Middle / Senior School Bulletin Issue 9, 26 July 2013

Issue 09 / 26 July 2013

Middle & Senior School News Welcome back to what is sure to be a busy and blessed Term 3 at St Andrews. The student have settled quickly to their work and the term ahead is sure to hold many challenges, rewards and opportunities for each and every one of them. Attached to the end of the Bulletin this week is an article which highlights ‘The language of resilient families’. I hope you enjoy reading it. How we encourage our students to build resilience will be a focus throughout this semester.

Parent Teacher Interviews Parent teacher interviews were held on Wednesday. If you were unable to attend, and have questions about your child’s academic progress and development, please contact teachers directly as they will be all too happy to hear from you.

Athletics Carnival Success The weather was kind to us last Friday and the Years 7-12 carnival was a sensational event. For the first time, Year 7 students joined the Secondary carnival. The grounds looked amazing and the students were fantastic! I would like to thank Mr Manion (Head of Sport) the groundsmen, the teaching staff, parent helpers and most importantly the students for their wonderful contributions to a magnificent display of athleticism and House Spirit. Congratulations to Jubi House who placed first at the carnival.

Semper Fidelis

Celebrating 20 years 2013

Celebrating 20 Years A Special Thanksgiving Service Sunday 4th August 2013 at 9am Worship Centre

Kokoda Challenge Once again our students and teachers performed with true grit and mateship at the Kokoda challenge over the final weekend of the holidays. The commitment throughout the lead up and over the event is quite remarkable and while we will continue to acknowledge the efforts of the students and the staff, I would like to express a special thanks to the parents and support crews who play a vital role in supporting these teams. We look forward to hosting an afternoon BBQ to say thanks in the coming weeks. Mr Tanguy will be

We know that the lure of checking messages etc, at break times, sometimes gets the better of each of us, but I ask for your support in reinforcing the need for our students to be interacting during break times and not using their phones.

A full copy of the guidelines can be found on the website.

Academic Award Assemblies Academic Award assemblies will be held for students in Middle and Senior School to acknowledge academic achievements for Semester One. Students who have achieved outstanding results across a range of subjects and/ or who have shown significant improvement will be recognized. Awards are presented in three categories; Academic Credit, Academic Improvement and Academic Endeavour.

The endeavour awards are based on Effort grades and the other two categories are presented based on Grade Point Averages. Invitations have been sent to families of award recipients. Please join us if you can.

• Senior School Awards Assembly on Friday 2 August at 8:30am (WC) • Middle School Awards Assembly on Friday 9 August at 8:30am (WC) Senior and Middle School Subject Information Expos These evenings are essential and I encourage you to mark them in your diary.

The Senior School Expo is for all students going into Year 10 and 11 in 2014 (current Year 9 and 10 students) and will be held on Wednesday 7 August from 5-7pm in the Theatre. This is a compulsory evening for all students and parents to hear about subject selection for Senior Subjects, tertiary entrance, vocational pathways and related career information and advice.

The format for this evening is interactive and thus tailored to meet diverse student needs. Students and parents will be able to spend time asking questions of teachers about specific subjects and the different career and tertiary pathways that follow from options available in the Senior School at St Andrews. Formal school uniform is to be worn.

in touch to find a suitable date and time.

August is Cambodia Month A special Cambodia calendar for August was sent home with the STAR magazine this week. The 31 day Cambodia month experience is about ‘awareness-raising’ and fundraising for our Cambodia Service Learning Tour project. At the end of the year, 7 of our senior students will travel to Cambodia and will see firsthand the good works done by ALWS. Along with 3 students from Grace Lutheran College, they are raising money to build Community Ponds and to provide water filtration systems to families in Cambodia. I encourage you to take a few moments each day to highlight the activity or information on the calendar for August.

Mobile Phones At the start of the year we adopted a new approach to mobile phones in classrooms, particularly in Senior School.

A clear set of guidelines for ensuring mobiles were used for learning was developed and most students continue to adhere to these expectations exceptionally well. Of late, a few students have been distracted and distracting with their use of their phones. We ask for your support in reminding your children that their phone is to be used only at the discretion of the teacher and is not to interfere with learning.

The Edge information evening will also be held on this evening for all students and their families in Year 9 to find out about the four week program (which includes two weeks at Googa Outdoor Education Centre). This will start at 6.30pm in the Worship Centre.

Any current Year 7 or 8 parents who wish to learn more about The Edge or Senior School Subjects are also welcome to attend this evening.

The Middle School Expo is a great night of celebration of all things good about life in the Middle School this will occur on Monday 19 August starting at 5.00pm. It is an expectation that all students in Years 7-9 in 2014 attend this evening. Formal school uniform is to be worn. Information about electives and subject selection will be discussed so it is essential parents and students attend this evening.

Years 7-9 students are invited to leave the College at 12.40pm on this day so teachers have the opportunity to prepare for the evening. Alternatively, students will be

supervised and assisting teachers to prepare for the Expo.

A letter with more information regarding this will be sent home shortly.

Whole of College Photo As part of our 20th Anniversary Celebrations, a whole of college photo will be taken on Thursday 1st August. This will be an exciting event involving, 1120 students from Prep to Year 12 and over 120 staff. It is important that students are appropriately dressed for the occasion. The expectation is that students wear their correct uniform.

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Middle and Senior School students need to wear their formal College uniform and bring their sports uniform for AGCC sports fixtures later in the day.

Years 10-12 must wear their blazers.

And finally, a request to please be careful and diligent when driving through the carpark, especially at pick up and drop off times. Students being collected from the top carpark should be waiting outside the Worship Centre and I respectfully remind drivers to go slow and to be alert.

Every blessing Virginia Warner Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary School virginiaw@salc.qld.edu.au

Senior School News Resilience Resilience can refer to the ability to bounce back or to persist with grit through the hard times such as exam and assignment pressure, friendship issues, failure and emotional ups and downs. Australian Psychologist Andrew Fuller defines it as, ‘the happy knack of being able to bungy jump through the pitfalls of life’. Nicholson McBride believes that resilient people know that they will sometimes experience failure – but they see it not as something to dwell on, but as an opportunity to move forward, accepting that failure is a part of life. They have found that highly resilient people follow a pattern: • Crisis brings out the best in them • They are able to turn disaster into success and are confident in their ability to do so • They take control because they feel confident and secure • They are curious, and enjoy trying new things Importantly there is evidence to suggest that resilience skills, attitudes and behaviours can be refined, developed or learnt from scratch. The five elements that contribute to resilience are: Optimism, Solution Orientation, Individual Accountability, Openness and Flexibility and Managing Stress and Anxiety. Over the next few weeks in Learning Advisor Groups the students will be completing a Resilience Audit. This will give them some indication of how resilient they are and what elements they are strong in and those

which need further training.

Stay tuned for further discussion around Resilience and the Resilience Doughnut and I can highly recommend the book ‘The Resilience Doughnut: The Secret of Strong Kids’ by Lyn Worsley.

Cyberbullying Warning There is much talk in the media about the law and the posting of sexual insults, defamatory comments and nasty comments on social websites such as Instagram, AskFM and Facebook. Recently, two Swedish teenage girls were found guilty and convicted of writing explicit, derogatory remarks on Instagram. Young people and parents need to be aware of the legal issues related to the misuse of social media sites. For example, in Australia, the age of criminal responsibility is 10 years old which means that if you are 10 or above you could be held criminally responsible for your actions. At present there is much talk about the risks of distributing explicit photos and for many young people they don’t think that ‘just sending a selfie’ could lead to serious issues. Some tips for staying safe include: set your privacy settings to high (you are not only protecting yourself but all your friends), be aware, think before you post, send, comment, never include private information (phone, address, school, birth date, full name) and report inappropriate conduct.

There is so much information out there to protect you and an easy to navigate site can be found on the following link: http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/kids/ Alternative to Schoolies at Surfers Paradise One of our Year 12 Parents has provided the following information about an alternative schoolies camp in November. Run by the Presbyterian Church of Queensland on Stradbroke Island from 18-22 November at a cost of $350 including meals, accommodation at Point Lookout Surf Club and ferry transfer. For more information go to the following link http://www.ynet.org.au/camps-and-events/highschoolers/jumpstart-schoolies/ or contact the SQ Consultant Danny Mitchell on 0438 468 343.

Congratulations to: Luke Hynd who competed at the World Under 18 Surfing Championships in Nicaragua before the holidays. Luke placed 4th overall but Team Australia placed 1st defeating Hawaii and France. Luke remained unbeaten in the rounds and the highlight was winning the heat that granted him a Grand Final berth.

Jackson Plass informed me over the holidays that he got his third sponsor for skateboarding. Jackson had been contacted by the owner of Fiik Skateboards who had seen a YouTube clip of him skating. After watching him perform for about 30 minutes he offered Jackson the opportunity to ride for the company. With a resounding yes to that, Jackson now skates for Boardshop Australia, Made Status Clothing, and Fiik Skateboards. This young man is very humble but if you want to see him in action click on the attached link. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ikh7jYLungk Kane Richards who earned a place in the Australian Triathlon team which will compete in London in September.

Our Kokoda Challenge competitors and their parents and teachers who supported them

Session from 6:30pm. Representatives from Googa will be present to answer any questions.

The Leos Club who continued to run their fundraising BBQ’s at Officeworks on Kortum Drive at Burleigh. It was an awesome effort by our President, Lani Carruthers and executive Isabelle Sypott, Stephanie Bale and Jacob Ashe to ensure that the BBQ’s were staffed from 9am until 3pm each Saturday while on holidays. To date they have raised over $4000 and have recently donated $1000 to research for Multiple Sclerosis. If you are in Years 7-11 and would like to join the Leos please come to one of our regular meetings on Friday at 8.00am in the CRC.

Year 9 Dinner Dance Saturday 24 August is the date for the annual Year 9 Dinner Dance at The Glades. Further information regarding the evening is available through the Middle School Office.

Uniform Expectations In our efforts to ensure that our uniform, hair, jewellery and make up remains within the Uniform Policy could parents please urge their child to take off their weekend jewellery, wear their hat and blazer to and from school, get a haircut, use minimal make up, wear the school socks and on Thursdays wear predominantly white runners and the school tracksuit with the sports uniform.

As always please feel free to contact me should you have any queries about the events of this term.

Middle School Office Relocation During the next few weeks Ms De Silva and I will be relocating up to the offices at the ‘Middle School’ end of what is now the Junior School Administration. The area we currently occupy will become meeting spaces.

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

If you have any concerns or queries please contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au Tania Stewart Head of Senior School

Middle School News Welcome back to the third term, traditionally the time of the year when students begin to realise that they are growing up and start to anticipate the events of the year to come. It is important at this time to review those practices that we have established in the first semester and, accordingly, set goals for the remainder of the year. I hope that every family had the opportunity over the holidays to sit and reflect upon the end of semester report and to look at those areas which would benefit from some additional effort, or alternatively, the same effort directed more appropriately. There are a number of key events in the College’s calendar fast approaching and I would direct your attention to some date claimers: Middle School Expo On Monday 19 August we will be holding our annual Middle School Expo. It is expected that all of our students will come along on the evening in order to gain valuable information on subject pathways for future studies and to celebrate some of the excellent work being done at the College.

Googa Information Evening Wednesday 7 August will be the Senior School Expo. As part of this evening there will be a Googa Information

Student Development A Father Sees a Son Nearing Manhood.

What shall he tell that son?

‘Life is hard; be steel; be a rock.’

And this might stand him for the storms and serve him for humdrum and monotony and guide him amid sudden betrayals and tighten him for slack moments.

‘Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy.’

And this too might serve him.

Brutes have been gentled where lashes failed.

The growth of a frail flower in a path up has sometimes shattered and split a rock.

This is an excerpt from a poem Pastor Terry recently shared with me. I was for a moment caught up in the range of ideas being presented to the young man in the poem by Carl Sandburg. It is in its contrast between the wisdom of being ‘hard’ or like ‘rock’ as a means of enduring and withstanding and demonstrating resilience followed by the image of ‘pliable hummus’ and ‘gentle flower’ as a very different manner of showing strength and readiness for life.

The wisdom in this poem as it continues on is important and young people need to be exposed to and critique ideas like these.

Having the emotional intelligence to know when to be like ‘rock’ and when to be like ‘flower’ is something which can be developed. Reflections and teachings in this area can help them form up a stronger world view, a stronger sense of identity and belonging and a clear set of values that enable our young men to flourish internally, socially and professionally. At St Andrews we are intent upon guiding young men and women with wisdom that will help build them into resilient, values conscious and spiritually aware contributors to their community. Last year, the ‘Girls With

A Purpose’ program for young ladies transitioning into adolescence, and going forward began and this semester we introduce our first ‘Growing Good Men’ project to complement this same journey for our boys.

Over four Thursdays in August, a group of young St Andrews men are invited to take part in the “Growing Good Men’ project to explore through a creative work project, building on their sense of identity, resilience, aspects of leadership and shared wisdom regarding the journey of being a boy and becoming a man. If your son is in Year 9 or Year 10 and you are interested in his participation in this program please contact me in this next week. Activities will happen after school from 3.15 – 5.00pm and the initial trial of this program will cater for 20 boys from Years 9 and 10.

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

Career News Term Three in many ways is the most exciting and busy one in terms of careers for our senior students as many important decisions are made and exciting careers plans continue to take shape.

Each Year 12 student has now received their own copy of the QTAC GUIDE which provides comprehensive information about tertiary education, courses, unis and colleges in Queensland. Year 12 Students are urged to carefully research their QTAC guide to identify courses and institutions of interest. The QTAC Guide includes an informative leaflet for parents about QTAC and the university application process. Students must apply online and applications open on 1st AUGUST and close on 27th SEPTEMBER. Cost up until then is $34. After 27 September applying will cost $109. Senior Students and parents are strongly encouraged to attend the various institution open days most of which are scheduled this term. Each student has been emailed a list of these which can also be viewed in the careers part of MOODLE. Upcoming Open Day events are at QUT on 28th July, UQ St Lucia on 4th August and Griffith University on 11th August. Visit the uni websites to access their programs of events.

In school QTAC Workshops will be offered to the Year 12 students so that they can find out more about the specifics of the application process. Parents and their students are also most welcome to meet with Mrs Wrigley to discuss university options and the application process.

For any students who are still uncertain about their desired course of study at university, there is a very helpful selfassessment to be found at the QUT website. Go to Studyfinder and then to Match My Skills. Even if QUT is not the uni of choice, the survey results can give students food for thought regarding their tertiary study.

Students planning to apply for a Bond Scholarship are reminded that the closing date is 31st July. For more in-

formation and to apply, go to www.bond.edu.au All unis offer scholarships so students/parents are encouraged to check the various institution websites for more details and application processes. However, of special offer to our students will be the academic excellence scholarships on offer at Griffith and the guaranteed admissions scheme. More details of these can be found at the Griffith Uni website or from Mrs Wrigley. As a valued partner school to Griffith University our students are eligible for the Guaranteed Admission Scheme which grants appropriately qualified students, based on their Year 11 and semester one Year 12 results, guaranteed admission into a range of Griffith degrees. A similar partnership scheme called the SCU STAR Entry Scheme exists for our students applying to Southern Cross University. For students planning to continue their studies at Gold Coast Institute of TAFE there is an early, Direct Entry scheme for selected Diploma Courses. Contact Mrs Wrigley for more information about these schemes.

Details are now available about the AVCAT Scholarships on offer to children and grandchildren of ex-service men and women. Phone 02 9213 7999 or email avcat@dva.gov. au or visit www.avcat.org.au for more specific information about eligibility and applying.

For our aspiring medics there are summer opportunities (after Year 12) with Gap Medics, a specialist company dedicated to arranging hospital placements abroad for students hoping to study medicine, nursing, dentistry or midwifery at university. This work experience can provide a wonderful real-life insight into the work of medical professionals. Placements are offered all around the world, such as Tanzania, Central Europe and Thailand. Find out more at www.gapmedics.com.au Another great work and travel opportunity for students finishing Year 12 is CAMP AMERICA which is recruiting enthusiastic, travel-hungry Aussies to work as counselors at summer camps in the USA in JunAug 2014. There is a CAMP AMERICA information session in Brisbane Thursday Aug 8th at the Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street or visit campamerica.com.au for more information.

Following the Semester One results, each Year 11 student is reviewing his or her Career Plan. This gives students a chance to not only reflect on their motivation and performance in their senior subjects, but also provides the opportunity, if necessary, for changes to be made to the Career Plan. Students and parents are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns they have about their senior subjects and career pathways with subject teachers and or Mrs Wrigley. For Year 11, this is a prime time to consider variations to the Career Plan such as the inclusion of a traineeship, a certificate course at GCIT or some early university study such as Student for a Semester at Bond, GUESTs at Griffith University.

Our Year 10 students spent the last week of the semester out on Work Experience. Feedback from the wide range of employers indicates that our students acquitted themselves most creditably and that for many students this was a wonderful introduction to the world of work. The College truly appreciates the willingness of local employers to host our students. Without their support, St Andrews would not be able to run its Work Experience Program. Year 10 students are reminded that they must send a letter of thanks to their host employer and submit their completed Work Experience

Diary to their learning advisor as soon as possible. In the back part of the diary is a section for parental feedback and signature.

The next stage in the Destinations journey for Year 10 students and the main focus for term three is the research into and selection of senior subjects for Years 11 and 12.

Parents and students are invited to attend the SENIOR STUDIES EXPO on Wednesday August 7 between 5 and 7 pm in the RBT where they will be able to find out more about selecting their senior subjects, career pathways, the QCE, the QSA, OP, as well as liaising with senior subject teachers. Representatives from local universities, the ADF, GCIT and Ignite (formerly the Currumbin RSL) will also attend to provide information about career pathways during and beyond Senior School. Year 9 students and parents are also invited to the Senior Studies Expo so that they can find out more about entering the Senior School and the subjects on offer to them. Refreshments will be on sale too. We look forward to meeting you all and taking the opportunity to discuss career pathways for our prospective Year 10 and Year 11 students.

Chrissie Wrigley Director of Learning and Teaching christina@salc.qld.edu.au

Kane Richards – selected in the Australian Triathlon team to compete in London in September.

Athletics Carnival Thank you all Year 7-12 students who did such an amazing job at the Athletics Carnival last week. It was an awesome day with Jubi once again being victorious.

Congratulations and thank you also to those students who assisted at the Years 4-6 Carnival on Wednesday. There were so many parents and staff who commented on what an outstanding job our senior students did officiating for all of the events.

Running Club Run Club continues on Monday and Thursday mornings, for Years 4-12 students, with coaches JK Faulkner and Ms West. All students selected for District and Inter Lutheran Athletics should attend. You can practice Running and Field Events such as Long Jump, High Jump and Shot Put. Any student who wishes to do Fosbury Flop at any of the representative carnivals will need to attend to get assessed by our accredited High Jump coach, Ms West. Without this assessment, students will have to do the Scissors Jump only.

If you haven’t been to Run Club yet, you can sign up on the morning or get a form from Mr Manion.

District Athletics Any students who wish to be considered for District Athletics should have returned a form to Mr Manion by now. If you haven’t, you need to see him today.

Sport News 118

Inter Lutheran Athletics Mr Manion will select the team for the Junior and Senior Inter Lutheran Athletics Carnivals very soon.

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Andrew Manion Head of Sport andrewm@salc.qld.edu.au

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Student Achievements Congratulations to the following students as we recognise 215 their outstanding achievements in sport.

110 Will Atkinson, Lachlan Irvine and Tia Faulkner – Selected 134 in the South Coast Cross Country Team to compete at the State Championships this week.

121 Morgan Atkins – Selected in the South Coast 15s Soccer Team to play at the State Championships in August.

808 Alyshia Jut – Selected to compete at the National FISAF Aerobics Championships in Melbourne.

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7-12 ATHLETICS Age Champions 2013

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13

14

15

Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls

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17+

Boys

Girls Boys

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Ella Atkinson Isaac Butterworth

W

Holly Burnett Jordan Kenn

G

Leilani Frost Declan Farmer

J

Girls

B

Boys

G

J

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Savannah Merrick Kieran Croker

J

W

Jamie-­‐Lee Peake Jai Croker

W

Girls

W

Molly Schaefer Hunter Hall

B

Boys

G

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Jenna Mobberley Fraser Eller

J

Lara Tupper Morgan Keatley

G

Maddison Good James Elliott

W

Girls

B

Boys

J

J

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Natalie Roberts Matthew Smith

J

J

Girls

W

Chelsea Hackett Henry Knowles

G

B

Isabella Leary Finn McLynskey

W

Boys

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Chloe Ivak Connor Dougherty Jacob Desfosses

G

Annika Schache Django Waddington

J

Clare Spicer-­‐Brown Lachlan Irvine

J

1st

House

2nd

House

3rd

House

Tia Faulkner Ryan Baldwin

J

Talia King Daniel Hane

G

Aleasha Pearson Benjamin Peake

B

Girls

W

Boys

J

J

J

B

J

12

13

14

15

Girls 16 Boys

G

17+

Art News Gold Coast Eisteddfod Dates Eisteddfod dates and times are listed below: Golden Clefs - Wednesday 14th August 9.30am 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 3.30 & 5.30pm 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.

Priscilla Scott Head of Arts priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au

German News On the 18th June, seven senior students from St Andrews Lutheran College and three senior students from Trinity Lutheran College made their way to Germany and Austria for a three week trip of a lifetime. Accompanied by their teachers (Miss Ellissa Sempf – St Andrews Lutheran College and Miss Sarah Johnston – Trinity Lutheran College), the ten students first arrived in Germany for a one week home stay with their German host families in Hannover in the north of Germany. During this week, students were lucky enough to attend school with their host student at Ernst Reuter Schule and experience the German lifestyle first-hand.

From here the group travelled to historic cities such as: Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Munich and Salzburg before finally flying home from the Austrian city of Vienna. During their travels the students were able to visit and learn about such iconic sites as Hameln the home of the Pied Piper, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Cologne Dom, the Munich Rathaus, the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart and the Viennesse opera, with tours including the history of Berlin, the Third Reich

tour of Munich and a Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg.

Throughout our stay, one thing was made clear - from Currywurst to Apple strudel, the Berlin Wall to the Viennese opera, from the Gold Coast to Germany, we loved our time away and have certainly forged some lifetime, local and international friendships.

Ellissa Sempf

Home Economics News Mixing it with the big kids The Year 10 Hospitality students recently welcomed Year 3s to the Home Ec kitchen for a cooking class. Year 10 students took the role of instructors, supervising hygiene, safety and skills. The year 3s had fun and proudly returned to their classmates with cheese muffins to share.

Connecting with the community The Home Economics Department’s connection with the St Andrews Church Ladies Group continued this semester. For the fete, graduates from our Middle School foods electives produced an amazing 500 scones freshly baked on the day for the Devonshire Tea Stall convened by the church ladies.

Well done to our volunteers.

In May, the congregation ladies were invited to a formal lunch. The guests enjoyed a delicious meal prepared and served by the Year 12 Hospitality class.

Tuckshop News This term see’s us with a new menu and new prices. To obtain your copy please go to the College’s website and download a copy or please come and see us at Tuckshop.

We are now Flexi School only for orders!

This means NO paper bag orders. If you have not registered with Flexi Schools, go to www.flexischools.com.au Using Flexi School 5 days a week will ensure that there are no lunch orders left in bags, no orders missing and not having to search around for money.

Thank you to the volunteers that helped out at the Sports Carnival Stall.

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

Dates to remember July/August Wednesday 31 ICAS English Years 4-12 Thursday 1 Australian Maths Comp Yrs 7-12 Whole College Photo Staff Art Exhibition 1st to 15th Aug Kirra Community and Cultural Centre Pre Eisteddfod Soiree 3.30pm RBT Friday 2 Yrs 10-12 Senior Awards Assembly WC 8.30am Saturday 3 20th Anniversary Gala Concert & Back to St Andrews Weekend Sunday 4 Back to St Andrews Weekend Tuesday 6 Mufti Day – Cambodia Theme Wednesday 7 Senior School Expo 5pm RBT GOOGA Parent Info Evening “The Edge” Yr 9 program) 6.30pm WC Thursday 8 Volunteers Induction

Entertainment Book... LAST CHANCE!!!

We will be closing our Entertainment Book sales shortly!

Don’t miss out on heaps of savings!!

Born to knit campaign 2013 Last year, Save the Children received 4,844 blankets for children in need programs across Australia and overseas. 37 of these blankets were made with love by our St Andrews community.

It is time to start knitting again. Thank you to our knitters who continued through the summer; this has provided a head start on the blanket tally for this year.

Please enlist your friends, family and neighbours to knit or crochet blankets. Blankets will keep children warm and help to save lives. Save the Children request the size to be 80cm square. Make whole blankets or knit 80cm x 20cm strips. If you require wool, needles or instructions please contact tonib@salc.qld.edu.au

PURCHASE ONLINE NOW! PURCHASE ONLINE NOW 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.

Parents and Friends Association

St Andrews P & F News Term 3 is already upon us and soon we will be thinking about what to do with the kids for the Christmas holidays.

Next term is the AGM for the P & F, so please come along and find out what we are all about and the projects we will be funding over the upcoming year. The meeting will be held Wednesday 6th November at 7pm in the CRC. If you have any agenda items for discussion please email the Secretary at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au by the Friday before.

It is a great opportunity to have input into school projects which the P & F fund. Everyone is welcome so please join us for drinks and nibbles and to meet other parents.

Welcome We would like to welcome Michelle Brown to the Treasurers position on the P & F, Michelle has been a member of the P & F for many years and we welcome her experience and knowledge. There are a number of integral roles on the subcommittee still vacant, including fund raising and grants officer. If anyone is interested both these roles would be very rewarding and assist in raising funds for improvements around the school. If you would like to find out more information about one of these roles contact Daniel Renneberg (0409729676) or Julieanne Andrews (0421795411).

Fete The Fete was very successful with $46,500 being raised to go directly towards projects to the school. This included the donations from P & F sponsors, so please support the businesses which are helping our school.

Sponsors The P & F would like to thank the following sponsors for their continued support of our school. Please show your support for these businesses. Koala Koaches, Outrigger and James Frizelle – Tweed Heads

Funding The P & F has recently funded seating on the Village Green and water coolers. During the September holidays a new Bus Shelter will be built which the P & F has funded. We are looking to fund a major project over the next few years and any suggestions are welcome.

Julieanne Andrews pandf@salc.qld.edu.au

Semper Fidelis

Celebrating 20 years 2013

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE CELEBRATION WEEKEND OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

A SPECIAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE SUNDAY 4TH AUGUST 2013, 9AM, WORSHIP CENTRE www.standrewslutheran.qld.edu.au

SENIOR SCHOOL STUDIES EXPO SCHEDULE OF EVENTS WEDNESDAY 7 AUGUST 2013 The aim of this event is to give students and parents the opportunity to gather valuable information about key Senior School issues so that students can make informed decisions as they plan their career pathway through and beyond their senior schooling.

Refreshments Refreshments including a coffee van & drinks are available on the night outside of J Block.

VENUE

TIME

ACTIVITY

Ruth Butler Theatre

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Senior Subject & Career Pathways Information Meet informally with the Senior Subject Teachers & Representatives from Griffith University, Bond University, SCU, MEGT, Gold Coast TAFE, Ignite RSL (Formerly Currumbin RSL) & ADF

Ruth Butler Theatre

5:15pm

Welcome by the Principal Mr Tim Kotzur

J1 & J2

Presentation for Year 10 students /parents 5:30pm - 5:45pm

Selecting Senior Subjects and Career Pathways Director Learning and Teaching: Chrissie Wrigley

J1 & J2

Presentation for Year 10 students /parents 6:00pm - 6:15pm

All things Q: QTAC, QSA, QCS/OP, QCE Principal: Tim Kotzur

Worship Centre

Presentation for Year 9 students /parents 6:10pm - 6:25pm

Becoming a Senior Student Head of Senior School: Tania Stewart

Worship Centre

Presentation for Year 9 students and parents: 6:307:30pm

Mt Googa Camp Preparation: Head of Middle School: Tom Casey Googa Coordinator: Colleen Ijurco

St Andrews Lutheran College 175 Tallebudgera Creek Rd, Tallebudgera QLD 4228 P (07) 5568 5900 • E office@salc.qld.edu.au www.standrewslutheran.qld.edu.au

“Where everyone is someone”

by Michael Grose - No. 1 parenting educator

The language of resilient families Children and adults in resilient families tune into the needs of each other, choosing situation-specific language, rather than simply regurgitating generalised ‘feel-good’ or ‘get-on-with-it’ platitudes. kids who feel overwhelmed; kids who experience rejection; perfectionists The ability to compartmentalise bad events and keep them from affecting all areas of life is a powerful coping skill. Sportspeople, politicians and others who work in the public arena need to be adept at it. When something unpleasant happens during recess, for example, kids need to park their thinking about that event so they can get on with the rest of the day. The ability to compartmentalise thinking is a fantastic life skill kids can learn within their family.

3. “Let’s take a break.” Strategy: distraction Good for: kids experiencing stressful situations; kids who think too much; kids with busy lives.

When kids are troubled by events or spend too much time brooding it helps to do something to get their minds off things for a time. Playing games, spending time together, watching some TV, going out – are all good distracters for worried, anxious or stressed kids. Self-distraction is healthy, providing some welcome perspective. It also prevents kids from replaying awful experiences in their heads, blowing them out Resilient families develop their own words and phrases to help each other

of proportion.

get through the inevitable tough times that each person experiences. The 4. “Who have you spoken to about this?” Strategy: seeking help Good for:

language of resilience generally refers to coping strategies such as

kids who experience bullying and social problems; handling all types of

empathy, humour and acceptance.

personal worries.

Following are 10 examples of the language of resilience, the coping skills each reflects and the types of situations where they are applicable.

Resilient people seek solace in the company of others when they experience difficulty. That’s why social connection is such a strong

1. “Come on, laugh it off.” Strategy: humour Good for: kids who experience

preventative strategy for young people. The promotion of help-seeking

disappointment, failure and even loss.

behaviours is one of the best coping strategies of all. Even if kids don’t

Humour is a great coping strategy and a powerful tool for resilience as it heightens feelings of control. Some children and young people will naturally crack jokes or make fun of seemingly serious situations. This is

overtly talk about what’s bothering them, it can be immensely reassuring to spend time around others who are empathetic, understanding and willing to listen and help.

a fantastic way to release stress and handle feelings of helplessness. As a

5. “I know it looks bad now but you will get through this.” Strategy: offering

parent you may need to lighten up tense situations by introducing humour

hope Good for: kids experiencing loss, bullying, change or

of your own, which is something that many dads do really well.

extreme disappointment.

2. “Don’t let this spoil everything.” Strategy: containing thinking Good for:

There are times when parents can do nothing else but keep their children’s Page 1 of 2

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Michael Grose Presentations PO Box 167 Balnarring Vic 3926 p + 61 3 5983 1798 f (03) 5983 1722 e office@parentingideas.com.au All rights reserved. For more ideas, support and advice for all your parenting challenges please visit our website.

2013 Michael Grose

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chins up and encourage them when life doesn’t go their way. Being the

“I can’t stand it” with “I don’t like it”. Realistic language leads to realistic

‘hope’ person can be hard work, that’s why parents need to be supported

thinking, which helps kids handle many ordinary situations that they have

by resilient people and workplaces too. It helps to be mindful that a child

blown out of proportion.

or young person’s resilience is nurtured by the presence of at least one supportive adult. You may have to be that person!

10. “What can we do about this?” Strategy: taking action Good for: kids who mope; who experience disappointment; who feel inadequate.

6. “What can you learn from this so it doesn’t happen next time?” Strategy:

Kids can sometimes feel overwhelmed by events such as constant failure,

positive reframing Good for: kids who make mistakes, let others down

constant rejection or always narrowly missing being picked for a team.

or experience personal disappointment

They can be overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and helplessness.

One of the common attributes of optimistic people is their ability to find

Action is often the best remedy. Help them take the first step forward.

a learning, or look for a message, in difficult or negative situations.

Set some goals. Make some plans. Identify the first step and hold their

Parents can help kids reframe events to help them see things differently.

hand while they take it. Taking action is a quality shared by resilient

For instance, rather than regarding a public speaking opportunity as

communities, organisations and individuals.

problematic and a chance to look foolish it’s better to reframe it as

Bring resilience into your every day language

a challenge and a chance to shine. It also helps when parents model

Resilient parents focus on building children’s and young people’s strengths

reframing so kids see you changing how you view seemingly negative

for the future, while helping them cope with the present difficulties and

or worrying situations.

challenges they experience.

7. “Don’t worry – relax and see what happens!” Strategy: acceptance

The key to promoting resilience lies in the language that parents use. My

Good for: kids who worry about exams or performing poorly in any

challenge for parents is to make resilience an integral part of your family’s

endeavour; pessimists.

proprietary language. You’ll know you have succeeded if your children as

If you’ve ever been driving to an important event only to be stuck in traffic

adults remind you, when they hear any complaints or whinges from you in

then you would know that there are some situations you just can’t control.

your dotage, to ‘hang in there’, ‘this too will pass’ and ‘find the funny side’.

The only way to cope is to accept what’s happening because worrying and

Granted they may be phrases you don’t want to hear, but at least you know

fretting won’t get you anywhere. Similarly, parents with a resilience

that you’ve drummed into your kids some important core messages that

mindset can help kids understand what’s worth worrying about and what’s

have stayed for life.

not, and that some things won’t change no matter how much kids fret or beat themselves up!

8. “This isn’t the end of the world” Strategy: maintaining perspective Good for: kids who catastrophise or blow things out of proportion.

While most of us catastrophise at times, jumping to the worst possible conclusion, it is a habit that only exaggerates anxiety. When kids constantly think the worst case scenario, challenge their views. “Yes, you could end up not knowing anyone at camp but you won’t be the only one.

Besides you’ll probably end up making new friends like you generally do.”

9. “You could be right. But have you thought about … ” Strategy: flexible thinking Good for: kids who catastrophise; experience extreme feelings; who exaggerate.

Many children and young people talk in extremes – ‘awesome’, ‘the best’, ‘the worst’ and ‘gross’ roll off their tongues easily these days.

Unfortunately, their extreme language leads to extreme emotional responses. Develop the habit of winding back their language by introducing shades of grey, rather than black and white. Replace “I’m furious” with “I’m annoyed”. “It’s an absolute disaster” with “It’s a pain”.

Michael will talk more about Resilience and other vital parenting matters in the Very Important Parenting Saturday seminars conducted in 5 Australian capital cities in term 3 this year. Find out more about what’s been called the Parenting Event of the year at parentingideas.com.au

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parentingideas.com.au

parentingideas.co.uk

parentingideas.co.nz

Michael Grose Presentations PO Box 167 Balnarring Vic 3926 p + 61 3 5983 1798 f (03) 5983 1722 e office@parentingideas.com.au All rights reserved. For more ideas, support and advice for all your parenting challenges please visit our website.

2013 Michael Grose

facebook.com/Parentingideas.com.au twitter.com/michaelgrose