Compass No. 575 June 2020

From the Principal

Belonging to Community

As humans we have an innate desire to belong. Whether they are family, friendship, sporting, cultural or other special interest groups there is a way of being that defines being part of the group. Being part of the group means that we absorb and live the values that are strongly held. Each member, through their actions, can enhance the strength of those values to bring about the greater good for people within and outside of the group. As part of community, we each have a responsibility to bring our best selves to contribute to the enriching of community.

Being part of Pacific means we have God at our centre as a constant guide for what is important and should be valued. Centring on God’s love and grace enables us to grow as individuals and as community and to have a strong sense of belonging. We can be earthy and real as we dig deep to grow richly, each in our own gifted way. There is freedom to learn and grow as we bring our gifts to enrich the lives of people and to enhance community. The diversity of those gifts is what makes us rich as community.

Principal's Log

During Middle and Senior College assembly this week we shared the importance of being able to learn through feedback. This is especially important as young people receive their assessment results and reports in the coming weeks. Learning to manage our emotions and switch to a strengths and solutions response is important in all areas of life and is a skill that can be learnt and taught. Being realistic, taking responsibility and owning outcomes is an important first step in being able to move towards proactive improvement. Being able to identify the strengths of progress that has occurred helps perspective and to identify potential ways forward. Coming up with a realistic plan, making a commitment through communicating the plan to others and having follow-up conversations helps to shift to forward moving action. No matter how a young person has performed, the ability to reflect, plan and act for improvement is an important part of their learning. Students may wish to revisit this message as they reflect at the end of this term and parents may wish to reinforce these thoughts at home. The assembly presentation can be found in the Notices on Nav. A simplified version will be communicated at the Prep to Year 5 assembly next Monday and then will also be available in Nav.

Year 8 families have been sent details of their upcoming outdoor education in Week 2 of next term. We encourage all families to complete the documentation of this if they have not already done so by this evening, Thursday 18th June, to enable preparations to proceed smoothly. Thank you to Ms Kim Wood who has put considerable effort into planning an outdoor experience that includes a COVID-safe plan and provides tremendous opportunities for student growth.

As in all areas of life, the opportunity to learn and reflect on ways to incorporate the gains made as we have lived through rapid change in the COVID home learning period is important for us as a College. Informal conversations with staff and students have reflected an understanding of growth in capacity of our staff and students over this time. Importantly, this growth was in line with our current strategic plan and has fast tracked some of that growth. In addition to this, there will be other learnings that will be important to capture as we continue to grow as a learning community. To this end we will be formally engaging staff and students in reflection around their home learning time next week and be inviting parents to provide feedback as part of our annual review process in July.

There is symbiotic growth between our growth as individuals and as community. As each person grows, they strengthen and flavour who we are as a community. Where we have God at our centre there is a natural wellspring of renewal at our heart that nurtures and strengthens us all. May God enrich each of us strongly to be the best we can be individually and in community.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

From the College Pastor

Belonging to the Body

“Woke up this morning I suddenly realised, we are all in this together.” – Ben Lee

The above song lyrics by Australian musician Ben Lee are from one of those ubiquitous earworm songs that we hear lots of marketers use in advertising. Nevertheless, it is also a lyric that rings true to us as we begin to emerge from a pandemic world. We are all in this together, whether we have been affected adversely, whether our families, homes, partners, workplaces or incomes have significantly changed in recent months, the reality of life in our fragile world shows us that we are all in this together.

But it is not just at times of hardship and challenge that we realise what is truly meaningful and essential in life and how interconnected the human family is. The spiritual traditions of the world remind us that we are born for community, relationship and physical connection. No matter how hard technology tries to recreate it, it cannot fully replicate the sense of humanity that comes from direct flesh and blood; face to face embodiment. Human to human relationship and connection is what God has created us for and this happens best in community. The online digital world can help and aid it, but humans regularly gathering in a community is needed for so many aspects of life, including learning, work, families and church.

Paul, a Hebrew missionary in the Roman empire, wrote to a very fragmented community in a city in Greece called Corinth. He wrote; The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So, it is with the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). Paul, like Ben Lee, wrote that we are all in this together, we all make up one body and are connected to one another in community, because of, and through, Christ.

We belong to the body of Christ here at Pacific Lutheran College. We belong to a faith community, the body of Christ. We serve one another, forgive one another, love one another and pray for our world. As we serve, forgive and love one another with care, dignity and respect, God comes to us. In community, we continue the journey of learning who we are in relation to Christ and the needs of the world. People who learn Christ, that is what Pacific Lutheran College is, especially at a time like this, when we are all in this together.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Director of Students

Finishing Well

Earlier this week I reminded Middle and Senior College students of three key aspects to finishing well following what can only be described as a term of complexity and change. Communication, consistency and control are words we unpacked with students at the start of Term 2 and again this week, albeit within a slightly different context.

Communication: We ask students to engage in positive conversations with their teachers as they receive feedback from their assessments. We remind students to also engage positively with their peers and be kind to one another.
Consistency: We ask students to do their best at committing to a normal routine each day and possibly even finding flow in some of the activities they do.
Control: We ask students to continue working on their own self care plan, by identifying their support structures, people and activities that make them feel positive.

Increasingly, I witness students’ engagement within each of these domains across the College campus. There have been genuinely beautiful interactions between students as they continue to re-connect with each other. Likewise, there has been richness in student learning as they work on their passion projects in Year 7 and 8 Personal Development, construct their underwater drones in Year 9 STEM and put the finishing touches onto their pizzas in Year 8 Food Technology.

Year 9 Student Leaders were fortunate to be able to take part in a virtual leadership conference on Monday and what really resonated was the advice given that ‘courage comes before confidence’. Often, we encourage our young people to develop confidence in their own abilities and use of their God given gifts. However, it is nurturing their capacity to display courage and step out of their comfort zone that should come first.

Year 8 Outdoor Education Program

A reminder that in Week 2 of Term 3 (20^th – 24^th July inclusive), our Year 8 cohort is scheduled to attend their Outdoor Education program at Woodford. We thank Ms Kim Wood for her leadership and organisation of this program under especially challenging circumstances. Should you have any queries relating to the program, please contact Ms Wood in the first instance at: kwood@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Since this is my last newsletter article for the term, I take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and relaxing break as holidays commence from next Friday 26^th June (Term 2 concludes on Thursday 25^th June).

Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students

From the Head of Learning K-5

News and Children

Over the last few weeks, I have had quite a few discussions with parents in the Prep – Year 2 car park around what we are seeing reported in the news.

Children often see or hear the news many times a day through television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Seeing and hearing about local and world events, such as natural disasters, catastrophic events and crime reports, may cause children to experience stress, anxiety and fears.

There have also been changes in how news is reported that increase the potential for children to experience negative effects. These include:

Television channels and internet websites that report the news 24 hours a day;
Television channels broadcasting live events as they are unfolding, in ‘real time’;
Increased reporting of the details of the private lives of public figures and role models;
Pressure to get news to the public as part of the competitive nature of the entertainment industry; and
Detailed and repetitive visual and auditory coverage of natural disasters and violent acts.

While there has been great public debate about providing television ratings to warn parents about violence and sex in regular programming, news shows have only recently been added to these discussions. Chronic and persistent exposure to watching violence can lead to fear, desensitisation (numbing) and in some children, an increase in aggressive and violent behaviours. Studies also show that media broadcasts do not always portray things that accurately reflect local or national trends.

The possible negative effects of news can be lessened by parents, teachers or other adults watching the news with your child and talking about what has been seen or heard. Your child's age, maturity, developmental level, life experiences and vulnerabilities should guide how much and what kind of news your child watches.

Guidelines for minimizing the negative effects of watching the news include:

Monitor the amount of time your child spends watching news shows.
Make sure you have adequate time and a quiet place to talk if you anticipate that the news is going to be troubling or upsetting to your child.
Watch the news with your child.
Ask your child what they heard and what questions they have.
Provide reassurance regarding your child’s own safety in simple words, emphasising that you are going to be there to keep them safe.

Parents should remember that it is important to talk to your child about what they have seen or heard. This allows you to lessen the potential negative effects of the news and to discuss your own ideas and values. While children cannot be completely protected from outside events, you can help them feel safe and help them better understand the world around them.

Mrs Sue Zweck, Head of Learning K-5

Food for Thought

The Importance of Perspective Taking for Young Children

Seeing and understanding the world from someone else’s point of view is an important life skill. Click here to learn why perspective taking is important and ways you can help children develop this essential skill.

Mrs Annie Williams, College Counsellor

Events

Casual Clothes Day

Next Tuesday 23rd June will be a casual clothes day at the College to raise funds for The Caloundra Salvation Army. Students are encouraged to wear something red and support this worthy cause!

Library News

Bookmarks

Junior Readers

‘Ella at Eden: New Girl’ and ‘Ella at Eden: The Secret Journal’ by Laura Sieveking

Did you love reading the Ella Diaries? Well, Ella is growing up and now she is starting school at Eden College. Join her in this new series called Ella at Eden. With the same loveable writing and characters as the Ella Diaries, follow Ella as she navigates moving to a new school and meeting new friends. Things get a little complicated thanks to a mysterious hidden diary and a ghost that is making things disappear, but friendship and mystery combine in these fun books. Books 1 and 2 in the series are available to borrow from the library now.

Middle Readers

‘E-Boy’ by Anh Do

Anh Do, beloved author of ‘Weirdo’, ‘Ninja Kid’, ‘Wolf Girl’ and the ‘Happiest Refugee’, is back with a new title. ‘E-Boy’ is an exciting adventure about Ethan. Ethan is supposed to be a regular teenage guy, but while he is in hospital having surgery, the hospital is hit by an unusual bolt of lightning. Now Ethan can do amazing things with computers and he feels like he is almost a part of the technology around him. He is part boy, part robot, but he will have to use all his new skills and tricks to stay ahead of the people who want to control his powers.

Senior Readers

'House of Earth and Blood – Crescent City #1’ by Sarah J. Maas

If you read and enjoyed ‘Court of Thorns’ and ‘Roses or Throne of Glass’, you will be eager to get your hands on the first book in Sarah J. Maas’s new series, Crescent City. When Bryce is framed and arrested for her friend’s death, she vows to investigate and seek justice. Bryce teams up with Hunt, a fallen angel and together they search through Crescent City’s underbelly to discover the dark threat that is holding them captive. With magic, paranormal characters and creatures and blistering romance, ‘House of Earth and Blood’ will have fantasy lovers captivated.

Ms Madison Dearnaley, Teacher Librarian

Sport News

Interhouse Virtual Cross Country

We are down to the final week of our Interhouse Virtual Cross Country Carnival! Students have until 3.00pm this Friday to submit kilometres for their house. Below is an update on the total kilometres run. As you can see, students have now run through the Northern Territory and are just about to enter Broome!

At this point in time we have:

Bula – 1st place (P-2)
Wira – 1st place (Year 3-6)
Bula – 1st place (Year 7-12)

The final results will be announced in Week 10.

Virtual Surfing Challenge

The Pacific Boardriders are pleased to announce our inaugural Pacific Pulse Virtual Surfing Challenge. The challenge is open to all students across Prep – Year 12, beginning on Friday 26^th June (Week 10) and running through until Friday 31^st July.

Contest Details

Competitors have five weeks to submit video footage of their two best waves surfed or bodyboarded during this time for judging. There is also a filming and editing section open to students who may not surf but film and edit their friends during the challenge.

Further details about the video submission format will be included in the CareMonkey permission and information email.

Your entries will be judged by our guest panel:

Surfing – Reef Heazlewood (Hurley Team Rider and Current WQS and WCT surfer) and Tim Just (Fluid Performance Surf Coach).
Bodyboarding – Michael ‘Eppo’ Eppelstun (1993 World Bodyboarding champion and inventor of the ARS manoeuvre) and Jake Stone (two time Australian Bodyboarding Champion and creator of the ‘Stone Flip’ manoeuvre).

Contest Requirements

Students who would like to enter need to email Mr Darren Hooper (dhooper@pacluth.qld.edu.au) to register their interest. Parents will then be sent a CareMonkey consent form which needs to completed prior to the contest starting on Friday 26^th June. Submissions will not be accepted if you have not received parental consent.

Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Sport

St Mark’s Lutheran Church

Keep in Touch

Pastor Ray Morris

0429 856 532

ray.morris@lca.org.au

www.stmarkslutherancaloundra.net

Pastor Ray, St Mark's Lutheran Church

Compass No. 575 June 2020

LEARNING JOURNEY

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