Compass No 648 - June 2022

From the Principal

Valuing The Human Dignity of All

When we value the human dignity of all, our world view changes. We see ourselves as together with, rather than separate from.  We recognise the common humanity of people. Having this as a central value changes how we engage with people within our community, country and the world. Imagine the world where our world leaders saw the common humanity of all people and used their influence and resources to improve the lives of people, irrespective of nationality or location.  When we interact within our own community valuing the human dignity of all, we naturally shift to thoughts of caring with and for. Within our country where we the value the human dignity of all, there is a call to move towards creating more equal opportunity for all.

God created all people in His image. Historically there has been power in the hands of those who have had the physical strength, structures or capability to dominate. We also find these stories within the Bible, which feature conflicts within families, communities and between countries. Importantly woven through these power struggles is the essence of God’s love. From Genesis there is a constant theme of human beings moving away from God’s love, causing harm to themselves and others. Always within these stories which culminate with Jesus death and resurrection, there is God acting out of love to bring people back into relationship with Him and with each other. God calls us to respond to His love, to be reconciled with Him and all our neighbours.


Principal’s Log

The valuing of human dignity is a core value for the Pacific community. We have reflected on this value as we have commemorated National Reconciliation Week and recognised our contribution to the Red Shield Appeal. It has also been a key theme as we have engaged in our Courageous Conversations workshops to Year 7 and 8 students as part of the enhancement of the wellbeing and safety for students. Listening carefully to how our thoughts and words reflect a respect for and valuing of the human dignity of all, is a great gift we can give each other within our families and community. As individuals, friendship groups and families we are encouraged to keep this value front of mind and reflect on how our thoughts, words and actions reflect this fundamental value. 

Thank you to our families who have supported the Red Shield Appeal.  Mrs Karen Clark of the Salvation Army expressed her deep appreciation to our community for the donation of over 3700 items and $2200. We thank the Salvation Army for the work they do in supporting the families of our local community.

Well done to our Year 10 Volleyball girls who competed in Toowoomba over the weekend. They displayed very good sportsmanship, spirit and skills and enjoyed the experience of being able to board with students of our sister college in Toowoomba, Concordia.  Well done to the girls and congratulations for reaching the quarter finals. Thank you to Mrs Leah Croke, Mr Cameron West-McInnes and coach Sarah Ashdown for leading this experience.

We congratulate our Year 7 and 8 students who have competed in the da Vinci Challenge and wish our remaining teams all the best as they compete this week. Thank you to Mrs Adelle Byerlee, Mrs Lynda Sides, Mr Andrew Block, Mrs Julie Darr and Mrs Chantelle McAllister for the coaching and leadership of these teams.

We look forward to connecting with Year 10 students and their families at the Year 11 2023 Information Evening on Wednesday 15th June. This event will be held at the College and provides important opportunities for parents and students to learn more about their QCE and beyond school pathways. Families are asked to note this date in their calendars.

We wish all those students who are engaging in assessments in the upcoming week, calm and purposeful minds.

We pray that God would grow our capacity to value the human dignity of all.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

From the Director of Students

Students Inspiring Hope through the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal

The Month of May at Pacific Lutheran College is known as Red Month. Each May, students within their Year 7-12 Pastoral Care Groups and Prep-6 classes collect nonperishable food and household items and raise money for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. This year, the Pacific community doubled the College’s previous record of 1800 items with contributions of over 3780 items. Students also raised additional money throughout the month, with a Casual Clothes Day and ‘Guess the number of red frogs in a jar’ competition. In total, the Pacific Lutheran community raised $2,202.80, presenting the monetary donation to Mrs Karen Clarke, representative of the Caloundra Salvation Army Branch at the Year 6-12 assembly on Tuesday. Donated food items along with money raised will provide a sense of hope and faith to those in the local community who need it the most. Well done, Pacific!

Thank you to the Year 12 Spirituality and Service Captains, Zofia Hopcott and Sebastian Box, and Chaplain, Mr Mark Hauser for their leadership and support of the Red Shield Appeal during the month of May.

For College community members who would like to learn more about what the Salvation Army does for our local community, and how you can continue to support them beyond the month of May, please click on https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/get-involved/

 

Courage Conversations, Enhancing Student Wellbeing and Safety at Pacific

Over the past fortnight, the Year 7 and Year 8 cohort participated in a 90-minute workshop led by Dr Dolling and Ms Finter with the aim of providing a safe space for students to engage in courageous conversations about current student safety and wellbeing at Pacific. Using reasoning routines to guide students’ thinking, students collaborated in small groups to unpack realistic scenarios and to share and give space to understand other students’ perspectives. Students were invited to courageously share their learning and how their perspectives and thinking had grown over the course of the workshop. The session finished with students using a design thinking concept to ideate ways of enhancing student wellbeing and safety.

The aim of this workshop is to use these ideas to grow student voice, and develop student agency and accountability for self and others across the College community. Students left the workshop excited about new ways and approaches to enhancing student wellbeing and safety. Year 7 students will have the opportunity to reflect further on their ideas at their Outdoor Education experience in Week 10, Term 2, and Year 8 students will have the opportunity to reflect at their Outdoor Education experience in Week 3, Term 3. Year 10 students will have the opportunity to engage in the Courageous Conversations, Enhancing Student Wellbeing and Safety at Pacific workshop in Week 10, and Year 12 students will participate in their workshop at the Year 12 Retreat, Saturday 18th June. Year 6 and Year 9 students will participate in the workshops in Term 3.

For more information on these workshops, please do not hesitate to contact the College or email lfinter@pacluth.qld.edu.au

Ms Leigh Finter, Acting Director of Students

From the Head of Staff and Students P-5

Working towards Reconciliation

This week marked National Reconciliation Week where communities across Australia learn more about a shared history, culture, and achievement to take time to reflect on the role each of us play in working toward reconciliation with First Nations People.

Reconciliation is the strengthening of relationships between indigenous groups to benefit all. This year’s theme of “Be Brave, Make the Change” is a challenge for all Australians to make a concerted effort to address the unfinished business of reconciliation for the benefit of all.

One such tool to build a better knowledge of Reconciliation is the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). A RAP is a framework for organisations to realise their vision for engaging well with Aboriginal people and creating good pathways and processes for people. Through the program, organisations develop a RAP – a plan that documents what the organisation commits to doing.

In 2020, The Lutheran Church of Australia launched its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This RAP is designed to assist the church and the communities connected to them, to reflect on our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The RAP helps us to consider what we can do to further grow this relationship and to build a deeper and mutual respect for First Nations peoples. Our RAP also seeks for us to consider together further opportunities to encourage and enable First Nation Christians to serve and lead in all aspects of church life in the LCA.

The logo accompanying this RAP was created by a 9-year-old boy from the Eastern Aranda and Wangkangurru Nations.  His explanation for the painting was as follows.

“It’s about how there is one God and there are lots of people … we are all different – that’s a good thing - because we can all see different parts of God and share that with each other … That way, we can all learn from each other.” Henry [aged 9, 2018]

Eastern Aranda & Wangkangurru

As a College, we are guided by the principles and actions outlined in this plan. To better understand the path to reconciliation in our unique context, staff and students have begun the first steps to constructing our own College Reconciliation Action Plan. Our hope is that as a college, we begin to better understand the road to reconciliation and what steps our community takes toward greater clarity and engagement with Indigenous knowledge. We thank those involved in these first crucial steps and look forward to extending an invitation to our wider community to contribute in the future.

If you wish to read more, the following link leads to the Lutheran Church of Australia Reconciliation Action Plan.

https://www.rap.lca.org.au/

Take care and God Bless.

Mr Damian Davis, Head of Staff and Students P-5

From the Head of Learning Senior College

Year 11 2023 Information Evening

Year 10 students and parents are invited to attend a presentation on Wednesday 15th June that unpacks the Queensland Certificate of Education and provides information about Senior College academic pathways.  Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATARs) and alternate study patterns and pathways will also be discussed. This evening will be an important precursor to the 2022 Subject Selection Expo on Wednesday 13th July.

Both parents and students are strongly encouraged to attend to gain insights into the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre’s processes and the multiple ways that students may approach their senior course of study.

The evening will begin at 6.00pm in the Pacific Lutheran College gymnasium and conclude at approximately 7.00pm.

Mrs Anne-Marie Gerlach, Head of Learning Senior College

From the Head of Information Technology

Fuse Cup

On Wednesday 25th May, Pacific Lutheran College took part in the Fuse Cup Rocket League Competition for Years 6-8. We had 2 teams of 2 Year 8 students including Ashton Fielder, Cam Costa, Ronan Krueger, and Taj McCulloch who took part in the event. The boys played several games against other schools from Australia and the oceanic region. It was brilliant that both the teams progressed through to the quarter-finals and then to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were held on Friday 27th May and the boys came into school on their day off.  Unfortunately, the competition was fierce on the day and both teams lost their semi-final battles. The winning school was from Melbourne and was also last year’s winner.

We are now in training for the Year 9/10 competition to be held on 9th June.

 

Mrs Janine Stone, Head of Information Technology

From the Head of Career Development

Career Development

Mid-year intake for selected TAFE-at-school courses (Year 11)

Sunshine Coast TAFE is offering a mid-year intake for the following courses:

  • Certificate II in Animal Care (at Nambour TAFE campus, on Tuesdays)
  • Certificate II in Applied Fashion Design Technology (at Mooloolaba TAFE campus on Tuesdays)
  • Certificate II in Salon Assistant (at Mooloolaba TAFE campus on Mondays)

All courses are VETiS funded, which means they are fee-free for students who are not doing any other VET courses during Years 11-12. A fee applies for students who are doing other Certificate II courses. Students who wish to enroll in these courses would need to drop one of their elective subjects to accommodate the course. Students would also need to ensure they can afford to miss the specified day of school each week for the next 12 months. If you are interested in any of these courses, please make an appointment to see me as soon as possible.

 

Engineering, Design, and Computing School Holiday Program (Year 9 and 10)

The University of Queensland is hosting a 3-day program for Year 9 and 10 students in the Winter school holidays. $30 for one day, $40 for two days, and $50 for all three days. Click on the links for more information, or to register.

Wednesday 29th June: School Holiday Program (Engineering)

Thursday 30th June: School Holiday Program (Design + Architecture)

Friday 1st July: School Holiday Program (Computing)

 

Science Experience Days (Years 10-12)

University of Queensland is also offering a range of free online and face to face science experience days over the next few months. These are open to students in Years 10-12 who are considering studying Biology at university:

  • Experience Entomology webinar, Thursday 2nd June
  • Experience Zoology and Conservation Biology webinar, Thursday 9th June
  • Experience Marine Biology webinar, Thursday 16th June
  • Experience Entomology*, Saturday 13th August
  • Experience Zoology and Conservation Biology*, 27th August
  • Experience Marine Biology*, 10th September

*face-to-face, with a little space

Click here to find the event(s) you are interested in.

 

Griffith University Creative Arts Open Day (Years 10-12)

Sunday 12th June 12.00pm–3.00pm AEST, South Bank Campus

Students thinking of a career in the creative industries can get inspiration and advice on their study options at Griffith’s Creative Arts Open Day.  Discover Griffith’s creative arts schools and take part in practical experiences in design, visual and creative arts, music and performing arts, film, animation and games design, industrial design and architecture. 

Reserve your place now.

 

Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art Portfolio Workshops (Years 10-12)

Workshop dates: Wednesday 29th – Thursday 30th June 2022

Griffith University invites students considering tertiary study in the creative arts to join a supportive two-day workshop to learn the essentials for building a successful design or visual arts portfolio. Tailored to students in Years 10 and above, participants will get practical advice on how to make a portfolio that expresses their unique creativity and stands out from the pack.

Register now.

 

Griffith University Year 11 and 12 Experience Days

Tuesday 5th July and Thursday 7th July 2022, Nathan

Wednesday 6th July and Friday 8th July 2022, Gold Coast 

Designed for Year 11 and 12 students, Griffith’s July Experience Days offer high school students the chance to explore Griffith’s lecture theatres and labs and learn about the different fields of study.

Students are also invited to get hands-on interactive experiences throughout the day and get a taste of study areas they want to learn more about.

Registrations will open in early June.

 

Mrs Wanda Hayes, Head of Career Development

Food for Thought

Kids are Hardwired to be Negative...You can change that!

Overcoming negativity in children is possible if you understand why humans are naturally negative, it is easier to make kids naturally more positive – this article contains 6 tips that will help.

Kids are hardwired to be negative. We all are. Back in our early evolution, there was so much detail and information in our environment that we focused on the negatives…the threats. No point focusing on the beauty of a sunset only to be mauled by a sabre-tooth tiger while you’re at it. It was a case of survival of the most negative.

This attention to negative details is what psychologists call, the negativity bias. It has helped determine the success of our species, but it has also helped lead to the epidemic of negative talk, depression, and doom fatigue that we experience in the 21st century. For tips that will help, click on the link below.

https://lindastade.com/overcoming-negativity-children/

Mrs Annie Williams, College Counsellor

Friends of Pacific

Upcoming Events

Sports Day BBQ – click here for more details

  • Friday 3rd June – Secondary Carnival

SCISSA Gala Day BBQ at Meridan Fields

  • Thursday 9th June

Sausage sizzle, snacks, and cold drinks will be available for students and spectators to purchase. EFTPOS facilities are available.

If you can help at any of these events (even for an hour or so) and have completed the PLC Volunteer Induction, please let us know. Email: fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au

Father’s Day Stall

  • Wednesday 31st August – All gifts $5

Pacific Lutheran College Soiree – An Evening Gala Celebration

  • Saturday 29th October
  • This is a ticketed College event, which will be hosted by Pacific Lutheran College, College Council, and Friends of Pacific

Volunteering at Pacific

Hosting events such as the upcoming Sports Day and Gala Day BBQ is only possible thanks to the efforts of those in our College Community who give so generously of their time. If you are interested in volunteering with the College, induction sessions are run once a term and are marked on the College calendar, the next session being Friday 12th August at 9.00am. Please contact Kim Bonello kbonello@pacluth.qld.edu.au to register your interest in attending this course.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is 6.30pm on Tuesday 21st June in the Pacific Lutheran College Library. All are welcome to attend.

Click here to follow our Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

College News

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop opening hours are as follows:

Monday:            8.00am-10.30am

Tuesday:           8.00am-10.30am and 2.00pm-4.00pm

Wednesday:      8.00am-10.30am

Thursday:          8.00am-10.30am

Friday:               Closed

Appointments can be made via the Main Reception on 5436 7300.

Flexischool orders are also available for your convenience. These orders will be completed Monday to Thursday and delivered to the students’ classroom for P-6 students and to the PCG pigeonholes in the Wellbeing Centre for Year 7-12 students.

BOYS FORMAL HATS, GIRLS FORMAL HATS, SENIOR FORMAL SHIRTS, SPORTS SHORTS, and SPORTS POLOS are now back in stock and can be ordered via Flexischools or make an appointment to come in store for a fitting. 

Please be patient as we are still experiencing delays on stock across all areas and shipping delays from manufacturers. If an item is out of stock on Flexischools it is also out of stock in the Uniform Shop. Stock will be refilled as quickly as possible. I apologise if I cannot provide exact stock arrival times. Thank you for your understanding.

Mrs Peta King, Uniform Shop


School Photos

School photos have been RESCHEDULED TO TUESDAY 21ST JUNE

Year 7 students will have their photos taken on TUESDAY 2ND AUGUST due to being away on the Year 7 Camp.

If you haven’t already done so, please complete your orders online at www.advancedlife.com.au

  1. Online code: B7H 8V9 RRH
  2. Select ORDER PHOTOS from the menu to order this year’s packages.
  3. Enter the first student’s details you wish to order for and hit PROCEED.
  4. Use the SELECT check box for the package/s you wish to purchase.  List the quantity required and ADD TO CART.
  5. CHECKOUT
  6. Check that the item is correct and click CHECKOUT to finalise your order or CONTINUE SHOPPING to add an order  for another student.
  7. Check your order carefully, as refunds will NOT be given for incorrect choices.
  8. Enter your payment details and hit PAY.
  9. A receipt for your payment and order will be sent to the email address provided.

Ms Carolyn Sainty, Administrative Executive Secretary

Sport News

Year 7-12 Sport

Volleyball

Last Thursday, our Year 10 girls Volleyball team made the trip to Toowoomba to compete in the 3-day QLD Intermediate Schools Cup. The competition involved hundreds of teams, playing at venues all over Toowoomba. Our team, one of the very few not part of an excellence program, competed incredibly well in their division, making the quarter finals which were held on Saturday evening. The girls went down in a nail-biting game, with one set going out to 33 points. The team can hold their heads high after their first proper tournament experience. Congratulations to our Volleyball girls. Also, a big thank you to Mrs Croke and coach Sarah Ashdown for giving up their time to be a part of this trip.

 

Monday Night Netball

Last round games were played on Monday 30th and the results are:

Overall Placings

Juniors

  • Junior A - PLC Crystal – 6th Overall from 10 teams
  • Junior C - PLC Amber – 7th Overall from 8 teams
  • PLC Amber played very well considering they only had 7 players and 90% were very new to netball.

Intermediate

  • Intermediate A – PLC Emerald – 9th Overall from 10 teams
  • Intermediate B Reserve – PLC Jade – 1st equal and moves to Semi-Finals 5.00pm game
  • Intermediate C – PLC Ruby – 5th Overall from 9 teams

Seniors

  • Senior A Reserve – PLC Sapphire – 1st equal and moves to Semi-Finals
  • Senior B Reserve – PLC Pearl – 2nd in the pool but just missed out on Semi-Finals 6.00pm game
  • Senior C – PLC Opal – 2nd and moves to Semi-Finals 6.00pm game

Overall, all our teams did very well, and we have 3 teams that play in Semi-Finals next Monday 6th – Please feel free to come along and support them as all teams would love to see you there.

 

SCISSA Volleyball

SCISSA Soccer


 

Student accomplishments

Well done to the following students for their recent achievements in sport:

  • Elke Madlener (Year 10) competed in the Noosa Half Marathon (21.1KM) last Saturday, and came 1st in the Under 18 Female category, with a time of 1 hour 38 minutes. This makes her the youngest female ever to do so. Outstanding achievement!
  • Indie Suseno, Amber Hetherington, Jacob Patterson and Jack Tracey for their selection into Sunshine Coast Stingrays representative Rugby Union teams
  • Joseph Modlin for being part of a strong Sunshine Coast 13-15 years AFL team that came 3rd at the recent State Championships

 

Term 3 Sport Selection

Term 3 Sport Surveys are open for student sport selections until next Friday 10th June. Students will need to use the 7-12 Sport NAV page to access this survey. Year 7-9 students will be given an opportunity to complete their selections during PE theory classes. If students are unsure of the process or have questions about sports, they are encouraged to contact Mr West.

Mr Cameron West-McInnes, Head of Sport

Club Sport

Club Sport

Pacific Lutheran College has several sports development programs outside of school hours. These programs encourage participation, giving students the opportunity to be part of a team, and learn basic skills of the game.

The parent-led Pacific FC Soccer and PLC Netball Clubs compete on Saturdays in community competitions throughout the Sunshine Coast.

 

PLC Netball Club

After two long weeks off netball due to the wet weather, we are back! PLC Netball Club had a great weekend with most teams winning, and the losing teams only going down by a small margin. The team highlights from Saturday’s games were:

  • The Mavericks circle defenders using peripheral vision to block and put pressure on the opposition’s shooters.
  • The Avengers came together as a team to defeat the opposition. All players tried their best and used their skills to build each other up for the win.
  • Our youngest team, the Angels are improving each time they play. This weekend the main improvement was in the girls’ passing and deciding who to pass to. It is great to see these girls grow into their skills and their love for netball!

Contact: Donna Townsend, PLC Netball Club President

Email: netballpresident@pacluth.qld.edu.au
Facebook: PLC Netball Club
Instagram: PLC Netball Club

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Pacific FC

The wet weather throughout the week once again proved disruptive to our games however we were lucky enough to still run 4 U6/U7 games on the front field.

The U11-U16 games will be rescheduled to a late date.

Round 8

MATCH REPORT U6 Pacific Mantarays v Noosa Gold

We were blessed with beautiful blue skies and a partially drained pitch. Once again, the wet weather favoured the Mantarays. A skilful display was witnessed by all as they squelched their way to the game of the year, reigning supreme with a record 3 goals. Coach John commented “It’s really coming together. The kids are challenging for the ball and improving every week”. Cheers were heard far from the field when Hudson A slammed home his second goal and Harvey was rewarded with one of his own. “The future of PLC soccer is bright” - Manager Mike

MATCH REPORT U7 Pacific Snappers v Unity Tiger Snakes

Great sunny skies for our Snappers who played so well with a winning grin after 4-0 home game! Player of the match went to Liam for his super running efforts!
Special thanks to stand in coach Jason, and manager Kylie! - Katie

MATCH REPORT U7 Pacific Stingrays v Unity Taipans

We felt very lucky the Stingrays could play this weekend. They played hard, never giving up and giving it a red hot go. Their passing in the midfield is getting better every week. Archie scored an excellent goal. Player awards went to Nate, Eddie and Ed. Well done Stingrays!-  Manager Kirsty

Round 9

Round 9 is again a home game and the draw can be found online here. There are additional non-competitive games also being run due to the lost games last week.

 

Contact: The Registrar
Email: PacificFC@pacluth.qld.edu.au
Website: https://www.pacificsoccerfc.com/
Facebook: Pacific Soccer FC 

Mrs Rita Williams, Pacific FC President

St Mark’s Lutheran Church

Workshop @ St Mark's

Sharing a common mission and ministry with Pacific Lutheran College

“Growing in faith and sharing God’s love with others”

Weekly worship services are held at 14 Bombala Terrace Caloundra at 9.00am. We are thankful that we can meet together each week for worship. As we do this, there are still physical distancing, and hygiene requirements we need to follow to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community.

Our worship services are intergenerational with a blend of traditional and contemporary.

You’re welcome to follow us on Facebook and visit our Church webpage.

All are welcome at any of our services.

Pastor Ray Morris, St Mark’s Lutheran Church (0429 856 532 or lutherancaloundra@gmail.com)

Upcoming Dates

June

3          Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival continued

16        Ensembles Concert

16        Year 2 Amazing Race Excursion

18        Year 12 Retreat – Luther Heights

20        Year 7 Outdoor Education Program

21        Friends of Pacific meeting