Dear Parents

This week brings us to the end of a busy and fulfilling term. So much has taken place and been achieved, and each person has earned the break ahead. We have enjoyed:

⭐ Whole school and buddy masses and liturgies
⭐ Commissioning our student leaders
⭐ Welcoming new students, families and staff
⭐ Parent information sessions
⭐ Celebrating our sacramental candidates as they engage in Reconciliation
⭐ Raising money for Caritas
⭐ World Read Aloud Day
⭐ Open Classrooms
⭐ Book Fair
⭐ Assemblies and prayer lead by students
⭐ Coffee on the Deck
⭐ Care Team Meetings 
⭐ Parent-Teacher Interviews
⭐ Earth Hour
⭐ St Patrick’s Day with Irish dancing performance
⭐ Harmony Day
⭐ Prep vision, hearing and oral screening
⭐ Student Voice Forum
⭐ NAPLAN
⭐ Year 3-6 Cross Country
⭐ P-2 Cross Country (fingers crossed)
⭐ Board meeting
⭐ Hotdog and Handball
⭐ Book Fair
⭐ Prep 2026 interviews
⭐ Students challenging themselves at TCC trials 
⭐ Hosting work experience and university placement students
⭐ Staff and student goal setting
⭐ Countless learning experiences for students and staff

Easter falls later than usual this year and we remain in the season of Lent until just before school returns for Term 2. At this time the period of fasting comes to an end; we return to what we may have given up with a new appreciation of it in our lives. Our generous almsgiving could provide clean drinking water and enhanced hygiene to communities around the world, and our prayers continue for those who are suffering or are less fortunate. 

Thank you for your engagement and collaboration throughout this term and have a fabulous break. We look forward to seeing you back on Tuesday, April 22 rested and ready for Term 2!

Gracious God, 

We thank you for the gift of family and the joy of togetherness during this holiday season.
May our connections be filled with love, laughter and a spirit of gratitude.
Help us to cherish each other, forgive our differences and strengthen the bonds of family. 

Amen

Week 10

Friday, April 4

• 8:30 Assembly 
• P-2 Cross Country (straight after assembly)
• 11:15 Holy Week Liturgy in the church

TERM 2 PREVIEW

Week 1

Monday, April 21 

• Easter Monday Public Holiday

Tuesday, April 22

• Refurbishment commences on Parish House
• Change of parking access for OSHC families
• NO Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck
• 11:15 Prep present The Resurrection

Thursday, April 24 

•  2:00 ANZAC Liturgy in the Church

Friday, April 25

• ANZAC Day (Public Holiday) 
• 9:45  Meet at Rankine Timber on Magazine Street 
• 9:54 March to Cenotaph

Week  2

Monday, April 28 

• 8:45 MOGC Feast Day Mass in the Church
• 10:00 St Monica’s and St Augustine’s visiting Year 5
• 2:00 Feast Day Fun
  

Tuesday, April 29

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Wednesday, April 30

• 5:30 MoGC Connect Meeting

Friday, May 02

• 8:30 Assembly

Week  3

Monday, May 05

• Labour Day Public Holiday
  

Tuesday, May 06

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck
• 5:30 MoGC Board Meeting (members only)

Thursday, May 08

• 12:00 Andrew Chinn Visit

Friday, May 09

• Mother’s Day celebrations:
• 8:00 Mother’s Day Breakfast 
• 8:30 Assembly - 3A leading prayer
• Mother’s Day Stall
• 2:15 Year 3 Liturgy

Saturday, May 10

• Sacramental Preparation: Confirmation session #1
  

Week  4

Monday, May 12

• Year 4 Camp Daradgee information session with students

Tuesday, May 13

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Wednesday, May 14

• 8:45 Year 5 ACER PIRLS Assessment

Friday, May 16

• Walk Safely to School Day
• Meet at the Botanical Gardens information centre for an 8:00 departure
• 8:30 Assembly

Saturday, May 17

• Sacramental Preparation: Confirmation session #2

Week  5

Tuesday, May 20

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Friday, May 23

• 8:30 Assembly - 2A leading Prayer

Saturday, May 24

• Sacramental Preparation: Confirmation session #3
  

Week  6

Tuesday, May 27

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Wednesday, May 28

• 2:15 Athletics Briefing & War Cries

Thursday, May 29

• MoGC Athletics Carnival at Barlow Park

Friday, May 30

• 8:30 Assembly - 1A leading Prayer 

Week 7

Tuesday, June 03

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Thursday, June 05

• World Environment Day
• 6:00 Confirmation at St. Monica’s Cathedral 

Friday, June 06

• World Ocean Day
• 8:30 Assembly
• 9:00 Whole School Photo
• 11:15 Whole School Pentecost Mass 

Week  8

Tuesday, June 10

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck
• 5:30 School Board (members only)

Thursday, June 12

• 8:45 Year 5 Liturgy

Friday, June 13

• TCC Athletics
• 8:30 Assembly

Week  9

Tuesday, June 17

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Wednesday, June 18

• 4:00 Eisteddfod Literary Award Ceremony at Choral Society Hall

Friday, June 20

• 8:30 Assembly - Prep A leading Prayer 

Week  10

Tuesday, June 24

• 8:30 Parent Engagement - Coffee on the Deck

Thursday, June 26

• Student reports available via the MyCE App

Friday, June 27

• 8:30 Assembly
• Last Day of Term 2

On Tuesday, March 25, we welcomed Father Peter Miller as 25 children gathered to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During the season of Lent we take time to reflect on how we live our lives; on how we treat others by our actions and words. Sometimes we do not live as we should and we are sorry for the times we fail to do good. We gathered as God’s children to see how God’s love shapes us, like the potter shapes the clay, and brings about in us all that is good and beautiful. We prayed that we will trust more in the way of God as we open our hearts to reconcile ourselves with one another and with our loving God.

Program preparation dates for Confirmation: May 10, May 17 and May 24. 
Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation Thursday June 5, 6:00pm at St Monica’s Cathedral. 
Program preparation dates for Eucharist: May 31, June 7 and June 14.  
Receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist: July 19, 5:30pm at Mother of Good Counsel Church.  

On Thursday, March 20, we celebrated a Year 2 Liturgy on the theme of Forgiveness. We heard the story of the Forgiving Father and learnt about ways we can show forgiveness. We remembered God’s plan for us to be caring, sharing and loving, showing forgiveness to others and ourselves. 

Thank you to 4A, Mrs Glasson and Ms Wing who led a beautiful Prayer Assembly on the theme of Lent. They told us the story of Toefuata’iga, (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) a 13 year old primary school student in Samoa, who faces severe challenges and disruptions to her learning due to water scarcity. After Caritas Australia’s partner Caritas Samoa installed a 10,000 L water tank at her school, Toefuata’iga and her classmates experienced improved health, consistent attendance and more opportunities to prioritise education. 

On Thursday, March 27, we celebrated a Year 1 Liturgy on the theme of Following in the footsteps of Jesus. We heard the story of Jesus calling the first disciples Andrew and Peter, while they were fishing by the Sea of Galilee. Jesus said “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. 

Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia’s annual Project Compassion Appeal this Lent. The work of Caritas Australia is only possible with the dedication, passion and tenacity of their local partners who implement the programs. They are the heroes on the ground, working tirelessly behind-the-scenes every day to create a better future for their communities. This year’s featured partners include:

Caritas Samoa in Samoa

Catholic Relief Services in Vietnam

Caritas Kongolo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Support Project Compassion today: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion. Donations are welcome and appreciated until the end of term.

Our Whole School Holy Week Liturgy is scheduled for Friday, April 4 at 11:15am in the church. Year 1 to Year 6 classes each present a different part of the Holy Week Story, through song, action, multimedia and drama. Prep will present the story of Resurrection on the first day of Term 2, Tuesday, April 22. 

'Triduum' is a Latin term (meaning three days) used by the Catholic Church to denote the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper and ends after evening prayers at sunset on Easter Day. Families are invited to share in these celebrations at Mother of Good Counsel Church. 

• Holy Thursday 17th April - Mass of the Lord’s Supper, MoGC Church, 5:30pm
• Good Friday 18th April - Passion of the Lord, MoGC Church, 3:00pm 
• Holy Saturday 19th April - Easter Vigil Mass, MoGC Church, 5:30pm

A wide range of data is available to us to monitor student attendance; whole school, cohort, class and individual attendance data. Our student attendance goal is 90% - that means having 90% of students at school for 90% of the time. When students attend for 90% of the time, they are attending for the equivalent of four days each week.

We are currently sitting at 83.4%. This graphic displays the breakdown of absences for Term 1, 2025. 

This next graphic provides a comparison of absences according to Year level, a breakdown of absences according to day and reason and the arrive late and leave early statistics.

This week we say goodbye-for-now as our Prep A teacher, Christie Ryan-Smith begins her parental leave. We send lots of love and prayers with Christie and Harison as they begin this journey, and look forward to meeting their little girl later in the year. Agatka Murphy, our current Technologies specialist teacher will move into the Prep A team, with Emma Holden. Agatka is very familiar with MoGC and Prep A students. She is looking forward to getting to know families next term.

Cheryl Murray, our Medical Officer and Library Support Officer has submitted her resignation and is taking on the position of First Aid Officer at one of our local colleges. Cheryl’s expertise and medical background will be missed, and recruitment for a replacement support officer will commence soon.

Over the Easter holiday break we have a number of works taking place:

• The southern end of C-Block (3A external wall) is receiving some maintenance and corrective works to rectify leaking issues experienced during heavy rain. 
• The frangipani tree on school grounds at the corner of Seymour Street and Okeefe Street will be removed. Unfortunately the tree has outgrown the space and is causing drainage issues on the Administration roof and at Seymour Street ground level.

Refurbishments on the Presbytery, adjacent to MoGC grounds, commence on Tuesday, April 22 (Day 1 of Term 2) and will be ongoing for the duration of Term 2. Once refurbished, the building will become the parish house for our assisting Priest, Fr Santhosh. Fr Roy will also live there until his quarters have been renovated at the Bishop’s House.

OSHC families will be impacted by these works as from Tuesday, April 22 parents will not have access to the area between the church and school for drop-offs and pick-ups (NO ZONE). This space will become temporary parking for OSHC staff. Families are required to park on Okeefe Street (YES ZONE) and walk into the OSHC facility. 

The wet season struck again! Last week’s heavy rains made our P-2 Cross Country course wet, sludgy and unsafe to use. We hope we will have a stretch of dry weather this week so we can cheer our youngest students on Friday, April 4. The event will begin straight after assembly.

Prep students run 1 lap of the senior field
Year 1 students run 2 laps of the senior field
Year 2 students run 1 lap of the senior field, 1 lap of the junior field, I lap of the senior field.

The order of events is:
Year 2 Girls 
Year 2 Boys

Year 1 Girls
Year 1 Boys

Prep Girls
Prep Boys

On Friday, April 25, MoGC will support the ANZAC Commemorative Service at Stratford. Students are invited to attend and march with the school group, wearing their full school uniform, including hat. It gets quite warm at this time of day, and it is recommended that students have a piece of fruit or snack on the way to the march. Students are encouraged to walk with a water bottle.

The order of events:

• 9:45 -  MoGC staff & families meet on Magazine Street and prepare to march
• 9:54 - Cenotaph Guard is mounted & Spirit of Anzac is played
• 9:55 - Street March steps off
• 10:00 - Master of Ceremonies commences greeting & introduction
• 10:05 am - Commemorative Service commences

Road closures 8:00am - 11:15am

• Magazine Street, from Arnold St to Rinks Close
• Rinks Close, from Stratford Parade to Magazine St
• No access to Arnold St from Captain Cook Highway – north and southbound.
• No access to Stratford Connection Road railway crossing

On Friday, March 21, staff and families wore orange to support Harmony Day this year, with the theme being ‘We all have a role to play!’. At MoGC, we have a wonderful and culturally diverse community. Our 352 students and 40 staff identify as:

Data taken from information provided at time of enrolment.

Well done to our Year 3 and 5 students who participated in the National NAPLAN assessments recently. The results from these assessments will be available to the school in Term 2 and will be used to refine school goals in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. Families will receive individual reports showing how their child achieved and how they compare to the National Standard in each of the tested domains.

Term 1 Trinity Coast Central News

Throughout the term, students born in 2015, 2014 and 2013 had the opportunity to trial for various sports, representing MoGC at the TCC trials. Successful students then represented TCC at the Peninsula Championships with some progressing further to represent Peninsula at the State Titles. We acknowledge the following students for their commitment to their sport and their achievements.

Basketball

Harriet and India (Year 6) trailed for the TCC Basketball Team and were successful in making the team. Both girls have been training hard and will now attend the Peninsula Championships in April. We wish them all the best!

Hockey

Nathan (Year 6), Henry and Jax (Year 4) were successful in making the TCC Boys Hockey Team. Clementine (Year 5), Jessica (Year 6) and Olivia C (Year 5) were also successful in being selected in the TCC Girls Hockey Team. We wish these students all the best at the Peninsula Championships early next term.

Netball

Bonnie, Charlie and Scarlett (Year 5) attended the TCC trials for Netball earlier this term. All girls did well trialling against a large cohort of girls. Congratulations to Scarlett who was selected to represent TCC at the recent Peninsula Championships.

Rugby League

Quade (Year 6) and Teddy (Year 5) attended the trials for the TCC Rugby League Team. Both boys were successful in gaining a place in the TCC Vic Jensen Team and are training hard for the Peninsula Championships to be held in Atherton next term. We wish them all the best!

Swimming

Frankie (Year 6) recently represented Peninsula in Brisbane at the State Titles for swimming. She competed in the 200 Individual Medley, 100 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle, 50 Breaststroke, 50 Butterfly, 50 Backstroke and 100 Breaststroke. Frankie achieved PB’s in her Freestyle and Individual Medley. Well done Frankie!

TCC Cross Country

The top six 2015, 2014 and 2013 runners from the MoGC Cross Country events have qualified to compete at the TCC Cross Country on Friday, May 2 at Aeroglen. Parents of these students, keep an eye on your inbox for an electronic Parent Slip with further details.

2015

Jax, Henry Be, Heath, Albie, Max and Iarlaith
Bonnie, Olivia C, Isabella M, Maddison, Frankie T and Tiara

2014

Jasper V, Jude, Awstin, Tayo, Ollie and Harper T
Frankie A, Scarlett, Charlie, Lily D, Emily F and Lily L

2013

Nathan, Dylan, Charlie, Niko, Patrick and Ernie
Skyla, Emma, India, Harriet, Sophie D and Mia

MoGC Connect Meeting

If you have a topic you’d like raised at the MoGC Connect meeting on Wednesday, April 30, send agenda items to mogc.connect@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au. Meetings commence at 5:30pm and are held in the Multi-purpose Room above the library.

The current agenda for the next meeting includes:

• Principal’s report
• Term 1 expenditure & financial standing
• Proposed project focus & support 
• MoGC Connect initiatives and events
• Uniform coordinator
• Mother’s Day
• Term 2 Working Bee

Coffee on the Deck

Parents and carers are invited to join us for Coffee on the Deck each Tuesday between 8:30 and 9:00. This is a great opportunity to chat with staff and meet other families. 

Fathering Project

Children learn how to navigate the world by watching those around them - especially their parents. The way you handle emotions, communicate with others, and manage challenges directly influences your child’s emotional and social development.

Model the Behaviours You Want to See

From expressing emotions in healthy ways to handling disagreements with patience, your actions set the foundation for how your child interacts with others.

Try this: Next time you're feeling frustrated, verbalise how you’re managing it: “I’m feeling a bit stressed, so I’m going to take a deep breath and think about how to solve this.” This helps your child learn emotional regulation and problem-solving.

Happy families

Mother of Good Counsel subscribes to Happy Families (previously known as Parenting Ideas), one of Australia's most trusted sources of parenting education and support. This subscription provides families with Insight articles (published here each fortnight) and opportunities to attend FREE online webinars.

Insight articles:

• The Habits of Happy Families 

• The Best ways to spend the holidays 

If you have a question about your child’s year level, are looking for information or need some guidance on where to direct an enquiry, these parents contacts are happy for you to reach out to them:

• Prep: Stacey Watt: staceylwatt@outlook.com
• Year 1: Louise Bernstein: louise.bernstein@blueoceanic.com &
  Emma Smith: emmajb21@hotmail.com
• Year 2: James Rickman: jamesrickman@yahoo.com.au 
  
• Year 3: Paula Kelly: paulajkelly81@gmail.com
• Year 4: Jenny Gangell:jenny.gangell@gmail.com
• Year 5: Joeleen Bettini:joeleenb1@bigpond.com & Bindi Cooper: coopernb@outlook.com
• Year 6: Kate & Carl Vogler: katevogler@hotmail.com

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK