P and F Pavers

Now that Term 1 is drawing to a close, I hope you have noticed the area in front of our flagpole. This is where all the P and F ‘Buy a Brick’ pavers have been laid and it looks quite exceptional. There was a lot of behind the scenes work to make this happen so I want to thank everyone for their patience and a special thanks to Patti McNulty who was the point person for this project and the P and F for their support.

Patti and I were both able to find our family pavers and I invite you to come and take a photo with your bricks next time you are on campus. The pavers have formed a monument that has taken on a special significance on our campus. I have a vision of students a hundred years from now who will gaze upon these pavers and be reminded of the families who supported the College when it was only 16 years old.

There are some exciting plans for the money that has been raised by the paver and other initiatives conducted by the P and F in recent times including the purchase of extra oval seating and some really fun playground equipment. Watch this space for more details over the coming months.

Primary Leaders’ Induction

The Primary Leaders’ Induction was held on Friday 24 February and you can read more about it in Cheryl’s article but I just wanted to mention how proud I am of our Primary students and especially their leaders. There is nothing tokenism about this event; the Primary leaders work very hard and make a huge commitment to their duties as leaders. Over the course of a year, thousands of hours are donated helping younger students and contributing hugely to the family feel of our school. Well done Primary Leaders.

School Photos

Many of you will remember the email I sent out about the unfortunate hacking of our newly appointed official school photographer – Queensland School Photography. Unfortunately we have since learned that several of our parents were negatively impacted by this fraud. If you paid for school photos with your credit card check your statements and contact your bank if there are any unauthorised transactions. We will be discussing QSP’s security protocols in more detail as soon as possible.

In the meantime, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that we do not keep any financial data on our GCC system as all details are stored in the Westpac Bank’s system which is extremely secure.

Legacy Cup Clean Up

Each year we evaluate the activities for Legacy Cup and this was no different. I found myself asking, ‘How meaningful is the Legacy Cup Clean Up?’ and I was given a very firm, ‘VERY’ as an answer. Our Primary students take great pride in cleaning the campus and some of them were finding small pieces of litter that I couldn’t even see.  Primary Clean Up photos here.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) they did such a good job that the some of our Middle School students had a hard time finding much to clean when it was their turn so we will be looking into making some changes for this next year. Middle School photos here.

Our Senior students went into the community and did a wonderful job. Not only is it great for our local reputation but the students take it seriously and do some very yucky jobs out of the limelight. There was a lot of rubbish and even some bikes and trolleys that needed rescuing from various ditches and puddles.

I would like to congratulate our wonderful students for their civic mindedness, their servant heartedness and for making this event a success once again.

Shaving and Waxing for a Cure

The Student Voice did a brilliant job organising this year’s Leukaemia Foundation’s Shave for a Cure. Five brave students raised money to have their head shaved and lined up with various degrees of anticipation. Anna Rivett was the only girl and she gave up her long golden locks for her grandmother who is a leukaemia survivor.

Ewan McPherson delighted in having his hair cut and you couldn’t wipe the smile of his face. Jesse and Casey Woods weren’t too sure what they were in for but stuck it out until the end and Jonathan Eddie was stoic throughout.

Seven less than brave male staff members were dobbed in to have their legs waxed and I was one of the men with the short straw. We rolled up our trousers in aid of a good cause and some (Bert Kasselman) seemed to relish in the pain while others (David Heyworth, Jarred Pienaar and Brad Hampson) had agony written all over their faces. Well done also to John Vreeling, Gary Havenga, Brad Hampson and Steven Libby who put their best leg forward for a good cause.

My only concern was the glee and the excitement on some of the female staff as they prepared to wax the volunteers. Not to name names (Colleen Crase, Michelle Boroughs and Valerie Beattie) but are you sure it is healthy to want to inflict pain on someone?

I’ve very proud of our students and their efforts and also want to thank the volunteer hair dressers. From left to right in the back row we have Sandy Ferguson who is Anna’s grandma and the reason why Anna decided to shave, Steph Alksne, Donna Ritchie, and Emma McManus. 

ANZAC Day March

We have a proud tradition of supporting the local ANZAC March as a whole College. This tradition is born out of a deep respect and gratitude for our Australian soldiers and what they have done to protect our freedom. I would like to strongly encourage you all to keep this tradition alive by participating in the Beerwah ANZAC Day March.

The organisers have worked hard to have everything ready in time for Monday 25 April and are worried that numbers will be down. Let’s not disappoint them.

The details are the same as last year in that the march  will begin  in the Coochin Creek Co-op carpark and everyone needs to be assembled by 9:15am at the latest.

The march will exit the Co-op heading down Peachester Road, turn left into Turner Street and then right into Turner Park. The service will begin promptly at 10am. It is often hot so please ensure your children wear sunscreen on the day and have their hats and water with them.

This is the last newsletter before ANZAC Day so please put these details in a handy place or type in ANZAC Day in the search bar of our website to call them up when you want to refer to them again.

Open Day

Saturday 20 May seems a long way off but it is only a few weeks after the school holidays. Please put this date in your calendar now as it is vitally important we have as many student leaders and helpers as possible on the day.

Our students are the stars of the day and the best advertisement for the College there is. They do a great job as tour guides, participate in Dance, Drama, and Music performances, demonstrate Science experiments, help raise funds for the Fiji mission trip and produce delicious food in Hospitality.

All of our current families are most welcome to attend. It is a great family fun day with lots of free activities. Primary families have the opportunity to explore Secondary facilities and classrooms and even participate in experiments and curriculum examples. Secondary students can show their family and friends around the campus and their participation in activities is greatly valued.

Easter

Last year Easter was right at the beginning of the school holidays and this year it is right at the end. We will be holding our whole of College Easter Service on Friday 31 March from 8:40 to 9:40am. You are all welcome to attend but please be aware that seating is extremely limited so you may have to stand for the whole service.

Even though there is another full week of school to go, this is the last newsletter for the term and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe holiday. Whether you are travelling or having a ‘staycation’, I encourage you to take some time out over Easter to celebrate its true meaning with your family. Consider going to your local church or one near where you are holidaying to learn more about why this event is such an important one in the Christian calendar.

If you are having trouble explaining the connection between chocolate bunnies and Jesus Christ dying on the cross, there are lots of sites which can help in a child-friendly way. This one is American but it has some good content:

https://www.familiesmagazine.com.au/meaning-of-easter/

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.”  John 11:25-26

Mike Curtis, Principal