Term 4 is always a busy one but earlier in the year we wondered if we would be able to hold any events at all! Fortunately, we continue to be blessed with cautious freedom and the events are ramping up for Term 4 once again.

Dance Night

Last Friday was our Dance Night which was held in our Sports Centre due to the current restrictions. It was a wonderful night and a great celebration of the Arts at GCC. It was obvious that the students were clearly enjoying themselves and that enjoyment was infectious. The quality was on display for all to see and was really entertaining. I would like to particularly thank Stacey Marshall and everyone who helped make this night a success.

Music Gala Night

Even though the Sports Centre was built for Sports, we are truly thankful to have such a facility for events that would have to be cancelled if they were held in the church or another enclosed venue at this time. Three days after our Dance night, we used the venue for our Music Gala Night on the following Monday. 

Our Music Gala Night showcased our students’ talent and musical learning journey. There were a variety of performances from the woodwind, brass, strings, vocal, piano and woodwind students. The night was a wonderful celebration of the instrumental program at GCC. The skill and passion of our Instrumental Tutors along with the dedication of our students made for a highly entertaining evening. It was particularly gratifying to see many of the students performing their pieces completely from memory! 

I’d like to thank our Instrumental Tutors, Ebony Hilton and our other volunteers for an excellent evening. 

Cooking competition and high tea

Year 12s final cooking lesson was a cook-off with selected staff. Each student planned their own recipe from a pre-selected list of ingredients and worked with a staff member to plate-up meals within 80 minutes. The results were outstanding and delicious. Pixevety photos here.

Year 11 students’ curriculum task was to create a high tea for staff and once again, I was a beneficiary of extraordinarily delicious food. In particular, the chai-spiced cheesecake tarts and sweet potato scones with beetroot jam, were so good I had to ask for the recipes so I could try them at home. We also enjoyed live music, beautifully decorated tables and excellent service. Pixevety photos (and video) here. 

Last week for Year 12 students

With the new system, we ‘lose’ our Year 12 students from regular classes much earlier in the year. We say our official goodbyes to them at graduation on Thursday 19 November but they will not be on campus for their regular class timetable as a cohort after this week. Students attend external exams at different times from now until mid November so please keep them in your prayers. 

Book Week

Book Week has come a little later this year but once again it has been a great week of costumes and celebrating the joy of reading. The parades from the Middle and Primary School were once again outstanding (unfortunately due to the timing of the event the Seniors could not participate this year). I am always astonished by the quality of the students’ costumes and those of our wonderful staff members. It is a lot of fun and I hope you enjoyed the live streamed experience. 

Photos will be on Facebook and available via Pixevety much earlier if you can’t wait.

Photos of events

All of our GCC parents now have access to our photos on Pixevety, which is our photo-sharing platform. Not everyone has downloaded the software yet but I encourage you to do so from the email that was sent to you. Facebook photos are quickly buried on timelines and we can’t include many photos on our website so we will be putting links to the relevant albums in newsletter articles. 

The new platform means that you will never miss seeing photos of your child again. You can choose to just see just photos of your child by using the VIP feature at the top of the screen or look through whole albums. Another benefit of this software is that you can download high-resolution photos and print them yourself to celebrate a special occasion or milestone in your child’s life. 

Currently, you can access 2019 and 2020 photos and will be making previous years available after we check them for suitability. Enjoy!

There are still many more events coming up in Term 4. Whenever possible we are filming them so parents and caregivers can still feel involved even when they can’t be present due to COVID-19 restrictions or personal reasons. 

Mike Curtis, Principal