Please continue to keep the Brown family in your prayers as they take time to come to terms with the passing away of Mitchell (Year 6) last Friday. The family are keeping to themselves as they process this terribly sad event and work out what the future looks like for them now. We are keeping in touch with them and with their agreement are planning a memorial event for Year 6 students to remember and celebrate Mitch and his time at our school. Any Secondary School event is awaiting the family’s consent, but we are keeping a close watch on the friends and classmates of Mitch’s sisters and supporting them as needed.

The school has been thinking for some time of creating a memorial garden to remember those of our community who have passed away and we will progress those plans now. We have some memorial trees on the property already and will look to create a peaceful arbour where families and the community can come to reflect on the lives of those who passed away while connected to GPCC.

As we settle back into school routines, unusual as they are under COVID restrictions and constant change, it seems to me that in some ways this is more difficult than being in lockdown. We have looked forward to normalcy, but what we have got is not really normal, so it requires further adjustment and involves some measure of disappointment. We are seeing this in the behaviour of some students who are struggling more with return than others. It is important to keep in mind that each of us is an individual who is unique. Don’t expect that your child will necessarily respond to this situation as your friends’ children are. It is a time for patience and tolerance while we help those who are finding this difficult to navigate it as best they can.

A new roadmap for school operations will come out soon, but we are waiting for some further detail on what we can and cannot do. I hope to publish that for you next week, but we also know that further changes are very likely before the end of term.

Year 12 students begin their delayed HSC Examinations on Tuesday 9 November with the final exam being on Wednesday 1 December. Remember them in your prayers that in spite of the delays and uncertainty, they will enter each exam with a clear mind and be able to recall what they have learned.

We have announced our new Secondary College Captains and Vice Captains for 2022 and presented them with their badges in an outdoor ceremony in the presence of their peers. Sadly, their parents could not be present, but we have videoed the occasion for them. Pray for these students as they help lead the student body.

The Secondary Captains and Vice Captains are:

Girls Captain: Ishbel W            Girls Vice Captain: Eliana B

Boys Captain: Eden C             Boys Vice-Captain: Keegan H

To view the video presentation of our 2021/2022 Captains and Vice Captains, click link.

Phillip Nash

Principal