We are all very good at identifying those areas in life where something is not fair but we are not always as good at recognising where we might not be acting justly towards others. Our motivation for responding to situations of social injustice can arise out of a sense of anger at what has occurred or out of love for people. Over the weekend, a commentator on Radio National reflected that Stalin, in using Karl Marx’s writing, responded with anger against the privileged and wealthy, rather than a love for people as a whole. We see around the world, in our community and in our families’ different people’s response to injustice. Where anger is the driver there is a desire to crush or push down the oppressor. Where love is the motivator there is a desire to lift up and to bring people into a lighter way of living.
The transformative lifting and bringing people into a better way of being connects to the origin of the word peace. The word peace has its origins in the Jewish word ‘Shalom’. Today we would often think of peace in terms of a personal sense of calm and restfulness. Shalom, in the Jewish tradition, has a broader meaning in terms of wholeness, both at a personal and relational level. The Prayer of St Francis has this transformational focus of bringing people from light into dark. In those moments where we may be frustrated with others or ourselves over times of injustice, the Prayer of St Francis can help us to centre our thoughts as we pray for God’s help to respond in a way that has love as its heart and lifts all people.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Over the past week we have enjoyed opportunities to come together as community. The Welcome BBQ provided a wonderful, relaxed opportunity for us to connect. It was a thoroughly enjoyable way to finish the week and I thank the new families for their attendance and the Friends of Pacific and College staff for their support. A special note of thanks to our senior student leaders and our Hospitality and grounds staff for their organisation and the preparation and service of food.
For children today, reading books for pleasure has a lot of competition from many other pursuits that require less engagement and provide an instant excitement return. Television doesn’t require children to visualise scenarios or use their imagination as much and video games have all the bells and whistles to be immediately absorbing. But books continue to form the cornerstone of childhood education and development, says Julie Wells, president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) and there is a large body of research to back this up.
“During the last week of the Christmas holidays, the Year 12 student leaders took part in a camp designed to train young leaders from Lutheran schools across Queensland. Over the week we participated in many games, elective courses and practical scenarios. We were so lucky to have such an enthusiastic bunch of facilitators running the week, which made it one of the most memorable experiences of my life. A key theme of the week was the freedom of choice. We were ‘invited’ to do everything but in the end it was our own choice whether we participated. The facilitators’ enthusiasm really did rub off on all the students who attended and everyone was engaged and had fun. The week was amazing and contained many happy and some sad moments. It was a week that I will never forget.” - Sam Wilson, College Captain
Thank you to those parents and family members who were able to attend the Prep – Year 5 Opening Service last Friday and the Parent Information Evening on Wednesday. Your support is much appreciated by both staff and the children. I often refer to the triangle of learning which exists at Pacific. The relationships and communication that occurs between staff, students and parents is fundamental in shaping the positive and successful learning community.
This week the library has been celebrating Harry Potter Week to coincide with Harry Potter Book Night on 2nd February. Students could nominate which of the Hogwarts houses they wished to belong to and then collected points by participating in a range of activities including a scavenger hunt, wand-making, a quiz, Harry Potter celebrity heads, colouring-in and a word search. The person who collected the most house points also won a prize!
To support students academically, the College offers Mathematics tutorials for students in Years 7-12. These tutorials are on Monday afternoons and are in rooms L13/L14 from 3.20pm to 4.20pm. Students are welcome to come along for a quiet place to complete class work, homework or seek assistance. The expectation is that they remain within the room until 4.20pm, unless picked up earlier by a parent.
Louise will be teaching cello and coaching the Senior Strings Ensemble at Pacific this year. With over 25 years teaching experience in many fields – classroom music, instrumental music lessons, tertiary level tuition, workshops, community music, special needs education, school presentations and performance outreach projects in England, Egypt, Hong Kong and Australia, Louise has the experience to empower, motivate and encourage students whilst they learn music. As a Visiting Teaching Artist to national music conservatoriums, regional communities and tertiary level institutions, Louise has successfully spread the joy of classical music and shared creative ways to plan practice and musical goals to motivated students.
Pacific Soccer caters for girls and boys born up to 2012, with team from U6 – U14.
Quality, A Focus For Life