Issue 2 / 20 February 2015
Junior School Bulletin
Junior School News ELC Opening Last Monday we had the official opening of the Early Learning Centre. It completes the dream of the College founders to have a College that goes from Kindergarten through to Year 12. It is a beautiful building and the staff are working exceptionally hard to provide a quality education in a caring Christian environment. The program aims to give students the best possible start to their educational journey. We are excited about the many opportunities that are possible as a result of the Early Learning Centre being on our campus.
Information Nights We have just completed the Information Nights where we could share with parents some of the initiatives we are working on this year. We truly value the partnership that exists between the College and our families. As Mr Kotzur said “Good families make Good schools” and this is certainly very true of St Andrews. I remind you to keep us informed about things that are impacting your child and encourage you to check in regularly to Parent Lounge to keep up to date with events occurring at the College. Year 3 Family Service It was wonderful to see so many Year 3 students at the recent Family Service. Family Church Services are important in helping students to understand and make links to the Christian Studies Program. Additionally they are an important way of building community here at St Andrews.
Pastor Nathan Glover I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pastor Nathan Glover to our College. He is a welcome addition to our community. Pastor Nathan will lead Junior School worship, staff devotions and provide theological insights. However, most importantly he will provide a listening ear to members of the College community. Making Thinking Visible Teachers often look for ways for students to make their thinking visible. While we are happy that the children might get the ‘correct answer’, more often than not we are interested in the thinking that occurs to get that answer. In some cases a child may get an ‘incorrect answer’ but still demonstrate a high level of thinking. The teachers also give students different thinking strategies to help them work through a problem and often praise the effort rather than the final result. This helps the students to develop a growth mindset and see that effort is the path to improvement. Mufti Day–Rainbow Colours: Refugee Awareness Next Tuesday 24 February, our first Mufti Day for the year will see us asking students to bring in a gold coin donation to support the Australian Lutheran World Service response to the needs of refugees. Please encourage your child(ren) to wear Rainbow Colours to represent the Nations of the World and support for refugees. In March, a number of our students from Years 6, 9 and 11 will also take part in an ALWS Awareness Week event, which highlights the work of one of the welfare arms of the Lutheran Church. Swimming Carnival Next Friday is the annual Years 4-6 swimming carnival. It is a great opportunity for students to compete in a friendly competition against their peers, develop resilience when things might get a little challenging and show good sportsmanship to the other competitors. Parents are invited to attend this event, which usually proves to be one of the highlights of term one. Darrin Schumacher Head of Junior School darrins@salc.qld.edu.au