Gleeson College40-60 Surrey Farm Dve, Golden GroveSouth Australia 5125 T: 8282 6600

DAMIANI MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SKILLS PDP SESSION > RSPCA & Animal Rights

Issue 23 / Friday 12 August 2016

The Globe Newsletter of Gleeson College

www.gleeson.sa.edu.auinfo@gleeson.catholic.edu.au

SMS Absentee/Late Line: 0438 879 373

RSPCA Education Officer Heather Bradley visited Damiani Middle School students as part of the Life Skills curriculum in the Personal Development Program on Wednesday this week. Students learned about the valuable role and responsibilities of the RSPCA and also much about animal rights.

The key role of the RSPCA is animal protection which can be achieved by ensuring your pet has the five animal freedoms:

Students were excited to meet Heather’s dog Iris who demonstrated a variety of behaviours and tricks. Heather discussed obedience approaches including ‘no-force’ training, which promotes no fear, pain or force for the animal. In addition to this Heather endorsed the importance of animal enrichment, which encompasses the idea of mental and physical health.

One way to achieve this may be as simple as making meal times more mentally stimulating for your dog by placing food in a KONG toy or spreading it across your backyard. Students were also educated how to approach a dog and how body language is an important factor in regards to the communication between people and dogs.

At the conclusion of the presentation, students were able to share their own experiences with their pets and gain some valuable information from Heather about animal behaviour and training techniques. Not to mention a meet-and-greet with the

well-behaved Iris, who even treated some students to a high-five. Damiani Middle School also used this as an opportunity to donate the fantastic wildlife pouches that were made by the McDonald Senior School Care Groups as part of their Life Skills sessions last term. These pouches will be used by both the RSPCA and Fauna Rescue to care for rescued wildlife including possums and joeys.

Miss Amy Curtis,DMCUR Care Group Teacher

READY FOR YEAR 7 > Historic Week @ Gleeson College

Ready for 7This has been a truly historic week at Gleeson with the announcement of the transition of Year 7 students to begin at the College in 2018. This represents the most significant structural change to our school since it began. This decision by the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools represents a new era in education for our community and indeed our Catholic Education system. It is important to note that I have been working very closely with the Principals of our partner primary schools Saint David’s, St Francis Xavier’s and Our Lady of Hope in the initial planning and I want to acknowledge their great support and wisdom as we continue to successfully plan for this transition. It is our intention to provide a suite of information to you over the next few weeks including a series of fact sheets developed by Catholic Education South Australia that provides answers to a number of questions that you may have. Our regional Principals will be holding two Information sessions for all interested parents/caregivers to hear details of the transition process and to answer your questions. These will be held on Tuesday 6 September at 7pm in St Francis Xavier’s Hall, and on Wednesday 14 September at 7pm in Saint David’s Gym. You will receive an invitation to these forums closer to the date. We will also be holding an information session here at Gleeson College early in Term 4. I encourage you to engage with these opportunities to hear more about this exciting transition. If you have any questions regarding Year 7 at Gleeson College, please do not hesitate to contact me at the College.

Decision timeOn Wednesday we held our Subject Selection and SATAC Information Evening. It was extremely well attended and I thank those families that braved the inclement conditions to engage in this important event. One of the keys to success in secondary education is to make informed decisions about learning pathways. It stands to reason that students will do best studying subjects that are suited to their learning style and subjects that they are most interested in. The subject selection evening was a key component of this process, and I thank the staff involved for their organisation and delivery of a very professional and informative evening. We have a strategic commitment at Gleeson College for our students to achieve 100% SACE completion, and choosing the right learning pathway can make all the difference to achieving this goal.

Tired TeensLast weekend I read with interest an article in The Advertiser entitled “Teenage zombies walking dead tired”. The article reported that more than two-thirds of Australian teens suffer sleep deprivation in what they called an ‘epidemic’, caused by the ‘around-the-clock use of digital devices.’ As our parents and guardians do you agree? How do you feel about the amount of screen time your child accesses each day? Does it cause issues and arguments in your home? As parents we need to be honest about this situation in order to work through this with our children. One of the more significant changes I have noticed in the work of schools in the past 10 years has been the amount of issues that the use, or more importantly, the misuse of social media causes young people. Often these issues occur outside of school, such as on the

weekend when a young person posts something that causes problems with their friends, and schools are asked to pick up the pieces and deal with the fallout on a Monday morning. This is a complex issue. At Gleeson College we are committed to working with the young people in our care and their families, but we can only do so much. We require the support of parents and caregivers to ensure that they too monitor their children’s online behaviour, and perhaps this begins with a frank and honest conversation about the amount of screen time that your child currently accesses outside of school. I don’t pretend to have any magic solution, I have the same disagreements with my two teenage sons weekly, but I also take know that ultimately I take responsibility for their behaviour and education in the online world.

Be ThankfulFor the past few months I have been training (not enough mind you) to run the Adelaide Marathon which is on this Sunday. I started marathon running several years ago following a particularly tragic event where three members of the St Francis de Sales College community were killed in a terrible car accident. Whilst the two things may not seem connected, at that time I made a decision that I needed to be thankful for the gift of life that God has given me and this led me to the personal challenge of marathon running. I urge everyone to take the time to re-assess and set goals in order to use the gifts that God has provided each one of us in a positive and constructive manner. Perhaps just don’t choose to run a marathon – I can tell you that it is a very silly idea!

Mr Andrew Baker,Principal

THE HONOURABLE SUSAN CLOSE MP VISITS GLEESON COLLEGE

The Year 9 Curville (Curtis/Colville)Learning Team took advantage of

the sunshine in the city on Monday, extending their studies of science and

geography outside the classroom.

Students began the day with a self-guided tour of the South Australian

Museum. Their focus was on ‘Biodiversity’ as part of their science

curriculum where they have been learning about different environments

and species. Students enjoyed a picturesque view of the River Torrens as they had lunch in Elder Park. They even

managed to recruit a class mascot, with a very friendly swan accompanying

students during their break!

After lunch, the focus shifted to geography where the class is currently studying ‘Tourism’. Students observed the variety of redevelopments in the city as they walked along the Torrens

Riverbank footbridge towards our final destination, Adelaide Oval. The focus of their assessment is the redevelopment

of Adelaide Oval and how it has improved tourism in the Adelaide CBD.

This links to the students understanding of the positive and negative impacts

tourism and redevelopments can have on a local area.

To conclude the day, students toured the prestigious Adelaide Oval where they

YEAR 9 STUDENTS EXTEND THEIR LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

appreciated the first class facilities the stadium has to offer to athletes and visitors. This enabled our students to recognise the ‘flow-on’ effect the stadium has for other

businesses within the local precinct and beyond.

The day was a great success overall as was reflected in the valuable learning outcomes achieved on a practical level.

Miss Amy Curtis, Curville Learning Team Teacher

**MORE PHOTOS ON NEXT PAGE**

The Honourable Susan Close MP, Minister for Education and Child Development, visited Gleeson College this morning

to view our unique Campus.

The Minister spoke with staff and students at a shared morning tea in the staffroom,

and also visited a Year 8 Science Class as they worked on a practical task

investigating light.

YEAR 9 STUDENTS EXTEND THEIR LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

YEAR 8/9 KO SOCCER BOYS EDGE OUT ROMA MITCHELL IN TIGHT CONTEST

The Year 8/9 Boys Knockout Soccer Team faced Roma Mitchell Secondary

College in their Round 2 clash at home last week, and were pushed much harder than in their opening

round matches.

The game was played at a good tempo and intensity as both sides tested each other out in the early

stages, with goal keeper Robert Shyti (9 DMMCC) pulling off some good early saves to help keep the score

even. We were able to gain the upper hand as the half wore on, getting

on the ball and stretching the Roma Mitchell defence. The boys were

able to turn this positive play into a goal just before the half-time break

courtesy of a clinical Thomas Ayre (9 FMECO) finish from a well-played ball

across the box.

The second half started in similar fashion as the first half ended, with

our boys on the ball controlling proceedings and creating some good chances. Unfortunately, we

weren’t able to turn those chances into goals and Roma Mitchell were

able to capitalise and get on the end of a long ball to make the score 1-1. To the boys credit they were able to

sustain some pressure soon after the equaliser and were able to start to then attack the opposition defence. Ryan Mayo (9 MMMOR) was able to start pulling the strings in midfield

and link in with in-form striker Ayre. The opening goal scorer was then

able to turn provider, cutting in from the left wing to play a delightful ball into the hard-working Morgan Evans (9 FMWIL). Evans applied the finish

from close range after a gut-busting 50 metre sprint to provide the

option for Ayre.

The boys closed the game out to finish 2-1 winners on the day. All

boys played well during the day and contributed positively to the result as the team progressed through to

Round 3 of the competition.

Mr Clint Vause,Year 8/9 Boys KO Soccer Coach

**MORE PHOTOS ON BACK PAGE**

GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENT LEADERS > Middle School House Captains

This year we will be publishing biographies in The Globe to allow our College community to get to know our2016 Student Leaders a little better! This week we feature McDonald Middle School House Captains Dani and Lachlan!!

Dani O’Donnell (9 MMMOR)Do you have any pets? Yes, a dog Lara.

Who is the most influential person/s in your life?: My family.

What is your favourite subject/s?:Lately, Maths.

What are your hobbies?:Hanging out with my friends and playing soccer.

Do you play any sports?: Soccer

What do you like most about school: The welcoming community of staff and students makes it a fun environment.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?:Hopefully in a successful position with my football and being content with a reliable group of friends.

What is your definition of happiness?:Being happy with who you are as a person.

What do you love at Gleeson College?:The community and the happy vibe it has.

Lachlan Skachill (9 MMMIT)Do you have any pets? A cat named Ava.

Who is the most influential person/s in your life?: My Mum.

What is your favourite subject/s?:Physical Education.

What are your hobbies?:Playing sport.

Do you play any sports?: Basketball and football.

What do you like most about school:I like meeting new friends and playing sport with friends.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?:I see myself with a good job and with a house.

What is your definition of happiness?:Playing sport and having fun with friends.

What do you love at Gleeson College?:I like the opportunities Gleeson gives to it’s students and also the sports you can play.

1

2016PRINCIPAL’SINFORMATION

SESSIONSDiscover what Gleeson College can offer your child in their academic, personal and

spiritual development.

Learn about our ethos, pastoral care, broad curriculum,

specialist programs and the numerous academic, sporting and leadership opportunities

available to our students.

Bookings EssentialReserve your place/s today by either phoning Gleeson College on 8282 6600 or emailing Mrs Rebecca Sinclair at:rebecca.sinclair@gleeson.catholic.edu.au2Parent Focus

These informative sessions will be led by our Leadership Team and is aimed at parents and caregivers wishing to find out more about Gleeson College. Refreshments will also be available.

www.gleeson.sa.edu.auGLEESON COLLEGE | 40-60 SURREY FARM DVE GOLDEN GROVE SA 5125 | P: 08 8282 6600 F: 08 8282 6699

Gleeson College

Tuesday 23 August 2016, 7-8pmTuesday 20 September 2016, 7-8pm

Monday 31 October 2016, 7-8pm

QUIZ NIGHT 16

$10PER ADULT

$5PER STUDENT

Saturday 20 August 20166.30pm for a 7pm start

Dame Roma Mitchell Centre, Adey Place

GREAT PRIZES | SILENT AUCTION | COIN TOSS | BYO DRINKS & NIBBLES

BOOK YOUR TABLE OF 10 TODAY!!PHONE GLEESON COLLEGE ON 8282 6600 OR EMAIL:

info@gleeson.catholic.edu.au

Gleeson College P&F Committee presents...

GLEESON COLLEGE STEM EXPO

Wednesday 21st of September (Week 9)

6.00pm - 8.00pm in the DRMC

Lots to see and do!Year 8 and Year 9 STEM Project Displays

Exciting Investigations Junkyard Challenge ResultsGuest Speakers Prizes and more

TERM 2 201615 - 19 Aug STEM WEEK 201618 Year 10 into Year 11 Course Counselling19 Year 11 into Year 12 Course Counselling20 2016 P&F QUIZ NIGHT, DRMC > 6.30pm for 7pm start22 Year 9 Retreat22 - 26 BOOK WEEK 201623 One+ Campus Assemblies Principal’s Information Session > 7-8pm24 Year 10 Dance, Golden Grove Arts Theatre > 7pm26 MSP Sport & Special Interest Photographs29 ‘Try Gleeson Day’ > Saint David’s Parish School30 ‘Try Gleeson Day’ > Our Lady of Hope School2 Sep STUDENT FREE DAY: GC Staff Retreat5 ‘Try Gleeson Day’ > St Francis Xavier’s Catholic School7 College Board Meeting12 - 16 Year 12 Trial Exams & Workshops14 Parents & Friends Committee Meeting19 Year 10 Retreat20 Principal’s Information Session > 7-8pm21 STEM EXPO 201623 Year 11 Semi Formal, Sfera’s > 7pm

2016 Gleeson Diary Dates

GG CAMPUS UNIFORM SHOP TERM TRADING TIMES:Monday: 1.00pm - 2.30pmTuesday & Wednesday: 8.15am - 9.15am 1.00pm - 4.15pmThursday: 1.00pm - 2.45pmFirst Saturday of Month: 9.00am - 12.00pm

THE GLEESON 2ND HAND UNIFORM SHOP IS OPENEVERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON 3.30PM TO 4.30PM.

GG CAMPUS UNIFORM SHOPDevon Clothing | P: 8289 5564

MODBURY DEVON CLOTHING UNIFORM SHOP:OPEN 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday + 9am-12pm Saturday

P: 8396 6465 / Shop 24 Clovercrest Plaza429 Montague Rd, Modbury North

Gleeson College40-60 Surrey Farm Dve, Golden GroveSouth Australia 5125 T: 8282 6600

www.gleeson.sa.edu.auinfo@gleeson.catholic.edu.au

Student Services T: 8282 6634

YEAR 8/9 KO SOCCER> GC v Roma Mitchell