Welcome to our very first newsletter for 2016. A lot has happened since last year so hopefully you’ve been able to keep up to date via our Facebook page or by visiting the College website every now and again.

N Block now complete

The biggest news is that N Block is now complete and our Year 2 and French students moved in smoothly at the beginning of the year. N Block is significant because it means that all of our Primary students are finally out of the demountable classrooms and into permanent ones.

Moving our Year 2 students into N Block and subsequent shuffling meant that 22 classrooms were moved. This was a huge job and I want to thank everyone who helped with this. In particular, I would like to thank our maintenance team for all their hard work in such hot conditions.

The classrooms are lovely and I hope you will all be able to tour them properly on Open Day which is on Saturday 14 May this year.

New signage

We finally have professional signage around the College. The main purpose was to provide clear directions but I think these signs have also really improved the overall look of the College. The signs are all modular so as the College expands, changes can be made at minimal cost.

Another sign you will see almost everywhere you look says; “DANGER, NO PEANUTS, SEVERE ALLERGY’. This is very important and is a life and death situation for some of our students so please be diligent in checking lunch boxes and ingredient list of muesli bars etc.

Head trauma and other injuries we need to know about

If there is an incident involving your son or daughter getting a knock to the head outside of school hours it is critical that we are informed. This is especially true if the knock resulted in concussion or medical attention, however even if this was not the case if the knock was severe it must be shared with us.

A young person can receive head trauma on the sporting field for example, experience some dizziness and then show no ill effects of the blow. For all intent and purpose he/she may look like they have completely recovered. All may be well, but in a small proportion of cases the head trauma can develop over a period of a few days into something more serious. So, even though it may look like your son/daughter has fully recovered from a head trauma incident it is critical that we are informed just in case symptoms present here at school. Innocuous symptoms like dizziness and nausea take on a new level of seriousness when associated with head trauma. Unlike most other injuries, head trauma rarely presents with any obvious effect and is therefore hidden. This is why it is so important to make us aware of such matters.

The best way to inform us is through an email to either your class teacher or PC teacher. This may mean that your son/daughter does not participate in any sporting activity for that day. Please include as part of the email the time and the date when the injury occurred and whether you received any medical advice concerning treatment.

Uniforms

Thank you everyone for your patience with some of the uniform troubles we have experienced. Our suppliers have been responsive to our concerns and have been repairing and reissuing faulty garments in a timely manner. If you do have a brand new but faulty garment please return it to the Uniform Shop so that a replacement can be ordered.

The senior shirts have now been replaced for all but a handful of people and we are envisaging that this will be rectified soon. This applies to the people who have submitted their shirts to the Uniform Shop. If you have needed to retain your faulty shirts you will need to now let the Uniform Shop know that you are ready to have these shirts replaced. Please come to the Uniform Shop as soon as you can with your faulty shirts so the damage can be documented and the replacement stock can be ordered.

School photos

This is a reminder that school photos will be taking place for Primary Thursday 18 February and for Middle and Senior Thursday 25 February. It is important for your child to wear the full and correct formal uniform on those days. Middle and Senior students may need to bring their sports uniform and get changed into it if they require it at some point in the day.

Chappy Michelle has left

After the first week of school holidays Chappy Michelle handed in her resignation. She feels that God has called her to the Gold Coast and has already found a delightful apartment. Chappy Michelle was able to come back for a visit and say goodbye to students and staff. After almost ten years at GCC, Chappy Michelle had made many friends and lasting relationships. She will be missed.

We welcome Chappy Fi (Fiona Cran) who has joined us this year as our female chaplain. Chappy Fi will be mainly working with Secondary but she will be available for Primary students who would rather speak to a female for personal reasons. You can read more about Chappy Fi in her introduction later on in the newsletter.

New staff

Due to the growth of the College, each year we welcome new staff and I hope you take some time to read their introductions and look at their photo so next time you see them on campus you can make them feel welcome.

Events and activities

This year our newsletter will be coming out twice a term. That means that it could be a couple of weeks between an event happening and being reported on in the newsletter. However, you can read about the events and see photos without having to wait for the newsletter. Shortly after each event, photos are uploaded to our Facebook page and as soon as the article is written it is uploaded to our website.

If you don’t like waiting, just join our Facebook page or visit our website more often. Many schools have done away with formatted newsletters altogether and rely solely on their website and Facebook posts.

New GCC Activity Book

Colouring-in books are very popular at the moment so we have made our very own activity/colouring-in book using photos of our students at GCC. This book is a fun way for prospective families to become better acquainted with our school.

If your child features on one of the pages then we would like to give you one book for free as a thank you. Copies of the book are in Main Admin for perusal. If your child doesn’t feature but you would like a copy of the book, it can be purchased from Main Admin for $3.00.

This is quite a unique publication and we are not aware of any other schools which have created anything like it.

Bible verse for 2016

Parents who are frequently on campus may have noticed Micah 6:8 popping up in classrooms and around campus. This is our Bible verse for the year and I think it is one everyone can embrace. The verse says; “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” It is a very practical verse with good values that would change society as we know it if everyone put it into practice.

I am praying that as our students learn this verse it will go with them for the rest of their days. Whether they end up in positions of great power or in a position where they can help just one person, I hope this verse will be ringing in the back of their mind and directing their thoughts and actions.

Mike Curtis, Principal