Middle School News 24 May 2013 - Glasshouse Christian College

This last week I have been very impressed with, and proud of:

All our Year 7s and 9s who worked so diligently on their NAPLAN tests last week AND also their teachers who have put a lot of thought and effort into preparing our students for these tests in the lead up to this.Our Year 9s who rode their bikes between 10 and 20kms from our school to Mt Tibrogargan. For some students, this was a big stretch, for all of them they can be very proud of their achievements.The Drama, Dance and Cheer displays, Music items, Art pieces and other work on display at Open Day as well as our Tour Guides and Greeters on the Day.

Some other newsFrench Trip 2014

The school is exploring interest in a trip to France for students of French with G.E.T. Educational Tours. This will be open to all Secondary students who are studying French.

When Friday, 19 September – Sunday 28 September 2014

Cost Around $3500We will be fielding interest in this until the end of this Term. Students who are interested can collect an information note on this from the Secondary Admin Office or their French teachers.Destiny Rescue:Our school is fundraising for this. Your child may have come home with a small information kit and talked to you about this. This is an organisation which works mostly at rescuing children from child slavery in key hot spots around the world. The fund raiser involves students committing to stand up for 260 minutes. This is because statistically every 26 seconds a child is sold into slavery. This will occur on Friday 7 June. Teachers will be aware that this is occurring and will accommodate students who have committed to stand up during their class time. We will begin counting at 8.30am and stop at 12.50pm.

Reporting issues.

The Aussie culture has an additional ‘Love Language’ – it is teasing. We often tease the people we like. However, sometimes teasing can get out of hand and if it’s not to someone who is our regular mate – then it’s no longer teasing. It is usually bordering on pestering or worse. Helping our young people to best gauge when the teasing has gone too far, and to even REPORT when it is not actually teasing but more like harassment, is part of growing up. We are encouraging students to be thoughtful bystanders and also to know when it is more than a bit of fun and has gone too far or too often and to put a stop to it.

Our shortened, user friendly definition of bullying is: ‘Something, done to me, repeatedly, that I don’t like.’ If it has been communicated in the first instance to the person who is causing this nuisance and then continues we are asking students to REPORT this so that we can help make GCCC a better place for all.

Discuss with your child and encourage them to be proactive in informing the person who is bothering them that they don’t like it and to then report it if it continues.

iPad Damages

Of late, there have been a few iPads with broken screens. Even though GCCC has very sturdy, high quality covers, the screens are still a sheet of glass that is fragile with only a plastic sheet protecting it. I believe students may mistakenly think that the covers are more protective then they actually are and while they are generally careful they need to be more proactive. I would like to encourage our iPad users to have the screen face down against a flat surface such as a book in their bags or while walking around (rather then against lunch boxes or pencil cases.) If they have any cracks in the screen the must

IMMEDIATELY report this to Secondary Admin.

Once reported the following processes occur:

An email is sent home notifying parents
The iPad is handed in and sent off to be repaired within two days.
Students will be able to have their repaired iPads back once the $100.00 cost has been paid
Students bring the receipt to the IT office to collect the fixed iPad.

Assessments are looming

If students do not meet the deadlines and there is no valid or acceptable note, a text will be sent home. Students will have one day to hand it their assessment and then will need to serve an after school detention. If a student hands in their assessment by the time they are organised to serve an after school detention – they will still serve the detention.

Jacqualina Vreeling, Head of Middle School