Compass No 457 - May 2017

From the Principal

Having The Courage To Fail

Learning to face fears and walk through them with courage is an important life skill. At all points in life there are moments where we can be limited by fear of failure. This quote by Winston S. Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”, helps us to keep perspective on the challenges we face. If we never fail in life, we have not tested our limits and have not had the opportunity to fully grow. As one of the characters in Strictly Ballroom commented, “A life lived in fear is a life half lived”.

We need to maintain that infant approach to failure where as we learnt to walk there were many failures, sometimes painful, but it did not stop us from getting up and trying again. As we failed, we learnt, adapted, tried new strategies and eventually ran. As we face our challenges, we pray for God to be with us and guiding us. A life lived in full, sees us moving forward in faith when faced with challenges and learning as we go.

Principal's Log

After many weeks of rehearsal and careful planning, the cast and crew of Sideshow are ready to stage their production. It promises to be a thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining performance and we wish all cast and crew well as they share their talents with us.

We wish our netballers all the best for the upcoming semi-final and congratulate our 9-19 years students who participated in today’s District Cross Country. We look forward to hearing the results of both of these events.

I am pleased to share with the community that Mrs Sue Zweck will be continuing as Head of K-5 Teaching and Learning with a focus on the learning of the Kindergarten to Year 2 children. Interviews will be conducted over the coming week for the newly created Head of Teaching and Learning Years 3-5 position. The increasing size of the College and growing complexity of the role has meant that we have decided to split the original role to allow for greater focus on these important areas for children’s growth. We are delighted that Mrs Sue Zweck will continue to be able to use her considerable expertise in the early childhood area within the Pacific community.

As a community we look forward to the Bible presentation for our Prep students at the St Mark’s church service this Sunday at the College. This is a special partnership event between the College and the congregation to nurture the growth of our young people in an important area of their lives.

We pray for courage and guidance to move forward in faith through the challenges of life.

 

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

From the College Pastor

Courage

Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. – John Wayne

People of courage either run away or stand still and act. That was the message we heard at the Middle and Senior College Chapel this week from Eman Mohammed, a female Palestinian Photojournalist from the Gaza strip. As a woman, Eman overcame great prejudice and threats of violence to document life in a warzone through her photos. Another person of courage we spoke of was the shepherd boy David. As a young teenager, David defeated the Philistine giant called Goliath. Like Eman, David could have run away from the enemy who threatened him but instead he chose to stand still in the shadow of the giant and fight courageously.

Eman from Gaza and David from the Old Testament have what people these days call ‘grit’. Grit stands for Guts, Resilience, Initiative and Tenacity. Grit is something we can all learn as we face struggles and challenges in life. Taking that deep breath before a challenge and saying to yourself, “yes I can do this and will get through this”. Learning how to bounce back from setbacks and not letting them deter us. Taking the initiative to do what nobody else is doing and being tenacious enough not to give up or let go of what we need to do. These are all aspects of grit.

That is what people of courage do; they stand still and engage in the moment, face their fears, act, even in the face of their enemies and never give up. That is how courage is learnt. With God’s help, secure in the knowledge that Jesus is with us, strengthening us as we are tested, we can be people of courage like Eman and David. People who show grit and inspire courage in those we work learn and live with.

May God bless you with courage this week as you face your challenges. 

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Director of Students

Positive Education Conference

This week, members of our Positive Schools team attended the Positive Schools Conference in Brisbane. The Australian Positive Schools movement, of which Pacific is part of, aims to build happy, healthy, flourishing school communities. The Conference was full of scintillating speakers and had a wonderful atmosphere of learning and sharing. The focus for this year was growing the art of resilience in young people. Lectures and workshops focused on understanding resilience through compassion, developing flexibility and mindfulness with a vibrancy for life. How to improve staff and student wellbeing, the science of achievement, the power of healthy mindsets and how wellbeing predicts success were also looked at. The latest technology to support healthy thinking was demonstrated and a new look at why honesty is important was explored. Staff who attended will be sharing their learning with the Pacific community over the coming months.

Next Tuesday 23rd May, Year 9 student leaders will be attending Altitude Day at the Maroochydore RSL. Our Year 9 leaders will work with student leaders from a range of Sunshine Coast schools to live their passion, challenge themselves, recruit mentors, make a plan, take action and develop a champion mindset.

We are still seeking collectors for the Red Shield Appeal on Sunday 28th May. Anyone who is able to assist is invited to contact the Middle/Senior College Administration Office. The College is also holding a casual clothes day on Wednesday 24th May to raise money for the Salvation Army.

Mr Brendan Delaney, Director of Students

From the College Captains

Red Shield Appeal Breakfast

Red Shield Appeal BreakfastLast Wednesday 10th May, a group of our Year 12 leaders had a wonderful opportunity to attend the launch of the Red Shield Appeal at The Events Centre, Caloundra.

The breakfast was a chance to connect with the wider community and celebrate the work of the Salvation Army. As a cohort, we are very excited to be supporting this appeal through the upcoming casual clothes day, food collection and door knock! As global citizens we have a responsibility to use our privilege to make the world a better place. One of the key phrases quoted by the Salvos is, ‘I never thought it would happen to me’. We never know what is around the corner and shouldn’t take anything for granted. The Year 12 leaders had a great morning on Wednesday and are inspired to lead the community as we focus on the Red Shield Appeal in the coming weeks.

Alexandra Whitmore, College Captain

From the Head of Staff and Students P-5

General P-5 Update

School Photos

Next Tuesday 23rd May, class and individual photos will be taken for all Prep – Year 6 students. Students will need to be dressed in their formal school uniform for all photos.

Casual Clothes Day

A casual clothes day will be held on Wednesday 24th May in support of the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. Students are requested to make a gold coin donation and if possible, bring along a tin of food to be used in food parcels. As winter nears, the Salvation Army and other charities are reporting record numbers of requests for assistance on the Sunshine Coast.

NAPLAN

Last week, the NAPLAN testing program for this year was completed. Congratulations to all Year 3 and 5 students who completed the four strands of tests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you also to the Year 3 and 5 staff for encouraging, supporting and preparing students.

P-2 Cross Country

This term, all students in Prep – Year 2 have been busily training for their Cross Country Carnival, which will be held on Wednesday 14th June. A letter providing further details of this event will be sent home this week. All parents are warmly invited to attend and support their children.  

Developing Emotional Resilience In Children

Emotional resilience is essential in dealing with our day-to-day lives. It can help us cope with confrontations, making choices, negative situations that are beyond our control and tasks that are boring, difficult or what we consider a waste of time.

As adults we generally face such difficulties with varying levels of resilience. Developing emotional resilience in our children is an important facet of their growth and development.

As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, a negative event doesn’t necessarily cause us to feel down or worried, but rather how we think about the event. Negative habits of mind greatly fuel emotional discomfort. These negative mindsets include self-downing, the need to be perfect, the need for approval, the “I can’t do it or I can’t be bothered” mindset and being intolerant of others. Eliminating these negative mindsets can be challenging. Over the next few weeks I would like to share some strategies from the You Can Do It Program, which may help eliminate or balance these negative mindsets.

To Eliminate ‘Self-Downing’

Explain to children that they have many characteristics – some good and some not so good. Have children come up with five good things about themselves, their skills, talents and personality and five things that could be improved on. You can help children if they get stuck. Then, you should explain that because they possess good qualities, it never makes sense to think “I’m hopeless” or “I’m a loser” when something bad happens. Instead, encourage them to think, “When a bad thing happens, I do not lose my good points. I am still me – capable and likeable”.

Other suggestions for eliminating the tendency of self-downing include:

  • Viewing your child in a positive way.
  • Showing interest and excitement about non-curricular areas of his/her skills, interests and personal strengths.
  • Exposing your child to a variety of extra-curricular activities where they are likely to be successful.
  • Keeping a record with your child of all their positive characteristics.
  • Acknowledging your child when they handle adverse situations with little or no ‘self-downing’.
  • Modelling self-accepting behaviours when something bad happens to you (e.g. “I wasn’t elected to be on the committee. While this is disappointing, I’m still me – a capable and likeable person”). 

Being emotionally resilient helps us to ‘tough it out’ and stay on top of situations emotionally, rather than letting them take control of us.

Mr David Druery, Head of Staff and Students P-5

Food for Thought

Building Resilience In Children

All children are capable of extraordinary things. There is no happiness gene, no success gene and no ‘doer of extraordinary things’ gene. The potential for happiness and greatness lies in all children and will mean different things to each individual. We can’t change that our children will face challenges along the way, but we can build their resilience. The following link provides 20 practical and powerful strategies: http://www.heysigmund.com/building-resilience-children/.

Ms Annie Williams, College Counsellor 

Friends of Pacific

Connecting College and Community

May Meeting

Our next meeting is at 7.00pm on Tuesday 23rd May in the College Library. All parents/guardians and staff of the College are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Trivia Night

Our Trivia Night is set for Saturday 26th August. Watch this space for further details! If you wish to join the organising committee for this fun event, please contact us at fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

Library News

Year 8 Steampunk Masks

Year 8 students are exploring reading, research skills and making through the theme of steampunk this year. Year 8C and 8D are busy making steampunk masks that combine art with technology, incorporating electronic circuits into their designs.

Readers' Cup

This Wednesday, five Year 6 students competed in the Sunshine Coast Region Readers’ Cup Competition against teams from 25 other schools. The students (Zane Holmes, Beyonce Mathew, Elyse McFadyen, Daniel Whittingham and William Whittingham) had to read six books over the last two months, then compete to see which team could correctly answer the most questions about them.

The competition, held at Immanuel Lutheran College, tests students’ recall and reading comprehension and allows students who love reading to share their love of books with like-minded students.

Collins Books at Caloundra sponsored the event and provided book prizes to the winning teams. Richard Newsome, author of the Billionaire’s Curse series, also gave a presentation to the students about being a writer.

LibGuides

The following LibGuides have been recently added:

Voices on the Coast

Next week, the program for the Voices on the Coast Literature Festival will be released. Students in Years 4-12 will be invited to apply to attend. More information will follow in the coming weeks.

Ms Nell Keen, Teacher Librarian 

Tech Talk

App Safety

Keeping up with the latest apps can be mind-boggling. There are over 2 million apps to choose from if you use either an android or apple device. Like the fidget spinner, students discuss and grow passionate about new 'fads' frequently and are often using apps that we didn't even know existed.

Safety Suggestion #1

Familiarise yourself with your child’s device and be on the lookout for apps with the potential to harm. Following is a list of apps that need to be used with caution, particularly by young people.

  • Yik Yak
  • Poke
  • Tinder
  • Vine
  • Ask.fm
  • Whisper
  • Kik Messenger
  • Tumblr
  • Voker
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • Shots of Me

If you are unsure about the use of these apps, or how they can be risky choices for young people, I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss this.

Mr Damien Evans, Leading Teacher – Middle College

Important Notices

Hospital Bus Stop

In April, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital officially opened to the public. Pacific has scheduled a stop in the precinct at the bus stop behind the private hospital. If you would like to take advantage of this stop, please contact the Business Office for further details.

Mr Mike Healy, Business Manager

School Photos
  • Prep – Year 6: Tuesday 23rd May (sibling photos will be taken during morning tea and lunch)

Group and portrait photographs can be purchased online or by using the envelope. To order online, visit www.advancedlife.com.au and enter the code B7H 8V9 RRH or click on the following image:

Important Information:

  • School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school*.
  • Don’t forget to order your sibling photos now.
  • Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day.
  • Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken.

*Sibling photographs must be ordered either online or by order envelope prior to the day of photography. A photograph will not be taken without an order. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at the school.

A reminder that students are required to be in their full formal uniform for these photos.

 Miss Carolyn Sainty, Executive Admin Secretary

Extra-Curricular News

Da Vinci Decathlon Academic Challenge

Da Vinci Decathlon Next week, 40 students across Years 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 will compete at the Queensland Da Vinci Decathlon at AB Paterson College on the Gold Coast. The tournament is a ‘Decathlon with a Difference’, providing challenging tasks with an emphasis on higher order thinking and collaboration. Students from schools around the state will compete in 10 academic tasks including Engineering, Mathematics, Code Breaking, Games of Strategy, Art and Poetry, Science, English and Creative Producers. Our students have been preparing for the event during weekly lunchtime training and are now ready to meet the challenge.

Thank you to Mrs Elley Wood, Mr Andrew Block, Mrs Claire Richards, Miss Rebecca Ross, Mrs Wendy Wescombe, Mrs Melissa Ousley and Mrs Sonia Boland for their support of students.

Mrs Jo Belchamber, Head of Learning Enrichment

Cultural News

Side Show Musical – Last Chance To Book!

Side Show will grace the stage at The Events Centre, Caloundra this Friday and Saturday. Our cast and crew are ready to entertain you! Last minute tickets are still available for purchase at: http://theeventscentre.com.au/product/pacific-lutheran-college-sideshow-musical/.

Mrs Janine Delaney, Head of Drama and Side Show Director

From the Head of Career Development

UQ Accommodation Options

On Tuesday 30th May at 8.30am (in lieu of assembly), two of UQ’s Heads of College will speak with interested senior students and their parents about on-campus accommodation. Year 12 students considering tertiary study in 2018 are encouraged to attend and ask any questions about life at university and their accommodation options.

  • King's College provides accommodation for 325 men within UQ and other Brisbane based universities. The College operates as an academic residential community of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Further information is available at: http://www.kings.uq.edu.au/.
  • Duchesne College is a Catholic Women’s Residential College. Guided by the philosophy and goals of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the College aims to help students’ transition successfully from secondary to tertiary education and then on to a fulfilling life beyond graduation. Further information is available at: http://www.duchesne.uq.edu.au/.

Whilst the Heads of College will speak about these two accommodation options, they will also provide more general information about other on-campus accommodation options at UQ. RSVP to Mrs  Natasha Purcell npurcell@pacluth.qld.edu.au before 30th May.

Career and Employment Expos and University Open Days

Throughout June, July and August there are a number of Career Expos and University Open Days. These events provide a great opportunity for students and families to gain a wide range of information from a variety of exhibitors.

Tertiary bound students are encouraged to attend the University Open Days to participate in campus tours and information sessions. Often, current university students speak about their experiences and these stories can be helpful to students in making their decisions about courses and universities.

Following are some key dates for you to note in your calendars.

Mrs Natasha Purcell, Careers Counsellor 

Junior Sport

SCISSA Sport

Monday afterschool SCISSA training started this week and will continue next week from 3.15pm – 4.15pm. Kayak training is also held at Lake Kawana when afterschool SCISSA training is on. The College bus transports students to kayak training immediately after school finishes. However, parents need to arrange their child’s transport home.

Next week, SCISSA teams will have their second trial games against Nambour Christian College. Basketball, touch football and soccer will be travelling, while all other teams will have home games. 

SCISSA Gala Day 2

On Thursday 8th June (Week 8), all Year 4-6 students will participate in Gala Day activities. Students participating in SCISSA sports will travel to various locations and play round robin games against other schools.

Kayaking and dance students will also take part in organised activities on this day. Dancing students will participate in workshops run by an external organisation and kayaking students will complete a one-day expedition under the guidance of Mr Gary Graves.

Further information about Gala Day plans will be sent to parents next week via CareMonkey.

Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival

The Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival will be held on Tuesday 6th June (Week 8) at the University of the Sunshine Coast. The Carnival provides students with the opportunity to represent their houses as well as gain selection to represent Pacific at the District Carnival later this year.

Students have participated in sprint trials to determine A, B and C division races and will also compete in the discus event here at school on Thursday 1st June. If any parents are able to help at the carnival with timekeeping or judging, please let Mrs Natalie Campbell know via email at: ncampbell@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Prep - Year 2 Cross Country Carnival

Prep – Year 2 students have begun preparing for their Cross Country Carnival, which will be held later this term. Students have been running the course with their teachers during Physical Education lessons.

The carnival will take place here at the College on Wednesday 14th June (Week 9), with races beginning after lunch from 1.40pm – 3.00pm. Further information regarding the carnival will be sent home via CareMonkey over the coming weeks.

Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Junior Sport

Secondary Sport

SCISSA Results

 

VOLLEYBALL

TENNIS

RUGBY

Team

Snr Boys A

Snr Girls A

Snr Girls B

B Division

U13

U15

Opens

Opposition

GSLC

GSLC

GSLC

SAAC Blue

SAAC / NCC

NCC / GCC

SUN / ILC

Score

2-1

2-0

0-2

3-5

0-35 / 10-15

21-7 / 31-5

0-25 / 14-21

Result

Win

Win

Loss

Loss

Loss / Loss

Win / Win

Loss / Loss

MVP

Jackson Brown

Paige Layfield

Olivia Papallo

Jackson Laverick

Cooper Paul / Fin Quilligan

Nick Lloyd / Riley Boaza

Sam Reidy / Cooper Pointon
Monday Night Netball – Semi Finals

Congratulations to our Senior B netball team, PLC 2, on making the semi finals this coming Monday 22nd May. Versing Mountain Creek State High School will be their biggest challenge yet and your support for the girls would be greatly appreciated. The game will be played at Fisherman’s Road, Maroochydore at 5.45pm on Court 8. If you have never been to a Monday Night Netball game, there is a great atmosphere to soak in, quality netball matches to watch and the chance to see a Lightning player as well. We wish the Senior B team all the best and thank their coach, Ms Mel Pietrala.

Trish Buckley Volleyball

Good luck to our Year 9 girls team as they play their final matches in the Trish Buckley Volleyball Competition this Friday night. They have only lost one match so far, which is an awesome effort! Thank you to Mrs Margret Gunn and Mrs Deb Turner for giving up their time to coach the girls.

Running Club

The Running Club meets every Tuesday morning at 7.15am under the Year 4 Building. All ability levels are welcome. Thank you to Mr Stuart Pohlner, Ms Leigh Finter and Ms Leisa Illot for getting up early to run with our students!

Basketball

Mr Mark Hauser, Mrs Michi Hauser, Mr Duncan McNee and Mr Nico Prinsloo have been putting in a great deal of time with our basketball players this term. The basketball competition kicks off in Term 3 and there are some pre-season games happening next week. We will host Immanuel Lutheran College next Thursday 25th May. Games will be played at 4.00pm, 4.50pm and 5.40pm for our boys. Girls will play at Noosa against Good Sheppard Lutheran College on that afternoon as well. Good luck to all players and coaches.

Kayaking

Kayak training continues on Monday and Thursday afternoons from 3.30pm – 5.00pm at Kawana Lake in preparation for this year’s Queensland Championships. We thank Mr Gary Graves for his time and effort in this area and look forward to seeing the students improve their technique and fitness as training continues.

Mr Brett Kersnovske, Head of Sport

Club Sport

Pacific Soccer

  • Games This Week
  • Pacific Soccer App
  • Wet Weather Cancellations
  • Pacific Soccer Merchandise
  • Match Reports - 13th May
  • Pacific Soccer Contacts

Click here to download the Pacific Soccer newsletter for this week.

Mr Matt Gigney, Secretary - Pacific Soccer Committee 

Uniform Shop

Opening Hours and Online Ordering

The Uniform Shop is open from 8.00am to 9.30am every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Orders can be placed online via www.flexischools.com.au and will be delivered to your child the following day.

Mrs Peta King, Uniform Shop Convenor

St Mark’s Lutheran Church

Grow and Share – Prep Bible Presentation

Weekly Services

Pastor Ray Morris, St Mark’s Lutheran Church Caloundra

General Notices

Entertainment Books

Pacific Lutheran College is fundraising with Entertainment™ again this year. Order your NEW 2017 | 2018 Entertainment™ Books and Entertainment™ Digital Memberships today and 20% of the proceeds will go towards Pacific Lutheran Early Learning Centre! To order your book or digital membership, visit: https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/230p536. 

LLL School Banking

Pacific provides opportunities for children and parents to operate savings accounts with the Lutheran Laypeople’s League (LLL). The LLL is a non-profit financial institution established in 1921. All LLL Deposit Accounts are ‘at call’ accounts and there are no LLL fees or charges.  All LLL deposit accounts have an attractive rate of interest with no ‘Bonus’ rate hurdles to jump.

The LLL pays a $5 gift to the first savings account opened for the child.

Deposits can be made through the College’s Business Office each Tuesday before school. To find out more, visit the Business Office.

Sunshine Coast Toastmasters Club

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. The club mission is provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. Toastmasters is a fun, effective and affordable way to develop communication and leadership skills. Join Toastmasters... improve yourself! Guests welcome (free)!

Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at The Sands Tavern in Maroochydore. Meetings commence at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start. To find out more, visit: www.sunshinecoast.toastmastersclubs.org/.

Holiday Golf Program

The Sunshine Coast 5-Day Golf Program provides the highest standard of coaching to students (boys and girls) aged 6 to 14 years, from beginner to elite. This program is specially designed and structured for children to learn all aspects of the game of golf. The program runs each day from Monday 26th June to Friday 30th June. To find out more, visit: http://ttgolf.com.au/sunshine-coast-june-school-holiday-junior-golf-program-6-14-years/ or click here to download the flyer.

Upcoming Dates

May
19-20 Side Show - The Musical Performances
21 St Mark's @ Pacific Grow and Share (9.30am)
23 Prep - Year 6 Photo Day
  Friends of Pacific (7.00pm)
25 Year 4-6 SCISSA Trial Day
30 10-19yrs Regional Cross Country Carnival
  ICAS Science Competition
   
June
1 Under Eights Day
  Year 3-7 Athletics - Discus Event (1.40pm-3.00pm)
2 Caloundra Show Holiday
2-3 Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo
5-7 Middle College Exams
5-9 Senior College Exams
6 Year 3-7 Athletics Carnival - USC (9.00am-2.30pm)
8 Year 4-6 SCISSA Gala Day 2
   

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