I recently completed writing a philosophy and practice of Christian education for GPCC. It is not often that schools make explicit their philosophy of education, but I have always believed it is important to be explicit and transparent for the sake of those who work in a school and for the sake of those who send their children to that school.

There are many different approaches to education and much greater minds than mine have written extensive and deeply complex educational philosophies. Being a simple fellow really, I have tried to express ours in terms ordinary people can understand. I hope you find it so.

You can find a copy here: GPCC PofEd

Now, do not expect this to be quick or light read. It deals with significant issues ranging from our core purpose, to the metaphysical, epistemological and axiological grounds for our philosophy, to the purpose of education, the roles of the participants etc. You will also find set out the classroom practices we are seeking to utilise at the College, as well as the profile of the GPCC teacher.

Let me give you a sample by inserting below the section on the "role of the parent":

The Christian Scriptures teach us that God places children in families as a means to nurture and grow them. Parents are in fact given priority in Scripture as those who have responsibility for teaching their children and helping them to grow to maturity in accordance with God’s design.

Schools are a late development in human history. They came about largely due to the growing specialisation in societies that placed the scope of learning required by children beyond the ability of most parents. A Christian school in particular seeks to work as a partner with the parents (and preferably, also the Church) in the education of a child. It remains the prime responsibility of a parent to choose a school wisely and then to work with the school in the education of their child.

Parents should not abdicate their responsibility but fulfil it as best they can, using the resources of the school to support them. Any partnership like this is bound to involve some differences of opinion at times as to what is best for the child. Mutual respect for each other’s roles and a commitment to working together to find a positive solution, a good dose of humility and a willingness to try new things can all lead to a successful partnership.

The school, through its teachers and staff, commits to its role to provide a service in the development of the learner and seeks to work co-operatively with parents to see this goal accomplished.

I think that through the COVID-19 home learning experience, we have come to recognise the mutually beneficial role parents and teachers play in the education of a child. At GPCC we hope to capture something of this and ensure we maintain it going forward so that our partnership is strengthened, and the children are better served.

I hope you take the time to glance through the philosophy document and feel free to come and see me to have a chat about anything of interest in it to you.

Phillip Nash

Principal

Mrs Nicole Smith | Head of Primary

Life-Long Learners

To be a life-long learner is to engage in a posture of curiosity, and inquiry. It is also a position of humility, one that acknowledges that we do not know all there is to know and that there is always room for growth. In Philippians 3:14 we are reminded to, “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.”

I reminded the students last week that to be a life-long learner we need to remember these four things:

Patience – Sometimes learning a new skill takes time;

Practice – even if we have learnt something quickly we can always improve with practice;

Perseverance – Keep trying, have a growth mind set, say to yourself “I can’t do it YET, but I will keep trying”;

Problem solving – We often learn the most from our mistakes.

Head of School Awards

Congratulations to the following students who achieved the Head of School Award for Week 7:

Mila D, KDL; Kit N, KDL; Anthony A, KP; Charlotte H, KP; Max L, 1G; Lachlan Z, 1G; Nash P, 1PH; Alessia S, 1PH; Esther W, 2G; Charlotte H, 2G; Caitlin H, 2J; Lilliana G, 2J; Dannielle H, 3B; Luke L, 3B; Noah H, 3K; Adam S, 3K; Zoe O, 4B; Alisa P, 4B; Xavier R, 4M; Henry S, 4M; Abbey S, 5D; Lachlan F, 5D; Bronte M, 5H; Joshua P, 5H; Kaori K, 5P; Blake L, 5P; Malakai H, 6D; Lyla M, 6D; Kyne B, 6M; Morgan E, 6M; Katie E, 6T; and Johan L, 6T.

Gold Projects

Our Year 5 classes are to be commended for the production of some amazing dioramas and projects on the discovery of gold and the Gold Rush. Throughout the process they have learnt much about the conditions of the miners, the importance of migration and the impact this period had on our development as a nation.

Mobile Phones

It is a reality in this day and age that many students have a mobile phone, for safety, communication and convenience. Whilst students are at school, there is no need for them to use their phones and all phones MUST remain in students’ bags for the entire day. If there is a situation where you need to contact your child, please do so through the office. Students using their phones during the day will have them removed and parents will be contacted.

Smart watches can be worn to school as a method of time telling, however whilst they are on site Primary students are to disable messaging and phone services, including access to social media sites so as not to be a distraction to learning.

Extend - OOSH

Our Extend service OOSH service OPEN. If you have a child in Primary School and would like to make use of this service, please contact Extend Before and After School Care support@extend.com.au or call 1300 366 437.

Student Pick Up Zone

Safety is our main concern when operating a school. Cars and students can be a dangerous combination. Please remind your children that they are to be seated at the pick-up and bus bays and wait for cars to come to a complete stop before approaching. If you are taking your child across the car park, you MUST hold their hand. By holding onto children, you can stop them running into a dangerous situation. Even though children may complain about holding hands, by making family rules about safe walking, explaining them and reinforcing safe behaviour, you will help children learn how to become safer pedestrians.

Library News

Book Club

Money orders are due to Mrs van Wyk by Wednesday 17 June. Orders for Issue 4 are closed after this date.

Stocktake

Overdue notices have gone out to students from Kindergarten - Year 12. The Library staff began stocktake last week. Please search around at home for any Library books you can return this week. Thank you for your support.

Maker Space

This term our Maker Space is a box arcade challenge. Students can watch this video to get some inspiration and ideas:

Caine’s Arcade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faIFNkdq96U .

Photos or video of the entries are due to Mrs van Wyk by Friday 26 June.

Maker_Space_Term_2

Maker_Space_Term_2 4.30 MB

Mr Peter McLellan | Head of Secondary

This term we have been looking at the Attributes of God.

I wanted to delve into understanding who God is, why He is important in our lives and how we live our lives.

He is described as the ROCK and that is our base for life which gives us direction and purpose to what we do and why we do it.

This week’s attribute is that God is Love.

Foundational understanding of God actually creates clarity to life decisions and purposes.

Progressive Reporting

This year we have moved to Progressive Reporting where you will receive detailed feedback on your child's performance in each Assessment Task throughout the year.

The advantage of Progressive Reporting is guidance on a student's performance and how they can improve in each area of the task they undertake. This will give you a much clearer picture of your child's progress.

You will no longer receive a Half Yearly Report and at the end of the year you will receive a summative transcript of your child's academic year.

Please see instructions below for how to access the Parent Lounge Progressive reporting.

Access_to_Parent_Lounge_Progressive_Reporting.pdf

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Year 11 Prefect Interviews

Interviews for nominees will commence soon and students will be advised details by email.

Year 12 Students

The new dates for our HSC Trial Examinations are 17 - 31 August 2020. Our timetable is below for your information.

Please note the HSC Examinations have also been pushed back by a few days. They will now start on 20 October and finish on 11 November 2020.

Year_12_Trial_Exam_Timetable_Student_Edition_2020.pdf

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Vaccinations

Year 10 Meningococcal vaccinations will now be on 5 August, (rescheduled from 13 May) and on that day the nurses will be doing Year 7 catch-ups for those who missed their earlier vaccinations in February.

Year 7 follow-up HPV vaccinations will be on Wednesday 2 September.

Year 7 Technology

A snapshot of the weaving work in progress with Year 7 Technology and Mrs Lumby.

Year 10 Music

Year 10 Music students students completed their Performance Assessment Task with Mr Leonard and Mr Muir last Thursday.

For those wanting practice resources to help with literacy and numeracy skills, please see page 2 of this week’s Careers Newsletter.

The Careers Newsletter is emailed to Years 10 – 12 students and their parents.

It is also available on the College website under the “Education & Learning” menu in the “Student Careers” section.

For more details, please see this week's Careers Newsletter or visit the "Student Careers" section on the GPCC College website.

Mr David David Russell
Curriculum Co-ordinator (7-12) | Student Advisor (7-12)

Nathan Lambert | K-12 Sport Co-ordinator

Greatest Sport Comebacks

There is nothing better than watching a team come back from certain defeat to clinch a victory on the final siren.

The Australian Mens 4x100m Relay team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics … they were the underdogs coming into the event, up against the unbeatable USA who had as part of their team the water sprinter, Gary Hall Jnr. The Americans kept up with Australia who led early, and then coming into the last leg, Hall had a strong first 50m and took the lead over Ian Thorpe.

The final leg is what legends are made of with, Thorpe fighting back with 20m to go to overcome Hall and win the event by a hand-length. It was an amazing finish and watching this was truly an exciting experience.

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, Russia had the strongest ice hockey team for several decades. They had won the gold medal five times out of the last six Olympics. They dominated the sport and were the red hot favourites to win Gold at the Lake Placid Games. Team USA, an inexperienced team chosen specifically for their positions and teamwork, were keen to perform well at the Games and hoping to spoil the Soviet Union’s party.

USA drew their first match against Sweden and then had an upset victory over Czechoslovakia. They then had to play the Soviets in the first game of the medal round. The first period was tied at 2-2, with USA holding strong in defence against the Soviets. Then, with the Soviets taking a 3-2 lead, the US team needed to score quickly and they did exactly that. They scored two amazing goals and for the first time in the game, were leading coming into the final period. The pressure mounted and with wave after attacking wave, the Soviets pushed the USA goal, trying to score the equaliser. With the famous (and very excited) call by Al Michaels for ABC in the final seconds of the game, he declared, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!!” and USA held on to win one of the best sporting moments ever! They then went on to beat Finland in the Final, coming from behind again, to win the Gold medal.

Of course we also have the amazing story of Michael Jordan. After winning the NBA Championship three years straight with the Chicago Bulls, his father passed away so Jordan decided to leave to pursue a career in baseball.

He did not excel as planned in this new chapter of his life, so returned to the NBA in 1995 and did the unthinkable … helped the Bulls to win the Championship again from 1996-1998. To come back like he did was phenomenal.

What amazing comeback stories do we have at our school?

Comebacks do not necessarily mean that it ends in victory. It means that you keep trying and finish as strong as ever. You may win, you may not, but the effort to get there is important.

What about the time when the U15 Boys Soccer team travelled to Tamworth last year to compete at the Zone Soccer Gala Day? With only 10 boys in the team and no subs, they had a big mountain to climb if they wanted to perform well. With excellent performances in the round games (two wins and a draw), they qualified for the Semi Final and thanks to a magnificent kick by Luke Batey, won in the dying seconds to then progress through to the Grand Final. Against Carinya, and still with only 10 men, the scores were locked at 1-1 until Luke R put through the perfect ball to Luke B again who put it beyond doubt, slotting in the winning goal and giving GPCC the Zone Champions' Trophy. To go through the entire day undefeated, with only 10 men, and to eventually win the carnival, is a comeback story to remember.

Another great story of comebacks is our Senior Primary Girls Basketball team. Up against some of the strongest basketball teams in NSW, they went into their second match unsure as they were up against Oxford Falls, who were exceptionally experienced and skilled. With superb defence in marking and strong offence, the girls won this match convincingly. Winning their remaining matches and the Semi Final, the girls progressed to the Final against Northern Beaches. With such focus and perseverance, our girls fought hard to the final whistle, with the scores locked at 6-6. Extra time saw both teams providrf with scoring chances. Northern Beaches snuck ahead on the scoreboard and eventually won 9-6, but the efforts of our girls to make it so far and to just miss out on winning the Championship, is a story of true grit and determination.

Then there is the Senior Primary Boys Cricket Team. In the CSSA State Cricket Championships in 2015, the boys progressed through the round matches to qualify for the Final. This game was against one of the toughest teams in NSW and after a solid batting effort, had put themselves in a good position to win. Our team had some experienced cricket players in it, such as Isaiah B, Michael D, Arden C, David S, Keegan H, Ronan C and Jesse D. Eventually, and with one over to go, our boys pulled off a phenomenal team effort to clinch victory on the last ball and win the State Championships. Amazingly, leading up to this momentous final game, these boys won the Semi Final against Northern Beaches on the last ball. It just goes to show how determined they were to win.

There are so many more amazing stories at our school, of our students fighting to the very end, to that final siren, even when the odds were against them.

We are definitely a school that has many amazing sport achievements and sensational sport comebacks. I am looking forward to our future sport adventures and the many more exciting stories that we will be able to share.

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2021

Kindergarten 2021 Information Night - Wednesday 29 July @ 6:00pm

For those enrolled or looking to enrol your Kindergarten child for 2021, this is an essential event to hear from our Head of Primary, Mrs Nicole Smith, and to meet our Kindergarten and Primary staff.

They will be sharing about our programs and co-curricular opportunities, and there will be time to ask questions as a group as well as one-on-one.

This is a registration only event to ensure adherence to limitations for the space being used.

Please register below via the form on our website.

Registration Form for Kindergarten 2021 Information Night

Term 3 Open Day and Tour

Thursday 13 August 10:00am - Lunch

Open Day is an excellent opportunity to hear from our Principal, Mr Phillip Nash, to meet our Heads of School and other teaching staff, and to be hosted by our students as they lead tours of the College.

Please register via our online form to assist with numbers for catering and space requirements.

Registration for Open Day Thursday 13 August 2020

Position Vacant

GREEN POINT CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

A ministry of Green Point Baptist Church

Our motto is: Equipped for Life

CLEANER (casual)

We are seeking a focused and energetic self-starter to provide casual cleaning services to cover existing cleaning staff on leave, hence this work is on an “on call” basis.

Reporting to the Cleaning Supervisor, your duties would include general cleaning to assist in the daily operations of the College.

The successful applicant must be a committed Christian and be prepared to work under the ethos of our College. Full Job Description, Prospectus and Application Form are available on the website www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au

Applications must be received via the College website by completing the General Staff Application Form (https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/work-with-us/employment-information).

Applications close on Friday 19 June 2020.

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop has recommenced normal trading hours.

Alinta System Upgrade

ALINTA_System_Upgrade_Update.pdf

ALINTA_System_Upgrade_Update _pdf 40.20 KB

Canteen

NOW AVAILABLE at The Munchery

$2 HOT MILO before school and at recess.

Be sure to check out the daily lunch specials on Munch Monitor – including NACHOS on Tasty Tuesday.

The Munchery (Canteen) has now resumed full time operating hours.

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/children (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.

Thank you.

Green Point Trader

Found: A Garmin watch was found and handed in to the office several weeks ago. Students were notified via Daily Notices however, the watch remains unclaimed. Could the owner please see Mrs Roberts at the Student Window.

Box Divvy: Does your family eat a lot of fruit and vegetables? Green Point Box Divvy is a fruit and vegetable co-operative that can save you money.

We work together to buy entire boxes of fruit and vegetables at wholesale prices which we divide between us. 60% of produce is local and spray free.

Pay 30-40% less than at the big supermarkets. Fresh food picked 48 hours ago.

Low food miles
Minimal waste
Eggs, bread, coffee, sauces and dry pantry products also available
Easy online ordering system
Pickup on Tuesdays from Green Point Hub between 2:00pm and 5:30pm

Delivery available within 5km of Green Point for $7.

Our Facebook page is below:

https://www.facebook.com/BoxDivvyGreenPointKatherine/

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Green Point Trader, please email details to Marie Hay at newsletter@gpcc.nsw.edu.au

Green Point Baptist Church

In light of the current COVID-19 crisis, Green Point Baptist Church has suspended all regular Church activities and has encouraged any Church member who is not in a high risk category to find ways to serve the vulnerable in their community. If you are in need of assistance, please contact the Church office on 4369 1585 or office@gpbc.net.au

GPBC has moved their services online:

SERVICE TIMES

Sundays

9:30am

6:00pm

Sunday Service

Green Point Baptist Church invite you and your family to join the Sunday service LIVE on Facebook at 9:30am every Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/greenpointbaps/

Thrive

Thrive is on hold for now, but kids can join via Zoom from home each week during the school term. Join the “Thrive Green Point 2020” facebook group for information.

Over the past few weeks, Green Point Baptist Church has been partnering with Kincumber Neighbourhood Centre to help those who are doing it tough in our neighbourhood as a result of Coronavirus. The One + 1 Food Aid Project is based on a simple idea - when you are out shopping, buy a few extra items each week and build up a food hamper that can be passed onto a family who really needs it.

We would love for you to get involved with us in this project.

Each Wednesday morning, Kincumber Neighbourhood Centre runs its Food Pantry Program. For a gold coin donation, recipients are given two generous bags of groceries, often supplemented with a loaf of fresh bread, various fruit and vegetables, even eggs sometimes. In the half hour before the food program begins, a line of 10 people quickly grows to 60 people or even more, stretching the entire the length of the carpark. Leanne who heads up the program, says the last few weeks the number of people seeking food aid has been growing. Three weeks ago, there were 80 people and they nearly ran out of food.

When you look at the line, there is mix of older and younger people but they are mostly women. They wait quietly and patiently. When the volunteers begin serving people, they do so with generosity, dignity and kindness. Without exception, every person they speak to brightens and some even manages a smile when they realise they would not be judged. Every time we deliver food hampers, Leanne and Collette from KNC speak about the quality and thoughtfulness of the grocery items that are given and how it gives them options and helps them to respond to particular needs.

Remember, once you have completed a food hamper, items can be dropped off at the kitchen in the Church office between 9:00am and 12:00pm, Tuesday to Friday or the College office if it needs to be earlier. For more information, feel free to call the Church office on 43691585.