Middle School / Senior School Bulletin Issue 8, 21 June 2013

Issue 08 / 21 June 2013

Middle & Senior School News Thank you for your ongoing support throughout Semester One. It has been another busy and blessed term filled with learning and growing as individuals and as a community.

Next week we will all be enjoying some rest and relaxation.

By the end of that week, your child(ren)’s report will arrive in the mail. I strongly encourage families sit and discuss the report in light of achievement, effort and specific feedback about areas for celebration and where improvement is needed next semester. The purpose of this report is to communicate to parents information regarding the achievement levels and associated behaviours. It is a rich and powerful form of feedback that should be used to help set goals for the start of Semester Two. Partnerships for Success – Mothers Afternoon Tea I would like to thank Ms Stewart for her work in organizing a Mothers Afternoon Tea for our mums to come together to talk about online safety and parenting. Thank you also to Ms Yeo for her assistance and to the mums who attended.

If you were unable to attend and would like the information please contact Tania Stewart tanias@salc.qld.edu.au To follow are some emails from attendees.

‘I would like to thank the College for organizing the mothers’ afternoon session with Police Officer Tracey Clouston and Dr Jeff Kemp. It was really informative and very eye opening in what to be aware of to keep our daughters safe whilst using the internet and how best to be a positive role model in their lives. It’s so reassuring to know that the school has our backs on these matters and organizes these seminars to keep us up to date. I think that it would be great if maybe the fathers were to have the opportunity to attend a similar type of evening. Many thanks again.’

Simone Morrison ‘I just wanted to thank you for organising this event. We only moved to the school late last year and my experience of these kind of events in the past had always been disappointing. Last night, however, was fabulous – the 2 speakers were inspiring, practical and gave me a whole host of parenting tools that I can instantly apply with my own kids. I will definitely be coming to any future events of this nature.’ Mandy Johnson ‘I just wanted to say thank you for the Mother’s Afternoon,

it was so informative and I got so much out of it and went home with my paper work in hand which daughter started reading before I did !!!!!! She even deleted her snapchat account even though she only had people she knew on it.

It certainly opened up my eyes to what is out there. Well done, I hope you have another session for fathers as well and even Year 8.’

We do plan to hold a similar event for our dads next term and would welcome parent suggestions as to how we can continue to build partnerships and support with you.

German Trip, QISSN Netball Team and Kokoda Challenge Best wishes to our students traveling to Germany over the break, to our QISSN Netball team who are traveling to Townsville to compete and also to the Kokoda teams who compete in the last weekend of the holiday break. We pray for your safety, and that you have a wonderful experience.

Thank you to Ms Sempf who is traveling with students to Germany, to Ms Yeo who is traveling to Townsville and to Mr Tanguy, Mr Hancock, Mr McGilveray, Mr Wecker, Mr Carter, Mr Nelson, Mr Cooke, Mr Maessen and Mrs Walker who are leading the Kokoda teams.

Parent Teacher Interviews – Wednesday 24 July (3.30pm – 6.30pm) Parent Teacher interviews will be conducted for Middle School and Senior School students on Wednesday 24 July from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. Students are encouraged to attend with parents. Detailed information will be sent home with reports.

Start of Term Three Term 3 starts on Monday 15 July for both Middle and Senior School students. Parents are welcome to attend the opening chapel service in the Worship Centre starting at 8.30am. All students will receive a 20th Anniversary badge at this service.

20th Anniversary Celebrations In Week 3 of next term we will be taking a Whole College photograph as part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations. More details about the photograph will be sent home early next term. Work will also continue to take place on a labyrinth next term and each student and member of staff will design a brick that will be incorporated in the project. Over the ‘Back to St Andrews’

weekend (August 2-4) the College’s founders and congregation will be encouraged to design a brick which will also be incorporated into the project.

Athletics Carnivals Years 7-12 Carnival will be held on Friday 19 July (St Andrews Oval). Mr Manion will be looking for parents to help out at this event. Please contact him at andrewm@salc.qld. edu.au if you can assist.

I hope that the holiday time ahead brings with it an opportunity for your family to relax and enjoy some quality time together. On a final note I would like to thank the amazing students and dedicated staff who make St Andrews such a wonderful community. Have a happy and blessed mid-year break.

beer and a sausage sizzle. I am grateful to Tracey and Jeff for giving up their time, the Mums who supported the afternoon and to Megan Yeo for assisting me in amassing the amazing amount of advice for parents on how to keep your child safe in a digital world. Please contact me if you would like any information. As you can see by the photo of Megan and Sandra about to enjoy the refreshments, I’ll take any opportunity to get my ‘Independent Women of Substance’ message out there.

2. The students in the Senior School who constantly surprise and delight with their enthusiasm, generosity and

In His Service Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School virginiaw@salc.qld.edu.au

Senior School News Gratefulness After an extremely busy Semester 1 there are so many things that I am grateful for and the most significant thing for me, as the Head of Senior School, is that I get to work with some pretty amazing students, teachers, parents, community members. However, above all we have leaders in our College that believe in us, work hard for us and allow us to run with the ideas, opportunities and schemes to grow our students and ourselves. So thank you Mr Kotzur and Mrs Warner, I am grateful for your leadership.

Highlights of Semester 1 and why we should be grateful: 1. I am so grateful that in response to one of my conversations with one our Mums, Sandra Roberts, I had the opportunity to organise the Mother’s Afternoon on Positive Parenting. We were joined by Adopt-a-Cop Tracey Clouston, Dr Jeff Kemp, Counsellor and Author of ‘Be a Parent Not a Pal’ and 26 of our St Andrews Mums to hear some key messages. Tracey talked about internet and Cybersafety and she stressed that it was important to know what your child was doing on line, that you know about what is out there and that just because they are sitting in front of you, you can’t assume they are safe. Jeff was very clear about being the CEO of the family, setting boundaries, sweating the big stuff and making sure everyone understood the family’s bottom-line expectations – the rules of how your family runs. He also said that it was essential to tell your child you loved them, show them affection, believe in them and find their particular gift. It is also okay to have that tough talk. He has developed some apps for parents to guide them through that called Tough Talk Time. The Mums were keen for him to come back and talk to our Dads. Perhaps instead of cake and tea we might have

compassion. For example; a. The Seniors who have given up their time to come into the CRC week after week to tutor younger students Wednesday afternoons. b. The Leos who attend meetings weekly and spend Saturdays flipping sausages at Officeworks on Kortum Drive at Burleigh. They have raised $653.65 for Childhood Cancer Research, worked with PBC Leos car wash and raised $798 for Relay for Life, supported our Executive Lani and Isabelle who participated raising $250 as part of K’s for Kids, donated money to COPE & St Jude’s School in Tanzania. They continue next term with events for the Biggest Morning Tea and supporting riding for the disabled. I am grateful that Lani, Isabelle, Stephanie and Jacob, with the support of the Lions of Tallebudgera, particularly Richie Robinson and Steve Marlnour, have grown this little club into a roaring success. I urge all those who put their hands up to be Leos and accepted a badge and certificate to support the core group who turn up week after week by sharing the load and the success of this dynamic group. c. Our College Captains. Tia Faulkner and Beau Pett have had a fantastic year so far and I am very proud of them. Tia was recently recognised as an excellent contributor to community through sport receiving the Pierre de Coubertin Olympic Award. Tia is an outstanding role model, she has volunteered her time to work in the Junior School with Year 1, attended the Year 5 Camp, tutors in the CRC, contributes to the Leos Club

as well as training to compete at very high levels in Athletics. She has used her time well this year. Beau is the driving force behind the success of tutoring for younger students in the CRC, a key member of the Leos Club and is the epitome of what it means to be a servant leader. I am grateful that I get to work with these two wonderful young people.

3. The staff in the Senior School who constantly go above and beyond to support our young people. Just to exhaust you: One to one tutoring, lunch time tutoring, after school tutoring, conversations in the playground, training sessions in the gym, career guidance, subject guidance, spiritual guidance, before school choir practice, after school rehearsals, weekend rehearsals, lunch time rehearsals, feedback on drafts, conversations about drafts, emails about drafts, emails about reminders, emails to students, emails to parents, lunch time training, before school training, after school training, weekend training, holiday training, weekend camps, overnight camps, overseas trips, after school meetings, before school meeting, lunch time meetings, meetings about meetings, meetings with parents, meetings with students, parent teacher interviews, phone calls to parents, letters to parents, letters to students and sometimes we even teach. I am grateful to work in a College where this is the ‘norm’.

If you have any concerns or queries please contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au

the coming years, and accordingly, they should be establishing routines that will enable them to cope with these increases. As such, I would suggest the following questions as a framework for some discussion about academic routines: • • • • • •

Is the diary being used appropriately to record homework and study?

Has a routine place/time be established for homework?

Are you making the most of the College resources, such as tutorials or seeking teacher assistance?

Has a calendar been made with key dates highlighted?

Is reading happening every night?

Have you set specific goals for the coming week? the coming Term?

The foundations for a successful academic career are not difficult to create but they do require an effort to be established. The earlier that we assist our children in ensuring that their academic efforts are focused and effective then the more time they will have to participate in the joys of adolescence which surround them every day. I hope that you have a wonderful time with your children in the coming weeks.

Tom Casey Head of Middle School tomc@salc.qld.edu.au

Tania Stewart Head of Senior School

Student Development

Middle School News Semester 1, Homework, Assignments and Study.

Amazingly we have reached the halfway point of the academic year. Our students are starting to look toward next semester and even planning for 2014 and the next stage in their journey. Appropriately these holidays afford us an opportunity to reflect upon the first semester and set goals for the coming terms.

One of the most common statements that I have heard from Middle School students echoes the belief that it is always the next year that counts...not the one in which they are currently engaged. Unfortunately, this is a mindset that can progress right the way through schooling until the end of Year 12. While scores relating to possible tertiary studies do become more heavily influenced in the latter years of schooling, the building blocks of academic rigour and success are laid much earlier. It is therefore pertinent to examine how we are laying these blocks in our current year.

The College diary outlines an approximate time each night that your son or daughter should be spending on homework. For many years schools and communities have debated over the benefits of homework compared to other pursuits that our children increasingly take part. We know that the expectations upon your children will increase in

Curiosity In a few locations around campus there are copies of articles that some of our Middle School students have published through the Courier Mail. There is also a regular St Andrews publication ‘MSN’ ie. The Middle Senior News.

Some of these hard working and inquiring students are part of the Creative Writing Group on campus and others are simply curious about our world and open to new learning.

These students find interest in the ordinary, the everyday, outside of normal curriculum and in their own time. They are engaging with life and finding meaningful things to learn and share. Each of them is taking risks every time they write as the audience judges their writing, and yet they continue as the search for stories and the need to communicate is a vital energy that helps many thrive. Talking with one young gentleman from Year 9 yesterday, he said that initially it was hard taking criticism from the newspaper but soon he realized that it was a positive learning experience and he notices how much his writing is improving.

Through the Positive Psychology lens, one might view the actions of these students as showing character strength in an area like Curiosity, Creativity or Judgement. Each of these strengths build the virtue of wisdom, and the habit of remaining open to continuous learning builds intellect.

As a community we should seek to value the work of these students whose interest and curiosity help bring stories alive to some of us who might not have strengths in this area. Beyond the newspaper stories there are also

a range of writing competitions within the College, and outside the College Dorothea McKellar Poetry competition exterWrite4Fun, IEU Qld Writing Competition. This is also something that can be fostered at home as children might be encouraged to write a journal of family holiday, sketch or write poetry after a weekend adventure or bushwalk. A good reminder also, that we as parents model curiosity and taking an interest in the meaningful things going on in the world around us. So share your reading and discuss your learning.

James Nelson Director of Student Development jamesn@salc.qld.edu.au

Art News Punctuality to Rehearsals With several significant events in Term 3 our rehearsal time is valuable. Over the past few weeks, many of our 7.45am rehearsals are not starting till after 8am – leaving the groups with only 15 – 20 mins to practise.

If your child is a member of an ensemble that rehearses before school, please endeavour to have them at the venue at 7.40am so that kids are in and playing/singing/dancing well before 8am.

Netball News On Sunday 23rd June our Senior Netball team is travelling to Townsville to compete in the annual QISSN netball tournament. This tournament involves 48 Independent School teams competing in 6 different divisions.

The team has been training every Thursday morning (7am start) since the beginning of the year. They have also attended two Sunday training sessions with outside coaches going for 2 hrs each session.

Mr James Nelson has spent a lot of time conducting a strength and conditioning program for the girls. It has been hard to keep count of the number of situps, squats, lunges and planks they have had to do. Initially, these sessions were greeted with a lot of moans and complaints, but towards the latter part of the program the girls completed things without complaint. It is very evident that this program has started to pay dividends, with their passes and general movement around the court becoming quicker and stronger.

Date Claimer 20th Anniversary Gala Concert Saturday 3rd August, 7pm Ruth Butler Theatre AS part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we are presenting a Gala Concert featuring performances from current students as well as alumni and staff.

Stay tuned for the release date for tickets at the start of next term. This will be a very special evening and a fitting celebration of 20 years.

Gold Coast Eisteddfod Dates Further details regarding Eisteddfod will be distributed at the start of next Term but below are the dates and times for our Eisteddfod entries for 2013 Golden Clefs - Wednesday 14th August 9.30 am Semitones - Thursday 15th August 9.30am MS/SS Choir - Thursday 15th August 2.30pm Combined & SS Dance Troupes - Friday 16th August 6.30pm Int Concert Band - Tuesday 20th August 12.15pm Mini Musos - Wednesday 21st August at 6.30pm MS Dance Troupe - Thursday 29th August 6pm JS Troupe + Animi - Monday 2nd September 3.30pm and 5.30pm Priscilla Scott Head of Arts priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au

Miss Megan Yeo is taking the team to Townville and needs to be thanked for giving up her time. She has been training the girls hard in their general game play and they have now clicked as a team. I have been very excited to watch these dedicated, enthusiastic girls improve so much this year.

A big thank you to the families who have also had to be up early in the mornings to bring the girls to training. The financial commitment has also been great.

I wish the team well in Townsville and look forward to hearing about the trip on their return.

Mrs Lisa Roper Netball Coordinator

Japanese News “I remember the first night Nanako stayed at my house.

My family put on a barbecue in true Aussie fashion and encompassed her in our cultural way of life. Being in a foreign country, away from your family, friends and securities, Nanako was expected to be extremely overwhelmed by this new lifestyle. But contrary to these predictions, she embraced it whole-heartedly and, by the end of her homestay, was as Aussie as the rest of us!

The experience was so rewarding and gave me, personally, a more worldly and tolerant perspective on life. I enjoyed Nanako’s visit so much, in fact, that since then I have been a host to four exchange students and two ‘school buddies’.

Nanako and I remain in touch to this day. I urge all families of St Andrews to highly consider being a part of the Japanese Exchange Student experience. Not only will you provide a Japanese student with a sense of another culture, you will gain this knowledge, too.”

If you are interested in hosting a Japanese Homestay Student between Saturday 3rd August and Friday 9th August, please contact Mrs Hill via email at rebekahh@salc.qld.edu. au as a couple of hosting positions remain vacant.

Tuckshop News New Menu starts next term. Copy of the menu will be available on the College’s website or hard copy at Tuckshop.

IOU Tuckshop account, if you have any outstanding accounts, please finalise as soon as possible.

Flexi Schools will be 5 days a week as of next Term. If you have not signed up yet, go to www.flexischools.com.au We are looking for volunteers for next Term, if you are available for an hour or 2 please contact me on 5568 5928 or tuckshop@salc.qld.edu.au We also need volunteers for the Sport Carnival. For us to have a stall available for parents and students, we need volunteers to help run it.

Hot and Cold food items will be available for purchase but without volunteers, we will not have the stall.

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

Dates to remember July

Uniform Shop News Uniforms For 2014 - Special Sizings If your child is above or below average size for their age and you think they may require a special sizing for their uniform please see the Uniform Shop ASAP as orders are being placed in July for 2014 stock.

Thank You To Our Volunteers Thank you so very much to Libbey Nussey, Jenny Stadler, Wendy Tetsuo, Lorraine Guy, Sue Gabriel, Cath Brooks and Debbie Cosier for your help in the Uniform Shop this term.

We really appreciate you giving up your precious time to volunteer. Thank you.

Jacqui Desfosses Uniform Shop Manager uniformshop@salc.qld.edu.au College Fees – Optional Instalment Arrangements Tuition Fees become due at the beginning of each Term. However, we do understand that this may at times present cashflow problems for parents.

In 2013, St Andrews Lutheran College has implemented Direct Debit facilities for parents wanting to pay for their children’s tuition fees on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis through a regular deduction from your nominated bank account, credit card, or debit card. Transactions are processed through a secure Westpac facility using the latest 128-bit SSL encrypting technology which is the banking industry standard.

If you are interested in this option to help with the family budget, please express your interest to the Business Manager, Mr Stephen Cooke - stephenc@salc.qld.edu.au.

Monday 15 All Students Commence Term 3 Wednesday 17 Yr 8 & 10 Immunisations Wednesday 24 MS/SS Parent Teacher Interviews 3.30pm to 6.30pm

Enjoy an action-packed school holidays with the new Entertainment Book!

With the school holidays approaching, now is the perfect time to buy an Entertainment™ Book and take advantage of the many valuable offers the kids can enjoy!

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 Administration and Uniform Shop.

Only at St Andrews: Go in the draw to win a family pass to Currummbin Wildlife sanctuary! Please contact Marg Moore at Reception for more information.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ONLINE NOW!