Guiding the Way

The new senior leadership team at Good Counsel College is guiding the way for the Innisfail college.

It has been a year of transformation and renewal for Good Counsel College and taking the reins from the transitional team is Good Counsel College’s new senior leadership team: Principal Cathy Barrett, Deputy Principal Elizabeth Sutton and Assistant Principal Tim Chapman.

“It would be a travesty to dismiss 2018 as just another year when one considers the extraordinary journey of challenge and change that has occurred,” tells Principal Barrett, a committed, experienced and enthusiastic Catholic educator who has been teaching in Catholic schools for 22 years before taking up the role as Principal at Good Counsel College.

“On behalf of myself, Mrs Sutton and Mr Chapman, I would like to congratulate and thank the entire college community for their resilience, courage, faith and optimism for this great college to succeed. If there is one thing that I have learnt since I arrived, Good Counsel College is an institution in Innisfail. Everyone I meet either went there, sent children there, taught there or know people there and the common thread of these discussions is pride.”

The new leadership team combined forces in term three with a vision of being courageous, encountering possibilities and engaging in dialogue to achieve excellence in all that they do, while continuing to support student outcomes and achievements.

As an experienced curriculum leader, Mrs Sutton has brought to this new role her vast knowledge and skills across the curriculum, assessment, pedagogy and reporting dimensions of Good Counsel College. Her focus on the worth and dignity of every person is ensuring everyone connected to the college feels valued and respected.

As a Catholic education leader, Mr Chapman has combined his strong faith with his wealth of experience in student engagement and wellbeing. He has a deep understanding of the importance of strong relationships and is committed to positive outcomes for students in regional education.

Under the guidance of the new leadership lineup, all members of the school community are working together to ensure the direction, the vision and the new life that has been injected into the college grows from strength to strength and the students continue to shine.

“We have students at the top of their sport on state, national and even international stages; artwork hung in public galleries; hospitality students catering Shire events; and major contributions of money and service to community projects and needs,” tells Principal Barrett.

The College has also seen NAPLAN results improve from 2017 in reading, writing and numeracy in Year 7 and in reading and numeracy in Year 9.

Following on from these successful achievements in 2018, the new leadership team has very exciting outcomes in their sights for 2019. The first of these is the introduction of a dedicated transition team to ensure Year 6 students moving into Year 7 have a sense of belonging and the best opportunity to be successful.

“They will have fewer teachers, fewer rooms and ideally less assessment. Research shows that a feeling of belonging is key to transition and student success and we believe that this shift to a middle school approach is vital,” explains Principal Barrett, who will be welcoming 2019’s Year 7 students and their families for an Orientation Day on Thursday, November 22.

“I am excited to have become a part of the journey of this great college. May we always remain hope-filled, with a desire to transform the world and may God accompany us along the way.”

The College looks forward to welcoming next year’s Year 7 students and their families for an Orientation Day this coming Thursday, November 22.

Click here to find out more about enrolment information for Good Counsel College.