Since the beginning of creation, commemorating special occasions has been an important part of our history. The Bible is full of feast days, harvest festivities and special celebrations. It’s also an important part of modern day culture as we’ve seen by all the recent public holidays.
On Tuesday 7 May, we celebrated the official opening of our Sports Centre and Music block.
Special guests included Mr Andrew Wallace, Mr Chris Whiting, Mr Andrew Powell, Mr Rick Baberowski, Reverend Chris Johnson, Mrs Renee Leitch, our architects, builders and representatives from the Building Grant Authority.
I would like to thank Mr Andrew Wallace and Mr Chris Whiting for their words of encouragement. Mr Wallace caused laughter when he literally threw away his notes and went off script. Mr Whiting impressed upon the students the sacrifice their parents were making to send them to such a good school.
After the formalities, the guests were taken on a tour of the new buildings which were in full use by our students. Senior students worked out in the gym and showed off some of the equipment while others played a game of volleyball in the undercover courts. Our jazz group entertained guests in the new music rooms and our lower primary students showed off their beautiful new room.
I expected our guests would have to rush off due to the upcoming election and their busy schedule, but the hospitality spread was so magnificent that they all lingered for a chat.
The official building opening was a significant event that was much more than a photo opportunity with food. It’s important to celebrate special occasions and here are just four reasons why we do just that at Glasshouse Christian College. More photos here.
1. Cultivating a sense of community. Our building opening exemplified this perfectly. Our State and Federal governments contributed funds, our students were the reason for the build, our parents help by sending their children to our College; Fulton Trotter architects designed it, the Building Grant Authority helped access the funding, Midson Construction built it and the GCC staff and students now enjoy it. Together we celebrated an important milestone in our history.
2. Instilling a sense of meaning and significance. Just as a wedding or graduation marks a significant event, so too the new buildings mark a new time in GCC’s history when we are able to offer our students much more than they could previously enjoy.
3. Creating lasting memories. Memories fade and I often look at the history photos on our website with wonder, seeing images of when E Block didn’t exist or the Library was a patch of dirt. Memories were made at this week’s building opening. It was a snapshot in time and in a few years it will be a challenge to remember a period when these buildings didn’t exist.
4. Commemorations can be fun. The word ‘fun’ doesn’t’ usually spring to mind in conjunction with ‘official building opening’ but this event was enjoyable for everyone. The visiting guests had a really good time, the speeches were light-hearted and meaningful, the tour was entertaining and the morning tea was relished by all.
We have two more important commemorations coming up. The first one is celebrated by the whole of Australia and the second one is on a slightly smaller scale.
Mother’s Day
I’d like to wish all our College mums a very happy and meaningful Mother’s Day this Sunday. Take time to think of ways to make it a special commemoration for your mum. Our Mother’s Day traditions at GCC have grown over the years and this week we held our Prep Mums’ Night, a special Mother’s Day Chapel and the P and F Mother’s Day stall. What wonderful opportunities to celebrate our mums! You can see all the photos and read more about these events later on in the newsletter. Prep Mums Night. Prep Mother’s Day Chapel.
Open Day Saturday 18 May 10am to 2pm
The second important annual event in May is our Open Day which is on Saturday 18 May between 10am and 2pm. Traditionally, school Open Days are just for new families but at GCC we have made this a celebration for all of our current families as well as the ideal opportunity for new families to make enquiries.
The timed program is below so you can plan your visit around your child’s performance and the complete program will be published soon. This year’s Open Day is an ideal opportunity to see our new Sports Centre and Music rooms. I will be taking three tours myself and although they are mainly for newcomers, you are welcome to join me on tour.
See you at Open Day.
Mike Curtis, Principal