Compass No 491 - April 2018

Calling all parents, grandparents and friends of the Pacific community! We would love to see some new faces at the Tuckshop this term! 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, meet our Tuckshop Convenor and have a look around. There are jobs to suit everyone and it’s a great way to meet new people and lend a helping hand. Click here to download the Volunteer Form.

Ms Carrie Dickson, Tuckshop Convenor

As a community we congratulate Year 12 student Kaylee McKeown on her selection and performance as a member of the Australian Swimming team for the recent Commonwealth Games. Kaylee swam in the 400m individual medley, 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke and came fourth in the finals of the 100m and 200m events.  To achieve at this elite level has required many years of commitment, courage and character.

It was a joy for us to watch Kaylee compete at these events and witness a highly skilled athlete perform in the pool as one of the world’s best. Her skill, courage and tenacity to get back to fourth place after coming into contact with the lane ropes in the 100m backstroke was the mark of a true champion. We are all very proud of Kaylee and wish her all the best as she continues to grow and develop in a very demanding sport.

Pacific Lutheran College has launched SchoolTV, a digital wellbeing platform featuring Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. SchoolTV empowers parents to deal with the issues faced by today’s youth.

Each month, a new topic is published on our SchoolTV website and includes contributions from many leading experts in youth wellbeing. This month’s topic is Physical Activity and Exercise.

In this digital age, children are using computers and mobile devices, not only for learning, but also for relaxation and recreation purposes. In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice relating to the benefits of regular physical activity and exercise, as well as tips on how to get their kids motivated and moving more.

Through the archive on our SchoolTV website, parents will also be able to access past editions with topics ranging from Exam Jitters to Anxiety and Internet Addiction.

Parents can access our SchoolTV site through the ‘School Links’ tab in Parent Lounge: http://tass.pacluth.qld.edu.au/parentlounge/login.cfm.

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

We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never disappoint us. – Romans 5:4-5

As we begin a new term, hope is the devotional thread and character strength we will explore over the next two weeks. We can hope for many things in life – a new car, winning a million dollars or an end to the rain on a wet day. Hoping for these type of things can almost be like wishful thinking. In biblical thinking though, hope is directly linked to our growth in character that comes from persisting through the challenges, trials and suffering of life.

The logic of these verses from Romans is that suffering leads to strength, character and hope. The wisdom of this is that real concrete hope is produced in us when we live through challenges and trials. As much as we would prefer to avoid suffering or challenges, we need to persistently journey through them, one step at a time. In doing so, God is able to give us the strength to endure. The strength that comes from journeying through these hard times then shapes and grows our character so that we become people of unfailing hope. In positive psychology terms, we then become people of transcendent hope – hope that is connected to something or someone higher in meaning and purpose than ourselves.

As we begin this second term, we also live in the hope that comes from the risen Lord Jesus. We live in a post-Easter world. A world where we can hope that death is not the end of the story for us, hope that in the cross there is freedom from suffering, hope that Jesus has conquered our worst fears and anxieties.

As you think about and develop this character strength of hope in your life may the God of all hope give you strength, peace and endurance so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you overflow with the hope that comes from him.

This week, staff engaged in a learning development session with Margaret Thorsborne who is widely recognised as an international expert on Restorative Practices. The purpose of this session was to look at the latest research and developments in Restorative Practice and to focus on ‘Restorative for the Classroom Teacher’. Margaret has worked with Pacific on an ongoing basis and will return in November to run a session for the student wellbeing team.

Restorative Practices are a key component of Pacific’s wellbeing philosophy. Our aim with ‘People the Focus’ is to develop strong teaching and learning relationships. The stronger the relationship, the easier it is to resolve differences. The restorative process is a way of building, maintaining, restoring and sustaining relationships and is dependent upon a social climate that is reparative rather than punitive.

The restorative conversations can take many forms, however the key principles and essence of the conversation remain the same.

• What – the story of what happened.
• Affect – explore the harm (who do you think has been affected in what ways?).
• Repair – what needs to be done to put things right?
• Move – how can we make sure this does not happen again?

Our aim with relationships is to build them, maintain them, restore them and sustain them.

Welcome to Term 2, we hope all families found the holidays enjoyable and refreshing.

ANZAC Day

Prep – Year 5 students will remember the sacrifice of past and present service personnel at a College ANZAC Day Service at 8.30am on Monday. To accommodate this service, the usual Prep – Year 5 Assembly will be held on Friday morning at 8.30am.

On Wednesday, a contingent of students will also represent the College at the Caloundra ANZAC Day March. If you would like to be part of this service, please see the details in Mr Brendan Delaney’s article above.

Open Day

Open Day is on next Sunday 29^th April from 12.30pm – 3.30pm. The College will be open for current students and families as well as prospective families. A great variety of displays and activities have been planned to highlight the many and varied aspects of education at Pacific.

NAPLAN 

This year’s National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be held on from 15^th – 17^th May. Further information will be forwarded to families with students in these year levels over the coming weeks.

Our first Geek Girls activity for the term involved learning how computers operate using binary code. We learnt how the alphabet translates into binary and then created a necklace of black and white beads, which spelled out our names in binary code.

This year, we will be welcoming 22 students from our sister school, Seishin Gakuen in Term 3 (from 30^th July – 6^th August). Applications to host a Seishin student are now due, however, we are still very short of host families.

Hosting is open to all Senior College students and students do not have to be studying senior Japanese to host.

In addition to this, two of these Seishin students will be staying on at Pacific for the whole of Term 3. We are currently seeking one more host family with a female student in either Year 10 or 11 to host our Inbound Exchange student for the term.

If you are interested in hosting a Seishin student for either the Seishin Visit (one week) or Inbound Exchange Program (one term), application forms can be collected from Mrs Hauser in the S6 staffroom. Alternatively, please email: mtoriyabe@pacluth.qld.edu.au for more information.

Mrs Michiko Hauser, Head of Japanese 6-12

USC Student Ambassadors will be visiting Pacific next Thursday 26^th April during lunchtime. They will speak with senior students and interested parents about life as a university student and course information across faculties. Come along to hear their stories and learn more about the transition from school to university. RSVP to Mrs Purcell on: npurcell@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Team building with Pacific FC 

Over the Easter break, Pacific FC ran two exciting events for club members and friends. On Easter Saturday, the inaugural Pacific FC Mt Coolum climb was held! It proved to be the perfect morning out to get a new perspective on things. Thank you to all who attended and wore their new training shirts.

Thank you also to all those who joined in for a fun, social soccer game last Saturday morning with a kids vs parents match. There was a dominant performance by the Pacific kids, who took out the round 5:3! Stay tuned for the Round 2 date!

Draw

The draw for all rounds is now available on the SCCSA website: http://www.sccsa.org.au/. 

Open Day

Pacific FC will be at Open Day on Sunday 29^th April from 12.30pm. Join in the fun with our mini soccer games, which will be held on the field adjacent to the Year 3-12 car park. All ages are welcome to participate and our coaching director Mr Rob Moffitt will lead the activities.

Pacific FC Contacts

• Jenny Lee (Canteen)
• Lisa Ackerman (Registrations)
• Louise Currey (Treasurer)
• Esta Styles (Vice President)
• Matt Gigney (President)
• Zane Russell (Grounds)
• Rob Moffitt (Director of Coaching)
• Rita Williams (Equipment)
• Margie Hickey (Uniforms)
• Paul McFadyen (Grounds)

If you have any queries, or if you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at: pacificFC@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Mr Matt Gigney, Pacific FC President

Group Fitness Sessions for Mums

Personal trainer Mason is holding group fitness sessions for mums in the newly refurbished PLC Gym (next to the uniform shop). The classes run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8.30am – 9.15am. Classes are designed for and focused on toning, weight loss, strength, mobility and fitness conditioning. The first session is complimentary.

Text or call Mason 0433421969 for more information and to book!

Body Transformation Challenge

The Body Transformation Challenge is an eight-week training package, which will run from 4^th June – 30^th July. By signing up for the challenge, you will receive:

• Unlimited Group training sessions includes Yoga.
• Nutrition supplements for energy detox and rebuilding.
• Body work and massage.
• Personal training sessions.
• Body composition scan and reports.
• Coaching support sessions and more!

There are only 10 places available. For more information and expressions of interest contact Mason at wellfittoday@gmail.com or 0433421969.