At lunchtime, on Wednesdays, a group of Middle School students gather in the pastor’s Lifehouse to learn more about God and his love for them. This term we’ve been looking at a series called Reckless Love by Next Step Ministries. Throughout this study, we have heard the testimonies of people who have had their …
It was quite some years ago now that the movie, Accidental Hero, was aired. It told the story of people who were rescued from a burning plane by a man who then disappeared into the night. The tale reveals that the hero was actually an ordinary family man but clearly someone who was decent when …
Year 8 is a challenging year academically, with students expected to develop greater independence in their studies. Our program is designed to provide a rigorous and engaging learning experience, with a focus on developing essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. In addition to their academic pursuits, Year 8 students also have the …
On Wednesday 22 March, Glasshouse Christian College will be participating in the annual UniSc Science and Engineering Challenge at the University of the Sunshine Coast. The Science and Engineering Challenge is a national program that aims to get students excited about careers in Science and Engineering. It is an inter-school competition where students participate in …
In the southern hemisphere, the school year wraps up leading into Christmas. One celebration leads into another and another climaxing in Christmas – the greatest of all celebrations! Another school year is wrapping up quickly. It began a few weeks ago with the Sports Awards Ceremony followed by the Eagle Awards Assembly, then the Middle …
This year’s Middle School Experience Day was a blast of fun. We had the opportunity to experience what school will be like in Year 7. It consisted of various activities, including dance, science, music, food tech, PE, pastoral care and a navigation activity called ‘Where’s What?’ where Year 6 students had clues about places they …
Recently, 20 of our Year 9 Business students bravely volunteered to attend the Sunshine Coast Big Ideas Challenge. The free event, hosted by Future Anything, an organisation that delivers entrepreneurial programs to schools, brought together 80 students from several schools across the Sunshine Coast in an entrepreneurial, skills-focused, problem-solving challenge. In the short space of …
Glasshouse Christian College teachers have collaborated with the University of the Sunshine Coast in developing a Sustainable Neighbourhoods program to teach secondary students. Our teachers were part of the pilot program and have given feedback on the content and implementation, to help the developers create a more engaging and student-friendly product. In Term 4, we …
Have you ever wondered to yourself… What is a ‘good life’? Are we obliged to help those less fortunate than ourselves if we have the means to do so? Should animals be given the same rights as humans? Is artificial intelligence actually a good thing? If you have ever found yourself pondering life’s big questions, …
Year 7 has been exploring the world of physics in STEM this term, investigating the forces that make our world ‘turn’ and the simple machines that help us harness these forces, such as levers, wheel and axles, screws, and pulleys. Their newfound knowledge would soon come to good use with the cohort travelling to Aussie …
There are many tensions at work in any discussion about what happens in the classroom: what is taught, what is assessed and what this assessment should look like. The one I’m interested in today finds one of its extremes represented, at least in the English classroom, by the ‘Analytical Literary Essay’. I’m talking about the …
Tension between relevance and purity of understanding Read More »
What a day! Last Wednesday, nine of our Year 5-8 young ladies competed in ‘The Fuse Cup – Girl Gamers’ event. The event was held at Emmanuel College on the Gold Coast and saw around 70 girls from around the state come together to compete against each other at MarioCart. The focus of the event …
In the early 1990’s I began working for a building company that constructed high-end, waterfront homes in Sydney. When I met with the Builder for the first time, he showed me the architectural drawings of the new house we were about to build. As a 21-year-old, I was completely overwhelmed with the detail in the …
The joint collaboration between the Agriculture and Hospitality Departments was showcased to a whole new level this year. Parents and special guests were invited along to the Ag Plot where they were treated to a farm tour and luncheon. The Ag students displayed their depth of both practical and scientific knowledge with agrotechnology demonstrations, animal …
There were two occasions when I was surprised by how emotional I became in the first year of each of my four children’s schooling. They were – the first day of their school life. Leading up to it I had been thinking how great it was that they were off on this next wonderful step …
What a year so far in the Junior Kitchen! Our Year 7 and 8 students have had fantastic opportunities to upskill themselves during their visit with us. They have learned how to be safe in the kitchen and be aware of bacteria and food poisoning. We have learned the different ways we can improve our personal …
As part of the Secondary French program, one of the goals is to offer students real-life authentic learning experiences to highlight the importance of learning languages and understanding cultures. This week, the Year 8 French students had a chance to experience France and the French culture with all their senses while they explored French cuisine …
The Science and Engineering Challenge is a national program that aims to get students excited about careers in Science and Engineering. It is an inter-school competition where students participate in a series of activities related to real-world applications. On Wednesday 13 July (during the third week of the holidays) a group of 15 GCC students …
Already we are reflecting on the fact that we are halfway through the school year and it’s wonderful to see how far our students have come in six months! Not only have some grown several inches over the three-week break, but as teachers and parents reflect on the recent Semester Reports it is exciting to …
“The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs. At Glasshouse Christian College, we have a range of leadership opportunities and typically, for many who are in leadership, they are chosen because they have demonstrated that they are responsible, organised, passionate and reliable, such …
This May our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 cohorts have been participating in NAPLAN. For our Year 3 and 5 students, this was their first ever NAPLAN experience. For our Year 7s and 9s, they haven’t completed NAPLAN since they were in grades 3 and 5! This is because NAPLAN was cancelled back in …
As a senior teacher of some years at Glasshouse Christian College, I’ve often been asked a question familiar to most English teachers: Why Shakespeare? I have several glib pre-prepared answers to this question when just ‘getting on with things’ doesn’t permit an extended response, but I thought that, given the popularity of the question and …
We certainly have had some interesting weather this year! The rain just seems to keep coming back! So far in English and Humanities this year, we have looked at a variety of topics. We read and wrote a monologue about Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. We also had a Living History Incursion. The people talked …
Year 7 students’ FUSE Clash of Empires unit had an extremely competitive end to Term 1 with some very heated formal debates about which empire, Ancient China or Ancient Rome, would have come out on top if they had ever clashed. Each victorious debating team received either a jade jewel, representing China, or an iron …
Senior science students are all working on their Student Experiment – otherwise known as the Internal Assessment 2. This counts for 20 per cent of their overall grade. Biology students are basing their experiments on ecosystem dynamics. Physics students are working on the refraction of light. Chemistry students investigated electroplating and combustion of fuels while …
The start of 2022 has been an interesting one. The borders finally opened up, COVID-19 spread like a wildfire delaying the start of the school term, and just when you thought all the interruptions were over, we had some of the heaviest rain I have ever seen, which resulted in flooding that rivalled 2011 floods in …
What a busy term it has been! Here are some of the things that have happened in Secondary French so far. Year 7 French in Exploration of the French-Speaking World The start of Year 7 can be daunting, especially if you are new to studying a new language. As an introduction to French and gaining …
I thought I would take a moment this week to describe the College Laptop Program and compare our style of laptop program with those offered by other organisations on the Sunshine Coast. Our College delivers a school owned and managed laptop program which ensures our entire fleet of computers are running on the same hardware …
Year 8 has begun with a splash! Swimming lessons are a hit in P.E. Learning about the Middle Ages in EHUM is exciting with lessons about the Black Death, Knights, Weapons and Warfare and different social structures. The Pastors have been leading classes through the Unlimited Program where they explore the unlimited potential of themselves and …
It has been a fantastic beginning to 2022 for all the Aggies, new and old, and it is set to be an amazing year ahead. Year 10 Ag Science are immersing themselves in researching global food security and how to crop wild relatives to help plant breeders adapt new plant varieties to climate change. Over …
It’s well documented that the greatest influence on a child’s life is their parents or caregivers. As teachers and staff, we know that if we want our students to succeed, to be well-mannered, to be kind and thoughtful then we need to work together as one united front with the parents for the best results. …
The Year 7 and 8 Glasshouse Christian College students enjoyed an amazing few days of first-hand experiential learning in North Queensland last week. While their accommodation was based in Cairns, they travelled as far as the Daintree, Mossman Gorge, Kuranda and the Great Barrier Reef. In Cairns they visited the Museum, the Aquarium, the Botanic …
Winter usually brings a few days of strong winds. They’re not pleasant, they make it feel colder than the real time temperatures, clothing develops static electricity and there is a mess on the roads and in gardens from fallen branches and garden debris. However, wind is necessary in nature. Several years ago, scientists created a …
Year 9 Food Technology students visited Maleny Dairy for a fun morning. They learnt about how milk was processed and how the dairy made their own milk bottles. Everyone enjoyed trying all the different milk products and feeding the calves. Julie Peters, Head of Hospitality GCC families can see all the photos on Pixevety.
WW1 and Reconciliation Week Humanities incursion On Wednesday of Week 6, The Year 9s had the privilege and the honour of sharing a room with Lorraine Hatton. There is nothing as powerful as receiving information from a primary source. The students are studying WW1, ensuring a deeper analysis of the different perspectives of experiences and …
The annual Sunshine Coast MLTAQ Foreign Languages Poster Competition was held at the end of Term 1. This year, the topic was the United Nations International Year of Peace and Trust. Isabella Buckland won the Year 7 French Category with her thoughtful, beautiful and well-written poster. We would like to congratulate her on this great …
Building Positive Culture – in the World and in our School A few weeks ago, Middle School students enjoyed Harmony Day activities. We are blessed to have the cultural diversity represented by our students! This year some of our Middle Schoolers were able to share a small but rich and fabulous slice of their music, …
On Tuesday 9 March, the Year 9 students were treated to an incursion to complement their studies of colonisation and inequality in Australian history. Three guest speakers came to share with the students their own experiences as Aboriginal Australians and to share their faith and stories. The students participated in a creative writing workshop with …
On Friday 27 November, the Year 9 students and their English teachers headed to Brisbane, on a quest to know more about our past, mainly our country’s involvement in the two worlds wars. Two separate sessions, hosted by The Museum of Brisbane and The Anzac Memorial Galleries, aimed to teach us about the importance of …
Term 4 is well underway with each week bringing a wide range of learning experiences and school milestones. Here is some information on these that have recently occurred and some important up and coming events. Book Week This week we celebrated the skill of reading with a Book Week Assembly on Tuesday. Books are a …
Evening Fireside Productions, Scary Stories, Opera, S’mores and Morning Magpie Warble Wake-ups to Splendid Sunrises! (aka Year 8 and 9 camp week)! Year 8 and 9 students recently ventured out for a week of camping. I had the pleasure of sharing this experience with nineteen Year 8 girls and can honestly say, hand on heart, …
Reports, Certificates and Parent Teacher Interviews I trust all parents were able to view their child’s report card over the past week. Please contact Secondary Admin if you need assistance with this. Congratulations and well done to students who achieved a certificate for the following this week from their Semester One reports: Academic – ‘A’ …
Year 10 Multicultural Luncheon Year 10 selected a two-course meal for the multicultural luncheon which was an assessment task. They selected a country and then researched suitable foods that would link to the culture. They were excited to have their guests at their table to taste and evaluate their cooking. The students completed the assignment …
Middle School brings many new and exciting experiences for students at Glasshouse Christian College. So, in March this year they had the opportunity to venture off into another world under the ocean. This was part of the PADI Open Water Course that Years 7-9 are able to undertake here at GCC. Group A scuba divers …
French Around the World The College library has a great display on the topic of Francophonie, the French-Speaking World. Make sure to check out the display, and while in the library, why not borrow some of the French books or resources that are on display as well. The French-Speaking World display is a great reminder …
The annual Sunshine Coast MLTAQ Foreign Languages Poster competition is traditionally held in Term 1. Due to the current Coronavirus situation and transitioning into home-based learning at the end of Term 1, the poster competition was extended until the end of April. The theme this year was the Summer Olympics which gave a lot of …
Success in Sunshine Coast MLTAQ Languages Poster Competition Read More »
Online Learning The learning curve over these last two weeks has been intense as teachers, students, and families have adjusted to completing their school work from home. The number of students who logged into their classes and completed the set work on the first day and in the days that followed has been great to …
Making Homework Productive and Achievable and some other Middle School notes. It was great to meet many of our parents at the recent Student-Led Conferences and Interviews. Thanks for making the time to invest in your child in this small way. Having parents involved in their child’s education, makes a difference to how they progress …
The last week of school has been a hive of activity for Middle School. Year 7 made and enjoyed billy carts. Year 8 looked towards concerns in the world that need our attention, love and more importantly our support. Year 9 students prepared for next year and beyond but also prepared gifts and items to …
This Friday – Legacy Cup Event – Beach Games (aka Iron TEAM event): Middle School students will be transported to Moffat Beach for an afternoon of team challenges run by the Middle School leaders. Students will not be swimming in the surf but one of the activities involves students going into the inlet/lake. It is …
