Compass No 462 - June 2017

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.
So it is with the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)

The thread over the last two weeks of this term has been about regularly connecting with a religious community. Being involved in something bigger than ourselves. Seeing the value of looking outside ourselves, to connect with a faith community that serves others. Are you involved in a faith community? Do you ‘go to church’? Do you see value in connecting with, or belonging to, a faith community? 

According to social researcher Mark McCrindle, 88 per cent of Australians say the church is beneficial for their community. Yet only 15 per cent or one in seven people actually attend a church on a monthly basis. Despite what we might perceive as a negative attitude towards the church in our country, these statistics indicates that most Australians recognise the worth of Christianity for our nation.

The challenge though, is for people to commit to a regular ongoing connection with a church community. It is difficult for families who have many commitments on weekends with sport, shopping, driving teenagers to work and social events. Just having some time to rest and be still on the weekend can be a luxury. Many families have what has been called a ‘narrow bandwidth’ of interest, time and energy to connect regularly with a church. It’s not that people do not see the value of belonging to a church community, it’s just the amount of time, energy and space to do so is limited in the busyness of work and family life.

These thoughts are true for connecting to a Sunday worshipping church community. However, as a parent and friend of Pacific, you are already connected with a religious community. You are connected with a College that is part of the Lutheran Church of Australia. You might not know much about Lutherans or what they believe, but your children are being educated in a Christian environment. They are learning and engaging in a community of faith where chapel, devotions, Christian Studies, the Bible and prayer are all regular parts of life at Pacific.

Are you involved in a faith community? Do you see value in connecting with, or belonging to, a faith community? Your presence in our College community would suggest that this rings true for you, that your answer to these questions is ‘yes’.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

This term has been particularly busy and exciting for all students across Prep – Year 5. Thank you to all parents and guardians for their support and involvement in the many and varied aspects of life at the College this term. Your support and involvement is greatly valued and welcomed by both children and staff. We hope all children and their families enjoy a relaxing break together.

Prep – Year 2 Cross Country

On Wednesday, the Prep – Year 2 Cross Country Carnival was finally held under clear blue skies. Thank you to the many parents and family members who attended the event to support children. Well done to all students who participated and congratulations to Bula House for winning the carnival! A special thank you to Mr Darren Hooper for coordinating the event and all staff across Prep – Year 2 for their support and supervision of students.

Reports

Over the holidays, student reports for this semester will be made available for parents to download from the Parent Lounge. Parent Lounge can be accessed via the College website: http://pacificlutheran.qld.edu.au/my-plc. Once the reports have been completed and uploaded, a SMS will be sent to all families. If you have any questions regarding the download of student reports during the holidays, please contact the Administration Office.

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

The feeling of shame comes from the belief that, “I am basically flawed, inadequate, wrong, bad, unimportant, undeserving or not good enough”. The following link explains how to guide children toward appropriate behaviour to meet their needs without shame: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/peaceful-parents-happy-kids/201605/how-avoid-shaming-your-child.

Ms Annie Williams, College Counsellor 

CHANGE OF DATE: Through the Ages Trivia Night is NOW SATURDAY 2^nd SEPTEMBER

Due to a conflicting event that will see many of our College leadership team away on the original date, we have moved the Trivia Night to Saturday 2^nd September. All other details remain the same! Our theme for the upcoming Trivia Night is Through the Ages! So, dress up and enjoy… Middle Ages, Ancient Greece, Roaring Twenties or Happy Hippies – the possibilities are endless! Gather your team of 8-10 (adults only) for a night of fun and laughter with great prizes to be won. Kicking off at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start, tickets are $10 per person for entry, with food stalls and a bar on offer too. Appoint a captain to make your team booking and payment at the Junior or Middle / Senior College Offices before tables sell out! Click here to view the full event details.

Our event committee has been working hard behind the scenes to plan a great night! There are also a number of sponsorship opportunities available for the event. If you would like to support the night and promote your business, please email: fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au. 

Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival BBQ

Our next BBQ will be at the Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival on Tuesday 25^th July. If you are available to help on the day, please contact: jengregg@optusnet.com.au.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is at 7.00pm on Tuesday 18^th July in the College library. All are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

The upcoming school holidays provide a great opportunity for students to take stock of their online identity. Take the time to talk with your child about online safety and provide tips for staying safe online.

Safety Suggestion #3: Protect your online identity

Check privacy settings on all apps and websites. Default settings on most apps are more open than most of us would like. It is important to know who we are sharing information with. Encourage your children to read the fine print, rather than simply click 'I accept' and to consider the information they are potentially giving away when online. For example, simply sharing a photo may give away that your family is on a holiday and the home is empty. Taking the time to discuss safe and effective use of technology is extremely valuable in creating digitally savvy children.

Mr Damien Evans, Leading Teacher – Middle College

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

This week, Year 11 Art students attended a classroom with no walls on their excursion to Moffat Beach. As the youth of today, they investigated the social, cultural and psychological implications of place as a geographic location. Students drew insight from initial observations of the physical features and more importantly, the cognitive meanings of place. This will be developed further, back in the classroom studio, to establish a metaphoric or symbolic meaning for their work that is more than just the surface appearance.

Mrs Denise McMahon, Head of Visual Art

This week, the collective congratulations goes to our Arabians team. Their game on Saturday was a challenge for the team as there were three players away on school camp. With support from the Brumbies and the Fillies, the Arabians managed to defeat the top side and by doing so, forced their way into the top four. Whilst there are still five rounds to go, our Ponies, Brumbies, Fillies and Arabians are all fighting for finals positions. Well done to everybody!

On Saturday morning, we also hosted our first umpires breakfast, which aimed to recognise the achievements of our umpires. At the breakfast, our girls were presented with their official umpire’s uniform, so keep your eyes peeled for them in the coming weeks. We wish them all the best of luck.

Again, it was difficult to select our players of the week, however the recipients for their efforts on 17^th June are:

• Unicorns – Teagan Weldon for a great effort;
• Mustangs – Zoe Woods for a great game;
• Ponies – Mia Salta for great court game and Madeline Attard for outstanding defence work; and
• Arabians – The whole team for making us proud.

The club AGM is set for 12^th July at 6.00pm and will be held at the College in Room L13.

We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable break. We will see you all back at training in the week commencing 10^th July (first week back at school). 

Mr Trevor Colton, President PLC Netball Club

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