Now we are well and truly into Term 2 and doing things differently has become part of our new ‘normal’, for now.

The challenge of blending “remote” and “at campus” learning modes has been embraced by our staff and they have done incredible things to make this seemingly impossible task, not only possible but successful. We are a College known for our agility and our innovative approaches and this has been so evident as I have been observing our classrooms. We are all looking forward to that time when we are “back to normal”.

Throughout this difficult process, we have felt supported and encouraged by you. Your kind words have meant so much to us, especially at a time when many of you are in very challenging circumstances yourselves. As an inspiration to our staff, we collected all of your emails and comments, took out identifying factors and then sent it to them. Your positivity and your generosity were warmly received. 

In the midst of these lovely words, we were really boosted by the thoughts and actions of one GCC student. You may know that most teachers rely heavily on coffee to get through the day and are trying to support local businesses by buying their morning caffeine from Coffee Club on the way to work. They will often take it in turns buying coffee for the others.

Imagine their surprise and delight when our teachers went to the Coffee Club and were told that one of our students not only anonymously paid for their coffees, but also took the trouble to write an encouraging Bible verse to go with each cup of coffee!

After being inspired by all your emails and notes, our staff wanted to put together their own thank you to all of our GCC families. I hope you are encouraged by our messages as much as we were by yours. Here is the link to our thanks.

I want to take this opportunity to also thank our staff. Teachers and Teaching Assistants are juggling teaching inside the classroom and managing multiple classrooms inside homes via the computer. It is quite exhausting for them and there has also been a lot of work in changing rosters to manage supervision and physical distancing.

It may not be obvious, but the reason we could provide a device (computer or iPad) for every child studying at home, is because our IT Department has been working towards being ready for something like this for many years. The boys in IT didn’t even blink when they were tasked with equipping every child with a learning device for home use. Well done to Roly and his team.

Anzac Day like never before

Even though we couldn’t assemble or march together, a wonderful sense of community pervaded this year’s Anzac Day. It was inspiring seeing so many people in our street participate in the driveway tribute of lighting a candle or holding a torch at 6am last Saturday.

I’ve been encouraged by our families sending in photos and even a video of how you commemorated this significant occasion.

Thank you to those who participated in our Virtual Anzac Day Service. It wasn’t as good as the real thing but as close as we could manage, given the circumstances. The years pass so quickly and it was a jolt to see how much Beerwah had changed in the photo montage. For those who missed the service, you can watch it below.

Doing Open Day differently

Open Day is the biggest event on the College calendar so it is a big disappointment that we won’t be able to hold it in the traditional fashion.

The nearest we can do is to hold a virtual Open Day. It will be at the same time (Saturday 16 May between 10am and 2pm) but it will be online on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. We will miss the food trucks and train rides but the components that make a great Open Day will still be an important part of our virtual event.

There will be student-led virtual tours, Science demonstrations, Dance, Music and Drama performances, behind the scenes looks at Prep, a tour of our Agriculture Science farm, a cooking demonstration, and even a bloopers reel!

You will still be able to chat with me and the Heads of School online during the event and ask any questions that are prompted by what you see in the video.

Closer to the date we will email a URL link to the virtual event and provide you with a timed program so you can tune in for the parts you are interested in. If you would like to find out more, you can visit our Open Day page on our website.

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you all there.

Mike Curtis, Principal