Compass No 465 - July 2017 | Pacific Lutheran College

From the Principal

Effective Communication Takes Intentionality

Growing effective communication in any context, including our families, requires thoughtful intentionality and modelling. A recent Kids Matter article highlights four components of building healthy communication within the family that are good habits for communication in broader contexts. The first is to cultivate habits of listening by creating times for extended conversation where people learn to listen carefully to each other (Pastor Tim’s article has a simple strategy for growing this). This includes making the most of opportunities to talk and listen by learning where this happens best for each member of the family. Sometimes this occurs around doing things together such as walking, playing games or sharing a meal around the table together.

Taking extra care when talking about problems and learning to use “I” statements rather than judgmental “You” statements and agreeing to pause when issues are likely to escalate are other important components. Taking this time out can help people lower emotions and gain perspective before damaging words are shared. As we pause, we let each other know that this is an important matter we want to talk about effectively and that at the moment “I am feeling too … to discuss this properly”.

The final component is that of repairing damaged relationships. The old wisdom of not letting the sun go down on anger or hurt is a good one to cultivate within the family. Any relationship will have times of hurt and conflict. Being able to put this in perspective and finding ways to work through hurt, including being able to apologise or to identify hurts, avoids them festering for years and breaking relationships. Safety for openness about frustrations, disappointments, hurts and mistakes are key. Building from a Christian perspective where God forgives us all of our shortcomings, helps us to respond in a more gracious, understanding and forgiving way.

(https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/69_C3_FR_EffectiveFamilyCommunication.pdf, sighted July 27 2017)

Principal's Log

It was a delight to be part of the Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival this week. Tremendous spirit and energy was evident as students strived to do their best and encourage others. We witnessed very talented performances from highly skilled athletes with a number of records being broken as well as gutsy performances from athletes of all ability levels. Well done to all students for the character and spirit shown on the day and to Mr Brett Kersnovske, Mrs Natalie Campbell and the Physical Education staff for their organisation and leadership of the event. Thank you to the staff and parents who ran events well and to the Friends of Pacific BBQ team who provided much needed sustenance. Thank you also to parents for your attendance and support.

Each year at this time we invite families to provide feedback to the College which is used to inform future planning. The information collected also provides data required by the Federal Government as part of the annual school reporting process. Details and links for the survey were emailed home to parents on Wednesday of this week. We encourage all families to take the 5-10 minutes required to complete this short but important survey.

We concluded our student, parent, teacher conferences this week. Many Middle and Senior College students and their families took advantage of the opportunity to have a 10 minute focused conversation with their teachers to identify one or two strategies that students could employ to enhance their learning. These are always very worthwhile conversations for all involved and we thank parents, staff and students for making the time to engage in purposeful learning conversations together.

I encourage families to support the Friends of Pacific, Woolworths and Stockland fundraising opportunities described within their article later in this newsletter. It is a simple way for families who shop with these entities to provided additional resources for the students of the College.

My God help us to be effective communicators who build relationships through our interactions.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

From the College Pastor

Positive Family Communication

How healthy and positive is the communication in your family? If relationships are key to growing healthy, positive, resilient children, communication is the glue that holds these relationships together. The truth is though, none of us have perfect communication within our families. We are all flawed human beings, parents and children alike. At times we fail to communicate lovingly with our loved ones. The busyness of family life means that sometimes we fail to communicate when we need to. And when the communication to our family members goes wrong, miscommunication can creep in to cause disagreement and conflict in our lives.

Taking what time we can to make the most of communicating positively with our families is important. Whether it is talking in the car on the way to and from school or sport, turning off the television or putting down that screen to eat dinner together, scheduling informal or formal family meetings to talk about important issues that affect your family. There are many creative ways to make time to communicate as a family. If communication is the glue that holds our family relationships together, we want to communicate in a way that will become sticky as we model good habits which will be picked up by other family members.

One simple way to encourage positive talk that I find useful is the idea of sharing ‘highs’ and ‘lows’. To share a high and a low is to communicate a highpoint of our day or week with another family member and then subsequently to listen to theirs. Similarly, to share a low is a deeper thing of connecting with out emotions and how we felt about a struggle, disappointment, or disagreement we experienced during the day or week. Speaking our highs and lows and then actively listening to them is a great family habit to practice. It might feel a bit awkward at first if you haven’t done this sort of thing before, but it is worth it as we communicate with each other more frequently and more deeply.

The good news is that the more you do this sort of thing in your families, the more it will become a habit. The more it is a habit, the more it will form character and the more that these characteristics of positive communication develop within a family, the more they will naturally flow and bear positive fruit in our lives. As Jesus says in Luke 6:44-45; “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit… A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.

With God there is always hope and a second chance to communicate in positive loving ways in our families. His Holy Spirit is able to shape us as He opens up our hearts to communicate with love.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Director of Students

Making Flow Happen

In PERMA, one of the key areas of engagement is flow and at the Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival this week, I saw a number of students experiencing this. Ilona Boniwell is a leading UK psychologist and educational consult. She has published a very readable book, Positive Psychology In A Nutshell, which is packed with scientific evidence on concepts such as flow. Ilona explains that the state of flow happens under very specific conditions – when we encounter a challenge that tests our skills and yet our skills and capacities are such that it is just about possible to meet that challenge. Therefore, both the challenge and skills are at high levels, stretching us almost to the limit. Flow is a universal experience, which has several important characteristics:

Clarity of goals and immediate feedback on progress. For example during the Athletics Carnival students knew exactly, what they had to achieve and how well they were doing. In their academic schoolwork, the setting off TFU goals and visible thinking routines provides clarity for student on their progress.
Complete concentration on what they are doing in the present moment with no room in their mind for any other information.
Actions and awareness are merged. The activity seemingly becomes automatic and the involvement effortless – though this is far from the truth.
Sense of control over what one is doing.
Transformation of time. Usually, time passes much faster than expected.
Activities are intrinsically rewarding. This means they have an end in themselves.

What is also interesting about flow is the almost total absence of emotions. Thank you to our hard working Sport Department for their organisation of such a wonderful carnival that enabled many students to experience flow.

Mr Brendan Delaney, Director of Students

Important Notices

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students With Disability

As part of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students With Disability (NCCD), the College is required to provide the following information to the Australian Government Department of Education and Training on each student with a disability:

The student’s level of education (i.e. primary or secondary);
The student’s category of disability (i.e. physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional); and
The student’s level of adjustment (i.e. support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustment).

For further information, click here to download the official notice from the Education Council.

Friends of Pacific

Connecting College and Community

Through the Ages Trivia Night – Saturday 2^nd September

Here’s a bit of trivia that might be handy to know: Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?

Tables are selling fast! Gather your team of 8-10 (adults, alumni and Year 11 and 12 students only) for a night of fun and laughter at our Through the Ages Trivia Night hosted by our quiz master Russell Ousley and quiz scribe, Leah Croke.

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. There will also be some great prizes up for grabs including wine baskets, gift vouchers and lucky door gifts from our fabulous sponsors so far - Mooloolaba Music, Ezyfit Kawana, Rumba Resort, Rosetta Books, Sarah’s Unplugged Maleny, Maleny Dairies, Australia Zoo and Fowler Lawyers.

Appoint a captain to make your team booking and payment at the Junior or Middle / Senior College Offices. Click here to download the Through the Ages Trivia Night flyer and booking form!

Two Ways to Help Pacific When You Shop!

Stockland Caloundra ‘School Rewards’

The Stockland Caloundra School Rewards promotion kicked off last week. Simply register as a customer online and shop at Stockland Caloundra to start collecting points for Pacific. There are great prizes up for grabs for both participating customers and the College including gift cards, iPads and cash! For more information and to register, visit: www.caloundraschoolrewards.com.au.

Woolworths Earn & Learn

Woolworths Earn & Learn is back and it is now easier than ever to earn valuable resources for Pacific. From Wednesday 26^th July to Tuesday 19^th September, when you shop at Woolworths you can collect Earn & Learn stickers from the checkout operator or through an online order. Customers will receive one Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor, tobacco, and gift cards). Simply place them on the Sticker Sheet, which will be sent out next week in student homework folders or print copies using this link: https://wowpmediaaae.azureedge.net/content/content/earn-and-learn-sticker%20sheet.pdf.

Once completed, place the Sticker Sheet in the PLC Collection Box, either at your local Woolworths (Currimundi, Buddina and Pelican Waters) or in the boxes located at the College (at Prep and the library).

Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival BBQ

Thank you to Allyson Savari, Belinda Modlin, Sonia Boland, Anita and Andrew Edmonds and Margie Hickey for hosting the FoP BBQ at the Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival on Tuesday. It was very much appreciated by students, staff and spectators.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

Library News

Voices on the Coast

Last Thursday and Friday, 52 students across Years 4-12 enjoyed the Voices on the Coast Literature Festival. Held at the University of the Sunshine Coast, students experienced the lecture theatres, cafeterias and bookshops of university life and had the opportunity to meet various authors, illustrators and performers. The speakers were entertaining and informative and inspired many students to borrow their books from the library when they returned.

Visiting Authors

As part of our lead up to Book Week, we have three authors visiting the school this week and next week. On Wednesday, Lynette Noni, author of the best-selling fantasy series, The Medoran Chronicles, spoke to Year 7-10 students about being a writer and her experience of getting her first book published. Lynette’s work has been likened to a mixture of Harry Potter, X-Men and Narnia and already has a devoted fan base around the world.

Ms Nell Keen, Teacher Librarian

From the Head of Career Development

Australian Defence Force (ADF) at the Aviation Expo

Students interested in a career in aviation are encouraged to attend the 2017 Aviation Expo. Here, students will have the opportunity to speak with current serving ADF members in aviation roles and learn about their experiences. The expo will be held from 10.00am – 4.00pm on Saturday 19^th August at Aviation Australia (15-25 Boronia Rd, Brisbane Airport). Students can register their attendance at: http://events.defencejobs.gov.au/event/KNGE3F/.

Women in the Air Force – Tech Camp

The Tech Camp is a four-day residential program designed to give women aged 16 – 24 an overview of life in the Air Force. It will be held from 4^th – 8^th September at RAAF Amberley. The closing date for applications is 9^th August. Visit the Defence Work Experience website for details: http://www.defence.gov.au/WorkExperience/.

The 2017 Queensland Science Contest

Registrations are now open for this contest. To enter, students need to select a contest category and register online before 9^th October. Students then need to complete their project/s and send or bring to the University of Queensland on Friday 13^th or Saturday 14^th October. For more information, including a list of categories, visit the Science Teachers Association of Queensland website: http://www.staq.qld.edu.au/competitions/queensland-science-contest/.

Upcoming Open Days

QUT Open Day this Sunday 30^th July – Open day is the best time to talk to lecturers and current students about courses and to explore the campuses. Students can also book to attend Pathways, a career information session for students interested in visual art, design and fashion. Visit the Open Day website to download the program and get the Open Day planner: https://www.qut.edu.au/study/events/qut-open-day.

UQ Engineering and Technology Careers Evening – At this event students will hear from recent Engineering and IT graduates, talk to lecturers and current students, find out about job opportunities and learn about UQ’s courses. The evening will be held on Thursday 17^th August from 6.00 – 8.00pm in the GHD Auditorium, Advanced Engineering Building, St Lucia campus. For more information and to register, visit the website: https://www.eait.uq.edu.au/engineering-and-technology-careers-evening-2017.

SAE Creative Media Institute Open Day – SAE offers courses in the fields of animation, audio, design, film, games and web and mobile. Its diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor degrees are eligible for funding assistance under FEE-HELP. SAE will hold its Open Day from 11.00am – 3.00pm on Saturday 5^th August at its Brisbane campus in West End. Visit the website for information about the program and to register for the chance to win a pair of Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless headphones: https://sae.edu.au/news-and-events/events/sae-brisbane-open-day-2017/?date=2017-08-05&id=914.

University Fixed Closing Dates

Some university courses have fixed closing dates. These are usually courses that require interviews, folios or auditions. In addition, some course requirements may be needed earlier than the QTAC Early Bird application due date of 29^th September. A list of most of these courses and their required closing dates or due dates can be found on pages 22 and 23 in the 2018 Year 12 Guide.

Key Dates for Year 12 Students

Most of the following information can be accessed from the 2018 Year 12 Guide, on page 21. Fixed closing dates and 21^st December major offer round courses are on pages 22 and 23.

3^rd August: QTAC online applications open on the QTAC website ($42).
29^th September: On-time QTAC application due date.
End October: Recommended time for Year 12 students to submit documentation, if required (e.g. for the Educational Access Scheme).
17^th November: Depending on the courses students apply for, they could receive an offer from this date onwards.
8^th December: Final application and documentation due date for the major offer round on 16^th January 2018.
15^th December: Year 12 results mailed to students by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA).
16^th December: Year 12 results available online from student’s Learning Account on the Student Connect website: https://studentconnect.qcaa.qld.edu.au/. Students will need their LUI and password to access their Learning Accounts.
21^st December: Major offer round for creative and performing arts courses and early offer round for some other courses for entry in Semester 1 2018.
Late December: OP ineligible ranks will be available on student’s QTAC application.
4.29am on 9^th January 2018: Change of preference final time/date for the major offer round on 16^th January 2018.
16^th January: Major offer round for Semester 1 2018 courses.
25^th January – 15^th February: Semester 1 2018 top-up offers.

Mrs Natasha Purcell, Careers Counsellor

Junior Sport

Lutheran Athletics Carnival

Last Wednesday a very excited group of Year 3-7 Pacific students travelled to The University of the Sunshine Coast to participate in the Lutheran Athletics Carnival.

Conditions on the day were quite testing with very strong gusting winds. Pacific started the day strongly with a number of top three finishes, putting the College in first place for most of the morning. Unfortunately we were unable to hold on to the top place, finishing in second to Good Shepherd Lutheran College at the end of the day.

Well done to everyone who participated on the day and congratulations to the following students who finished in the top thee places of their events:

Name	Age	Event	Place
Sarah Barrett	9 Years Girls	800m Run	3^rd
Bella Lumkes	10 Years Girls	800m Run	2^nd
Zaida Williams	11 Years Girls	800m Run	1^st
Tim Bange	12 Years Boys	800m Run	3^rd
Luke Becker	10 Years Boys	Shot Put	3^rd
Indah Suseno	10 Years Girls	Shot Put	1^st
Chloe Hughes	9 Years Girls	Shot Put	3^rd
Allegra Pollack	11 Years Girls	Shot Put	3^rd
Luca Turney	11 Year Boys 11 Years Boys	High Jump Long Jump	2^nd 2^nd
Darcy Connors	10 Years Boys 10 Years Boys 10 Years Boys 10 Years Boys	High Jump 200m Run Long Jump 100m Run	2^nd 1^st 1^st 1^st
Taj Turney	10 Years Boys	High Jump	3^rd
River Boyall	9 Years Boys	High Jump	2^nd
Cody Proeger	12 Years Boys	200m Run	3^rd
Laura Callaghan	12 Years Girls	200m Run	2^nd
Danica Cockburn	10 Years Girls	200m Run	3^rd

Prep - Year 2 Athletics Carnival

Prep – Year 2 students have begun preparing for their Athletics Carnival by practicing the various events in Physical Education lessons this term.

The Prep – Year 2 Athletics carnival will be held here at school on the main oval on Monday 28^th August. The carnival will run from 9.00 – 10:30am with all student required to wear their sports uniform with house shirt on the day. Further information about the carnival will be sent home to parents via CareMonkey next week.

Year 4-6 SCISSA Sport

On Thursdays, students in Years 4-6 have been training during school time for their new Semester 2 SCISSA sports. All students should have finalised their sport choices at this stage.

Next Thursday is the first SCISSA trial games for students and Pacific will play Sunshine Coast Grammar School. Water polo (Kawana Pool), touch football and boys volleyball will be playing home games while all other teams will be travelling for their games.

Next Monday afternoon (31^st July) is the first afterschool training session for SCISSA teams. Boys and girls volleyball, boys touch football, girls soccer, boys AFL, girls basketball and dance will all train here at school from 3.15 – 4.15pm.

Water Polo and Kayaking will train at Kawana Pool and Lake Kawana respectively. A bus will transport these students down to training after school but parents will need to organise transport home after training. Training finishes at 4.15pm at these venues as well so parents need to ensure they are on time to collect their children.

Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Junior Sport

Secondary Sport

Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday, Year 7-12 students participated in the Athletics Carnival at the University of the Sunshine Coast with perfect winter weather conditions. It was a fabulous day and there were some remarkable achievements by many students. Click here to view the Age Champions and new records broken on the day, some of which had stood for nearly 10 years! At assembly next week, the Age Champions will receive their medals and the winning House will be announced. Thank you to everyone involved. Your support and assistance contributed to the success of the day.

Futsal Success Continues

Early on a cold Monday morning, the Year 7 futsal team set off to compete in the U13 Girls Champion of Champions tournament in Brisbane. The girls began the tournament strongly with very convincing wins against Calvary Christian College 2-0 and Gympie State High School 7-0. The team continued to play strongly throughout the day with a narrow loss against Ferny Grove State High School 3-1 and Kawana Waters 5-1, missing out on qualifying for the semi-finals.

The girls showed great determination and teamwork in their games. The team included Lucy Burnett, Mikayla Cross-Pitcher, Annika Fawke, Ella Hansen, Abby Shanahan, Brianna Smart and Grace Whitelaw and all players represented themselves and Pacific proudly.

Thank you to coach Mrs Sara Whitelaw and manager Mrs Virginia Schlotterbach for their support of the girls in preparing for the tournament. We also thank the U13 Boys futsal team who attended training sessions with the girls and assisted in their preparation.

Student Success

Congratulations to the following students for recent success in their sporting endeavours:

Brooklyn Graves for being elected as the Captain of her Regional Basketball Team.
Brooke Tait and Georgia Harle for representing the region at the State Soccer Titles in Cairns last week. The girls made the grand final and were only narrowly defeated 2-1.
Nick Lloyd for representing the region at the State Rugby Union Titles in Townsville last week.

We also wish Christian Schlotterbach the best of luck at the State Soccer Championships this weekend.

SCISSA Touch Football

SCISSA Touch

Well done to our Junior Girls touch team who are currently undefeated after their first three games!

Week 3 – 26^th July

	Snr Boys A	Jnr Girls A
Opposition	GCC	ILC
Score	7-10	4-2
Result	Loss	Win
MVP	Lachlan Woods	Bethany McKenna

*The Senior Girls A team and Junior Boys A team both had byes this week.

Mr Brett Kersnovske, Head of Sport

Club Sport

Pacific Soccer

Games This Week
Upcoming Events
National Pyjama Day
Match Reports
Encouragement Awards
Pacific Soccer App
Pacific Soccer Contacts

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

Mr Matt Gigney, Secretary – Pacific Soccer Committee

PLC Netball Club

This week the collective congratulations goes to our Arabians team on their 23-21 win against the top placed side. It was a great game to watch (but bad for the blood pressure) with neither team gaining more than a two-goal advantage for the entire game. The girls from both teams can be proud of their efforts and the win keeps the Arabians finals hopes alive. Well done, girls! A special mention to Georgie and Layla who both returned from illness to help the team achieve this milestone victory. The Arabians face tough games in the last three rounds with all seven teams in the division still in with a chance to make the finals. We wish the girls the best of luck on Saturday and if you are in town, come down and support the team at 10.30am on Court 2.

A reminder that the club presentation night will be held on 10^th September from 5.00 – 7.00pm at Laserzone. The whole family is welcome and there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved with the fun and games. Stay tuned for further details.

As the year progresses it becomes more difficult to select our players of the week, particularly with games like the Arabians effort! The recipients for their efforts on 22^nd July are:

Unicorns – Shelby Sempf for great effort;
Ponies – Sophie Bloomer for excellent court work;
Brumbies – Sofia Aronsson for her excellent defence and passing;
Fillies – Ruby Akporhonor for great intercepting; and
Arabians – Tayla Gorham for her determination and focus.

Mr Trevor Colton, President PLC Netball Club

Tuckshop

Volunteers Required

We would love to see some new faces at the Tuckshop this year! Your time and effort will be most appreciated by staff and students. If you are unsure about what is involved, please feel free to pop in and have a look around. There are jobs to suit everyone and it’s a great way to meet new people and help out. Click here to download the Volunteer Form.

Ms Carrie Dickson, Tuckshop Convenor

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

Weekly Services

Pastor Ray Morris, St Mark’s Lutheran Church Caloundra

General Notices

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.

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.

Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service – School Dental Service

The Caloundra Dental Service is currently offering free dental care to:

Every student across Prep to Year 10; and
All Year 11 and 12 students who are eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Scheme or who have a health care card.

Appointments will be at the Caloundra School Dental Clinic in the grounds of the Caloundra State Primary School, George Street Caloundra. Please phone 54 911 311 for bookings and enquiries.

Upcoming Dates

July

30	Year 8 Camp Departure – Glastonbury
31	Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)

August

4	Prep – Year 3 Author Visit
7	Trimester 3 Begins
	Year 7-12 Schools Water Polo Season Commences
	Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)
8	Year 6-7 Theatre Incursion
10-11	13-19yrs District Track and Field Event
11	National Education Support Staff Day
15	Junior College Science Fair
	Friend of Pacific (7.00pm)
18	Years 11-12 HOSP Industry Day
21	Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)
21-25	Book Week
22	Year 6 Canberra Tour Information Evening
24-25	Year 4 Camp – Alexandra Headland

Compass No 465 - July 2017

LEARNING JOURNEY

ENROLMENTS

NEWS

MY PLC

Growing people to make a difference