Open Day
I was thrilled to see so many College families at Open Day and want to thank you all for making such an effort. Your attendance really added to the buzz and community atmosphere of the day. It was also a pleasure to meet many new families enquiring about the College.
A special thank you to all those parents who brought their children to the College so they could perform, help in Hospitality or work as a tour guide and volunteer. The students were once again the stand out stars of the day and I was very proud of them all. After every tour, visitors commented on how polite the students were and what a terrific job they did.
Although I had to stay in the SUA to greet visitors all day, I heard that the students gave exceptional performances which were appreciated by all. I was a little closer to the food action and saw how hard our wonderful Hospitality students worked presenting a delicious high tea. The Hospitality team led by Mrs Julie Peters, spent weeks preparing for the day and the whole department were run off their feet during the whole event.
The P and F did a marvellous job of the sausage sizzle and the aroma drifting through the grounds was very enticing. This year we also had the Fiyah Flayvas Wood Fired Pizza van to take the pressure off the P and F and Hospitality Department. This addition was a great success and I want to thank the James’ family for donating $1 from every $10 pizza sold.
Another difference this year was the petting zoo which highlighted our new Agriculture Studies program. The zoo was a hit with young and old and brought lots of questions to Jade King who ran the Ag Studies stand next door. The jumping castle also proved a popular draw card for visitors and a lot of fun for our current students.
In the Senior Undercover Area, Helping Hands, Coast and Country and Glasshouse Country Coaches ran stands to help with new enquiries and answer any questions current parents may have. All three organisations reported that they enjoyed the day and found it a worthwhile experience.
In the end, it is not the activities, stands and food that makes the day effective; it is the people. Without the people, i.e. our students and their families, the day would not have been the resounding success it was so thank you to everyone who attended on the day. If you would like to see photos from the day, please click here.
Funfest Saturday 2 August
Saturday 2 August is our huge Funfest run by the P and F. This event is enormous in fun and fundraising for the College but it takes a lot of work to make it successful. The P and F are currently recruiting volunteers and there is an article in the P and F section of the newsletter. If you can help in anyway, please contact the P and F Funfest team.
Funfest is on the home page of our new-look website. If you scroll down the page and click on the Funfest button, this will take you to the latest newsletters and all the information you need to know about Funfest 2014. I know our students are already excited and looking forward to the event.
Family Portal
The Family Portal is up and running but there have been a few challenges. Please be patient as we work through some of the teething problems. The Family Portal is a valuable source of information for parents and we won’t rest until every last crinkle is ironed out.
Hair Larious Day
As parents, one of the things we dread is to hear that our child has cancer. One of our College families has recently been delivered this news and as a community we want to do something to help. The family is surrounded by love and support and coping very well so we thought the best way we could help would be to make a donation to the Childhood Cancer Association.
One of the ways the Childhood Cancer Association raises funds to support children going through cancer is by asking schools to participate in their Hair Larious Day and this term GCCC will be involved. This will be a whole of College event to be held on Friday 13 June.
All students can wear their hair in any crazy or hilarious way they choose (as long as dies, etc. are out by the following Monday) and bring a gold coin donation to support children with cancer. This year the Childhood Cancer Association is hoping to raise $21,000 to support its Home Tutor Scheme for children who are missing school because of their cancer treatment.
Primary students are permitted to wear free dress but Middle and Senior students will need to come in their College uniform.
Sunflower Success
Congratulations to our Agricultural team who recently took out first, second and third in the University of Queensland’s Sunflower Competition for the heaviest sunflower. Our Agricultural students go from strength to strength and this great achievement was the result of intense study and 12 weeks meticulous care and attention.
Gatton is the sunflower centre of Queensland so our team was up against some heavy competition but they came up trumps. Well done to Jade King, Neri Allen and all our hard working Agricultural students.
Pyjamas for children in care
Member for Caloundra Mark McArdle has teamed up with charity group The Pyjama Foundation and offered his office as a collection point for their annual pyjama drive.
The drive, which starts in June, aims to provide a comfy pair of pyjamas for children who often go into foster care with next to nothing.
Sunshine Coast Co-Ordinator Kate Morris said all children’s gender and pyjama sizes were welcome but they were particularly after pyjamas for children aged 5-18.
“Last financial year we saw more than 5000 pairs donated nationally and this year we would love to raise even more,” she said.
The Pyjama Foundation also aims to provide a reading and learning mentor for every Australian child in foster care, which it’s estimated are more than 39,000.
Mr McArdle’s office is open Monday-Friday 8am-4.30pm and is located at 1/118 Bulcock St, Caloundra.
Mike Curtis, Principal