Last Thursday we were honoured to host a small group of Japanese students from Seikyo Gakuen Junior High School in Osaka. Seikyo Gakuen is actually a Christian school. The students stayed with some of our GCC families after school and paired up with buddies during school hours. Our group of 13 students and one teacher was part of a greater group of 170 students and about 10 staff spread from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast.

It has been fun getting to know some of the differences between attending school here and in Japan. A few of the differences that interested me were:

• They do not hire cleaners in Japanese schools, including Seikyo Gakuen. Students are responsible for all of the cleaning, not just of their classroom
• The school year runs from April to March the following year
• The vast majority of students walk to school with their parents or catch the train. Only in rural schools are students allowed to ride their bicycles
• Seikyo Gakuen do not employ relief or substitute teachers. On the rare occasion that a teacher can’t attend class the students are expected to supervise themselves and work quietly.

The week culminated in the Sayonara Dinner that was held at the church on Wednesday night. It was a great way to end our cultural exchange together.

I would also like to congratulate Mr Takada as his third child was born during his visit with us.

Although we all loved the arrival of good drenching rain, it wasn’t ideal for our guests but they took it in good grace. It was a very short visit of only one week and we hope they enjoyed their time with us.

Middle School Experience

Last Friday morning we hosted our annual Middle School Experience with one noticeable difference. Usually, there is a colourful range of uniforms as students from other schools attend the morning in preparation for Year 7 at GCC. This year there was a sea of green and maroon with just the occasional uniform from another school.

Now we have three streams going right through from Prep to Year 12, the main intake year for the College is Prep. Although there will be a few spaces in different year levels, the best and most reliable way to have your child enrolled at GCC is to start early. If you have friends who are thinking about enrolling at GCC in the future please let them know to contact us early to avoid disappointment.

Donation of a ute to the Industrial Design and Technology Department

Finally, I would like to extend a huge thank you to the Martin family (Paige and Ronan are Year 10 students) who are proprietors of B-Select at Burpengary, for their donation of a ute to the Industrial Design and Technology department. The ute itself has a few bumps and scratches and some minor mechanical issues but I know the students, Mr Hampson and the teachers are looking forward to returning it to its former glory. David Martin also organised the delivery of the ute to the College.

I look forward to seeing the before and after photos.

Mike Curtis, Principal