Middle/Senior School Bulletin Issue 14 / 27 October 2017
Chaplains Chat This week, together with schools and churches around the world, the College celebrates Luther 500 – a week in which we remember and celebrate the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century. The Lutheran Reformation was a time in church history when the theology, tradition, rites & observances of the Roman Catholic Church were questioned on the basis of scripture. The questioning did not happen all at once, and was not the work of one man, but many. The Reformation became an important moment in world history. It had a profound effect on Christian thinking, politics and culture in the Western World, which continues to the present day.
The man who started it all is our namesake, Martin Luther (1483-1546). He was a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg. On Tuesday 31 October this year it will be exactly 500 years since he wrote his famous 95 Theses on the door of the university church in Wittenberg, Germany. This moment in time is considered the start of the Reformation. His Theses were an invitation to others at the university to start an academic discussion regarding the practice of selling indulgences. Luther believed that the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences was not supported by scripture, was causing grief to conscience and was, at best, a money-making scheme for the Pope. Nobody engaged with Luther on this topic but instead his Theses were distributed across Germany causing concern for leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and interest from the general public.
As time moved forward, Martin Luther realised that the practice of selling indulgences was not the only teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic Church that did not align with his reading and study of scriptures. Together with others, Martin Luther wrote about other topics such as the nature of free will, original sin, good works, righteousness, the power and authority of the Pope and the Lutheran understanding of Law & Gospel, to name a few. When others wished to start a rebellion, and take up arms, it was Luther who maintained the importance of academic conversation and using the power of the pen. Luther is also known for his work in translating the Bible into the language of the common people (the Luther Bible), authoring various hymns and his positive teaching on vocation and marriage.
These days the Catholic church and the Lutheran church have reconciled some of the topics of which Luther protested. There has been, for example, common agreement in the area of justification – how someone is made right before God. This was made formal in the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification signed by both churches in 1999. Lutherans tend to be proud of the work of Martin Luther in reforming the church. He was brave enough to stand up to the teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic Church at a time when such challenges were not welcome and nearly cost his life. It is our hope that students of the College, our fellow Andrians, will be brave enough to stand up to the challenges they face in the world today and the things they consider are not right or helpful. Nathan Glover College Pastor
Middle & Senior School News Cultural Awards Night Cultural Awards Night was held at the College on Friday 20 October and it was a stunning showcase of the talents of our students. With the support of our very dedicated Arts staff, these performers continue to thrive and flourish. The musicality of the vocalists, including the choirs and music ensembles continue to be nothing short of inspired. This year has also seen our Dance program grow significantly with multiple troupes forming. The finale at the end of the evening was a testament to how beautifully our musicians, dancers, and vocalists work as one big family in the area of Performing Arts. In Visual Arts, our students continue to showcase their work in a diverse array of exhibitions. Thank you to Miss Scott (Head of Performing Arts) and the Arts team for their ongoing work with our talented young people. It was also the first event to be held in our upgraded theatre. Thank you to everyone who joined us on the evening. Given the ongoing growth and flourishing in the Arts, this event will be split into separate Junior and Middle/Senior events next year.
Ruth Butler Theatre Official Reopening It was indeed a special occasion on Wednesday afternoon when past students, invited guests, current students and families came together to celebrate the Reopening and Rededication of our Ruth Butler Theatre. It has been a journey, to say the least, and this space being filled with performance and community has made every step of that path worthwhile beyond measure.
Building Character Our Year 9 boys arrived back from a challenging program out at GOOGA. From all accounts; students, staff, parents and GOOGA staff, our boys were a pleasure to work with and a testament to the growth that comes from putting ourselves outside of our comfort zones. Hearing the stories retold by the boys this week has been an absolute pleasure. I am looking forward to visitng the girls next week.
Shining a Light on our Athletes Last week the College hosted an Elite Athletes lunch. Mrs Wood asked students how the College can continue to support them in their sport endeavours and students were given the opportunity to connect with athlete support groups for life beyond school. Thank you to all of the students who attended. Next Tuesday, the Annual Sports Awards breakfast will be held and I look forward to hearing from our guest speaker, Rio Olympic Kayaker, Ms Alyce. Thank you to Mrs Wood for organising both events. Mufti Day Tuesday 24 October – Camp Quality Each term the College holds a mufti-day to raise funds in support of local, national or international charities. This term, we are raising awareness and funds for Children’s Cancer Support group – Camp Quality. A number of our College families have been touched by Cancer and on MuftiDay students were encouraged to wear Rainbow colours, Yellow or Pink and to bring in a gold coin donation. Baked goods were also sold and expressions of love and support abounded on the day. As a community our thoughts and prayers remain with all those struggling with illness.
grateful! I’d encourage you to consider sending a note of thanks to a member of the St Andrews team who has made a difference in your child’s learning and growth this year.
Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School
Middle School News Googa Last week the Year 9 boys came home from their two-week experience at Googa OEC. This week the girls headed up to Blackbutt for their camp. For anyone interested in catching a glimpse of the activities that occur up at Googa the blog can be found at: http://edublogs.salc.qld.edu.au/googa2017/ The password for the blog is Googa 2017. It is worth a reminder that the dates for Googa 2018 have gone out to parents in a letter and that the boys’ camp for 2018 will finish on the Sunday after the College has finished in Term 2.
Preparing to Lead Our Year 11 Captaincy applicants for 2018 addressed the Years 7–12 Assembly last week. What an impressive group of young men and women. I look forward to taking part in their second round of interviews on a panel with Mr Bliss and our current captains. It will be a difficult decision to make but one thing is for certain – the tradition of servant leadership is in good hands as the mantle is passed on from this years’ student leadership team to the next. Appreciation and Thanks Today we celebrated World Staff Day and we took the opportunity to thank all staff for their care, dedication and commitment towards ensuring the best possible learning environment for our students to enjoy. Students wrote lovely affirmations and thank you notes to their teachers and other members of College staff and these were received with great appreciation. From the teachers working with students in classrooms to our grounds and administrative staff, each member of our St Andrews team continues to work diligently towards making this a great community. For that, we are so
Growth Mindset On the holidays I had the rare opportunity to meet with Professor Carol Dweck from Stanford University. Professor Dweck is the author of ‘Mindset’ and one of the leading academics in the field of mindset and learning. She emphasised the importance of establishing mindsets within our children where they feel empowered to try – fail – try (differently) as a means of learning how to approach problems and establish a positive approach to their own learning. Discussing the implications of learning with Professor Dweck caused me to reflect upon how I model learning with my own children (with both of mine at home and with about 350 of yours at the College). For those interested in reading more about Professor Dweck’s work then the following article is a worthy starting point. http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/ As always, please contact me should you wish to discuss anything further at tomc@salc.qld.edu.au
opportunity to thank our wonderful staff for all that they do to empower lifelong learning and nurture the individual. Their dedication ensures that your child has an excellent education, is supported, known, valued and cared for. It never ceases to amaze me what lengths our staff will go to for our young people. A few examples: early morning training sessions for a range of sports and fitness activities, answering late night emails from stressed students, calling parents to arrange further support or alert them to a concern, lunchtime or before school tutorials, letters of praise home, diverse learning experiences, quality feedback on drafts to improve outcomes, playground conversations that support positive relationships, sharing of stories and experiences. It really is an honour to be a teacher and to be an “Andrian”, I hope our students feel the same way. Upcoming events: Year 12’s – Information has come out about your last week activities. Please be aware of the compulsory activities and days (must be at school in uniform) and optional activities/ courses (in school uniform). Make sure you don’t miss out on the Barista, First Aid and Responsible Service of Alcohol Courses. These all require you to book through TryBooking. Only payment for the course will secure your spot and all have limited numbers. Another Barista Course has been made available on Thursday 2 November. If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at tanias@salc.qld.edu.au Tania Stewart Head of Senior School
Tom Casey Head of Middle School
Flourishing in the Senior School A Fast and Furious Term Term 4 is notoriously short, busy and full of wonderful end of year events. Just in the last four weeks we have had the Queensland All School Touch Carnival, Cultural Awards, World Staff Day, Year 12 Formal, Mufti Day, Year 12 Journey Breakfast, IC ’17 Workshop, Japanese school visit, Ruth Butler Theatre Reopening, 2018 Captaincy Speeches and the Senior Art Exhibition. I am sure I have likely missed something in there. Of course our Year 12’s take centre stage as they countdown the last 15 or so days of their secondary education. While this is a time of celebration, reflection and gratitude, it is also extremely important that each Year 12 students use every opportunity they can to complete their final assessments and exams to the best of the ability. Now is not the time to sit back and relax. The final pieces of assessment, exams or assignments, can have a very significant impact on improving those final grades or the opposite. As it is World Staff (Teachers) Day, I would like to take the
Performing Arts News Cultural Awards Evening Last Friday we had the first event in our wonderful new Ruth Butler Theatre. It was fitting that it was our annual Cultural Awards Evening where we celebrate the year in the Arts and recognize individual student achievement. It was a fantastic night of performance and showcase of our Visual Artists. Congratulations to our awardees and thank you to the Arts staff who work so hard to provide these opportunities for the spotlight to shine on our young performers.
Priscilla Scott Head of Arts
END oF Year Concert series YOU ARE INVITED
I encourage present Year 10 students interested in a Science degree at Griffith University to consider enrolling in Griffith Biology in 2018.
November 6th - 24th Support your friends while having fun at our concerts.
CONCERT SERIES When
Concert
Time
Venue
Monday 6th Nov
Evening of Song
Ruth Butler Theatre
Monday 6th Nov
JS Vocal Concert (Kristine A Group) JS Vocal Concert (Kristine B Group) JS Vocal Concert (Linlee A Group) JS Vocal Concert (Linlee B Group) Animi Dance Concert
4:00 – 5.30pm 6:00 – 7.30pm 11.00am 11.00am
JS Music Room
11.00am
JS Music Room
Wednesday 8th Nov Thursday 9th Nov Friday 10th Nov Saturday 11th Nov Monday 13th Nov Wednesday 15th Nov Thursday 16th Nov Thursday 16th Nov Tuesday 21st Nov Tuesday 21st Nov Wednesday 22nd Nov Friday 24th Nov
JS Guitar Concert JS Guitar Concert Piano Concert (John) Piano Soiree (Learne) Year 4 Speech and Drama Year 5 – 11 Speech and Drama Year 3 Speech and Drama Year 1 & 2 Speech and Drama
JS Music Room
11.00am
JS Music Room
4pm (Years 1 - 4) 6:30pm (Years 5 - 12) 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 3:15pm and 4pm 11.00am 4:00pm
Ruth Butler Theatre JS Music Room JS Music Room JS Music Room MPH JS Music Room Ruth Butler Theatre
11.00am 11.00am
JS Music Room JS Music Room
Science News Griffith Biology - Cell Biology Congratulations to Maddison Malady, Abbey Schumacher, Claudia Blockey, Cassie Crowe, d’Artagnan Barnard and Ben Allan on successfully completing a one day laboratory assessment at Griffith University recently. This completes the groups Year 11 Cell Biology unit. If students pass the two hour exam, which was sat last term, they will be invited to continue the course in Year 12. I have been very happy with the one hour before school lecture the students have committed to and look forward to teaching them again next year. Successfully completing this Cell Biology course will provide these students with early entry into a number of Griffith University courses that are listed below. It will also mean that students will not have to complete this unit at university saving the students time and about $1000 in fees.
David Wyatt Head of Science
German News At the end of last term, Year 9 German students spent the afternoon teaching Year 3 students about traditional German celebrations. The older students prepared activities for the littlies which included lantern making for St. Martins Day, dancing and taste testing for Oktoberfest, a history lesson and games for Germany’s national passion, football. The Year 9s were very impressive in their roles as educators for the afternoon and the Year 3s really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the big kids and learn about a different culture. Tara Bible Years 7-12 German Teacher
Chess News St Andrews Lutheran College fielded 7 players in the Senior Team and 3 players in the Junior Team - a total of 10 players. Our students played exceptionally well in both divisions. The team spirit reflected that of true Andrians with the Chess Coordinators complementing our students on their high standard of play. Juniors Final Individual Winners – Daniel Perry and Aiden Campbell with 7/7 wins. Senior Final Individual –Benjamin Watson 2nd with 6/7 wins and winner Khai Bowie with 7/7 wins Overall Senior Winner- St Andrews Lutheran College – Joshua Gilbert; Benjamin Watson; Khai Bowie; Hayden Verschuure. Dr Gordon Naidoo Chess Coordinator
Student Development Year 12s Leaving Well As many Year 12s around Australia prepare for final exams and focus on the hedonistic expectations of Schoolies, many of our Andrians remain focussed on other things. For many of the 12s the focus is on finishing well, on leaving a legacy, on continued responsibilities of connecting with younger students and building community wellbeing. One Year 12 class recently filled their boxes for Operation Christmas Child, immersed in deep discussion about what makes true generosity. They identified that the quality of giving and thoughtfulness is not connected to dollar value and that in seeing more of life as opportunity to engage in gift giving there would be increased sense of gratitude. The boys especially focussed in on memories of hours spent playing with boxes, favourite childhood toys and favourite childhood books. This made for rich experience as the Year 12s process the grief and change that is happening to them. It was lovely to see these young men give away some of those favourite childhood books in the boxes filled for Operation Christmas Child.
Sport News Sport Awards Breakfast This event will be held this coming Tuesday 31 October. All families of those students receiving an award have been contacted and are kindly asked to arrive in the MPH to commence breakfast at 7:30am. I look forward to this wonderful celebration of school sport. Futsal Last Thursday Regional trials for the 13 years boys Futsal team was held at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre. Three of our boys were selected in the Hinterland team: Thomas Renneberg Jayden Racette Jordyn Hinds Congratulations to both Jayden and Jordyn who were also selected in the South Coast Team. Qld All Schools Weightlifting Tournament In 2017 over 100 students will compete across a range of ages and weight divisions in the Queensland All Schools Weightlifting competition. This year it will be held locally at the Gold Coast Weightlifting Club on Sunday 12 and Monday 13 November. St Andrews will be represented by 13 students who have been training hard under the guidance of our school PT and Strength and Conditioning Coach Mr Callum Hannay. Libby Wood
As a College we will continue to give priority to building evidence based practices around wellbeing, emotional intelligence and character development. These features of our program improve the quality of the journey together and the quality of the men and women who graduate here. It is pleasing to see the focus of our Year 12s is on leaving well and continuing to give. It is pleasing to see in their character that they understand what eludes many adults – we could all learn a little from the wisdom of these students. This article is an interesting discussion starter for families with teenagers: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_stops_ gratitude James Nelson Director of Student Development
Year 11 Visual Art Excursion (Selected Students) Thursday 9
Dates to Remember
Year 12 Exams Years 7-11 Rec Sport (Selected Students) Middle School Parent 2018 Morning Tea
OCTOBER
Year 9 Girls Presentation “The Edge”
Saturday 28
Friday 10
“Energies” Exhibition (Selected Students) The Arts Centre Gold Coast
Year 12 Exams
Year 9 Girls at GOOGA
Animi Concert Rehearsal (Selected Students)
MS/SS LAG
500th Reformation Anniversary Weekend Sunday 29 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA 500th Reformation Anniversary Weekend Monday 30 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA Tuesday 31 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA Years 7-12 Sports Awards Breakfast (Selected Students) MS Elective It’s a Bug’s Life Excursion (Selected Students) Year 10 Surfing (Selected Students) NOVEMBER Wednesday 1 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA Year 12 Graduating Art Ex Opening (Selected Students) Thursday 2 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA Years 7-12 Assembly Years 7-11 Rec Sport Friday 3 Year 7 Immunisations “Energies” Exhibition (Selected Students) Lending a Helping Hand at Rosies Year 9 Girls Return from GOOGA Years 5-7 IC’17 Workshop (Selected Students) Monday 6 Year 12 Exams Year 9 Girls Reflection Day An Evening of Song 2 Concerts (Selected Students) Year 11 Hospitality Class Buffet Dinner (Selected Students) Tuesday 7 Year 12 Exams Year 9 Girls Reflection Day Year 10 Surfing (Selected Students) Year 10 Visual Art Excursion (Selected Students) Wednesday 8 Year 12 Exams P&F AGM
Lutheran Youth Queensland School Holiday Camps Escape the boredom these school holidays on an LYQ Summer Camp! 6 epic week-long camps across December and January covering Years 3-12. Check out lyq.org.au/summercamps to book your Summer of Fun!
END oF Year Concert series YOU ARE INVITED
November 6th - 24th Support your friends while having fun at our concerts.
CONCERT SERIES When
Concert
Time
Venue
Monday 6th Nov
Evening of Song
Ruth Butler Theatre
Monday 6th Nov
JS Vocal Concert (Kristine A Group) JS Vocal Concert (Kristine B Group) JS Vocal Concert (Linlee A Group) JS Vocal Concert (Linlee B Group) Animi Dance Concert
4:00 – 5.30pm 6:00 – 7.30pm 11.00am 11.00am
JS Music Room
11.00am
JS Music Room
11.00am
JS Music Room
4pm (Years 1 - 4) 6:30pm (Years 5 - 12) 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 3:15pm and 4pm 11.00am 4:00pm
Ruth Butler Theatre JS Music Room JS Music Room JS Music Room MPH JS Music Room Ruth Butler Theatre
11.00am 11.00am
JS Music Room JS Music Room
Wednesday 8th Nov Thursday 9th Nov Friday 10th Nov Saturday 11th Nov Monday 13th Nov Wednesday 15th Nov Thursday 16th Nov Thursday 16th Nov Tuesday 21st Nov Tuesday 21st Nov Wednesday 22nd Nov Friday 24th Nov
JS Guitar Concert JS Guitar Concert Piano Concert (John) Piano Soiree (Learne) Year 4 Speech and Drama Year 5 – 11 Speech and Drama Year 3 Speech and Drama Year 1 & 2 Speech and Drama
JS Music Room
UNIFORM SHOP
January Opening Hours …
The Uniform Shop will close at 9.30am on Friday 1st December 2017 and will reopen for Existing Students Only JANUARY 2018 Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th Monday 15th to Friday 19th Monday 22nd January
8 am - 12pm daily 2 pm - 4 pm daily 8am - 12 pm
WEEK 1 OF TERM 1 Tuesday 23rd January Wednesday 24th Thursday 25th Friday 26th
8am – 9.30am 8am - 9.30am & 2.30-3.30pm 8am – 9.30am closed for Australia Day
NEW STUDENTS, families with 3 or more children and families unable to attend during these times are requested to phone or email to book an appointment outside these times.
_______________________________________________________________
Save Time…. Order and Pay Online at www.flexischools.com.au
Your order can be picked up from the Uniform Shop or delivered to your child’s class ____________________________________________________ Second hand clothing must be submitted before the end of term if you wish to use the credit in January. All items must be clean & ironed (not damaged, stained, faded or showing excessive wear). *Blazers will be accepted on consignment only. *Must be Dry Cleaned
_____________________________________________ Phone 5568 5933 Email: uniformshop@salc.qld.edu.au
POSITIVE PARENTING
insights Avoid the pitfalls of labelling kids by Michael Grose
People are natural labellers. We’re quick to categorise others, particularly when they hold different views to ourselves. Terms such as ‘racist’, ‘feminist’ and ‘socialist’ are used liberally at the moment. The trouble with placing a label on a person is that it stops us from thinking too deeply about what they’re saying and prevents us from understanding who they really are. It’s hard to see beyond the label. The same principle applies when we apply labels like these on kids: “She’s the bright one of the family.” “My child is the one on the autism spectrum.” “He’s such a naughty kid.” “She’s an only child.” “He’s shy.” The labels we place on kids can become their defining characteristics. Anyone who has been called ‘stupid’, ‘tanglefoot’ or a ‘klutz’ will know that these tags can become an overriding narrative, remaining well into adulthood. “I’m hopeless with accounts. I was a klutz in maths when I was a kid and I’m still hopeless with figures,” is an example of a self-limiting storyline that has its origins in childhood. Even positive labels can be a burden for some children. Be told often enough that you’re the ‘smart’, the ‘good’ or the ‘responsible’ child of the family or class and you’ve got some lofty expectations to live up to. There’s nothing wrong with setting high behavioural or academic standards, but a child’s good behaviour or high achievement shouldn’t become a badge or label that they always have to wear. Look beyond the label Instead of labelling kids, look beyond the label when you talk about them. For instance, when working with a child on the autism spectrum a teacher or coach will need an understanding of the child’s condition in order to communicate with, manage and teach the child. But autism shouldn’t be the defining characteristic; it shouldn’t be the only lens used to relate to the child. A child is so much more than any condition they have, but being labelled as the ‘autistic child’, the ‘anxious child’ or the child with oppositional defiant
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disorder immediately colours the perception others will have of them, as well as affecting the way the child sees him or herself. Help kids to define themselves broadly Many children put self-limiting labels on themselves. A child who defines himself as being stupid because he struggles academically benefits from parents who lovingly point out that there is more to life than schoolwork. Help your kids see the strengths that they have in other areas of life such as making friends or success at leisure activities, along with personal qualities such as loyalty, patience and persistence. In other words, help children see past any labels that they place on themselves. Label the emotion or behaviour Just as we should resist calling a child who bends the truth a liar (as it may well become a self-fulfilling prophecy), we should also avoid labelling kids who experience anxiousness in new or unfamiliar situations as ‘anxious children’. Being tagged an ‘anxious child’ gives a child a great excuse to avoid situations such as attending school camp or going to a concert because she feels uncomfortable, nervous or shy. The anxious child tag can stop a child from showing the bravery and courage she needs to overcome nerves, self-consciousness or feelings of discomfort. Instead, talk about anxiousness, nervousness and tension – which are emotions that children will naturally experience – while avoiding using the terms as tags or labels. For instance, it’s possible to feel anxious without being an ‘anxious person’. Labelling the child instead of the feeling can too easily define and restrict kids. Talk about behaviours that may reduce these feelings, such as planning ahead, practising and mindfulness. This will help kids feel that they have some control over their feelings, whereas being tagged with a label or name negates a child’s feelings of control and makes self-regulation more difficult. Catch yourself next time you’re about to stick a label – positive or negative –onto a child. Separate the deed from the doer, the kid from the condition, and focus on the behaviour or qualities that he or she needs to succeed in whatever it is they are trying to accomplish.
Michael Grose Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 10 books for parents including Thriving! and the bestselling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It, and his latest release Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent children.
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