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 …
Developing our young people into fine young men and women: Year 8 students had a Leadership Training day this week (by stealth). On Tuesday they were engaged in a variety or outdoor challenges with an intentional focus on lessons learnt such as respect and consideration for others, inclusion, communication skills etc. One of the provoking …
Camps: Two weeks ago our Year 7 and 9 students went on their respective week long school camps. Year 7 went on a trip to Canberra to visit the Nation’s capital with an added highlight of travelling to see the snow. Year 9 experienced an Outdoor Adventure camp. Well documented research has shown that these sort …
Here are a few snippets from things that have been happening in Middle School in just the last few weeks. Many of these occur because the Glasshouse staff see a need or have a passion or vision and go the extra mile to make it possible for our students to do or achieve these great …
Conversation and time with your Middle School child: Recently the school hosted Graham Hyman from Youth Specialties Australia to speak to Middle School parents on the topic of ‘Understanding and Communicating with your Teenager’. As the organiser, I have to say that even though this kind of presentation is something I have heard many times …
Pastoral Care is a key component in delivering quality education. A student will find it difficult to learn if they are struggling emotionally or socially or there are unnecessary distractions. Likewise, students will find it hard to learn if another student is disruptive or distracting in the learning environment. Often disruption is a symptom of …
Congratulations to these students for their successes so far this term: Ebony King – 7th in High Jump in Queensland JD Theron and Aiden McKellar – played in the QLD Volleyball team in the national championships – their team won! The Year 8 girls Glasshouse Volleyball team won silver in the recent state competition Noah …
Below is some sound advice I recently came across that I would like to endorse related to dealing with problems at school: Getting along with people can be tough—whether you’re six or sixty. And sometimes we all need a little help knowing what to do. When kids have a problem with friends at school, we …
As you contemplate holidays, I’m sure you are considering how to provide opportunities for your children to be more active. I clearly recall a holiday moment when my children were in upper primary. I proactively issued the edict that for every hour in front of a screen they needed to spend two hours outdoors. A …
Our Year 7s were privileged to have Andrew Wallace, our local MP, meet them and spend time showing them around Parliament House in Canberra last week. As they gathered in the Marble Foyer, his words to them were; ‘This is your Parliament House; it’s not the government’s, it’s not the Parliamentarian’s. It’s the seat of …
The year is flying by and in Year 8 we are preparing the students to seriously think about nominating for leadership positions for 2018. As part of this preparation, Year 8 attended a Leadership day on Wednesday at Tunnel Ridge. Here the students participated in various activities that encouraged leadership qualities and enabled the students to look at …
A Wrap Up and what’s in store for next term Open Day was a wonderful opportunity for parents to have a peek around the classrooms and see some of the excellent student work on display. I hope you had a chance to pop in, to see, meet up and just generally be proud of what …
GCC Welcomes French Exchange Student A French exchange student Alice Leautey-Pommerie has started her 12-week stay here at Glasshouse Christian College this week. She will be attending Year 10 classes until the end of August. Alice is from the Paris region and enjoys sports, camping, shopping and cinema. Let’s make her feel welcome at our …
EXTRA-ordinary The first 4 weeks of this term have already been bustling with a variety of rich activities, guest speakers and events. To cover some of the key ones – it has been made EXTRA-ordinary with: the privilege of hearing from the band, Tasman Jude and speaker, Scott Darlow; the cross country, the Year 7s …
We have had such a great time in French during Term 1! In March, our Year 7s went on an excursion to Brisbane to experience the limelight of a French Film Festival. Students were treated with croissants and chocolate milk while watching the awarded movie “L’Odyssée” at the Palace Centro. A wonderful movie about a …
This past week we have focused on issues around bullying as well as celebrating cultural diversity and concentrating on recognising social justice issues in other places around the world. These two topics go hand in hand. They may be local, one on one problems of individual harassment or on a larger scale, political giants can …
It’s incredible that Term 1 has come to an end…not that I am complaining! Term 1 has been a huge for the Year 8 students, teachers and parents. We saw the introduction of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) program, went on camp, participated in the swimming carnival and ran in a cross country. I …
Moving on from beginnings We have had an action packed start to 2017 with a Parent Information night, camps, Launchpads, special assemblies and the swimming carnival. Now, reality is coming to the fore and It is highly likely that students are finding meeting homework and assessment deadlines, taking responsibility for organisation of their uniforms, laptops …
At this time of the year there are many things to celebrate The hard work, diligence and values recognised at our recent Awards night Year 9 Rites of Passage Day on this Friday Loads of great assessments – while that may sound strange – a great deal of the assessed work has been fun and …
For a little known independent school hidden away on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, we can be very proud of some of our students who have made a name for themselves over this year. This week, our congratulations go to our Junior boys QLD state Volleyball champions and to our junior girls who ranked 7th in …
Important dates for your calendar for next term Awards night This is a COMPULSORY event for all Middle and Senior school students. Please mark in your diaries – Tuesday 8 November, 5.30 for a 6.00pm start. At the Caloundra Events centre, students must wear full formal uniform – with tie and belt for boys Middle School …
Parent Communication The recent Funfest and Parent Teacher conferences have been great opportunities for our teachers to chat both informally and formally and connect with parents. These are ultimately to work together to help our young people realise their full potential. If you were unable to make the conferences but would still like to have …
It has been a busy, full and exciting time for Middle School students at Glasshouse Christian College in the last half of this term. Take a look at these pictures that show some of the highlights. Athletics Carnival Did you get to the Night of Talent? The quality of the items was well worth the …
Next week our Year 7 and 9 students sit their NAPLAN tests. These tests give valuable data that helps GCC reflect on if we are best meeting the needs of our students. These tests can be daunting and tiring – please encourage our ‘NAPLANers’ and if your child is sitting the test check that …
Is stress a good thing? I recently came across an article on stress that used the analogy of how a lobster grows a new shell. Underneath its shell the lobster has a soft jelly like body. As it grows up its body gets too large for the shell and it becomes painful, when this occurs …
Welcome to all our new students and their families to Middle School at Glasshouse for 2016. So much has already happened in the past 4 weeks along with the real business of lessons, homework and assignments. Some of these are Year 7 Orientation Day Year 8 Camp Year 7 and 9 Launchpads Parent Information Nights …
Celebrating… Year 9 Rites of Passage Day on Friday Loads of great assessments – while that may sound strange – a great deal of the assessed work has been fun and of a high quality. From the Bridges and Crash Test cars, the Sunshine Coast Modern style Brochures that the Tourism board would be amazed …
This week we recognised students who received ICAS competition results, the Debating team students, Term Academic and Diligence certificates from Term 3 and our Dance Troupe who came Highly commended in a large competition several weeks ago. These students have worked hard and consistently over many weeks and months to achieve the results they have …
Term 4 is steaming ahead with activities that are a consolidation of what has been learnt, presentations of top performers in all arenas and preparation for the year coming up. It was great to see the students who presented at the GCC’s inaugural ‘Night of Talent’ last week. Last Friday we enjoyed getting to know …
Awards Night – Tuesday 3 November Awards Night is a celebration of GCC students’ learning journeys and their achievements It is an opportunity to showcase the highlights of each year level through photo stories and a few of our best artistic items. Awards Night is an excellent evening for families to share and have insight …
The last few weeks of this term have been busy with the many things happening alongside the craziness around meeting assessment deadlines. Here are a few of those other things: Make a Stand Well done to our 20+ students who stood from 8:30am to 1:30pm a week ago Thursday.. This raised money for the organisation, …
Last week I spent two days and an evening with our Year 9 ladies on an overnight retreat. It was a great privilege to watch them work through what it means to be a young woman of character and strength. As we hopped off the bus at the end of the retreat, I also had …
“Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow.” Lawrence Clark Powell. Next week is National Book Week. What a wonderful thing to celebrate! Literacy is a crucial foundation for all aspects of education – even numeracy requires skill in literacy to enable understanding. (Similarly literacy requires numeracy skills and knowledge to complement understanding …
Thanks to parents and students for the efforts undertaken in last week’s Student Led Conferences. Now it is a matter of putting plans and ideas into practice so they become a reality. We do encourage you to continue to communicate to us if your child is struggling or you have any concerns or queries so …
Important Dates – Semester 2, 2015 Tue 28 and Wed 29 July Student Led Conferences – evening Wed 5 August: 5.30pm Yr 9 – Careers Info Night – evening Tue 25, Wed 26 Aug Boys’ and Girls’ overnight Retreat Friday 21 Aug Shine Arts evening Tuesday 13 Oct Year 9 Work Experience Information – Evening …
We live in a world where the social media landscape has a huge impact on the knowledge and views we hold and the relationships we have. A recent survey revealed that 60% of teens would happily give up TV over their phone; and, 80% of adults look at their phones within 15 minutes of waking …
Open Day I hope you are able to make the time to pop in and look around on Saturday between 10.00am – and 2.00pm. Middle School parents do not have as many opportunities or reasons to visit Middle School as Primary. Many of our students, teachers and staff have put a great deal of time …
Opportunities and Self Discipline Well done to so many of our Middle School students who are working hard to ensure they meet deadlines, complete homework tasks and involve themselves in extra-curricular activities. Parents/carers – please continue to encourage, congratulate and hold the bar high on what you expect of your child. Not just academically but …
Assessment time is looming on the horizon as we approach week 6. This week students in Year 7 and 8 had Study Skills/ Time Management presentations by the company, Elevate. You can find out more about this organisation by looking at this website. Year 12 and beyond seems a long long way away for Year …
The students celebrated ‘Shrove Tuesday’, selling pancakes at morning tea to staff and students. This was the first function for the year and they all worked really hard to produce delicious pancakes. Well done! The meaning is below: Lent is the time of the Church Year when Christians prepare for Easter. They remember the 40 …
Year 8 Students have been learning about the French speaking country Québec in Canada. Did you know that the flag of Quebec is called the Fleurdelisé. Its white fleurs-de-lis (symbols of purity) and blue field (symbolizing Heaven) come from a banner honouring the Virgin Mary, reputedly carried by French-Canadian militia at General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm‘s …
Year 9 and Year 11 Science 21 students experienced what it is like to be a crime scene investigator. They were privileged to have the opportunity to participate in a forensic science demonstration. They were asked to figure out what happened to a school girl who was murdered and whose body was found in an …
I heard on the radio in the last few days that, ‘We have 24 shopping days until Christmas’. This time of the year can be extremely busy as we work hard to get through a host of things that need doing or we want done. So much so that we lose sight of whose birthday …
Bonjour! I had the wonderful opportunity to escort a group of GCCC students to France on a Study Tour over this last holiday break. I have returned reflecting on how amazing and diverse our world is – both culturally and historically. I would like to thank Mrs Whyte, Mrs Gordon, Miss Gook, Mrs Morris, Mr …
Perseverance and persistence are not good friends with mediocrity. One of our GREAT school values is Excellence. As assessments roll in and tests are administered over the next few weeks, teachers will be expecting our Middle School students to complete the work to a high standard. This is why students will be required to complete …
Year 9 camp adventures Emu gully is a great camp You don’t always have to be the main champ Doing activities that will help us work together And creating bonds that will last forever In teams with people that we don’t usually see But we learn to be who we were born to be We …
New look newsletter I hope you like our new look printed PDF newsletter and enjoy reading the stories inside. The newsletter is now also available on a magazine hosting site which will make it more user friendly for you to view it on your favourite app. Celebration for three staff members On Friday afternoon of …
Did you see the Tech Expo at Beerwah library on Saturday? Several of our students presented to the community how we are using technology in our classrooms and school. With green screen filming techniques, motion stop technology to make claymations and students showing their e-learning journals – it was good to stop and think what …
Responsibility and Privilege are two words that generally go hand in hand. The more responsible a person is, the more privileges they are generally given. God rewards faithful stewards – with more responsibility. Such as in the parable of the minas (talents/money) found in Luke’s gospel in the Bible. The first faithful servant who doubled …
