Deputy Principal

If anyone would have suggested to me that in 2021, I would move states and work at a school named Redeemer Lutheran College, I would have not believed them. What a journey my first year at Redeemer has been. I was firstly overwhelmed by the welcome that students, staff, and parents gave me when I arrived.

The most memorable thing for me in those early days was when I wished the students (Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! – Happy Lunar New Year) and the Junior School students greeted me back at the Lunar New Year celebration assembly. It has been wonderful to be able to share important cultural events with the students over the course of the year.

God has brought me to Redeemer, and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning and working in this community of wonderful people. The College reminds me of the words of a former Principal I had, who used to refer to the school we worked at as

Over the course of the year, we have experienced the highs and lows of life. We have been very fortunate to live in South East Queensland and only experienced minor inconveniences due to COVID19 lockdowns and remote learning, unlike our southern cousins. While our patience has been tested, I am proud to be part of a resilient community which takes on all challenges and soldiers on.

As we come to the end of 2021 and look towards 2022, the College can be compared to a chrysalis. A chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly. After spending its life as a caterpillar munching on leaves and becoming plump, the larva stops eating and covers itself in a silky cocoon. It is during this time that a dramatic transformation takes place; the chrysalis becomes a beautiful butterfly. In a similar way, the College is currently working on several improvements that will ensure that we prepare our students for a future full of hope.

Our current Strategic Plan sees us work towards enhancing personalised and collaborative learning among our students and staff. Using the lens of Michael Fullan’s Deep Learning (2018) we are ensuring that our students are Curious, Courageous and Christled by teaching them the six global competencies of character, citizenship, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In the long term, each of these six competencies will be interwoven into our curriculum from Prep to Year 12.

We are developing programs for our staff as well, to extend our professional practice to ensure that Redeemer becomes the employer of choice in Southern Brisbane and Logan. The Deep Learning framework also applies to the staff and their professional growth as they work towards improved and integrated pedagogical practice, learning partnerships, learning environments, and leveraging the digital world.

As the second cohort of students completes the ‘new’ Queensland Certificate of Education, we are thankful for these pioneers who have set a very high standard for successive cohorts to reach. Likewise, the Year 12 cohort has been very resilient, and I wish all our Year 12 students the very best for the future outside the College gates. Remember that your QCE results, while important currently, do not define you and your future ability and achievement. You are the sole determinant of your future, so strive to achieve your best in all that you do.

Finally, I would like to thank Mrs Crooks and the Chairs of the College Council, Mrs Dixon and Mr Walkenhorst for giving me the opportunity to work with you in this incredible mission of the education of the youth of our community. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be your Deputy Principal and I look forward to many happy years here at Redeemer Lutheran College. May God, who is beyond all human understanding, be your strength and stay. As we look to the future at Redeemer Lutheran College, may we see the face of Christ as He leads us forward.