Msss bulletin 15 2015

Issue 15 / 18 September 2015

Middle/Senior School Bulletin

Middle & Senior School News By the time you read this Bulletin, Term 3 will be over and students will be enjoying their first night of school holidays.

Along with Year 7 students and staff, I know I will be enjoying a sleep in on Saturday after our trip to Canberra. It has been a wonderful trip filled with the incredible learning experiences that are on offer in our Nation’s Capital, a wonderful community spirit and many highlights for students and staff alike.

It certainly was an interesting time to be in Canberra. We visited the electoral office on Monday and on Tuesday we were at Parliament House on the day when Mr Malcolm Turnbull took office as Australia’s new Prime Minister. While we didn’t bump into Mr Abbott or Mr Turnbull, we came across many Senators and the students wholeheartedly appreciated seeing, our Federal Member, Mrs Karen Andrews who made time for us on what was a very busy day.

Term 3 has been a busy and very positive term and I’d like to offer a word of thanks to the students and staff of the College for their exceptional work in classrooms and beyond.

Over the past week, students in Years 11 & 12 have completed exams, all secondary students finalised assessment items, our AGCC Sporting competition came to an end for the year, Musical auditions were completed, students were involved in a House based Battle of the Bands, and our Open boys’ basketball team headed off to the State Championships.

Last Friday, we were fortunate to have a guest from Griffith University present one of our Middle School Science Trivia Challenge teams with their first place trophy.

At the assembly we also recognised other recent achievements including our Year 10 Debating team who won the Gold Coast competition, Spirit of St Andrews award recipients Zoey Cheesman and Jack Read, Callum Ahern was recognised for his ICAS Top Speller Medal and our MLTAQ Language competition medal winners were acknowledged.

As this is the final Bulletin for Term 3 what is to follow relates to the key dates and information for the start of Term 4.

Reports Academic Progress Reports for students in Years 7-12 will be posted home next week. Parents are encouraged to discuss this report with their child and to help him/her to set goals for Term 4.

All students in the Middle and Senior School start Term 4 on Tuesday 6 October.

The Edge A reminder to parents of boys in Year 9 that The Edge program begins on Tuesday 6 October (first day back of Term 4). Students are to wear casual dress (abiding by the casual dress rules that apply on Mufti-Days as listed in the College diary). From Tuesday the students will be undertaking their Service-Learning projects. The Edge program for all Year 9 girls begins on Friday 23 October. Note that The Edge presentation nights (Boys – Thursday 29 October and Girls - Monday 16 November) are compulsory for all students and a free family BBQ will be held on those nights. Please contact Mr Casey (tomc@salc.qld.edu.au) or Mr Tanguy (christ@salc.qld.edu.au) if you have any question relating to the Edge, or GOOGA camp.

Year 12 Formal Our Year 12s will be celebrating their formal on Saturday 10 October at the Marriott Resort. Parents of Year 12s are invited to attend pre-dinner drinks starting at 5.30pm.

Moderation Day - Pupil Free - Monday 19 October Teachers around the state will be moderating Year 12 student work on Monday 19 October. We have a large number of teachers from St Andrews on panels. All other staff from P-10 will be engaged in meetings on this day. This will be a pupil free day for all students P-12.

Cultural Awards Night The Cultural Awards Night will be held on Friday 23 October. This will be a great event and celebration of the Arts as well as a night to acknowledge the fine work of our students.

Presentation Night This year we are trialling a new format for our Presentation Nights. The Gold Coast Convention Centre advised that they were not able to accommodate our booking due to a weeklong conference coinciding with our preferred dates and given our size we have decided to host separate Presentation Nights for our three sub-schools. The Junior and Middle School evenings will be held on campus in our Multi-Purpose Hall and the Senior School evening will be held at the Gold Coast Arts Centre.

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Senior School (Years 10-12) Wednesday 18 November 2015 at 6.30pm at the Gold Coast Arts Centre.

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Junior School (Years 4-6) Monday 30 November 2015 at 5.00pm in the Multi-Purpose Hall at St Andrews Lutheran College.

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Middle School (Years 7-9) Wednesday 2 December 2015 at 6.00pm in the Multi-Purpose Hall at St Andrews Lutheran College.

Thank you to all families for their ongoing support. I pray that you will enjoy the rest and relaxation that comes with the change of pace and the warm weather that typifies the September break.

Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

Middle School News ‘The Edge’ From the start of next term our Year 9 students will be participating in The Edge program. With a combination of service-learning, outdoor education and reflection days this program is held in high regard by students who have completed it in previous years. I look forward to assisting with the program and visiting students while they are out at Googa for their outdoor education element. Enormous thanks must go to Mr Christophe Tanguy for his organisation of this extensive experience for our students.

Year 7 Design Challenges Over the past few weeks it has been impossible to walk near the Year 7 classrooms without being assailed by some form of designed apparatus. Students have designed and constructed complex ‘marble drop’ machines in which a marble needed to take a precise amount of time to travel a specific vertical distance. Additionally we have had the return of the balloon-car challenge in which students have constructed vehicles solely powered by balloons.

At any stage of morning teas and lunchtimes there have been numerous teams of students remaining in classrooms to further work on their designs and constructions. I can’t recall seeing more engaging tasks for students in many years. Congratulations must go out to the Maths and Science teachers in Year 7 for creating these opportunities for learning in the year level.

Tom Casey Head of Middle School

Senior School News Flourishing in the Senior School To assist our students in the busy time of term we focused on Stillness in September. Stillness, also known as mindfulness, refers to being present in the moment. In this age of constant stimulation often we spend much of our time looking back or looking forward, not focusing on where we are at right now. If this is the case for our students it often results in them not being able to settle,

focus on a task and complete work with full attention. In LAG we have practiced some stillness through simple breathing exercises with a focus on just trying to be in the moment and calm the mind. Stillness exercises were used before each QCS test for the Year 12’s. It was really interesting to watch their energy levels settle and calm come over the room after a few minutes of guided stillness. Some simple stillness activities can be obtained on the “apps – Happify and Smiling Minds”.

Next term the Senior School will be focusing on the Virtue of Transcendence which consists of the character strengths of optimism, appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, humour and spirituality. As a result we will focus on Optimism in October. Optimism is an extremely important strength for young people as those who have hope for their future aspirations are able to harness intrinsic motivation to persist with set goals.

The last two days of Term 3 were spent working on building positive relationships, being aware of the issues around drugs, alcohol and cybersafety with our Adopt-a-Cop (Tracey Clouston) and our Year 12’s heard more specific information about planing for a Safer Schoolies. The girls also heard about the work that the Cervical Cancer Prevention group are doing and the boys experienced some skills on staying calm and mental health. I’d like to thank our special guest speaker James Peterson who is a young Gold Coast man who talked with our students on his experiences and the pressures that young people face today.

Congratulations to: • All the Leos who have had a really busy term. Good luck at your fundraising BBQ’s at Bunnings Burleigh on Monday and Tuesday of the first week of the holidays.

This is a big part of our fundraising efforts so if you are in the area please stop in.

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Tia Lightbody, Ben Beggs, Izak Schache, Khali Robins and Ben Wooldridge for their efforts to organise some last day activities for the Senior School.

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All our Senior School students, it has been a really full term and we are very proud of how hard the students have worked, the contributions many have made to community and energy they bring to our world.

Reminders 1. If you are taking your child away on holidays before the end of term this is non-approved leave. Please ensure that, according to College Policy, you contact the Deputy Principal in a timely manner so that teachers are aware and end of term assessments can be completed.

2. Students should return next term with their summer uniform in good repair, hair meeting uniform policy and goals ready based on report feedback.

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au Tania Stewart Head of Senior School

Chaplains Chat Do Not Fear Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (ESV) In preparation for a recent Middle and Senior Chapel I started to think about how I could best help the Year 12 students as they underwent their QCS exams and others who were under the stress and strain associated with the end of term. I would have searched the Bible for the phrase “QCS exams,” but I already knew it would produce no results. The Bible doesn’t contain the words, “QCS” or “exams” because it was written and compiled before these things took place.

Whilst I was out of luck on this front, I settled upon a theme to do with fear. The Bible has a lot to say about fear.

The Bible uses the word “fear” in a variety of different ways but, in my opinion, the standout way it is used is in conjunction with its negation – “do not fear,” “do not be afraid,” “fear not.” These words were usually spoken to someone or a group of people who had a lot of reason to fear and almost always followed up with a reason why it is was not necessary to fear anymore. For example, when Israel’s new leader, Joshua, was to take the reins as leader of his people and help them cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land – God spoke to Joshua with these words, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.

Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV) In this case, Joshua was reminded that God had called and appointed him to this task and he was also assured that God would be with him to help him along every step of the journey.

Similar proclamations of the message “do not fear” were given to the community Joshua was in charge of and to other biblical names you might recognise, like Mary and Joseph, and the disciples of Jesus. In each case God reiterated to those involved that there was no need to fear. The reason why they did not need to fear was different in each case but they all had to do with God’s provision and help.

At St Andrews we have no need to fear the path ahead of us or the circumstances we are facing, which can sometimes seem insurmountable. The reason we do not need to fear is that, we too, have the provision and help of God in whom we trust. Whilst we may not have a direct revelation of God about our specific circumstances we do have the promises of God written in the Bible and the ability to call upon Him in prayer for all our needs (see Philippians 4:6).

God is someone in whom we can depend and through Him our fears diminish. If biblical history is anything to go by then we can rest confident in both God’s mercy and his help.

Nathan Glover Pastor

Performing Arts News The Little Mermaid After a very thorough two week audition process, we have a cast! Congratulations to all involved – I am sure we will have a wonderful experience. A few points to note: 1. Please accept via Parent Lounge before Term 4 commences.

2. Rehearsals will commence Term 4 (Junior School Monday 3–4.30pm and Middle School/Senior School during Rec Sport).

3. Any parent helpers interested in costume, set and painting are invited to email priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au Term 4 Dates As we look ahead to an exciting and busy Term 4, below are some key dates to pop in the calendar.

Thursday 8 October

Dance Night

6.30pm RBT

Friday 23 October

Cultural Awards Evening 6.30pm RBT

Tuesday 10 November

Evening of Song (2 Sessions)

RBT

Saturday 14 November Animi Dance Concert

RBT

Thursday 19 November Piano Concerts (2 Sessions)

MPH

Tuesday 24 November

Speech and Drama (2 afternoon concerts)

RBT

Friday 27 November

Band Soiree Afternoon

RBT

**Further details will be available at the start of the Term.

Cultural Awards Evening

Nominations for Cultural Awards have now closed. Students eligible for an award this year will receive an email advising them of this by the end of Term 3. Performers will also have an information note emailed home. This is the Arts night of nights as we celebrate the year that was and recognise individual student achievement across Performing and Visual Arts. We hope you can join us.

Student Achievement Congratulations to the following students who placed at the recent Gold Coast Eisteddfod (Speech and Drama): Georgia Hoareau – 1st Humorous Poem, VHC Monologue Isaac Thorpe – 1st Humorous Poetry Ambelin Rytenskild – 1st Prose, HC Monologue, Most Outstanding Prose Leilani Frost – 1st Duologue Lily Fleming – 1st Duologue, 2nd in Group, 2nd in Prose and VHC in Individual Drama. She has also been selected to perform at the Musicale at the Arts Centre (the Duo piece).

If your child has had recent individual success in their chosen discipline, please email priscillas@salc.qld.edu so we can celebrate their achievements in our Arts Corner.

Cilla Scott Head of Arts

Sport News

Physics News

Regional Track and Field St Andrews had 19 students qualify for the Regional Track and Field Championships held at the GCCC Track at Griffith University.

On Wednesday 16 September 2015, Nicholas Beresford and past student Harry Veivers from UQ volunteered their time and expertise in sharing a deep knowledge and understanding of Engineering with our Year 11 Physics students.

Our competitors produced some outstanding results with seven athletes qualifying for the State Championships in Townsville in late October. Those who qualified are: Ethan Read – 800m – 3rd Place (Junior School) Charlotte Chant – 400m – 5th Place Katie Hayward – 3000m Race Walk – 1st place Bailey Scott – 800m – 3rd Place Fraser Eller – 400m – 3rd Place Natalie Roberts – 100m – 2nd Place and 200m – 1st Place Lachlan Irvine – 1500m – 1st Place and 5000m – 2nd Place AFL Georgia Eller has been selected in the final 20 player squad for the Under 14 Girls Gold Coast Sunsets AFL team. She attended the Jumper Presentation Ceremony on Monday and played in her first game at Beenleigh on Wednesday 16 September. There is also a Carnival on 23 September. Well done Georgia!

Cricket Darby Scott has been selected in the South Coast 12 Years Cricket team to travel to Mackay for the State Championships in early November. Darby was part of the victorious Hinterland team coached

by Mr Manion. Good luck in Mackay Darby!

It was truly a wonderful day, with all the students listening attentively and highly engaged, asking pertinent questions to clarify understandings. Responses to the questions, challenged our students to think more deeply about the connection between Science and Engineering. Feedback from the students was highly positive.

We look forward to future such academic partnerships, especially with the introduction of a STEM project in Year 10 in 2016.

Dr Gordon Naidoo Physics Teacher

Andrew Manion Head of Sport

P&F News

Tuckshop News

AGM (Annual General Meeting) This year’s AGM is on Wednesday 25 November 7.00pm in the CRC (Cecile Ryan Centre).

Over the past 3 Terms, students have been taking advantage of the new “Cashless” payment method for purchases at Tuckshop. Simply by registering and linking the student ID number to their Flexi School account can this be possible. If you would like more information log onto www.flexischools. com.au or if you have any questions or would like help setting up an account contact Tuckshop on 5568 5900 and we will be more than happy to assist you.

At the meeting all current office bearers will resign and a vote will be taken for the positions from the nominations received.

All nominations must be submitted 30 days before the AGM to the President. A nomination form will be available shortly on the College website under the P & F section.

The office bearer positions are as follows: President Currently Daniel Renneberg (daniel@austplan.com.au) Vice President Currently Julieanne Andrews (julieanne6@optusnet.com.au) Treasurer Currently Michelle Brown (michelle@brownslawyers.com.au) Secretary Currently Nicole Ainger (bidwill16@bigpond.com) Grants Officer Currently Kim Allan Fundraising Officer (Currently Vacant) Most of the current office bearers are unable to commit to a further year on the P & F due to full time employment and family commitments and are unable to re-nominate.

Please consider taking on a role on the P & F. It is a very rewarding position to hold, allowing you to be involved in a meaningful way in your child/ren’s school. If you would like further information on the duties of any position please feel free to contact us at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au P & F general meetings are held once a term and everyone is always welcome.

Uniform Shop News SENIOR BLAZERS Attention: Year 9 & Senior Students - Orders Due Now • • • •

Orders for Senior Blazers for 2016 are due now.

Requests for 2nd hand are also being taken now.

Uniform Shop hours are 8.00-9.30am Monday-Friday and Wednesday 2.30-3.30pm.

Questions? Phone 5568 5933.

The Uniform Shop would love your help from 8.00am-8.30am any morning. No experience necessary just have to love serving customers. Phone 5568 5933 or email uniformshop@ salc.qld.edu.au for obligation free information.

Did you know that Tuckshop has a vegetable garden? You may have seen it as you travel to the top carpark. We have been using the fresh herbs and vegetables in our daily cooking from stir fry’s to curries, quiches and sandwiches. Nothing beats the taste of fresh, spray free and organic vegetables.

This year will see us with a bumper crop of tomatoes that seem to be popping up everywhere! Have a look next time you drive past.

Term 4 will see the Ice Block stall start up again for students in Prep – Year 6.

The stall will run every Friday until 6 November. A very big thank you to the parents who have already registered their name on the roster. However; although all of the positons are full, please register yourself as a “standby” if someone is unable to make it or alternately contact Tuckshop if you have any questions.

A very big thank you goes to out to all of the Volunteers that have helped out in the Tuckshop this year, we greatly appreciate all of your help. Thank you again.

Trina van der Kamp Tuckshop Manager tuckshop@salc.qld.edu.au

Dates to Remember - October Monday 5 Labour Day Public Holiday Tuesday 6 Term 4 Commences Performance Rehearsal for Presentation Night (selected students) MS/SS Getting in the Zone Years 8 & 9 Book Club Edge Program commences - Year 9 Boys, 6-29 October Wednesday 7 Years 7-12 State All Schools Touch Champs, 7-11 October Year 12B Visual Arts Excursion Years 8-10 Netball Competition (selected students) Thursday 8 Dance Showcase, RBT, 6.30pm Friday 9 Years 7-12 Assembly Saturday 10 Year 12 Formal at Marriott Resort Tuesday 13 Years 8 & 9 Book Club Wednesday 14 Year 10, 11 & 12A Visual Art Excursions Years 8-10 Netball Competition (selected students) Thursday 15 AGCC Sports Awards Presentation Year 7 German Oktoberfest for Teens Friday 16 Year 12 Photos with Mr Kotzur

OU! Y K N THA HAVE WE $1129 ED RAIS R THE FO EGE! L COL

We are seeking donations of small gifts that would fit inside a shoebox for girls or boys between the ages of 2-14.

A shoebox filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies tangibly demonstrates God’s love to a child in need.

The items MUST be new, not second-hand.

Alternatively, you can pack your own shoe box with new items and bring it into the College.

You can drop your items to Junior School Administration or the CRC. Please return to either location by 16 October.

Congratulations to our Major Prize Winner for September Lauryn Redwood!

INSIGHTS Building parent-school partnerships

How to raise a child to be a giver

WORDS Michael Grose

Michael Grose highlights why it is so important to teach your child to be a giver not a taker, and gives five practical ways to develop a sense of generosity in kids.

Young children are egocentric by nature.

As any three-year old knows only too well the world revolves around them.

“I want...” “Give me…” “It’s mine!” and other variations are the mantras for this age group. This self-centredness is developmental, which means its something they grow out of…or they’re supposed to.

But some kids never bridge the gap from self-centredness to generosity. They become takers with an inflated sense of entitlement rather than givers who do all they can to accommodate the needs of others. While it can be argued that some children maybe self-centred by temperament I’m not convinced that we can blame Mother Nature entirely.

There is no doubt that parenting impacts enormously on a child’s propensity to give rather than take.

In the eagerness to get kids off to a good start in life, a spirit of generosity is one quality that parents can easily overlook. Developing children’s personal competencies tends to be higher on most parents’ wish lists for their kids than developing a generous spirit.

But developing a sense of sharing in kids has plenty of positives. Children who are able to share their time, their space and themselves generally have more friends and experience more success than those who are self-centred and mean- spirited.

Quite simply, they are leadership material!

Like most facets of child rearing developing a community ethos in kids can be a frustrating task but perseverance, modeling and expectations are parents’ greatest allies when it comes to things that really matter.

Here are five practical ways to develop a sense of generosity in kids: 1 Expect kids to help With families shrinking, kids get fewer opportunities to help at home than before. With this in mind expect your kids to help without being paid. Regular chores and activities that benefit others such as setting the meal table or helping a younger sibling get dressed teaches them that their contribution is valuable and very much required.

2 Think ‘gang’ It’s a quirk of modern life that parenting is an individual endeavour. “What’s in the best interest of my child?” has replaced “What’s in the best interest of the family?” as a key parenting principle. Encourage children to make allowances for each other which may mean everyone watches a sibling’s special concert rather than some children missing it because ‘it’s boring!’

‘We put ourselves out for each other’ is a wonderful family strength that often needs to be reinforced by parents.

3 Don’t let them get away with

meanness Children wear L-Plates when it comes to behaving generously. They don’t always get it right, which means that parents as the wise adults need to remind children when their words and actions are intolerant or mean-spirited, or when they need to put their own needs behind the needs of others.

more on page 2

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© 2015 Michael Grose

INSIGHTS

2

Building parent-school partnerships

... How to raise a child to be a giver ...

4 Develop a sense of other Children and teenagers don’t live in a bubble.

The socialisation process demands that kids be accountable for their poor behaviours. “What does this social situation reasonably require of my child at his or her age and stage of development?” is a great question to ask yourself to develop a sense of other, rather than entitlement in kids.

5 Encourage giving During the Victorian bushfires a few years ago I heard the story of a nine-year old whose mum went into his bedroom to growl at him for being up too late. She found him busy emptying his moneybox into little plastic bags, ready to donate at the school bushfire appeal next day. There were plenty of stories like this showing the generosity of Australian kids, we just need to encourage them in everyday life, rather than wait for a tragedy, to give their generosity a kick start.

You can begin by encouraging them to give toys, books and clothes away when they have finished with them, or doing a good deed by a neighbor or friend.

The skills that kids need for future success are changing as technology, greater flexibility and mobility, and new economic forces are transforming workplaces at an astonishingly rapid rate. But the basic attitudes and character traits needed to succeed such as teamwork, initiative and generosity haven’t changed too much over time. Ask any employer and I’m sure they’d say they’d hire a giver over a taker any day as they are just so valuable to have on a team. Hopefully they are not becoming a rarity as well!

Michael Grose

nt young people? Subscribe to Happy Kids Want more ideas to help you raise confident kids and resilie tingideas.com.au. You’ll be so glad you did. newsletter, my FREE weekly email parenting guide at paren

parentingideas.com.au

© 2015 Michael Grose