On Wednesday night last we held our MADD Night (music, drama, design) and it was a resounding success. COVID has prevented us from putting on this event for the past two years and the students and staff did us proud.

Year 12 students performed their Music and Drama pieces which are a significant part of the HSC program and the TAS students displayed their wood and textiles major projects. Art students presented their works and our Year 11 Hospitality students prepared dinner under the expert guidance of Mrs Lumby and it was delicious and beautifully presented. The whole event was a feast of talent and entertainment.

In some ways these students have the toughest job of the HSC because they have to complete and present their major works early in Term 3, so their time frame is much less than those sitting for other subjects. It is a huge test of time management and creativity and the MADD Night was a credit to the students and the staff who have supported them through this process.

I like to remind students that while they are at school and especially in the final two years, they need to see their schooling as essentially their job. Their work is to turn up to school each day, to pay close attention in class, to do the assigned work and do their best to master what is being taught. This is all good training for the work force. Like any good employee, they need to aim to work at a high standard, to be reliable and trustworthy, to manage their time and their tasks well. It would be good if you talked to your children at home about this approach.

I reported to you last term on a rise in graffiti in our Secondary toilet blocks. We have now installed cctv cameras in several places around the school so we can monitor who enters the blocks at the times we believe graffiti is occurring. While we began the term free of damage, it started up again last week. This time, with the help of the cameras, we were able to catch the perpetrator. We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour at GPCC so anyone caught vandalising or graffitiing school property will be suspended and made to help clean up as reminder of the consequences of their actions on others. Our cleaning manager spent many hours last term cleaning graffiti off cubicle walls and the Green Team then had to repaint everything in the holidays.

Litter seems to be the issue for this term. I have been very disappointed at the increase in litter. We have plenty of rubbish bins around the school but so many students just drop their litter on the ground. We will be looking at a campaign to try to change this poor behaviour too. Again, this is something you can help with at home by talking to your child about their responsibility to keep their school environment clean and healthy.

These two issues are such a contrast to the performance of our seniors at MADD Night. There we saw young people at their very best – using their talents, honed by practice and good learning and being used for the pleasure of others. In graffiti and litter, we see the worst side of young people – thoughtless about the impact of their actions on others and the environment, a selfish and lazy approach to life. Our job as school and as parents is to help them grow up to be the better of the two.

Phillip Nash

Principal