Year 12 graduation and clap out
The Year 12 graduation and clap out is always an emotional time. This year we were privileged to have Andrew Johnson from Christian Schools Australia, address the Year 12s. Mr Johnson gave an inspiring speech encouraging the students to go out into the world and make a difference. He told of the impact one person can make by doing what they could to help others.
Many students manage to hold in the emotion during graduation but it all flows out during the clap out. The clap out begins with the little Prep students waving their flags and giving excited high fives and end with hugs and goodbyes at the end of the road. On behalf everyone at GCC, I would like to wish the Year 12 graduating students of 2015 all the very best. I look forward to learning of their accomplishments in the future. Photos here.
Enjoying Bindi’s success
GCC students were involved in the council-organised video to wish Bindi Irwin well in the finals for Dancing with the Stars. This clip actually aired on US TV where the presenters spent some time discussing how cheerful our students were. You can view the video here. When Bindi was announced champion, Channel 7 contacted us and asked to film our dancers for the news on Thursday 26 November. The shot was aired on Queensland television and local news. Thanks to Mrs Stacey Whyte and our Dance students who managed to choreograph a routine with only an hour or two notice.
If you missed the news, you can see the video here.
Staff changes in 2016
As John F Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life” and it is inevitable that as 2015 draws to a close and 2016 begins a new chapter we will farewell some familiar faces and welcome new ones.
The Secondary English and Humanities departments has grown so large that we have decided to separate them into two different departments in their own right for next year. Amanda Gook will be Head of English and Chris Warren will be Head of Humanities.
Lee-anne Gordon (Secondary French Teacher) has been made an offer too good to refuse and leaves us to work much closer to home. Her replacement will be introduced in the first newsletter of Term 1. Lee-anne has done an amazing job lifting the profile of secondary French in the College and she leaves the French department in a very good place for her replacement.
Paul Nash leaves us at the end of the year to continue to build his counselling and guidance consultancy business that he placed on ‘hold’ to return to us two years ago. Carol McKee will become our new Future Pathways Coordinator. Carol has been performing in a similar position for six years at Suncoast Christian College and I’m sure you will make her welcome.
Adele Luatutu replaced Sonya Kadel when she had to take some emergency leave at the beginning of the year. Sonya will be returning to full time teaching next year and Adele will be leaving us.
I would like to thank all of these teachers for their wonderful contributions to the College and wish them God’s richest blessings on their future endeavours.
We have also hired three new teachers in the primary school for 2016. Debra McKinley is an experienced teacher who has been working for the last six years at Chancellor State College.
Morgan Wayne is also an experienced teacher who has also held various leadership positions in his career. He has spent most of his recent history at Bli Bli State School and more recently as a Year 7 teacher at Maroochydore High School.
Finally, Jonathan Cooper is an experienced teacher whose most recent history has been teaching at St Phillips College in NSW for the past 10 years.
I am delighted that we have been able to attract such a high calibre of staff member to the team and I am sure they will be a further enhancement to the wonderful work that is already happening.
New Uniform Brochure
A new Uniform Brochure has been created to encompass our name and logo changes. We are still waiting on the tie design but everything else in the brochure is complete.
Office closed over Christmas
As you will have read in the Back to School letter our office will be closed from Monday 21 December and will reopen on Monday 11 January 2016.
Have a great holiday!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, students, families and volunteers for their commitment to making GCC such a great College. Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful ideas in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality”. God has blessed us with another wonderful year.
I wish you all a happy, holy and safe Christmas.
Mike Curtis
Principal