Once again, this has been an incredibly busy and successful year.

This could not have been be achieved without the leadership of Cheryl Bryers, our Head of Primary who is presently in Europe enjoying some long leave and our amazing Primary staff and chaplains.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to you all. It has been such a privilege to work alongside a staff of your calibre. You are a wonderful team and you are all very much appreciated and valued.

This year all of the children have been involved in many wonderful cultural and community focused events. They were involved in Clean Up Australia Day, a Spelling Bee and a Talent Quest (which was amazing). They also pulled together to raise funds for the Asthma Foundation and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. Our children collected pet food for the RSPCA, non-perishable food for the Salvation Army food bank and toiletries for the Nambour Homeless Youth Project. Many of our children attended the Anzac Day March and it was wonderful to see them lay floral wreaths at the service.

This year it has been exciting to see so many children involved in music programmes and the choices included the Little Voices Choir, the Primary School Choir, Primary Band, Ukulele Club, the Smart Strings programme, the Year 5 Instrumental programme, a Primary String Ensemble and a Drum Ensemble.  Students in Years 4-6 also had the opportunity to join the Primary Dance Troupe.

Academically, the students have worked hard with pleasing results. Learning at GCCC has a strong focus on numeracy and literacy and a highlight of this year was the Book Launch in Year 2 where the students produced a wonderful storybook, learning about each stage of the process.

Another highlight was the excellent writing produced by students in Years 5 and 6 for the Pilot Pen Creative Writing Scholarship. A number of students entered short stories and Bailey O’Brien was placed second in Queensland – an outstanding achievement!

Each year, to celebrate the Voices on the Coast Literature Festival a book called Small But Loud Voices is compiled to showcase young writers’ work from across the Sunshine Coast. This year we were delighted to have five students from Year 1 to Year 5 have their work published in this anthology of poetry, narrative and illustrative works.

Our students have also been involved in many wonderful sporting events during the year. The Run Around Australia, in preparation for the cross country, was fiercely competitive and was a really fun way for students to improve their fitness levels. We have also had athletics and swimming carnivals. We encourage all children to participate and to enjoy being active.

Other highlights of the year have been the Prep welcome barbeque, the Year 6 Leadership programme, Kitchen Garden, Shine on the Arts night, our school discos, Mothers’ night, Fathers’ night and Grandparents Day.

As the school year comes to a close I would like to thank all our parents for their loyal and continued support. Your involvement in the school enriches this community and we are privileged to partner with you in growing your children in Godliness and preparing them for life.

As we enter the Christmas season let us celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and glorify His name, acknowledging the true purpose of Christmas. We serve an awesome God and we are blessed that each and every day we have the privilege to speak His name and encounter Him as we learn, play and grow.

Have a safe and restful holiday and a blessed Christmas session.

Gail Mitchell, Assistant Head of Primary