrifice that could be given.
Relationships are key to our lives and that is what Easter is about, relationship with God. However, our society continually distorts what is healthy in relationships and confuses our young people. I feel that I have been speaking about relationships a lot this term, and that our young people are confused about what is appropriate in any sort of relationship. It is all of our responsibilities to go back to the basics of what is acceptable in relationships. This message needs to start in the home where clear understanding is created in the way that children treat their parents, adults and each other.
A message to Year 12 - you need to use these two weeks productively and not waste them. I know you are tired, but the reality is that these two weeks are a great time to catch up on study notes and completing assessment tasks.
Matthew 28:5-6 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said he would.”
Many of the Year 10 students baked cup cakes, chocolate chip cookies and other goodies to sell as well as cooking a BBQ (thank you Terry Rochford for supervising) which included peeling four bags of onions! The event was wonderfully supported by the College community with many students being extremely generous in their donations.
The Fundraiser raised over $1,500 and this was an incredible result. Grace H (Year 10) has been outstanding in leading this initiative. She is certainly living a life of redemptive action right now. It was also wonderful that one of our Year 10 students whose family has been supported by Central Coast Kids in Need, was able to attend.
Thank you again to everyone for your amazing generosity.
Mr Wright, Year 10 Advisor
Years 7 - 10 Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent / Teacher Interviews for students in Years 7 -10 are scheduled for the first day of school in Term 2 on Tuesday, 20 April 2021.
Bookings for these interviews are made via Parent Lounge.
Please look out for an email to be sent during the holidays with instructions on how to book your interview and confirmation of the date of when the booking facility will be open to parents.
ANZAC Day
Our ANZAC Day Service will be held on Wednesday 21 April 2021 during Period 3b.
SAVE THE DATE - GPCC ATHLETICS CARNIVAL RESCHEDULED!
GPCC Secondary Athletics Carnival - Monday 26 April 2021
Venue: Mingara Regional Athletics Centre, Mingara Drive, Tumbi Umbi.
Time: Commencing at 8:45am and concluding at 2:00pm.
What to bring: House colours, recess, lunch, sports uniform, sunscreen and water. A canteen will be available for students.
Spectators: Parents/grandparents are welcome to attend as spectators and must adhere to the venue's COVID-19 safety plan.
Transport: All students are required to make their own way to and from the carnival.
Transport for the GPCC Secondary Athletics Carnival
If your child cannot make their own way to the carnival, there will be limited seating available on the College bus.
Parents will need to book transport for their child on the Parent Lounge no later than 3.00pm on Tuesday 21 April 2021.
An email will be sent with instructions on how to book transport for your child.
Year 10 Meningococcal Vaccinations - Wednesday 5 May 2021
Immunisation is the simplest and most effective means of protecting people against vaccine preventable disease.
NSW Health and the Central Coast Local Health District will be providing the opportunity for Year 10 students to receive the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
Year 10 have their Meningococcal Vaccinations on Wednesday 5 May 2021 and information packs will be sent home in Week 1 of Term 2.
For over 50 years, the Duke of Edinburgh Award has been providing students with an array of life experiences that bolster their sense of self and build their psychological resources. This results in the transference of coping skills from the real world of the Award (outdoor adventure, physical recreation, community service, and skill acquisition challenges) to the students’ own real world.
Thus, they are provided the opportunity to grow in skills not readily available in regular school classrooms. In a sense we take the classroom outside of the school. For most students, many of the award elements are already being done and they can use their existing interests, sports and skill learning to satisfy the award requirements. By participating in and achieving this award, we hope to see students grow in resilience and be equipped even more to face the future challenges that life will bring.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a voluntary program for students over the age of 14, involving outdoor expeditions, skill acquisition, voluntary service and physical recreation (see website for more details).
At GPCC we offer Years 9-11 students the opportunity to undertake the award at a level commensurate with their age and development (Bronze, Silver and Gold). GPCC organises the expedition element of the award and is authorised to administrate its elements. The Bronze (Year 9) and Silver (Year 10) expeditions will be commencing in Terms 2 and 3.
If you would like your child to be involved or you would like more information, contact either Mr Daniel Witanowski (DWitanowski@gpcc.nsw.edu.au) or Mr Greg Masters (greg.masters@gpcc.nsw.edu.au).
Year 12 Ancient and History Extension Excursion
On Tuesday 16 March, Year 12 Ancient and History Extension students travelled to the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. The purpose of the trip was to learn about how narratives are constructed in physical spaces and examine the processes involved in archaeological inquiry.
The group were firstly taken through the museum by Dr Craig Barker, the curator. He gave great insight into the ways that exhibitions are designed to tell particular stories in very intentional ways. For example, there were three pieces of artwork side-by-side, designed to reveal the relationship between people and land; the first piece was a set of soil samples from across the Sydney basin, the second was an image of Charlie Perkins, and the third was a portrait of a colonial landlord whom had never visited Australia.
Separately, the items are not clearly connected. Together, they tell a beautiful story about the land, its diversity, and its different meanings to a plethora of audiences. The group were then taken into a space where they were allowed to handle ancient artefacts and process them, as archaeologists.
The trip was valuable, exciting, and extremely stimulating. We are thankful to the team at the Chau Chak Wing Museum for their hospitality and look forward to working with them more in the future. Mr Michael Street, HSIE Co-ordinator
