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Banter and Bullying
I personally hate banter! I really struggle with it, there has always been something that didn’t sit right about it with me. Banter is defined as the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks and banter is everywhere, it is in our locker rooms, in our homes and our pubs and clubs, at our barbeque lunches and it is in our schools. It is very often normalised by adults and mimicked by our children.
Yet do we consider what banter really is? It is teasing. 2-way teasing, low level teasing, but teasing. It often points out a personal trait around physical appearance, personal traits, and cultural and racial identity. In reality this low-level banter attacks another individuals personhood under the guise of being a joke.
While often dismissed as a joke and not harmful, the reality of banter is that it has an impact on people and how they view themselves. Often people will pre-empt banter by making fun of themselves to mitigate or minimise perception that they may take it personally. Banter so often leads to, or is a cover for bullying type behaviours. What begins in fun, ends in tears.
Adults, it might be argued have the maturity and social understanding to say banter is no big deal (though I have seen enough examples where this is not the case). Children and adolescents really do not yet have these skills, so very often what begins as a joke end in high levels of emotional dysregulation, fights and hurt. I think as a culture we need to re-evaluate our attachment to banter, and we certainly need to encourage our children to avoid hearing and speaking in these ways.
As we see our students make great strides forward in their skill of emotional regulation and interpersonal conflict management, we are noticing that conflicts related to banter and personal or racially motivated comments are persistent and not reducing at the same rate as other behaviours.
This is something we are looking to continue to address as a College and would love your continued partnership in.
At Green Point Christian College we believe that every student is a precious image bearer of our creator God. As I look across our College one of the things that is a great strength is the melting pot of diversity here. It is an amazing representation of the incredible creativity of our creator God.
Every student also has an amazing array of gifts and abilities, strengths and areas of growth. Every student also has a name. A name given by their family and known by God. So instead of using banter to identify a person or point out a trait, we should simply honour people with their name.
Can I encourage families to speak to your children about the nature of banter, that they do not need to be a receiver of it, and they should not be a giver of it.
As a staff we will be working to always pull up banter when we hear it in our classrooms in order to help students understand the impact of their words and the value and power of their name.
Joel van Bentum
Principal
Mrs Amanda Rutlidge | Head of Primary
Parents please remember if you are visiting during school hours, or need to pick your children up, you need to visit Reception first. Thank you.
Students arriving before 8:15am
If you need to drop your child off to school before 8:15am, you will need to make use of our out of school hours provider, Camp Australia. Playground supervision does not begin until 8:15am.
CRU Term 2
This term we have been reading Psalms to ‘Taste & See’ that God is good. So far, we have discovered that God’s way of living truly is the best life, that God is good all the time, even when we can’t feel it, that He is forgiving when we say sorry, and this week … God is good in creating the world and keeping it going!
Students have enjoyed various challenges, (especially the yummy ones) playing games, reading the Bible, praying and singing.
CRU meets every Thursday lunchtime at 1pm. Students from Yrs 1-6 are invited to come along each week.
MIDI Cru
In CRU this week we learnt about God as the master of the universe.
Midi CRU members spent time outside making creation wristbands because we often miss out on noticing how good God is because we do not look closely at the wonderful things He has made.
We looked at Psalm 148 where the author is amazed not just because of the detail of God's creation but also because of its size. In stages the Psalmist tells us about each of the different parts of God's creation: heavens (verses 1-6), sea (verse 7), sky (verse 8), land (verses 9-10) and people (verses 11-12). Students also tried the ‘Fruit Tingle’ and ‘Knotting the Snake’ challenge. Students from Years 1-6 are welcome to come to CRU each Thursday so they can “Taste and see that the Lord is good”.
Lost Property Box
The Primary lost property box is full. There are many hats, jackets and lunchboxes in there. This will be emptied at the end of the term so please come and collect any items that you are missing. Remember to please label everything.
Students of the Week
Congratulations to the following students:
Joshua W; KDL, Connor E; KK,Lily P; KS, Olivia M; 1C,Armani P; 1G, Kalla K; 1PS,Finn B; 2J, Knox G; 2G,Emily R; 3B, Scarlett M; 3D,Laura T; 3M, Lucas D; 4H,Savannah G; 4M, Alessia S; 5B,Lachlan H; 5L, Eva M; 5P,Archie W; 6B, Orin S; 6SH,Anders T; 6S.
Junior Band
Junior Band gave their first fabulous performance this year in Week 3. It was a little windy but the students didn’t lose their groove! We performed a couple of Australian compositions, the luscious Sunset Serenade, and a zippy little jazz number called Emu Strut. Well done to our Junior Band musicians and thanks to parents and staff for the support.
We have two more exciting events approaching this term, in Weeks 8 and 9 our students will perform solos at their Tutor Night, and on Wednesday 26 June all our bands will perform at their respective Chapel services. (This includes Welcome Band, Junior Band and Senior Band).
Mr Brendan Berlach, Band Director
Da Vinci Decathlon
Congratulations to the Years 5 and 6 da Vinci Decathlon students on your final competition results. They have performed amazingly well, competing successfully against 72 Year 5 teams and 77 Year 6 teams.
Year 5
13th place in Ideation
Year 6
12th place overall
4th place in Mathematics
5th place in Creative Producers (drama)
7th place in Code Breaking
What a privilege it is to teach such an amazing bunch of students!
Year 5: Poppy A, Henry H, Juliana L, Ryan Y, Nathan Y, Luca Y, Elsie H, Sophie S
Year 6: Louis A, Liam O, Caitlin H, Kerryn W, Elise C, Conor M, Cooper C, Khloe O
Mrs Emily Lines
How easily are you distracted from what you are doing when you get a notification on your phone? How strong is your self control to not look to see what it is until you have finished what you are doing?
I suspect for many people, a buzz or ding on your phone or laptop grabs your attention immediately and leads to you reading and responding to the message, email or post you have been alerted to. Some of you would have a healthy relationship with work emails, social media and other notifications.
Adolescents, however, find these things much harder to ignore. It has been shown in studies that having a phone on a desk reduces attention and learning even if it isn’t alerting students of a notification. We also know that there is a connection between phone use (especially social media) and poor mental health in adolescents. For these reasons, this week we have begun to expand our no phone policy, extending it to the time students arrive at school. We know that we can have positive impacts on the learning and mental health of our students by making school a phone free zone.
Year 12 Extension Science Presentations
Chloe H and William R are dedicated science students at GPCC, enrolled in Year 12 Science Extension, along with Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
In January this year, they participated in SciX, a program by UNSW in Sydney designed to immerse Science Extension students in university-level scientific research. During this program, they joined the nanomaterials for medicine research group for a week, where they synthesized and characterized the physicochemical properties of gold nanoparticles using techniques such as absorbance spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Nanoparticles have applications in medicine and across various industries due to their unique properties.
Having acquired these skills, Chloe and William are continuing their independent research at GPCC under the guidance of their teacher, Dr. Langley. Chloe is exploring the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles with the goal of developing a water filtration system that utilizes these nanoparticles for purification. William is studying the potential adverse effects of gold and silver nanoparticles on the germination and growth of mustard seeds, considering the environmental accumulation of nanoparticles over time.
In Week 5 of Term 2, they presented a progress report to a small audience and aim to complete their research by early September
Bake Sale
Please support our Bake Sale on Thursday 6 June to support the Bali Life Foundation.
Students that are going on the Bali Life Trip will be selling baked goods at recess outside the MPC. Prices range from 50c - $2.
Year 7 History Exhibiton
The Treasures of Ancient Egypt Exhibition has been displayed in our Library this past week featuring over 110 intriguing objects including canopic jars, Tutankhamun’s gold sandals and death mask and the momentous Rosetta Stone.
Congratulations to our Year 7 students that have worked hard on these, and produced some fabulous work.
Youth in Performing Arts (YIPA)
Senior Music Students from GPCC were well represented at Youth In Performing Arts Annual concerts where aspiring musicians, dancers, and other creative Arts students are given the opportunity to perform at Laycock Street theatre.
The students performed brilliantly showing the diverse range of talents that GPCC can generate every year.
Below is a list of these talented individuals:
Year 11 Performances
Dance: Monique C
Music
Year 11 – Murder on the Dancefloor
Olivia S, Sonny S, Leila C, Isaiah C, Sienna S, Sophie S, Zachary S
Year 11 - Linger
Joshua R, Jeremy R, Matilda W, Amelia H, Dominic H, Kendall L
Year 11 Solo Guitar
Christian N
Year 12 Performances
Year 12 Solo guitar
Samuel F
Jessica H / vocal (original song)
Year 12 Solo Piano
Aiden D
Year 12 – Armandos Rhumba
Joshua A, Aiden D, Bailey P, Samuel F
Year 12 Solo Vocal
Bailey P – Your Song
Grace T – The Ballad of John Doe
Also featured was Elise Leonard our vocal tutor singing Sway.
Well done to all these students who excelled over the four nights of performances.
Crochet Club
Our group is growing. Such fun each Thursday at Crochet Group in the Library. All welcome.
Advancedlife Photography Orders
Please note: There is a delay on the Secondary photo orders due to a supply issue of the plastic inserts that the photos are slotted into. We hope to receive the photos in two weeks time. Advancedlife and GPCC apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Year 7: School Vaccination Program - 4 June 2024
If your child is in Year 7 this year, you can now provide online consent for their routine school vaccinations.
In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV).
In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
This year our Year 7 Vaccination Clinic date at GPCC is:
Year 7 - HPV and dTpa - Tuesday 4 June 2024
Year 10 – Meningococcal ACWY were conducted in February. Students who missed their vaccination may do a catch-up on 4 June if parent consent has been given.
Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.
How to provide consent:
- To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school
- Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
- Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
- Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
- Enter your child’s personal details
- Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
- Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
- Provide consent
If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from your child’s school.
The benefits of providing consent online:
- easily update your child’s details
- receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given
- faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination.
If you require information in your language, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx
Mr Stuart McSwan | K - 6 Sport Co-ordinator
Paul Kelly Cup - AFL
We had two teams represent the College at the Paul Kelly Cup South Division at Woy Woy last Thursday. Congratulations to both teams for good performances throughout the day and the obvious improvement as each game went on. The girls managed to win one game and gained valuable experience with much of the team having never played AFL before.
The boys AFL team had a great day on the field running, tackling (bear hug) and kicking to their hearts content. Some tough competition was provided but the boys were able to remain competitive during most of their games.
Thank you to Mrs Stubbs-Mills and Mr McGregor for coaching the teams.
Dates for your Calendar
School Carnivals
TERM 3
Wednesday 21 August - GPCC K-2 Athletics Carnival (GPCC grounds)
TERM 4
Friday 25 October - GPCC K-2 Swimming Carnival (Peninsula Leisure Centre)
Representative Carnivals
TERM 2
Thursday 6 June - CIS Primary and Secondary Cross Country
TERM 3
Tuesday 6 August - THACCCSA Zone Primary Athletics Carnival (Glendale)
Friday 23 August - CSSA Primary State Athletics Carnival (Blacktown)
Friday 6 September - CIS Primary Athletics Carnival
GPCC Sport Teams
We are looking forward to sending our teams to a number of Gala Days and competitions in Primary this year.
Students will have a chance to trial for certain school teams over the coming terms and will need to keep a close eye on the notices and listen out for Assembly announcements for when trials will be held.
The protocol for team selection is as follows:
- Teams have at least 2-3 trials before final selection.
- Unfortunately, it is simply not possible for all children who trial to be included in final teams. It is not uncommon for up to 60 students to trial for a team that only has 10 spots available. Due to these limited spots, it is highly likely that students will miss out on making the team. We acknowledge that we have a number of skilled athletes who trial for these representative teams and we strive to give opportunity during trials for students to demonstrate their skills.
- Once teams have been chosen, they will aim to have at least one training session each week before a competition.
Individual Sport Trials for Primary CSSA and CIS Teams (NOT GPCC teams)
These trials are not for GPCC school teams that we trial for here at school to play at certain gala days throughout the year (as mentioned above). The CSSA or CIS trials are usually held in Sydney and students will be trialling against students from either other Christian Schools (CSSA) or other Independent Schools (CIS) and are usually recommended for those students that compete at a representative level.
Please email Mr McSwan before these Nomination dates if your child (YEARS 5 AND 6 ONLY) would like to be considered. They need to be currently playing in the sport and have several years’ experience (preferably at a Representative level): Parents are required to transport students to and from these trials.
CSSA and CIS Sport trial dates: Please note these are not for GPCC school teams.
TERM 2
Wednesday 19 June - CIS Primary Rugby Union Trials #1 (select students) - Nominations close Wednesday 12 June
CSSA (Christian Schools Sports Association) Child Protection training and Risk Warning
CSSA have recommended that all adults (teachers, volunteers, parents) complete the following module on Child Protection before attending any CSSA event (trials, gala days or carnivals). Thank you
https://www.cssa.net.au/child_protection/index.html#/
Below is a link for the Risk Warning that accompanies all CSSA run events
https://cssa.net.au/risk-warning.html
THACCCSA Soccer Gala Day - Tamworth
On Friday 24 May we departed a brisk GPCC at 5am for the longest day on the calendar and headed for Tamworth. The first two hours of the ride were met with a choir of snores that made time slow down. But once the sun rose, everyone’s spirits were lifted, and the music started to play. As we approached the fields, final preparations were in place and game faces were on. We walked across the pitch with a swagger like no other. With one plaque to defend and three to gain, the competition was ours to take.
We had four teams which consisted of our Under 15’s boys, Under 15’s girls, Open Boys, and our Open Girls. Each coach had their plans, and every student knew their roles. It was time to play.
The day had a mixture of results, but by sheer determination. All our teams had made the Grand Final!
The under 15’s girls faced up against Charlton in an epic match that lasted the duration but sadly conceded late and lost 2-0. Next up was our Open’s girls, they were challenging a strong Maitland side that were drilled to perfection and put on a show, but our girls were up to the task going back and forth with Maitland to the end. Sadly, our girls lost 2-0 as well in that match up.
Onto our under 15’s boys, we had the battle of the coast against Wyong CS and it was a battle. Levi M was a stronghold playing the whole game with a broken ankle and leading our defensive line. The game lasted the duration and after extra time we were locked at 0-0. Penalties were inbound. The boys stood strong and faced up to the challenge as a team. Hunter M was exceptional and saved 3 penalties in the shootout, to lift the plaque. The boys celebrated and we were able to defend the plaque for a second year.
The open’s boys were fired up after the junior’s penalty shootout and faced a strong Wyong CS also. The game was fast and intense with some mesmerising play and skills. Kaden L and Eli W pulled the strings and dictated a lot of the possession with cool, calm heads. The boys went down 1-0 early but rallied together and applied pressure which paid off with 2 goals and the boys were up 2-1. The game continued with a frantic pace and Wyong got back into the game and we were locked at 2-2 at the end of full time. The boys entered extra time and scored early which we all thought was the winner, but Wyong continued to apply pressure and were rewarded with a late equaliser. The game finished at 3-3 and penalties were on the way once again. The boys scored all their penalties and Will T was the hero in goals with two massive saves to hand the boys the plaque.
The bus ride home was awesome as everyone was full of joy that we had all teams reach the Grand Finals for the first time in a while and it felt like the start of a new generation of soccer in GPCC.
Mr Read, Mrs Batey, Mr Newell, and Mr Partridge were all proud of everyone’s efforts and can’t wait for next year’s gala day!
Mr Mark Partridge
Under 15’s Rugby League
On Wednesday 29 May, our under 15’s Rugby League team went to the Wyong Roos home ground to play in the U15’s City Cup Rugby League gala day for all schools on the Central Coast. The boys started with a win against North Lakes, then were narrowly beaten by St Edwards College where we knocked the ball on over the try line as the game ended which meant our day was effectively over. In our last game we were well beaten by TLSC Berkley Vale campus. It was a fantastic experience for the team, where we were competitive and represented the school well.
Secondary Sport Calendar
CIS Secondary Cross Country: Thursday 6 June
CSSA Calendar
Download CSSA CALENDAR 2024
Lego Makerspace
Primary students are invited to create an Olympic or French themed Lego build for maker space next week.
K-2: Tuesday 4 June
3-6: Wednesday 5 June
The build will be happening both recess and lunch. Entries will be photographed at the end of lunch with names and an explanation.
Guest Author
On 13 June we will be having a guest author to inspire our K- 6 students. Louise Park, a local author, who also writes under the pseudonyms H.I. Larry, Mac Park, and Poppy Rose, is already a firm favourite with our students. They love her Zac Power series as well as her Bella Dancerella and Star Girl series.
Louise will be talking about her books and life as a writer. K-2 will hear more about her D-bot Squad and Zac Power series, Years 3-4 will discover her fantasy time travel novels Grace’s Escape and Grace’s Secret. Years 5-6 will be focusing on her historical account of Gallipoli, Last Man Out.
Students have the opportunity to order her books. These will be signed copies.
You can scan the QR code below to place orders.
Storytime 2024
Preschool story time themes for Term 2 are below. Please register your interest with Nicole van Wyk: nvanwyk@gpcc.nsw.edu. See the flier for more information.
Scholastic - Issue 3
Issue 3 Scholastic book club magazines will go out this week. Parents can order online at LOGIN (scholastic.com.au). Issue 3 orders close on Friday 17 May.
Casual Teachers Primary
https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/employment/casual-teacher_secondary
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2024).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory, or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
More information on this process is in the following attachment. Please contact Mrs. McLarty (Deputy Principal K-12), jmclarty@gpcc.nsw.edu.au if you require further information.
Reconciliation Services
The theme this year, “Now more than ever, says we need to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation. We know that the 6.2 million Australians who voted YES in the 1967 referendum are committed to better outcomes for First Nations people and are with us.”
Primary - Wednesday 29 May 2.30pm
The Student Representative Councillors explained what reconciliation means, to the students. Each student in Years 3 - 6 made a reconciliation hand to place under the stage to remember. Kindergarten - Year 2 and YVCS have their hands displayed in the library. Thank you to our Councillors for preparing such an amazing experience for our students.
Secondary - Wednesday 29 May 12.00pm
Year 11 Aboriginal Studies students, Tirzah H, Isaiah F and Thomas W, presented the History of Reconciliation to Secondary students. It showed us the improvements over time and challenged us that changes are important ‘Now more than ever’.
"During a staff learning walk, we went into her class. The class was engaged, learning and so excited for us to come in. Corinna was encouraging, had great demonstrations to teach the Kindergarten students to learn force (push and pull). I learnt alongside the Kindy student. I was super encouraged by her attitude, teaching style and the way she shines her passion for teaching in her lesson.
What an absolute asset she is to our school!”
Please note - Local Incident
The Principal from Terrigal High School has distributed a note to parents reporting a recent incident that occured at Terrigal Public School. A reminder to be vigilant and have a chat with your children. Please see excerpt from this note.
"An incident has been brought to the school's attention of a student being approached by a stranger in a white van in the local area yesterday.
Police are investigating this incident, and the school is liaising with Terrigal Public School to support the students and family involved.
As a result of the incident, we will be reminding students about how they can keep themselves safe.
Over the next few days, we would ask parents and carers to talk with your child or children about staying safe on the way to and from school or when they may be unsupervised in the local area.
If you become aware of any incident in which a child is approached by a stranger or any similar matter involving the wellbeing of a child, please report it to the local police station and inform the school."
Uniform Shop
2024 Uniform Shop Trading hours
Monday: 8:00am - 10:30am
Wednesday: 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 10:30am
Friday: 8:00am - 10:30am
For the price list and further information on ordering through Alinta, please visit our website – https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/uniform
The Munchery Canteen Operations and Menu
Click on link to access: THE MUNCHERY MENU
All students are strongly encouraged to order online. However, over the counter sales will also available.
Please visit the GPCC website for the link to The Munchery portal: https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/community/the-munchery-canteen
Munch Monitor Account Settings
To assist the staff at the Munchery Canteen in serving your children, if you have a Munch Monitor account you may indicate your preferences for snack money, a daily or weekly limit, and if your child has any allergies.
Please note that The Munchery Staff are under strict instruction to follow these preferences. Please log in to your account and update these settings if required.
Please download document below for more information.
GPCC OSHC Provider - Camp Australia
Out of School Care is available at the College, offered by Camp Australia.
Parent Lounge Details
The College has a legal requirement to keep our records up to date.
Please review your details on Parent Lounge to ensure that all your information is correct. This includes medical information on your child/ren (only complete the immunisation question if your child is not immunised).
Please note: Should you require both parents/carers to receive SMS notifications, please tick the appropriate boxes.
Green Point Community Notices
Words on the Waves Writers Festival
Service NSW - Active and Creative Kids
Code Camp
Firewood for Sale
Contact Brian Shaw at the College on 0404 478 341.
If you would like to place an community advertisement in the Green Point Community Notices, please email details to our Messenger Editor, Justine Collins at newsletter@gpcc.nsw.edu.au
Green Point Baptist Church
Services: 9:30am Worship Service, 6:00pm Service
Services continue to be available online each week.
Coming Up this Week
Monday 3 June
Year 12 English Ext2 Poetry Seminar at CCAS
Tuesday 4 June
Year 7 Vaccination Clinc - HPV & dTpa
Thursday 6 June
CIS Secondary & Primary Cross Country
Year 9 Duke of Ed Bronze Practice Hike
Bali Life Bake Sale Fundraiser
Friday 7 June
Biggest Morning Tea Fundraiser - for Cancer Council
Year 9 Duke of Ed Bronze Practice Hike
Year 12 Visual Arts to Groves Studios
Dates for your Calendar
Monday 10 June
King's Birthday Public Holiday
Wednesday 12 June
K - 12 Music Program Concert 1
Thursday 13 June
Primary Author visit
Friday 14 June
Primary Jason Todd CRU visit
Year 12 Society and Culture HSC Study Day
Year 9 Child Studies Preschool visits
Year 9 Mountain Biking Team excursion
TERM 2 DATES
Monday 10 June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
Frday 5 July - Last day of Term 2
TERM 3 DATES
Monday 29 July - Students commence Term 3
Friday 27 September - Last day of Term 3
TERM 4 DATES
Monday 14 October - Students commence Term 4
Wednesday 11 December - Last day of Term 4