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What's On

Issue #20

Dated: 22 November 2024

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

What a fantastically busy time of the year it is! The events and celebrations have already begun, and they truly exemplify the fantastic work of all the staff and the myriad of student accomplishments over the course of this year.

We had our final Board meeting, and it was an absolute pleasure to give the final Principal’s report and reflect on the amazing work and achievements that have occurred at Gungahlin College throughout the year.

I was privileged to be part of the ANU Extension Program Graduation, and I congratulate all the students who have successfully completed this program; what an outstanding achievement!

Coming up we have a number of very important events: Feedback Day for all students to discuss their results with their teachers is next Tuesday 26 November, Year 11 AST Trials, the Year 12 Brunch and of course the Year 12 Formal and Graduation!  Please make sure you check out the Year 12 Important Dates to stay on top of all the events that will be happening, or contact the college if you have any queries.

Please take the time to talk to your young person and reflect on all that they have achieved over the past year, and for those in Year 12, the experiences they’ve gained and pathways they have now set for post-college; it really is an exciting time to share and reflect on!  Together, we will continue to build a bright future for the students of Gungahlin College.

Kind regards,

Priscilla

FEEDBACK DAY

Week 17 will include a Feedback Day Alternate Timetable for all students on Tuesday 26 November from 12.30–2.45 pm

Feedback Day - Tuesday 26 November 2024

Line 1

12:30 – 12:45pm

Line 2

12:45 – 1:00pm

Line 3

1:00 – 1:15pm

Line 4

1:15 – 1:30pm

Line 5

1:30 – 1:45pm

Line 6

1:45 – 2:00pm

Line 7

2:00 – 2:15pm

Line 8

2:15 – 2:30pm

Line 9

2:30 – 2:45pm

YEAR 12 FORMAL

Dear students, parents & carers

The Gungahlin College 2024 Year 12 Formal will once again be held in the grounds of the stunning National Arboretum. The National Arboretum Canberra is home to 94 forests of rare, endangered and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world.

Your actions have an important impact on National Arboretum Canberra living collections. Planning for school formals is carefully managed to maintain the safety of staff, students and visitors, particularly around the number of spectators at arrivals.

This year we are pleased to announce that The National Arboretum will support the formal package by welcoming spectators back to the Arboretum to view formal arrivals. However, it is very important that you carefully read the conditions set by the National Arboretum.

Please follow all the directions of the traffic wardens and National Arboretum staff to ensure everybody has a fantastic time. The AFP Highway Patrol will also be present, performing spot checks and ensuring all people abide by the ACT's Road Rules.

YEAR 12 FAREWELL BRUNCH & FINAL PACKAGE CHECK

The Year 12 Farewell Brunch and Final Package Check will take place on Tuesday 3 December 2024 from 9:30 to 11:30am. This is an important day for celebrating and reflecting on your accomplishments over the past 12 years of schooling!

Your attendance is essential to ensure the accuracy of your package information, which will impact your Senior Secondary Certificate and all associated graduation documentation.

What do you need to do before Brunch Day? 

  1. Collect the Year 12 Leaver’s Form from Student Services, Careers, or the Front Office starting Friday, 22 November.
  2. Complete Sections 1 and 2 of the leavers form, which cover the return of Library Books, Chromebooks, and Lockers. This must be done and signed off by staff between Tuesday 26 and Tuesday 3 December 2024. Please note: there WILL be significant delays if you wait until the Brunch and Final Package Check Day to do this.
  3. Bring the completed leavers form to the Year 12 Brunch and Final Package Check.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

CHROMEBOOK RETURNS

Please be aware that all Year 12 Graduates (plus any other Year 11 or Year 12 school leavers) are required to return their ACT Government loaned Chromebook (the Device, and the included Stylus & Power Adapter) to the school, in order to get your Leavers Document signed off, before the end of Semester 2, 2024.

The devices can be dropped off either at the Front Office (Reception), or the ICT Staffroom (Room H1.32), from Tuesday 26 November to Tuesday 3 December 2024.

ICT staff will also be in the Main Theatre Foyer on the Year 12 Brunch Day, held on Tuesday 3 December 2024, to receive returns of these devices as well.  Please note that there may be long waits to return your device on this day.

Students are able to log into their ACT Education ICT accounts for 90 days after the enrolment end date.  Should students wish to keep any content from their Google Account  (Google Drive/Classroom/Chrome/Gmail/etc.) please use the Google Takeout feature. This feature allows you to retain data and move it to a personally managed account, or alternate online cloud storage from the SchoolsNet Google account.

Data from the H Drive, M Drive or OneDrive will need to be manually backed up to a personal USB.

Should you have any issues, please refer to information on backing up your Google data, or check in at the IT Office (H1.32).

Each Chromebook return received in good condition will then be repurposed for use by ACT Government Primary School students. This is therefore a valuable and beneficial resource to the many students coming up through the Public Education system.

Please Note: Lost and/or unreturned Chromebooks are remotely disabled after a period of time, and thus unusable!  If you have lost your Chromebook please let the IT staff know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

YEAR 12 IMPORTANT DATES

Year 12 Students, Parents & Carers are asked to review the upcoming Year 12 Important Dates.

SCHOOL BOARD VACANCIES

Positions Vacant: Gungahlin College School Board Member

The Gungahlin College School Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the school and acting in the best interests of the school and its students.

The board meets regularly throughout the year and is comprised of representative members from various stakeholder groups, e.g. parent/caregiver members and/or local community members, staff members, and student members (applicable to high school and college students).

Several board positions will become vacant in March 2025, and we will seek nominations in early Term 1 to fill the following roles:

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of board members, visit the School Board page.

Further information about the nomination process will be provided early Term 1.

SCIENCE MENTORS ACT: YEARS 9 - 12 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

Science Mentors ACT offers ACT public school students in years 9 to 12 the chance to work with science and engineering professionals on in-depth, student-led projects.

Applications for the 2025 program are now open.  We encourage you to share this opportunity by including the attached advertisement in your school newsletters and other communication channels.

Attachment: Science Mentors ACT program flyer (2.1 MB PDF)

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN AGED 18 - 20
Who are Commencing a Relevant* STEM Related Degree in 2025

Applications Open 18 December 2024

These scholarships are open to female students entering their first year of a relevant STEM degree in 2025 at an Australian University. It is a national program that provides the successful candidates with financial grants of $5000 per year for the life of their University degree (maximum of 5 years).

Applications for 2025 Scholarships Close 5pm Friday 7 February 2025.

WELLBEING SUPPORT RESOURCES

In these times of increasing uncertainty, mental health challenges will affect most young people.  Please see the Wellbeing and Support Contacts - Gungahlin College for the students and parents to access whenever they feel overwhelmed or simply in need of support.

CAREERS

Please see the Careers Update.

CALENDAR

WEEK 17

Work Experience

Monday 25 November

Tuesday 26 November

Wednesday 27 November

Thursday 28 November

Friday 29 November

WEEK 18

Tuesday 3 December

Wednesday 4 December

Thursday 5 December

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