Junior School Bulletin Issue 6 / 02 May 2014
From the Head of Junior School We had a large number of students from St Andrews at the Burleigh Heads march to remember ANZAC day. Students marched down James Street and then listened attentively to the many speeches given. The Junior School Captains were involved in the ceremony that showed our respect for the sacrifice that so many had made. We look forward to the 100th anniversary next year.
The NAPLAN tests for students in Years 3,5, 7 and 9 are going to be held on Tuesday 13th, Wednesday 14th May and Thursday 15th May. We want to stress to parents that while the tests are important and can give us some data on how we are performing as a school and can give parents some information about how their child is achieving, it is still only a one off test. There will be a lot of media attention leading up to the test, which can cause extra pressure on the students sitting the test. Please reinforce with your children that this is just another day at school and the information gathered from the test will help the teachers to know a little bit more about their academic progress. You might have noticed that the fence has gone up to begin construction on the new Early Learning Centre. Interest has been strong in the Early Learning Centre with quite a number of applications already. If you haven’t already put in your application, please do so straight away. Please follow this link http://www.standrewslutheran.qld.edu.au/elc/ for the latest information and enrolment forms. Arts week is coming up during week 5 of this term. It is an opportunity to celebrate the Arts through involvement in different facets of this subject area. Students will have the
opportunity to participate in different workshops, perform, and watch many live performances. The Scope photography competition is attached to this bulletin. The highlight for the week will be the Gala concert on Friday night beginning at 6:00pm. As you receive this bulletin, the Year 6 students would have just returned from their camp to Lake Ainsworth. A report will be included in the next bulletin. Iyla King, Ella Baldwin and Alexandra Crawford performed very well at the recent Queensland State Skipping Championships. Iyla and Ella’s 8 years and under team (5 girls per team) were lucky enough to receive the ‘8 Years and Under Overall Bronze Medal’ at the championships! Such an amazing result! They are now competing for their club at the Nationals in June. Congratulations to all 3 girls who have shown dedication to their chosen sport and performed at a very high level.
In order to provide more stimuli for the children during break times a task force has been set up to come up with ideas on how to do this. They are now looking for donations of items to make different centres that could easily be set up and packed up during play times. We are looking for items such as toy cars, stacking blocks, material offcuts, fabric, butchers paper, pavement chalk, pieces of bright coloured ribbon, wax crayons, homemade play dough, old pots, pans, wooden spoons, dish brushes, PVC pipe, bright coloured house paint, sanded timber off cuts to make construction blocks from eg. decking boards, pieces of 2x4. If you have any of these items and would like to donate them to the College, please bring them to the Junior School Administration. We appreciate your support.
gracious, light does triumph over darkness, love over selfinterest, justice over oppression, peace over chaos, fulfillment over hunger. Faith in the resurrection is the trust that, in the end, everything is good.” St Paul knows something of this confidence when he says: ‘….but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 3.14 In this post Easter season may you know something of the confidence, hope and joy that Christ brings. Pastor Terry Unger
Darrin Schumacher Deputy Principal/Head of Junior School
Chaplains Chat St Andrews as a Christ centered community approaches life with optimism, hope and ultimately in the face of adversity, and apparent evidence to the contrary, with confidence that all will be well. This expectation does not come from a denial of the sometimes harsh realities of life, or indeed the belief, that because change is a constant, that things must sooner or later get better. The confident life stance comes from the mystery of God’s chosen self-disclosure in Jesus. He did not deny the reality of suffering but entered into it and seemed to be overwhelmed by it but triumphed over death and destroyed its power. His resurrection was the defeat of adversity suffering and death. It holds out to us the promise of victory over adversity – whatever form it takes.
Art News Junior School Arts Week – Week 5 This year our Arts Week is focused on our Junior School. Students in the JS will be involved in Visual Arts Workshops with our Artist in Residence, Kerry Spence. Several year levels will also do Dance, Drama and Music Workshops with our Senior School Classes based on their current PYP Unit of Inquiry. We will also have a Concert Series – 5 Mini Concerts during First Break, featuring some of our PAT Students, Open Dance Classes and an Arts Assembly. The Mini Musos will have their Debut Concert Thursday afternoon from 3.30pm in the RBT. The Week will culminate in a Junior School Gala Concert on the Friday 23rd May from 6.00pm in RBT- this will feature performances by JS Dance Troupe, Animi, Semitones and Golden Clefs Choir and our Intermediate Concert Band as well as Individual PAT Students. The winners of our JS Scope Photography Competition (see flyer attached to Bulletin) will also be announced at this event.
This is well expressed in the following from Christian writer Ron Rolheiser: “The resurrection of Christ challenges us to new life – to believe, precisely, that there are surprises hidden at the heart of death: that every scream, tear and cry is redeemed, and that God’s laughter is stronger than death. Ultimately, belief in the resurrection asks us to believe that, despite a strong experience to the contrary, reality is
String Ensemble - Change of Rehearsal Details Please note that String Ensemble Rehearsals will now be held on Friday mornings 7.45am in The Utilities Room. Any enquiries relating to this ensemble can be emailed to mateo@salc.qld.edu.au Priscilla Scott Head of Arts priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au
parents will have to organise how their children get to the Auskick program, this will no longer be the responsibility of the staff at St Andrews.
Sport News Representative Cross Country Mr Manion has selected a team for the SLAPS (Inter Lutheran) and Gold Coast South Cross Country carnivals. SLAPS (Years 4-7) is on Monday 19th May and GCSD is on Wednesday 21st May. More information and permission acknowledgement will be available via the Parent Lounge. Student Club Sporting Achievements Jack Read recently competed at the Nippers State Championships in 7 events and made in into the finals in all 7. He received a bronze in the 1km beach run which is a new event for state. Lachlan Anderson has been invited to play in an International Futsal Tournament, at Disney World in Florida, USA. Lachlan will be heading to the US in August to play against teams from all over the world.
Andrew Manion Head of Sport andrewm@salc.qld.edu.au
Uniformshop News Volunteer Needed The Uniform Shop is looking for a volunteer on Wednesday mornings from 8am. You can usually leave by 8.45am but if you can stay later we have plenty of things you can help us with. Please phone, email or drop in if you can help.
Bianca Van Kampen competed at the Grand National Equestrian Championships in Sydney on 30th March, and was superb in a very tough class for riders 12 years and under. With competitors coming from all over Australia, Bianca ended up in the top 10 for her age group. Auskick AUSKICK began this week and will continue each Wednesday after school in Term 2. Gold Coast Suns mascot ‘Sunny Ray’ visited the Prep students this week to pass on information regarding the program. Remember that there will be no staff present to walk any students to the top oval for the program, meaning that parents are responsible for their children as soon as normal classes finish. That means
Get Ready for Winter - All items now in stock Formal Uniform Winter Items (not to be worn with sports uniform) Formal Jumpers $78-$85 Girls Navy 70 Denier Tights $7-7.50 ea Boys navy long pants $33 - optional for Years 1 -6 Boys grey long trousers $35 - optional for Years 7-9, compulsory Yr 10-12 Winter Sports Uniform (not to be worn with formal uniform) Tracksuit Tops $60 and Pants $35 Optional items Navy Raincoat (folds up into own bag) $24 Navy Scarf with College Logo - $12 Navy Gloves - $5 Jacqui Desfosses Uniform Shop Manager uniformshop@salc.qld.edu.au
Dates to remember March / April
P&F News
Friday 2 Year 6 Camp Kids Club, Years 4-6, 6pm Monday 5 Prep Koori Kulcha Incursion Tuesday 6 JS Assembly – MPH 2.00pm Wednesday 7 Mother’s Day Stall Thursday 8 Mother’s Day Stall Partners In Literacy Session – Ruth Butler Theatre, 1.30pm Friday 16 P & F Movie Night under the Cola, 5pm Sunday 18 Prep Family Church Service
Junior School Mother’s Day Stall all gifts are $5 Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th Junior School Bus Shelter from 8am. There will also be a raffle, tickets $2 each or 3 for $5.
FOOD DRIVE FOR CHARITY
Some people are less fortunate than us so let’s work together to help them. Please bring non-perishable food items eg. Canned goods from your pantry like soup or baked beans, to the 4A classroom and we will donate these to a Gold Coast food charity on your behalf. Start: Monday 5th May Finish: Friday 16th May Coordinators: Tanah McLeod, Lucy Hunt and Tealah Powell.
Welcome to Term 2, we hope you all enjoyed Easter and the many long weekends that we were fortunate to have. The General P & F meeting for Term 2 is Wednesday 11 June 7pm in the CRC. We welcome any new parents to come and find out what the P & F is all about. If you have any agenda items for discussion please email the Secretary at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au by Friday 6 June. It is a great opportunity to have input into school projects which the P & F fund. Everyone is welcome. We will soon be looking to form the Fete Committee for next year’s Fete, so if you are interested in helping out, please come to the next meeting. If anyone has any suggestions or comments and cannot make the next meeting please email the P & F at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au Daniel Renneberg pandf@salc.qld.edu.au
We are selling the Entertainment Books again this year! New this year, you have a choice: The traditional Entertainment Book Membership that comes with the Gold Card and vouchers or The brand new Entertainment Digital Membership that puts the value of the Entertainment™ Book into your iPhone or Android smartphone. ONLY AT ST ANDREWS: Purchase a digital or book membership by Friday 9th May and go into the draw for a chance to win: 2 Hours free at TIMEZONE The price is $55.00 per book and $11.00 from each book goes to fundraising for the College. Books are available from Reception, Junior School Administration and the Uniform Shop. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NOW!
Parent Lounge Update As the year progresses we continue to add extra functionality into Parent Lounge to assist with further convenience and correspondence for parents to access student information. Outlined below are the enhancements which have been made for the start of Term 2. Please note the link to access parent lounge has changed to https://tassweb.salc.qld.edu.au/parentlounge/PIALogin.cfm and is still accessible under the Portals section of the College website. Address updates Address changes can now be made online. This function can be accessed by going to the Update Parent Details link from the menu bar and completing relevant fields. Please note these changes are inclusive of emails addresses. The parent name field should not be changed as this a system requirement in this current format. If you have a change of name the College will need to see legal documents supporting name changes. Parent Directory Parents are now able to share their contact information with other parents in their child’s year level. How much information you wish to share is at your own discretion. This can be accessed by going to the Parent Directory link from the menu bar and selecting an address to display and MAINTAIN. From here you can choose which information you wish to share out. Payment of Accounts As advised earlier payment of school fees and current account balance checks can be made through the Make a Payment option from the menu bar. Payments are made through Westpac’s secure PayWay system. Student Photos Official student photos have been updated against your child’s record in Parent Lounge. You will now be able to view the latest photo of your child. SMS - Excursion/Camps Parents will now be notified via sms of return times from excursions and camps where applicable. School Calendar The school calendar is updated on parent lounge. This calendar has an optional filter so you can select your child’s year level and only see relevant events.
The College also recommends changing your password to something familiar to yourself via the ‘change password’ link at the top right hand side of the screen after you login. Regards
Jo Schaefer Information Technology Manager
INSIGHTS
Building parent-school partnerships
WORDS Michael Grose
Helping students get ready for the NAPLAN tests
The most resilient children and young people are those who rise to meet rather than retreat from the challenges presented to them. Perhaps it’s best to view the NAPLAN tests as good learning experiences rather than dreaded pressure tests. During the second week of May Australian children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will take part in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The stated purpose of this testing program is to gain an overall picture of educational attainment levels to assist education policy and decision-making. The program first implemented in 2008 has drawn some criticism from a number of different quarters, particularly in regard to the use of the information gained through the NAPLAN tests. You’ve probably heard a number of different viewpoints expressed in the media over the last few weeks. One view commonly put forward is that the NAPLAN tests put undue pressure on children to perform in test situations. If so, then perhaps the best approach for parents and teachers is to help them handle the pressure rather than avoid it. The most resilient children and young people are those who rise to meet rather than retreat from the challenges presented to them. Perhaps it’s best to view the NAPLAN tests as good learning experiences rather than dreaded pressure tests. Children and young people take their cues from their parents about how to handle many situations. American psychologist Martin Seligman discovered more than a decade ago,
through his research into children’s thinking styles, how closely a child’s explanatory style mimics that of the parent they spend most time around. Optimistic parents beget optimistic kids, just as anxious parents can beget anxious kids. The impact of a parent’s explanatory style seems to be magnified somehow in small families where there are fewer voices to be heard. As a parent it helps your child, if you take a positive view of the NAPLAN tests. It’s better to see them as learning opportunities for kids as well as opportunities to overcome any anxieties or nerves that these tests may bring on. It’s also worth remembering that many children don’t stress over these tests. The vast majority take them in their stride, wondering what all the fuss is about.
Whether your child stresses or takes them in his stride here are some tips to help prepare for the NAPLAN tests: 1 Take your cues from your child: If your child doesn’t worry about them then neither should you. Be careful not to create a problem that doesn’t exist by incessantly talking about, or worse, worrying about the test..
2 Focus on doing their best and trying hard: Choose your words carefully when you speak with your kids. As with all their learning activities place your focus squarely on effort rather than results.
The only pressure on kids should be to try hard rather than to do well.
3 Listen to any concerns they have: If your child confesses to some nerves then validate their feelings, rather than shut them down with a ‘get over it’ response. “Yes, sometimes tests can be a little scary, but they get easier every time you take them.” Use this as an opportunity to develop some emotional smarts, which starts with recognising how kids feel.
4 Give them some relaxation ideas: Anxious or nervous kids will benefit from some simple relaxation strategies. Taking some deep breaths, changing their thinking and exercising the morning of the test are some simple ways to help kids get some feeling of control.
5 Help them retain their perspective: One way to help children who become excessively anxious about an event is to ask what’s the worst thing that could happen? Okay, they may not do as well as they would like but the sun will still rise tomorrow, regardless of how well they do. Keeping perspective is a life skill that we all need to practise. A positive, caring parent attitude is one of the best gifts you can give a child when they are apprehensive or nervous about approaching any different situation whether it’s going on school camp, joining a new club or sitting a NAPLAN test.
e from Michael Grose. Join Stay one step ahead of your kids with great ideas & expert advic b.com.au. You’ll be so glad you did. Michael’s NEW Parentingideas Club today at parentingideasclu © 2014 Michael Grose
parentingideas.com.au
JS Arts Week SCOPE -‐ Photography Competition Theme – Landscapes Get your camera or mobile device out and take some amazing photos of our beautiful landscapes. Please take a look at these youtube videos to give you some tips on how to take great landscape photos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YKUu49J58A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VFapgda0T8 There will be 8 prizes awarded -‐ one prize for each year level and an overall prize for the best landscape picture. The photos will be displayed electronically at various functions throughout Arts Week. Process for entering the competition 1. Take landscape photos with any digital device. 2. Email your best photo to Mrs Martin karenm@salc.qld.edu.au or bring in that photo on a usb device to the Junior School Administration. Only one entry per student please. Please make sure that you clearly label your picture with your name and year level. Only electronic photos will be accepted. 3. Closing date for your photo is Friday 16th May. Winners announced at the Gala Concert on the 23rd May.