A Series of Anecdotal Reflections on Freedom and Responsibility. Year 10. The year where it quietly shifts from “school is something that happens to you” to “you might actually have to try.” That idea alone is enough to make it feel a bit daunting. New expectations. Real pathways. Words like QCE and ATAR are suddenly […]
The Next Step Year 12 Completers survey opens on 17 March 2026. All Year 12 completers from 2025 will receive a letter from the Minister for Education inviting them to participate in this five-minute survey to help our school understand the different pathways of our graduates. This helps us to improve services for future students, and respondents have the chance to win a
Glasshouse Christian College is proud to recognise Dominique McLaren as our 2025 Dux, an honour that reflects not only outstanding academic achievement but also exceptional character, discipline, and perseverance. Dominique joined our College in Year 10 and in a remarkably short time, distinguished herself as one of the most exceptional students we have had the
It has been a strong and exciting start to the year in Agriculture, with our Year 10 students officially joining the league of Aggies. It is always encouraging to welcome new students into the program as they begin building their understanding of food, fibre and sustainable production systems. Year 10 Agricultural Science students have been
As we begin a new year in Mathematics at GCC, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr Neil Capps, who has faithfully led the Mathematics department for many years. My name is Cassie McKenzie, and it is both a privilege and a responsibility I hold with great appreciation to serve as Head
Term 2 ended on a high with a fantastic end-of-term activity day. Year 10 students rotated through a variety of fun activities, with the highlight being the inflatable Bungee competition against the Year 11s and 12s. Congratulations to our champions, Blair Campbell and Ava Shinners, for representing Year 10 so well and taking out the win!
Our Year 11 and 12 Business students recently had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of two significant businesses, gaining valuable insights into business functions and exploring where these organisations fit within the business life cycle. Year 12 at Dreamworld In Week 4, the Year 12 students attended a tailored masterclass at Dreamworld. They
Students Experience the Business World Firsthand Read More »
At Glasshouse Christian College, the Industrial Technology and Design (ITD) Department continues to provide students with rich, hands-on learning experiences through engaging projects to explore technologies, materials, and systems in a way that not only builds technical competence but also reflects our Christian values of stewardship, excellence, and service. Here is a snapshot of the
Crafting Skills with Purpose in Industrial Technology and Design Read More »
By Amelia Hughes When we saw the beautiful artwork Amelia created for her assessment, we had to find out more. Please find below Amelia’s Artist Statement about her wonderful creation. Amelia writes: For my term one Visual Art assessment task I created a Surrealist Sculpture, The Gift of Creation, based on the surrealism movement we
So much can be said about the power of Experiential learning – a process of learning by doing, where knowledge and skills are acquired through hands-on experiences and reflection on those experiences. The Design students have had the privilege of working with some leaders in their fields. Two Senior students were invited to complete a
At the beginning of 2024, three Year 10 students – Liana Boss, Jolie Veit, and Holly Zielinski – got caught online shopping during class. As an educator, I had a choice: give a consequence or ask a question. As educators, we are afforded some amazing moments of influence. We can lift up or tear down
The RoomReadi Story: From Year 10 to the National Stage Read More »
After the glamour and celebration of the Year 12 Formal on Friday, November 15, the excitement didn’t end there! A bold team of staff members accompanied 66 of our Year 12 graduates on the much-anticipated 2024 Mystery Bus Tour—an all-night adventure packed with fun, surprises, and unforgettable memories. This event, now in its 8th year,
This year is the end of one era for Year 12 French students Tiahna Davies, Madeleine Mullins and Amyliah Harrison. The end of high school and learning French in a school setting. To celebrate this special occasion, we are sitting in a French Cafe La Maison du Patissier, looking back at the girls’ 13 years
Year 12 French Student’s Thoughts on – The Value of Language Learning Read More »
On the recent senior design trip to Sydney, we had the privilege of touring the historic Fullerton Hotel, formerly the Sydney General Post Office. I found the experience captivating from both a historical and architectural perspective. We learned that the building, which dates back to the 1800s, played a pivotal role as a communication hub
Last term, our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students took off on an epic three-day adventure through the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland, and it was an experience to remember! Day 1 started with a bus ride to Springbrook National Park, where we explored the stunning Purling Brook Falls. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and the students
Silver Duke of Ed Adventurous Journey to the Gold Coast Hinterland Read More »
This term, Year 10 Philosophy and Reason students have been learning about the origins of Political Philosophy. They have spent the first few weeks musing over ancient discussions and ideas on politics, power and the role of the state by Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In Week 4, we took a field
10 Philosophy Excursion – What makes a good democracy? Read More »
E-sports (electronic sports) has been a rapidly growing industry in recent years. At a time when we question the definition of ‘sport’, especially at any Olympic level, e-sports comes into the spotlight. According to the Oxford Dictionary sport is defined as: Sport /spɔːt/noun 1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual
Kicking goals in Round One E-Sport success at GCC! Read More »
During National Reconciliation Week, students from Glasshouse Christian College’s Senior and Middle School took part in activities to honour Indigenous cultures and promote unity. The week featured a special ceremony that highlighted the students’ respect and appreciation for the traditional practices of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. One of the main activities involved
Celebrating National Reconciliation Week at Glasshouse Christian College Read More »
Three weeks ago, the Year 10 cohort undertook a journey filled with laughter, challenges, and unforgettable memories – Year 10 camp! Nestled in the scenic beauty of Mt Tamborine, our camp provided the perfect backdrop for an adventure-packed few days. From thrilling activities to heartfelt moments of bonding, here’s a snapshot of our camp escapade:
GCC students Isabella Buckland (Year 10), Amelia Hughes (Year 9) and Audrey Jo Caldwell (Year 8) were very successful at the 2024 annual Sunshine Coast MLTAQ Poster Competition. Each student achieved first place in the French language competition in their own year-level categories. This year’s theme was ‘Embracing our differences and enriching our lives through
This term the students are learning about multicultural foods in Hospitality. So what better way to do this, than by introducing a dumpling class with a Japanese Chef Tomo. First of all, he talked about growing up in Japan and how the dumplings were a signature dish of his hometown. He showed the students pictures of
In Term 4 last year, the secondary chess club ran a chess competition where the winner would play off against a member of staff. Seeing as the students played me regularly I wanted it to be a member of staff they have not played before and a senior member of staff. If all roads lead
Dear Year 9 and 10 Families at GCC I am thrilled to introduce you to the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Program available here at GCC for Year 9 students and above. It’s an exceptional opportunity for our young individuals to embark on a journey of personal growth and skill development. Starting the program in
Exciting Opportunities Await: Join the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Program! Read More »
After the Year 12 formal on Friday 18 November, a brave group of staff members took 55 of our graduates on a mystery all-night bus tour. The College sees this as an excellent opportunity to finish the year well. I am incredibly proud to be associated with a school that is willing to subsidise a
Across Queensland, numerous different schools each year are asked to select and nominate a Year 12 student who they believe should receive the Secondary Schools Citizenship Award based upon the role that they have in their community and school. Each nomination then goes through a judging process in which 12 nominations are selected to receive
Over the year, students have been exploring the way things work. Year 9 Engineers investigated the amazing world of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic principles for powerboat design. They used this knowledge to design, create and race a prototype power boat in a 4-metre water tank. Powerboat photos and video Year 10 “Legends of Speed” explored the
Design Technology Innovations – Inspire, Design and Create Read More »
In an era of rapid change and evolving challenges, it is imperative for governments, councils, and industry organizations to actively incorporate the voices of youth in visioning and decision-making processes for the future. As inheritors of the societal structure and environment being shaped today, young individuals offer a unique perspective rooted in the realities and
We held our annual Careers Expo on 16 June, again filling our fantastic GPAC with a varied range of exhibitors, including several universities, apprenticeship and traineeship providers, creative arts, health and business training organisations, TAFE, Police recruiting and Defence Force recruiting to name a few. It was great to see so many students from Year
The Aggie Team did exceptionally well at the Maleny Show this year with multiple firsts, seconds and thirds across the fruit and vegetable entries, in addition to claiming Reserve Champions for their beautiful chokos! In addition to winning produce, it was the students’ passion and professionalism in presenting to the crowd on European beehive keeping,
GCC Aggies Excels at Maleny Show: Produce, Beekeeping, and Whip Cracking! Read More »
The topic of this article is actually part of a response I made to a question put to me a few weeks ago by a senior student. “What do you think about chat GPT sir?” At the time I feigned ignorance and promised to return to the topic at a more appropriate time. My search
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 18 years since I was in Year 11 in 2005. I remember feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the constant workload, with no end in sight. Looking back, the 18 remaining months until graduation may have seemed like a short time, but it certainly felt like an eternity.
Unforgettable Moments: Year 11 students’ all-time favourite memories Read More »
What an incredible Term 1 it has been for the Year 12s. We kick-started the year with an amazing camp at Bargara, where we got to see the turtles both hatching and also laying eggs. We also had an awesome leadership team where I witnessed the students really pull together as a team. We have
The farm has now become a hive of activity with all classes beginning their assessment pieces for the term. They say a picture paints a thousand words and so we will let the following pictures tell you about what we have been getting up to. It is so rewarding and inspiring to work alongside the
As technology continues to advance, robots and automation are becoming increasingly present in our lives. You may have a robot vacuum cleaner at home and more and more people are buying robot lawnmowers. Not only does this make life much easier but the artificial intelligence and automation of these robots almost let them function with
It’s been a fantastic start to the year in the Ag Department welcoming new students to the subject as an elective as they come into the senior years, as well as the excitement of our new Agricultural Science unit in Year 9! On the topic of new faces, we welcome Mrs Merisa Wschnat to the
The wonder of Christmas and celebration of the New Year are only weeks away. Families will be reunited again around the festive table and many of us will see friends and family we have not seen for years due to the restrictions of the pandemic. In all the hustle and bustle of getting the house
Nurturing the joy of connection and learning over the holidays Read More »
After the Year 12 formal on Friday the 18th of November, a brave group of staff members took 67 of our graduates on a mystery all-night bus tour. The College sees this as an excellent opportunity to finish the year well. I am incredibly proud to be associated with a school that is willing to
Can you imagine going to a brand-new school in a country halfway across the world? Last term, Year 10 had the privilege of welcoming Toku from Japan to Glasshouse Christian College for 9 weeks. It was great to see how welcoming and friendly the Year 10 students were with him – he had friends literally
French, or learning languages in general, can take you to places. Last week, it took Year 10 French students Madeleine Mullins and Amyliah Harrison to Alliance Française, French cultural centre in Brisbane where the girls took part in DELF exam (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française). DELF tests are official qualifications awarded by the French Ministry
During the second week of the September school holidays, I attended QUT’s annual STEM Summit. It was a four-day experience designed to encourage high-achieving students to pursue a career in the STEM fields. Throughout the summit, I was treated like a QUT undergraduate student, receiving engaging lectures from industry professionals as well as professors from
Year 12 Industrial Technology Skills students have been applying the technology of CNC plasma cutting to create a workshop sign based around the college logo. They worked in teams to develop the designs for each section of the sign. The layouts were set up using CAD and then the individual components were plasma cut from
Design and Technologies Engineering Metal Craft project Read More »
Year 12 students have had a fantastic year and we want to make their Mystery Bus Tour after the formal really special. Last year we had businesses and families donate over $3,000 worth of gift vouchers, cash prizes and donations. We are putting a call out this year for businesses and families who would like to donate
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 10 students gallantly gave up the last week of their school holidays to get out into the workplace from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane. With a couple of brave souls heading interstate! The students did themselves and the College proud, with employers animately telling us of their employability, interest and motivation. It was a
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 »
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
Year 10 Aggies have just returned from a most exciting trip to Warwick for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Hermitage Plant Science Awards Day. As a part of this trip, the students also had the opportunity to visit Wonga Plains Feedlot run by Camm Agriculture, Sovereign Poll Dorsets owned by Chris Rubie and then
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
Australia, the Lucky Country, is one of the international success stories of the past 50 years. With record low unemployment numbers, we are almost the victims of our own success. Overseas skilled workers are lining up to enter Australia to fill the huge skills gap that our country is unable to fill. The Federal Government
Navigating educational and job opportunities of the 21st century in the lucky country Read More »
